January blues and January do's

So we are heading rapidly towards the end of January.... 
I fear this is not quite going to be the busy post I'd hoped for.
You see I have hardly left the house except for work these past two weeks....illness and decorating make for boring blog posts!

 But before all that we managed a walk around Saddleworth one cold but sunny Sunday.

The photos are a bit mixed up but we started at the bottom of Lark hill then walked up and then down into Diggle, on into Uppermill (for very important lunch stop) along the canal then up the hill and down into Dobcross, up past the church and The Swan (mentioned tons of times in relation to my very favourite film being filmed there) and then back down to Lark hill.

 It was mainly roads, lanes and good footpaths.

 With a sausage roll half way round from our favourite bakery, Buckley's in Uppermill

Church at Dobcross where Hubby's parents were married

And so we arrive at the two 'lost' weekends.............

 During the week at school in class two the topic is HATS....it helps to have my own collection to fall back on!

 It has been very grey and miserable these last two weeks and not great for taking photos.

And then we started.......we plan to tidy up the house this winter and early spring. The lounge hasn't been touched since we moved in 12 years ago so it was in desperate need of decorating.

 Daisy loved the 'new' curtain!

 I welcomed a glass in the evening when day one was done.

I have decided to join in with Leah Halliday's #Stitchaweek......and I'm already behind! I sent away for some lovely new thread and it is due any day now.....I am planning to make my stitch samples into a cloth book. I found this beautifully embroidered shawl at school in a bag I use for dressing up and it inspired me. 

 I had to pop to the bank in Rochdale after school one evening....it has such handsome buildings.

We have had snow off and on over the past two weeks too. Nothing significant....the girls at school made a tiny snowman one playtime!

 I made beef stew and dumplings one evening...

and now we are in the new year it is time to brighten up the place with a vase of golden sunshine. My mum has never ever bought daffodils before the new year and it is something I can't bring myself to do either.

I have read quite a bit this year already. I read the Children of Winter because Class 5 have 'Medieval England' as their topic this half term and The Worm and the Bird was a Christmas gift.

as part of Class five's topic we made Black Death Buboes.....using jam doughnuts, custard and black food colouring......lots of yucks when we heated them in the microwave but they still ate them!!!

So I have not been out of the house for two weekends and we only had the view from the window to see what the weather was doing.

The old sofa and chair went off to the household waste....we did try and give them to charity but they were a bit cat scratched! All painting done, we have wallpaper to buy for the one feature wall opposite the window and the new sofa and chair arrive this week. I will show you when it is all done and dusted.

Next room....the kitchen and dining room! (I have succumbed to the dreaded lurgy and have been hitting the Lemsip this weekend but seems to be on the way out)...Misty needed playing with whether you are ill or not!