two days at the beach in the rain

Two weeks off work have come and gone with us mainly hunkering down at home, preparing for autumn and generally not doing many blog-worthy things.
We did get away for two days to the beach in the Netherlands though.



Unfortunately the weather really didn’t cooperate and it rained pretty much the whole time we were there.



Now I’m usually pretty hardy when it comes to weather but while being soaked through once or twice is quite the adventure… by the time you lose count how many times you’ve gotten wet and everything is just dripping and cold it really stops being fun. We just tried to make the best of it.

And while we’re at this being a bit of a rant, I’ll say that the week after didn’t fare much better with me having headaches and a stomache-ache for most of it in addition to not being able to sit very well (old injury from a fall off the pony which decided to make itself known again), culminating in the worst, head-splitting headache yesterday. I’ll be so glad to see the end of this week. Sorry, just needed out today.
And I promise my next post will be more cheerful because I have some sewing to share as soon as I am recovered enough to take photos 🙂

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stormy skies

Our ponies on the pastures have seen quite a few heavy storms over the years.


But dark skies sure make for some dramatic photos.



Whoops, hi there. No, you can’t eat my camera. Go back to your grass and pose.

Good boy.
On a side not, I rode my pony without saddle or bridle or halter or anything last week. It was only a couple of minutes and I don’t have photos of it but it was the most exhilarating feeling. We had just finished a really good 30 minutes of working, already bareback, or I wouldn’t even have tried. He remained just as attentive and responsive with the bridle off.
I don’t think someone who has never rode a horse can understand this, but this riding together with all that equipment stripped away is a beautiful, beautiful thing. Because all that remains then is trust, on both sides, and the willingness to listen to each other and work together.
I’m still smiling.

patterndrafting adventures

Wow, has the weekend flown by! Can’t believe it’s already over again. I had planned to finally tackle Cal Patch’s wonderful book “Design-it-yourself-clothes” and make a top pattern for a dress. For one I am totally in love with the gorgeous dress Anna did based on that book and also I need a paririe dress for a charity event which is planned at the barn in June (1880’s country fair). I haven’t got any fabric for it yet but figured I could already draft the pattern and make a muslin on Saturday morning.

Two days and three handbasted muslins later (thank goodness for all of those old Ikea pillow cases, or I wouldn’t have had enough cheap fabric!) I was getting pretty frustrated because it just wouldn’t fit and the armhole was making me cry. My boyfriend said ‘Well, you didn’t think it was going to be easy, did you? Why did you think nobody does it anymore these days?’ to which I stammered ‘I thought people were just being lazy’.
Fast forward to a fourth draft and muslin and things are looking a whole lot better. Still not super duper perfect but good enough to be a satisfying finish to the weekend.

Totally unrelated but we’ve also been having a terrible storm today and all the way to the barn the streets were littered with branches and leaves. I took the highway on the way back but even there it was pretty scary with the sudden strong gusts of wind…I was glad to be home again and watch the rest of the storm from my cozy living room!