Joy in the little things

Nothing grand of note to report in the podcast this week, other than some little updates on ongoing projects. I almost didn’t post a podcast episode, but there’s joy to be found in the little things, especially in these dark days. A few rows of knitting here, an hour spent in the garden there, for me these are the wee bitties that add up to peace, joy, and living a creatively fulfilled life.The Christmas cards are a dead giveaway that this is not a recent photo of the robin on the window feeder!The birds are busy in the garden, collecting nest material and raking through my bird feeders. I’m considering going down to Harbro (the animal feed warehouse) to buy bird seed by the 12kg bag. Am I ready to commit to feeding the birds in that volume? Or am I just deluding myself by repeatedly buying 500g bags of seed from the supermarket?I talk about my current knitting project, the PetiteKnit Barbara Balaclava. You can see my progress above, and my inspo pic from a recent Guardian Fashion Statement email newsletter. Knitting is one of the few areas of craft, where it can be cheaper to make your own, assuming you don’t factor in your time!The reason all the blankets in the house are ‘odiferous’, in the words of my mother-in-lawThe bulbs I planted back in November are flowering and I love seeing them from the windows of the house, even on cold wet days like today. I wanted to spend the day in the garden but it’s been raining sideways intermittently and it’s freezing cold. So instead I made myself a cuppa and settled in for some sewing. The slow cooker is on and gradually filling the house with warming, homely scents of dinner. The radiators are quietly clicking away, and the dogs are snoozing on the sofa after a short, chilly walk in the rain. I rather optimistically hung the laundry out on the line (I’m still so delighted to have a garden to dry washing) and it’s currently hanging damp and bedraggled, waiting for a break in the rain for me to retrieve it for the warmth of the Dry:Soon. But for now, I’m not leaving my cosy nook. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit craftandthrift.substack.com