Holiday

No posts this week as we've been away on a little holiday. There's also a distinct scarcity of pics, as we were just too busy having fun! However, there is this slightly blurry evidence that not did we catch our first ever glimpse of a red squirrel, but we had them right outside our door, posing in every Beatrix Potter-esque pose imaginable! I also saw a woodpecker this morning and last night, coming back from a very rare night out together (the joys of staying with another set of parents is tit-for-tat babysitting favours) C and I saw, and avoided stepping on, crested newts.
The second pic doesn't even come close to showing just how much fun P had spending the week with a little pal who was equally keen to jump in, and closely examine, puddles wherever we went. Not to mention run full pelt around our cabin, giggling, squealing and generally being full of joy. And that's without even beginning on the fun we had at the on-site swimming pool complex, with water slides, wave pool and so on!
Beginning and ending with drives through the spectacular Kirkstone Pass that not even my galloping heartburn could spoil, a good time has been had by all.

Swimming cover-up

Okay, I know the photo is terrible, but this was truly an evening's project and now it's late evening so the available light is artificial and poor. But all the same I'm really pleased with my little improv project.
It's in honour of the upcoming adventure this week- swimming! P has been a few times since he was quite small, but hasn't really had a proper go recently. This week, following the purchase of a float suit- which he currently insists is a 'hat' and wears to ride his trike around the living room, incidentally- we are going to get him making like a fish, we hope! As he's a slippery little so and so when he's wet I wanted him to have some sort of poncho or robe for apres swim but couldn't really justify the cost for what was in some cases a glorified towel. Plus I can't resist a bit of hand-made for the boy. So...one bath towel, size chosen because when folded in half widthways it should cover him but not trip him up.
Then, with the towel folded widthways still, I cut a slit in the middle, and then another halfway across the first slit and at right angles (forming a 'T' shape basically). I did this by trial and error, checking on the intended wearer to get the hole big enough for his head but not so big that it will slip off his shoulders.
I then used bias binding tape all the way around the neck hole to finish it and stop it fraying.
Finally I cut a simple boat shape from some scrap fabric and sewed it on the front. I could have done proper applique at this point, but in the end I just back-stitched about a half cm in from the edges all the way around each shape, as I quite like the idea of it being a little bit frayed and rough (no, that's not just an excuse for a short cut!). I may regret this if fraying gets to falling off, but if that happens I'll go back and do the proper applique thing.
It honestly looks better in real life than the photo. As to whether it fulfills the function- well, we'll see this week. First job is to persuade P to take his swimsuit off his head...