October in Sant Feliu ...

This was the view from the quay-side, here in Sant Feliu, yesterday afternoon. We had a day of perfect sunshine and clear blue skies with hardly a breath of wind. I like it better now than in high summer; the October temperatures suit me: never too cold and never too hot.

I'd like to say a big thank you to my lovely guests who came on our October knitting retreat. You were all fantastic.  I'll post a teddy bear pattern soon for those 4 ply left-overs from our project during the week.

And finally I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Halloween! We're all set to carve some pumpkins later on tonight.

All the best for now,

Bonny x 

Choco-nana muffins ...

In our house we very occasionally don't get around to eating all the bananas before they get over-ripe. Given a choice I prefer a slightly green banana. Too much time of the shelf, and they develop a chalky texture and cloying sugariness that I really can't be having.

When this happens I often peel them, put them in a sandwich bag and store them in the freezer for a batch of my Choco-nana muffins. With the sweetness of the over-ripe bananas there's no need to add much sugar, and the addition of some cocoa powder with bake-stable chocolate chips ups the ante to produce a really tasty muffin that can't be too terrible for the waistline ...

Just read on for my recipe:

Knitting tote bag ...

Happy Autumn Equinox, my lovelies!

I've just finished making a batch of these super-quick tote bags for a wonderful group of ladies who've asked me to organise a knitting group get-away in deepest, darkest Devon. The idea is to hand out their knitting kits in custom-made tote bags that they can then carry them around in, and which will also help (super myopic) me to spot all my gorgeous ladies in a crowded bar. Brilliant idea: win/ win for all concerned!

We're staying down by the Exe estuary, so I thought I'd go with a jaunty nautical theme.

Just read on for the pattern and instructions.

Farewell to summer ...

Farewell to a wonderful Costa Brava summer. It was warm, golden and gone too soon.
Thank you to all our lovely guests.
And here's to the autumn ...

All the best for now,

Bonny x

Chasing the fish ...

Yesterday morning I happened upon the last fishing boat as it re-entered the harbour. It was pretty spectacular. In its wake were more seagulls than you could have shaken a stick at. The fishermen clean out their catch on the way back to harbour and I'm guessing that they toss the bits they don't keep back into the sea. As a result this big boat is a serious gravy train for all those hungry sea birds.

Perfect beach cardi ...

I've just made the perfect beach cardigan for covering up with as the evenings get a bit chillier. It's still lightweight and airy, which makes it perfect for summer evenings and dining al fresco as the sun sets over the bay. It feels casual enough to pull on over a bikini if you want to cover up on the beach - hence the name!

And it's knit in my wonderful own-label double knitting bamboo in the aptly-named colourway: Sandy Beach. This pattern makes a generously sized cardigan that will measure 48cm or 19" from arm pit to arm pit with the wool un-stretched. If you'd like it a bit smaller or larger you can adjust it by adding more / removing some pattern repeats. The pattern will repeat over 6 stitches and four rows. I used 570 g of wool, which totals 12, 50g balls of double knitting bamboo yarn, which totals about 1,200 metres of yarn. This yarn knits to a tension of 22 stitches x 28 rows on a 10cm x 10cm square in stocking stitch.

Just read on for the pattern:

Sant Feliu sunset ...

Here's to the golden aura of a Sant Feliu sunset. It's a precious moment when the sun disappears leaving the warm glow of its rays to linger for a while like happy memories of the day just gone.

All the best for now,

Bonny x

Loving the sunset ...

We face the wrong way to get stunning sunsets over the waves, but I'm often out at the tennis club in the (relative) cool of the evening around dusk. It's the best time of the day to knock a few balls around, after the heat of the afternoon has passed.

Now in truth I'm not a brilliant tennis player, and it takes very little to distract me from those clay courts. The club is set in rolling farmland. And at this time of the year, with the cereal crops harvested and the great round bales of straw waiting to be collected, it turns into the most glorious golden landscape. Just at the point at which the sun is dipping below the brows of the surrounding hills and the shadows are lengthening it's at its very best. So there you are, that's my excuse for ducking out of play.

All the best for now,

Bonny x

Shopping Girona ...

Normally when we go to Girona we wander around and soak up the history and the ambience. Each time we find new things that we've not noticed before, and marvel at how many layers this place has. It feels like you could spend a whole lifetime here and still not know what was round every corner.

Whilst I'm not much of a recreational shopper, Girona has some lovely, quirky shops that can tempt even the most jaded consumer.

Costa Brava Colours ...

Out here on the Costa my days are full of colour. The amazing blue skies and clear, bright light make this a perfect destination for photographers. Quite honestly, all you have to do is point the camera and click. Whatever you've focussed on will look marvellous in that wonderful sunshiny light.

Even the weeds out here are photogenic. I mean who would complain about having weeds in their garden that looked like this?

Costa Brava sunflowers ...

We've made it! We're finally here on the Costa Brava! And it's hot. Very hot!

Emi goes to sailing school down on the beach every morning. He's made stacks of new friends and totally L-O-V-E-S being on the water. He's only had a week of instruction so far, but has taken to having a critical opinion of the wind every time we venture out. His great grandfather was in the Spanish Merchant Navy, so Mr B has been encouraging him to believe that he comes from a long and illustrious line of seafaring folk. The big joke is that their home village down in Murcia, a place called Águilas, has a big sign just outside of town announcing that it was once home to a notorious band of Barbary pirates ... enough said, Mr B!

Fabulous Foxes ...

On our last day in London I came down early to get ready for my final day at Fibre East. When I looked out into the garden I was amazed to see a vixen with two cubs chasing each other through the flowerbeds. They were so puppy-like. One of the cubs was a great deal more timorous than the other one, and immediately ran off to hide when my sleepy-eyed mug appeared at the window, but Mum and the braver brother didn't scamper. They stayed and partied until I let the WonderDog out for his morning comfort break.