Peg centerpiece

I have a very low threshold when it comes to heat, and boy has it been hot here this summer!  So during the day I have been inciting the kids to stay inside with sunny day activities.
I remember doing this one with Rémi when he was much younger, so when Tino recently dragged out the craft box I was very happy to find a packet of pegs hidden deep inside.

The dogs were being very patient with us while we crafted, so whilst waiting for the paint to dry we took them both for a little dip.  The poor things, can you imagine wearing a fur coat all summer!

Juno is Ringo's sister and we look after her from time to time when her humans are out of town.  Not only is she a different colour to her brother but she has a completely different personality - Ringo is very laid back and Juno is, well, MAD as a hatter!

But she's great fun and Ringo and the kids love having her for sleepovers!

Then it was back to work putting all the pegs together.   I think I may need to go over things with my glue gun as I don't think the craft glue we used will hold things together very long, but so long as nobody touches it things will be fine!

At 9pm it was finally cool enough to go on the trampoline. Not really the best before bedtime activity!

This afternoon they have put up a lemonade stand out on the road.    Business is a little slack to say the least and they have already had a drive-by visit from the local 'police municipale'.  I stayed well hidden behind the curtains and they managed to sweet talk their way out of being shut down all on their own!

Yarn Along - You win some, you loose some....

Been playing Russian roulette with a ball of yarn...that wee scrap of brown was all I had left to finish the second foot...so, yes I lost the game.
Ended up ripping out the first foot and then stripping the both feet, and you know what? - I like being a looser!

I think they're way more fun this way!

Not too sure what happened with the light in the second picture, the colours in the top one are much more true to life. 
I used the sock pattern from Fair Isle Style but just changed the motif to prancing horses from Scandinavian Knitting Designs- (and stripped the feet!!)

dinner!

It's still scorching here.  We're having to use tap water now for the garden as the outside barrels are bone dry.   It's way to hot to do anything out doors apart from nipping out to grab some bits and bobs for meals, so surprisingly for this time of year I'm getting quite a bit of knitting done.   Making steady progress on my Barn Sweater.  So far this pattern is very easy to follow, I've finished the raglan shaping so it should be plain sailing from here on in.

We braved the boiling sun yesterday and hiked up to the Lac de Catogne (2200m).  The kids brought their swimming trunks as they had every intention of having a dip,  whilst on the other hand, us 'unprepared' adults  took advantage of the solitude and jumped in in our undies!!
Reading Gut and Psychology Syndrome pretty interesting on the whole.  The author claims that psychological  disorders, such as autism, dyslexia, are directly linked to the health of our gut, and that the correct diet can cure them.  She puts forward a very convincing argument but seems to have an extremely damming opinion of vegans which kinda spoils the book for me a little.

What's on your needles and night stand this week?

Linking up with Ginny for today's Yarn Along.

Ringo - Lac de Catogne

Garden Pests...

Woke up to these 'little' beauties snacking on my salads last week!  There were nine of them in total, and despite their big feet and chomping chops they did less damage than the invisible pest that keeps eating my kale!

Not sure where they came from or where they went afterwards, 'tis a bit of a mystery.

Richard heard on the radio yesterday that the best time to water the garden is between midnight and 4am!  So this morning, there he was bright and early (not 4am btw) doing the necessary, with his little garden helper in hot pursuit.  It's scorching hot here at the moment, I've never experienced a summer like this before,  I'm suffering and I'm not the only one.  The poor dog got totally over heated yesterday and vomited everywhere whilst we were out.  We slept with the front door wide open last night so he could come and go as he pleased and this morning we found him sleeping outside.

The garden is general is looking pretty good.  I've totally lost my gardening mojo lately but luckily my f.i.l is around to pick up the slack!  We haven't planted anything new this year, just the same ol' same ol'.
We already harvested lots of strawberries, lettuce, rhubarb, spinach and a few new potatoes (teeny tiny ones but we couldn't hold out any longer).
Still to come, that is if the Kale monster doesn't decide to change it's diet, are runner beans, dwarf beans, beetroot, swiss chard, onions, broccoli, courgette, leeks, radish, carrots, cauliflower, tomatoes, pumpkins, red & black currents and plums.