Put your money where your mouth is

I have a stack of unfinished and abandoned drafts for posts stacking up, today I am determined to hit that publish button  so I'll keep it short but sweet.
Life carries on here in the valleys in much the same way as ever. I seem to be getting more busy rather than less, but am trying to work on appreciating rather than resenting this.
From September I will be taking over running the local baby and toddler group alongside a couple of other mums, and in addition to the two days a week we currently do, a nursery in the next village has asked us to do a day with them as well. We are having a bit of an overlap so that the previous girls can show us how it all works, so that is a responsibility that I am enjoying but also means that I am fixed two, and soon three, days a week which is a little odd. We have been thinking about positive changes we would like to make to the group to encourage more people to come, and one of the things we have been working on is sorting out an outdoor space for the kids to use in summer. I ran my first activity with the kids this week which we all really enjoyed, and I am looking forward to coming up with more ideas. I feel a little overwhelmed by it and if I'm honest am having to fight the urge to back out and run away as it feels like a commitment I don't have the energy for at the moment, but I think I need to remind myself about something I was complaining about a couple of posts ago, and that's lack of community. If we want it, we have to make it, you certainly can't expect other people to sort everything out for you. Anyway, that's enough on that.
Apart from the toddler group we have been getting on with the odd bits of gardening, not as much as I'd hoped or planned for this year, but that's inevitable with a baby and a toddler! Nevertheless my greenhouse is slowly becoming reassuringly green and this summer we will certainly have something to show, even if we aren't self sufficient.
The weather continues very nice here. When we moved here two years ago it was winter  and I remember a taxi driver said to will, just wait, the village really comes into its own when the sun shines, and he was right. I can put up with the months of gloom for these golden hills.
I still haven't managed to actually knit or sew anything else yet, though I've bought a book of rather ambitious knitting patterns, and have had half an eye out on charity shops for some old linen or curtains I like for a skirt  so watch this space. Now the usual, better than my rambly words  here are some photos from the last few weeks.

I did it!