Sometimes I take a trip and come home with no souvenirs of any kind.

Not so this time!  Here are a few of the goodies I brought back from New York.

Top:

Hat and wristwarmers from Flirt boutique in Brooklyn.  Ring from the Brooklyn Flea.

Bottom left:

Paperblanks journal.

Bottom centre:

Cashmere yarn from Purl.

Bottom right: 

A chartreuse green toothbrush (my favourite colour at the moment!).

So after the flock of hens I've had charge of all winter had moved on to pastures new yesterday, I found a parting gift of three last eggs.  Thank you, girls!

I didn't expect the new pullets to start laying for a while yet; but, when I went to shut them up for the first time this evening, there was a beautiful, dark brown egg waiting for me.  It wasn't in the nesting boxes but lying right by the door - as if the hen who laid it wanted to make sure I found it.

We're off to a happy start.  I know we're going to get along just fine.

Yesterday he said goodbye to the thirty or so feathered ladies who've kept him company all winter.

Today he agreed to share his roost with three new flamboyant females.

I'll bet there's many a man wishes he could acquire (or dispense with) a harem as easily as that!

The balmy spring weather has created such fantastic reflections in the reservoir that I just had to break out of my usual thrice-weekly posting schedule to share this with you.

Wishing you pockets of deep calm this weekend...

Five of the ten women who sewed the quilt.  From left to right: Joanne, Melanie, Vicky, Susan and Jane.

When I left England to live in the States, a few of my friends painstakingly stitched a quilt as a parting gift for me. Most of them had never tried their hands at patchwork before, yet they created a true heirloom. Their beautiful present hung on the wall in my Arkansas home for the three years I lived there, reminding me that I was loved and remembered.

The girls kept stitching after my quilt was done. And more friends joined their number. Today, the local newspaper turned up to photograph their latest creation (pictured above) - a gorgeous quilt of their own design which is to be raffled to raise money for The Children’s Society.

I’m planning to be first in line for tickets. And cheering them all the way.

So what exactly have I been doing in New York?

Answer: Attending a writing retreat run by the amazing Jen Lee.

I crossed the Atlantic last week with anticipation but few expectations. I didn’t want to set myself up for disappointment. But disappointment was not on the agenda. This gathering of sixteen strong and beautiful women delivered the goods in spadefuls.

Together we shifted boundaries and blasted open the doors of possibility. We told stories with laughter and received tales with tears. We revelled in companionship and support of the highest order. And moved into our futures with courage and with hope.

When an experience is as profound as this one was, I find it’s useful to keep a physical token of what’s happened - a sort of proof that it was real. And when, during my last hours in New York City, I came across a turquoise ring at the Brooklyn Flea, I knew I’d found my symbol.

Inexpensive and of little value to anyone else, this ring now holds immense significance for me. It’s a reminder of truths discovered and intentions stated; a prompt to be brave and resolute; a tangible, solid entity I can touch….and know I’m cradled by the energy of incredible women.

Jen is holding another retreat in April. If it calls to you, go. You won’t be sorry. It could just change your life.

Happy Sunday from a very snowy and slushy Brooklyn!

I'm in New York!

And, with a few hours to spare, I headed off this morning to two places that have long been on my 'Want to Visit' list.

First stop, Purl Soho - the little yarn mecca behind the lovely aqua shopfront.  Purl carries a magical selection of natural yarns in all the colours of the rainbow (and more).  After sitting for a time and knitting up a swatch amidst the bustle and friendliness, I now have a small stash of jade-coloured cashmere to keep my fingers busy throughout the rest of my trip.

Next port of call, Pure Food and Wine - or rather the take-away attached to this gourmet raw food restaurant.  My haul of goodies here included fresh green juice (which went by the peculiar title of Swan Greens) and heart-shaped gingerbread cookies.  Which, having shared vicariously with you, I'm now about to polish off!

More from New York anon...

Revelling in the abundance and easy availability of glorious spring flowers...

From left to right:

Top Row

- Sheep looming through the mist

- Ranunculus on my desk

- A visit to the Rob Ryan paper cuts exhibition at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park

- Nettle, the Dixon Hill cat, recovering after emergency surgery.  (He ate a piece of grass that was way too long for a little cat!)

Second Row

- Another pig pen ceilidh

- The snow is back

- A surprise card in the post containing words of encouragement, painted and sent by the lovely Danielle (it made my day)

- Daffodil shoots pushing through the earth

Third Row

- The queue for breakfast

- At the Sculpture Park

- Cooking pancakes on Shrove Tuesday

- Scraps of fleece, caught on the barbed wire and covered in snow

Bottom Row

- The fields under snow

- A hen's egg, tucked into a crevice in the wall.  Who put it there?

- A walk on the moor at sunset

- A friendly cow encountered one morning this week