Jinxed

The new "Percentage bar" was obviously a mistake. Jaywalkers are now frogged in their entirety. They were a disaster. Strange long feet! - I was very sure to follow the toe-up pattern to the letter on the second sock as the first had been a little big (more of a slipper than a sock), but the second one was even worse. As soon as I turned the heel I realised there was about 2 more inches than there should have been! I've put it down to not completely understanding which bit is which in the toe-up variety (thanks Badger - I should've listened!) But not one to give up, I have now bought Sensational Knitted Socks (as frequently recommended on the Angel Yarns Forum) so will have another go at toe-up but from another pattern!

I am also to be a grandmother!! - No, the dog's not preggers, But my Aloe Vera plant is! - YAY! I have three little baby ones appearing out the side, it's so exciting! - Will post a photo when they are big enough to take the pressure of public life!!

A Quiet Bank Holiday

Well, when I say quiet that's not strictly true. I was woken up at 6:50am by the glass recyclers emptying the huge bins at a hotel across the road from me. I was not amused, this is the third time in recent weeks I have been woken up - the worst was at 4:40am. I feel a letter to the hotel manager coming on!

Also it has been the Surrey County Show today - it is pretty close to me, and often I feel like I am part of the entertainment as I can hear everything that goes on! However, today has not been too bad. Whether the wind is taking the noise in the other direction, or it is just quieter this year, I am not sure. I was thinking about going, but the weather has been so unpredictable. Huge showers and hail storms today - but beautiful sunny weather in between. Very Odd!

So, I have busied myself with my jaywalkers, one is finished and I am now at the heel of the second. I have three more "Stash-busters" to work on. 7 Hanks of Colinette ISIS in "Dusk" which were a jumper that I didn't like, so have been frogged for re-knitting. A kilo of Rowan chunky cotton chenille in a beautful lilacy rose colour (I think they called it angel tears), and some lovely Spanish ribbon yarn that my M&D bought me for my birthday. None of which I have any real plans for other than they must be knitted before I buy more yarn!

Green Cone - But no ice-cream!

I have been shamed into recycling more!!! (and quite right too).

Although, I must say that the council don't exactly encourage it by readily available information. For example my lovely new Green Cone is a little genius! - You can put all your kitchen waste into it, and it disappears into the sub-soil. When I say kitchen waste - it's everything - bones, fish, meat, dairy, peelings etc etc etc. I had no idea that something was available to compost all kitchen waste. And not only available, but to us lucky UK residents, most councils hugely subsidise the cost. This only cost me £5, including a kitchen caddy to collect all manner of scraps in! It has a big basket underneath which needs to be put in a big hole in the garden - 24" deep by 32" diameter. The rest of the cone is then screwed to the basket and the lip should just sit below the surface. I know I am inherently lazy, and to be honest, much as I totally agree with recycling as much as possible, it has to be made "fairly" easy for me. I have composted my veggie waste for years - but only in the summer when it's easy to get to my composter and it can be a pain separating veggie waste from other stuff when you're cooking. This little beauty saves all that grief - it even takes cooked waste. There is council literature on this, but I have never seen it through the letter box, or even had it described to me as part of the recyling road shows that pop up in our local farmers markets. It seems to me that it just needed to be put across how easy this would be and I would have got one years ago!

So, as the weather has at least been dry, the Green Cone is in position and the grass is finally cut. The weeds haven't been tackled but you can't do everything!

Also last night, my darling OH, made me dinner. He had decided to use the plaice that we bought in Worthing and looked up a recipe from a great seafish website . We had Plaice with mushroom and ricotta stuffing. It was really good!!! And the kitchen didn't look like a war zone when he'd finished either. I may let him do it again!!!!!

It's actually not raining!!!

Whey hay!!!

Got up and walked the dog early as I was a little sceptical that it would stay dry - went fully clad in waterproof clothing just in case!!!! (As yesterday I got caught in an almighty shower when I was the furthest I could be from the car!)

Have also been to Sainsburys (oh joy!) and had lunch. Now I would dearly love to get in the garden and make the most of the dry, but I have work to do, so fingers crossed that this is not a blip and I will finally get the grass cut and my washing dry by the weekend!!!

Drought ?

It has rained every day since my birthday last week. I distinctly remember driving back from Rye in appalling conditions and they haven't stopped since - it's like Armageddon! My water butt is overflowing, the grass is growing and I can't cut it, I have only walked the dog three times in the last week (and am being punished for that - she can be one sulky bitch when she wants to be!), and I am eating far too much because I am spending too much time inside!

There has been the odd sunny spell in between all the water, but really it's just been torrential for a week. (In my optimism on Saturday I hung washing on the line in a half hour break in the rain, - ha ha - It's still there!!!!!)- Oh well can't say we don't need it - Loved the fact that I got a letter from Thames Water yesterday about the drought- the poor postman (who had to ring the bell to get me to take in a parcel) looked like he was drowning!

I did manage to get to Ford market in Sussex on Sunday. There is a brilliant butcher there, and because the weather was pretty bad he was giving away some good deals. He does sell really good meat - all in £10 and £20 bags so you need some freezer room, but it's well worth the trip. Other than that a lot of the stalls hadn't even bothered showing up, the weather was that bad! Still got what i needed, a freezer of meat, and some tupperware cereal container thingys to put my bread-making flour in. So I was happy!

When I got back I had a chance to phone my Uncle in Oz (2p a minute with 18866.com) as it's his birthday today, so I wanted to catch up and wish him a Happy One and all that. We were on the phone for ages - (lucky it was cheap) - isn't it amazing that it doesn't matter how long you spend apart, when you are family, or good friends you just slip right back into nattering as if you'd talked last week. Only thing is I can't give him a proper hug - but I know he knows I want to!

Yesterday, I worked!! - Oh yes, really!! I managed to (finally) get hold of the tax office to confirm that the tax return has been received (bloomin' software had a seizure in the middle - although I think the problem was with their end rather than mine), and sorted out the cash-flow, and invoices and all that admin type stuff. So, at least that's done for a week or so!

Oh my, the sun's out - wonder if I could risk a walk?????!!!!!!!

What a week!

I've been putting off doing my blog as it's been such a busy week I don't know where to start!

So, firstly progress on toe up , Jaywalkers. I would like to profoundly thank Badger for completely jinxing them!!!! I've never done toe-up socks before and it was all going swimingly . . . . but the pattern for these needs to be understood a little more than I understand it!!!! - I've frogged them once, and they are still too long in the foot - (i say "they" but this is the first!) It'll be wearable, so I'm not frogging again - Should have it sorted by the second one!!!! - This will be an indoor pair of socks, (I've decided!) so fitting will not need to be exact!

T'was my birthday on Tuesday - thanks for all the messages/emails/comments etc etc. I had a wonderful day as OH took me to Rye. We wandered the streets (managed to stay out of LYS) and had a lovely lunch in a pub. Then went for a stroll along Camber Sands, and drove home just as it started to pour with rain (it actually hasn't stopped since!) I was very lucky too, I got a bread-making store cupboard from dear sister, three types of organic flour, three types of seeds, yeast, and a "how to do it" book! I also got the most precious card from nephew (aged 2), which was drawn all by himself. Luckily Mummy labelled the love hearts and kisses and hugs so I knew ;) But it was the best present! and they phoned and sung me happy birthday together, now how lucky am I??? From M&D I got some lovely yarn - a ribbony affair from Spain - photos when batteries are re-charged -, and money towards my bread-maker.

So, on to the bread-maker! What a palavar getting it! DHL Couldn't find me (I live on a main road in a big town centre - ok the houses don't run in number order, but P.e.r.L.E.A.S.E. it's not hard!) so on Weds I got in my little car and trugged over to the DHL collection centre. It was 40 odd miles, so having picked it up, I mooched on to Ikea, which was in the same general direction (very general!) to get the trolley and a few bits and pieces I wanted. I ended up out most of the day (much to dog's annoyance having also been out day before!), but at least achieved what I needed to. So, here are the results of the combination of sister's present and new bead-maker!







I have to say it all worked very well. I chose a "rustic style french loaf" which was a mixture of 75% white, 20% wholemeal and 5% rye flour. I was impressed for a first go, (and slight cock up on measuring ingredients - put down to being tired, but more to do with not paying attention), it was definitely good enough to use all the time instead of that cotton wool the supermarkets sell. Have today put in a mixed seed loaf so will see how that turns out!



Finally, during a short interlude in the rain on Thursday, we took both pooches out for a romp! What was covered in snow only 2 months ago is now covered in bluebells. It is truly beautiful and the picture would have been lovely if both dogs hadn't been so knackered their tongues are nearly on the floor!!!!!!

Am now off to put more stuff on eBay, and hopefully soon, eat a nice cheese sandwich in freshly made bread!!!

B(l)ogged down!

Not a very good title.

There will be a good update here soon I promise but it's been a busy week.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get down to revealing all, which will include my lovely birthday, backwards progress of jaywalkers and first loaf of bread.

Watch this space!!!!

Sometimes things are meant to be......

It's funny how my day of procrastinating turned into two days of "doing". I finished the tax returns (although darn software won't send it!), cleaned the house and re-painted my fire-pit.

Then yesterday, having cleaned the kitchen, I started to think about where I was going to put soon to be acquired bread-maker! My kitchen is unit free. I have a dresser, a worktop with plastic storage boxes under, a sink, and a huge range oven but no other cupboards. I like the look of this, it's open and airy and lovely. Downside is obvious - I have nowhere to put anything!!!! So really the breadmaker would have to go on the worktop, which would use up all the space - no-where to prepare food (and I do love to cook). So, I decided to put a shelf up above the worktop to take all the culinary items from the worktop, and buy a butcher's/kitchen trolley to prepare food on. Easy! Until I looked at the shelf and where I would put it, Olive oil in mid air the opposite side of the kitchen to the cooker is just not useful! Hmmmm, back to the drawing board. I then thought of those chrome bathroom shelves/baskets which would fit on the wall over by the oven - much better idea and easy clean for when they get greasy. So off to B & Q. Whilst aimlessly wandering around a place I detest (typical big store puts all small stores out of business, then never has what you want), I came upon a box of off-cuts of contiboard and worktop!! all at about £1 a piece. Now I am very lucky in that OH can make something out of just about anything - in the same way that I can make things out of wool! Give us some odds and sodds and something will materialise! He got 5 off-cuts of conti and a 600mm lump of worktop (pretty much exactly what was in the box - it was just meant for me) - and YAY look what I got!! It's lovely! - All the boiler pipwork is now hidden behind boarding, and I have my first and only kitchen unit. It's nicely in the corner so doesn't change the overall ambiance of my airy kitchen, and it's more storeage space than i've ever had!!!! The box sitting in my new unit, is my birthday pressie from dear sister, which can't be opened til Tuesday! I will still get the trolley, and the chrome baskets sometime soon. Then I can buy more stuff to put on them!

On the knitting front, my spring jumper is well on it's way - front, back and one sleeve all finished. I have also started some jaywalkers - just because everyone else is, and I like the pattern. I am doing them toe-up, which is new for me. Pictures when there is enough knitting to show!

Procrastination

Isn't is amazing what you will do to postpone doing what you should have been in the first place?.............

I have the end of year tax returns to do for the company. They must be in by 19th May, so today was the day I was planning on doing them..........

So far, I have hoovered, washed the kitchen floor, brushed the dog, cleaned the kitchen worktops, watered the plants, had another cup of coffee, parceled up my eBay sales, filed some paperwork, and am now writing my blog. . . . . . . . . Most of which I would have put off in favour of anything - apart from, aparently, the tax returns!!!!!

It's a glorious day, and I have promised myself the afternoon in the sun with my knitting if I do the tax, but still it isn't happening!!!!!!!! - Wonder if it's time for lunch yet?????? ;)

Nothing to report

I have been reprimanded for not updating my blog. So here is an update


UPDATE


Ho ho, I'm soooo funny!!!!


Actually, if you do want a thrill (well ok not a thrill exactly, but it is cool) Look at daily drivel's blog (link left hand side) and View her pea growing!!! - It's really good.

From "Next" to "Now"

My "next on the agenda" is now a current work in progress! Front finished and back half done. I am hoping it will not be too short, as I'm a little old to have my tummy flapping about for all to see! But as it is so wide and square it's difficult to work out exactly where it's all going to hang!!!!

Yesterday was another beautiful sunny day, and so OH and I poodled off to Worthing to buy fish off the beach. There are a number of independent fisherman with little boats who sell the days catch off the beach there. We bought two plaice (£3.70!) and two sole (£11). One of the soles was huge so that was dinner last night. Have to say it didn't warrant the extra money - although that could have been down to the way we cooked it. Usually buying fish that fresh we just grill it as it doesn't need any help! - But the sole stayed a bit rubbery despite being cooked through. Would maybe have been better steamed - but we were hungry and wanted quick results!!!!! - If anyone has a good recipe for the other one????

Today is also a lovely day, which is great as I love a bit of sun - but it's not getting my front room decorated! I am so easily distracted into sitting in the garden with my knitting!!!! I will get on with it this weekend though as I have promised myself a weekend of spinning and dyeing my fleeces only when I have finished the decorating! (even if it is Spetember!)

Selling stuff (again)

Dear sister has inspired me to get a bread-maker (her home made bread last week was really good).  However funds are low!!  So time to sell a few bits on eBay, everyone's favourite clear up site!  I'm selling some eyelash yarn (shown above), a dog crate that is too small, a mobile phone that I've upgraded and a crochet hook!!!!  Hopefully the phone will be the thing to tip the balance, and it should at least get me a fair way towards the bread-maker.  Other things will follow, so if anyone needs anything I might have..........

 

Mid-week cleanup

It is a fabulous day today. Beautiful sunshine, and not too hot that you can't be bothered to do anything. So it's been a day of catching up with chores.

First was to take dog for a long walk and then go to Sainsburys. Both tasks had been left since I got home from sister's as it was a bank holiday weekend and both the common and Sainsburys were places to be avoided!! So today both were tackled. Spot was a good girl, possibly just to lull me into a false sense of security as I thought she'd be a bit flighty after a week in the kennels, but no she proved me wrong and earned herself a treat and a new box of bonios from Sainsburys!! - Supermarket wasn't too much hassle either - in fact very quiet!! - Just the way I like it! Have had to have a go at dear sister though as I came out with a packet of dark chocolate caramel wafers and a box of jaffa cakes!! - I never buy biscuits as I have a habit of opening a box then looking down a the empty wrapper wondering "How did that happen". But sister had them at hers last week and I got the taste! She has been chastised!!!!! I have also been good and put all the shopping away - cleaned the fridge, washed the worktops, and thrown away all the out of date crud from the cupboards!!!!

So now, my friends, it's time for a cuppa and a jaffa cake!!! - YAY!

Bonnie Scotland

Well, I have just spent the best week with my sis and her family. We drove up to Scotland on Tuesday, arriving late in the evening. She has not long moved into a new house which obviously I had to go and have a nose around! The pictures are the view from the front of her house - a view which once seen is hard to drag yourself away from. I can see why they put the conservatory on the front!!!!! Over the week we saw dolphins and seals, (hasten to add those links are not my photos just the type of thing we were seeing!) and loads of different sea birds 2 3. OH has the most amazing eyesight (of which I am intensely jealous) and is able to pick out wildlife from any landscape setting, if it's there he'll find it!!!! I have to say that I believe this to be one of the most beautiful bits of water in the British Isles. The water is clear, even way out deep you can easily see down, and there is so much wildlife - many an hour can be wasted spent, with binoculars to eyes watching for signs of movement in the water.

We also spent an afternoon walking round a fairly local loch, and saw geese and several varieties of duck (name of loch escapes me, but sure kind sister will add it in the comments!)

Little nephew was, as always, an angel. Although I have been singing three lines from "everybody wants to be a cat" for the last three days (memo to sister: please teach little man more words!!!!). You know when you go to bed and something is just going round and round in your head!!!! We played lots of hiding, and read loads of stories, and did plenty of singing and generally being daft (nothing new there then!)




On the final day, we went over to the Isle of Bute jazz festival. Just for one gig - Gentleman Jim's Party!! It's always a great couple of hours and I find some of the best music of the weekend. It's pretty much a slightly organised jam session, with some comedy and general mayhem!!!! Pictures above show musicians dressed for a performance of swan lake (Oh yes really!), and the second is Sky Murphy (of the TJ Johnson band) rocking and rolling with Gentleman Jim himself (of the Phil Mason Band) to You Never can Tell by Chuck Berry (which Sky was singing)

We left there and drove home that afternoon, as always it's a huge wrench leaving the family, and maybe even more so for the fabulous setting of their new home. To see a two year old already knowing the difference between robin red breast, blackbirds, and sea gulls is quite something, and I am sure given the location, he will soon be pointing out the dolphins and seals to his mum!!!!!