Pay Up Steve! (a P/hop Posting!)

Well those that have known me for more than a few years, will know that Ghana is a place that has a special little nook in my heart.  It was the first place in Africa that I visited (due to a boyfriend that lived and worked out there!!) and it ignited a fire in me that only the sights and smells of Africa can douse.

Well MSF-Pete has finally knitted enough of his scarf to get round his neck – and he has achieved this amazing feat of craft-work whilst in Ghana!

The background to the story is here, but basically a knitter called Steve promised $500 to MSF (Médecins Sans Frontières– the knitters charity!!!) when the scarf was long enough to wear!  (There is one expletive in this little audio as the heat of the moment and the over exuberance of the song get to Pete, so please be aware before you play this in front of the kids!)

I reckon Pete deserves a fiver for this accomplishment – don’t you?  (errr that would be the knitting, not the song!)  If you think so too, visit the P/hop site where the background story is and there is a justgiving widget there.  i will also put the widget on my blog soon!

Alternatives to the Plaxo toolbar?

I have used Plaxo for years…. It’s a great little toolbar that sits in Outlook (or a multitude of other email clients) and syncs your address book and calendar.  Therefore if I update a contact’s details on my laptop, next time I log into outlook on my PC it automatically syncs the contact’s details there and i am up to date.  Ditto for Calendar entries (which, when your life is dominated by tax return dates is a handy feature!!) and to-do lists and notes.

But……. don’t get too excited! – Plaxo have suddenly decided that this toolbar should no longer be free (fair enough I suppose) but they want to charge £30 odd per year.  Well I really don’t have that many contacts IYKWIM ! LOL.   I really don’t get this “per year” pricing for software, surely you should buy it and that’s that. If they upgrade it and you want to buy the update then again, all well and good, but where has the “per year” stuff come in?

Anyway, before I go off on too much of a tangent, does anyone know of any little widgets or gizmos that do anything similar? Ideally for contacts and calendar items?  Any suggestions would be wildly appreciated!!

Are we there yet?

I just love when Spot does this - we're on our way to the beach, and pulled up to get a cup of tea - and to me this is just an expression that exasperates "Are we there yet?"

A week and a half

Well how quickly news changes.  My poor little chicklies have been sick. :(  One died last week (the lightest of the brown ones, and the prettiest IMHO) and the rest have all been ill.  They have coccidiosis.  It’s a parasite which particularly attacks young birds and seems to do it extremely quickly!  After the death I took another chick to the vet (something I always said I wouldn’t really do, due to the price, but with 4 chicks I thought it would be worth it)  They confirmed my diagnosis (I think in all honesty I knew more than they did)  but could only order me the medicine needed in 1 litre quantities…….. which cost £80, on top of the £40 consultation fee, and I only needed 10ml *shock*.  Not only that, but they wouldn’t actually let me take the 1 litre (which may at least have softened the blow as it has a long shelf life and I could have kept it for further instances) I could only have the prescribed amount – 10ml!  I phoned other vets and they all said the same thing.  So now I was in quite a quandry, I had spent £40 on basically nothing but really couldn’t justify a further £80 on 4 chicks.  To cut a long story short, i did eventually get some, travelling half way round the South East of England to get it, and as I type the 4 remaining chicks are still alive and eating and drinking well.   I don’t think we’re out of the woods by any stretch yet, but the outlook certainly seems more positive than it did on Friday.

 

In other news – I made my first meal completely of home harvested food on Saturday:-

 

This became an omelette with onion, courgette and new potatoes………mmmmmm

 

 

 

There isn’t really much knitting news – Sahara was finished and looks lovely, but I’m going to undo it and add an inch or two the body length. I am currently knitting a fairly boring v-neck in Sirdar Just Bamboo, just because it needed using and it’s quite nice to knit with in the warmer weather.   I also signed up for the Socktopus Mystery Shawl Knit-along, but having rummaged my stash I don’t have anything in a strong enough colour for it – I feel shawls, stoles and scarves should be made in contrast to your normal attire and as I usually wear very earthy colours I think a strong colour would be better for this. I also think the pattern is calling for something with a touch of silk or something sheeny………….

With that in mind I have decided to go to the 100 Club in oxford Street for the lunchtime gig on Thursday (which is good cos it’s one of my favourite bands and only £7 entry which isn’t bad) and then on to maybe John Lewis (does anyone know if JL in Oxford St sell Yarn???!!!) and/or Iknit and maybe even Socktopus as well if I have time to travel that far out of town.   If anyone in the London area fancies joining in…………………..??!!! ;)

 

Right I’m off to clean out the chickens – again!  Have a good week all. xx

Nearly fully feathered

Few more photos:-  I think I have 2 cockerels and 3 hens, but it’s difficult to tell.  Two are definitely bigger, but it could just be the way the genetics worked as they are all “mongrels” !!

    

	Pretty definitely a boy!
	Hmmmmm 2 girls and a boy – or 3 girls?
	Probably One boy – one girl.  The one on the left is the smallest of the bunch!
	Grub up
	The white one in front has all the size of a cockerel, but somehow seems like it might be a hen – fingers crossed
	Come on – she wants a group shot
	showing off the new feathers
	Do you think I look good in brown?

 

There may be knitting news next time? – or maybe not!!

Bit of a catchup! - Abersoch Jazz Festival 2009

Well I have realised that I neglected really to tell you about our holiday in Wales.  So just a few bits to share about the jazz festival!

Our main reason for choosing Abersoch again was the jazz festival – 2 of my favourite bands were there – Jim Mcintosh and the Jazzaholics (no weblink cos he still hasn’t done a webpage) and TJ Johnson. Jim’s band  was a riot! – They play together with such enthusiasm and energy – James Evans is supreme on the clarinet (especially this year’s addition of an electric box of tricks to electrify said clarinet – fantastic) Jim himself on banjo, Baby Jools and Annie Hawkins make up the back row , and Mike Pointon and Denny Illet on trombone and trumpet completing the line-up.  Jim also entertained and amused during Saturday afternoon with his “party” – a kind of Jam Session with skits! – Here follows a photograph – not for the faint hearted - of Adrian Cox, dressed as a naughty nurse having a lot of trouble playing his clarinet over his rather over enthusiastic bust!


Also “Baby Jools” and Jack Cotterill doing a drum duet as Laurel and Hardy – On one drum kit!!  – now that really rocked!  (Photo hopefully to be inserted here if I get permission from owner)

I should also mention the wonderful TJ Johnson band, slightly less along the mainstream Jazz lines but more of a rhythm and blues band in general, but delighting the crowd with everything from gospel to country as well. TJ’s voice seems to get better and better, he can melt your heart with a gentle rendition of “Just a closer walk with Thee” and a few minutes later have you laughing out loud (and dancing) to Willie the Weeper.  Along with Adrian Cox on the sax (and the first time I have seen – the guitar!), and Jamie Lawrence on Double Bass and Jules Fenton on drums this band is a must-see for those who aren’t into trad jazz as such but like a good all round band that will have you dancing for sure.

For anyone fancying a weekend Jazz festival – Abersoch is a great one to try. The location is truly beautiful, the festival itself is chilled and relaxed with plenty of time to enjoy your surroundings, not like some others when you find yourself at a slow trot moving between one venue and another.(!!) Many young musicians are booked as guests which is fabulous to see. This year Amy Roberts, Jamie Brownfield, Jack Cotterill, and Kate Browning all guested with most of the other bands. – Jonny Boston was also there as a guest although I don’t know if he can be classed as “young” any more???!!! (tee hee!) ;-) , although I have to admit he certainly rocks with the best of them, and his version (during Jim’s party I think ) of Running Wild was awesome! The younger musicians bring a new dimension to the shores of trad jazz, and stroll gently off the beaten track now and again, with an energy and vibrancy that has you clapping your hands and stamping your feet!

So with great thanks to Jan and all the organisers who work so hard for the whole year to get the festival together, and my dear friends in the bands – you all gave us a cracking weekend and we loved each and every minute of it.