Fixing the sun (umbrella)

The mice in my greenhouse have had an excellent winter. As I haven't had chickens for a few months they took the opportunity of unmonitored supplies and bedded in my straw bale and ate through my bag of corn (that was fun when I picked it up..... Not!). And they demolished a small portion of my patio umbrella. Well yah boo sucks to them, I win!

Me, and instruction book and a LOT of coffee

Oopsey over a week since i posted. Time does fly doesn't it?

I have had dreadful toothache this week so feeling a little below par. Luckily dentist has found a broken tooth and I'm booked in for filling it next Wednesday morning. So the end is in sight for that particular problem.

The grass has had the first cut of the year (and lovely it looks too) and the hens are all beginning to lay. I am getting 2 or 3 a day now out of 6 hens, so either all of them are doing it some of the time, or some of them are doing it all of the time.  Whichever the case, they clearly think it's spring!

Knitting is, as always keeping me sane. I'm making a jumper for a client. No pics because I've only taken a couple on my phone and they don't look as good as they should. But it's coming along nicely and the body is just about done. Bottom up raglan (was going to be top down, but I couldn't place the motifs properly - clearly one stage too far for my brain!)

And in somewhat related news, yesterday I bought a knitting machine.  A brother KH836 and accompanying ribber.  It is 2nd hand but from a dealer so has been thoroughly serviced and is guaranteed.  It's a punchcard machine so has a little "growing" room for me, but was recommended as a good beginners machine.  The ribber and other accessories that I might will get will all fit more advanced brother models so all is good. Brother don't actually make machines any more, but there are plenty in the market place and I was assured that even if parts become scarce there are enough old non-working machines to strip and "cannibalise" so it shouldn't be a problem in the nearish future.

So, I've been scouring ravelry and the internet for information and patterns. I used to use a machine in my teen years, and was pretty adept at it. But now, of course, there is just sooo much more information out there to be read. It's wonderful.

So today, my plan is to run around with the hoover, dust a little in the middle (not round the edges!) and then sit with the instruction book, a notebook and a big mug of coffee