Oops! no title, feel free to make one up.

Fran's socks are ready to wash and block before I post them off to her, the second sock was so much better to knit once I changed needles.

Thanks to Annabeth I whipped through the Kitchener stitch with no lost stitches or naughty words.

I had to cast another pair on using one of my new yarns. I decided to use the Drops Fabel Long Print and the Mercury Sock pattern. But as you can see that morphed into Hermione's Everyday socks, I knitted the rib and at that point changed my mind.

Since taking this I have done the heel flap and am ready to turn it.

The pattern does not show up very well, once finished I will put it on one of the blockers to see if it shows better. This is a very simple 4 row repeat and has a modified Eye of Partridge heel with a garter stitch border. I am not sure about the heel but decided to go with the pattern, once I pick up the stitches to continue knitting the foot I will pass judgement. Obviously I will use the same heel pattern on the second sock, if I don't like it I will use the normal slip stitch heel if I knit the pattern again.

The weather here has gone from clear skies and a smidgen of sun shine to  heavy mist rolling down the mountain, that mist is now receding but there is no sign of the sun.

I saw the situation in Poland on the news earlier, Eastern Europe is really suffering, I can only hope that it does not drift our way. Just fancy, snow in Greece! I daresay that the price of Olives and their oil will rocket, along with other foods that we import. This weather may have a devastating effect on this years harvest of many foods.

One of my favourite treats is Kalamata Olives with my own preserved garlic cloves, I have 1 jar of the olives and may buy another couple, just in case.

I am off to the shops later, I need to fill up with petrol as well as do a little essential shopping. I will use the opportunity to time this to do a bit of bargain spotting, this will be my first shop since New Year's Eve and apart from a calendar I just need fresh fruit, veg and milk.

I have not been to look at the sales, there is nothing that I need and nothing that I just want. I hate crowds and often feel that sales are second cousins to jumble sales, the ones where you get a black bag for £x and then fill it as fast as possible. It is all sharp elbows, swinging shopping bags and an overpowering air of desperation to grab as many so called bargains as possible. I once saw 2 women fighting over a garment, each had a good grip and were pulling as though their lives depended upon winning. Of course neither won anything as with a loud ripping noise each was left holding part of the original garment.

I was chatting to my friend Mary yesterday and we were both saying that January was to be a use it up month and both of us were leaning towards a mainly vegan meal plan. Later as I was washing up and planning the next days jobs, it struck me how fortunate we both are. We have well stocked pantries and freezers and can chose what to eat every day. I can only wish that everybody was in the same position.

We both live very comfortable lives on retirement pensions, we were both fortunate enough to have well paid jobs and saved.  Most importantly we had the best upbringing. We were taught how to cook from scratch, make the best of what we had and forage in hedgerows for free food. I only have a tiny portion of the gardens that I have had in the past but I grow a good amount of food. I still have leeks and some small cabbages growing from the stumps where I have cut the large ones. There will be as much Purple Sprouting broccoli as I can cope with, and some to give away.

I have apples, rhubarb, gooseberries, strawberries, raspberries and jostaberries as well as honeyberries and blueberries all growing well. With the kilos of blackberries,  rosehips and crab apples that I gather from the wild I could be self sufficient in fruit and jam.  I also have a lemon tree and a fig tree, both young but I have had a few lemons and there are young fruit which I hope will ripen later this year.

But I like bananas and pears and I buy seville oranges for marmalade. These are wants though and if I could not afford to buy them I would still have fruit in my diet.

Oh dear this has turned down a completely different path than I envisaged, I don't want to preach or proselytize so I will stop now.

                  TTFN                                                 Pam