More socks than is sensible.

The weather was very not nice yesterday, after a long walk with Rufus, in sunshine, the heavens opened. The rest of the day was made up of alternating 15 minute or so bands of bright sun and thunderingly heavy rain.

A quick trip to the shops for essentials, fruit, veg, milk etc and settling down with some knitting and a little telly was the order of the day.

These stripey socks should have matched but somehow they are a few rows out in the colour, but have the same row count. It doesn't bother me quite as much as it used to.

I cast on another straight away in the Drops Delight sock wool, colour 12, it is a blend of 25% superwash wool and 25% polyamide and has a slight halo. It is a little splitty but my gorgeous Chiaogoo Twist mini circulars are dealing with that nicely.

The day started with more heavy rain but has cleared now, the sky is blue but there is quite a bit of cloud. The first load of laundry is in the tumbler but I hope to get the second load pegged out.

Dinner last night was a hodge podge of left overs, there was pasta sauce, a couple of sausages,a thick slice of garlic sausage (10 p in Tesco, not to be left on the rtc shelf) and some cooked pasta. Mixed together with a glug of  smokey barbecue sauce and reheated it was delicious .

Tonight will be a veggy stir fry followed by cherry pie, mmmmm.

No weight loss to report this week but I am not bothered, my clothes tell me that I am smaller than a month ago.

The SO is suffering, he was washing up on Saturday and managed to break a glass AND cut his hand in 2 places forsooth.

He refused hospital so I used some closure strips  from the first aid kit to hold the cut closed and then a dressing pad and bandage. That first aid training has come in handy several times.

It is healing well and now has a light weight adhesive wound dressing on.

A respite from decorating chaos is now happening.

Ben has a bandage on his front left leg, he manged to scrape it on something on his walk. It was like Emergency ward 10 for a little while.

The once white clouds are now an alarming shade of grey, more tumble drying time I guess.

We have been binge watching Whitechapel on box sets, we are now on series 4. Time to start looking for something else to take its place. I like box sets, you don't have to wait for a week after a cliffhanger and there are no adverts to annoy you.

Any suggestions?

We watched the latest Beauty and the Beast yesterday afternoon, the special effects and animation were great but I think I preferred the Beast to the Prince. He was a little too pretty to my mind.

I have a quilt project in my mind so will be looking through the fabric later, ironing first, a new way of quilt as you go that I saw on a random podcast. I will share that once I get it started.

I think that is all for now, so a cup of tea is next on the agenda then it will be ironing time.

                    TTFN                                                     Pam

Light bulbs and pies.

The lappy still won't load photos, so I have taken a couple of very dodgy shots with the web cam. Ignore the blurry face,it may not be early but I was concentrating on not dropping anything.(even though I would quite like to launch the lappy through the window)

The SO,s latest sock, the second has been cast on but only a couple of rows knitted so far.

The cropped waistcoat knitted with the Gower yarn, I love it but still have to get the toggles stitched on.

I like it over the bright orange tee, maybe I need to find some similar coloured fabric for a long sleeved dress, or even better dye some yarn for a jumper.

Today was supposed to be mainly dry and sunny, HAH, the forecast now shows most of the country under a blanket of rain.

We are off to the DIY store in a while, the SO has a list of things to get. By a lucky chance we will be driving past a garden centre so a small diversion might happen.

When I come back I want to have a play and see if I can get a video recorded and loaded on the blog, I made one a few weeks ago but can not remember how. It's an age thing, computers should come with unlimited access to a 12 year old.

Ben has had his first walk of the day, in the dry, and is now curled up on the sofa sound asleep.

I was awake early this morning and did a little knitting (finished that sock) while watching some random podcasts. I saw Phyllis Stokes making Mississippi Mud Pie and then Peanut Butter Pie. I put on 2 lbs just watching.  I will be trying those out next time Francesca is here, and yes of course I subscribed. Just had a light bulb moment, I will try using Almond Butter that way I don't have to worry quite so much about allergies, even better I will look for Pecan Butter, I love Pecans.

The SO says that with the amount of flashing on and off of my light bulb it is a miracle that I haven't blown the fuse. Cheek.

Ooh, would you look at the time, I have to get Rufus walked.

                        TTFN                                           Pam

There is no rain falling on the plains of Spain

It is all falling on the UK.

I am not bothered as there is plenty to keep me busy indoors.

The Gower waistcoat is finished but for some reason my lappy won't play ball, I will try to get a photo loaded later.

There was some ironing from yesterday, all done now. I prefer to get it washed and ironed on the same day (there has been too many ironing mountains in my life already) but just couldn't get to the board and iron last night. All is clear and tidy now though.

Nothing much new happening here today, a little sock knitting, a little pod cast watching, some blog reading and comment replying. Dinner will be a veg rich pasta dish, I will either add beans or quinoa for protein (must get some mushrooms out of the freezer).

There is crumble for the SO, I may have a little myself, in the fridge. I can either zap it in the ding oven and make custard or just have it cold with cream.

The shopping list is growing, I have very little fruit and there will be next to no veg once dinner is made. I need bread flour and yeast, cocoa powder for a new vegan chocolate cake recipe to try out. There are a few non food items that have magically appeared, craft knife  and hacksaw blades for two and Gorilla glue ( there's no gorilla around here!)

Such is the excitement here now that the chaos has gone, but then most of us live fairly mundane lives.

There are the odd few who try to live their lives on the backs of others. There are the odd one or two peeps who type long, involved comments on here, if they are relevant I will post them if not I just delete.
I neither need or want anyone to tell me where I am going wrong with my life. I may be making mistakes but I am sure having a ball doing it.

Now it must be tea o'clock, if not I will just wind the clock on.

Have a good weekend everyone, the forecast is for a decent say here tomorrow.

                         TTFN                                            Pam

Are we nearly there yet?

Well, one job done seems to make two more but it is progressing. The weekend should see most of the final tidying up done.

Trouble is that as soon as the quilting frame goes that room will be getting the Full Monty, then it will be the hall,stairs and landing.

When I moved in here I knew this all needed doing, I had planned to get it done in the first 6 months. As most of you know if you leave these things any longer they just get shoved on a back burner and simmer away till hell freezes over. It froze.

Today has been easier apart from moving one of the sofas back into the sitting room, I would love to have left it in the sewing room but there is just not enough room.

I have a couple more rounds on the last armhole edge and the toggles or buttons to put on and the Gower waistcoat will be done.
I have a little to do on the pale blue cardigan and then it is socks, socks and more socks.

I am planning some fabric bunting, 2 wall hangings and a crochet something for the walls. All in the fullness of time.

We managed a walk early afternoon in between the downpours and now it is quite lovely. There is bright sun and a breeze, one load of washing dry and another just about dry.

Dinner yesterday was chicken breast, butterflied and stuffed with soft cheese and herbs and a good load of spinach and baked in a little bechamel sauce. We had it with roasted carrots, potatoes, both sweet and white, and cauliflower. Very tasty and I did make trifle, lush it was too.

Now I am off to walk the dogs in the sunshine and then get dinner ready, a fast something on toast I think.

                            TTFN                                           Pam

The Butterfly Effect

All I did was mention that the skirting board needed painting and BOOM a forest fell in a hurricane.

The sitting room is empty. There is a sofa by the front door, another in the sewing room and a positive "after the storm" appearance everywhere.

Teetering piles of random things, mostly embellished with project bags of knitting either in progress or in waiting.

Francesca's bed has vanished beneath throws and cushions, not to mention the contents of the tall china display cabinet plus the glass shelves of said cabinet.

Skirting is now pristine in it's new coat of brilliant white, 3 walls have had the first coat of paint. 

The fourth is under discussion, contrast paint, feature wall paper, hessian and so on and on.

New carpet has been selected so time is of the essence here.

Add in the latest addition of " I would like to have some wood on that wall" and you may understand the title.

How far will the ripples spread?

Will there be a heat wave in Alaska?

How would the Kilchers cope?

Will snow fall in Vegas?

What would Danny AKA The Count make of that?

Enough of such squit and nonsense.

Back to real life. 

Today I will mainly be hiding in the kitchen, baking and ironing, chopping and slicing goodness knows what for dinner and making trifle to soothe the sore throat that is inevitable after the amount of talking I will be doing. Talking to the wall that is, who remembers Shirley Valentine then?

Please understand that my tongue is firmly in my cheek on this matter. There is no need to throw any bricks at me, the SO reads this, he is leaning over my shoulder and laughing right now.

However there is a grain of truth there, if it was still sunny I wouldn't give a fig. I could be out in the garden busy dead heading the flowers in my window boxes and planters.

I am a duffer at decorating, good enough for me but the SO is a perfectionist. I may be allowed to clean the brushes and rollers but they will be inspected, thoroughly.

The cropped waistcoat is coming to life, I am half way up the left front shaping. I am writing every row down as I need to replicate it on the other front and the back.

By the way, the SO has offered to make me some toggles out of dowelling, he is a handy chap to have around.

I have just been presented with a coffee and a "what time did you say you were going to start in the kitchen". That's my cue to give him the space to get busy.

So me and my coffee are off to our allotted space, see you on the other side.

                          TTFN                                      Pam

PS The nails are s l o w l y looking better, well they were till I ripped 2 almost down to the quick yesterday. I must be more careful when in the garden.

PPS. I forgot to say that another Kilo has slithered off, mostly from my hips. My measurements seem to be reducing faster than the weight, it must be the walking building muscles in my legs. 

Home again, home again, jiggedy jig.

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Hopefully next week's appointment will be the last, for a long time if not for good.

Anyhow onto better things, the Gower waistcoat is progressing steadily. I am making this a very cropped 9" side length and will be making the fronts into a v neck. This will be good to slip on over a long sleeved dress or top for that extra layer of warmth, leaving my arms free. I hummed and hahhed about pockets, too short for patch and side seam insertion so am thinking about a little purse type thingy that can have a belt threaded through. Just to carry Poo bags and then it will be perfect for dog walks.

While we are talking about size, yes it does matter, I am happy to tell you that my jeans now pull on and off without being undone. Luckily, due to the shape and construction, I can still wear them. Hopefully not for long.
I put it down to the extra walking as much as what I am (or am not) eating.

The SO is at a loose end so has decided it is the perfect time for a bit of decorating and a small change round.
He is worse than my Mother was for moving furniture about, I wouldn't dare come down in the night without turning the light on as I might end up sitting on the floor, or the coffee table.

I am miffed at missing Knit and Natter but am not going to focus on it.

I need to tell you that the SO has the door off and is doing something very noisy to the hinges. Men and their toys!

There is quite a bit of huffing and puffing and even more deep sighing.
I may be taking refuge in the garden soon, maybe some one else's garden.

The main result of all this upheaval is that I am forced to go through everything properly, not the quick ruffle through that usually happens.
My sister has 2 parcels of yarn on the way to her and there will be a couple of fabric filled ones going off soon.

She likes to make small patchwork items and is fabric poor just now. She has a long trip to get to a good shop so this is a win win situation for both of us. I get space and she gets to sew away.

Ben had a bath this morning and a hair trim and to heap coals on the fire of sufferance and indignities I have some baby powder cologne for dogs. He would probably rather smell of long grass and a few unsavoury things, but not to worry, he will get over it.

I have a hot date with the ironing later, once it has cooled down. I was intending to do it this morning but it was far too hot by the time Ben had been walked and it is still too hot now.

Dinner will be something simple and fast, followed by a raspberry and blueberry crumble, possibly floating in a slick of custard.

In fact that might just be dinner.

Now I am off to enjoy a cuppa before I fetch the doggy towels in.

                      TTFN                                          Pam



PS When I go into preview there are a couple of Photo shop things on the side, can you see them? I have right clicked but can not delete. Any suggestions

Home again, phew.

Hospital appointment 11:00, arrived at 10:45. Got in to see someone at 11:40. Figures.

Worse is the fact that I have to go back tomorrow and next week, at some as yet unspecified day or time for another round of x rays.

At least I had some knitting time, I was about to say guilt free but I never feel guilty about knitting time, even when I steal it from housework time.
It's my housework and my knitting and I will will do them in what ever order (and amounts) that I like.

The SO's hand painted yarn is now a pair of socks.

Because of the heel that he prefers there is always pooling at the ankle.

I am always surprised at how different each sock turns out.

Even the heel pooling is completely different.

Anyhow, I cast on something new for the hospital. I wanted to use the 3 balls of Pulse that I called Gower, 300 grams of chunky doesn't go far but I didn't want a scarf or hat.

This is the beginning of a cropped waistcoat 149 stitches on a size 5mm circular for as many rows of garter stitch as I feel like doing. Then I will change to 6mm and stocking stitch, apart from 6 stitches on each edge which will remain garter stitch. I will divide at the armholes and decide then whether to shape the front as v neck or round. I will edge the armholes and neck with garter stitch as well. Button holes are not an issue as I will make crochet chain loops and add toggles to the front. Pure laziness, my pattern designing skills only stretch so far. As a child I did this all the time for my dolls and teddies, even getting the shape and row count right for raglan sleeves, without even thinking about it. Now it takes a bit of brain ache and a session of putting pen to paper.

I did pick up a pattern from Debs but used it just for the stitch count and general idea. Mind you the SO wants to dye some chunky yarn for a version for himself. I made the stipulation of no dark colours and no grey whatsoever.

He was happy with that, I am beginning to wonder if he was a Cavalier in a former life.

If the next 2 appointments go down the same route I may have a finished garment in no time at all.

We had the sparky here till almost 7:00, apparently the dipstick who put the new boiler in made several mistakes AND there was some work done at some distant time in the past that was not up to spec and had to be removed and replaced.

Needless to say that the dipstick will be footing the bill for all the work as the lovely sparky has put all the time and parts cost down to the boiler installation. He does know and he is not happy, he also declined to argue. So he's not a complete dipstick.

On that note I am going to persuade the SO that it is his turn to get a brew on and then think about feeding Ben. It is far too hot for a walk yet, we will collect Rufus and go a bit later.

                   TTFN                                                Pam

Woe is me.

Got up this morning to fine the circuit breaker for the socket lines had tripped, unplugged every thing but still wouldn't stay on.

Emergency sparky on his way, why do these things always happen on weekends and bank holidays?
It is so annoying, I had a day of dyeing lined up.

Off to the hospital tomorrow morning, deep and everlasting joy. I will be sure to take some knitting.

Yesterday was a mixed bag for weather and today looks like carrying on in the same way.

Dinner will depend on whether and when the power is restored, I have a gas hob with an electric oven. I am toying with the idea of a bottled gas oven and fridge. My lovely neighbour has let me put an outdoor safe line from his house to run fridge and freezers, and most importantly the kettle. 
My next purchase will be a kettle for the gas hob, I had one in Tydd but left it by mistake.

Ben was full of himself this morning, so eager was he for his walk that we were back home before the time we usually leave.

I am enjoying listening to the pay row at the BBC, now we know how Chris Evans can run a fleet of luxury cars.

On that cheery note I am off to drink my tea and get myself ready for the sparky, whose arrival is imminent.

                          TTFN                                        Pam

Pick a season, any season.

Well, perhaps not winter but over the past few days ( never mind days the past few hours) we have had April Showers, hot Summer Sun and Autumnal Downpours and wind.

I have been pootling on, a little knitting, a little cooking, some jam making, a little knitting, some cookie baking, quite a lot of tea drinking and some more knitting.

There will soon be  a pair of socks for the SO in the yarn that he painted.

I am planning out (well trying to) some self striping yarn with just a little speckling. A trial run once I have a few essential bits of hardware, hopefully tomorrow.

I have Christmas gift ideas seething round my mind, Sorry about that but it had to be mentioned. It will include fabric and sewing, colour matching, accessory hunting and dying. That is why I need to start the planning now. No doubt there will be some Quack quack reject moments, just not too many I hope. It is one thing seeing a colour palette in your mind that compliments or contrasts wonderfully, and another altogether replicating it in the flesh, so to speak. I have done that with the odd garment or three.

I have an urge to experiment in the kitchen today, I dug around in the pantry and fridge, I have pulled out, Cous cous, chillies, garlic, peppers, butter beans, red onions, paprika and liquid smoke. Once it has become a meal, rather than an idea, I will stir fresh chopped mint, radish seed heads and a good squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavours up.
Wish me luck.

I spent a couple of very cosy hours in Debs wool shop yesterday, chatting and knitting. It flew by and all too soon I had to set off home.

Oops nearly forgot, I had a lovely, and all too short, visit from Jess and Ivy first thing, well more like third thing as it was at least 9.00.
I was still clad in dressing gown before having a shower. After two very disturbed nights I slept very late.
Ivy is walking well now, and running even better, she is as much a delightful little girl as she was a gorgeous baby. Such a fleeting time, I am so pleased that I didn't miss the baby stage even if it was only the tail end. Her first birthday is next month, a serious present hunt has to happen, deep joy. I need to think outside the box for this.

Rufus and I managed a good walk, in the dry, this morning but part of the route was flooded so we took a diversion of our own. Neither of us minded, the air was clean and fresh after all the rain, and Rufus seemed to find lots of exciting scents to enjoy.

I have spent a little time in the garden this afternoon, some plants have been potted up and I took the chance on pegging out a load of washing.

It is greying over now so I am off to haul it in before it gets another rinse.

                        TTFN                                          Pam

A Sea of Colour.

Happy Thursday,another warm day, some sun, some grey, some blue sky with cotton wool clouds.
The rain has battered the garden but it will all recover, if only partially.

The Pulse yarn has been wound into cakes and I now have to decide what it will become.

The skeins, dry and ready to wind.

Three luscious cakes ready to go. I am calling these Gower, as they remind me of the colours in the marshes there.

I finished the third pair of short socks for the SO, he picked the main colour and the heels and toes solid.
This is a man whose colour palette of choice was dark grey, light grey, mid grey, black and white with mid blue denim for a change.

I am amazed, and delighted, at his new adventurous dive into the world of colour.

He dyed the Pulse yarn while I watched, wide eyed.

I watched Crafty Mandy's podcast this morning, Stitching for Sanity. I have "volunteered" to dye a skein of yarn in pink and a soft mustardy yellow for her. 

I am more than happy to do so, after all she dyed the goldfish yarn for me.

The yarn and dyes are on their way and I look forward to some experimenting.

Of course I will share as I fall (run like the wind) further down this particular rabbit hole.

I have a maslin pan of chopped up rhubarb waiting to be turned into jam, it needs to sit in the sugar for a while to draw some of the water content.

I have to shop later, the only things in the fruit bowl are 3 grapefruit and 4 small bananas, scheduled to become a Black Banana Cake mmmmm.

 Rufus is enjoying his morning walk, and so am I. We will continue this after his owners cast is removed, we had a little chat and it is mutually agreeable.

Now I am off to stir up the rhubarb and sort out a bit of lunch.

                         TTFN                                          Pam

Thunder and lightening

It's very very frightening......with apologies to the late great Freddie.

There is rain, more of a monsoon really, it is coming straight down. No watering for me for a day or 2 and full water butts. Win Win.

I may be taking Rufus for a swim rather than a walk, if the rain stops that is.

I am happy to report that I have found the missing fabric, so a parcel will be on it's way later today Sheila, I must have picked it up and put it down about 5 times before having the sense to actually open the bag to see what was in it!!

I am still down the dyeing rabbit hole and am happy to stay here for a while.  My next goal is to sell both the quilting frame and the Janome 1600 P with all the extras and make space for a spinning wheel.
I can not stand and quilt without feeling sea sick and dizzy but the sewing cabinet opens out and I am quilting on that. It is a logical plan, I feel, as I am burning to dye fibre and then spin it ready for knitting.

The latest dyeing experiment is looking good, once it has dried I will be posting photos.

I am right on the cusp of having crochet lessons, I can crochet but am self taught. I am not always happy in what I make, sometimes the edges slope a bit and so on. I am excited to learn control and precision. (doesn't that sound a bit Schoolmarmish and prissy)

The torrential rain has eased off a bit now but the thunder is still rumbling around.

I am off to make a brew and think about tonight's dinner. I can get away with toast once, and very nice it was too we just had scrambled eggs in the end. No ideas for tonight, just Iffit's probably, but certainly another light meal.

                      TTFN                                         Pam

I have this tickle in the back of my mind about matching dyed yarn to a project bag, what do you think?

I have lots to show you and little time to do so, this retirement job is very demanding you know.
I am really pleased with the results of the dyeing session, even more so now that I am knitting with one skein. 
Who for and what? Well, of course it is not for me.

The yarn dyed by the SO, caked up and into the heel shaping on the first sock , just a vanilla pair with his favourite heel. It looks so different in the cake, I am loving knitting it up.

 The "Sunset Boulevard" caked up is very similar but lighter in tone.

Tiger Lily, in her cake form, I love this bright and light one. I may dye a solid or tonal skein to knit up with it into a 2 skein shawl.

This morning I dyed 2 balls of commercial yarn that I bought ages ago, it is 30% wool so new that it would take the dye, but not how.

It dried while I was out and I skeined it up straight off the line, just to get an idea of how it looked. Quite pleased with the colours, they are a bit muted for me but I think that Shoreline is a good name for them.

Caked up they look so much better, these are destined to become a shawl. Maybe for me, maybe for a gift.

I have 3 balls of commercial chunky weight yarn to play with, these have a much higher proportion of wool and are very much of the thick and thin variety. These have been handed over to the SO to play with. He is skeining them on the swift as I type this.

Knit and Natter was a lively affair again, there were a few more of us than last week, obviously we are the noisy ones.

Debs has new yarn in stock, the yarn diet is up the Swanee, I left with the 3 balls to over dye and a pattern and enough yarn to knit it. Photos another day, as I completely forgot and the batteries are on charge.

I am picking Chrissie, aka the one armed bandit, up on Friday and we are going to the quilt exhibition in Llandeilo. There may be lunch. There may be purchases. Only Smarties have the answer.

I am about to scoop Rufus and Ben up for their early evening walk and then it is a simple supper of scrambled eggs and beans on toast.

I had a cook up session yesterday and have meat loaf  and pasta sauce to freeze.
There will also be a watering interlude, possibly before we eat, I am not particularly hungry and the SO is playing with yarn and swift and planning what colours to use.

                       TTFN                                           Pam

I must get some replies up and try to catch up on blog reading. Who needs to sleep?

Woolly Reveal

Here is my diet busting yarn shopping. I put all the blame on the SO. Remember the green socks that I really did not like?Well the SO loved them even though they were shorties. That led to this,

A 50 gm pair of striped shorties to wear with trainers. A very quick knit but I did have to lay my cardigan to one side!

I also remembered that I had no solid colours for heels and toes, a quick shopping trip and 24 hours later these arrived.

400 grams of solids, these will either tone or clash depending on how the SO is feeling.

After a few moments surfing through the sock yarns he spotted this colourway, on being asked as to whether they should be short or long his response was YES, so 150 grams.

Then a ball of this to make it up to free shipping, cheap is good, free is best.

Then I fancied some "in your face colours" after a couple of hours searching, lots of  " how blooming much?" and  "not on your Nellie". We had a little chat about what we would afford as opposed to what we could afford.

 I have to say here that I do understand the time and cost of materials involved, I have bought from several Indie dyers in the past and loved what I got.

We decided to buy a starter dye kit and 3 skeins of yarn and then just play.

This is the product of our playtime, the middle skein was dyed by the SO, I will be balling this later on and casting on a pair of socks.

The other two I have named Tiger Lily and Sunset Boulevard, I love them and loved the process.

The dyes that I tried were food safe so I "cooked" them in the microwave. If I decide to carry on with that using acid dyes I will be buying another microwave solely to dye with.


So much did I love it that an order for more yarn happened, lots more. An order for acid dyes has also been placed. All I need to  find now is a large stainless steel pan for steaming and immersion dyeing. I did like the painting though and this can be set in the microwave or steamed. 


Oh, and of course another day or two in each week to indulge this new hobby/addiction.

It is time for some lunch, there are rumbles coming from the deep.

Ooooh, that leads nicely into my weight loss this week, which is NIL. 

There has been no gain either, I blame no one but myself. I had a couple of days with the poking about in my ears, that led to not wanting to cook or eat a meal, so I grazed, not on rubbish, but did manage to eat more carbs than I should have.
For the next few weeks I will be walking Rufus, this will be an extra walk, so am hoping that this will help.
My lovely neighbour Will, who is owned by Rufus, has a cast on his right foot, from toes to just under knee height. I am only to glad to walk Rufus, and he doesn't mind either.

On that I am off to find some lunch.

                      TTFN                                    Pam

More Drops

Just a quickie as I am back from more pulling , pushing and prodding, (doesn't that sound a bit like a scene from Call the Midwife). 
I am of course referring to my ears!
The result is... more drops and return in 4 weeks. DUH.

There has also been a visit to get even more Drops, of the woolly variety. I am right out of solid colours for heels and toes ( apart from the 4 skeins that are earmarked for a cardie) so the diet is down the pan for today.
A quick trip to Wool Warehouse and an order is in for Drops Fabel in several solids and a print or two. I needed to get the value up to free shipping so had a quick trip through the clearance section and found a fairly bright 100 gm ball. I will share them once they have landed.
There are more socks to show and my Cardigan is almost at the finish post as well.
I couldn't keep the camera steady enough to get a decent shot today bur asap I will post some pics.

I missed out on my day with Chrissie but there is another week not touched yet just around the corner.

I rather fancy that this weekend will be very quiet, I have a very small shopping list, and most of that can wait, the SO plans on grass cutting and painting. We are having Rufus for the weekend so there will be extra walks and more than likely lots of knitting. I need a day in the sewing room, I have some fabric to send off and I need to set up a "search and rescue mission" to locate it. It is in there, I distinctly remember putting it on the cabinet ready. I also remember moving it while taking some photo's, the trouble is I can not remember where I moved it to.
I was rootling through ALL the boxes of fabric at the time, soooo they will all have to be emptied and searched.
Sounds easy right? WRONG, they are under and behind the quilting frame. Getting them out requires some serious wriggling under the frame, and then grabbing a box and scuttling out backwards on my belly. It is not a pretty sight.

It is better than it was as I have sewed my way through 2 boxes so far this year. It will get even better as I have decided to make a couple of quilts in September.

That's all I can manage today, see you soon.


                    TTFN                                                  Pam

It's all my fault.

I want to thank you all for your kind messages, it made me feel quite chipper to read them all.

I have been back today for more pulling and prodding, they even had a go at irrigation, there's no veg growing in my ears!!.

Apparently the gubbins that make up the inner bits of my ears are all very small, they must have shrunk when I retired to Wales.

I just hope that the rest of my innards (and the outards) all shrink to match. Woo Hoo, instant pain free weight loss.

As much as I can poke fun at it all, it does hurt and I have to go back in 3 weeks time to see someone else. The dreaded word "surgery" was bandied about, again. That was discussed and deemed unnecessary last year.
It's like listening to the weather forecast, it changes depending on what channel you have on.

I am off to put my feet up and sooth my soul with knitting, I have cast on one of the cardigan fronts, I decided that my brain wasn't up to knitting both at once, and am 3/4 the way up to the armhole shaping.

                          TTFN                                           Pam

Worms on the stairs

At least that is what I saw. 
I was on my way up to have a shower, quite early this morning, and in my defence it was a murky grey morning and I hadn't put the light on.
There, halfway up the stairs, was a worm.

I got close enough to pick it up and it wasn't a worm at all.

Any guesses?

Yup, all you yarny people  out there will know exactly what I was about, very gingerly, to pick up. The offending article was in fact a short tail end of yarn, obviously the trimming off my sock heel or toe from last night, that had been carried part way up before falling off my skirt or shoe.

Panic over.

I am feeling much more myself this morning, which is just the job as it is of course Knit and Natter day.

I did manage 2 short walks with Ben but had to lie down for a little while in the afternoon. That turned into a deep sleep for around an hour and a half.

Dinner was a quick stir fry with some fresh fruit for pudding, grapes and cherries to be precise.
The grapes were lovely but the cherries, although juicy, were bland and almost tasteless. I should know better then to buy them out of season.

We had a nice overnight rain and the forecast is for much more during the day, followed by a few more hot days.

I have had a little change round on my kitchen shelves, a few things that I have not used in a long while have gone to the CS pile. Some pretty china that I have not been using, as it was tucked away, is now out and handy to use.

The SO has solved along term issue in the bathroom, Toilet Roll storage. I pick up a large pack every now and then, and if it on special offer get two. Then I have the problem of where to keep it.
The tumble dryer is in the bathroom and it used to sit there. Now though I have a basket full of Ben's towels, shampoo, ear and eye wipes etc. etc. etc.
I was flicking through You Tube a few mornings ago and paused on one of those "tidy up and make your life wonderful" channels. The vacuous woman was enthusing about storage in her "small downstairs powder room" as opposed to one of the THREE upstairs bathrooms!!

BUT she had put a shelf over the powder room (he he) door to store toilet rolls and other small items.

BINGO

Just the thing, but our doors are very tall and I am not. I don't want a set of steps in the bathroom or anything else to stand on.

Compromise time.

There is now a floating shelf over the toilet. High enough that nobody will crack their head and low enough that I can reach it.

It is not huge but will easily hold 32 rolls. Result.

Now, of course,I will be casting my eagle eyes over the rest of the house. Any problem areas will get dealt with, just as I have done with the corner shelves in the kitchen. 

That's all for now, I am in dire need of a cuppa.

                  TTFN                                            Pam

Under the Weather

Morning all, almost afternoon really.
I had to go to the surgery this morning for a check on the ears. They were pulled, poked and prodded, all to no avail. I have another appointment on Wednesday.  All today,s visit has achieved is to make me very nauseous and decidedly woozy.

I am really off colour so will give you another look at Aberglasney instead of my usual waffle.

I hope to be back to what passes for normal tomorrow.

                        TTFN                                                Pam

Another Day, Another Kilo.

So happy to see the scales drop by a Kilo this morning, I have done a bit more walking over the past few days but this 3rd week period often leads to a small gain, or no loss, as your body adjusts to the drop in calories. I can not see the difference except when I dress, some of the "snugger" garments are now a touch more comfortable.

I had a grand day yesterday, lots of garden time with a rest every so often. The Strawberry table is done and a corner fence come windbreak has been built. The path between ours and the next terrace of houses runs is a bit of a wind tunnel. This new structure will serve to break the wind up, give us added privacy and serve as a support for a honeysuckle and a rose. I will have a table there, for pottering and potting, and a seat for knitting and tea drinking.
I am off to get paint later this morning.

I have made a crustless quiche this morning, that will serve as our late breakfast/early lunch for 3 days. Dinners are heavy on salads, although tonight we are having Something with Bubble and Squeak. I had a few old potatoes and a couple of carrots that needed using and half a small cabbage, I cooked those up yesterday and mixed them all together, later I will slice and fry a red onion and add to the mix. I shape mine into little patties and fry in a small amount of coconut oil. I have no idea what we will have with them, possibly a chopped salad with lots of fresh herbs.

Very little knitting has happened, a little crochet on the Snuggly and no sewing at all. I did dive into the deep recesses of the yarn stash and ferret out more acrylic for said Snuggly. The white bag is back to "full to the brim" status, and beyond.

I am keeping this short and sweet this morning, it is getting on and I am impatient to make a start on the day.

                       TTFN                                      Pam