Purple Porridge and Pink Perfection.

Perfect Purple porridge, oh such yummyness. I made good use of the wonderful crop of fat blackberries and have many kilos squirrelled away in the freezer. A handful go into my porridge every morning and as I smell them heating up I can feel the sun on my face. It is a good thing that I do not feel the many prickles that went into my fingers as well.

Pink Perfection, AKA Grown up Girl, Oh My Goodness.

In the flesh this is much pinker and very sparkly. It was a custom order from the talented Jenny of Owl about yarn, as you can see she added a little Owl progress keeper to the pack. I will be getting it caked up ready to cast on for Saturday's Strictly Come Dancing. 

Talking about Strictly, how close is it getting? It really is anybody's game yet. All of the celebs have had amazing and abysmal dances, I am thoroughly enjoying this year after feeling a bit flat when the contestants were announced.    

I am happy to eat my words.  

I have socks on the needles, of course.

They are further along than this and I will share when finished, I used a leftover ball for the cuff and have put in one heel in yellow and the other in a different pink, I will reverse the colours for the toes. Yes, you are right, I am knitting these on 2 separate needles top down. With afterthought heels, I was planning on heel flap and gusset but knitted too far last Saturday and Sunday in front of Strictly. I was not about to tink or frog so afterthought it had to be.

I Cut My Knitting. SCARY, very Scary. But it all turned out fine. I know that many sock knitters use the true afterthought method and love it. There are those who knit a long tube with ribbing at each end and cut for heels and toes. They have my admiration, it may be quicker but I doesn't like it. I doesn't like it one little bit. I was so tense that it took 2 mugs of hot chocolate and a handful of biscuits to calm me down. I kid you not, my shoulders were aching with the tension. I didn't really need the biscuits, it was a want, and I went for it.

Yesterday Herbie went to the VET for a check over. This is in readiness for the Big Snip next Tuesday. He still only has one testicle dropped so they will do an ultrasound to look for the other one. If they find one it will mean a bigger operation (along with a bigger bill) and a longer recovery time for him. I can buy a special Babygrow thingy (for "How Bl**dy Much") if he has the big op , or I can go through my fabrics and make some. I will be doing the latter as he will need more than one. He could wear the Cone of Shame but that would not prevent Ben from access. Plus the thought of him rushing full tilt around the place leaving a swathe of destruction in his wake says a Big fat NO.

We have had 3 consecutive hard frosts and the last one on Tuesday night has finished off my Fuchsias, they were smothered on blooms, but I still have some roses near the house in full flower. I am thinking of cutting them for the house later rather than losing them as well.

The pad is down for the compost bins so they will be moved into place tomorrow. 

I am doing my usual Fridge Bottom meals this week, last night it was Spaghetti Carbonara and tonight it will be a mushroom and bacon Something, with some spinach in there as well.

That's all for now, the sun is shining, Ben has had a bath and has dried off so he can have a stroll in the sun and I can make some Vitamin D.

                             TTFN                                      Pam