The Printer is Testing Me

The printer is testing me. It must have thought I was bragging about my IQ and now it won’t communicate with the PC. Does it not know that I have things to scan so that I can sew some hearts for Valentines Day. Of course it does – which is why it is playing up. I’ll go do some knitting and then surprise it later.


This is what I’m currently knitting. Can you tell what it is yet?

IQ 140 - Believe It or Not

I did an IQ test on Facebook and it said that my IQ was over 140 – but to find out exactly I needed to either pay $2.99 or sign up for various stuff. Needless to say despite my genius IQ (move over Stephen Hawking) after attempting to sign up it seemed to go pear shaped and I didn’t find out exactly how much of a genius I am.

Then last Saturday when we still had Tommy with us – I got up and attempted to put my glovey type socks on (see Look at My Socks). Here’s how in went

Pick first sock up, put on left foot, couldn’t match toes to toe holes, Tommy looked from sock to me ‘What are you doing, it’s a sock’, gave up on that sock, put right sock on, didn’t seem to have right number of toes or sock had grown extra toes in the night. Tommy gives me another look ‘Are you going to be these on or not?’. It was looking like not but I wasn’t going to be beaten by rampant socks. Went back to first sock. Take it slow one toe at a time. Tommy all but signed ‘For goodness sake it’s a sock get it on and let’s go out’. Hurrah, matched all toes in the left one. Went back to right one. Got the knack now only took five minutes!

I had a late night last Saturday and don’t think I’ve managed to catch up yet (3:00am). Friends came round for tea (dinner if you’re posh) and I had reason to switch the laptop on and look up Wizard of Oz. Made the mistake of leaving computer on and picked it up again when they left just after 1:00am and after playing a game and checking email it was 3:00am. (I’m addicted to the games on Big Fish Games at the moment, mainly because you can try before you buy and after just one more go – there’s no knitting done and it’s time for supper and I just wanted to do one while I was eating my breakfast.)

So this morning my IQ was tested again. The dishwasher hadn’t drained. So after cleaning the filter I put it on again. Just waiting now to see if it’s worked.

And then I just got hubby his bagels for breakfast, he has a lie in Saturday and Sunday to make up for lost sleep in the week (he works nights) and put my Bonefos tablet on his plate instead of his Glucosamine. Fortunately I noticed in time but made the mistake of confessing and he wanted to know what would have happened. So I said trust me I have an IQ over 140 it wouldn’t have killed you.

I know need to wait and see if my genius IQ worked on the dishwasher or whether it flooded the kitchen. I may need to pay the $2.99 to find out that there’d been a mistake and it was actually 14.

Hey - I have managed to add places to visit links so I am becoming more web literate, it's taken long enough.

Doy Bags

I just love the things on the doy bags website. The only thing is they are one of these things that you think wow they are really cool but would never, ever buy to use possibly because I'm not really a handbag kind of gal but I really want something from them. I've been contemplating one of the tidy boxes but they haven't made one yet to go with my decor but it is for a good cause and they are also cutting down on rubbish but yet they don't go with my decor!!!!!!


The only other thing I could do is buy hubby a lunch bag. I'm sure he'd be the envy of all his workmates.
 

Testing by Tommy

Testing of the 1172 Dino is proceeding as hoped.  So far it’s still intact.  However we did have a casualty last night.  My yoga ball.  It was completely my fault.  Tommy has perked up since the ‘incident’ on Monday and I thought how cute would he be playing with a ball.  I’ll make him a fabric one.  However in the mean time I remembered a small yoga ball I had in just the right size.  Not fully inflated and soft so not likely to cause him a problem while he’s healing.

I was right he was soooooooo cute, especially when he managed to get a hold of it because it’s so soft and
carry it around.  However said yoga ball lasted all of 15 mins.  So if anyone knows a good puncture repair kit let me know.

I’m not a complete slave driver so here’s Tommy having a rest from testing with 1172.

Tommy Crisis and 1172 Dinosaur

We had a problem last night. A good day was had by all and then Tommy ate a needle and thread!

I wasn’t too sure he had but had seen him doing that kind of caramel in mouth movement reached forward to get hold of his head and saw something shiny in his mouth. Grabbed him to look closer but whatever it was disappeared. He ended up on his back with his legs in the air and me poking about in his mouth. Nothing. Checked the quilt. Nothing. Shook the quilt desperately. Nothing. Went upstairs to check pin cushion. Squeezed until two needles appeared. About right don’t keep more than that in there but still unsure. Tommy seemed fine.

Phoned the nearest vet who fortunately had not yet switched to answerphone and explained. They gave me number of nearest out of hours vet. Bernard was getting ready for work. As you can imagine he was totally unimpressed. Rang them and explained. They said I could take him in for examination. As you know I can’t yet drive as driving test last week was snowed off (now booked for 12 February).

Rang next door neighbour who unfortunately was just about to go out. Rang other neighbour and off we went to the vets after letting Auntie Ann know. Tommy as perky as anything and considered himself out on a jolly refusing to sit on my fleece which I frantically threw down on seat to save it getting hairy after he refused point blank to sit on floor. End up sitting on reusable carrier bag inside as far away from me as he could get.

So we buzzed out way into the vets which is a PDSA clinic in the day and a chargeable out of hours service at night so very utilitarian. Benches round the edge and enclosed reception counter. I explained and nurse went to speak to vet. I looked at sign on reception asking urgently for kitchen roll and wondered why. Looked down and found out why. Tommy was standing on three legs over an increasing large puddle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I grasped the kitchen roll next to the plea and ripped the remaining FOUR sheets off. Well that just about covered it but no way soaked it up. Nurse came back and I sheepishly asked for more kitchen roll, she looked enquiringly. ‘Tommy’s just wee’d!’ ‘Oh, don’t worry about it I’ll clean it up.’

I hung my head in shame. I’d potentially let someone else’s dog eat a needle and thread and then he’d had the opportunity to relieve himself outside but no I let him cock his leg up in reception. And it was purposeful not the cow down panic ‘I’m in a vets’ whoosh but a calm ‘I need a wee and I’m having one here’.

After several isn’t he lovelies he was on the table being poked and prodded. To the general consensus of ‘better safe than sorry’ and that’ll be at least £492 I deserted him there. He was fine right up until the nurse took him through the door to the ‘back’ and then he started dragging his feet. I felt awful.

We came home with the intention of collecting him about an hour and a half later when he came round. Updated Bernard before he went to work and phoned Auntie Ann. Hadn’t had any tea but couldn’t face any. Started cleaning. What seemed like five minutes later realised mobile had just rang. Hunt to find it. TWO missed calls. Was that the house phone? Hunt to find that as I had put in down on way to find mobile!!!! Normally good in a crisis but felt totally responsible. It was the vet he had swallowed the needle and they were going to go in for it. It was in his stomach. Cried.  Rang Auntie Ann again. Carried on cleaning. Brother in law rang. Carried on cleaning and attempted to check out In Memoriam verse for father in law’s anniversary. Friend rang. Carried on cleaning. Face book message from nephew. Internet down. Brother in law rang. Cleaned more. Now 23:15. Rang vets. Informed she was in a consult but Tommy was in recovery and doing okay. Vet would ring me back when finished. Texted Auntie Ann. She rang. Cleaned even more. Bernard rang 23:45. Nearly cleaned everything except kitchen sink and vet rang.

Tommy was okay needle and thread retrieved. He didn’t like his hat. We could collect him in morning. Hat??? Finished cleaning shower. Realised hadn’t put washer on with Tommy’s blanket in it. Switched washer on. Had shower. Went to bed 0:45. Put alarm on for 2:30. Didn’t think I was going to get to sleep and then its 2:30. Got up. Put blanket in drier. Went back to bed. 6:30 Bernard rang. Anything else from supermarket. Steam cleaned floors. Got dressed. Upset Bernard.

How touchy are some husbands after being informed that the vet’s bill comes to £1,172.91! I was getting dressed upstairs, he was in the kitchen.

B: ‘Oh no, I got the wrong dog food!’

Me: ‘Why?’

B: ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHY?

Me: ‘How?’

B: ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN HOW?’ (Right Shirty Gertie)

I had at this point to go downstairs as shouting from the top seemed to be making matters worse despite the fact that going downstairs to sort this URGENT matter out meant that I wasn’t upstairs getting dressed so we weren’t late picking Tommy up which would also result in upset!

Me: ‘What I mean is what do you mean you got the wrong one oh light of my life?’ Thinking dog food’s dog food, we still have a tin the cupboard, I’m in my jim jams and half asleep and want to go get Tommy, stuff the dog food.

B: ‘Well the one we’ve already got says chicken in loaf and these 12 tins say in jelly. What does that mean?’

Me: ‘How the £%& do I know’ well it was either that or ‘I’m not sure but I’m sure it will be alright.’

So we went for Tommy and dropped off a pack of kitchen roll and B asked whether we got any money off for that and the vet said ‘No, but you didn’t need to do that. That’s nice of you. I feel so bad that you’re having to pay.’

‘Did I tell you’ I enquired going for the sympathy vote ‘that I was using the needle to make a toy for Tommy?’

‘No’ the vet said ‘It may have been cheaper to buy one for £2.00.’

So we went through and saw the x-ray and saw the needle and thread and the vet said again that he was distraught with his ‘hat’ and the penny dropped. And when Bernard said ‘Hat?’ I was able to demonstrate and say ‘Lampshade’. And in he came with this huge lampshade round his neck and dragging on the floor and looking incredibly awkward. And we saw the stitches on his little puppy tummy and I gave him a hug and apologised.

We got home and he had a lie down and B put a cushion under his head and went to bed. I then put a blanket over him and when he seemed a little cold so I gave him the hot water bottle I got for Christmas and then he woke up and was a little dazed and confused looking and promptly went back to sleep again. Slept through about five phone calls. Woke up, followed me upstairs which he wasn’t supposed to do in case he damaged his stitches. Wagged his tail at a friend that visited. Went back to sleep. Ate a little. Auntie Ann and Uncle Ray called and he perked up. He had a little sleep on his back so I could fully see his stitches and feel even worse. I cooked some rice to go with chicken AA brought and he ate it all (B and I had bacon butties). And currently he is asleep at my feet.

Here he is covered by my handknit organic fox fibre cotton blanket lying on my handmade patchwork quilt.  Facts I'm sure he appreciated.

'If I don't look that blue thing will disappear.  It must be the effects of the drugs' -->

He even managed to pick up the dinosaur which I had finished while he slept this morning. If this survives once he is feeling better I intend to list them in my etsy shop as tested by Tommy and call them 1172 Dinosaurs in view of the fact that this one cost £1,172.

Look at my Tommy

Well I had something to eat yesterday and within the hour was back to my version of normal and went on to have an otherwise good day even managing to persuade my mother in law that the milk that was three days out of date and starting to smell funny really did need throwing out and then coming back from my Auntie Ann’s with Tommy.


He’s 8 months old and a cross between a jack russell and a staffordshire bull. He is a little bit energetic. He chewed through his toy last night and is currently working his way through the plastic bottles for recycling. Once suitably squished they ten become a toy to be thrown and then we start on a new one. There was a slight confusion when Tommy attempted to procure one full of water from my side.

We went for a walk this morning and I impressed myself with how far and how fast I was able to go and Tommy equally excelled himself.

He will sit patiently if he wants something but can’t grasp doing so when instructed. He’s not allowed upstairs and will go as far as the first step then look ‘Can I?’ and when told no waits until you’re out of sight to ensure the imploring look doesn’t go to waste and then tootels off with a whine to amuse himself until your return.

He has inspired me with an idea for toys which I’ll tell you about tomorrow and post a photo of him then because another bottle is squished and ready to be thrown around and I need to tire him out so that when hubby gets home in the morning nothing is chewed or I’ll be in more trouble than Tommy. I did manage to finish a mitten today while he slept which I just love it’s so bright. I don’t suppose I’ll get much done this week as I tend to knit/sew/use the PC upstairs. Well gotta go his head’s cocked and the big brown eyes are looking at me expectantly. ‘I’m so cute and adorable play with me!’

Stem Cells and Red Hair

I’m not normally a whiney person well, I like to think not. A friend I worked with once told me I’d feel better if I moaned more but I tried it and she suggested I might want to go home early as it didn’t suit me! But I feel a bit whiney and moany this morning. I think it might be an anticlimax and my RED hair and am hungry. I didn’t have much for breakfast but have now taken a Bonefos so I have to wait even though I’ve just toasted bagels for hubby.


It’s not necessarily the redness although it is quite artificial looking, I’m used to henna red applied twice a year. It’s the fact that now I’m not going for my stem cell transplant immediately I’ll have to do something with it to either

a) Keep colour topped up eg, roots

b) Change it completely to something more user friendly

Fortunately I love the shortness.

My stem cells should be hanging their heads in shame as they are to blame for this dilemma, not that you’d notice if they did because there were so few of them. The lazy so and so’s. They mobilised into my blood in so few numbers 0.5% that it’s not even worth poking them out of the bone. There is another drug, Plerixafor, to try but it’s not available on the NHS so the doctor will apply for funding. I’m going to try my private healthcare provider and we can always pay for it ourselves. I can honestly say I never thought I’d be in a position where I couldn’t just get what I wanted from the NHS.

I think I might to whingey and moany because I’m a bit tired today and I don’t like being tired. I have always had to be doing something unless I had a migraine but the problems with my vertebra meant that I couldn’t do a LOT of things for a while even knit. Now I can I feel I can’t take a day off like I have to make up for it or something.

I also need to lose fat and tone up again. I’ve become such a slob and can’t use the myeloma or vertebra as an excuse. I read that you lose up to 10% bodyweight during a stem cell transplant so that would have worked out well. I got weighed at the clinic yesterday and am 63.2kg.

So I need

Less fat, more muscle
Ceramic heated brush
Different hair colour
A new job
An exercise bike or elliptical trainer – we have a treadmill and weights in the garage but it’s too cold
Pass driving test
More sales on etsy

I am a great believer in achievable goals and maybe one or two you need to strive for. Mine was a house worth a certain amount. I thought we would need to build one to do this but our current house is worth more than this.
My new one is

A cure for myeloma that is accessible to everyone

On that note I can now eat again so I’m off for a nice cup of tea and something healthy to go with it.

Hair Dye and Whisky

I have a bit of a cold again. This is about the third since the start of December. I think they are different ones because I’ve had a gap in between. Tonight I treated this one to hot water, lemon juice Manuka honey and a wee dram of Auchentoshan. I’d like to blame this for the current colour of my hair but I bought the dye whilst completely sober this afternoon.

I could have gone for a nice chestnut brown as suggested by the hairdresser but no, I wanted something more dramatic. I dismissed blue as being too dark and I once seven years ago dyed it blue. I remember distinctly it was the night before our two week summer hols and my nice shiny naturally henna enhanced hair went into a blue soggy mess even when dry. I spent the first week of the hols washing it twice a day under a drip of a shower and it was long at the time so it needed a lot of drips.

I settled on Hypnotic Red as (fortunately maybe) they were out of purple and violet.

I got a little on the organic cotton CREAM towels. Fortunately it was one of the old ones and I forgot to sleep with a towel on my pillow so I didn’t get it on the also organic cotton white pillowcase. I don’t know organic this and that and hair full of chemical colour.

Now the other thing of note here is that I neglected to inform my husband before he left for work that I intended to change colour! So this morning I advised him before he saw me. The light went on the second word was hell! He then voiced a thought that I had crossed my mind ‘What’s the driving examiner going to think?’.   Second one was 'If you'd had that hair colour 19 years ago I wouldn't have put my  hand in that group of girls and pulled you out!'.  I still maintain he was just hoping someone/anyone would take his hand but he assures me since I was the only petite brunette it was me he was after.

I normally spend four hours with my head wrapped in cling film and a towel after heating up natural henna from Lush and spreading what basically looks like well rotted manure on my head. Whereas this was really easy to apply but looked like a scene from psycho in the shower rather than like I’d been rolling in a farmer’s field.

So here with have the before and after – can you guess which is which?

This is the only view available as I had horrendous hat hair static cling, the other side looks like I've been electrocuted!

On the upside I did go and collect a wig yesterday which I modelled for hubby and which he liked so I do have a Plan B.

I went to yoga yesterday afternoon. It was very gentle yoga sitting in a comfy chair. I kid you not. Apparently I have a very flexible spine. I think this might be good since I have a collapsed vertebra which I neglected to tell the teacher about.

To Do List

I think this may end up a blogging to do list


I decided to add the number of appearances on the TDL (get me)

* Finish jumper pattern and most of jumper (2)

* Make nosebands for donkeys (not mine) (2)

* Finish/knit mitten pattern  - pattern done but not knit(2)

* Make hearts (2)

* Trousers turned into skirt (the miracle of sewing and the lack of material big enough) – cut out but needs sewing (2)

* Learn show and tell items for driving test on Thurs weather permitting (2)

* Get more stuff for mother in laws hamper

Too Cold for Fruit

I awoke this morning to the melodious clang of a spade on flags. I thought it must be our next door neighbour who believes, like me but with different things, that the devil makes work for idle hands. But no... it was my husband deciding that 6:45 was a good time to clear the drive around the car. I opened the window and graciously enquired what he was doing with worryingly scant regard that any passing neighbours would be able to view me in my pyjama top and Garfield knickers. (This also being the professional image I’d like to portray for my etsy shop!) I do get dressed before I ‘go to work’.




I tai chi’ed this morning with David Carradine who was looking remarkably well all things considered. It made a change from yoga and I surprised myself with my range of motion but didn’t push it.



Yesterday I sorted by fabric stash, I mean collection and wondered why on earth I’d bought some of them but had a good time finding things I’d forgotten about – I’m going to do some raw silk and organic cotton hearts for valentines. I threw some things away, tending to keep all leftover fabric when I make something ‘Just in case’. Some of these were smaller than the things in my scrap box. But in view of that and what moved location I still don’t seem to have gained a lot of space. I have yet to sort my haberdashery type items, beads, ribbons, etc.



I found my giant bead loom, I don’t think I’ve every loomed anything on it. I also bought a small one at the same time because obviously you need both two and did a little necklace which I wore once to a fancy dress party. They have both been a sound investment.

But maybe not today as today’s schedule has been ring my ISP and confuse them by asking if they do mobile broadband and being passed to technical support by sales and told that if my computer wasn’t connected by a wire to the router I could use it anywhere in the house! I explained that I wanted to use it outside the house and by this I didn’t mean the garden. Further advice had to be sought and the answer was no. I then spend half an hour on the phone with my mobile provider and now, hopefully, have it for 2 months and my dongle is being delivered tomorrow.

Go on driving lesson but just one hour instead of two as snow still thick on side roads.

The other things I ‘need’ to do are

*  Finish jumper pattern and most of jumper

*  Make nosebands for donkeys (not mine)

*  Finish/knit mitten pattern

*  Make hearts

*  Find material (which should now be easy) and make pair of trousers to wear tomorrow

*  Learn show and tell items for driving test on Thurs weather permitting

I might do a To Do List everyday then I feel the need to complete it.

I also need to eat more fruit because it’s good for me. But it’s too cold for fruit. It’s hot chocolate and cake weather. Which made me think how come people who live with cold and snow all the time aren’t obese, what’s their secret? On Saturday I smoothied summer berries and mango with protein powder in a fruit eating effort. Then when I couldn’t finish it all do you know what I did? I froze it. I ate it yesterday and had a kind of body freeze after. No I can’t find the logic in that either. As they say here ‘There’s nowt as queer as folk!.

Yoga, Cold and Cake

Generally I get up and drink 500ml water to get my system off to a good start. This morning I got up put on the things on the radiator which wasn’t on! There’s nothing like toasty clothes on a cold morning. Put the heating on, took a gulp of water, 2 paracetemol, had a cup of tea and a peice of parkin*, nothing like a healthy start to the day.
I may have overdone the yoga yesterday. I spoke to the hematology nurse yesterday about how much to push my back as I was very aware of it during one of the stretches yesterday and wondered whether I should push it because it would improve or accept this was the limit of my range of movement. Apparently because of my vertebra collapse (just one) he said ‘Definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, definitely, don’t push it’ – I don’t think he was too sure. So this morning I missed the yoga, I did my night time one yesterday and had the parkin instead. I am now having healthy homemade museli and another cup of tea while typing this and watching/lsiting to Project Runway – the joys of being a multi tasking woman.

* My Auntie En’s parkin is beyond compare. I occasionally part with it to close family and friends but only thin slices, my hand starts shaking if they happen to be watching me cut it and ask for maybe a bit more. The only thing not made by Auntie En that comes close is cheese cake from the Fossil and Heritage Centre in the Orkneys. If you are ever there I highly recommend calling in for some. The carrot cake is pretty good too and the staff are really friendly. If however you are ever anywhere near me don’t expect any parkin without a fight.

Wool Stash

I sorted out my wool stash. I need to keep using yarn, the word, instead of wool as I keep reminding myself when listing things on etsy. I was brought up calling everything wool that was knit with, cotton, manmade fibres even believe it or not wool but in this age of millions of fibres it can get confusing. So here’s a pic of my stash.

That’s not actually my stash that’s my one ball boxes, as per Sally Melville Styles – a book for using up your yarn collection (I just looked that up on the book and am now going to use it instead of stash) odds and ends. The idea is you sort by colour and not weight and put one ball of each yarn in each colour box and reference to the rest in boxes, cupboards, wardrobes, etc. I have to admit I do have mine in boxes in the wardrobe I converted to shelves in bedroom two or my sewing room as my Auntie En calls it.  The doll was a present from her.  I have never named her, she has blue eyes and brown hair like me.  She also has bloomers on, unlike me, but I love touches like that, things you don't see but that finish things off.  She watches over the boxes and makes sure they are not pilfered.

This is my DMC thread collection.  I have forsaken Anchor which are all squished into a box in favour of these.  The nails they hang off do provide a little bit of a hazard when getting in and out of the glory hole.

Now I just need to start on my fabric collection. Which was considerably added to by Auntie En recently.

Yoga

I got up this morning, apparently it's -13 degrees outside the car, I was informed of this at 7:40 a much more acceptable time, and did my yoga, because it's good for you apparently. There was Maddy (Madeline Lewis the instructor), I feel I can be familiar since I have my pyjamas on, looking svelte in her blue lycra on a sunny tree surrounded platform looking all fresh and there was me in said PJs with flannelette bottoms, not having brushed hair or washed as B was having trouble nodding off so I didn't/daren't disturb him with my morning ablutions. I had however brushed my teeth. I was also snuggled in my new cardy completed for Christmas. It has a bit of a design issue with the sleeves but apparently looks like this is the style but knowing that it isn't how I intended keep thinking about ripping out the sleeves and redoing top sections.

I was going to attach a pic but can't find the timber on the camera, can't say I'm too impressed with this latest one. It's a Kodak with 12 mega pixels but I'm a bit disappointed with some of the photos and I don't think it's completely my fault.

I've decided I'm going to have an etsy day and blitz everything I've made and get them listed but first I think I may have to try out the long johns that I got for Christmas because I think it's cold and I'm basing this on my fingers being icy rather than relying on the car to tell me.

Driving Lesson and my Behind

I had a driving lesson today - in the SNOW.  When Dave (driving instructor) got here he asked if I still wanted to go as basically I am sensible enough (there's a first) I think he meant old enough, to go slow. If I had been a 17 year old boy racer he wouldn't have considered it. It was fantastic.  There was a tiny bit of sliding on roads that we would have thought would be completely clear but with my test next week it really boosted my confidence.

My darling husband gave me a detailed temperature by temperature description of his drive home this morning.  It was imperative that he passed this information on to me as soon as he got home at 4:00AM.  I was quite surprised that it had reached -10 degrees but could have waited until later to find this out and in fact did because I could only recall as far as -8 when I got up - shame on me!

He then informed me why I did so well in the car this morning.  On going into to exciedly tell him about my lesson (I waited until his alarm went off - I'm just so considerate), he asked what I had on as I looked nice.  I mistakenly said I had measured my hips last night and they were 39".  So the car didn't skid this morning because my large behind stablised it.

AND I still don't know what I am doing on the web but I keep doing stuff.  I am expecting a call from NASA any time now.

Look at my Socks!

Had a little sort out and found these socks so I put them on last night.  It was so odd putting 'gloves' on my feet.  I had a bit of a 'I have the wrong number of toes crisis'.  This reminded me of when my eldest nephew was little and learning to count.  His grandad would count Neil's toes with him and then take his own socks off and they would count his.  BUT he only had nine toes (due to arthritis) and this would confuse Neil especially since shaking the sock did not produce the missing toe!

Never worn these socks before.  Now I know that it would appear that that's a porky because there's bobbles on the big toe but I can assure you that was from the winceyette jim jams I have on last night.  To prove it here's another pic from last night that I wasn't going to use because it makes me look pigeon toed.

Charity Knitting 2

Hurrah I found the hats - well the photo and here it is for your perusal.

Let It Snow Again

Hubby didn't make it into work last night. On 6.30 news motorway was closed due to accidents. He had just got work colleague's telephone number and picked up phone when it rang, They'd watched same news. I did under exaggerate yesterday we'd had at least 8".
Went for a walk this afternoon in all this wonderful snow - don't think I'll be having driving lesson again tomorrow - Oh, poo! And my massage was also cancelled.

Let It Snow

Snow, glorious snow!


I had my driving lesson cancelled because of the snow. I missed last week's because of a cough that kept me up most of the night and I have my test next week. Oh, crap!

BUT the snow is something else. I had a Relaxation Yoga class but there were no buses. Well, the bus website said there were buses but they were delayed but they lied there were no buses that I saw. I did however get to walk a mile and a bit in the snow and it was GREAT! When I rang the hospital to say I wouldn't be attending they said it was cancelled but the teacher had been unable to get hold of one of the attendees possibly me because I was out in the snow. I did think about walking into town but I had been 'instructed' not to go by my other half and if I did there was no way he was picking me up so I didn't want to be marooned at the hospital - this was the genuine reason I wasn't being good and following orders! How dare you even consider this.

So I came home played a few games on the computer and finished a scarf to sell on etsy. A scarf I just love. One of those things you do that is so simple but turns out to be just gorgeous and an appropriate snowy colour.

Hubby is currently out clearing the drive - he is such a spoil sport. He is going to attempt to get into work later. He is renda, rendeou... meeting (couldn't spell rendezvousing) with a work mate, don't know who is wearing the carnation, and they are going to give it a whirl. Must make sure he leaves with a hot water bottle, thermos of coffee, blanket, flares and some sort of entertainment but not the laptop or mobile so that he can't phone me at three in the morning to say he is still stuck in snow.

Better go and get tea and pack supplies for his epic trip. I mean it's all of 2" maybe 2 1/5".

Charity Knitting

I finished the wool the receptionist at the doctors gave me and here are the results in all their glory. I realised that I can try out styles for my etsy shop without needing an exact size at the crèche in South Africa they can just go along until they find a head that fits the hat rather than a hat that fits a head! You could see them if I could find the photo - I had a reshuffle and can't place them. I only knit one pair of socks since I could knit a jumper in the time it took to knit one, they were so fiddly and I'm not even sure they are the same size although I don't know how. I'm normally so precise.

Hair Cut 2

Well I went this morning and now at the back my hair is 6.5” and a little longer at the front. And I like it. My husband on the other hand is not so struck. I asked the hairdresser if she had ever had anybody cry. Apparently not and she didn’t want me to be the first. I wasn’t. She cut some off but then I was distracted by a lady who had commented on my knitting whilst I was waiting and by the time we had finished chatting and I had given her a copy of my hat pattern it was done.

I then meet a friend for lunch who was surprised but said it suited me and I can normally tell by her face it she doesn’t like something regardless of what comes out of her mouth but face and mouth seemed to concur.

I haven’t been conscious of it which is a good thing. When I washed it it did feel like there was nothing to wash but when I have had it trimmed this is when I notice it most.

Now I know my pics are generally a bit dubious but this was taken by hubby and basically the first photo does, as long as the object can be identified by anyone with a little imagniation.  If it doesn't meet this criteria a second will be taken but that's the limit.  The view is from the back because apparently I don't take a good photo from the front!

etsy

I recently opened a shop on etsy. Spending my time crafting is something I have always wanted to do. I didn’t want to regret not doing it but somehow always managed to put it off. So I reached the point where a big life decision like this was nothing and realised that the only way not to end up with regret was to put myself out there.


I’ve sold two things so far, the same knitting pattern for a Christmas Stocking.

I wouldn’t mind but when I put the listing on I hadn’t done the pattern. That’s not strictly right... I had a pattern but one only I or an expert in code could follow. So when the first one sold after a day I was in super pattern mode. Fortunately I thrive under pressure and had the pattern completed about four hours later (this included time spent making and eating tea, making it because my husband was going out to earn real money not mess about with wool).

The thing that has really surprised me is how hard things are to photograph in an appealing way. I have a head and notebook, because my head gets chocka and things fall out, of ideas of things to make but haven’t got to them because I can’t get the photos right on the other things and think there’s no point adding loads more stuff with naff photos.

I’ll have to email David Bailey.

Hair Cut

I'm going for my hair cut in the morning - I normally go twice a year for a dry cut to get rid of my rats' tails to use an expression my Aunt used to use. BUT I have decided to get it cut short, well by my standards. It's currently 14" long which I consider quite short. I had about 2" off in November and had already had it cut twice this year.
So I rang and made an appointment for tomorrow and now I'm slightly panicking whether I've done the right thing. I may need a stiff drink in the morning. Sod the sun over the yard-arm stuff.

Christmas Tree

I felt the need to share our Christmas Tree with its alternative decorations.


Necessity really is the mother of invention. A good few years ago I went to get the decorations out of the loft on Christmas Eve eve and to my horror found that the salt dough tree decorations had suffered from heat and subsequent cold exposure, worse than a pensioner in a vest. So not being able to drive and my husband being at work. I thought about the stuff I had once bought on holiday in Scotland for our bathroom and which I had never used. Thinking and subsequently reading in a Feng Shui book that sea based themes in bathrooms would disrupt the flow of pee, I mean chi. Although the former is probably even more messy.

So I popped popcorn in a pan, having bought some a while ago on the basis it was a healthy snack and then realising it was but it was also not a patch on the popcorn in the cinema or covered in toffee. But the tree did not mind that it was several years out of date.

I then threaded but was still full of enthusiasm and then draped round the tree.

Christmas Eve I glue gunned whales, dolphins, angle fish, balls (not belonging to any of the prior), mini wreaths and fishing line together along with my fingers several times. Glue and I are not on overly friendly terms.

I then had a similar gluing experience with shells of varying sizes and green thread realising that the fishing line was way to fiddly for the shells and anyway I’d already used in on the fish.

So a tradition was born... and every year since I sit and curse whilst I thread metres and metres of cream thread with popcorn then brush the escaped bits of popcorn up off the floor. This year I was actually glad to do it as with the problems I had with my back last Christmas it took be two days to finish the tree.

I do then look at it and think WOW it looks so good! And just so you can admire it too here it is.

To Do List

The current status of my To Do List from my previous entry

Charity Jumpers – finished 27th but made the yarn stretch not literally to another couple of hats

Belt for cardy – Finished Christmas Day while I was waiting for my husband to finish getting ready and worn on Christmas Day with the rest of the cardy

James Graham doll – finished and wrapped on Christmas Eve – see photo, he did subsequently end up with eyes and rosy cheeks.

Paper decorations – Up in the porch on Wednesday night by approx 23:30. A friend had just left and I was standing in the porch in my jim jams hanging decorations while the snow came down in completely gorgeous snow like manner, all thick and constant.

Steam clean floors – Done on Tuesday night – didn’t really help my sore throat and caused my back a bit of gip* – to the point where I almost considered taking Oramorph – but my floors looked fantastic.

* It’s good to be able to get that off my chest that because

a) I don’t know if anyone will read this, and

b) even if someone is (Hello), I don’t know you personally and I don’t feel have to feel guilty that I potentially could have @#$&ed up Christmas by over doing it.

AND additionally I made a holly dog collar for my sister-in-laws pooch.

Christmas Stocking

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Theory Test

Picture it – cold grey morning – theory test at 8:30 with requirement to turn up at 8:15. Husband gives me lift into town and parks outside near to where he thought I was going and short walk from where I knew I have going.


At 8:08 approx

Him: ‘Are you getting out?’

Me: ‘Aren’t you going to drop me off?’

Him: ‘Yes, I’ll drive the 20 feet to the door’

Me: ‘It’s not here it’s the place on the corner but its okay the WALK will do me good.’

Him: ‘Ok then.’

Get out of car and start walking. The car goes past

Him: ‘I could have dropped you off at the bus stop.’

Me: ‘You could have dropped me off right outside the front door if you’d thought about it’

No really – Me: ‘The walk will do me good.’

So I arrive at the test centre and go in and suddenly think it’s not the right place – OH DEAR (well thoughts to that effect). There’s no signs saying Test Centre, there’s someone going through the door inside but I don’t shout to them I think its shock. I nearly walk into someone on the way out

‘Where’s the Test Centre?’. They don’t know. Not panicking, yet! Walk to the Town Hall, its shut!

Accost a couple walking past with council badges dangling from their necks – ‘Where’s Gregson House’.

‘It's that building over there’ (WHERE I STARTED FROM) ‘it’s the JobCentre Plus’ – Plus what – the Theory Test Centre??????????????

Walked across the car park, fumbling mobile out of pocket and dialling 118118 – who then put me through (bugger the expense by this time). Automated service – I just want a person to tell me where the test centre is, is that too much to ask? Obviously. Hover in the middle of this huge car park, should I walk further or should I stop in case it’s the other way? Decisions, decisions. How am I going to say – No I didn’t pass because I didn’t take it because I didn’t know where I was going!

Nearly back to the JobCentre by now – thinking why I am going this way it’s not in there.

Turn round and march back across the car park. Accost yet another pedestrian who doesn’t know where it is but her son has just passed so she feels she should know. Well good for him and no brownie points for her! Why don’t I try the Town Hall? Why didn’t I think of that!!!!!

Panic is now setting in. Back to the Town Hall still closed. It’s now getting on for 8:22 even though I feel like I’ve been walking for hours – it’s the well known panic time warp.

Town Hall still CLOSED. Where’s my Council Tax going?

Try the next building. Fortunately there’s a security guard, possibly he’s not very big and not very secure looking, BUT who cares because after explaining that the offices only open at 9:00 he is able to tell me where to go – what I mean there is he tells me where the test centre is not $@*# off we’re closed.

I rush (can’t really run due to back problem) across the Town Hall square, across the pelican crossing after briefly checking for buses bearing down on me only briefly because by this time 8:25 the sympathy from getting hit by a bus would overshadow the fact that I didn’t know where I was going.

Into the 6th building I’d been to – see Theory Test Centre in the foyer – rush to the door to the lifts – it’s locked – what the $@*#!!!!!!

Nice security guard rushing round the corner behind me

Him: ‘Test Centre luv?’

Me: ‘Yes, I went to the wrong building’ (he doesn’t need to know how many wrong buildings.

Him: ‘It happens – take the lift and calm down.’

Get to the Test Centre offices – nice lady takes my licence off me – gives me a key to a locker for my stuff so I don’t cheat and something to read quickly as I’m only just in time. I have little idea what it said but on the basis that I wasn’t agreeing to electric shocks every time I got an answer wrong or missed a hazard I signed anyway.

Did the theory bit – very confident – but we all know that this can lead to a glaringly obvious balls up later.

Then settled down for the Hazard Perception bit – quite relaxed by now because I was going to fail – I couldn’t spot a heavily laden 30 foot trailer bearing down on my side of the road in time to click the mouse and get five points.

I got up from my chair before a lot of the others, walked out collected my things and my letter saying I’d failed the hazard perception and the number to let me out of the door downstairs. No doubt in my mind. Didn’t open it until I was in the lift, didn’t want to have hysterics in front public. ‘Congratulations, you have passed’. What, is this mine, yes it’s got my name at the top, does it just mean the Theory bit? Look at the scores for the hazards, there’s no way they add up to 44.

Got out of the lift, went to the first door, it’s the stairs, second door is some short of fire escape/cupboard, third door has a key pad, bit of a clue as I have a number. Manage to get back into the foyer – security guard coming out of his office – possibly because there’s CCTV everywhere and I’d been trying doors like a loon.

Him: ‘From the smile I take it you passed.’

Me: ‘Well, the letter says congratulations you’ve passed, but I don’t think I passed the hazard bit.’

Him: ‘I think there’s a bit of a clue in the Congratulations you’ve passed bit!’ And probably thinking ‘She could be on the road soon!!!!!’

Took it to a coffee shop and sat down, after ordering a Mocha, ‘cos apparently they don’t like you going in for a warm sit down without buying something! Looked at it properly and it clearly said ‘Congratulations you have passed’ but seeking yet more confirmation I read further and it clearly stated lower down 50 out of 50 for the theory element (yes, I know Smart Arse) and 50 out of 75 for the Hazard Perception and to cap it all suggested that I might like to ask my instructor for further information on Hazard Perception – my computer must have been talking!!!!!!!!! Wait till I get home.

First Post - Original Name I Know

Hi


I’ve been off sick for a while and now that I am feeling better am severely lacking in human contact – I’ve always said that I couldn’t be one of those couples who work and live together and now I have been through an imposed confinement with my husband.  (He has been a complete darling and has put up with a LOT but enough is enough.)

So I have my theory driving test tomorrow.  I think I have the theory part off pat but the hazard perception is another matter.  The first time I did the proper test test (if you get my meaning) today I scored 44 out of 75 and the DVD had the audacity to say that I had passed but I might want to consult with my instructor for further advice prior to the real thing – or something like that I was a little busy checking what the minimum required mark was only to find that it was in fact 44 and maybe the suggestion wasn’t quite as cheeky as I suggested to the DVD.  It was downhill from there but I think that the program took offence to the suggestions I may have made about its mother and hasn’t been responded to my delicate taps on the keyboard, I tried this after the mouse seemed to have sided with the DVD and developed a dodgy left click – just for this program apparently, its fine for anything else.

Meanwhile we had a new stair and landing carpet fitted today.  My other half on finally getting out of bed at 16:30 ish after I had served him bagels (nothing else) – he does work nights he isn’t just lazy – said ‘Is this the colour we ordered?’

Me:  ‘Yes’

Him:  ‘I thought it was darker than this’

Me:  ‘Yes, it’s definitely the right one’

Him:  ‘Oh, this looks dark.  But I know it is going dark’ (And it was going dark outside but strangely we do have these electric light thingies.)

Me:  Well what do you say to that – This one looks darker but you think it’s not the one we ordered which was darker!  Oh, OK. – I of course said nothing.  He had just got up!