Chicks and Kids

For those of you who loved the Tony Chick, he came from this wonderful book by Nicki Trench of Laughing Hens. I can't tell you how quick and easy he was to crochet - and will be giving these to all the children in my family!!! I still haven't had time to photography the little 'Alpine' socks I've been madly knitting for my twin nephews' birthday - by the time I get home from work the light really isn't right and I may have said somewhere in the past, but I really hate to use flash - well at least, I hate to use the little built in flash on my rather lovely camera. I've considered buying a stand alone flash gun - but to be honest with you, they are so expensive, that if I saved up the money for one of those, I'd rather go and spend it instead on a 100mm macro lens.... ah - wish on!! 

I was talking with friends at work the other day about the sticky state of our finances; February is always an awkward month as so many bills come in from Christmas. As Ms Organised here can also testify, having your tv licence, MOT and car tax all fall due at the same time is not the best way to manage finances.... I have almost, almost, made the final decision to sell my beloved Land Rover Defender (one of the 'proper' ones) once it's had it's MOT. I bought it to travel - but jobs and money don't really fit. It has been over three Alpine passes and wandered through France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany - and I feel that must be the extent of my adventures for the forseeable future - and let me tell you, it is an adventure when there are six in the car and you decided not to book any camp sites, hotels or hostels - in order to be freer to move on!!

Now, as you may have read, I have four rather wonderful children (well, I pretend the boys are wonderful most of the time). And children have been much on my mind this half term week. From arranging a new first time adult passport for the 16 yr old - and the traumas of finding necessary ID to get him through the security measures at the London passport office (bills??? with his name and address???? - how many 16 yr old boys have those???) - to youngest daughter leaving her phone on one of three possible trains - or even, possibly, her father's house - to finally the terrible news (for any parent) that one of eldest daughter's friends had had a horrific skiing accident and broken his back in two places..... Well, when it transpired that skiing accident was in fact, accident that occurred whilst on a skiing holiday, and young man in question had actually thought it was a good idea to climb an electricity pylon - well doesn't your heart freeze.... Any of you who have teenage boys must think "there but for the grace of God..." Why, why, why do teenage boys not develop any common sense??? This one was lucky to get away with two breaks in his back and and amputated finger from burns from 40,000 volts....
So, of all my children, only little Miss Youngest Daughter allows her photo to be taken - and very glad about it I am too - As a biased mother  I think she is extraordinarily beautiful - just like her elder sister, elder brother and twin brother.

My Days

Gosh, its been a long time since I've written anything on here; the dreaded snow storms throughout the UK completely missed my little corner of the world - we had some sleet showers, some snow that never settled - and yet it's been so cold. The grey skies and wet sheen on the ground have made me apathetic and so, so tired - so it's been work, sorting out the domestic stuff and more work. In between though, I managed, just - because I really haven't been feeling inspired - to finish my socks!! This pic shows the first finished one and I promised I've completed it's pair, just haven't had time to photograph it yet!!!! I've really enjoyed it when I have picked up the needles, and this weekend I'm intending to start a second pair, using 4ply this time round.

Despite my apathy, I have still been crocheting at least one row an evening of my beautiful ripple blanket. I just love it. As it grows, it becomes more and more beautiful. I'm so looking forward to finishing, blocking and wrapping it away in tissue paper towards my eldest daughter's Christmas - because yes, that's what I'm intending - a blanket for her and  flower one of some description for her younger sister.

Meanwhile, something very exciting happened over on flickr! I had a mail from Getty Images inviting me to join as a contributor to their library!! Well, I was so excited about that - but guess what - I've had no time to work on the photos they've requested - so that too I'm hoping to get on top of this weekend. It will probably be the last I hear - can't imagine anyone wanting to buy them - but still - it was lovely to receive that mail!!! 

I picked up a little energy today and booked tickets to see Tim Minchin - he doesn't come here til September, but already our huge recently refurbished multi million pound theatre is well on the way to being completely booked out - No idea whether I'll find him funny or not, but my darling eldest went to see him last year, and really wanted me to go with her this year. I'm so touched that at 18 she's asked her mother that of course I said I would go!! I also booked, for May - another knitting workshop!! This time it's 'Designing a Knit to suit you' - I've done a little bit of knitwear design and am really relishing the opportunity to do some more, especially as it's at the same place I went to do the sock knitting workshop - the absolutely divine 'Knit & Yarn' in Bungay. Well that's it for know, youngest daughter is having her hair cut by the DC in the kitchen, and I am being yelled at - see you soon!

Getting It Right

There are those days when everything goes right. For a few days now it has been bothering me that my ripple blanket wasn't really looking like the picture in the Jan Eaton book, or Attic24's lovely example - mine didn't so much ripple, as frill out. So I un picked the lot and began again, and again - and at the end of the 2nd row of that 3rd attempt, it suddenly hit me that my pattern reading skills are rubbish and I'd been reading something very, very incorrectly. So for the 4th time I began again - and look!! My ripples are rippling!!!!

In the horrid realisation that I start back at work tomorrow, I ransacked youngest twin's room and cleared it out. There were even 2 boxes in there from when we had moved here, 2 years ago!! Finally her room looks decent; the washing machine has run twice today with stuff I've picked off her floor and the recycling bin is now full and desperate for the bin men to come. Filled with a sense of achievement I tackled the understairs cupboard. The DC is going to hit the roof any minute when he comes in and sees what I've put on the landing to go into the attic - he thinks it's just going to be the Christmas decorations. Oh oh, he's back - got to dash - but I did find my long lost Monsoon handbag under the stairs!!

I've spent the day doing some very mundane tasks - a short Tesco shop, getting rid of Christmas day veggies that no one can face anymore, boiling up the turkey bones for soup tomorrow and emptying the bins...such is my exciting day!! I've been working away on my ripple blanket - it's still not looking right - I definitely lost count somewhere in row 1 and so subsequent rows were all askew - but hopefully I've sorted it...if I haven't I think I'll dismantle it (for the 3rd time) and think about a different blanket!!

Above is a shot of my Christmas berries. I bought these a long time ago, and every year when they emerge into the light, a little more paint has been lost and they're looking at little more tired - but as long as there are more berries than none I shall carry on hanging them off my dining room light!!

I also think of friends as the year draws to a close. My dear friend Zoe, who died two years ago, my aunt who died on Christmas day, my old friends, my work friends, my flickr friends, my new friends. Recently I re established contact with a very dear friend who I had met years ago when I was a Saturday girl at Laura Ashley, paying my way through university. She's had some success as as actress (she can be spotted in Bridget Jones and Sense & Sensibility!) and she and her house were featured in a glossy magazine; so I got in touch and she reminded me that despite all the years that have passed, there's too much history to ever forget our friendship.

And finally, back to decorations!! I've got to the stage where I want them to come down!!! - so, not a promise, but this may be the last of the decoration photos for this year!!

All my four are at their father's today - the eldest comes home tomorrow - she has A level exams in January and wants to revise. The younger three will return on New Year's Eve. Although I'm enjoying the peace and quiet, I do miss them - the days are always a little slower when they're not around.

my winter pastime

I've got my 2009 projects all lined up - so just hurrying to get this one finished. It's based on a pattern by erika knight, with some huge changes, and inspired by the wonderfully talented Attic24. Tomorrow I'll be really busy - have to get the presents and food bought for Christmas day as well as drop off eldest monster at the train station so she can visit her dad and meet up with the other monsters who are already with him. The D.C. is away for a couple of days, so I have a friend coming to help me with the food shop and stay over - we'll be getting a take away and watching a girlie movie!