WARNING: Battery Exhausted

Much like DD my camera battery has died of overuse and exhaustion. The battery is now resting in its recharging wotsit, and DD is reclining in the bath......shattered. Today was her first day of work and then had to come home and do part of her paper round (she is delivering boxes of Bran Flakes), and then I had the temerity to suggest if she wanted her top ironed perhaps she had better do it herself!! Poor kid! Day 1 in the big wide world...9 to go!!
I was going to photo my sprouting spinach, lettuce and peas which I only planted 5 days ago.....and my courgette that the bastard slugs have eaten, but I turned on the camera and it wasn't having any of it..so watch this space, tomorrow my spinach will be 5ft tall.......

Germany or Spain

Whaddya think?? Could be close, let's hope it doesn't go to penalties.....

I have started knitting the scarf, I would post a piccie but my memory card needs clearing, so I will clear that and then post tomorrow cos I am still aposting one a day!! May be boring, but the discipline is good for me.
DD starts work experience tomorrow, so I have told her that after a day at work she has to come home and cook a meal for the family and then clear the kitchen, when that is done the rest of the day is her own! Too much? Nah! hopefully it might spur her into thinking about what she wants to do over the next few years. I think she already knows, but it may just make her think!

Anyway I am off to knit and eat crisps and drink wine - damn PMS!!!

ETA: 8 days in a row of blog posting, 2 days in a row of make up - will these epiphanies keep coming..

Stars for the week (Cancer) c/o the Mail on Sunday:
Try to get through as much work as possible in the early part of the week because what occurs around the time of Thursday's Cancer New Moon will give you a taste for less humdrum affairs. And with dynamic Mars moving into one of the most sociable angles of your chart this week, you won't want to be bothered with chores. However, not everyone will be in the mood for fun, and you will have to make time for a friend or loved one who is currently in need of support. That said, you don't have to give in to emotional blackmail: you are as entitled to your freedom as anyone else. With the Moon, your ruler, new in your sign, the most important thing is that you forget about the past and think only of the future. Imagine you are starting your life again with a clean slate. Anything is possible if you believe it is possible.


KEWL!!!!!!! About bloody time ;-) these 2 sentences are especially pertinent: the most important thing is that you forget about the past and think only of the future. Imagine you are starting your life again with a clean slate....

FOr more horoscopes see here

I WAS born with it...

just a quicky today - no photos either - sorry!

Today I am wearing MAKE-UP, and 9 hours after I put it on, and it is a hot day...the make up is still there...OH MY GOD!! This minerals stuff is as good as they said it is..amazing!

My day off, so we popped into town, and did the inevitable trip to the garden centre, and I bought a beautiful rose for a friends birthday - the colours are pink and orange, it really is gorgeous. I almost bought one for me, but as my roses tend to lose their leaves, I thought it best to leave it there. It would have been too much to see the poor thing quake as we put it in the car and brought it home. So I got a pack of petunias (bright pink of course) to brighten up the front of the house......and then this afternoon I planted beans, coriander and watercress.....now to stash bust as I feel an attempt at this coming on....
see you soon x

Maybe I'm born with it.....

Bargain City today at Woolworths.....DD and I got
these for her "patch" - last year she complained when I cut the daises, so this year I am not cutting a square of about 1.5m - piccies will follow at some point, but for now imagine a patch of waste land of weeds about 1m high. She continues to throw seeds on it, but sadly none of them have materialised yet - oh well, I think the birds are well fed ;-)

We also got these cos I thought they looked scrummy

Aren't these fab, I love the colours - they are all for next year, so I will put them in a safe place and put them out next spring.
And to feed the family next year, I got theseI am going to plant some of the beans tomorrow and probably save the rest for next year.
Bezzie, you would be so proud of me - I paid £13 for all of this ($26), as they were all reduced. Had I paid full price for all of this little lot, they would have cost £40/$80!!!! Good God! So I saw this as an investment in the future - it was a bit of a layout in return for huge colour and food next year - Yay Bezzie, I am learning <3


The we went to Boots and I bought these - get me! MAKE UP!!!!!!!!! AND they were on 3 for 2 - BARGAIN.I posted on Knitty recently about my make-up phobia, and I had so much wise advice from those very wise guys n gals, and in the majority they all seemed to favour minerals (wtf?? sounded like a foreign language) and I was investigating Lily Lolo who I almost ordered from, but then we called into Boots, saw a bargain and made a purchase. IF and this is a big if, this doesn't turn out to be a 5 minute wonder, I will order from Lily Lolo cos they seemed ethically very switched on - but for now my cheap ass kicked in - gotta love a bargain!!!!! I also have a kabuki brush (wtf??) which DD said is very good and nodded in a very knowing way. I don't have a "k" brush for the cheeks but I have told by "her wot knows"that this isn't a problem. Anyway, tomorrow morning I will look like a tart! And no, I wasn't born with it! Wish me luck!!

Did I mention it is my birthday next week??
These arrived in the post today, and no, I haven't opened them yet, but they have had a bloody good rattle and shake.


For those of you at Woolfest , give my love to the alpacas :-)

I am going to meet Amy Butler

This is the view from my back door - ignore the bolting lettuce, look at the grapevine!!!! Those grey tall things in the middle are the poppies, they looked beautiful about 20 minutes before this was taken - it wasn't raining then!

Next up!

The view from my living room window - my buddleia is almost in flower, but now being battered by the wind and rain


All views from the same window - maybe it will be sunny tomorrow :-)

What else? Well DD and I are off to meet this wonderful person in August - Amy Butler. She is coming to do a talk at a town about 50 miles away, and it seems too good an opportunity to miss. I love her designs, her fabrics - they are luvverly. And as DD is interested in studying Fashion/Textiles/Design it really is too good a chance for her to get to quiz the woman with the answers. I presume we can ask questions?? I am not sure hhmm! Anyway the evening is being organised by The Knitting Parlour in Great Malvern. I am now planning on making this -, could I wear it on the night or would that be "stalkery".......

I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

Did I mention it is my Birthday next week??????

This serves you right...

for thinking - huh, WTF not many photos recently...here we go, a shed load:
First off - cats!!
P McGee - Pumpkin - Pumpkinella, she answers to all and none, isn't she a beauty and yes she is asleep on a colinette throw - knitted by me, and adopted by P. She gets very upset when it is in the wash, as a result, it isn't worth anyone else sitting on it - eeewwwww!

Next up: The big A - Archie Welder:

Wot u lookin at? Put that camra down, and leev me alone!

Next up: Smelly the Rescue Cat, head Barfer, and chief reguritator (sp??): T Malluh, Topsey, Topsey Mallulah - she answers to none of them:

Wot!

Anyway enough of the Fur Babies, here is some kniting, yes knitting!!!! You know I took Saturday off sick (sick and tired!!) I started knitting the stash - dishcloths. Careful, this next photo will make your eyes roll and stick to the inside of your eyelids.

This is the yarn that happens when family visit Walmart on holiday and realise they miss you - (make scared face now!). Get ready I am about to flash these in more detail........now blink a couple of times and shake your head....there, better???? Now for some "grown up" knitting.....in a lovely yarn. Noro Silk Garden - yummy. This pattern is this one from Ravelry, and I was hugely inspired by Turtlegirl's, but because you still can't get Noro Taiyo in the UK yet, I decided to try SG. Any UKers interested should check out this site http://www.theknittingparlour.co.uk/. When I called in a few weeks ago, they said that Taiyo was on order....but in the meantime they have Amy Butler visiting!!! I would love to go but I think my restraining order may just put a stop to that.....Anyhoo this is my capelet in Noro SG...I have lined up my rows, look, all stripes match. But one has to pay for their art, look at all these bastard ends (and yes, I have woven some in already - sheesh!)But it is worth it, though I am not sure it is quite me, but DD modelled it earlier and it looked rather good, but I wouldn't tell her that - I am 40 she is 14, nuff said!And a close up - sexy, no?

Does this count as a Pr0n shot??? I think so! You can see all the little hairy bits!

And finally, what am I doing this evening?? Well no philosophy, no epiphanies, no bullshit!! just what I promised yesterday, piccies of kitties and yarny things, whilst watching the football


I will leave you with a question - why do hand knitted dishcloths make me feel so happy? The warm, satisfied feeling as they blow in the breeze on the washing line? Should I delve deeper, or just get me some more P&C?? If I had access to a time machine should I really go back to the 50's??


Bezzie - message from Popeye - are you up for a muscle measurement some time in the Autumn??

Never start Ephiphany resolutions....

unless you intend to keep them....one of mine was to stick something on the blog every day. Jeez louise, this could be boring even for me!
Well I have decided how we are going to build the raised beds for the veggies....I have found this stuff it looks easy to build, relatively inexpensive (compared to what we could make a hash of and the arguments that could ensue from trying to cut and screw lengths of wood, on our one day off together. Link a board just slots neatly together...so the plan? buy enough for 1 bed that will be 3m x 1.2m, that should be enough for now. If it is still being "played with" in 2009, I may just buy another. In the meantime, until I get round to ordering it, I have planted into anything I could get my hands on, and today I have mainly planted peas, perpetual spinach (perpetual, dear god, it sounds like something like the Magic Porridge Pot, I love that story ;-) I cold have spinach coming out of me for years to come not a good image eewwww!), and lettuce; after the last lot bolted cos he didn't eat it, I thought I would give it one more go.
When the bed is in, I am hoping to get some carrots and a few wintery veg in....what has life come to whe at the age of nearly 41 I am excited about my raised bed and some veggies - mind you with the price of my grocery shop today it could be best thing I have got excited about in a long time.
God I really must empty my memory card on my camera and take some photos, at least my daily post would be more interesting!!!

Pictures of anything will follow later this week, and will include knitting and cats.....did I happen to mention I am on a yarn amnesty........

I'm sorry it must be Monday...

Today I listened to "I'm sorry I haven't a clue" - it made me laugh so much. Hopefully this is a link to a few clips, it is worth a listen.

Anyone got Greenies??

I decided I really should go to work today – well it was either that or go out to a family meal with a roast dinner carvery, lots of roasted veg, Yorkshire puds, and proper gravy. Would I really have wanted to go there? you bet I would, but we were short staffed so I sacrified my mango sorbet, and felt a better person for it - though mango sorbet would have been very nice. And instead I threw myself into serving unhappy looking people who valiantly battled into town against very strong autumnal winds, who’da thought it is June?? certainly not the people I saw today!

I was woken in time for work by Topsey, she of the rescued variety. She obviously felt the need for me to go work. She came in and woke me up by hawking a carcass of some description onto my bedside table. I ran to get paper to clean it up but promptly retched in the bathroom and couldn’t move, so DH came to the rescue – thank god, as she proceeded to bring up the rest under the bed – foul animal. I understand that they like to bring their humans pressies sometimes, you know, to say thank you for feeding me and allowing me to shed my fur all over your house, all of the time - I must have cleared up enough to knit at least 2 more cats - anyone interested in trying? I guess she just needs to change her current method of delivery – though the Post Office aren’t feeling threatened yet.

I retched my way to work, had a cuppa, and got on and “did”. Came home, had baked beans and then sat and surfed t’internet for various things: food from Tesco (but I got bored so we only have limes and loo roll at the moment), raised beds, compost bins and potatoes, as you do.
And DD and I sat and howled along with Gary and the boys, aaawwwww (thank you, youtube). Wouldn’t it be great to be able to actually sing – properly, without scaring cats and all other living things in the neighbourhood?? I refer to me and DD not Gary and the boys.

DH and I are setting about growing our own veg. I bought the book last year, and this year it is going to happen. We went out in the Force 9 gales and measured up. No word of a lie, the trees in the garden were horizontal because the wind was so strong. We are off to Jewsons to buy the bits to build the beds on Saturday, then calculate how much dirt we will need and then….go for it!! I am already growing cauliflowers in tubs, but as we have a bit of garden spare, we figured we would give it a go, as 10 caulis aren’t going to feed us for long, especially as MIL has expressed a very unhealthy interest in cauliflower leaves – she is northern though. If we make the beds and its all a 5 minute wonder, it won’t have cost too much, and the scouts can have the timber for November the 5th. And have you seen the cost of ready made ones???? Wow! it would be cheaper to buy organic veg all year than try and grow my own.

Did I mention that we are going to get a chicken - well, we aren't but friends are, and they have said that we can have one - doing dance of jumping excitement - I guess she will have to be called Maryannlucy, cos that is where the name came from, toy ones granted, but Maryannlucy is from 2 chickens. I have asked if I can have one with feathery feet, and apparently I can....pictures will be posted as soon as Maryannlucy arrives.

Going back to yesterdays post – just to clarify something that I hadn’t thought about until Bezzie mentioned it….when I say taking control, I mean in terms of knowing that I have the control to have spontaneous fun, to go with the flow when I want to and to recognise that it is my life - no one elses (yes, I am slow on the uptake!). To allow myself to take a step back when I want to, like yesterday, to know that only I have the control over me, and when I make a decision I make it is for me, and I am not making the decision to please others. And also to grant myself the ability to know when to stop waffling ;-)


And before I go, anyone got a cure for VERY SMELLY cat breath??

Mid Life Crisis - Pre or Post....my choice I guess...