One of those days

Well what a palaver! The bus driver forgot to come and collect Biggest Girl this morning. It's a good job I was around to sort it out. Managed to get hold of the bus company and, luckily, they were able to divert another bus and collect her. Hopefully, it's just a one off.

Note: this is a bus stop in Threlkeld with some nice yarn bombing.  Our bus stop is not as pretty!

A work knitting buddy is leaving on Friday for pastures completely new. Can't say I blame them. Times are uncertain in local government these days. It certainly pays to have more than one string to your bow. Much better than being a one-trick pony.

Wednesday Wittering

Ach! I was vexed this morning on my way to work.  Vexed I tell you! It’s a little thing but one that really annoys me and it is this; why, oh why, oh why do numpty drivers on the motorway always persist in squeezing/barging into the gap in front of me when there is ABSO-BLOODY-LUTELY NOTHING behind me?  This means I have to slow down to avoid ramming them up the jacksy just because they are too impatient to hang fire for about 10 seconds until I have passed them. Grr! This should not nark me as much as it does seeing as it’s a fairly regular occurrence, only it does; it really, really does.  Makes me all grumpy for quite some time afterwards. 

On a lighter note, I did spot a peloton of cyclists on the A6 from the motorway flyover.  Wonder what was going on?  There was probably around 40 of them and no support vehicles in sight so probably not a race or anything.  Strange time for a club outing though at 9.15 on a Wednesday morning.

Grumpy demeanour was smoothed out somewhat after lunchtime Pilates session. It’s always a great way to relax although one of the leg exercises almost made my thighs explode today! Haven’t been to a session since before the summer holidays so I’m not as bendy as I was then. Maybe that explains the difficulty. Mind you, I’m not the only one ready for the knacker’s yard; there were quite a few creaking and cracking joints to be heard today.

Today is a rest day from running.  I was out Monday and Tuesday night.  Both took a lot longer time than the distance achieved really merited.  That’s the thing with running with a group; there is always a certain amount of fannying about; stops for photos, twisted ankles, calls of nature, road crossings, instructions, cows etc. etc. Next run is Thursday with the club ladies so I will be huffing and puffing at the back of the pack then.  As the year goes on, and the darker nights begin to close in, I wonder how the runs will go.  I think the Monday group run reverts to drills on the track when they relocate for winter training and everyone else takes to the roads rather than off road.  I’m not sure what to do.  I quite like running in the dark with a head torch so hopefully there may be some others that do as well. We shall see.

Race-wise, it’s the Yorkshireman Off-Road Marathon on Sunday.  I’m looking forward to it.  The last off road marathon I did was the Hidden Howgills back in May.  There was a lot more climbing on that one and it took me 6 hours and 20 minutes.  My watch ran out at 23.90 miles after 5 hours and 49 minutes.  So my aim this time is to finish the race before my watch conks out! That would be great.  Fingers crossed.

Yorkshire Off Road Marathon - course markers

Knitting wise.  I am on with some gloves for Biggest Girl.  I started them earlier in the year for myself and only finished one glove. She likes them and, now that she is catching the bus to school every day, she wants to keep her hands cosy. Fine by me.  I dug out the relevant bag containing the project in and almost had a heart attack when I found the most enormous spider hiding in there as well…shudder! It was a whopper! I managed to release it into the wild (by into the wild, I mean I shook it out of the bag and it charged off behind the coal scuttle). 

There has been some other stuff as well.  A second Animeko cat has been finished, a funky hat made for Littlest Girl (that was originally meant for me, but looked so much better on the girls that I gave it up!) and some chunky socks finished for himself. I have also managed to add another row of granny squares to the king size blanket I am making for my bed. This blanket is taking quite a while but I’m optimistic that it might be put to use this winter!

Normality and vertigo

Sigh... I had a lovely week off so it's been a bit of a downer going back to work and normality.  I was quite happy walking, knitting and pottering about thank you very much.  It's a pity I can't find some generous benefactor to pay me for doing just that. Sadly, I have a yarn habit to feed (and bills and stuff) and so must go to work.

The snow disappeared pretty quickly and only a few little spots remain high up on the hills.  I carried on walking and the final stats were as follows

Miles: 121.6
Time:  44 hours 29 minutes 30 seconds
Kcal:  12454

Challenge for February is to follow a couch to 5K running program.  First session tomorrow morning.

Knitting wise, it's been a quieter week because I went back to work and time is short.  Managed to finish off a pair of socks and almost finish a second pair.  The first were some socks in a 6ply by Rico for a family member (very, very late Christmas pressie). Gosh they were a bit of a chore.  Just did not enjoy knitting them for some reason.

Socks of tedium!

The second were a pair that were intended as a gift for someone else but I just loved the jolly colours so much that I decided to keep them just for me!

Colour burst socks for me!

Got a cold coming on.  Very snotty today and lots of sneezing going on.  This is affecting my ears I think because yesterday I woke up with dizziness and felt like the room was spinning.  It was most peculiar but intermittent and I seemed to spend the day lurching around every time I bent over or moved too quickly.  Thankfully, it's not too bad today so I reckon it's tied in with the cold I seem to be getting.

TGIF

It's Friday. 'nuff said.

Got beer, got knitting, gonna chillax!

In a bit of a mood

I don't know what it is.  Maybe it's the time of year, or the dark mornings and evenings, or the miserable weather, but the whole world just seems to be in a bit of a mood today.

Take this morning.  Had to get Big Girl to school early as her class were on a trip and the coach was setting off at 8.30.  All started well but soon descended into chaos.  Got to school on time and that bit was ok.  Had to hang around in the car for half an hour with Little Girl though as it was chucking it down with rain which was a bit boring but not enough to put me in a bad mood or anything.

However, on departing from school hit lots and lots and lots of traffic.  it just wasn't moving.  Earlier good mood began to erode.  It was unavoidable.  An accident on the motorway.  Nothing I could do about it.  I managed to talk myself into a stoical acceptance of the situation.  The traffic began to move again and all was beginning to improve.

I was running a little bit late so the prospect of a parking spot at work wasn't looking up to much. Began to get a bit grumpy in anticipation and I wasn't disappointed. There were no free spots. Not even the spot under the tree with the bird with loose bowels, or the "buddy" spots were left.  Drove round and round and round to no avail. There was no mistake, a free parking spot was just not to be found. Then, hallelujah, a figure walked up to a car and got in. It looked like there might be a spot after all. I shot round the car park again and hovered, hopefully, near the potential spot. All might be well after all. Then the woman put her coffee on her dashboard and proceeded to make a call on her mobile phone carefully managing not to make eye contact with me. I hung on for a bit.  She put the phone away.  This is it, she's definitely going. NO! She sat there sipping away on her damn coffee not looking at me. I had to admit defeat and drive away, only the torrential rain stopping me from getting out and pounding on her bonnet. In the end, had to park on another car park some distance away. Arrived at work half an hour later than I intended and rather soggy only to see that that bloody woman had since driven off to leave a gloriously empty space. Oh how I cursed her!

The day passed rather well despite all of this and I was in a much better mood on the way home. It turns out I am not alone. Himself had a grumpy demeanour and lots of grumblings about his day. I escaped to stitch and bitch where to find yet more grumpiness which almost turned into fisticuffs!

There must be something in the air today.

These go to eleven....

...it's one louder.

I am having a well deserved five minutes peace. It's been a long, day and finished off with manic children on a high after getting stuck into a frenetic samba session at the music centre. They are so full of joy and life but incredibly loud. As they get more and more animated, it just gets louder and louder. I think I may need to get some ear plugs! Oh, to have just a teeny, tiny bit of their energy and get up and go. All I want to do right now, is flop on the sofa and veg out!

Ripped back cowl is almost reknitted so I am hopeful of finishing that off tonight. Piccies at the weekend. I want to make some little crochet christmas socks as seen on the Le Monde de Sucrette blog. I'm aiming to make 24 of them to form a kind of advent calendar for the girls. I'll get a bunch of sweeties and tiny treats to put in them as a change from the usual chocolate calendar they get. They are really quick to do and an excellent way of using up all those bits and bobs of leftover yarn that I seem to be incapable of throwing away. Honestly, it's stashed all over the house in a range of tote bags.

Lots of events are beginning to stack up before we all break up for Christmas. A few concerts for the girls, christmas shopping and lots of other last minute bits and pieces I'm sure. The Christmas tree will be dragged out and put up again soon. I am following Father Christmas on twitter for the girls (they are enjoying seeing what he is up to) and I saw the first illuminated house of the season on my way home. It seems that even the immense hikes in the price of electricity can't keep the Christmas spirit down for some folks!

Washing day

On my way to pick up the girls from Music Centre tonight I heard Accentuate the Positive on the radio.   Bit of a coincidence when I quoted from it in yesterday's post.  Tuesday is one of those hanging around waiting for stuff to finish/happen kind of days like Saturday, so I'm always glad of the radio while I am to-ing and fro-ing.  As a bit of a treat I am now sitting at the computer listening to the Jamie Cullum show.  The girls are back, changed into pjs and enjoying supper elsewhere in the house. A bit of a chill time.

When I finish this I shall get my headphones on and listen on the iPlayer while I do a bit of ironing.  Makes a dull job pass much more pleasantly and I look respectable at work to boot!   Blimey, don't I sound like a domestic goddess?  I'm not really, the ironing needs doing because I have nothing decent left to wear - it's always in the wash. On the laundry front, I accidentally washed a memory stick in the pocket of Nick's pants. Oops!  Happily, I am relieved to inform you that it still works.  Isn't technology marvellous!

Knitting update - weelllll my dears, I still haven't quite finished one or two things.  So nothing new then, I hear you cry, and you would be absolutely right.  I have got four main outstanding items and am hopeful of finishing and taking some pics at the weekend.  The cowl I just cast on is really fast as it is knitted in Wendy Pampas which is a super bulky yarn. I'm using 12mm needles which after finishing some socks feels like I'm knitting with a pair of oars!  It is super fast to do though and is almost done.  Got three simply gorgeous oval, wooden buttons to finish it off.  They cost more than the yarn but we'll just gloss over that factoid I think.  The little dress is almost finished and I got a cute pair of pink leggings to go with it (just in case it's too short, the leggings will be great if it's more tunic length!) and the boy sweater with the never-ending moss stitch is about 2 cm short of a finished collar.  Will just have the seams to complete and I'll be ready to send the off to their new homes.  Not sure about the cowl.  It was intended to be a christmas gift but I'm quite sure that the person I was going to give it to will almost certainly never wear it and it will be a total waste of fabulous (and expensive) buttons! Maybe I will just keep it for myself and give her some chocolates or something instead!

Friday Night

Well I've finished off my third Shoebox hat and have just cast on the fourth one.   It's a bit addictive.  I might get a couple more done before the weekend is over.  The fact that I can predict this to be the case surely indicates my typical weekend.

No partying or painting the town red for me these days.  I will be catching up with washing and ironing, doing a "big shop", hanging around for a largish portion of Saturday waiting for girls to take part in various activities and that's about it.  Him indoors is working this weekend so won't be able to nip out for a bike ride or anything either.  It's an indoors and chilling type of weekend I reckon.  Knitting will therefore slot nicely into all the waiting around and finishing off of chores.

Weather permitting, us girls will probably nip out for a walk around and about.  I may be able to get some nice photos if it doesn't rain too much.  Maybe we will nip to Clitheroe for a wander around the lovely shops and stop for a coffee ( for me - big creamy hot chocolate with all the trimmings for the girlies).  That sounds rather civilised to me.  I quite fancy a trawl around the charity shops - you can often get really decent things there.  There's also 2 wool shops, a fabric shop and the fabulous Exchange Coffee. I need to nip in to pick up some bits and bobs for a swap I'm taking part in.  I think there may also be a Food and Craft fair in the area this weekend too.

Tonight we have got a funny film lined up to watch and some beer so it's not all work and no play for us here and the weekend is looking like it's going to be a decent one.

Who could hang a name on you

Word cloud created on Wordle

It's Tuesday.  I'm not good at Tuesdays. Tuesday is not the beginning of the week, for which I am usually ready. Nor is Tuesday yet halfway through the week. Tuesday is most definitely not the joyous approach of the end of the week. Poor Tuesday, it's a nowhere day.  It's a tough day. Maybe it should be renamed Toughday.  I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time hanging around on Tuesdays waiting for stuff to happen.  In fact, I am beginning to dislike Tuesday so much that I almost feel sorry for it.

Today's Tuesday is a real damp squib of a day.  It's a wet, dreary and gloomy kind of day.  Not a day to fill me with enthusiasm and vigour in the least.  So I got to thinking about how to describe it and ended up losing a rather pleasant half an hour absorbed in thesaurus and dictionary. This let to the lovely word cloud above which I feel is a pretty positive way of portraying an otherwise rather mood flattening kind of day!  If you fancy having a go then check out Wordle.  It's quite addictive!  

Made me giggle

I pass this sign a lot as it is on the route we take to the shops in Padiham.  It's not meant to be funny but I like the idea it gives me of a play area just for old people!

Annoyed

Ok so I live on street and there's no residents only parking or anything like that, but I am really cheesed off with the manky 05plate Ford that has been parked right in front of my house for the ENTIRE weekend.

I don't mind if I can't park in front now and again.  It's a public area, anyone may park.  It's just downright rude to abandon your car for THE ENTIRE WEEKEND.

Makes it difficult to haul your shopping in, attach bikes to and from the back of your car and is just really inconvenient.

I am so cross that I am up early this Monday morning even though it's the half term holidays, hoping to catch a glimpse of the owner of the crappy ford and give them a really hard stare!

Brass band?

Music is flourishing here in Padiham.  Big girl took up euphonium last year but switched to a baritone. This was a size matter since the euphonium was almost as big as she is!  Anyway, progress is being made and she is parping away happily.

Little girl wanted to learn piano and is progressing well with that but she still felt like she was missing out on the action so she too is heading off to music centre and is busy getting to grips with the trumpet.

Trumpet and Baritone

Could this be the start of our very own brass band?

Mist before seven, sunny at eleven

Clocks changed last night so I'm all confused at the moment.  It always takes me a day or two to get used to the clocks changing.

Woke to a really foggy,misty morning and husbeast jumped into his magic knickers (aka compression shorts) and headed out for a run.  I, on the other hand, looked at the sunny haze, sighed and went back to sleep for half an hour.

Sure enough the mist lifted as the morning wore on so it was definitely time to nip out to the shop with the girls.  It was glorious today.  Felt more like a summer day than early spring and we were out in tshirts and strappy tops.  Fab!

Usual long way round was agreed to see how the pussy willows were getting along and check out the ducks. I'm always amazed by pussy willows.  They are so fluffy and almost like little animals and then the next time you look at them, they have sprouted yellowy bits and have turned back into plants. Bizarre.

Pussy willows and sunshine on Padiham Greenway

A lovely surprise

I got given flowers this afternoon. A thank you from a colleague I helped out. I didn't do anything especially amazing either. It's made me stupidly happy because, let's face it, it's great to be appreciated!
Lovely pink chrysanthemums that smell
really sweet.

Equi-what nots

I declared spring on 1st March but I thought I should just mention that we have had the spring equinox and it is therefore OFFICIALLY spring now.  Hooray!

Being a bit of a pedant I felt compelled to look up equinox to find out what it was exactly and discovered that there is also an equilux. This is when the day is half day and half night and may not necessarily occur on the same day as the equinox.  All very interesting.

The good news is that every day is going to get a teensy bit lighter for a couple of months so lots more light to enjoy and do stuff in.  Lovely

Oops

Not been very green fingered. My poor little office pot plant is beyond help now methinks. Oh well lesson learned. Plants are for the garden and not just the office!

Revamp

Hmm.. not too sure about this new template.  I have been using the same look for yonks now, primarily because I am too lazy to make any changes.  But it is a new year so the change stuff muse is upon me.  I think I will live with this girly template for a while.

Must figure out how to make my own pics small enough to use as a backdrop.. for now the colourful one will do.

Edited to add - couldn't live with all the nicey, nicey birdies so have revamped again to a more subtle and plain affair!!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2012.

Watched the fireworks, had a toast, returned to Jools Holland.

In the midst of a sock yarn blanket addiction at the moment.  I have so many scraps of sock yarn that I've hung on to and hung on to, you know, just in case.  And I have finally found a use for them.

So far 104  small squares and 5 large squares.  It's so satisfying making these little mitred squares.  You can knit them onto each other too. No sewing.... marvellous! Just a few ends to weave as you go.

Pics to follow if this blasted rain ever stops!

Hooray

On closer inspection my LYS isn't closing down. They're having some work done. Phew! Don't use it that much but it's nice to have when I need to go and squish stuff.

Sunday Night Indulgence

a bottle of champagne left over from Christmas, brand new series of Being Human and a new granny stripe thing to do. Bliss! don't think life gets much better?