Emerging from winter

It's been a hard day and a long day.  I've coped with fire and I've coped with rain ... whoops sorry that's some song from my childhood ... but still it's been a difficult day.

I don't want to have to tell my mother ever again that her last cat was put to sleep; I don't want to watch her grieve afresh again.

I don't want to stop her from buying a 5 lb (2.5kg) of minced beef again, because she bought it previously on Monday and the Saturday before that, and the Wednesday before that and the Wednesday before that.

I don't want to worry that she is going to be robbed, again, because she will insist on carrying large amounts of cash she forgets she has; and I don't want to contemplate sneaking it out of her bag and paying it back into her bank.

But hey, today I brought some seeds and some plants and here we are at the end of February and the vegetable growing season starts here.

I have my tickets to Oz, so I shall be counting down the days in Lent, I bought the tickets on Shrove Tuesday and will be there before my sister's wedding on Good Friday.  Gave up the pancakes (no hardship don't have a sweet tooth).

And tomorrow someone comes to replace my windscreen for the second time - a crack appeared (sans chip - allegedly caused by cold weather) so it was replaced.  The second I hit the windscreen wipers a noise louder than you can visualise( without being at a gig standing next to the largest speaker) punctured my ears and a large scratch gouged itself into the glass - apparently the windscreen has a blemish (don't we all) and the wipers are catching.  So tomorrow, as I said, it gets replaced for the second time.  So, whilst I am waiting in for the windscreen fixer I shall plant my onions (red, brown and white) and my garlic.  I may plant into seed trays some herbs and lettuce; my potatoes are, as I type, chittering (isn't that a lovely word?).  Spring is now declared officially on its way.

Whatever you are doing, and however you choose to do it, have a great day

xxx

Still falls the silence

So, quiet as a snowfall, the house settles down.  The raucus rumpus rumbustuousness of twins is now an echo between quiet walls, the maniacal madness of madcap kittens now just a ghost and life reverts to a spin cycle of washing and a turning-over tumble of housework and cooking.

I can have a glass of wine, without worrying I might sleep through a call in the night; I can knit with complete freedom from the fear that the kitties might drag my soft luxurious yarn around the kitchen like kill being dragged behind a chariot.  Should be peaceful and tranquil, sadly it just seems lonely and boring.

Meanwhile on an up up and away note, I have booked myself flight tickets to go see my lovely sister get married in oz.  She is now 55, never been married, and has no giver away to stand up for her ... my dear Dad long departed to visit other worlds, missed desperately since 1984.  So, in one of those linking moments I depart to visit her on 1st April - DearDad's birthday.  I'll fly and stand beside her, I'll knit her a keepsake or two and I'll be sending virtual postcards via the vibrant Aussie blue sky - however, I shall also take my camera and lap top, so I can sit in the long blue-green grass and send email postcards from the sedge.  ( I liked that pun :0 )

Off to listen to haunting poignant music ... and I may just have that glass of wine.  Keep well

xxx

Trouble comes in two by two

So the snow stayed ... 15 days in all.  

The twins

 came and stayed and played, on the bridge,

in the veg garden, with tigger

in the woodland

and they had snowball fights and

they built a snowman (with tigger) ... then they went home ..........

 

Then the kitties came to stay

The kitties are lovely ... also twins ... also a handful.  DDaughter and OH went to Oslo (more snow!)

And we kittie sat.  But the kitties were bad little kitties and ran and jumped in my den

which used to look like this ... but they jumped on the shelf and sat on the books ... and the whole lot came tumbling down:-  Kitties, books, miscellany, not only that, but my glass pen holder was shattered, and we were very lucky that kitties weren't hurt and no poo hit the fan or the floor.

So, once kitties went home, I swept and picked up, replastered the wall, oh yes!, then repainted (because plaster is pink and the walls were blue).  Now that corner is all neat and efficient and looks like this. :-

So neat .. so tidy ... such a lot of knitting time spent organising!!!

Meanwhile (and this bit is a secret) my sister in Oz is getting married ... 

YESSSSSSS!

I have been looking into flights, and I may just be in the land downunder in April, woohoo and no blooming snow!!

Enjoy the first inklings of spring sunshine!

x

Cables and florals

The snow fell heavily for 5 days, this is rural England, not Canada, not Norway, not Finland, nor Russia.  England does rain (often), from damp drizzle to lashing stinging wet stuff.  It does winds, and mists, sunshine (very occasionally) and even sleet.  We don't get persistant, long lasting, lingering white stuff!  But we did ...

 The wildlife could not understand what was going on, the pheasants came in greater numbers; at one time we had about 10 desperately scratching and calling to the birds on the bird table above "Hey buddy, throw us a crumb".

We had deer, timid and scared during the day ... but hey they ran around like it was a school play yard at night ...

 

 Can you see the hoof prints ... that's the same snow today, 6 days.  Is the Gulf stream still there just off our shores?

I have taken heaps of photos, cooked warming, comforting dishes and had the heating on during the day!  I've stoked up a large log fire and it has all been rather lovely - unless of course I want to drive anywhere.

Still it's been great weather for sitting in and knitting.  There is something almost zen like about knitting while white stuff swirls and billows around the windows.  Very soothing.  I shall worry about my waistline any second now!

 

 

 Meanwhile, DD finally managed to get me a photo of the DB cable cap cardi (Alexa) I knitted for her in Stella.  As you can see, she is freezing her bits off in a car park ... but she and it look lovely (IMHO)

 

 She actually has her car keys in her hand, ready to spring into her car once the photo shoot was done!

 

 

 When I've not been knitting I've been tweeting ... it's just a touch quicker than blogging, and the limited character spaces make the comments sharper and shorter!

 

 

  

Finally I am making two of these ... one with ladybug\ladybird buttons and one with bumble bee buttons.  This one is just drying after a wash ... I will block it out when it is a bit dryer.  It's a sirdar pattern and it's turned out quite well.  I thought they would make lovely spring time gifts - I wasn't expecting an ice age!

Of course they are for the lovely E&B, who will be coming for a couple of days at the end of the week!

The good news is ... more snow is on its way!  

Wherever you are and whatever your weather .. keep warm and happy

x