Okay I have been really really bad & not blogged all week, but I fear the elements may have been against me. First up there was the dramatic power cut of Wednesday afternoon (the earlier part of the week was just a flurry of work, so I wont bore you with that). After an hour of trying to proofread in the dark we finally got sent home. We were told to take work to do, so I worked semi continuously till Mel got home (popped into Mason's fabric store on the way home though & bought a few more bits of fabric, will blog them when they have become something pretty). For the rest of the evening stripped wall paper to the soothing sound of Kanye West, all good. Thursday I got a really bad coldy/ fluey thing and had to cancel going morris dancing. I did what every sensible person would do & dosed myself up on Rum and vitamin C and watched a girlie movie (oh and Hugh, wonderful Hugh).
Today I feel okay, which is good as its wear pink to work day & I'm in my fairly short Emma Cook Dress with zebras & horses on it. At lunch we went painting people's nails for a small contribution to the cause (breast cancer) and then across to the football, where someone promptly took a ball to the head. Being one of the only girls there I was needed to do my Florence Nightingale bit, I fussed & got ice packs & the guy (Chris Q) seemed a bit more with it half an hour later. Tonight absolutely nothing is happening so I plan to do a bit more tidying (my parents are popping in on Sunday on their way to the cruise, its alright for some) maybe some jewelry making and I will definitely finish David's hat. Saturday is my delayed violin lesson & possibly a trip to the Abingdon Craft fair and I'm spending Sunday with the rents. In the meantime I leave you with this, photographic evidence of our glorious pumpkins awaiting their big moment in the sun room. Have a good weekend.
Friday, 24 October 2008
Friday, 17 October 2008
Mabel cat
I'm not sure Mabel has made an actual appearance on this blog before now (although she is mentioned quite frequently). Here she is giving Suzi's camera the eye last weekend. Although she is over a year old now she's still quite small. I realised quite how small when I went to Beth's last night. Beth has a georgous ginger & white cat called Bailey, but alas he had been out fighting and was pretty bloodied up when we got home.
Last night apart from fighting cats was really nice. Beth had been out to local organic hot spot Q gardens and bought us a pie, some leeks and local (or as my mum calls them 'dirty') carrots. We sat in the living room enjoying a glass or two of wine, eating the hearty fair and watching very strange, but happy film, Willow. The main topic of conversation was dresses. The date for he Christmas party has just been announced, last year I had just started making my bridesmaids dress and by a fluke of luck managed to finish it in time to give it a test run at the Christmas party (I was really worried about the hem but it survived). A simular fluke of luck seems to have befallen me this year when I went into the local fabric shop and the material that I had been admiring for weeks (and was 18 quid a meter, hence why I resisted) was included in their remenant sale. I'm hoping I've just got just enough to squeeze an evening dress out of it. I'm going on the hunt for patterns this weekend so watch this space.... Right to the football, I'm hoping for a victory in both games this week but as all I can do (due to the foot, still) is cheer from the sidelines, we shall see...
Last night apart from fighting cats was really nice. Beth had been out to local organic hot spot Q gardens and bought us a pie, some leeks and local (or as my mum calls them 'dirty') carrots. We sat in the living room enjoying a glass or two of wine, eating the hearty fair and watching very strange, but happy film, Willow. The main topic of conversation was dresses. The date for he Christmas party has just been announced, last year I had just started making my bridesmaids dress and by a fluke of luck managed to finish it in time to give it a test run at the Christmas party (I was really worried about the hem but it survived). A simular fluke of luck seems to have befallen me this year when I went into the local fabric shop and the material that I had been admiring for weeks (and was 18 quid a meter, hence why I resisted) was included in their remenant sale. I'm hoping I've just got just enough to squeeze an evening dress out of it. I'm going on the hunt for patterns this weekend so watch this space.... Right to the football, I'm hoping for a victory in both games this week but as all I can do (due to the foot, still) is cheer from the sidelines, we shall see...
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Hard at work
So this is one of my little spider friends hard at work in our garden at the weekend. It also forms one of the series of photos just uploaded to my Flickr page taken by Suzi last weekend. All the photos look really great but I think my favourite ones of the random things lying about my house that Suzi though were subject worthy. As the title of the post suggests I am hard at work, alas paid work (with the run up to Christmas the dreaded publishers year end syndrome is in full swing). I'm still very much out of action with my foot but I'm using the spare time to catch up with friends I haven't seen in a while rather than knitting (Progress on the shawl is still coming along slowly , however my knitting group have more than made up for my lack of progress, Scarlett has nearly finished all her Christmas knits (there is comitment) and Nicola must be congratulated on the completion of her first Darlek (and a very ine Darlek he is too!)).
My football team spring into action again tomorrow, after much hard thinking I've decided it would be churlish, ney silly, to risk hurting myself more (that and the fact that I tried to run on my foot on Monday and it really, really hurt, I'm thinking if I can't even run football might be somewhat of a challange :-) Right that's it for now, a fuller update should be forthcoming tomorrow but now its time to go & find a nice cup of tea...
My football team spring into action again tomorrow, after much hard thinking I've decided it would be churlish, ney silly, to risk hurting myself more (that and the fact that I tried to run on my foot on Monday and it really, really hurt, I'm thinking if I can't even run football might be somewhat of a challange :-) Right that's it for now, a fuller update should be forthcoming tomorrow but now its time to go & find a nice cup of tea...
Monday, 13 October 2008
Sweet treats this weekend
So this weekend passed in a bit of a blur. Friday night I went out to what is fast becoming my local, the Brewery Tap in Abingdon, went to catch up with Amy L and the gang from books. We had one of those evenings where the conversation is very fast & witty and I have to say by 10pm I had had it (I think a toughish week at work didn't help) so went home to bed. Sat morning got up, did some house work & then round to Hartley's for the England game. Hartley's house is really nice, it used to be the horse & Jockey pub but its been converted into a rather swish set of flats and feels like a grown up space, whereas our house just feels a bit random (we'll get there, but not any time soon). I took a change of clothes & makeup with me so just after the England game I could hop onto a bus and get to Louise's birthday party (being held at Mario's in Oxford). Ate there, caught up with Louise (looking very swish as usual) & then onto the new George & Danvers (George and Daisys I think its called). I was still too full for Ice cream so stole some of Louise's wild cherry, most delicious. Ran up the high for the last bus. Home.
Sunday morning neighbours woke me up, they had got my bargain new shoes (bought them on the net, didn't mind getting woken up for that), they are beautiful, a sort of teal velvet with silver spots on (sounds awful, but they are very lovely). Obviously can't wear them for another 3 weeks but very much looking forward to when I can. Suzi came round at 10.30 and we enjoyed a high tea with fondant fancies in the garden, she also brought a camera so hopefully a few shots of the various things going on in monior du Rose should be appearing on this blog very soon (I have to say Suzi is a brilliant photographer, she has that rare ability to capture a moment perfectly on film). For lunch we whipped up a squash & sweet potato soup featuring the cutest little squash ever (It was an absolute bugger to get the skin off though, but worth it in the end). Suzi had to rush off quite early as she was having tea at someone elses so I set about de-weeding the front garden, we now look kind of respectable (it won't last). Over the back fence came round with some passion flower seeds which she'd found and I traded for two small cucumbers, she has kept some of the seeds so there is now serious competition over who can grow theirs the fastest. The olive tree has just produced its first olives and also to my delight I think the monkey puzzle seeds that I acquired from the castle arboretum are growing (I've got to google what to do with them in a mo). So even though it is nearly winter we are doing quite well with our crops (oh the lemon tree it turns out is in fact a lime, I would have been waiting a long time for lemons had I not discovered this) all the more perfect for G&T's...
Sunday morning neighbours woke me up, they had got my bargain new shoes (bought them on the net, didn't mind getting woken up for that), they are beautiful, a sort of teal velvet with silver spots on (sounds awful, but they are very lovely). Obviously can't wear them for another 3 weeks but very much looking forward to when I can. Suzi came round at 10.30 and we enjoyed a high tea with fondant fancies in the garden, she also brought a camera so hopefully a few shots of the various things going on in monior du Rose should be appearing on this blog very soon (I have to say Suzi is a brilliant photographer, she has that rare ability to capture a moment perfectly on film). For lunch we whipped up a squash & sweet potato soup featuring the cutest little squash ever (It was an absolute bugger to get the skin off though, but worth it in the end). Suzi had to rush off quite early as she was having tea at someone elses so I set about de-weeding the front garden, we now look kind of respectable (it won't last). Over the back fence came round with some passion flower seeds which she'd found and I traded for two small cucumbers, she has kept some of the seeds so there is now serious competition over who can grow theirs the fastest. The olive tree has just produced its first olives and also to my delight I think the monkey puzzle seeds that I acquired from the castle arboretum are growing (I've got to google what to do with them in a mo). So even though it is nearly winter we are doing quite well with our crops (oh the lemon tree it turns out is in fact a lime, I would have been waiting a long time for lemons had I not discovered this) all the more perfect for G&T's...
Loves labour's Lost
So I did it, I went to Stratford Upon Avon, and its all real and amazing and so brilliant! I guess I should start from the beginning. Thursday Lunch we attended Knitting club as usual, it had been decided many moons ago that rather than spend the whole day in Stratford we should do the responsible thing and do a morning of workee first (its coming up to year end & there is lots of it about). So after lunch we jumped into the car & headed off. Our first Shakespeare moment came on the way to Stratford when we decided to stop off at Anne Hathaways house. Its all been kept pretty much as it would have been in Shakespeares day and furnished accordingly. There was a very efficient guide who tried to bombard us with interesting facts but we escaped pretty quickly from her (when I visit places like that I just want to get lost in the romance of them rather than feel like I'm back at school).
We then headed off to Stratford proper, I'm ashamed to say that although I did Shakespeare at university, I'd never been before. I was pretty impressed, great big chunks of original tudor georgousness round every corner (upon stumbling on Shakespeares birth place I nearly cried), the shops were very swish (although we mostly hit the charity shops, which were also very good). For dinner we went to a real tudor pub and had Thai (like you do). Stratford on its own would have been pretty special but the best was yet to come. Julie, thanks to her fabulousness and quick-witedness, had managed to get us tickets to Loves Labour's lost starring the beautiful, beautiful David Tennant. I remeber reading the play at uni and being quite confused by it as its only half a comedy & I wasn't sure what to make of the ending. The RSC company really brought the comedy out of it (DT totally stole the show as Berowne, imagine if you will Shakespeare recited with a scotiish pur underneath, ohh yes). We came out of the theatre into the cool night feeling very lucky to have seen a wonderful production and I confess I am a bit in Love with Stratford now.
We then headed off to Stratford proper, I'm ashamed to say that although I did Shakespeare at university, I'd never been before. I was pretty impressed, great big chunks of original tudor georgousness round every corner (upon stumbling on Shakespeares birth place I nearly cried), the shops were very swish (although we mostly hit the charity shops, which were also very good). For dinner we went to a real tudor pub and had Thai (like you do). Stratford on its own would have been pretty special but the best was yet to come. Julie, thanks to her fabulousness and quick-witedness, had managed to get us tickets to Loves Labour's lost starring the beautiful, beautiful David Tennant. I remeber reading the play at uni and being quite confused by it as its only half a comedy & I wasn't sure what to make of the ending. The RSC company really brought the comedy out of it (DT totally stole the show as Berowne, imagine if you will Shakespeare recited with a scotiish pur underneath, ohh yes). We came out of the theatre into the cool night feeling very lucky to have seen a wonderful production and I confess I am a bit in Love with Stratford now.
Tuesday, 7 October 2008
There's a first time for everything...
So last night with the warning words of my publishing colleagues still ringing in my ears (they gave me a good telling off for ignoring my foot for a week) I went to A&E. The diagnosis as I feared was not good. I have broken the toe next to my little toe on my right foot and it looks like there was some damage to the metatarsal there already). They strapped the fractured toe to its little toey friend & sent me on my way with the words 'take some painkillers' (one step ahead of you there guys, I've already taken them) and 'no sport for six weeks' (this is a problem, my team are due to play in a matter of weeks, and what about rapper?) but on the bright side this is the first time I have broken a bone, so I guess that's one more thing that I have achieved :-)
Anyway I promised a knitting project update & here it is. Unfortunately I didn't get the wedding ring scarf finished (two entire days doing nothing but Scottish lace gave me a grand total of 2, yes count them 2 inches). I took the offending item round to Fi & she was mightily impressed that I got that far. I am now going to work on it slowly, ensuring that ever last stitch is perfect and then Fi can wear it on her anniversary next year (or maybe the year after, no kidding I will endeavour to finish it as soon as I can). On my needles at the moment is a pesky turquoise rib scarf that I cast on, just to perfect my ribbing, thinking that it might come in handy as an extra Christmas present, it however is taking ages & my projects are starting to pile up behind it (I blame Scarlett for this new project approach to knitting I seem to have gained, she starts projects really quickly but crucially unlike me, finishes them). However as I def will not be going to rapper tonight I thought I might cast on David's aran hat (again a late present I was supposed to give it him for his birthday, but nevermind :-) and then maybe in a couple of weeks I can do the wavy hat for my brother Kip (another Christmas present) and so it goes on. Even more excitingly the big bag of donated yarn from Margaret my violin tutors wife arrived and it had some perfect raspberry yarn in it. Perfect for a sweater for me, but then again I haven't finished, or in fact started by Louisa Harding one yet. Maybe this broken foot is a blessing in disguise to help me catch up with my knitting, its a shame then that I can still get to work :-)
Anyway I promised a knitting project update & here it is. Unfortunately I didn't get the wedding ring scarf finished (two entire days doing nothing but Scottish lace gave me a grand total of 2, yes count them 2 inches). I took the offending item round to Fi & she was mightily impressed that I got that far. I am now going to work on it slowly, ensuring that ever last stitch is perfect and then Fi can wear it on her anniversary next year (or maybe the year after, no kidding I will endeavour to finish it as soon as I can). On my needles at the moment is a pesky turquoise rib scarf that I cast on, just to perfect my ribbing, thinking that it might come in handy as an extra Christmas present, it however is taking ages & my projects are starting to pile up behind it (I blame Scarlett for this new project approach to knitting I seem to have gained, she starts projects really quickly but crucially unlike me, finishes them). However as I def will not be going to rapper tonight I thought I might cast on David's aran hat (again a late present I was supposed to give it him for his birthday, but nevermind :-) and then maybe in a couple of weeks I can do the wavy hat for my brother Kip (another Christmas present) and so it goes on. Even more excitingly the big bag of donated yarn from Margaret my violin tutors wife arrived and it had some perfect raspberry yarn in it. Perfect for a sweater for me, but then again I haven't finished, or in fact started by Louisa Harding one yet. Maybe this broken foot is a blessing in disguise to help me catch up with my knitting, its a shame then that I can still get to work :-)
Monday, 6 October 2008
And now to A & E...
So I have returned to work after what seems to be a lovely amount of time (it was only 2 days) but was an unbearable amount of separation for my authors (2 days out of the office & 300 emails, way to go guys). The cause of this massive break from working life as regular readers of this blog will know was for my best Friend Fi's nuptuals (I didn't get suprise present the wedding ring shawl that I was working on finished (its a very complex shawl, knitted out of wool so fine the entire thing (about the size of a tablecloth) can be pulled through a wedding ring) but an update on that & current knitterly activity is coming tomorrow). The wedding was gorgeous, the setting the very becoming Ashmolean Museum, the wedding colours were the autumnal palette of browns, oranges and yellows that I associate with October (one of my favourite months). The bride looked radiant in a strapless bronze dress, with autumnal bouquet and her husband to be looked very dapper indeed. The couple arrived together at the top of the sweeping staircase in the main gallery and descended to the sounds of the harpsichord and medieval lute. The service was personalised by both parties choosing readings and young Alex screaming throughout the vows :-). Once the day of the actual wedding ceremony was over there were more treats to come as we decamped to the medieval unicorn theatre for a day of eating hog roasts and stripping the willow till the early hours (its a dance it has nothing to do with defiling trees) to the sounds of the wonderful Mawkin (I have gone on and on and on at great length about the musical fantasticness and beautifulness of Jamie Delarre many times on this blog, I shall spare you this once and just resort to saying I managed to speak to him, five sentences!!!! I'm still in shock). Throughout all of this I was alas camera-less as I still haven't found the charger for the thing. One day I will though, and hopefully Nick will be able to email me some photos to share with you.
As the title of this post suggests after so much excitement there must fall some payback. Last weekend Malcolm the fantastic physicist came round to help me fix the central heating. This in due course we did and thank goodness we now have heat and hot water back (but we have to try & drain & refill the system before the winter sets in proper as its got all sorts of rubbish in it). We we were up in the loft I didn't see the hot water tank & put my foot straight into it (ahh the pain & ultimate agony). Obviously the timing wasn't great & I'm ashamed to say that I've been getting by on rum and painkillers since then (there was no way I was going to have a bandaged foot for Fi's wedding). However I feel the time has come to hand myself over to A&E as my foot still very much hurts and if it is a fracture like I think it is I don't want it to heal strangely. Having said that I did have some very nice plans for tonight which included planting my newly acquired bulbs and fixing together the last parts of my spinning wheel (Ashford are really good, they put the manuals online so if you loose it/your wheel didn't come with one, you can print another off. How great is that? ) but I suppose they will have to wait. Also of note happening today is the first day of the Ock street fair (allegedly the longest street fair in Europe) it lasts for two days and then the rides and games pack up and head on their way. Traditionally it was a fair for the workers & rural landlords to go to and work/labourers would be acquired for the coming year. Next week will see the two days of the runaway fair, exactly the same idea but if you had been with your master a week & didn't like him you could run away & hopefully obtain different work with a different master. I'm hoping to hobble along and at the very least win a small teddy & obtain some candy floss tonight :-)
As the title of this post suggests after so much excitement there must fall some payback. Last weekend Malcolm the fantastic physicist came round to help me fix the central heating. This in due course we did and thank goodness we now have heat and hot water back (but we have to try & drain & refill the system before the winter sets in proper as its got all sorts of rubbish in it). We we were up in the loft I didn't see the hot water tank & put my foot straight into it (ahh the pain & ultimate agony). Obviously the timing wasn't great & I'm ashamed to say that I've been getting by on rum and painkillers since then (there was no way I was going to have a bandaged foot for Fi's wedding). However I feel the time has come to hand myself over to A&E as my foot still very much hurts and if it is a fracture like I think it is I don't want it to heal strangely. Having said that I did have some very nice plans for tonight which included planting my newly acquired bulbs and fixing together the last parts of my spinning wheel (Ashford are really good, they put the manuals online so if you loose it/your wheel didn't come with one, you can print another off. How great is that? ) but I suppose they will have to wait. Also of note happening today is the first day of the Ock street fair (allegedly the longest street fair in Europe) it lasts for two days and then the rides and games pack up and head on their way. Traditionally it was a fair for the workers & rural landlords to go to and work/labourers would be acquired for the coming year. Next week will see the two days of the runaway fair, exactly the same idea but if you had been with your master a week & didn't like him you could run away & hopefully obtain different work with a different master. I'm hoping to hobble along and at the very least win a small teddy & obtain some candy floss tonight :-)
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