Hanging Around

Fifitr - so sorry to hear about your hand! That sounds bad. Those blender blades can be lethal. Did you need stitches? And it must be hard because you automatically go to use your hand and then it hurts! Sending good vibes. I hope it gets better soon.

Today hasn't been brilliantly productive. I was up earlier than bear appreciated as we had a video call with one health care professional very early, then a telephone call with another health care professional a little later, and then I was hanging around waiting on Delifresh delivery, because I couldn't really settle while I was listening out for it. I didn't get much, but I got a few nice bits.

So while I was hanging around waiting for calls and deliveries, I didn't seem to get much done. I gave the bathroom a good scrub, but I could have done more. Mind you, my girlie bits have been difficult. They are about as co-operative as a cat right now. I'm hoping it will settle down for the weekend.

And I've lost a stitch somewhere on the jacket, so I'll have to have a look at that when I'm in the right mind for it. 

I think I will crawl off now for an early night.

Hugs and good health to all. 

I Got Cheese!

 After failing to buy cheese on many occasions yesterday, I picked some up today.

My car wasn't running right, so I took it to Kwik Fit to check and they told me that the exhaust brackets had broken and that they couldn't fix it, which was incredibly honest of them. They recommended a firm quite near to me, Tony's Exhausts in Leeds, who were awesome. They booked me in, fixed two brackets and they had an office dog that I could cuddle (with social distancing for the humans, of course). They fitted me in at the last minute and charged me £48. I'm happy.

I gave the car a test run afterwards (fine) and picked up the cheese that I had forgotten.

Today has been another day of this and that. I managed to fill two garden bin sacks with weeds, did some washing and a very little writing. Tomorrow is looking quite packed, so I'm sort of disappointed I didn't get more done. 

Tomorrow I think I'll have to be quite disciplined. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Hugs and good health to all.

Still Calm

Today has been a quiet sort of day. I've done some writing, some tidying, some washing, some knitting and I nipped out for cheese, picked up some bits, and got home and realised that I forgot the cheese. 

Lots of parcels arrived. I had this month's subscribe and save, which was vitamins, protein bars for DH, plus his favourite post exercis bath salts and some batteries. Also a large pack of loo roll. The pack from Yankee Bundles (I should mention, when I looked for the link, the first page had stuff of a mildly adult nature, so don't blame me if you blush) also arrived. It isn't exactly cheap, but it's less expensive than buying stuff almost anywhere else. I got some candles and some Yardley fragrance.

This meant that there was cardboard everywhere. It won't fit in the recycling, at least, not all of it. And the recycling isn't collected until 7th April. I'm going to have to squash it down and stuff it in the largest box and work out what to do from that. I've checked, and I'm not sure that I'm allowed to burn it. 

I also got a large delivery from Morrisons (I forgot the cheese on that as well) and it's full of stuff like cereal. I'm hoping to direct bear's snacking to somewhat healthier stuff. It isn't healthy in an absolute sense, but it's not pure sugar, and I'll take it. But that is even more cardboard to dispose of!  I'm aiming to make some of Twink's hobnobs as well, but I'll see what happens with that. 

I may have to get a Co-op delivery for the cheese. I am trying to stay out of shops, and I keep forgetting to use my shopping list book. When I remember that, I'm usually okay. I'll see how it goes.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Sort of Eventful

 It's two years since I passed my test. A lot of my blog is about driving, because a lot of my life is about driving. It has made such a difference to me. I don't know how we would have gone on if I hadn't been able to get to shops early in lockdown last year. Bear's life has definitely improved as he can leave the house nearly an hour later and still be in good time for school. I think he enjoys getting home sooner, as well, especially as I don't mind waiting around for him.

I can't remember if it was the 26th or the 29th of March 2019 when I passed, but it's pretty close to the anniversary. I celebrated by taking the car to the garage. The steering seemed 'off', and there was something just not right. I took it in to Kwik Fit on Gelderd Roads, Leeds, who checked for me. The steering is fine. The exhaust brackets, however, have snapped in two. They couldn't fix these, so they didn't charge me and recommended someone else, who I will ring on Monday.

When I got home, a parcel came - the yarn I was waiting for.

I got a few extra balls as I hope to make a shawl or wrap to go over the jacket. I cast on and got as far as the second row before realising I had made a mistake and needed to unravel it. While I was using harsh language, I got a phone call which was from the doctor's surgery. Some people had cancelled and did DH and I want a Covid vaccination. We said a resounding 'YES!' and raced across. 

I got back and had another go at the cardigan. I got as far as the second row again and had to unravel that lot as well. The yarn really is incredibly smooth, and I'm using my good needles, which are also incredibly smooth, so it's really easy for me to knock stitches off. It doesn't help as the skin on my hands is like sandpaper at the moment. One incautious tug and stitches fly everywhere. As the pattern includes lots of 'yarn overs' with no plain rows, it's tough to pick up afterwards. I hope I'm getting the hanging of it now. I've done five rows, finally, but I have to concentrate on keeping calm so that I don't drop anything. The yarn also splits if you don't hit it exactly right.

The pattern is starting to show. 

And I used up leftovers that I had planned to. I had leftovers, while the men had chickenless nuggets which had gluten. 

So yarn, car, vaccination and actually using the leftovers. I think I'm calling it a win.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Who Turned Out the Lights?

I don't know how much sense this will make, as I am still feeling somewhat exhausted, but here's hoping that it's readable.

A few days ago, I called into Boots near IKEA and when I was on my way home through the amazingly complex and horrifically busy set of intersections and traffic lights, two sets weren't working. Fortunately it was earlyish in the day and not too busy. If it had been at rush hour, I would have been stuck. As it was, I went with my instinct and just went when the way was safe and clear. 

Yesterday I was on the way to school with bear, first thing in the morning. This is along a busy road towards Tesco in Batley and the road is full of cars, vans and lorries. It's a very busy road. When we came to the big crossroads where it crossed the A62, another major road, the lights were out and a police officer was directing traffic. The tailbacks were massive.

Today I was on my way to pick up bear when I came to a set of lights on the busy A58. It's a junction with some weird, tight corners, with restricted views. Fortunately I was turning left onto a quieter road, but it was still nerve wrackign when the lights were out.

What is happening to the traffic lights?

My habit of trying to find yet another route between home and school paid off. Not only could I find a replacement route that avoided that set of lights (which if they were still out would be impossible to get out of) but also avoided  Batley Grammar School (protests at the gates).

I'm worried about driving when things are back to normal. I don't know how I'll cope with the busier roads. I suppose I'll manage - I did before. It does feel overwhelming, though. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Nice and Quiet

Actually, I'm not too sure about 'nice and quiet'. It's quiet anyway. I'm so tired I can barely move and bear (who was picked up at 5.50pm after saying that he would be there at 5pm) was so tired that he came in and went straight to bed. Even DH is feeling a little run down.

At least we only have one day before the weekend. 

I'm a little worried about bear, as he ignored the slightly less unhealthy breakfast biscuits I had in the car when I picked him up as he already had a sugary snack with him. He didn't want anything to eat at all when we got in. 

I'll fill him full of the good stuff this weekend. Lots of roasted veg with garlic, home made soup and I may make a few biscuits or cakes with proper ingredients. Then we have the holidays.

I don't think I need to pick up anything tomorrow. I'm trying to stay out of the shops and I haven't decided on a Delifresh order yet. I'm torn between picking up some veg from the farm shop (which is proper local veg) for bear or staying at home. I may see what the Co-op has available. 

I'm going to have a prowl around the internet for veggie recipes, starting with the Jack Monroe site, Cooking on a Bootstrap. I fail at a lot of sustainable and environmental things, but I would like to at least try and reduce the meat we eat. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

May Not Make Sense

This may not make sense because I am beyond tired. I can feel my eyes shutting and it isn't 8pm. 

Bear normally turns up at the car for the lift home around 3.30 - 3.45pm. Today he rolled up at almost exactly 5.45pm. He was very apologetic. He had texted me at 3.15pm (when I was already in the car park having been there since 2.45pm) and asked permission to stay late for some drama rehearsals. I said that he could, I have books on my phone and I had my knitting with me. Around 5.15 I checked in and he apologised for forgetting the time. Then there was something about walking someone home and by the time he got to the car I had locked the doors and started nodding off. Poor DH was waiting for his dinner which I aim to have on the table at around 5.30pm, so before we left the car park!

He's due to have the same rehearsal tomorrow, but I already knew about that. I'll make sure to pack my knitting.

I need to pack my knitting. Today has been an expensive day. I ordered some cotton type yarn for a pattern I had already indulged in for a light cardigan type thing. I thought it would be great for warmer weather. That means that when the yarn arrives I need to drop all other projects and get cracking to be ready for summer. I hope that I'm skilled enough to knit it. It's £15.75 for the yarn, and I can't find anything I like for that price. I paid for the pattern, but I hope it will be useful in the future. 

Image from Rowan

I also picked up some Woodwick candles on offer with Yankee Bundles. They weren't ditch cheap, but had around 30% off, which is pretty good for Woodwick. They should keep us going over the summer, as we love their fragrance in the evenings. 

I also pre-ordered a cookbook and I'm now considering whether I should put in a Morrisons order. I could do with getting some frozen stuff and I'm trying to stay out of supermarkets. When I last looked, there were plenty of slots available. I'm also considering a Delifresh order for Easter, which isn't far off. 

I think I'll postpone decisions on deliveries or further purchases until I'm a little more rested. I can barely type. Waiting for bear took it out of me (though I got a few inches along with the blanket I'm knitting).

I hope that lot made sense. Hugs and good health to all. 

Still Optimistic

Sarah - bear very much enjoyed the camomile tea. I abandoned hope with anything else. He managed a baked potato at dinner and some vegan 'chicken' nuggets with a few pieces of plain pasta for dinner. However he is looking a lot better.

One of the reasons bear is looking better is that the juggling balls turned up. He got some cheap juggling balls for Christmas, lost one, split one and gave up. I picked up some slightly-better-than-toyshop juggling balls and he has been happy all afternoon, completely distracted from his various aches, pains and twinges. Silver shapes have been whirling across the room at speed. So far I haven't noticed anything broken. He still looks a little off, but should be fine for school tomorrow.

Actually there is something broken - one of the kitchen doors fell off, or rather, the main panel slid off the hinges. As it happened when I was out of the room, I've no idea what happened. DH fixed it, but I suppose I need to start planning for a new kitchen. 

I've been off kilter today. I think I'm becoming intolerant to wool. I'm fine when I'm knitting with acrylic, but when I'm knitting the blanket I keep in the car which is 30% wool, my hands break out. I brought it in today to do a little knitting and I'm ready to scratch the skin off my hands. I wanted to try and get at least something done, as I was keeping an eye on bear. This could be worse. Most of my stash is acrylic. Mind you, I've had a look at cotton and bamboo yarns for future reference and they are not so inexpensive at all!

Hugs and good health to all. 

Only Slight Change of Plan

 Bear was poorly with a convulsively upset stomach. This meant no school. I had a list of places I was planning to go and things to do based around the school run. I left at the same time anyway. I did all the stops I needed to do, called in at a few places, didn't impulse buy too much and was home to fuss bear with some stomach tablets recommended by the pharmacist. Then I loaded up the car with rubbish and recycling and was off to the tip, which was fairly straightforward. I didn't stop off anywhere else.

As I left at the normal time, it wasn't too crowded. I'm not planning on going back in for some time. I may get a Co-op delivery, though, as bear is really not well and he may want something particular to settle his tummy down. 

I also sorted through one of the many bags of paperwork I dug out. I now have somewhere to put stuff, so I'm trying to get it cleared. 

I will take today as pretty much a good win. I didn't get writing done, but I guess that's for tomorrow. 

Hugs and good health to all.

Bracing for Action

Fifitr - Thank you - the living room is currently a miscellaneous heap, but I'm cautiously optimistic. Bear has one more week then he's off for two weeks, then he has a few more weeks with May Day off, of course, then Whitsun week off. Poor kid isn't sure whether he's on his head or his heels (actually, he's on his new laptop all weekend, but I can excuse that). 

Jean - there are a few places near here so I can make a few calls. Thank you.

Today I was just making a hole. I've cleared out some shelves, put some books back from where I stashed them during sorting, and moved a lot of paperwork that I've been meaning to do something with 'one day'. That 'one day' has arrived, or, at least, is on the horizon. I used to have really good systems. Now I have heaps and bags. I've been watching YouTube videos about decluttering and minimalism. I am starting to work on the principle of 'you are what you eat' but with stuff for the mind rather than the stomach. If I read books/watch YouTube/check blogs about cleaning and clearing out in an oldfashioned and responsible way then I'm more likely to get that stuff done. 

Tomorrow is going to be heck on rollerskates. I'm going to try and haul myself out of bed a little earlier to have a cuppa on the step outside and listen to the birds - weather permitting. I find it really calming and helpful. I may also pour a kettle of boiling water on the weeds in the cracks in the garden. Then I drop bear off at school, call in at Aldi for the sauce DH likes for dinner, then Tesco for the flavoured water he prefers and the ham that bear likes. I could also do with checking to see if they have any pyjamas for bear. It's heading towards being too warm for the fleecy onesies and I think he's grown out of all the pyjamas from last year. 

Then I need to call in at Boots for bear's prescription before dashing home and dropping some of the good kids' books off at the local primary school (I rang and checked). Then I need to load up the car and drop off a car full of rubbish at the tip, before picking up bear. 

Fortunately DH is having pasta bake, and bear doesn't usually want much more than a sandwich after school, but I really would like to start doing the thinking part of working out the paperwork. I could do with moving the chairs around as well, and I really ought to make a dent on the heap of ironing that lives in the corner of the dining room.

For Tuesday I plan to stay out of shops and get on with stuff.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Wonderfully Quiet

Fifitr - those sound very tasty! I need to book another Delifresh order for the bits that I can't get elsewhere. I also have a weakness for cookbooks, and I read far more than I cook from! Tonight we had ready meals. 

Sharon - it's been blessedly quiet.

It's all been quiet. I haven't gone out, except for putting a few bits in the bin and feeding the birds. I've pottered around and generally relaxed. My headache is still rattling around and making me queasy, but it's fading. 

I spent a reasonable slice of time knitting while watching bear play a game on his laptop. He is in heaven.

I've done some clearing and tidying. I have a tip run booked for Monday, but I don't know if it will be enough. I'm having a very firm clearout. I also have more books to donate, so I'll be looking into ideas that Sarah gave me for shelters and refuges. 

At the moment, I have empty shelves, bags of stuff waiting to be put on shelves/donated/binned or relocated. The living room is currently an obstacle course of stuff. I'm going to have to be focused and get the study and living room done next week as bear is off after that for the Easter break. Please send good vibes. It's a big job that I've been postponing for years but now that I've moved the chair, I can't delay any longer. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

A Friday Feeling

Chris recommended some channels on YouTube, which I am planning on dipping into. He said:

Bit late to the party, but here are some I watch. Based in America J Townsend and son (been going for years) has lots of videos using historical cookbooks and authentic utensils, as well as a lot of historical re-enactment stuff. Tasting History with Max Miller (started just over a year ago) does recipes from all periods of history and gives some nice background to the recipes. English: John Kirkwood is an ex professional chef(and it shows) and is very good at techniques, Keef Cooks is a home cook who tries lots of things and is not afraid to show things going wrong, and for cooking in a small space The Narrowboat Chef: the from the gallery strand is very good. They also have videos of their journeys on the canals. Sorry I'm not confident at putting in links. Hope you like some of these. Chris.

I have looked at Townsend's already, and I plan to try the roasted onion when the onions are more in season.

Bear has a new laptop, gifted by brother, who is awesome. I do not expect to hear much from him for the weekend.

I have a serious headache. It's nothing to do with the laptop and everything to do with eating too much dark chocolate.

You are all awesome. 

What do you call a fish that has lost its eye? Fsh.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Still Here

I'm sorry I've not been posting. I'm feeling a little out of sorts, I suspect my girlie bits are playing up and it isn't helping.

Sharon - bear is exhausted, but trudging on. I wish I could take credit, but I very much let bear get on with things. 

And speaking of bear, he got me a lovely mug for Mother's Day (which I picked out) but also surprised me with a candle in one of my favourite scents, a bottle of fancy rum (DH definitely bought that for him) and a lovely bunch of flowers. I was particularly impressed by the flowers. When I called in to Morrisons for bananas on Saturday there wasn't a petal to be seen, the huge displays of bouquets that I had seen earlier in the week were just rows of empty buckets.

DH couldn't find a vase so surprised me with flowers in a teapot. Please ignore the dust. I have for quite some time, obviously. 

Today I got notification that it was non-uniform day for bear on Friday. I was impressed by how quickly the schools are getting back to normal with no dratted notice. To be fair, I imagine that being required to test hundreds of pupils twice a week for Covid-19 while organising social distancing, hand sanitiser and supervising when the library isn't really available so hundreds of kids are milling around the wet yards may have taken up some of their attention. 

We are currently decluttering the bookcases and making space for a wonderfully comfortable chair my brother gave us. There are bags of stuff to donate and rubbish and keep everywhere! But it will be so much better when it's sorted. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Beef

Louise - thank you. I give all the credit to bear. I have just let him get on with stuff, and he has. He has been amazing and I am so proud.

I have been trying to keep out of shops. Today was an epic fail. I dropped bear off after an exhilarating drive in bright sunshine/driving heaving rain/bright sunshine + driving heavy rain and nipped into Morrisons. I remembered the wraps, the coleslaw and the steak (for Mother's Day). I completely forgot to pick up the sliced beef for DH's lunchtime wraps. 

I thought I would be really sensible, avoid the shop and instead put in a crafty Co-op order. I ordered sliced beef, frozen potato products to go with the steak, some chocolate desserts that the men like and a bottle of Co-op Navy Rum, which is lovely as you drink it and death the next day and it helpfully took the total over the minimum order amount. The order arrived really quickly - but they didn't have any beef.

I was a little confused and I'm wondering if there is a shortage of cooked, sliced beef for sandwiches. Aldi and Tesco have both been low on beef. DH is happy enough with ham, but I don't see anything wrong with getting him his first choice if it's available. I could try cooking a joint of beef and slicing it, but I'm not very good at roasts and I think that freezing wouldn't work well while the slices would go off before they were used up. 

So I ended up going back to Morrisons when I went to pick bear up (sunglasses/wipers on double speed/sunglasses + wipers on double speed, the journey only took 25 minutes but I think I went through seven changes of season) and picked up the beef, the tissues I wanted for the car and a random pack of gluten free crumpets. I also picked up a reduced pack of cream doughnuts. Bear didn't fancy them after extremely substantial school dinner and snacks, DH is trying to eat healthily and I can't have the gluten. I should have saved 100% and left it where it was.

I've got myself cold again. I'm sitting huddled in a shawl I knitted a while back. The pattern is here and as I used a substantial and soft yarn, it's wonderful. I'll be glad when the weather settles down. I think I could get into shawls, with one over my hair, one around my shoulders and a lap blanket on my knees. So far I've stuck to quite big blankets, so perhaps next time I should make something a little smaller. 

Hugs and good health to all.

Parents Evening

It was bear's parents evening tonight, via video call. 

Apparently, bear is awesome! I am so  proud. The teachers were pleased with his behaviour and attitude. We got almost wall to wall praise. It looks like he will get good results in his exams in just over two years, but we have always rewarded effort and good attitude. 

I don't really have anywhere else to put this, because I don't want to sound smug to the other mums I have on my personal Facebook. But I'm sharing here. His attitude through distance learning was, it seems, stellar, and I'm so proud.

Despite some serious wind, it looks like the magpies' nest is still in position. I don't hold out much hope for any eggs that would have been in it - the way the trees were tossing would not have been good for them. Some trees were blown down nearby, but nothing serious. It's still stormy, but nothing like last night. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

 

Back to School

Fifitr - I know! But you have to get the bargains when you have the chance. I wasn't too bad today. I called in for the coleslaw and salad and picked up some gluten free gnocchi as well. The gnocchi was underwhelming. 

Bear was back at school for the first time. Poor kid was shattered. He was silent all the way home. But from the little I could gather, he was okay being back at school and hanging around with his friends. I have a certain scepticism about any social distancing happening, but I think that's to be expected. I think everyone will be watching the infection rates over the next few weeks. 

It may be that the infection rates go up, but the serious stuff goes down. Schools will be having regular testing, so cases in kids will be picked up, even if there are no symptoms, and they can isolate and hopefully stop the spread. Bear is likely to be getting a couple of tests a week. This time last year, you couldn't get hold of tests. 

Regardless, bear's test was negative and he has gone to bed ridiculously early. Tomorrow he has to get up early for the first time this year. So have I. Neither of us is looking forward to it.

For those interested in cookery YouTube videos, DH has found a good one and we have been dipping in over dinner. It's an Australian YouTuber called Ann Reardon on How to Cook That. I believe she is a qualified nutritionist. She seems to be comfortable with food science. She does videos debunking the 'cooking hacks' videos, miniature cooking and food that looks like something it isn't - all lovely and down to earth. We also watch Sorted Food a lot. If you know any good ones, please share, as we like to watch cookery on YouTube while we are eating our rather dull dinners (chili con charlie tonight, and very welcome it was as well).

Hugs and good health to all. 

Marking Time

 Helen - that's a worrying thought, that they'll bully other birds. We have had so many different types in the last few weeks. I think that they are a young pair as well, so they could be there for years! We have had magpies in the street for years, but they mainly stayed near the house next door but two and bullied the man who used to live there. Every time he left the house, they used to give their alarm call, which is grating, and the man used to be driven mad by it. I used to think it was as if they did it on purpose. Having watched a few documentaries, I'm not so sure it wasn't.

Bear goes back to school tomorrow. After several weeks of reminders, he finally packed his bag. I feel like I'm hanging on until he's back in a routine. Still, I finally finished sewing on the velcro to his onesie.

Next time I get stick on velcro, if I don't just throw the dratted thing out! My fingers are in shreds. The combination of thick plush and resistant velcro was tough. Hopefully it will withstand washing better than the stick on stuff. I'm quite glad that I didn't try and use the machine. I'm not sure that I would have been able to feed it through, and then I would have worried about broken needles. As it was, the needle got stuck a few times and I nearly went looking for pliers to get the needle dragged through. Still, it's done now and bear is, I hope, currently asleep in it. 

From tomorrow, I can perhaps catch up on some more knitting as I wait for bear. Of course, he's only in school until 26th March and then he is off again for two weeks over Easter. I have no idea what will happen after that. Bear's school have had live teaching so far, and I hope bear doesn't have much to catch up. However the government are talking about longer days and shorter holidays, so I suppose the careful planning from school before all this happened has all gone to waste. 

Now I'm going to get out the shopping list book. I've not been using it, with fairly disastrous results. But if I'm going to be parked in a supermarket carpark every day, I'm going to have to resist temptation to shop. That means making a list and sticking to it. Also actually reading it when I'm inside a store. Tomorrow I want to pick up coleslaw and salad for bear. I'm trying to think ahead and plan for the next few days so that I don't need another visit. Being sensible does not come naturally, but I think that it's worth the effort.

Hugs and good health to all.

Normal for Me

I put some handcream on, picked up bear's onesie to finish the dratted sewing on the darned thing, and I couldn't get a grip on the needle! The fabric plus tape was too tough and my fingers too smooth! I'll try again tomorrow.

I was watching two magpies building a nest in the laurels opposite. I daren't prune the trees back now, the birds would never forgive me! That isn't an exaggeration. There was an experiment done where some researchers captured crows on a university campus to weigh and track them. They wore full face sort of neanderthal masks when they were capturing them. Now anytime any of the crows sees someone wearing the mask, they sound the alarm, and they can mob the wearer (clip here). I'm not sure if magpies are as bright as crows, but I'm not sure that I want to risk it.

I'm a little worried for them. I know magpies are supposed to be unlucky, but they always look so dapper and rascally. I have a soft spot for them and I'm worried that they have built their nest at the top of a high laurel that sways a lot just before high winds are forecast. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

Writing stuff - This week's flash fiction is a poem here. I wrote it this morning (bad practice, you should never share something that you have just written, but I go for it) and absolutely does not reflect any way I am feeling, and nor does it refer to anything that is happening now. For example, it refers to frost. It's not warm, but it's not freezing and there is something of a breeze. I very rarely write about myself or my feelings. I think that they are a little dull. I'd rather write about something more interesting.

Hugs and good health to all. 

A Medium Sort of Day

Sharon - the Aldi pins are rubbish! I'm trying to stay away from Amazon, but it's hard when you want something that you would normally pick up out and about. Then once you get on to Amazon, it's hard to get away!

Wherethejourneytakesme - At some point I'm going to measure the width of the 5 litre packs of white vinegar we get. I can cut the cartons down and rinse them well. If they are only slightly over, I can perhaps stick them in place with blu tack. 

Fifitr - I'm feeling better. I still ache, but it's settled into my sciatic nerve, so I guess I just had sciatica. It's still not brilliant, but it could be worse. At least if it's just a mild do then I can get bear to and from school. I think courgettes may be a good idea. I've roasted them a few times for bear and he enjoyed them, and kale would always be worth it.

As for the onesie, after reading your comment, I decided to bite the bullet and have a go. I decided against replacing the zip as there are a lot of layers that would need to be unpicked. I had looked on YouTube for 'how to mend zips' and I couldn't find one that would help. The base of the zip, sewn firmly into the onesie, was broken and the zip thingy wouldn't catch at the bottom. I've taken some photos, but they've not come out brilliantly.

There were so many layers, and the material was so thick, that I couldn't even think of replacing the dratted thing. I pinned velcro (or hook and loop tape, I think I bought generic) to the darned thing.

The pins were far too thin. I'll throw them out at the end of this. In fact, they didn't do a good job as they were so fragile compared to the extremely tough tape and the layers of deep plush. At one point I was using a bulldog clip.

And it didn't help that the seam for the top half of the zip was crooked. I said some extreme words as I tried to line that up.

The onesie is printed with skulls and is extremely soft and cuddly, so bear is quite fond of it. I haven't finished stitching it yet. It was a battle as I was handstitching and the dratted stuff was so resistent. And, as a bonus, I can't see where I've stitched. It's black thread on black tape on one side and on the other side the plush is too thick to see the thread as it sinks in! I'll hopefully post some more pics tomorrow. 

So I while I'm frustrated with the sewing, I got some knitting done as well. I think I just want some projects finished and off my hands. I tried out the microwave omelette maker I got from Aldi ages ago and threw the maker and the inedible omelette straight in the bin. This was a win overall. It's a nuisance that it didn't work, but I didn't dither and just got rid. I failed on an epic level to get bear to check his backpack for Wednesday, but I can try again tomorrow. There were no amazing achievements, but it hasn't been a bad day. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

I Happened Again

Wherethejourneytakesme - I may have a go at courgettes. I'll see how we go. Spring onions would also be good. I have to get the ground ready first, I suppose. I don't have a greenhouse and the windowsill here is around two inches wide, so hard to fit pots on. 

I went out and posted a parcel, then thought I would stretch my wheels and head to Tesco for the things that I forgot yesterday. This was not a success because I forgot them again. In my defence, I was taken by surprise by a bargain. It wasn't a huge bargain, but it was big enough. I wandered past the yellow sticker chill cabinet and there was two 300g packs of diced lamb shoulder. They had been £3 but were down to £1.88. Tesco don't seem to mark down much, but this was worth picking up! I grabbed both. 

I didn't think much of the potherbs, though. I suppose that we are heading into the 'hungry gap' between last year's harvest and this year's harvest. None of the onions looked good, and most were quite soft. A lot of the carrots had squidgy ends and the parsnips didn't look worth bothering with. I picked out the best of the carrots, a very large turnip and a couple of leeks. The tills were backed right up, and social distancing made it hard to know which queue to join, so I went to the self service till. I normally avoid this as I need a little human interaction, even if it is only 'cash or card'. It didn't matter. First of all I found the till with the iffy weighing machine, and I had bought the veggies loose. The supervisor had to sort them out. Then the till had a fit at the reel of black cotton so the supervisor had to come back and sort it out. And then I had to leave the bags with the supervisor to go back and get the envelope for the greetings card that I picked up. I had about a week's worth of conversation. I was definitely one of those customers today.

I bought my Mother's Day card and present from bear. It's a lot easier as I am the one going into shops, and this way I know I'm going to get something I like. I suspect that next year, when the shopping is hopefully back to normal, bear will surprise me.

The scouse (veggies and one of the packs of lamb, simmered together with salt and some peppercorns for an hour and a half) was amazing, though. The men enjoyed it a great deal, and there is a couple of portions for tomorrow as well. The other pack went into the freezer. It was such a treat finding affordable lamb. 

I'm looking forward to a quiet evening hanging out with the men. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

I Shouldn't be Let Out

I went into Aldi. I was feeling a little better, no cough or anything, and I took care to splash the sanitiser. I only went in for their 17p for 2 litres diet cola which is my favourite to go with rum. This was unfortunate because it's the day that their special buys go on sale in store and I fell for it. It's a craft week. 

I resisted the yarn, which I took as an absolute win. I am armpit deep in yarn and fighting hard against temptation to start a new project. Instead I picked up a raffia weaving kit, a stitching kit and a pack of pins. 

I have too much to do already! 

Still, at least I went to the tip and got rid of some of the rubbish cluttering the house, before calling into Aldi. It was mainly cardboard but some bits from the garden which was rubbish rather than green stuff. 

Bear has suggested that we have a stand of runner beans to go with the walking onions I feel like planting. I'm trying to thing of more moving veggies to go with them, perhaps spring onions. Polite suggestions welcome.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Acute Attack of Hypochondria

I am achy and fed up. I'm putting it down to excess caffeine, lack of sleep, and an indecorous amount of rum. I still haven't properly warmed up. It's left me out of sorts and fed up with myself. I'm fairly sure that it isn't plague. I'm unimpressed.

I've also been unproductive, but I did take a car load of rubbish to the tip, and I plan to take another load tomorrow. Apart from anything else, a lot of cardboard from deliveries has built up and it won't all fit in the recycling bin. I've got a few jars as well (and less bottles than you would think). 

I'm currently watching a YouTube video by a Franciscan Friar that gives a really awesome explanation of evolution here. He's fine with evolution, and very articulate with it. 

I also want to give a quick shout out to Finn Cullen. He has a blog where he collects his thoughts, ideas and some of his awesome writings, Otherworlds. He's collected some of his writing into a book called The Blackrow Ballads, as a way, he said, of keeping them in one place. He would be the first to encourage you to check out the stories and poems for free on his blog or through Kindle Unlimited if you have it, but it's also available on Amazon to buy.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Cold

I'm not really cold cold. It could be worse. I took bear to an appointment at the hospital today for physio. It went pretty well, but we took taxis there and back and got frozen waiting for the taxi back. Then I was sitting in a cold(ish) room for a while without realising. Again, it wasn't really cold. No ice was forming. But the chill got into my bones and I am now aching. After dinner, bear turned the fire off as he was burning up. As he had spent the afternoon being prodded, I thought he should and I had a shawl around my shoulders. Now I am upstairs, still trying to warm up with a thick dressing gown over my sweater and t-shirt. I am taking some rum for medicinal purposes.

As I was putting the bin out, I spotted that the gap in the trees opposite had got bigger.

That is a fairly rubbish pic, but at least it shows what's going on. I'll have to go out with a saw soon.

Writing stuff - yesterday's flash fiction is here.

Hugs and good health to all.