Feels like Autumn

Thank you for all the supportive comments for bear (and in general, I love hearing from you).  We are incredibly proud of him - of course! - and your encouragement means a lot.  Bear has spent the weekend conserving his energy (watching YouTube) and keeping up his protein intake (scarfing down mini sausages).  He is fretting and talking about training in his lunch hour (running around the field).  I keep looking at him and wondering where this growing lad came from.  Suddenly I blinked and now he's definitely not a baby, and looking more and more grown up by the day.  I've had to get bigger socks for him.

It feels like autumn here.  A lot of leaves haven't changed yet, but it's in the air.  I picked some lavender today and there were no bees as it was too cold.  We had the heating on again last night.  I'm also feeling the urge to nest.  I start pulling out blankets and I feel an unaccustomed urge to get the house clean.  Last night I downloaded a load of free kindle books on housekeeping.  I don't expect much from them, and one was from the 1920s, but it's something.

On the back of actually getting out last Thursday, I've set out my week.

Today - I want to try and get my laundry under control and chase up bear's tutor who he hasn't seen since July and the electrician that should have sorted things out in June.

Tuesday - I need to wait in for a parcel, so I am going to face my fear and do it anyway - I'm getting the sewing machine out.  I need to sort out linings for curtains, covers for cushions and to do something to cover the torn sofa cushions.  I expect to achieve at least 10% of this.  Bear has football training.

Wednesday - I plan to investigate the small greengrocer that is around half an hour's walk each way.  It will be great to get into that.  I get get healthy food while taking healthy exercise.  I will have to walk very briskly past the 'antique'/junk shop that's on the way, but that's okay.  It is the day of the Cross Country and Parent's Evening.

Thursday - Roundhay Park and church

Friday - a visit to uncle and Round Two with the sewing machine.

I picked some lavender for a friend's little girl, just a few sprigs held together with a loom band.  Next year I'm going to re-plant the lavender as it's getting very leggy, but I'll be getting the same sort of bushy, rampant lavender that has filled up the border.

It's lovely stuff.

A Thing I Shouldn't Do

I shouldn't go shopping in a real shop.  I should absolutely stick to shopping online every time.  This morning I called into Aldi.  Some cheap cola for me, some snacks for the men of the house, gluten free cornflakes - they were all fine.  The shirt for bear and pyjamas for DH were much more of an impulse and, while nice, were not needed.

Then we went along to the Food Warehouse that has just opened.  I had a £5 coupon off.  It would have probably saved something if I hadn't bought an electric spiraliser.  I don't even want to think about how much it cost.

I should stick to shopping online.

Still Doing Okay

I achieved a major breakthrough in not giving up yesterday.  Today was not so good, so very little to blog about.

I am pleased, however, that I have finally finished the dratted ruffle on the jacket.  I couldn't do the last increase row as the stitches wouldn't fit on the needles.  This was incredibly frustrating because the pattern called for 100cm circular needle so I made sure I was using a 100cm circular needle but if I had known then I could have got a longer needle as there are some out there.

I haven't sewn that up yet.  I'm bracing for that.  I made a bit of a mess of the shoulders, but as it is just for the house then I'm not too stressed.  I'll post a photo as soon as I get finished.  The good news is that I can probably use left over yarn from it for the detail on the jacket that I really, really, really want that uses the incredibly chunky yarn.  I suspect it will feel like knitting barge rope with telegraph poles, but I do love the look of it.

We've finally put the heating on.  I suppose autumn is here.  I have a list of things I ought to do as long as my arm to help get the house ready for winter, like sorting out linings for curtains and having a good clear through.  I'll worry about that tomorrow.

A Big Step

Over the last few years I've found it harder and harder to get out of the house.  I've been getting better recently, but it's still a struggle sometimes.  All this week I had been planning to go out today.  All the way through breakfast and dragging bear to school I was making sort of apologies to myself and little excuses.  I had planned to pick up a house warming present, walk in Roundhay Park and go to a service at Leeds Minster.

I was sort of wondering if I could just get something from Amazon for the housewarming, but it would have been too late.  Then I thought I could wander in to Leeds, pick up a candle for the housewarming present but perhaps just come home.  Or I could go in later and pick up the candle and then go to the service and come home.  I actually went to Roundhay Park.  I actually followed through.  When I got there I was thinking I could just go on this little path and then back to Leeds centre, or just do this little walk and then back.  I walked, albeit slowly, for a good hour.  I saw a tree carved into a totem pole

I walked through woods like cathedrals

I also walked through a fake ruined stone keep, built at the beginning of the nineteenth century

All the above pictures taken today by me.

I got to the service and everything.  I'm concerned that I am aching.  I shouldn't be.  I am seizing up from lack of movement, so I plan to do more.  However it's one of the biggest wins I've had for a while.  I planned something, didn't feel like it, did it anyway.

Bear is worried about the cross country.  Thank you for listening to me boast and the messages of support.  It's really apreciated.  He is not sure he can manage it.  I have told him that it doesn't matter if he comes last as long as he does his best.  I'm sure he'll be fine.

Boasting about Bear

I'm really careful about what I say in the playground.  Bear is doing really well with the academic subjects and any hint that he may be even slightly better than certain kids is met with utter outrage and fury.  Bear once dropped a homework book in the playground and one of the dragon mothers swooped in before I could move to check how far bear was behind her precious bundle.  Except bear was actually quite ahead.  The mother complained to the school.  This is the reason I do most of my boasting on here.

Bear has made the cross country team!  I am so proud of him!  I really am!  I feel all giddy with pride and I have told him so.

In reality, bear has made the team because someone else got injured and it is very likely he will not have an awesome win, but he's made the team!  I rang DH at work as soon as bear told me.  We are so proud.

DH and I are both quite academic.  We both were top set/top class all the way through school.  We can easily model being academic.  We are, however, both couch potatoes, and modelling good exercise habits for bear is a lot harder.  This makes me even more proud of bear.  I wish I could tell more people.  As it is, I'm sharing it here.

As I'm swapping phones, I'm going through a lot of the pictures on there.  Here is a picture of bear trying out medieval arms and armour.  I am so proud of him!

Life continues Uneventful

Life continues uneventful and I am glad of it.

Bear actually practiced the piano without being forced!  We have had an ongoing battle.  I am determined that bear continues to do the only thing he currently finds difficult.  Bear is determined that he doesn't want to learn the piano.  However the amazing piano teacher said something to him on Saturday and practice has happened without complaint!  I hope this will continue.

It is lovely and quiet at the moment.  Last night there was a real racket as the water company dug up the street at daft o'clock at night.  They left a big hole and a lot of signs and barriers and haven't been seen all day.  There was a leak, a trickle of water trundling down the slope next to our house and down the street.  It wasn't a gush, more like a tap had been left on.  Whatever the problem, the water people think it's worth digging a very big hole and then leaving it.  I have no idea what is going on, but we are still getting water so it isn't that bad.

Excuse the Typo's

I can't wear my glasses at the moment, as they keep sliding onto where there are sore places.  It isn't too much of a problem with the blog, I've just increased the screen resolution, but in other places it makes it more hit and miss.  

This makes me even more smug - I've started on the ruffle for the jacket.  I'm on around 700 stitches.  I'm not counting exactly how many.  I picked up the correct 302 stitches and then made an executive decision that I wasn't going to count the stitches as I increased.  It would be great if I could get it right, but if I was out by one or two it wouldn't matter, it's a ruffle that doesn't need to be attached ot anything.  So I'm increasing every fifth stitch as the pattern states, starting at different points as I go in.  And I joined the shoulders and picked up without my glasses!!!  I feel so relieved I've started.  I expect it will take me most of tomorrow to do the final 10 rows and I'll wait until I can wear glasses before I put it together properly, but I am quite proud.  

For those who want a corrected copy of Digging up the Past please go to Smashwords here and use Coupon Code LJ27J at checkout.  You should then get a free copy.  The coupon is only valid until 14 October 2016.  And in another smug moment I'll add the picture for the cover again by Melissa Alvarez because I can't quite believe I have such amazing pictures associated with my stuff.