See you on the dark side of the moon...

My Interweave finally arrived so I have been perusing it – and finding that I’d like to knit – well – almost everything (as usual!). My package from Ecoyarns arrived (noticed that Ms 2Paws has also ordered some A-maizing – it really does feel gorgeous and will drape just beautifully, I think. And it’s on sale! What more could you want!

The fabulous Luna eclipse last night brought out my inner wolf – a blood-red moon has a rather chilling effect – you just KNOW that the walls between realities have become very thin indeed. I, of course, was at a P and F school fete meeting – so I interrupted it regularly to check eclipse progress (and stand outside with a glass of wine – our meetings are very civilised). You know that you don’t actually have a life, when your big excitement is slipping the leash and attending a P and F meeting! If you’d like to check out photos of the eclipse, check Kate’s blog.

Whilst browsing idly through the latest Interweave I discovered an ad for an Australian company which appears to have no Australian retail outlets – but heaps in the USA – check out Wagtail Yarns from Childers Queensland – what exceptionally lovely looking yarns (yes, yes and tops for spinners),

Juno’s back still not finished (see above), but very close. I’m hoping that with the drudgery of the ribbed back out of the way, the ribbed sleeves and ribbed fronts, and ribbed bands will just FLY past! Until I get to the excitement of the collar!

Whilst at last night’s meeting, I said hello to Gracie, the guinea pig. Which reminded me of yet another one of my weird animals. Yes, settle down children, sit quietly and let Auntie Tinkingbell tell you a story.

At the end of grade 3, my parents bought me a guinea pig. Originally, it was meant to be a Christmas present, but they were hiding it in my step-grandfather’s garage. My step Grandad was extremely deaf, refused to wear a hearing aid and revved his cars until he could hear them. This was very hard on clutches and cars, and Mum decided that if the guinea pig didn’t end up deaf, it was likely to die of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. So they gave it to me early. Henry was duly christened Henry Tremblenose the First (last and only), certified male and carried off to join the menagerie.

Henry was a nice guinea pig. He talked, was a great judge of character (tended to wee or poo on people he didn’t like), had a lovely hutch outside, from which he occasionally escaped, to be returned slightly soggy by the Labrador Retriever. He came inside at night and slept in a box lined with ripped up newspaper next to Dad’s homebrew barrel. He had bread and milk and night and guinea piggy stuff during the day. He made valiant efforts to eat down the lawn for us.

Then poor little Henry started to lose his hair. He also started to suddenly fall over, shriek and be unable to get up. This baldness and paralysis were deeply worrying. He used to recover, but the shrieks tended to shred everyone’s nerves. We initially put it down to proximity to the homebrew, but he didn’t improve when we moved him elsewhere.

We took him to the vet (the same vet we owned half a white pig with). Poor Henry turned out to be Henrietta. Henrietta was also apparently losing her hair from sexual deprivation. And the paralysis was psychosomatic (the guinea pig version of hysterical blindness).

Henry started to have hormone drops in her nightly bread and milk. Her hair grew back. We acquired a friend for her in the shape of a rabbit (no, not another guinea pig – one was enough – we didn’t want to be knee deep in the dratted things). Henry eventually died at the extremely advanced age of seven.

The moral of the story is…….. well, I think it’s that sexual deprivation causes hair loss. It may also be that it’s not the alcohol causing your paralysis at all (a comforting thought). Maybe it’s just that we all need friends. And bread and milk. And alcohol is not as bad for you as you thought.