In Praise of Spring!

I know, I know. It’s been a week. The weather’s been cold and mainly rainy and I haven’t taken photos. It’s been school holidays. I’m still not human (I sound as if I’ve been smoking 5 packs a day and 20 cigars – and I haven’t smoked for 7 years). Mind you, it’s a pack a day if we’re talking tissues. I’m feeling mainly better and haven’t taken nightime cold and flu tablets for nearly a week, so I’m basically drug free.

I bought some de-stash. I tried to buy yarn from 3 different places today and COULD NOT actually buy from any of them, despite my attempts. So today is obviously not the day to buy yarn. One place didn’t have the quantities I wanted, and then told me I didn’t qualify for the free shipping, at the next the shipping was as much as the yarn and the third kept throwing me into another site and not letting me log on. It’s a sign – and I’m am paying attention.

No yarn for me today. On the up side I did get my Rowan (finally), my Interweave (twice – finally), a new book (Custom Knits), my Wollmeise sock club parcel (mmm – pretty!), and Flair is likely to be finished tonight – and I will have a full skein of sunshine yellow Malabrigo left over!

I frogged both Wicked and Juliet, so will cast on (long after the KAL and general frenzy have finished) the February Lady Sweater. In green Malabrigo from the Wicked.

I am still loving work, and have lured my boss to the dark side, by showing her the forbidden delights of Ravelry, Knitty.com, and waving the Rowan 44 under her nose until she caved. She is in charge of costumes for a local production of Dad’s Army, so Pikey’s garter stitch scarf lives at work and we knit on it while waiting for things to upload/down load or people to call back.

The children are generally childish. The Princess is on an excursion to the northern Captial today (God help them) and Destructoboy has been trying to spell ‘rice’ using Scrabble tiles. For most of the morning.

We all had an excursion to the same northern Capital on Tuesday, mainly for the purposes of shopping. The Princess has suddenly decided that she either a) hates everything in her drawer; or b) that none of it fits her. So she was equipped with 4 long sleeve and 2 short sleeved tops and 3 pairs of legging things, and 2 pairs of shoes. The Accountant has needed new shoes for nearly a year, so he got kitted out. I bought 2 $50 tops reduced to $9.95 on a whim, and trotted into the Doomlight of Spot in the hopes of picking up cheap Jet. Instead, they actually had nice buttons and I bought 3 sets of 6, and 10 balls of Yarn Bee aran bamboo/cotton in a dark olive-y green. This is for ‘Hey Teach’ and as a project has been nominated it does not count as stash.

I’m about to tidy up, wash up, finish the second load of laundry and put on the dishwasher. I hate the fact the Aussie dollar has gone from parity with the US dollar a few months ago to less than 80 US cents today. It means I have to think a lot more before buying things from over there. Probably good for my carbon footprint and my wallet – but it does take a lot of fun out of it.

I’m slowly catching up with all the blog posts. I’ll get there eventually – probably by the end of the weekend. Or maybe not, as my weekend job is currently editing Amy Lane’s new book, Bitter Moon 2 – which is an absolute cracker and a great read. I managed (amongst the ironing, cooking, washing, washing up, children, gym and shopping for food) to get nearly 300 pages done last weekend. I will try for some more in a minute, before going to the library and collecting Princess.

Enjoy life. But don’t write too many blog posts about it – I’m having a hard enough time catching up as it is!

Unclean! Unclean!

Well, it’s a return to plague house conditions here, that’s for sure. I referred to the condition of Destructoboy and myself as Mucusfest – and really, that’s very apt.

We are not nice to be around at present, what with the coughing and the trails of tissues and the assorted leaks and swearing (from me) and complaints (from Destructoboy). I have the attractive pink-eyed and -nosed look of a rabbit with myxomatosis and the IQ to match. I can’t get through a whole senten…. Sorry? What were we saying? Oh, that’s right, how I can’t get through a whole sentence without being…something. Or other. Sorry, my train of thought just de-railed. Again.

So we’re a plague house and not taking it very well either. Princess swanned off to a Party Day at Vacation care in the Accountant’s car while those of us left behind snuffled and coughed. I really think she’s getting the best of it. Being sick tends to make me cranky. And grumpy. And more untidy than usual.

Luckily, I had a visit last night to cheer me up. The lovely, but blogless, Jill dropped in and we discussed nice adult things like knitting, and patterns and the Divine Norah (Gaughan). She was also there when my Rowan 44 finally appeared, nearly a month after everyone else’s. I am not sure whether it is the original or the replacement sent by Rowan – but it is certainly lovely.

Apart from a small amount of yarn acquired from a fellow Raveller’s de-stash, I haven’t bought any yarn for a whole 2 weeks. I think this may be some kind of record. Or it may be prompted by the dire state of my yarn budget. Or the fact that I’m saving up to do a big order in a few weeks. After all, I’m hardly deprived. I have the odd skein to keep me busy.

In knitting news, the end of Flair is in sight, and I have decided to frog Wicked. I adore the green Malabrigo, but the shape is unflattering for me. So it will become something else – hurrah for seamless top-down construction, which should make it easy to unravel.

Work is going well and I am thoroughly enjoying it (especially seeing my first proper story in print). There’s another week of school holidays to go. My survival is possible – though not assured!

Life goes on....and on....and on

It’s been an odd week. The first week of spring is always like this. The four seasons in one day weather (if you don’t like the weather now, come back in 15 minutes). The struck down by sickness feeling which regularly affects people – including me. I’ve been deep in a lurgy, which combines all the drama of coughing like an asthmatic seal with synchronised nose-blowing and general grottiness.

I’m still loving the new job and have been let loose on the unsuspecting general public to interview them and then write stories.

I’ve just received the e-manuscript of Amy Lane’s new book, Bitter Moon II and am dying to get stuck into editing it (and finding out what happens to everyone from BMI).

School holidays are looming and I will be lucky to see the Princess. She apparently wants to attend most days of the vacation care program, and the days she is not doing that she wants to visit friends and play.

Destructoboy has the same lurgy as I do and is much happier. As long as there is something to dismantle or a mess to be made, he’s a happy boy.

I have been knitting. I am so enjoying Flair, and knitting with sunshine yellow Malabrigo is guaranteed to lift the heart, even when the weather outside is cold, windy and wet.

I have managed extra knitting time due to the fact that the Princess has been having rehearsals for the major show for the Circus school. I get to sit in cold halls and theatres and knit while I wait for the three minutes my daughter is on stage along with 10 other 5-7 year olds, none of whom are entirely sure what they should be doing. Doesn’t matter, they all still look cute, charming and funny. This will not be the case when they are 10.

I received some not-stash this week from Wollmeise and from BMFA courtesy of the wonderful Rosered. I have not taken photos. Forgive me.

That’s it really. In between required duties, I have let the house run to wrack and ruin and the dishes pile up. I’ll do it when I feel better – or over the weekend. Whichever comes first.