Bendi - the hangover.

Well, I'm home, the washing is done, the case is unpacked and most of the patting and fondling of yarn has ceased (mostly).

It's that awful feeling a week after you get home from a great holiday. That feeling that it almost never happened. You know you went. You had a great time. You finally got to meet some of your bestest-ever blogbuddies. You were child- and husby-free for 2 nights and most of 3 glorious days.
You were one of the Kewl Kids in the Hustler Street Posse.

And now you're home. And the washing-up didn't get done while you were away and neither did the washing. The floor crunches underfoot - in the patches were it doesn't stick to the soles of your shoes. Your family ate fish and chips from the local takeaway one night, and pikelets the other night.

My week has been normal. Went to the gym, did my monthly stint in the school canteen (it's only open one day a week, and the school only has 150 students, so it's not terribly onerous), sorted out a birthday party and present. Then the kids got sick. Both of them. Same symptoms. Sore stomach, headache, fever (Princess was 38.1 and Destructoboy was running at over 39). This meant Friday was all about high level mothering - which is something between pedeatric nursing and being a general dogsbody - one who prays under their breath ' please don't vomit - please don't vomit'.

Saturday was convalescence day and they are still not 100%. I know this because they have not fought, screamed at one another, hit, wrestled or had tantrums for 3 days. So today we made dried berry and orange brownies.

The goreousness in my suitcase -there have been one or two questions?

The butter yellow big balls?(How obscene does that sound?) That is 4 x 200gr balls of Bendigo Woollen Mills Cameo (angora/wool mix) 10 ply. From the fabled Back Room of the woollen mill is also some denim coloured Rustic in 12 ply, some marled Rustic in 8 ply, a ball of red luxury, and courtesy of the Divine Mandie at Ewe Give me the Knits, some Bendigo Woollen Mills fibre to practice spinning. There is also 700gr of red merino top for spinning and somehow I ended up with one of SpinningWoodie's drop spindles, made of maple and sassafras.

Also from EGMTK there is some dyed fibre and 3 skeins of sock yarn, from Charlie at Ixchel some cashmere merino laceweight, some camel/bunny, some angora bunny fibre and a bunny bling batt (this is wrapped up as the bling kept escaping and attching itself to everything and everyone in sight.

A couple of skeins of Pear Tree red 4 ply snuck in there too, and some of the gorgeous silk/optim from Shiloh wool. There's also some silk/Polworth from Wendy Dennis and the gorgeous Tom, some Lara Downs pure cashmere and some of their luxury cashmere/angora bunny/merino. There's some of Donyale's utterly gorgeous baby alpaca in Sir Walter, 2 skeins of Jitterbug and I'm almost sure there are other yummies I've not named.

In addition, I had presents. Donyale gave me Norah Gaughan Volume 5, Knightly Knitter passed on a birthday present of Mason Dixon Knitting, Zephyrama gave me Feminie Knits and I have no idea how Knitting Ganseys ended up there. After a while it became a euphoric haze.....

And yes, I did manage to get clothes in there too. In fact, I bought 2 tops and a knitted cotton dress. i thought the tops were cotton rayon stuff until after I had put one through the washing machine (on cold luckily) and discovered that this shiny silkiness was in fact - wool.

So thank you to the amazing blogpals, the awesome organisers, the remarkable Ravellers and ecstatic enablers. I have already booked the husbeast for childminding for next year. I am so ready.

I don't even mind the post-Bendi hangover, as long as it means I can do it all again next year!