The grass is as high as an elephant's.....

Well, there’s Father’s Day over and done with for another year! The Accountant received a beautiful coaster from the Princess (made in Kinder) along with the requisite hand-made card and key-ring, along with 2 shirts and a lovely silver punch-server. I also extended myself and made Brioche for breakfast (the little bobbles on the top were the most popular bits for children).

Took daughter to the local circus annual performance. These guys run a circus school and the Princess has been hanging out to turn 5 and thereby be allowed to go to circus school. I’m hanging out until she turns 15 and runs away to join the circus!

She’s been able to turn somersaults since she saw a child do it on Playschool when she was 18 months old. She’s also in love with being upside down on the monkey bar on her swing – so anything which might allow her to swing in the air turning around while upside down has her vote. I prefer the idea of circus school to ballet – as a veteran of the ballet wars (I danced for 17 years) I know what the injury rate is. I stopped being serious about it when I was taught how to wrap my toes so that when they bled (not IF – WHEN they bled) they wouldn’t ruin the inside of my pointe shoes.

I have the feeling that circus is a wider range of skills and possibly more fun and less seriously pink and girly.

I took Princess to Cirque du Soleil when we were in Canberra earlier this year – she didn’t take her eyes off the stage and sat with her mouth open barely speaking through the entire performance. Anything which renders the Princess speechless is to be seriously encouraged.

Just returned from assisting with a post Walk-a-thon BBQ at the school, so am feeling seriously diligent and dutiful – quite enough overt motherliness for one day, I think.

Juno is progressing nicely – up to the armholes on the left front, despite having to frog 25 rows because I forgot to do the increases, and then frog 10 rows after re-knitting because for some weird reason my subconscious decided I needed increases on both sides (I probably do, but let’s not get into that).

I also followed Taph’s lead and am trying to spring clean. Two boxes of toys are ready for the local not-for-profit child care centre, along with a ride on toy, one very large bag of assorted clothes etc is off to Lifeline, one bag of nappies and baby stuff off to a friends for her little one, another off to another friend for her little one. A box of crockery and kitchen ware is also half finished for Lifeline – so that’s seven boxes and bags and lots more than 7 items. – Still heaps to go to attempt to de-clutter this place!!

Kate was talking about the nude Olympics her children engage in – my children love running around sans clothes and now that Destructoboy has been toilet trained and nappies are a thing of the past – he is often to be seen sprinting past – willy waving in the breeze. Now that spring is here, summer’s not far away, and that means nudie splashing in the paddling pool and slippery sprints through the garden (although I insist on shoes – some thistles always get missed when I chip the lawns - well grass – not nearly well enough looked after to be actual ‘lawn’. I don’t worry about lawns – I’m like Peter Cundall – lawn is just green stuff you walk over on the way to the fruit trees and veggie garden).

Garden's currently doing a great job of burgeoning – first of the blossoms (Kentish cherry) have bloomed, as have camellias and rhodos. I have 2 camellia trees which stand over 10 metres high – yes, 10 metres. I think they are probably quite old. They look very beautiful at the moment, as do all the others about the place.

Hurrah for spring – and for all the things which grow and require me to do absolutely nothing to make them look beautiful!

Sanity returns - except for the In-Laws

What a nice (read 'episode free') weekend!

After the expedition on Friday (and its consequences), and the stop at Waverly (they do have a website and a shade card - check here) I spent Saturday carousing with only the smaller child at a birthday party (yum, birthday cake and fairy bread - for any overseas listeners that's a slice of white bread, buttered, and covered in hundreds and thousands- multi coloured teeny tiny pinhead sized coloured balls) and lots of chat. I even had an exciting trip to the BIG supermarket (in Tasmania size is relative - it's bigger than our local) on my own!

On Saturday night the end of the first monkey sock was in sight!

Sunday, my Father-in-Law, a dear man, and his wife, who has a good heart but is rather obsessive complulsive re cleaning ,visited. This meant frantic tidying and vacuuming - oh, and don't mention the 'episodes'. I was once ill when visiting them and was sprayed with Glen 20! I think it probably gives her physical pain to visit our house - given my generally low standards in the whole house cleaning debacle. I argue that it develops my childrens' immune systems!

She just averts her eyes from the tumble weed sized dust bunnies which I have somehow failed to notice, and I pretend not to see them too! On the up side, she is a great knitter - rarely knits now as has arthritis in her fingers, but is properly appreciative of Monkey socks and me showing off my KnitPicks Options Kit, and brand new ball winder - My FiL also liked that - he is a mechanical man and thoroughly enjoyed making it go round and round!

YARN PORN WARNING! This is the Kauni yarn in natural light - I promised a photo and here it is! It feels so lush and gorgeous - still slightly greasy and 660 grams of yarny goodness just waiting for me to make it even more gorgeous. I want to do Ruth's Cardi - but the steeks terrify me - perhaps I could use the same pattern, but make it a jumper? Any suggestions?







Then last night I finished the sock - it is so beautiful - you're right Bells when you say that it looks great in nearly every yarn, I sat and envisaged battalions of Monkey socks marching through the world in all the sock yarn in my stash!! But then, what about all the other gorgeous sock patterns out there?










So I cast on for the second sock and finished the rib last night! I don't really suffer from SSK - I love knitting socks, and adore amusing sock yarns. I do really think that Cherry Tree Hill is almost the nicest sock yarn I've knitted with - it doesn't split or fluff, the colours are great and it really feels nice in your hands. What do you think? Have you found even better yarns? Tell me! My quest for the perfect sock yarn is probably never ending.



On that note, I'll leave you. Off to get more (instant) coffee! Pray for me.