In which very little happens.

I do rather like the strange things I tend to gather.
Book, obviously (I am going through a crime phase, having read all the Harry Hole books, plenty of others of varying levels of interest, and then found Peter James. Nothing superb but a good read).
Scissors - yes, they had a use.
Reel of strong cotton? Ditto.
Kitchen roll?
The unseen bottle of essential oil?
Lettuce?

Ah well,anyone who has wandered through this bit of blogland will understand the lettuce. If I am sitting in theTeenyTiny Garden, chances are that PSidney isn't far away.

How I love thee fatty piggy.
And why yes, of course I potter in the garden bedecked in a silky long shirt.

He is without doubt the most wonderful piggy I have had (and I have always had piggies).

I didn't venture out until lateish, 7pm ish. Grand Prix then a snooze, priorities.
We haven't been blessed with wonderful weather lately, downpour on Thursday, no idea what Friday was like, most days have been warmish but cloudy and very windy.
But I took the spinning wheel outside today, stood it on the garden table and gave it a damned good clean and oil (hence the cotton, paper towels and scissors), finished with a wipe down with a mix of essential oil so it now smells luvverly.

I planned to take part in the Tour de Fleece on Ravelry again, but one thing being ill  has taught me is that I am fekkin hopeless at  working to a timescale or plan. I haven't used either wheel for ages, maybe a year, so if nothing else the incentive has resulted in a clean wheel.
Fibre is all upstairs and my knees simply don't want to go there, so it can wait until tomorrow.

Or whenever.
It's ok.

Hospital last Thursday was a bit of a concern - I have mild angina, and have been having quite bad chest pains etc lately. I had an ECG on Thursday (oh the sheer horror of trying to get my bra off when I cannot unfasten it easily, and the embarrassment of my lovely consultant fiddling about with my less than lovely bosoms!). I do apologise for that mental image ..... my (male) nurse couldn't find a gown so came back with two  huuuuge sheets. I asked if it was a toga party.  I found one of those sticky pads under one boob when I went home (every single time I have had an ECG I have found a sticky pad! On my ankle usually).

Anyway, thankfully the ECG results were fine but I have been referred for an 'urgent' appointment with the cardiologist. Poor mum looked a bit shellshocked.

The RA has been a sod lately, had some terrible pains in my right knee. Left wrist needs a carpal tunnel op but I cannot have anything done, even steroids, whilst on this trial. Heyho.
No improvement in my results this month but I have managed to keep my weight down again. When I say 'down' I mean 'the same', which is better than it going up as it did for the first six months.

We are going through some rather worrying times at the moment with close family illness, so this disease of mine and being fat matters little. Sigh.

Anyway, moving on.
I managed to get my painting to the 'almost finished' stage. It needs work on the bow, face and hair.

Handies haven't been up to it lately, but as with anything else it will get done at some point.

Ditto knitting. This pocket flap idea didn't work - look at those messy edges.
It has been reworked and I think is much neater now, piccies to come.

I have some veh tall lillies in bud and lots of windmills.
Things could be worse.

Go and give someone you love a great big hug please.
Thank you.
Toodles for now.

If it involves a bra and proper clothing it ain't going to happen.

For someone with a ridiculoualy (yet strangely pleasant) dull life there seems quite a bit to report.

Things are / have been happening. Some good, some indifferent, some not good at all. Such is life. More on the not so good another day, maybe. 'Tis scrawled in my diary but maybe won't make it to blogland. Let's just leave it at 'not good at all' for now.

Health is iffy, have had a really bad RA flare, probably the worst my right knee has ever been. Nasty. My left hand decided to join in to the extent all knitty things came to a halt. Pah. But today things feel easier - the flare up has left me with an all day headache and I am wiped out.
I haven't been prone to headaches since I was a teenager, thankfully, but asked mum if she remembered this whole cycle of pain, really bad pain, less pain, headache, shattered before (as in had I mentioned going through it recently) and she agreed. This deffo seems to be the way my flare ups work, and I am glad I am getting better  at recognising them for what they are.

Last month was the first time that my bloods / DAS had improved, albeit slightly, will see what next weeks' results say.

Anyway.
Isn't the sun lovely?

This is why us Brits are obsessed with the weather; it is  bonkers. Literally four seasons in one day. Sometimes in one hour. But I wouldn't swap it for anything else (well that's a lie. I would happily swap it for the warm days we have had lately, constantly, with rain in the night. We need the rain to keep this green and pleasant land green).

Obviously I am in the teeny tiny garden as often aspossible. Partly to try and get the sun on this godawful rash that I have as a side effect of the Tocilizumab (RoActemra). It is horrid, but painless. I am very freckly so that might disguise  the spots  a bit. Ok,it won't, I know but what the hell.

Ipotted up some strawberry plants - yes, yours are probably onto their seventh crop of  the summer by  now but this is Yorkshire. We are ages behind some other places,and things are only just budding. So far (in ten years) the record crop has been three - count them, THREE - strawbs. So anything above that will be a bonus.

 My sweet peas are looking better than usual (possibly because these were Sarah Raven seeds, more expensive)(not seeds to grow Sarah Raven).
So far very short likeme, but I think these were titchy plants anyway - they are much bushier than usual. Fingers crossed that they flower.

I potted up 21 of the cutest, diddiest, teenytiniest geraniums yesterday - look! Diddy!

Pixie plants! How cute are those!
I also have some diddy 'other' plants (ie can't remember off hand what they are) to pot up, but handies say do it another day please.

I hobbled over the road to collect some Elder flowers today, to make some cordial. My walking stick was perfect for pulling branches down to stumpy person height:

They have had two good rinses in water and vinegar, so I will rinse again tonight then set them to steep in sugar and water. I learned two things doing this.

1) the locals are completely used to my ways. Lady Who Walks Dogs asked what Iwas dyeing.
2) if one gathers Elderflowers whilst wearing a long black silky dress, one not only probably looks rather daft, but one gets ones self covered in pollen:

One is silly.

Knitting? Yes, in between bouts of useless hands there has been some.
This is happening:

but not saying what it is yet. Partly because it might all go tits up.

I finally got the March square finished and online:

Available on Ravelry, and I will add it to the side-bar of this blog after tea. Might even get April done before the end of June.....

Right,tea time.
Toodles.

Hurrah for burnt bosoms!

That's more like it.
Sunshine.
Loads of the stuff.
Smiling people,  very dodgy 'summer' dress sense, the smell of sun cream and a corner shop freezer crammed with giant ice pops.
Bliss!

Not only was it sunny today but it was downright WARM. 20C, not bad at all thank you.
Fabulous!

I still have this horrible rash from the Tocilizumab, so I am hoping that the sunshine will help.
That's my excuse (if one were needed) for afternoons in the sun.

All of a sudden everything seems to be blooming and sprouting at once. These gorgeous poppies are from seeds my mum gave me, collected from her garden, They are stunning, and look! Do you also remember the way poppy heads bend from your  childhood?

I remember peeling them open to look at the petals curled inside (naughty me).
Isn't it funny what obscure things remind you of being a bairn?

Today I doped myself up with Piriton, propped my bad back up with cushions on the bench, had an illicit glass of Pimms (oh blimey, the new version is delicious!)  , read for a while and knitted for a while.

PSidney says he can read perfectly well and would I please turn the pages a bit faster.

Why yes I AM  we ARE reading a book that includes a Princess, a scorpion and  a Quest.
And Sid has suncream for his ears, bless him. How I love thee, Sidders.

And knitting a jacket for a wabbit.

Lovely Egyptian cotton, in one of my favourite bags. Not one I made (the shame of it), slightly larger than the ones I make, and  look at it!

Brilliant!
I bought a few of these in the sales in January, the only snag is that they don't have wrist straps and are definitely a pain to carry anywhere, especially as I always need my walking stick.

The other one I have is this:

They are from Kate Garey. The jewellery is worth a look too, I have my eye on the bluetit necklace.

This might just flower this year. Might.

Look at  the pansies,they are just beautiful.

The little things in  life, always look for the little things.

And look - it only took me 10 months to take  piccies. I really like how this looks,and it was a fun knit if a little boring by the end.

Venomous-Tentacula, free on Ravelry.

And that's it for now.
I have the urge to paint, and this arrived the other day - yes that is me reflected in it, and yes I DO have chubby little arms!

Toodles for now, enjoy the sun!