Nipply out.

Brrrrrr! Chuffin' freezing (literally).

It has been a sloooooow week, have been very sleepy and rather achey so bed, with the leccy blanket on, has been my favourite place. Luvverly. One upon a time spending the day in bed was MUCH more exciting (ie not spent alone) but at the moment I am perfectly happy to snooze. I must be getting old ....

Some knitting has been done, and Things have been finished (hurrah! Tis a mini Christmas miracle!). May I present to you - a gathering of mini hogs:

Utterly addictive - pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits, very quick to knit, good fun and they are just - well, you can see what they are like! I love them. Some are destined to become Christmas visitors, at least one will be staying with me, probably the middle one, I like his little upturned snout. I love how they all seem to take on individual personalities when sewn up.

Somewhat less cute (but still adorabubble, just don't tell Keef I said that) are these little fellas:

Keef says they are his 'Gang' and that he is teaching them 'everyfink wot he knows' (which presumably took about 20 seconds). He also has a new friend, piccies to come as they are on my phone, who he has named 'Ganja Santa'. I can only apologise.
(pattern - Mochimochi Snowman - again very quick and fun to knit)(just Don't Tell Keef).

Keef managed to get to one of my Christmas Stocking gifts before I could stop him:

In his favour I suppose it's a 5 letter word (not 4), and spelt correctly.


I also finished and posted a rather dinky Wol, will have to ask my friend if I can steal her photo as I forgot to take one before posting him to his new home. He has Victorian buttons for eyes, and I love the bit of character they gave him.

I seem to have started a pair of mitts for me maybe five times now, only to unravel it before I have finished the cuffs. I keep wanting to alter the pattern and my head is filled with ideas - just use a flippin' pattern and stick with it woman! I also have two pairs of mitts on the go as presents, no, three pairs, a pair of shark mitts for meeeeeeee (as well as the other ones), and some other bits to knit in time for Chrimbo. I have sewing plans too, but actually getting off my lardy derriere and moving to the table is beyond me. One day ... I have some nice soft fleece with plans to make a few little pocket-type sleeping bags for PSidney over the winter (can just stick them in the wash every other day).

Before I pootle off, here are some rather speshul Christmas gift ideas for you to ponder.
A definite YES from me:

Black leather look nails with 3D silver skulls? What's not to love! Long waiting list for them apparently.

Then there are the other type of 'speshul' gifts. Why - really, why?

Really? That's enough nice wool to knit a cardi! The ones with animals or Amy thingy Childs are equally bizarre.

But maybe not as bizarre as this:

Yes. That IS a headless teddy bear lamp! I actually rather like the sheer madness of it, and if it was a fiver then yes I could see it fitting in Chez Sulky rather easily. But it is £94! NINETY FOUR POUNDS!

Then there is this - again I like the idea of it in theory (although it might damage the spine of a book) but the price!

£38. A book artfully plonked over one of those opaque Ikea lamps would be similar.

LOVE the bat pegs! But at a fiver EACH they are too steep, as you would really need a full line of them to look effective.  (the above are all from I Want One Of Those)(but not at that price).

There - no need to thank me, my indispensable gift guide!

I am going to curl up with an episode of Lie to Me (oh Lordy, Tim Roth, drool), the never-beginning mitts, chocolate and some pop. Keep warm and enjoy the weekend.
(exciting health news coming up)

Extremes.

It didn't photograph very well but yes, that IS thick ice.

Yuk.

Am extremely tired, haven't been able to sleep all week (literally) so gave in and had a double dose of sleepy tabs last night and slept through until 11am. Have been totally sluggish all day as a result - and most probably won't get any sleep tonight. Hey ho.

I ache quite a bit, am headachey, fed up, cold and - well, fed up.

Betcha glad to be reading this cheery little blog post aren't you!

Thank goodness for friends and Stocking Swapsies! These have really cheered me up - not because I am materialistic (truly!) but because of the thought and fun. Best swaps each year without a doubt.

Keef managed to pinch the Grown Ups scissors but I removed (and hid) them before he could cause too much mayhem. Sadly I wasn't fast enough to remove the pen from him.
Apparently this is Gangsta Keef (innit).

I dread to think what he was about to draw in his nether regions (snow balls?).

I also have a fab colour changing candle:

The sunlight here must be so weak - it won't work on the windowsill, but springs into life as soon as it catches the light from the halogen heater!

I am running behind (I feel like my entire life is running behind) but posted the first 5 gifts to both partners last week, am aiming to get the rest in the post tomorrow or Tuesday. So lots of finishing off has been happening, and finally, finally, things are almost done.

I had Plans to make some rather fab things - and of course hands / head / body refused to play along. But hopefully my partners will like what is en route. Sent with lots of love.

I started tidying the bathroom.
Please tell me this is a perfectly normal amount of hair products to own? Yes?

Burp.and possibly Parp too.

Was supposed to be at the hospital today for scans and the usual RA nurse, Dr, consultant, bloods session but had a rubbish night and a dashing to the loo morning so gave up and cancelled. Don't think I have ever had to cancel a hospital appointment because of illness before, more than a tad ironic.

The hospital rang me later this morning when I was in bed and told me no meths injections for a few weeks to see if it's that making me ill, but also said it could be some sort of flu etc as it came on so hard and so fast. Whatever it is I don't like it and don't want it and wish it would pack it's spotty hanky, tie it on a stick and sod off.

To me, being able to sit upright isn't 'real' flu - dear lord is it man flu???         !     

Have taken double dose of slepy tabs tonight as I seriously need a decent amount of sleep, kneesies and other parts are not at all happy today. Am also bloody freezing cold. Kerri tucked a throw over my knees earlier so that's it, it's official - I am ancient.

Keef dug out his favourite teefs to cheer me up, bless his little cold heart.

The windmills make me smile every time, I make no secret of being mostly about 6 years old.

But this picture worries me and fills me with the dread of what is to come - avert your eyesies if easily upset.


Ready?

                                                                         UH OH
It REALLY HAS GONE HASN'T IT, that elusive summer thing. I think there was a week in March, a day in April, a week in May when it was very hot and then these last few days have been lovely. I have freckles to prove it.

We. Are. Doomed.

But may I leave you with something magnifico I managed to make before I was clobbered with the plague this week - I hope it wasn't the cause of the plague!

I come from a  family of fantastic Yorkshire Pud makers, and many of us have photos to prove it - when you have to move the shelf down to accommodate ones pud it's a good sign.
Dearest readers, may I ever so umbly present:

me pud

Nomchuffintastic.

Bed.

Bed is fab. Good job, because I had a shocker of a night and have spent the day in bed, and have minimal plans for getting up. Throwing up and a 'splody botty with really nasty stomach pains, I suspect due to the slowly increased dosage of the Leflunomide. Yuk yuk yuk.

But never mind. The worst thing was I had a visitor lined up today, one of my beloved knitty friends and had to cancel in case this is a bug, I would hate to pass it on to her. Pah.

 Monday was my burpday, 21 yet again. The sun was out - by hell was it ever, it was the hottest day so far, over 28C, and we went to a lovely park for a rather splendid piccynic.

My bootiful baby girl came round, we got a taxi to Morrisons and bought the place out. The days of making lovely tasty treats for a picnic are on hold at the moment because of health - I was going to say they are long gone but that's so negative I prefer 'on hold'. I do NOT intend to be this ill for ever, you hear me little old bod?

Anway - something nicely liberating about just giving in and buying the lot!
We had more salady goodness, sides, nibbles, cheeses etc than one could shake a stick at. Or a stickleback at. Or even a sticklebrick.

We had planned to go to Kirkstall Abbey as it is very nearby - and stunning, Thankfully I checked online and the blimmin place is closed on Mondays. How rude of them on my burpday!
So a last minute panic to find somewhere pretty, clean and ideally new to us, and we found Pudsey Park. I have only lived here what, 11 years ..... tis a couple of miles away, a fiver in a taxi, and absolutely lovely.
I know they have won a Green Flag award every year and are very proud of it, justly so. Spotless, safe, beautiful. Large play areas for sproglets, bowling green and building for the oldies, plenty of places to picnic and slob and wander.

We didn't realise we were under a laden pine tree until this fell out:

It landed about a foot away and almost made me move. I thought it was a squiggle jumping out.
Blurry pics, the joys of LCD screens in the blazing sun - point, shoot, hope for the best!

Obviously the kids had to come too.
It just wouldn't be a real Out without Keef and Daphne.
Might be more sophisticated though but what the heck.

Obviously we do do sophisticated, just take a look at our Pimms cocktails for proof.

Pimms, lemonade, sweetie banana stirrers, strawberries, more sweets and - er - more sweets. I chucked a crouton into Kerri's when she wasn't looking. Posh. Very.

It became so hot that the cheeses became LIQUID. Rank! Everything that wasn't eaten went straight in the bin, waaaay too hot to risk it.

Daffers went to sleep in my handbag but Keef was on top form despite leaving a little trail of melting snowman behind him.

The wabbits were Totally Unimpressed.
We made a Big Mistake and went to explore one large building - a fekking greenhouse! On the hottest day! Dearie me, it was one big waft of heat - I was a tad worried it was going to be a long walk round like Tropical World at Roundhay tropical-world but thankfully this was a veh short trip.
Again, Keef went exploring - we found him stuck up a tree laughing at us.

I could hear Daffers tutting from inside my bag.

We forgot to take the now obligatory feet shot - somehow we seem to have one of these from everywhere we go - mostly because I loathe having my photo taken. This was from last week so will have to do. Obviously the chunky white leggypegs are mine.

But I do have a photo of the lesser spotted sulkycattuus minimus, brace yerself.

Very pleased that this one is blurry!

We both admitted defeat after a couple of hours and got a taxi home - both a bit headachey and pink. And in my case freckly. Veh freckly.
Eeeeeeee look at the size of my quiff! Makes me over 5ft.

Sleep beckons again, I am so tired.

Well that's about it for now - piccies of gifts to come, I have been incredibly spoiled and have a load of lovely cards and very thoughtful, generous pressies. My lovely knitty friends are just wonderful people and they matter enormously to me - thank you to all of them for helping make my birthday a truly lovely day.

And a mahoosive HUG to my lovely beautiful girl for such a lovely trip out.