Cooooeeeeeeeee!

Oui c'est moi.
I can only type when my poor fingeroonies let me, and today is definitely better than yesterday (which was a bitch of a day painwise and had me in tears) tis a chance to update here a little bit.
Not that there is much to add as life is rather sloooooow at the moment - but I am getting used to it.

I had an appointment at the ME hospital on Monday which although not what I expected was useful. There isn't a huge lot they can do until I see the rheumatology hospital folk next Monday really so I am in limbo until then and living on painkillers. Last night was a good night - sleeping tablets, painkillers, the lot and they worked, bliss! A good snooze makes up for a lot, and makes the pain that bit more bearable. I also spent today inside doing little - BUT have started a painting for the living room so that's a huge step in the right direction - who cares if it's a good painting or not, tis the fact I am able to even gather the energy to open a tube of pain that counts!

The sun has gorn, gorn it has - but the Tree of Glory and Wonder is stunning again this year.

This is the sweetest scented blossom ever, I love this tree. Makes a hell of a mess when it drops but what the hell.
I also love my toe nails - took me three days to do them because of the pain in fingers and feet but by ek (Yorkshire as she is spoke) I do love them! Gloriously unsubtle.

I like my little chubbers, I love the excuse to be in sandals for the foreseeable future even if it pours down (which it looks like it's about to do out there, it's gone verrrry dark. Tis either rain or the apocalypse).



I am also spending a lot of time with little PSidney with the Big Fat Bum. I love Sid.

Bright he is not.

Cuddly he is.

What else? I am knitting as and when, a lovely little Louisa Harding cardi from one of her recent booklets - I think tis called Percy (and cannot be bothered to look for it and check). It's to go with a simple little dress I made last week

which although embarrassingly quick and easy to make looks rather lovely and flattering on. I am trying to build a summer wardrobe that works when my fingers do not! Simple slip on shift type dresses to go with leggings and cropped cardies, and I am planning a couple of empire line floaty maxi dresses too.

Ah, I also have ideas for knitwear design, 3 different types (not 3 patterns, 3 sorts / themes) . I need to be doing something once they get the RA sorted pain-wise or my brain is going to stagnate.

I don't know - I do think there's a market for all of them but my self confidence is a tad wobbly. We will see - I ran the vaguest of concepts by a couple of friends and they seemed to think it was viable too ...

Talking of friends and talking of sewing.

One rather wonderful friend is getting wed and Daphne has decided she is not only designing the dress but is wedding planner extraordinaire.

She's going with a Big Fat Gypsy Wedding theme crossed with Liberace and Vanessa Feltz.

Help.



Sunshine

there hasn't been much of it the last few days but it is forecast to be very warm and lovely for the rest of the week.
Things in the Teeny Tiny Garden of Delights are looking good despite the mini greenhouse blowing over the other day and smashing several planters.

This is now looking like this:

and there is this:

and this:

and a bit of this:

and this which will hopefully flower soon:

So for a Teeny Tiny Garden it's doing pretty well.

Health - utter pants! My Dr rang yesterday to say my tests had come back positive for rheumatoid arthritis, then I had a call again ten minutes later to say they had an appointment for me at the arthritis clinic at hospital in two weeks time.

So yesterday was weird to say the least - I am VERY pleased that they have found a reason for all this pain (and some days it reduces me to tears because it's so bad) but I am still shellshocked that it's pretty serious.

I also got an appointment for the ME hospital next week.

Last night is one of the first times that it really hit me that I will not be able to return to work in the near future - even though I knew that deep down it goes against a lifelong work ethic.

Hey ho. It scares me that it is April already and I seem to have achieved NOTHING. Do I need to be achieving 'things' at all? I don't know.

Anyway, my sense of humour is mostly still intact and my fabulous friends online - who I now class as genuine friends (have met some and definitely plan to meet many more this year) keep me as sane as I can be ;-)

Knitting and sewing (and any type of crafty goodness) is a bit sporadic due to the pain in my hands and wrists but thank goodness for it being there when I need it.

How are you?

Enjoy the sun if you get some today.

Big MWAH from me x

Cider - Government Health Warning

Overindulgence in cider appears to impair one's common sense and decency - and any shreds of professionalism one may still be hanging on to.

A certain book on Amazon is causing a stir on the internet - particularly on a rather wondrous KNITTING site. Said cider drinker is a member of this KNITTING site.

A book about headwear - many many items of headwear - touted as a knitting book yet containing a teeny tiny fraction of actual patterns compared to the many MANY pictures of headwear, is gathering - er - somewhat less than positive reviews.

What? You think I am exaggerating? Read them yourselves!
CIDER INDUCED HEADWEAR

Now I have not seen inside the book other than on Amazon. The cider induced comment does not refer to the actual headwear at all but rather to what underlies this book.
I do not know any of the good folk whose designs are in it.
I can only pass on to you what is being said on the KNITTING site of wonders.

It seems that photos inside the book have been used WITHOUT consent. Without the person who created the hat being asked. Without them being achnowledged (or in some cases incorrectly acknowledged - good job too as it included email addresses!).

Buyer beware.
Amazon beware.

What we have there appears to be book packed full of photos of knitted headwear - 1,000 of them - with patterns included for TEN.
SOME of these photos appear (how careful am I being with this wording?!) to have been used with no consent asked or given.
Original price $25.00. To some who have complained the wondrous offer of a free or discounted copy of the book. Gee.

Naughty naughty cider drinker, very naughty.

I think this will be one knitting book I will pass on ......

The Mardy Moggy Returns.

Hang on to your hats ...

Apologies to anyone who still reads this for the absence - I am sort of back now!

Very briefly:

Health:
craptastic! Thankfully I am now in  the loop at the excellent ME hospital here in Leeds so things might start to pick up - or at the very least I might become more accepting and understanding of this illness. Although I have been diagnosed for 3 years this is by far the worst I have been and it doesn't show any sign of easing yet.
Tis also pain city - wrists, thumbs, fingers, ankles, knees (ooooh poor little chubby knees!), the lot! I am now walking with a stick (a very pretty black one with pink fleurs) and rattling with various painkillers. It was  abit of a shock last night to realise I need to use both hands to use a potato masher ...

But it will pass I am sure.

Wealth:
skint! Nuff said.

Happiness:
Up and down. Some days my sense of humour stays in bed when I get up, but most of the time tis OK.

There, that's a fairly decent summary!

This helps - we have had fabulous Spring weather lately and finally things are happening in The TeenyTiny Garden.

There's also this (which after much discussion and hunting on tinternet we think is a peony) :

and , finally, some of this:

What?

You want the gossip?

You mean you only come here for the gossip and not pretty flowers??

Oh go on then.

A little birdy tells me that SCKC continues to rear its ugly head. The Disorganiser has reappeared - on Ravelry - and by hell it hasn't gone down well.

I think it deserves a post of it's own, so will work on that and add it today or tomorrow.

Toodles for now.

MWAH!

mumble grumble

ok ok, so I am late posting yet again.

Now, where was I?
Ah yes. The next installment of My Social Life. Erm, I don't have much of one so I tend to make the most of what I have. And if that involves meeting up with a fellow Raveler who makes me laugh for 6 hours and forces - yes FORCES wine down my neck then who am I to complain ;-)

As you can see I took friends with me, Daphne never likes to miss out on any chance of a party and the 'other', well, would have been rude not to include ;-)

Buckets of wine were consumed. Laughter was had. Talk, much much talk was indulged in.

It began to take it's toll on a certain young lady (and I use the term very loosely indeed).

Shoes were compared.

Texts were sent.

Behaviour worsened.

And a damned good time was had.

Daffers gave up, lightweight that she is.

I suppose an ice bucket is a pretty good bed for a penguin ...

I thoroughly enjoyed myself - and amazingly, despite the dire warning of family ('You are ill! You will really suffer tomorrow!') I felt great the next day! As my mum said that was probably due to the amount of alcohol still coursing through my veins. I prefer to think it was helped by the boost of having a friend to chat to and laugh with.

Going shopping in Marks&Spencer food hall at the station before getting in a taxi wasn't the most sensible thing ever in my somewhat inebriated state and the choice of food was - erm - 'novel'. But yes, I had a fabulous time - thanks Trickles x

More to come, not socialising but muttering ...

Wine. Mostly.

For someone with absolutely no social life, who never goes out and who rarely drinks (contrary to popular belief) I seem to have done a fair bit of all three this week!

On Sunday afternoon I went to see Black Swan with my daughter, thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a very long time since I have been in a completely chockablock cinema, with folk wandering up and down trying to find seats to find seats together.

I loved it. A bit too much lady luvvin and, ahem, self luvvin and not enough dance in my ever so 'umble opinion but a brilliant film. I struggled through the trailers with massive sensory overload (thank you ME) but was so absorbed by the sheer beauty of the film that I more than coped. The woman next to my daughter jumped and yelped every time there was a violent bit - and there were plenty (nail files in face anyone?) - and Winona Rider playing an aging star? Eh? Is she really 'aging'?

Obviously like many knitters who see it I LOVED 'The Scarf' of twinkly bits - I don't usually get distracted by knits on screen but I did like this.

In pinks. Or blacks.

Yes, a damned good film - I want to see the King's Speech next, but by hell it's an expensive business going to the cinema!

Daphne now wants to be a ballerina and is gutted that my ballet shoes are slightly too big for her. She has demanded a tutu.

Kids eh.

Then we nipped over to the Nation of Shopkeepers for a light tea - very much a reminder of my misspent yoof, dark, noisy, slightly alternative music, relaxed and familiar feeling.

Plus the food was good - as I can't eat gluten or dairy I was chuffed to bits to have a choice, and ended up with chips and halloumi with mushrooms which was perfic.

Daphne enjoyed herself too ...

A bit too much ...

More to come ....

Long time no see.

Not 100% sure I am alive alive o, but here I am, in typing if not in body.

So how is everyone? Well I hope. Up to oodles of mischief? Excellent!

Nothing of any interest really to report here - life's a bit of a mish mash really, work issues (as in I now need to sign on as I am out of work because of health issues - and found out via my pay slip a WEEK after my colleagues had been told ... union chap has the bit between his teeth and is after blood) and ongoing health issues seem to have taken their toll lately.

But what the hell, I am sure they will sort themselves out soon - more tests tomorrow so my Dr can refer me to the local ME specialists, not sure they can actually do anything much but tis worth a try, especially as I have had a pretty grim time of it lately.

What else?

Ooooh - new camera!  fancy pants one - and ironically all I seem to have the energy to do is take endless piccies of poor PSidney.
Doubly ironic because they are more out of focus than with my trusty old battered and bruised camera ...

All together now - awwwwwwww.

I love PSidney. He isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, and his repertoire so far consists of 'feed me', 'I said FEED ME!', eating things, falling asleep on me (that's how exciting I am) and 'FEED MEEEEEEEE!'
I am worried I am turning rapidly into a batty old woman as he has a rather impressive collection of toys now. Sad eh.
Oh, and a tent.
I kid you not!
Sid in a tent - tis a wonderful sight to behold.

I have a new bird table, and some marvellously blurred shots taken through the net curtains.

Mrs Thrush (stop sniggering) - I wondered why there were so few birds on it yet so much being eaten. She is gorgeous - one of the very few times when thrush is welcome ;-)

I also have the important things in life such as pink leather handbags and - er -

leopard print shoesies.
Betcha jealous.
These little lovelies will be going to see Black Swan later this afternoon. Well, when I say 'see' obviously they will be on the floor and won't see a damned thing.

My health wasn't helped when I decided to get new living room furniture and then shift some stuff (by which I mean FURNITURE) oop stairs and bring some other FURNITURE down. Yes I hurt myself. Yes I got a cabinet completely wedged half way down the (narrow, twisty) stairs. Yes I was very very grateful for the downstairs bathroom until my daughter came to unwedge the cabinet. Yes I paid the price for a few days afterwards.

But YES I think it's going to be worth it - loads and loads to do as I am sorting through every single bag and box I own but it's getting there verrrry slowly.
From this:

to this:

Loads to do ....

Blimey this is a long long blog post, sorry!

Stick with it, tis almost done.
I am going to make something along the lines of this

but in lilacs and purples, for the daughter of a very lovely friend.
And knitting, knitting is being done - am determined to finish my Sylvi by the end of the month and line it in cerise. Plus I am half way through knitting a Kim Hargreaves jumper. So yes, knitting, tis being done.

There.
Well done on having survived a marathon post about - well, sweet FA really.
Go put your feet up and have a cuppa.
OOOOOH - keep your eyes peeled my friends, Top Secret Stuff is potentially in the pipeline.

For now let's just say I am NOT a disorganiser. I am not dishonest. I am not sh1te. I DO travel!

Do you?