Tuesday, 06-10-26

Good morning.  Just a quick one today as I'm a bit pushed for time and need to be in school before nine for a SEND coffee morning (I'm the SEND link governor).

Thanks you to everyone who commented yesterday.  I'm on a bit off an adventure with this wreath, aren't I.  It was different with that little advent blanket last year when I just used what I had and made the best of it.  This year I'm doing a bit more prep - and starting the whole process earlier!

I can see it's all going to get a bit boring so I'll shut up about it for a while and maybe do a once a week update.
Or something like that.  😉

Right, well, I need to move on so I'll wish you all a great Tuesday.  See you tomorrow.  xx

Monday, 05-10-26

Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to Monday.  Did you have an enjoyable weekend?

I spent much of yesterday on this . . .

I may not have bought any yarn on Saturday but I did get a polystyrene ring and crochet covered it yesterday.   Just a long strip of double crochet (UK terms), wrapped round and round quite tightly and stitched.

I think I will fasten it to the ring with some non-rust pins, just to keep it firmly in place and not twisting at all.

It would have been easier to use ribbon but then it would be more difficult to sew the leaves, etc, into place.

Lovely holly leaf from Attic 24 but my cheap acrylic yarn doesn't have enough definition; it's just too fuzzy round the edges.  Fine for practising but not for something that will take me hours and hours of crocheting.
I wonder if I can find an acrylic mix with more twist and definition.  Must have a nosey around the internet!

Today, after circuits, is a home day.  There's tidying, cleaning, washing . . . all the usual stuff.  I'm hoping to get quite a lot done today.

How about you?  xx

Sunday, 04-10-26

Morning, all.  Welcome to what started as a very misty autumnal early morning before the sun started breaking through.

I had fun looking around a few shops yesterday.  I did a bit of non-food stocking up in Sainsburys; earlier in the year I stocked up on various cleaning materials, that sort of thing, and they were getting a bit low.  I looked around the clothes but, dear me, so much drabness!  Even Christmas stiff wasn't what I want for Christmas.  I want red, green, gold, sparkle, not washed out pink!!  On the other hand - Christmas chocolates, biscuits, etc - really?  In this house, they would be gone before the end of October!!

It was fun looking though.

I was kind of hoping I might get a petrol voucher with my receipt.  You do sometimes.  Not this time though, so I filled up without one.  Now, I know it's nearly two months since I last filled up and things are unstable, I get that, but it was shocking how much fuel has increased since last time.
It is what it is though; there's not a lot we can do about it!!

Then I popped into Hobbycraft.  Didn't buy any yarn though.  Hobbycraft's range of yarn has definitely gone downhill.  Such a shame.
If you have read yesterday's comments, you will see that the lovely pattern I bought might be an AI generated pattern (I know the photo was AI generated/enhanced) as there are reports that it doesn't really work.  Now, I have loads of DK acrylic yarn lying around so I'm going to use a smaller hook and the DK and just have a go at the various elements, just to see.  I might learn something, I might have to adapt, but I do like a challenge.
I'll report back in time.

It's been a busy morning.
The washing is in, the chicken I roasted yesterday has been stripped and the carcass is in the slow cooker, I have some leek and pepper softening slowly on the hob for a bean stew and Bubbles is in the oven with the light on because it's been cold overnight and she's a bit sluggish - and I need to make Lindsey's bread.
And I've just spent ages looking for this week's meal planning sheet, only to find it screwed up and in the bin.  Not torn up, thankfully!  I wonder who did that, now.  <cough >

Happy Sunday to you all.  Have a great day.  xx

Saturday, 03-10-26 and a follow up

 Good morning, everyone.  Welcome to Saturday.

First of all, big thanks to Nicky  who alerted me to a possible difficulty with the Christmas Wreath I bought yesterday. 

Nicky, you were absolutely right.  When I went into my mailbox, there was another download of the same pattern, far closer to what you described although without the 'Internal - not for customers' bit.  It was significantly different in some places (possibly in other places too, I haven't gone through them both with a fine tooth comb) including the actual construction so, obviously, there's a bit of a blip in whatever software is used to download patterns.
My yarn order had already been processed so I'm 'stuck' with it.  I use inverted commas because 'too much yarn' or 'unnecessary yarn' or even 'yarn I don't need now' don't appear in my vocabulary.  It's an impossibility.  How can you ever have too much yarn (no need to answer this!!!)?  I'll find something to use it up, fear not - in fact, I might make an adapted horizontal version of the wreath that could be used as a table centre decoration.  Then the cotton weight wouldn't matter so much.
We will see.

However - not good really so, in the evening, I fired off a message with a bit of a complaint.  I'm not great at complaining so it was very polite but I did say I wasn't happy with the mistake.
And, to be very fair, within half an hour, on a Friday evening, back came a very sincere apology and an offer to give me any pattern download from the site free.  I chose one and, lo and behold, there it was in my mailbox this morning with another apology and a suggestion that, if I wanted to, she would appreciate any feedback regarding the actual pattern.

This is the one I chose - yes, another Christmas wreath - because I dithered for ages over which one to buy in the first place and I can see lots of other uses for the individual parts of this pattern - decorations for the Christmas tree, little gifts, etc.  It's more child friendly, isn't it?

Yes, not a good thing to happen when you're building a business (and it's obviously not the only mistake, judging by what Nicky said) but I can't fault the follow up customer service so I am still (for now) recommending with a reservation that if you do buy a download pattern, you check carefully and, maybe, wait before buying any yarn - just in case, lol.

So, I will enjoy working on both patterns and, if all works out and if they are well written patterns that work, I am very likely to go back to her site because some of the other designs are just beautiful and you know what I'm like with a crochet project.  I do like a challenge.

(The photo is a screen shot from the site)

Phew - that was a story and a half!!  On to today and I need to get petrol so I checked prices and at the moment it seems like Sainsburys is the cheapest.  What a good excuse!!  I did a shop yesterday in Morisons but never mind, I always love a look round Sainsburys.
Hobbycraft isn't that far away either so why not?  And Longacre.
Oh, dear!!!

When I get home, I will deal with a pile of ironing and I have some meal planning to get finished.  I might even do some gardening, you never know.  Some things need an autumn haircut; not the tomatoes though.  They are still giving generously and there's loads of green ones still coming.  Before I started this, I shoved another bagful in the freezer so cans of chopped tomatoes will NOT be appearing on my shopping lists for months to come.

Right, well, this seems to have gone on and on and on so I will love you and leave you now.   Have a really good Saturday and see you tomorrow.  xx

Friday, 02-10-26

 Morning, everyone.  Welcome to Friday.
I'm feeling much more like myself now, thankfully.  Just a bit tired but I had a great night's sleep so no whinges today!

I was wondering what I could do for a Christmas craft project this year and I saw this:

This is a screen shot of the pattern which I have purchased after a bit of thought as it's not cheap but it seems very well written with lots of extra advice and I think it is really lovely.

Here's the link to the site where there's a much better, brighter picture.
https://crochetbyluna.com/products/crochet-christmas-wreath-pattern-pdf-poinsettias-pinecones-bells-bow-full-assembly-guide-us-uk-terms

The whole site is worth a look if you like that sort of thing - there's some gorgeous patterns there.

The stitches look easy but the construction will be a challenge and I need to buy yarn as it's cotton yarn, worsted/Aran weight.  However, the individual motifs I can make in my usual DK acrylic, for practise or for little decorations or cards.
And I could go for brighter colours if I wanted.  

Now's the time to start thinking about it so I could start in November.

A bit more spendy stuff.  I'm sure we have all seen warnings about bad weather incoming, other potential national/international disasters, etc, etc, etc, not necessarily all generated by the sensationalist gutter press.  I tend to take these with a pinch of salt but, at the same time, a bit of common sense is a useful thing and, while I have no concerns with shelf stable stuff, I can't find the camping stove I thought I had so I've bought another and some spare cylinders.  You know - just in case.
I can't safely use it indoors but I have a garden room with one side openable - I'd much rather not but we will see.
(I can always use it on summer days - cleaner than a bbq!!)
Now I am wondering if I'm sensible or silly!

Thinking of spendy, I've been looking quite seriously at one of the Jo Malone Advent calendars (don't shoot me all at once, please) but today I woke to a bit of good news from my premium bonds (nothing dramatic but a bit of nice leading up to Christmas) and, suddenly, I don't really want that calendar very much after all.  Weird how a lot of 'wanting' is only because you can't, not because you genuinely want it.
When I go into town to get Beth's present (some Jo Malone perfume - we're both fans), I'll treat myself to one of my favourites that has run out - much more sensible!!  It can be one of my Twelve Days of Christmas gifts to myself.
(and I can get the yarn for that Christmas wreath now!!)
The rest goes into savings, probably into my Jolly Holidays account!  :-)

Wishing you a lovely Friday when everything goes well and everything works out as you want.
Take care and be safe.  xx

Thursday, 01-10-26

Morning.  October is here - happy new month to everyone (that sounds nicer than pinch and punch!!).

Apologies for yesterday.  Wasn't feeling 100%, slept very badly over Tuesday night, just didn't have the motivation.

Yesterday was a bit busy.
In the morning, I took the bus into town for my audiology appointment.  I have been less than happy with the quality of sound offered by my new (and expensive) hearing aids but this is what these follow up appointments are for.  The settings don't always work first time, you have to live with them and then tweak as needed.  The nearest I can get is that the incoming sound was like a badly tuned radio.
Joseph (the audiologist, can't remember his last name) spend a considerable time retuning, tweaking settings, etc, before he started linking the new microphone which was the other reason I was there.  

I've mentioned before that my phone bluetooths direct to my aids and I have a gizmo that does the same with the TV and my laptop.  This mic does a similar thing, clipped on to a speaker's clothing, very useful for guided tours, meetings, etc.
I'd really have liked the next model up which can sit in the middle of a group, pick up all speakers and bluetooth but it was more than three times the cost of the one I bought - and that wasn't cheap, believe me!  Maybe, if tomorrow brings the news that my premium bonds have given me oodles of spare cash . . . 
(and pigs might fly!)

All of this took pretty much all morning so when I got home I had lunch and then had a good sleep.  I needed the sleep because it was the governors' meeting in the evening.
It was a really good and positive meeting and the mic worked an absolute dream.  I was so pleased.  Now to see if it helps in Slimming World group tomorrow.

I sent off my gas readings as always via my account and was greeted by the message that I was paying too much - well, that's not news and by the end of the winter they won't be saying that, will they?  That's surely the whole point of paying a set amount monthly!!  To be fair, because my boiler now only heats water at point of need, I'm definitely using less but that's counterbalanced by price rises.

Today is easier.  First of all, no personal training as Lindsey is away.  Val was coming over for lunch but we have rescheduled as she needs to be elsewhere.  So it is just the coffee and chat with Chris and then I can chill.  I need to - I just feel quite worn out at the moment, no idea why, I just do.  I need to potter, sort out clutter, get my environment looking nice.  That will help a lot.

It feels really humid this morning round here.  I'm going to have an early bath and then start the day.  I hope your day is just what you want it to be.  All the best.  xx

Tuesday, 29-09-26

Morning, my lovelies.  We have had some very welcome rain overnight - everything is still so very dry and it's going to take months before things are back to normal again.

Yesterday started busy and ended gently.
After circuits, I whizzed home, got changed, etc, and whizzed back out to gather the bus into town where I met Alex outside M&S.  Three quarters of an hour later we had sorted all Alex's Christmas gifts out and I had treated myself (bad me) to some Lush bath stuff and a really nice pair of earrings from an art shop.
Because wbhy not.

This art shop is a sort of collective shop that sells creations by local artists and crafts people and also supports people with challenges that make it hard for them to work.  I think it is run by the local church and I wish I could remember its name!!

After that we had lunch.  In my mind I had something like the M&S cafe but Alex had something else in mind so when I suggested Zizzi his face lit up!  So we went there and it was lovely.  We decided we ought to make this a monthly thing.

Once home, I collected my thoughts and then drove over to Beth with her bread and some tomatoes.

By the way, the change in technique worked for Lindsey's sourdough.   When it is wholegrain, you don't get the typical 'holes' in the crumb; it is more even. Mine is, anyway.  What you do get is the sourdough flavour, the rise and the digestibility!
Lindsey sent a photo to show me and she said it was absolutely delicious.  So that's good!!

Today it is Groove and another quick whizz round to freshen up and get changed before I have to pop into school for a SEND meeting.

Then the day's my own so it's housework stuff because it's much needed!  :-)

Have a good day, everyone, whatever the weather.  xx