Hello World, I am not completely sure that I feel like re-engaging with you yet but I am here to report that energy levels are much improved and normality looks set to be restored soon. Quite why I had to succumb to the world’s longest-ever migraine (well, Friday to Wednesday -it felt like it!) on top of that nasty virus, I do not know.
Mr L came down with the bug and has been off work so far this week, but is back to his desk today. I sense some reluctance š
Having been unable to go shopping as planned last week, we tried to book the ferry for yesterday. We could book an outward journey but only get 4th reserve on the way home. Can’t risk that. We tried to book for today – and could only get First Reserve in both directions. Again – too risky. So, Mr L pulled a fait accompli on me and booked the ferry for Saturday while I was otherwise engaged and out of earshot. He knew I would not be happy. Saturdays on the winter timetable have a slight drawback in that the ferry takes a cruise of the North Isles on its way to Sanday and the homeward leg takes three hours. THREE HOURS!
But, hang on, it’s gets worse – not only do we start a sentence, nay a paragraph, with a conjunction but also…. it’s panto weekend. This means that the ferry, being sensitive to the needs of the outer island populations, is returning from Kirkwall two hours later than usual.
The reason that I am not happy is that a shopping day of this length means that it is too long to leave the dogs unattended. Thus Mr L will be performing the marathon shop without assistance. While he is still coughing and hacking and feeling weak. And he won’t be home until after 8pm. After a 12 hour day. Five of those hours being spent on the boat.
He won’t be moved on the issue. I kind of see why, as the alternative is to wait until he is on leave and that would mean shopping on the 23rd or 24th…. imagine trying to do 2 months’ shopping on Christmas Eve. It doesn’t bear thinking about! The second alternative is to just leave it until after Christmas and venture forth in the deadland between Christmas and Hogmanay. The drawback there is the possibility of key items being sold out and not replenished by the time we get to the shops. When you only go every 2 months it’s kind of essential to be able to rely on getting everything you need in one go.
Poor Mr L – five hours, trapped on a boat with post-viral malaise and and unknown quantity of excitable children. Poor, poor man. This is heroism above and beyond.
So, I should finish his socks in gratitude!
Alas, the socks make very slow progress. I’m still struggling with the new needles and having to wriggle and push the needles back into the stitches when I turn the work round is really slowing things down. The migraine helped scupper progress too. But I am on the foot of the first sock and might even get to the toe today. It’s difficult to see how I can complete the pair before the 17th, though. He may get a sock-and-a-promise š Nor are the mitts completed. Or the sweater started. I’m lagging all round. Which is a shame, because I am obsessed by a potential project (of which more another time) and having to fight very hard not to obtain yarn and get stuck straight in.
We are watching Six Feet Under, from Series 1 ep 1 – there are sixty to go at. That’s a whole heap of knitting time I can harness. Maybe I’ll get caught up soon.
On the positive side of the scale this week – am expecting a blue bag from Natalie, and Kollage are replacing my needles for me. The blue bag contains the November solids club yarn and I am dying to see what is in it as the last two have been gorgeous. I keep intercepting the postie, but no sign of the bag yet. Kollage have been very nice about the needles and we are both hoping that I have a rogue pair and a replacement will ease my snagging issues.
In Other News: am toying with an idea of adding value to this rather very pointless blog. I may begin formal reviews soon. I’d also like to engage more interaction. At one time Woolgathering was a very chatty blog and I do miss readers talking to me, and the making of friends from strangers. It’s a toss up at the moment whether I just kill the blog off or go hell for leather into building it up into something different to what it is now.
Oh, and Winter Knitty is out folks. I’m not taken by much this time but perhaps a couple of the handspun projects: Blackrose socks and a not-very-likely-to-be-honest Rusty Nail scarf. Otherwise, I appear to be totally immune this time around. Good job, my queue is quite long enough already!
And now I must go make some soup for lunch, as soup is all Mr L feels up to just yet. Just a simple potato soup today, I think, with grated cheese on top and some crusty bread. Big handfuls of fresh parsley for the vitamins.
What is it – Thursday – and the man can only eat soup, but in 2 days’ time he thinks he can go out for 12 hours and bring home a metric tonne of shopping? He’s bonkers.
Well, now I have found your lovely blog, I vote keep it going! There are few enough in Scotland, even fewer from remote places (and even fewer that combine knitting/spinning and your own special humour). I enjoy reading about your life as well as your knitting and spinning.
At this time of year it is hard to keep them going, everyone gets too busy to post and comment as they rush around in the pre-Christmas frenzy (and also struggle with colds, flu and winter blues), but come January, they will be back!
I’ve been feeling the same about my main painting blog (see link above) and am thinking of adding a proper spinning/knitting one to it ( http://spundun.wordpress.com/ ) and abandoning the LiveJournal effort as I feel I can cope better by separating the two.
Having said that, it is rather therapeutic to scrap an old tired blog and start afresh!
Anyhoo, glad you are feeling a lot better, shame your hubby now has the lurgy and about the shopping trip, poor thing.
Bummer about those needles, too – I am still a 5 dpn girl – dabble with circs occasionaly, but drift back to dpns for comfort.
Keep well and you know where I am if you want to bash out some ideas blog-wise!
Hugs,
Kx
Ah, we don’t do pre-Christmas frenzy at our house. We do laid-back-and-smug humbuggery š
I agree about being easier to cope if you split blogs by interest but I’m only getting the decorators in here for the time being. All-new doesn’t hold much appeal at this stage. We have temporary clothes on but I have a longer term plan to install something swish that will help cope with different streams of visitors (as I see it)
As for the DPNs – I really believe Magic Circle has a grip on me – certainly if I can find the “right” needles – I can produce a sock in half the time that I can on 4 or 5 needles. That gives me less opportunity to become bored with them and hide them away.
PS: I don’t mean your blog is old and tired BTW, I mean, that is how I have felt about my blogs in the past.
oh, and PPS: I am still awaiting my Ravelry invite (sigh) and this is meant to be quicker that it was – sheesh!
Don’t worry – not taken adversely at this end š
How long have you been waiting for Ravelry? The wait is up to 4 days now, though when I joined I had to wait weeeeeeks.