Still still

The weather remains still and calm. We remain frustrated that we did not go away with Brunhilde. C’est la vie.

Fast Day today and lunch is coming from a packet – just pasta with a Tesco ready-made sauce, and a humongous salad to make up the 500. I’m not feeling too guilty. I’ll be spending much of this week in the kitchen so might as well take it easy today.

It is necessary to confess that despite sticking to the fast days, weight has moved marginally in the wrong direction. Shall we gloss over that for now and return to the subject in February? (I do note however that I am belatedly about to cross off two of my exercise goals – most likely today but perhaps not until tomorrow.) That being so, do I really want to reveal my stats this week? I suppose it’s a good discipline and I may as well keep honest about it. What week are we on now? I have lost count.

Ah, week 7 – I seem to have missed summarising week 6 – no matter, there has been very little progress, with my paying  little more than lip service to the notion of exercise over the last two or three weeks. I really must rebuild that habit.

I blogged sock progress, the first foot being finished, and will start the second one today. I doubt that the pair will be completed on time. There is much to do this week – starting with Makkin’ and Yakkin’ (aka Spinning Group) this very afternoon. I shall most likely spend my time there in making thrums…

We are agreed that going to town tomorrow would be fruitless and also leave me with far too much work to do on Wednesday. I asked if we could however make a trip with the car before Mr L goes back to work on the 5th. Apparently that would mean going tomorrow… so, I asked if we could go on his first Friday off, which will be the 9th January. Things should be returning to normal on the shop shelves by then and it should be a good day to go. Except that the return boat is already booked up and we would be third reserve to come home. Not possible, with dogs, cats and chickies waiting to be fed. Way too risky. Of course – it’s Refit Period. An annual ordeal, known only to the islanders -and, believe me, it really is an ordeal.

Looking at this year’s timetable, the best day to go to town will be a Wednesday. This is of course the day when several shops in town are closed for the half or whole day. These tend to be the shops that I like to pass my time in, naturally.  Wednesday the boat goes via Eday in both directions and gives me three hours and twenty minutes in town. Ample for Tesco and Donaldson’s, though tends to be a bit tight for going to Shearer’s. Fridays the boat goes directly to Kirkwall, visiting Eday on the way home but only gives me two hours and ten minutes in town which essentially means flogging up the road to Tesco, flying round there and then flogging back to the boat again. It’s not an exciting way to spend one’s time and tea time is a long way off, with the boat getting back to Loth at ten to six.

It won’t break my heart if I cannot get to town until after refit finishes (7th March) and this may well be doable, with the island’s shops now having their respective acts together.

So, I guess I am no longer in need of a ferry-knitting project! There is a silver lining to every dark cloud, even Refit Period. That said, if I do have to go in to Kirkwall at any point, I shall need plenty of knitting – especially if I go on one of the days when the boat calls at both Stronsay and Eday. With almost six hours on board, I could knit practically a whole sweater going back and forth to the toon! Is that a good thing, or a bad one? I am beyond knowing.

Speaking of knitting sweaters – I have yet to find time to skein off my latest yarn purchases, which I was sure that I would have done by now. I don’t know where this holiday is going to – we’ve done very little treasure hunting and not been out for any long walks. I have no idea where our time is going to.

Now, I really must go and boil my Fusilli or I shall be running late for spinning.