My feet are freezing and I am typing slowly and carefully. All because the warm weather has inspired me to the first nail painting of the 'summer'. I have 20 shiny nails painted in 'sunset bronze'


Go:
pink/green sock #2 has toe, foot, heel+. leg and cuff to go.

Flem girl chemise has all but 1.2 seams felled. Then only hems to go.

I look forward to my body not needing 9hrs sleep a night. Chalk that up to convalescence. I feel well now but perhaps there is a little way to go.

I was going to try digging out the shape of the front path tonight- no go

What a mixed week! There has been bad news but also good. I am very sad for those who have lost loved ones. Yet I am delighted for those with new lives to cherish, or at least anticipate.  On top of the news that many of you will have read on LJ, my colleague has finally felt able to announce the name of his new son to us- said son was born with complications and is still in the ICU but there now seems to be confidence he will pull through with no lasting effects. Phew.

So have a nice hopeful picture of one of my little armeria plants having a jolly good go at spring. I love these chaps, pom poms growing out of pom poms.


On less momentous subjects:

I have just managed to assemble my new chemise ready for lots of handsewing during LoR-fest tomorrow. Flemish outfit, garment the first! Oh I like good linen! Yes I am making yet more working clothes, sigh. I like practical, well made clothes. Even if they do make me feel a bit of a sparrow at times. One day I might make more court garb but don't hold your breath.... The new sewing possie is mostly good. I hadn't thought about it but it means I can watch tellie while sewing, that's a strange thing. What I am missing is a table to my right, hmm

Is it sad that I am still having fun using my new washing machine? I obviously don't get out enough. But really, it's a lovely creature and it makes things clean! On that subject, I shall go organise that load for overnight. I have discovered the time delay function, 'tis a wonderous invention.

-House is dusted, mostly tidied and vacuumed
-Two beds are made
-quilt top for Master T pieced
-quilt layered and basted ready to stitch
-roses fertilised and watered in

Whew. It's lovely to have a tidy house but the point is that the parents arrive in a couple of hours.
Double whew for getting the quilt to this stage. It looks good I think. Bold and has tartan content as well as the overall design is sort of a tartan. I still don't have batteries, pic will have to come later.

Now to try to calm the anxiety that has been haunting me all day. Not about the parents visiting, actually I was sad I couldn't call and have a chat today. Friday at work was pretty horrid and I didn't manage professional calm for a period which I feel bad about. Need to forgive myself and move on. If the only tolerable state is perfection, one is constantly failing to meet standard. Not a good feeling. Need to forgive myself for not being perfect, sigh.

There are many good things. I had the house open today and the jasmine was perfuming the air. There are enough freesia flowers that I could cut some for inside. More natural perfume!

when you pour washing powder from one container to another, I recommend outside and downwind of your nose. Not inside, just under your nose. I did the latter about an hour ago and am still a bit uncomfortable.

Am feeling much more healthy and cheerful than when writing my last post. It's not that I hate Mondays, they just beat me about the head. Literally it feels like.

I went to Tues craftiness for the first time in a month and had a lovely low key time. Can't go for the next two weeks due to parents in residence. That's just fine.

Spring she is a sprunging. Freesias and jasmine have started blooming. My primula seedlings are all flowering and looking fine. The two new roses are still looking good and producing lots of leaves. All good. The caterpillars are still marauding, less good, battle continues. I can't post pics 'cause I have neglected to aquire batteries for the camera. Must do that. Want more rechargeable ones.

I'm off to find a drink and make more pinwheels

Later:
pinwheels made. All blocks now constructed for Master T quilt MKII. Just needs joining with sashing strips etc. Now I wonder if it will be too big? 112x128cm

well, have survived another week. Busier than last on the work front which is good. Slightly more social too which was also good, and it's good that it was good, if you see what I mean. I do feel a bit pathetic that my life has few Fri nights out these days.

Tonight I tried an adventure on the way home. Travelled (very slowly) via Toorak Rd. Visited Spotlight. Bah, got there 10min before closing which didn't end up allowing the purchase of anything. Not too sad, I was there just long enough to convince myself they didn't have what I wanted and little enough to prevent being tempted by anything I didn't need.

Got home to another yellow card in the post box... I have a package to pick up! The only thing I know is coming are the DVDs I ordered in a weak moment. Ostensibly as a birthday present to self. I really shouldn't buy myself things prior. Never mind. I will try to leave these wrapped and can regift if needed. I'd tell you what they are but that would damage their regifting potential.

What I plan to watch tonight is.... an episode or several of the old BBC Hitch Hikers guide series. Yay! found today and purchased to both research for and probably play at,
the party.

This weekend I need to do whatever needs doing before the parents arrive next Sat. I have a long list but will try to have fun doing it rather than beating myself up about it.

And... last night I went to see Xerxes. FANTASTIC!!! If you like Handel opera you so should go. Tobias Cole so has a new fan(Counter Tenor of power, clarity, accuracy, delicacy and amusing acting talent. Not quite as godly as His Excellency Mr Scholl but really good). And so does the woman who played his brother whatever her name is (wonderful expressive contralto).  And possibly the dude who played the brother's batman (bass type, lovely voice though we heard little of it and really funny) REally, it was great!!! And, B reserve seats in the new recital place are just fine. Sound was grand and one is not far from the stage. And the panelling is growing on me. Looking at it is like finding pictures in clouds. There are more than one dozen hearts, strange pairs of eyes, shouting mouths, crowned agitated odd milk bottle things, landcare-esque  pairs of hands....

And, and... Red sock #1 is finito. Green/purple sock #1 is barely started. I am going with (Hometime's?) suggestion of knitting socks from alternating pairs for the interest factor. Actually, I think Hometime said she knits the same bit of each sock in succession which is different. Whatever, I really felt like trying out the contrasting toe and heel thing. I'll do Red sock #2 after.

a rather long and bitty post but I have days and days to talk about and a glass of wine to lubricate the words. Now to dinner.

just having a little break. I have piked tonight and last week for the usual Tues crafty hangings out. I have been really wanting more nights off. I get to Fri exhausted and needing head space like nobody's business. I think to myself "I'll get that done one night this week", then there ends up being no nights available to do said thing. So I am making sure there is some.

I'm also not doing events at the moment. I personally did not have a particularly good time at midwinter. The event/s were fabulous. I just didn't have a good time. I think in part I understand why though I don't know how to prevent it happening again. So I'm having a break.

I'll be back. I've offered to teach up to 4 classes for the Oct thing. So I'd better go to that eh?

so tonight I cooked dinner, got a load of washing done, did the dishes, wrapped a pressie and chatted with the folks. Not earth shattering but it makes life run more smoothly.

Oh, and red sock #1 has a turned heel, without gaping holes! Nice to learn and improve. I think I too have memorised this sock pattern.

Ha, I laugh at myself. There was lots of talk in the office today about how people were or were not going to turn up to work tomorrow after they had won the lottery.

Normally I don't believe in such things and don't buy tickets. I got caught up in the general hype - as well as the fact that one of the groups with a big syndicate is my old work team. I couldn't face it if they all won and I didn't even have a ticket. Guess who would be dragged back!

Anyway, I ran off after work and bought the cheapest ticket available. Then drove home with all sorts of visions of how hard it would be to allocate the money. .. So maybe it is just as well I don't seem to have won any!

This weekend I attended two of the best SCA events I ever have. Lots of other people did too. Go the autocrats, cooks and all their helpers.

Friday was great. An open, relaxed but stylish feel. Great food- YUMMY! no suprises there but worth saying. I missed last court of their previousness's due to work being greedy with my time. Great to see everybody. We sang, just for fun, probably too much. Old orange Durer fit really well, better than expected. Still my specciest gown. There was a fountain on the groaning board! just like old times and fabulous for being so. Rushed away to take her pregnant excellency away to her needed rest.

Sat. a big rush to get there with promised ingredients after more sleeping in than planned for. Hall looked great. Those banners really worked. One of the most elegantly decorated halls ever I say. Courts were elegantly brief- what they needed to be with some touching touches but not extended, over done or controversial. We sang the sing for their new maj's processional and it worked! well even! Food was really good, tasty, attractive and plentiful. Yay for the lasagne, turks head, cherry pottage, fruit jellies (extra wow) and dessert bikkies especially.  Frocks were grand, my new black Durer isn't very speccy but I do like it and it's as comfy as they come. People were lovely (with a notable exception during a particular peerage meeting but pah to him). Helped a bit to tidy. Was torn about leaving until we realised that one set of house guests had headed home without a key to get in.

I didn't make the Sunday tourney. Never really meant to I suppose- running on ragged edge of sanity and care factor. Pity 'cause if it was on separately in a week or two I would be keen. Caught up instead with some rarely seen nearest and dearest. I hear people who went had a good time- needfully drunken in some cases. I am so looking forward to the unstructured nature of the next few weeks. Am feeling a NEED for quiet headspace. Have spent the last fortnight with pretty much every time slot booked, accounted for and a bit stressy. I need SPACE! and I didn't run the events!

Not enjoying the fact that I have discovered Event Guilt. Made worse by this weekend's extravaganza being run by my household and almost household. I did some but struggled to enjoy the events wholeheartedly for guilt at not doing more. Silly me.  I think people who run large events are simultaneously insane and worthy of great admiration.

I must however be doing some useful stuff. Was rather touched to be awarded a silver drakkar, cut from the baroness's gown no less. Amusingly (?) broke my 20yr society record of no service awards. Mayhap I have done enough in 20yrs to deserve one so I shan't feel I don't deserve it. Was sort of fun to have basically only A+S awards though AoA and Viscounty have service elements I suppose.

(testing how a crosspost works with rich text option selected)

Bother- my favourite emoticons don't appear from dreamthingy and are not available within. Apparently  I need to edit in LJ to get them to show up.

am feeling more myself thank you. Verily, PMT+grief+stress made a powerful and unpleasant mixture.

I am still feeling rather sad so will putter about this weekend achieving what I can and trying to feel good about it. I shan't write a list here, that will just stress me more, wrote it the other day anyway. I really must organise for next weekend's wedding by Sunday night as I have no free nights next week in which to pack.

Aside from all that, I am again following in doushkasmum's sock knitting footsteps. We were both intending to try knitting some toe-up socks. Again we are using the same pattern though found sort of independently. At least this time our wool is from different sources and we are using different needle styles, dpns for me and circulars for her. Anyway, I have wended my way to producing the first toe. Seems to have worked and was rather fun. Now I get to do the the plain foot while watching the stripes develop from the multicoloured wool. I bought the wool in Stirling so I am working with a souvenir of sorts from last year. Two more lots of sock wool were bought in Scotland so there is much knitting fun potential. Sock knitting is fabulous train work and seeing as I have managed to get back on the train a few days per week I do need a train project. Increases my tolerance for delay manyfold.

I had been collecting a list of rather specific shopping needs that centred on a trip to Sydney Rd. So in 4hrs I have ticked them all off and am exhaustipated. The last segment ended with the classic "buy as much as you can carry". I was buying veges by that point so not so scary.
So now I have aquired:

-a slightly better brush attachment for my new (cheap) vacuum cleaner. Turns out I did not need to buy an extension piece for the wand- the lady introduced me to the telescoping nature of the existing wand  *blush*
-lots of yummy foodstuffs from the big mediterranean  store. Yay!
-the perfect tartan cotton to extend and scottishise my nephew's quilt
-a bolt end of divine white furnishing brocade. Looks like silk but probably isn't. I'll burn test it later +++
-a piece of teal silk crepe
-fabric for Erudito's coat. Charcoal and heavy
-veges for tonight
-brilliant yellow chrysanthemums. Cheerful to look at and I LOVE the smell.

Now I need to find the energy to put this lot away.

+++ OMG! it IS silk. 1.3m at $4/m !!Wow!! so there was a reason it called to me from across the shop. There weren't any other bits like it, I did check. Nearly bought about three others but thought as it was all on spec, I would only buy the really nice one. Glad I did.

has escaped from my television! NO!

Maybe it died in protest at yet another viewing of P+P? If so, it is not the television for me.

It went pfft, then the picture went funny- sides curved inwards- but otherwise OK.
about half an hour later, magic smoke came out but the picture recovered, weird
then -no picture and gentle protesting beeping.
I have unplugged it. I think it is dead Jim. It's about 4yrs old.

The only good thing is that I can look to replace it with a skinny flat screen. Still, wasn't planning on that sort of money, grimace.

AND- I don't get to finish watching P+P

feeling slow this morning. Perfectly understandable. A brain heavy week finished up with out till midnight involving cocktails. I went to see/support catchmyfancy at the finals of an eisteddford thingy, with bonus company of the giddy one. I really enjoyed it, she placed which was fab though not as fab as winning would have been of course. We dubbed the winner "shouty girl", a strong contralto who sang only loud things. She shouted well but there was no evidence that she was capable of delicacy or any variety of intensity.

So I got up late. My achievements by 11am are the dishes from Thursday night and one bodgy  load of laundry. Dumb, I did a full load, after it was done and all the clothes were out of the machine I realised the water level was set to "low". Strangely most things seem clean enough- a few might have to have another go. Wonder if I will regret putting them on the line? I can't be lazy and use the dryer 'cause it is deadibones. One day I'll maybe find a fixit option and get help to lift it down off the wall.

Now I need to figure what to do with the rest of the day. Several ideas, none of which feel appealing right now. I've just had second coffee so I can't use that as thinking space, hmm.

I got home at a reasonable time. Fed myself, made the meatballs for tomorrow and practiced my song (no voice to speak of and a sore throat as a result) After all that it was all of 7:30! I was braindead but restless so I shifted a bookcase and a cupboard in the sewing room. Decision to do made previously so a nice brainless job.

Oh I own a lot of fabric. A little bit less now, threw a few odds and ends out but still, a lot of fabric. I think I need to re apply the fabric purchasing embargo until I have made some room in the cupboard. Particularly since the last two major projects were/are from newly purchased yardage. Must make up more from stash, really. Plenty of potential there.

-company for dinner after 3 days on my own. Thanks for coming over erudito . Though we agreed we should each have been spending the evening with a lovely gentleman of the right persuasion, sigh.
-a favourite old recipe
-black sherry- though it or the total quantity of alcohol is noticeable in my brain this morning

-brushing my hair in a mostly dark room and watching the sparks in the mirror
-a clean kitchen
-rediscovering nutella
-feeling almost well. Actually well would be better but hopefully all I have to do is wait.

I was afraid today that I was coming down with some lurgy or other. There seems to be several going around. Actually I now conclude that I was probably suffering from
- an overdose of smoke- forge, BBQ and campfire smoke with a bit of burning bitumen thrown in for good measure
- talking all day - my replacement started this morning and training always gives me a sore throat.
- not eating enough breakfast- leads to dizziness and mild nausea.
The things we do to ourselves. A proper dinner and an evening of no talking seems to have helped. An early night would help too.

very minor miracle. I have had a mildly productive Monday night. Almost never happens. The rest of the seams on new chemise are hand felled! (partly done last night while watching "Persuasion" again) The black frock body is together and bodice lining pinned in.