Travelling nephew

One of Colin's nephews, Rory, is doing a bit of travelling overseas. He is currently in Egypt. You can read about his adventures in his travelblog.

Getting there....

I had a little surprise on Saturday morning. Backpay from my job which I left 18 months ago. It was all to do with the NHS Agenda for Change that was going on, (and still is). New pay scales were being sorted out and it was all supposed to start in October 2004. But because it was such a major task it has only just come through for my ex-colleagues. Because I left in November 2005 I had a year's back pay, and that's what came on Saturday. I'll probably save most of it, it wasn't a huge amount. But I thought I would treat myself to an official Mighty Boosh T-shirt. However, checking the site today, everything is sold out!!! I am very sad :o(

Girly shoes and lunch

As you may remember I am going to a "do" in July. I have shown a pic of my dress already but here is a reminder...........

It is navy and grey. As you may also remember I have the problem of small narrow feet, size 2.5UK. And I don't do heels. So I have been having trouble getting shoes to go with the dress. My sister in law lent me a pair when we were in Ireland but they are 3.5 and were my back up plan just incase I couldn't get any. Friday, Colin had an appointment in Bolton for an hour so I went along and waited for him and had a good old read of The High Lord. I am about half way through now. Anyway, after that we went to The Trafford Centre to look for shoes. After trying a few shops with no luck, we were directed to Debenhams, and tah-dah.................


I got some!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They do have a small kitten heel but it is fine. They do look a little bit more bluey in real life. And they have an ankle strap so they WILL stay on! The front is all beaded and sequined and they are the most girly pair of shoes I have ever owned! I don't do girly!! Or shoes!! But that may have something to do with my shoe size. Maybe if I had normal feet I would buy more shoes. Who knows.

My old boss from the hospital is retiring next Friday, and he invited me to a lunch yesterday in Llangollen with all the old gang. It's lovely because I haven't worked there for 18 months but he still asked me to go. He said I was still thought of as a member of the group. It was in a hotel called the Chainbridge Hotel right beside the river. We had huge windows overlooking the river and when the little steam train went past on the other side we were all waving and all the people were waving back. It was lovely to see everyone, and sorry to anyone I didn't get to talk to much. I had a good old natter with my friend Bex though, who was already a bit tiddled when I got there. I left at about 4.30 when they all moved on to another pub, but I had a text this morning to say they didn't leave until 9pm so goodness knows what state she was in then!! I am going to pop down to the lab for Gil's last day next Friday so will see some more people then.

And we are out for lunch again today. Colin has just had a call from a psychologist friend who is coming to Chester for the day so we are going to meet them in town for a light lunch in Swanky's coffee shop. This has become quite a regular haunt for us recently, very friendly staff and the food is pretty good. I think it is open into the evenings too, and I had thought of maybe using it for a knitting group meet-up, but that was before my "terrible knitting injury" caused by "thirty years of knitting, man and boy". (If you are a Fast Show fan, you will get that reference, if you are not a Fast Show fan, why not????).

Frankenstein was right!!

I have unequivocal proof that the Big Bang theory is true, and that spontaneous life can be created out of nothing..................................

Last night we had a great thunder storm with several big bangs, and today I found these in the lawn. And I swear they were NOT there yesterday. What more proof do you need??

I think you will also find that this is proof of fairies too, this is where they live isn't it?

Also in the garden, we are waiting to see what these are going to be like when they burst open. We bought a load of bulbs from a market and forgot what they were. These are definitely alliums, because they smell of onions which are the same family. Colin was convinced we'd been sold duds and that they really were onions when they first started coming up.

I was fascinated by this bee on our lavender. Can you see the bright yellow pollen sac on his leg? It was huge, and he had one on each leg. I don't know how he didn't crash to the ground under all the weight. (Sorry if its a bit blurred I was on full zoom and he kept moving!)

And finally, HOW ON EARTH DID CHARLEY NOT GET ENOUGH NOMINATIONS TO BE UP FOR THE PUBLIC VOTE?????????????????????????????????? Someone explain to me, cos I just DON'T GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Groovy patches

Look at these, Groovy Patches Pity they don't make them for the insulin infusion sets I have with my pump.

Thumb, books, BB8 & Boosh

(Lots of book links contained within....)

I thought I'd have a bit of a change, so have chosen a brighter template for the blog. Hope you like it. It feels a bit more summery!

So, I'm sure you are all dying to find out.......... ;o)

I was right all along, it is probably Trigger Finger (Thumb). I spoke to the GP on the phone last week and the X-rays and blood tests were clear. But he is going to refer me to the orthopaedic surgeons to have a look because it is restricting me from certain activities ie knitting! So I now have to wait for an appointment letter from them. Listening to the MRSA discussion on Jeremy Vine this morning puts me right off having an op though, but I should know better being an ex-hospital microbiologist, and the fact is the media blow it out of ALL proportion.

I finished reading The Divide a few days ago. It seemed to speed up towards the end and I did enjoy it. It was a shame how Abbie ended up in the situation she did. It is now packaged up ready to go to another bookcrossing person. In the meantime I read a quick little book called The Present by Spencer Johnson. It only takes an hour to read the whole thing, and is all about not worrying about the past or future, just living in the present. Easier said than done. Reading T's blog, I have ordered a copy of Nothing Special:Living Zen, which I think is in the same vein.

I then started another bookcrossing book I had called The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore. I got to about page 100 and abandoned it. It was all a bit bizarre and I just couldn't be bothered with it. A shame because I really enjoyed another of his books called Bloodsucking Fiends. I had never heard of Christopher Moore before I read that one. I have read 2 others, Practical Demonkeeping, which was similar to Stupidest Angel, but which I did read to the end, and Lamb, the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, which I really enjoyed. So this author is a bit hit and miss with me I'm afraid. 'Angel is now off to a bookcrosser in New Zealand to keep it moving because it had already travelled quite a bit before I got it.

I am now reading The High Lord which is the third of the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan. I'm not usually a fantasy fiction reader but having read the first one I really wanted to read all 3, which I will have done when I finish this one.

The only knitting related stuff I've been doing lately is reading blogs and putting together a package for my "CTnY" Summer Birthday Surprise recipient. If my "sender" is reading this by the way, please feel free to send me knitting stuff as my hand will get sorted and I'm determined to get back to knitting again soon.

Well, car crash telly-wise I am sorry to report that once again I am watching Big Brother. Every year I say I won't but I do. I didn't watch the one with Nadia in it though, and everyone told me it was so good I think I'm afraid to miss another good one. This year it has been ALL arguments. It does seem to have changed a bit in the last couple of days now that there are another 4 guys in there. Not sure I have an opinion on them yet but I thought the YMCA was very good!! I'm also wondering if Billie has been to Naboo's shop and bought one of Vince Noir's wigs!

Talking of the Boosh, the latest news I got was that series 3 is written and it is in pre-production, with filming due to start in July, woohoo!!

Edit: How spooky that I mentioned bookcrossing in this post - I just got an email telling me about this book I released a year and a day ago. But how did it get to Orlando, Florida?????

Ireland, cat & phones

Phew, what great weather we had this weekend. It was almost like being abroad.

We kind of were abroad, we popped over to Ireland to see Colin's dad for a couple of days. He is doing really well, the only difference really is that he forgets he has asked you something and asks you again later. But for goodness sake I'm sure there are many people of far less years than 88 who do that.

While we were there we did a bit of tidying up in the garden, at Colin's dad's and also at his sister's. Well actually I sat in the sun at Fiona's and a local cat came along and sat on my lap until it got too hot and hid under the table for some shade. I also went looking for some shoes to wear with my dress but no luck there.

We came back Sunday evening and had Monday off work too. It was rather hot though so we went into town and just pottered about the house. I called the doctor but my Xray results aren't back yet. The blood tests were normal though so I'm guessing that means its not arthritis. I haven't knit for well over a week now but there doesn't seem to be any improvement at all.

Now I am back in the office. I have to take photos of the phone system and email them to Colin's brother. There have been a few glitches in the system since it was set up and Niall is a telecom engineer in Ireland. He seems to think he can sort it out for us. I have to work out how to get the cover off the box of tricks beside my desk first!!

Visit, zoo, BFL & book

Just a couple of things I forgot to write about earlier in the week....

On Friday, Chris came to visit. We talked about her course for Burton Manor which is going to be called Knits Fit to Flatter. I think she has done a really good job on it, and I'll definitely go to it. She brought me presents too. A couple of crystals for my thumb, a moonstone and something else which I'm embarrassed to say I've forgotten the name of. And some carded wool for spinning. We had a bit of a go at it later on, and it was fun. I've tried raw fleece before but this was lovely and stranded so it spun easier. The 3 hours just flew, and at the end my living room looked like this........


On Sunday we popped up to the zoo to see the new Orangutan house. It is so much bigger than the old one.


This is only part of the outdoor bit. That is a running water feature at the front. And look at this orang.....


standing completely upright. I've never seen them do that before.

This arrived this morning from Natural Dye Studio. 100% Blue Faced Leicester sock yarn. But alas, it is not for me but I can't say who yet.




I'm a ways into The Divide now, and it isn't what I thought at the beginning. It's not about the murder really, it goes back to before that and the relationships going on in the family before it all happened. So yes, it has turned out to be a bit like The Horse Whisperer after all.

X-rays and books

This morning I went for my X-rays and blood tests. I have to wait about a week and then go to my GP for the results. I had some knitting on the coffee table which kept tempting me so I have now put away all my knitting out of sight so I can't be tempted to do "just a few rows to see how it feels".

I finished "No Humans Involved" by Kelley Armstrong. I enjoyed it, but prefer the werewolf ones. She is gradually getting through all the characters in her previous books and giving them a book of their own. This one was about Jamie Vegas, the necromancer.

I have now started "The Divide" by Nicholas Evans. He's the guy who wrote the Horse Whisperer. I thought this was going to be a bit like that, but not so far. There has been a body found in the ice on a glacier and it is a girl who was on the run for murder. That's as far as I have got. Colin bought me this for Christmas and I have bypassed it on my shelf for a couple of other books since then, but I felt guilty about not reading it because he bought it for me.

Whilst I was at the hospital I released this bookcrossing book, so if anyone is in the area and fancies it, go, go, go!! I didn't actually read it so I can't tell you if it is any good or not, sorry!

A bit of handy information

I trotted off to the doctor this morning to tell him I had trigger finger. However, he wasn't convinced. I said I'd had it before in another finger. He still wasn't convinced. He said trigger finger was caused by a trauma. I find not being able to knit quite a trauma.

So he poked and prodded and squeezed and bent (ouch!). I have to go and have both hands X-rayed and some blood tests done on Monday. And then go back and see him. In the meantime I have to try Voltarol gel (anti-inflammatory) and NOT KNIT!!!! Arrrrggggghhhhhh!!! Actually, that is a good idea because I did about 10 rounds of a sock yesterday and my thumb was very painful afterwards. Ah well, I might make some headway into the pile of books on my "to be read" shelf now.

This afternoon Chris is coming to visit. I met her on the knitting day at Burton Manor. I guess I'll just have to chat and watch her knit, to add insult to injury. It will be nice to see her though, and we can discuss her impending fame as the new knitting expert at the Manor.