Oh Canada!

We have just had visitors for 2 days. Colin's cousin Sheila (middle) and her husband Fraser (far left), who stayed with us for two nights and Fraser's brother Barry and his wife Pat (right) who stayed at a local B&B. They are all Canadian. They were really nice laid back people. This was taken outside our house this morning as they all left to drive down to Felixstowe to visit more people.



Yesterday was a great day, it was hot and sunny and we spent the day at Chester Races. It's the first time we've ever been and we've lived here 12 years! Of course we had to have a bet. There were 7 races and I ended up with 4 winners and a second place and tripled my money!! When I say I arrived with a fiver and left with 15 quid it doesn't sound so grand but I was only betting a pound at a time. This was my first


and my second winners


Fraser did really well, he made a net profit of £60.

Oh yeah, me & Noel & Julian, we're like THAT (holds up crossed fingers)

I am back off my holliers! We went to Ireland for 10 days starting with 2 days with some friends in Wexford and then going over to Co. Clare for 5 days. But enough about that......................

The reason we went was because Colin's nephew had got us tickets to see The Mighty Boosh in Dublin on 17th September. The seats were in the upper circle and it was general seating and quite a few people were in already when we got there so we were on the end, four rows from the front. We had to lean forward a bit to see all the stage and we couldn't see the screen at the back but there were only 2 times when you needed to see that and hopefully we will have good seats at Manchester in December.

Anyway..............(.don't read the next bit of you haven't seen the show yet and don't want to spoil it. I'll do it in a different colour so you know where to scroll down to.)

They came out singing "Future Sailors", Noel in sparkly silver top, black jeans & silver boots and Julian in a lovely white sailor suit with blue piping! Then they did a bit of banter about what they'd been doing since series 3. It was then time to introduce their special guests....the usual suspects arrived, Bob Fossil, Naboo and Bollo. Then Noel as Tony Harrison, Julian as Crack Fox, the Boosh band featuring Rudi on guitar, the Hitcher singing "Eels". After the interval it was time for one of Howard Moon's plays. This was all totally new material and culminated in the 2 of them in very skimpy outfits showing off the full glory of their pasty white legs!! Then the band came out again and Noel, Julian, Mike, Dave and Rich were all dressed as old ladies doing the Nanageddon song, swinging handbags and all. Finally there was a medley of songs from the TV series including the soup song and bouncy bouncy. There is a really funny bit involving the Honey Monster too. (There are links in this paragraph, just click on the names of the songs to see YouTube videos)

We didn't see anyone dressed up in the audience but apparently the night before there had been someone in a full panda outfit!!

And then there was the book signing!!!!!!!!!!! We knew that there was going to be a signing of the Mighty Book of Boosh on Saturday 20th at 1pm. So we had planned to go down to Easons at about 10am and I would get in the queue while Colin parked the car somewhere easy to get to ready to head off to get the ferry afterwards. But on Friday we went into Easons and there was a notice up saying they were only issuing 250 tickets on a first come first serve basis so I thought I'd have no chance. I was so disappointed because I was almost looking forward to that more than the show itself, the chance to actually meet them in person. Although Colin was suffering with a cold and cough he got me up at 5am (what did I do to deserve him?) and we arrived at Easons at 5.30am and there was NO-ONE THERE. I was FIRST in the queue. We queued outside for 3 hours then were let in and I got ticket number one


and we queued for another four and a half hours sitting on the floor of the shop,

and then THERE THEY WERE.................

Julian looking very cool in his shades, and Noel just looking cool anyway, can he ever look anything but?




I think this photo is of Noel talking to me.......


and this is him possibly signing my book or the one we got for Peter & Jenny (Colin's nephew & girlfriend).




Didn't manage to get in any of the photos with them (Colin did his best among the security men and bookshop staff!) but I think the photo of Noel signing with Julian without his sunglasses on, is Noel signing my book. Julian had the book first and he took off his glasses and looked me straight in the eyes with this HUGE beaming smile, and I just didn't know what to say. I just smiled back and said "Hi Julian!" Then he passed the book to Noel and I said to Noel "I've been here since half past five to get first in the queue" and he said "Did you get first in the queue?" (there had been 8 competition winners who were brought in first to get signed) and I said "Yep!" Then he signed the book and I said "Thank you" and put my hand out and he shook my hand!!!!!!!! and he said "Nice to meet you" and then it was all over! But Oh God, it was brilliant!! I touched Noel Fielding and he spoke to me!!!!!!! They are both so nice and polite, but the funny thing was they looked really big, like bigger than lifesize, it was quite odd.

And here is the proof that it all happened......


I have reserved 2 tickets for the signing in Manchester in December too, so this time I'll be prepared with questions and I'll make sure Colin gets me in a photo with them.

Someone came in a full Old Gregg outfit, but she was too late to get a ticket, bless her. Full marks for being brave enough to walk through Dublin dressed like that though.

(Click any of the above photos to see them in all their full size glory!)

Practice, practice, practice

(There are 2 posts today so scroll down)

I have been having a practice with my new camera. On Saturday I bought a 55-200 zoom lens for it, and yesterday we went for a walk around The Walls and I snapped away. I think these are the ones that came out best.




I thought this one was really good apart from the fact that it is slightly out of focus. (I mean the face, the background is meant to be out of focus!!)

In the words of Eric Morcambe.........

.............you can't see the join!!

Looky, looky what I got today,


KnitPicks Harmony interchangeable needles


Very nice indeed - the joins are smooth, the cables are very flexible and the needles are very pointy and light. I LIKE!! I have used the 4mm to cast on for the Tweedy Waistcoat, which makes for quite dark knitting because of the colour of the yarn and the colour of the needle tips.


This a scarf I finished off last night on Addis. I started this in November 2006, as a first foray into lace knitting, but after completing two repeats of the pattern I was unsure if it was me. While I was waiting for the sock yarn to come last week I picked it up as an in-between project and as it grew quite quickly I decided to carry on and finish it. It isn't blocked yet, but when it is, it will be put away for a Christmas present.


And here is himself on the front cover of the local newspaper, we did laugh. Couldn't have been much happening in the news last week, hee hee. (If you click on the picture it blows up big enough to read the article)

A necessary trip to the LYS

So I was looking for patterns for the Wild Fire Fibres sock yarn. I have been wanting to do something else with cables since finishing the Gathered Pullover. So I have decided to take on a bit of a challenge and make the Bayerische socks by Eunny Jang. I had wound the yarn into a ball and printed out the pattern and then I noticed that it calls for 2mm needles. I usually do socks on 2.5mm so I don't have any 2s. So that necessitated a trip to Stash! I had already been in on Tuesday with Becca after we had been out for lunch, and mentioned we might go back on Thursday as it was late opening. Becca couldn't come though so I went by myself from work.

Anne was there by herself and welcomed me in with a cup of tea, so I sat down and made myself comfortable. I got two 2mm circs and then turned my attention to the Rowan Scottish Tweed DK needed for the Tweedy Waistcoat from the Fall Interweave Knits. I looked at the peat and oatmeal colours that the magazine had used but I'm not really a 'brown person', so after putting together several combinations of colours we came up with these 2 greens, Apple and Celtic Mix.

Here they are together. It will be a change for me from purples and greys. Now I just need to think about which size is going to be best because I'm a bit in-between. Probably the larger one just to be on the safe side. Apparently the model is wearing the smallest size and she looks really slim.

Stash have also just received a shipment of something rather exciting. I'm not going to say what in case you go and snap it up and there is none left for me. It had only just arrived yesterday and hadn't been unpacked or priced so I couldn't buy it, but I will be back in next week and then its mine all mine, mwahaha!!

Oh yeah, just remembered - they want me to do a workshop on sock knitting!! One of my worst nightmares is talking in front of people but I do quite fancy the idea as long as the group wasn't too big. I know I would be a bag of nerves though. I'm going to put a few ideas down on paper on how it could be done and have a good think about it. What do you think? Should I do it?

Tonight is the final night of Big Brother 9. As usual I got hooked on it from the start, but to be honest there is no-one left that I would even imagine winning. I do have a feeling it may be Rex even though the bookie's favourite is Mikey. I know it is marvelous how he has coped in there being blind but I don't really think he is that nice of a person. Not that Rex is either, the way he treated people especially Nicole, his own girlfriend! And Darnell just gets on my nerves with his negativity all the time. Rachel? Hmm, I think her obsession with grapes is a bit worrying. Maybe Sara? Who wins.........you decide!

Wild Fire Fibres

Hmm, what could be inside this bright shiny package?


Oooooh, purty!!


It was my order from Wild Fire Fibres. This is 50% merino, 50% tencel sock yarn in colour Mirtillo....


And this is 80% merino, 20% bamboo sock yarn in colour Apple Orchard.


Both are extremely soft and squishy and I love them. I need a couple of great patterns to do them justice.

Edit: It may be slightly ambitious but I am going to use the green for a pair of Bayerische socks, eek!

(mooncalf, I hope I have made you happy today!)

Colin's a Celebrity, get me out of here!!

What can I say, I'm living with the bona fide Jimmy Saville of Chester! I'm very tempted to buy him a gold lame tracksuit.

Colin started his 365 day challenge to raise money for Cancer Research UK on Monday morning. Over the next year he is going to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats, swim the English Channel, row the length of the River Thames and climb the 3 highest peaks in Britain. But he is doing it all in the gym. You can find out all about it here. If you would like to donate, that would be great. Don't be put off by the fact that he has reached his fundraising target already, the more the merrier!!

So...........the local CRUK person put out a press release about the challenge and photographers from the local papers came to the gym to take photos. I went along too and got these pics while he was posing for them.




This is Carl, the manager of Total Fitness who is going to run across the USA as his challenge.


On Friday the local radio station interviewed Colin and it went out as part of the hourly news bulletin on Sunday morning. At work yesterday I answered the phone and it was BBC Radio Merseyside and they are coming down to interview him today.

(He has just phoned me and told me that he is on the front cover of the Chester Chronicle.)

Anyway, you can follow his progress in his blog, 365 challenge. Or why not take on a challenge yourself? It doesn't have to be as ambitious, but even walking a mile a day can add up to 12 marathons in a year!

Showing off my Show Off Stranded socks!

Pattern : Show Off Stranded socks by Anne Campbell
Needles : 2.5mm Addi turbo circs x 2
Yarn : Socks That Rock mediumweight, colour Backstabber.

These came out a bit big, I think the thinner weight of STR would have been better. They will be indoor-winter-socks rather than wear-inside-shoes socks.