The diabetic handbag!

A few days ago I found a couple of posts on some diabetes blogs (Kerri's post, Leanne's post and Karen's post) that I look at, where the girls were showing the contents of their handbags, highlighting the stuff that we have to carry around with us. We can't just grab our keys and go like you "normal folks". We have to BE PREPARED!!

Inspired by these ladies I decided it was time to have a go myself. I have never video-blogged or "vlogged" before, and haven't even actually been on video before so this is a first for me! I managed to get the webcam going and recording so this is my effort.



If that takes too long to load, try this link.

I would be interested to know what a male diabetic has in his bag, or pockets!

Ack!!

Ok, I'll have a go at a catch up but I am feeling a bit grumpy-bum! I've only gone and got ANOTHER ear infection! In the other ear! It is at the "getting really painful" stage but I'm not messing about, I've brought in the big guns straight away this time and am taking the painkillers that they gave me in A&E last time. Boy, they're good. Make you a bit sleepy though. Luckily my GP agreed over the phone to give me the same antibiotics as last time, I didn't need to make an appointment to see him, so I'm on those as well. (And I swear a cotton bud has not gone near my ear since the last time!)

Talking of GPs, did you ladies out there know that it is not enough now to just have a "General Practitioner"? They are far too general. No, now you need to also have an "aesthetic practitioner"! I discovered this by reading the small print on the screen of a TV advert for an anti-wrinkle cream last night. It told me to consult my aesthetic practitioner. No-one told me about this before, who are these people? I'm assuming they must be the faux "scientists" in white coats that congregate in the cosmetic department of Debenhams or Boots and the like. Maybe I should consult one on how to make an infected ear look aesthetically pleasing with goo dripping out of it?

It goes without saying that I have been reading a lot lately. But as for knitting........ I have a few things on the go. I am making another Vegas Sands neckwarmer because the June sock yarn I got from Wild Fire Fibres was too lovely to wear out on my feet. The Firestarter socks are on hiatus but I have started another project which I can't show on here but you can see if you are a Ravelry member here. I am making it using stash yarn that I have had for a while. I liked the colour combination when Ysolda used it in her Whimsical Little Knits book. I am doing random amounts of each colour. (Sorry non-Rav members but the person it is for is not a Rav member).

Colin has been off doing his thing for charity. Last weekend he went off to Scafell Pike with 7 others and they climbed it in about 7 hours up and down. When they got to the top there was SNOW! In June!!

On Sunday morning he was marshalling at the Race for Life in Chester.

So.... Big Brother is back for the summer. The same old bunch of usual suspects, the same petty arguments over nothing, the same silly humiliating tasks........ah we love it don't we? I'm going to put myself on the line here and suggest Rodrigo as this year's winner. He is in the background at the moment but I think he may come into his own once some of the loud mouths get voted off. Angel is a bit odd, she was sucking a raw egg the other day, that can't be healthy can it?

Can you tell what it is yet?

I felt like growing something, but not just any old thing. Flowers are lovely but they are lovely for a short period of time and then they are over. I wanted something a bit different, so this is it. I have just started it off, and apparently I should start to see something within 6 days. That's if I've managed to get the conditions right, I'm not sure about the temperature fluctuations in the back bedroom.

So have a guess if you want, I shall post progress pics, as and when, for the next clue.

Ear update: So I'd been to the GP on Monday and got the extra antibiotics but nothing was improving, in fact it was all getting worse as far as I was concerned. I have never known pain like it, and on Tuesday Colin came home from work to find me in tears. It was too late to get a GP appointment so we went over to A&E. Amazingly the wait wasn't too long before I was seen by an Australian soap star masquerading as a doctor. Basically there was nothing he could do for me except give me some lovely strong painkillers. Hoo-wee, were they good! Knocked me out a bit but they didn't half do the job. I am now more or less painkiller free (except I had to take some during the night last night) and I am now waiting patiently for my ear to "pop" so I can hear again. The swelling has reduced but it is all very blocked up.

This is going to be very icky but I haven't washed my hair since last Saturday because I was told not to get my ear wet. This has been okay because I haven't had to go out anywhere yet, but today is the day I have to leave the house. We have no milk and I can't have a cup of tea!!! Horror of horrors!

Aaaawwwwwch!

I am not having a good time. I have an ear infection and it is agony. There is some kind of "thing" swelling up in my ear and I am completely deaf on that side. It is extremely painful and no matter how many painkillers I throw down my throat, nothing will touch it. I haven't slept for 2 nights and I'm knackered.

I went to the out of hours doc yesterday morning and the nurse practitioner there gave me some Flucloxicillin. When I was still in agony this morning I went to my GP and she gave me Amoxycillin and Gentamicin drops. I am praying that something will start working soon, as I am about at screaming point now. I have never known such a long period of sustained pain. Usually you get a bit of a break when the painkillers kick in but this is relentless! Please make it stop!

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!

Colin's challenge

Please visit Colin's site where he is doing something good for Cancer Research UK.

http://www.365challenge.co.uk/

And here is the blog

http://365challenge.blogspot.com/

Thank you!

Amazing S.E.X. (Stash Enhancement eXpedition!!!)

Ok..........yarn, check.........needles, check..........gauge, check..............row counter, check........fingers & thumbs, check...................target, on the way!! Woohoo, 3 hours till Sock Wars 3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I went up to Liverpool for a chat with the dietitian, which was a complete waste of time. It was a four and a half hour round trip for less than 10 minutes in the appointment, for something which could have been done over the phone!!! BUT.................seeing as I was out so quick I wandered back down the hill and instead of getting back on the train, I thought I'd just "pop" to John Lewis.

OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was mooching along the huge wall of Rowan yarn, when I noticed some of it was marked down. HALF PRICE. And the Debbie Bliss, and the Mirasol! I picked up about 6 balls of various things, working out that I had about £15 worth of yarn. Then one of the staff said "Oh I'm just about to mark that down by half again, give it here" so I did and she marked it down which meant I only had £7.50 worth and could buy more. She told me to bring anything else to her and she would half it before I got to the till. This is what I ended up with.



3 balls of Rowan Scottish Tweed 4 ply for 80p each

2 skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed for £1.15 each

2 balls of Rowan Tapestry for £1 each

2 balls of Natural Silk Aran for £1 each

2 skeins of Mirasol Hacho for £1.25 each

2 skeins of Mirasol miski for £1.25 each

2 skeins of Mirasol Sulka for £1.25 each

2 balls of Rowan Felted Tweed for £1.25 each


A total of about £80 worth of yarn for a grand total of £18.70 The reason is that they are moving at the end of the month and are getting rid of all the display yarn to start off fresh in the new store. So you won't get large packs of yarn, only the odd balls on the shelf. But still, I'm going back before they move!! Hopefully Becca will come with me and we can help each other carry home our haul!!! Hahahaha!!!

Well better go and tidy the house, we have visitors this weekend, so I'd better get my jobs done before Sock Wars battle commences!! Mwa ha ha ha ha!!!!

6 months on

It is 6 months ago today that Colin had his tumour removed. Time has flown and you would never know, apart from the scar running from his elbow to his wrist. He has a follow up scan next week and a consultant appointment in April, but fingers crossed everything is going well.

Lots of bits and pieces.

The Gorgeous One is very cute, and I have to accept that he is only less than 4 months old, but he can try my patience. We are going to watch a puppy training class this evening, (we can't take Charlie because she is fully booked but we are welcome to go and watch), to see if we can pick up any tips. I have been watching The Dog Whisperer on Sky. Wow, Cesar Millan is amazing. The trouble is I have been trying to copy what he does and expect miracles to happen, and it just don't work like that. I obviously haven't mastered the art of being "calm-assertive". And Charlie certainly hasn't mastered the art of "calm-submissive", not by a long chalk. I even bought and read Cesar's book cover to cover, but unfortunately it isn't a "how to" book at all. It is a very interesting and absorbing read though.

I think I have worked out how to add video to a post, so hopefully this will work.

I haven't heard anything from the hospital about a reschedule for my hands yet. On the blood sugar front, things are going well, I am seeing a psychologist who makes a lot of sense so I'll stick with him for a bit longer.

We had friends visiting briefly at the weekend. Dave who was Colin's best man and Huw who was an usher. They both trained as Clinical Psychologists with Colin. Dave came up from Reading and Huw from Exeter just to have a meal, stay overnight and jump back on a train at 9.30am the next day, a little bit worse for wear after a few drinkiepoos. Dave was absolutely chuffed when we offered him one of our spare Mighty Boosh tickets, so either he or we have to find one other now. And its still 10 months off.

Supernatural is back on ITV2. I have the episode recorded but haven't got around to watching it yet. Can't wait though, I have to see what happens to Dean after his deal at the crossroads to get Sam back.

On the knitting side of things, I am just decreasing the toe on my second Monkey sock. So hopefully there will be pics in my next post. The colours have pooled differently in each sock which is interesting as both balls are the same dye lot. I really like the pattern though and am just starting to get it in my head now that I have almost finished. But that means another pair may be on the cards and will hopefully grow quicker. I have some Lorna's Laces in pruple and green that I am going to use for my next pair of socks, which I may just do plain toe-up.

Well I have 2 bookings for Reiki tretments coming up. The first is a friend of Colin's who suffers with MS. I was supposed to see her on the day that Colin went in for his operation back in September and we have only just got around to rearranging. The second is a friend who is going to have a treatment to see what it is like and then maybe book some sessions as gifts for her mum and sister. Ooo, I'm a bit nervous but I'll be fine once I get going. Wish me luck!

Back in circulation

Here are some new pictures of "the gorgeous one" as christened by Clarabelle. He is certainly growing, probably to do with the peanut butter that we put in his Kong and as you can see he loves having his tummy tickled!



I did do a little video on my camera but it doesn't want to load onto Blogger which is a shame.

As you can see i didn't post for nearly 2 weeks so i'd better do a catch up. On Friday 11th I went off to have my finger and thumb sorted out. Got there, got in the gown etc, and then the doctor came to see me, and took one look at my blood sugar levels (as most of you know i have diabetes), and told me that they were too high and he wouldn't do the surgery, because if i got an infection it would be very nasty indeed. So that was that, I came home.

A few weeks ago at my diabetes check-up in Liverpool, it had been suggested that I maybe come into hospital to try to sort out my blood sugars. So on Monday at 5.30pm I got a call from the ward saying they had a bed and could I come NOW. Not in the morning cos they couldn't hold the bed, but NOW. So off I went and that's where I was until Friday evening. Things went really well, and I just have to keep it up now I'm back at home. It was quite strange being in hospital because i wasn't actually ill, so it was a bit like being in a hotel (although i definitely would not have been paying to stay there.) I was allowed to come and go if i wanted to, but I didn't actually leave the building, just went down to the shop a few times, and for a coffee with Colin when he visited. Anyway, hopefully when I get sent another appointment for my hands, I can now have it done.

So I had a lot of time to fill. I read Russell Brand's My Booky Wook. I quite enjoyed it really, although its not one to read if you are looking for a literary tome! I finished one Monkey sock and am almost half way through the second one. I'll save the pics for when they are finished. I had loads of compliments on them from the nurses, doctors and cleaners. Some of them thought i was some kind of genius to be able to make a sock. I thought I would get a lot more done and took another lot of sock yarn in case i finished the Monkeys but didn't get to use it in the end. It is next in the queue though! I also did a lot of word search puzzles and sudoku etc. And listened to a few Podcasts.

This morning I had notification that one of the bookcrossing books I left on the Wirral 3 months ago had been found and journalled. It is this one.

So that's what I've been up to!

I got tickets!!!

Whhhoooooooooooooooopppppppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! I have Mighty Boosh tickets!!!!!!!!! What a palaver. I am on a fan mailing list called Modwolves and we were told that all our emails had been sent to the promoters of the live shows so that we would get an email link and a PIN number to get advanced tickets. Some other Booshys I know got their PINs and 24 hours later when some of the tickets had already gone on sale, I still hadn't had a PIN or link!! I started to panic and went on the message boards, and nearly everyone had a PIN and some already had tickets. Anyway someone gave me a number to call and I got through easily and was given a PIN number. So Thursday morning more tickets were released at 10am, so I refreshed for about half an hour before just in case. Well, 10am came and the page flashed up, and I was in there like a shot.......at 10.04am I had ordered 4 tickets and it was all over and done with. I think I was one of the lucky ones cos I went straight onto the message boards and there were all kinds of problems and people moaning and wailing about screens going blank and not getting tickets and how it was all a shambles. Anyway, I got mine and they are for Dec 2nd at Manchester Apollo. Of course they are not physically in my hot little hands yet, apparently they are not being sent out till August! But hopefully they will come, and I am a happy bunny. I just don't know where we'll be sitting. Or who is going to get the 2 spare tickets!!!

Colin finished his radiotherapy last Tuesday, and his arm is already starting to look better. It looks like strange sunburn now with lots of peeling. He went for a check-up on Thursday morning and had a chest X-ray which was clear. This afternoon he has gone for a CT scan cos they couldn't fit him in on Thursday as we had to get to the airport to go to Ireland. We'll get the results of that in a few days.

So we went to Ireland Thursday afternoon. We stayed with Colin's dad and also saw his sister Fiona who lives 5 minutes away. And on Saturday we went to Niall's which is about an hour's drive south, and saw him and his family. He gave me something which is quite possibly something rather special............

Yeah, yeah, they may just look like a couple of drinking glasses to you but there is a story. Niall worked for Telecom Eireann (Ireland's BT) and when there are big concerts at Slane Castle his team were responsible for sorting out all the phones etc, so he had access to the backstage areas. In 2001 U2 played Slane and afterwards Niall was able to snaffle these 2 glasses from the room where they had all been drinking champagne from them. These glasses could very probably have Bono's saliva on them!!!!! Or Edge, Larry or Adam's! Knowing what a huge U2 fan i am Niall has kept these for me for 6 years!

Onto the knitting..........

I started a pair of plain socks in some Lana Grossa Cotton Fantasy sock yarn that I got from Stash's bargain bin. The colours are 812 - blue/brown/grey and Colin decided he would like them so I am trying to get those done for Christmas. I also worked on my Drops 88-4 sleeve in Ireland and have nearly finished the cabled bit so that shouldn't be too long to finish now.

I got this from ebay last week, 150g of sock weight Kauni yarn for a grand total of £4.20.

And what did I do when I was opening the packaging with scissors?
Then I tried to wind the skein by myself and it has all ended up as two small balls, 2 large balls and one lovely knotted mess that I am trying to unravel, ulgh!

On other knitting things I have been chuckling along to the limenviolet podcast that I mentioned a couple of posts ago. They are just 2 American women talking about knitting but some of the things are funny. They record it in one of their houses and she has a couple of mad dogs who you can hear breathing or running around in the background. In one episode they fell about laughing cos the dogs were humping, and in another the husband came in to get the dogs out and he was chasing them round the room wearing just a pair of boxer shorts with hearts on them. Good job this is not on a webcam!

On TV I am getting excited about the final of Strictly Come Dancing. My favourite, Matt is through to the final but I think he will have a job on to beat Alisha. I don't know how the winner is decided, by the judges or the public vote?

Tomorrow morning I am going for another pre-op appointment about my thumb. I guess it has been a while since I went before but it shouldn't take too long as I can't see that anything has changed. Then the op is on Jan 11th.

Bah humbug!

It has been over a week since my last post. I was sort of waiting because i didn't have any photos of anything, but I can't see any photos happening in the next few days either so i thought I'd just get on with a new post anyway. Does a blog post need photos or pictures? I'll admit that I do tend to look at blogs if they do have photos than if they are just plain text. So I'll not be expecting many readers today!!

So what has been happening this past week? A bit of planning for Christmas. The mad "buying presents and getting them in the post" rush has been averted this year because we have decided to go down south to visit my folks on 27th Dec for a couple of days. I have still been doing a bit of shopping though. I am finding it really hard thinking of presents for people this year. I remember when it used to be that if you wanted something you waited until Christmas or your birthday to get it, but these days if you want something you just go and get it. Then when people ask what you want for Christmas, there isn't anything you want. And when you ask them, they can't think of anything either!! Grrr. And wandering round the shops just doesn't inspire me either. I like to get things that are a little bit different for people, not just the same old thing. But everything in the shops is the same. I guess I could have knitted everyone unique gifts but what with my hand problems this year, and the fact that I want to knit stuff for myself, it wasn't practical. I also think that you only get the benefit if you knit for people who appreciate the work and effort put into it. Like other knitters. I have made a couple of things for other knitters. And something for my mum.

I was in town today wandering aimlessly. It wasn't helped by going to the optician first thing and being informed i needed new glasses which I will have to wear all the time instead of just for driving. Varifocals!!! But "THAT BIRTHDAY" isn't until August!!! Yet I'm getting varifocals!!! The price tag was a bit of a stunner too, I won't say how much, but it was round about "that birthday" times ten. Yikes!!!

We are also going to Ireland for a few days next week to see Colin's family. His 6 weeks of radiotherapy finishes on Tuesday, can you believe how quickly that has gone. But you should see the arm, red doesn't start to describe it, and the heat, phew! We were joking the other night that I wouldn't need to shave my legs, i could just let him singe the hairs off with his arm. He was supposed to have an appointment with the consultant tomorrow but it has been postponed until nest Thursday. We think it is for a scan. Fingers crossed for that.

We had our works meal on Tuesday night. Well as me and Colin are strictly speaking the only employees of our company it would have been a bit sparse but we asked various people who rent the offices from us so there was a total of 7 of us. Unfortunately the food wasn't brilliant, so we will try elsewhere next time. It wasn't bad by any means but not inspiring either.

I can't believe it is already the 4th episode of The Mighty Boosh tonight. It has improved every week so I have great expectations for tonight's episode. It's been great having a double dose of Noel on a Thursday night, but sadly it is his last night on Buzzcocks tonight.

I have been catching up on a few podcasts. The knitting ones are really good for listening to while knitting. I found a new one called Lixie Knits It which is an English one rather than American. She sounds quite sweet but goes a bit bonkers sometimes especially when her husband gets involved! Also the Lime & Violet podcast. Boy can those two talk! I've only listened to one episode and there are 48 so far!!

As for my knitting I am still working on the Drops 88-4. I have finished a sleeve and am leaving the second one to take to Ireland. So I am back onto my second Jaywalker for the time being and am getting near to the heel flap. I have an urge to start something else as well though. I am waiting for some yarn from ebay for another Clapotis which I am going to make wider than the first one as I am getting 10 balls of yarn so should have plenty. I don't know what the yarn will be like though, its one of those "unknown yarn impulse ebay bargain purchases for a tenner from China" type things so i hope it is okay when it comes. Their feedback is good and it says that it is 100% wool so we will see.

I'll stop now as I have thought of something I may have photos of tomorrow, so I'll post again then.

Canal, gloves & hands

Sunday morning we went for a short walk along the canal at Christleton. This is the view facing one way........
And this is the view facing the other way.............
Some strange bloke decided to get in the photo...oh no, hang on, that's Colin!!

These handsome fellas were trying to round up some lady friends but they weren't too interested!
Yesterday I finished off Mandy's Miss Potter gloves, so that is the Christmas knitting finished and I can knit my other Jaywalker.

I am also getting an itch to start another Clapotis (correctly pronounced Clah-poh-tee apparently, I thought it was Clap-oh-tiss, but what do I know!). And I am swatching for a Mr Greenjeans.

I shouldn't really start anything at the moment, cos my operation is on January 11th. Some people have commented on whether I really need to have the op seeing as I am back knitting again. The fact is that the break did give the hands a rest and they are not sore when I knit but I still cannot bend my left thumb or right little finger. This causes problems with everyday things like writing and opening jars etc so yes, I am still going to need the surgery. But thanks for your concern!!

Cardi progress

My Drops 88-4 cardigan is coming along nicely. I have now finished all the cable-y bits and am on to larger needles and plain stocking stitch so it should grow quicker now. The little cables were driving me bonkers but I still have to do them again on 2 sleeves!! There will be less of them each time though, there were 14 of them across the body!!

Now I have a question...........I want to make a cardigan in a neutral colour that will go with purple, blue, grey, red, green or white (or any colour you can think of really!!!). What colour do you suggest? Please don't say black, I can't bear the thought of knitting with black, I think I may go blind, eek. (If you are wondering, these mentioned colours are all colours of tops I have which I would wear underneath the cardigan in question.) Please leave any suggestions in the comments.

Yesterday we went for a walk around the Marine Lake in West Kirby on the Wirral. Half way round we veered off up a side road to a cafe I had spotted on the way, called Sand's. We sat outside and the sun was so warm I had to take off my fleece!! While we were sat there I put a bookcrossing book on a chair at another table, and one of the staff had a look. Then she told someone else and they came and took it inside. Later in the evening I had a journal entry on it. Yay!! My catch rate on my wild releases currently sits at 18.9% so roughly 1 in 5. Not bad.

We had a brief discussion about how we felt about another dog. Colin's thoughts were "I'd probably have to do most of the walking etc, BUT they are lovely", "they are a commitment BUT they are lovely". Mine were, "you do have to think about getting home when you are out or arranging kennels if you go away BUT they are lovely". Hmmm, no conclusions there then. It is a bit too soon yet anyway, and we need to get Colin's treatment out of the way first.

Talking of which, it is going fine so far. The only effect has been that his arm is going a bit pink, but being a redhead he burns easily anyway so it looks as if he has caught a little bit of sun on one arm only. No tiredness or nausea so far, so he is happy to drive over to his appointments on his own for now.

Vince's Tundra Hat!

On ravelry, I am one of the moderators on the group called The Coconut Lodge, which is for fans of The Mighty Boosh to chat about the Boosh and also show off any Boosh-inspired knits. Knittyinpink suggested we had a bit of a knitalong based on the hat that Vince wears in the series 1 episode Tundra. I found a couple of suitable-ish patterns but I wanted to make a felted hat. I was using the leftover Lamb's Pride bulky from the Fabulous Lace Inset Cardigan, and 8mm needles, so I went with Ryan's Hat from here but using the larger yarn and needles. Once I started it was a quick knit, and grew very rapidly into this..............
I was a little bit worried it wasn't going to shrink enough during the felting, but after 2 goes through the 40 degree cycle it came out like this................
(that's me pretending to be Vince asleep in the snow, didn't quite carry it off!!)

Anyway, I'm really pleased with it, apart from it maybe could be a bit taller. It is worked down from the top, so maybe the increases could have been done on every 3rd row instead of every 2nd row. I had bits of skeins left so I think I used about one and 3 quarter skeins on it. I'm not sure if I will add any Booshy embellishments, I'll see what everyone else does with theirs first. I don't want to make it so that I don't want to wear it in public for fear of ridicule, at the moment I think it is wearable apart from being very RED. I shall have to get one of the red T-shirts with the lightning bolts on, and then I can wear it with that and the Glam Rock Ski Suit Socks while I'm watching the DVDs!! (Colin thinks I'm bonkers!).

We had a lovely evening with Gill on Sunday, and then Tuesday we met up with some friends who moved back to Ireland in January, and who were over for a visit to sort out some things on the house they are trying to sell. We had lunch at The Rake near Cheshire Oaks and then popped into Borders for coffee afterwards. We were too busy chatting that I didn't get a chance to look at any books!!!

Yesterday we went over to Manchester for Colin's first radiotherapy appointment. I sat in the waiting area listening to the Jonathon Ross podcast and trying not to make a show of myself by stifling my sniggering. I did think of taking some knitting but I think sniggering and knitting in a corner may have resulted in 'the men in white coats' carrying me off!! The session all went fine and there were no nasty effects so he is going to go on his own for a couple of weeks, and then see if he needs me to drive after that. I gave him a session of Reiki last night to help things along, and I'll do about a 20 minute top up each day.

So it means I don't get to skive off work now!! Pah!

Sad news, lunch, & catching up.

My computer lost its internet connection for a few days and the other computer doesn't have my camera software on it, but this afternoon a friend who is a computer genius came and sorted it all out, so everything is back to normal.

But unfortunately I have to start this post with some sad news. On Oct 10th we had to make the heartbreaking decision to say goodbye to our boy Podge. He was almost 16 and had been having lots of falls and couldn't get up again without help. It was all a bit confusing for him and when the vet said there was nothing more we could do, it was time to say goodbye. We had had him since he was about 9 months old, when we rescued him from the RSPCA shelter in Colwyn Bay. He has left a huge hole in our lives and we will miss him dearly. We have had him cremated and so he is now home with us at least.



Yesterday we went out for lunch with some friends we hadn't seen for almost a year, Paul & Scottie. We went to Piccolino's and spent a leisurely 2 hours eating and chatting. After that we met some other friends Graeme, Mandy & Emily for a quick coffee. And tonight we have Gill coming round for dinner. She is the friend who went off to France after Colin did some life coaching with her. She is now back and sorting out what to do next.

I am working on my Drops cardigan but it is very slow going. I have done about 15cm in four days!! The yarn is fine, the needles are small and as it is worked in one piece there are loads of stitches. It looks lovely so far though so I am happy to trudge along with it. I have also finished the present for my mum.

Couldn't resist this from Natural Dye Studio............BFL Dazzle sock yarn in colour Peahen.

Colin is off for a "trial run" for his radiotherapy tomorrow, and then he starts properly on Wednesday for 6 and a half weeks which takes us to 14th December we think. So all done and dusted by Christmas.

Sheepies for Mel

Here are some little sheepie stitch markers for Mel (woolydoodles). Four for her and four for her Secret Pal. Apparently purple and green are her pal's favourite colours. I have to make a batch for the LYS before the weekend too, better get on with those!!

So yesterday we went over to Manchester to Christies. The consultant was very nice and explained all about what was going to happen. The radiotherapy will be 5 days a week for 6 weeks starting on 31st October. There are a couple of appointments before that where they mark out the area they are going to treat and have to make a plastic thingiemajig for the area. The treatments themselves are about 15 minutes, its just a pity it takes an hour each way to get there. It took longer yesterday because it was peak time and the traffic was heavy but hopefully we can arrange more convenient times.

It was hard to imagine that a large number of the people wandering around the corridors had some type of cancer. They all looked so "normal". Of course there were the ones that had lost their hair due to chemo, but it was lovely to see some of these people with smiles, as though they hadn't a care in the world. Good luck to them all.

On the way back we went to Borders (didn't buy anything) and had panini and cappucinos for lunch in Starbucks. Yummy.

3 days to SOCK WARS!!!

belated thanks, ravelling in it, and foodie friends.

I just wanted to say a belated thanks to my step-dad Bill, who came up to visit with my mum last weekend and washed both our cars and cut the grass. I am ashamed to say that mine hadn't been done since he did it last visit in May. Gulp!

I am having fun on ravelry. I now have 17 "friends" and have uploaded several of my finished projects, books, stashed yarns and queued some patterns I would like to make. AND, a friend and I have started a group called The Coconut Lodge, for all things Booshy, and we have 7 members! One thing I have noticed from putting up pics of my stash is that there is a lot of blue/green there. I need to add some colour desperately.

Less than a week until Sock Wars now. I have 3 possible yarns now. If my victim is female I'm sticking with the Natural Dye Studio BFL sock yarn

If my victim is male, I'm going with garnstudio Fabel
And if either of them are allergic to wool, I have some Rowan Bamboo Soft.
I have 3.25cm DPNs AND Addi circulars, so I'm all set. Let battle commence!!!

I have given up on The Angel Makers. When I bought it I thought it was going to be witchy and a bit supernatural but it has turned into a saga of a woman who gets beaten up by her fiance. No thanks! So I have abandoned it and gone for something I know I will like, Memnoch the Devil by Anne Rice. Its the 5th in the Vampire Chronicles.

Last night we had a couple of friends round for dinner. We hadn't seen them since January. A very nice evening was had by all and my tuna fish pie went down very well. Heather brought some runner beans picked from her garden that day, and they were lovely with it. Colin bought some Stinking Bishop cheese, and I'm afraid it tasted to me like a cowpat, (not that I've ever tasted a cowpat! I came close once but that's another story) so I had some of the goat's cheese and the smoked Lancashire. Colin did a fancy starter of Ciabatta with Asparagus and Poached Egg, mmmm, delish!

On Tuesday we go to Manchester to see the radiotherapy team at Christie's. We should find out when Colin's treatment starts and for how long. Wish us luck.

New socks & good news

Just a quick post to show off my finished Widdershins. They've only taken about 4 months to do !!!! (Click pics for HUGE close-ups!)

A bit tight to get on cos i cast off a bit too tightly, but they are lovely and fluffy to wear. So that's another one off the WIP list, I shall have to find something to fill the gaps!!

Also great news for Colin on Friday. We went to see the consultant and he confirmed that the tumour was completely removed with a good margin around it. He will still have the radiotherapy but that is "just in case". Hopefully after that is done, it will just be check-ups on a regular basis. Fingers crossed we can be relaxing in time for Christmas.

Nano, and a short update

Thank you to everyone who has sent their best wishes for Colin, it is very much appreciated. We have both been blown away by the messages we have received from friends and aquaintances far and wide. Colin's arm seems to be recovering well, we have to go back to the consultant next Friday for the results and a check-up. But he is not in any pain and is his usual self, apart from not doing any work. We have been into the offices a couple of times this week but nothing too strenuous. I have postponed my op for the time being until after Christmas, it just doesn't seem important under the circumstances.

Looky what I treated myself to today. Of course it is for my Reiki buiness - ahem!! Luckily it can run off the speakers that Colin has for his Creative Zen so i can use it during Reiki treatments rather than lug a CD player around all the time. That's my excuse anyway, and I'm sticking to it! Its tiny!! So far I have 2 albums on it, hee hee.

Here is a card I made this week for a friend's 50th, notice the subtle use of the number 50!! He is an Everton fan obviously and I used the name of his own business as the sponsor on the shirt. (Click pic to enlarge) And here is my poor old doggie looking a bit old these days. He is struggling to stay on his feet and seems to trip over fresh air.

My ravelry invite is getting nearer, this is the state of play at the moment.

You signed up on August 4, 2007
You are #22998 on the list.
6756 people are ahead of you in line.
11832 people are behind you in line.
46% of the list has been invited so far.