I managed to complete two knitted garments last week. One was a little cardigan for the baby and the other was a bolero for me. I am very happy with the bolero, although it is far too warm for the weather we are having. Really this is bra and panties weather – or is it just me that feels so, so warm?

On Saturday Dave and I went to a basket weaving class near Portaferry. I made this and I am very proud of it!

I started the bank holiday weekend a little early by taking the afternoon off work on Friday. I used the time to cook the ‘no knead bread’ I had started the night before and to go for a photowalk in Top Wood with Dave and the dogs. Gracie was in fine posing form and Maya was just having a brilliant time.

Later, for dinner, I made omelette with a goose egg and hen eggs I had got from my Mum. I added chard and thyme from the garden and we ate it with the bread I had just cooked. For pudding we had vanilla ice cream with stewed rhubarb that our neighbour gave us.

Saturday was spent knitting, walking the dogs, playing Frisbee with Dave and Gracie, tidying the house and eating tasty food. We had scrambled eggs (from Mum) and bacon (from Hillstown Farm Shop) for lunch. For dinner we had sausage and bean bake with a pile of buttered ‘no knead bread’.

On Sunday we went walking – a fine stroll, into the wind, along Portstewart Strand. Back at home we dozed, then we ate pasta with aubergine (cooked by Dave), then back to sleep.

Monday we took easy – I made oatcakes for lunch, which we ate with melted cheese and more of our bacon. It was a rainy day so we just went walking to Waterfoot Beach – nothing too strenuous. Then I visited my Granny. Later we had lightly smoked salmon, béarnaise sauce, mashed potatoes and puy lentils for dinner. All cooked by Dave and a marvellous job it was! I ate until I thought I would burst.

Last night I dreamt that there was something wrong with daylight – it was broken – and everything was the colour of a film negative but 3-dimensional.

So, that is what I have been up to. What is coming up is a week away in France, happy me! We leave on Saturday for a week in a wooden cabin in the Dordogne. Sadly, the dogs aren’t able to join us on this trip and will have to spend a week in the Leighinmohr Dog Hotel. On our return we will stop over in London for a night and maybe take in a few sights. I can’t wait!

· Examining my face up close
· Checking my diary for possible medical appointment dates
· Making an appointment to go see my dentist
· Looking at a world standard times map
· Staring into space – deep in thought

I’m sure there are better things I could have been doing – like working. I often complain that I do not have enough time to do all the things I want to do, but surely if I spent less time arsing around I would have all the time I need.

I decided that over the weekend I would make up for my time wasting by doing some stuff that I had been putting off for ages. I did the following -

· Repaired the worn out denim in one of my favourite denim jackets. I wouldn’t say that the result is in any way subtle, but I am happy.

· Finished a pair of Jaywalker socks that according to my Ravelry project stats were started in July 2007!!!

· Photographed various knitted items to update my Ravelry project details.

· Took photos of Dave for possible use on his new website.
· Made roast chicken with all the trimmings.

I am happy that I made good use of my time.

Work has been stressing me out recently – today I felt physically ill and like my desk was my own personal Hell to which I was tethered for all of eternity. I know, this is not good!

Too much is being asked and people, including me, are getting a bit huffy. So, now I have to detach myself from it all, not get so annoyed by silly things and rise above the petty behaviour displayed by others. I am going to be as nice as pie.

I keep threatening to bring Gracie into work and stash her in my desk drawer for moments when it all gets too much for me. Petting Gracie makes me feel good. Knitting is a great stress-buster too and I have been knitting like crazy for the past few days. The hat above is a result of my stress-busting attempts. Apparently a council in Derbyshire are introducing Knitting classes to keep their employees cool.

…Like taking Granny out for a spin to the new museum in Ballymena.

I started off this bank holiday weekend with a huge list of things I wanted to do. Now it’s Monday and I feel that I haven’t done all that much. But the things I have done have been very positive, like seeing my granny, sowing seeds for the cold-frame and knitting. Knitting keeps me calm and not so bothered about the stuff I haven’t done.

I had seen Heike’s site before but not all the pictures of Ireland loaded properly for me, now it is working – photographs of Ireland.

In the meantime, I thought I may as well do myself a wee photography course. Just a 10 week thing, probably a load of stuff I know already, but a good way to see if I can hack the routine of doing projects and learning.

I will, of course, knit as well. I still need to work on a few easy-peasy designs and then try selling them by myself. It will be relaxed and I will enjoy it.

Oh – and the worms? They are doing okay and have settled back into their home. Turning the contents of the wormery over seemed to do the job.

So, decisions?

The options are –

1. Take part in a North Antrim/Donegal scheme promoting rural crafts (in my case knitting).

2. Do a distance learning course in Photography.

The first option scares the pants off me, as it requires hard work and group activities. The second option is something that I have been thinking about for years, but that I now feel I would have the money and time to complete.

I could combine both if I just did the knitting thing on a small scale, perhaps that would suit me better. Knitting is something that I do to relax and option 1 wouldn’t be at all relaxing! Though there would be opportunities to meet other local crafters and to take part in events that would be unobtainable by myself. There would be the possibility of earning money from it. Option 2 is all spend and no income.

Mmmm?

In reply to a few questions that Katy asked me while I was visiting her -

I got my t-shirt here.

Recipes for homemade home cleaners can be found here. I got my recipes from a book called Clean House, Clean Planet but the recipes are much the same as those at MakeYourCosmetics. I have made a multi-surface cleaner and antibacterial bathroom scrub. They smell delicious and work well, though they don’t really remove staining and they require a little extra rinsing. I have also made a vinegar floor cleaner which, providing you don’t mind the place smelling of vinegar, works wonderfully as a quick clean between proper mops.

I haven’t done any knitting for a few days but I have mended an old dress and glued the butterfly back onto my shoe. The dress had been needing mended for a couple of years so I am very pleased that I fixed it! One less job on the list of tasks that never get completed! All this sewing has me in the mood to sew and I was delighted to find Burda Style which has wonderful open source sewing patterns. I think I would like to make myself a shirt.

Back to knitting – the new summer Knitty is up. Something like Wisp could take care of the two balls of Kid Silk Haze that I have lying around.

We like information sharing, so hopefully someone can help me and tell me where I could get a magnetic notice board. I have a magnet board that I fashioned out of a few bits of wood, a coffee can and a piece of fabric but stuff keeps falling off it and I have decided that I need a new board. Can you help?

Not so blissful is the fact that I have spots and cold sores; one scabbing, the other tingling. Boo hiss!

Anyhow, despite the hideous face, I will be spending the afternoon walking Gracie in Glenariff Forest Park. It is far too nice a day to wear a paper bag.

Yarn Ball Factory, originally uploaded by ZMB.

This is how I fill my time these days. Making balls of yarn.

This time next week I will be getting set for Mexico. Our first week will be spent in and around the city of Oaxaca. Our second week will be by the Oaxacan coast. I am really looking forward to it but I will miss Gracie lots.