Who Knows If The Moon's

                                                      who knows if the moon's
                                                      a balloon, coming out of a keen city
                                                      in the sky--filled with pretty people?
                                                     (and if you and i should

                                                     get into it, if they
                                                     should take me and take you into their balloon,
                                                     why then
                                                     we'd go up higher with all the pretty people

                                                     than houses and steeples and clouds:
                                                     go sailing
                                                     away and away sailing into a keen
                                                     city which nobody's every visited, where

                                                     always
                                                     its
                                                     spring) and everyone's
                                                     in love and flowers pick themselves

                                                           - e.e. cummings

Two very different views from our house at 9.00 a.m. this morning reminded me of this poem.  I was heartily relieved not to see a snow scene, but I don't suppose we'll escape.  I'm praying that it comes and goes before the hospital trip on December 7th - if we get snowed in it will be very difficult to get there. (Unless we go by balloon?)

One hundred, one year

 This may be the closest I get to packing a suitcase in the forseeable future - bought these in the local Post Office because I couldn't resist them.  The large is about 8 inches wide and the smaller about 6 inches.

Items I'm packing to send to China Kidz Christmas appeal (see my previous post).   Probably the closest I shall ever get to going to China.

Lion's head finished at last - just to prove that I do sometimes finish what I set out to do!

Haven't time today to say all that I would like to about my experience of my first year of blogging.  Thank you to everyone who has commented, and all those who just read, for your support and kindness, I really feel that I am among friends.  It's been lovely to meet a few of you in person and to correspond with others by email, and I look forward to continuing to do so during the next year, whatever that may bring.

The view from space?

Fireworks from the display at the Three Counties Showground - taken from our top floor window about a mile away, through the torrential rain using the camera's own firework setting.  I think another time I would experiment for myself and use a tripod but these were very spur of the moment. 

Just a quick note

To say ....

Please look over on Kate's blog and see if you would like to help with this appeal for China Kidz - they're wanting sweaters, legging (and toys) against the coming winter months 

The misty grey weather hasn't allowed me to take any really good photos of the wonderful autumn colours on the hills.  The leaves are falling now after a few days of rain and wind, but I hope we might get another good day before all the colour goes.  

A trip to Dunelm Mill with daughter at the weekend found this rather nice printed fleece throw, which matches very well with the quilt I finished last week.  Our bedroom gets a bit chilly in the worst of winter weather so we shall be glad of extra layers - though at the moment it's quite mild here and warm during the night.

 The week's been very busy so far.  Monday we took M to get her knee brace.  Inevitably after only three days wear it's been decreed that it 'isn't any good for ME' (always the stress on my superior requirements) and has gone the way of the walking frame and the perching stool.  It has been an excuse to ring all her friends to report its inadequacies and smugly reiterate her total superiority over all help, aids or any attempts to make her or our lives easier.  

On Monday I went to M&S and bought M new pyjamas as requested (size 14).. When I got them home I was told she'd meant 12.  This is new game, last week a box of choclates to send to friend was the basis of a similar strop and sulk as I hadn't asked for precised directions before I went out, but phoned from the shop when I remembered that she had asked for some to be purchased. 

Yesterday, sadly, I had to go to a funeral in Bristol where my family has come from for as far back as I have been able to research (at least 200 years).  My cousin's husband died suddenly aged only in his mid fifties.  It was a major logistical operation here to borrow a second car - as H also had an unmissable appointment and work out ways for us to cater to M's requirements around these committments.  Daughter, fortunately, didn't need her car, which saved me from an awkward train journey ( though she was very cross to be in London yesterday with no tube available), but it meant careful planning to fetch car, not to forget to collect M's prescription, change the pyjamas, and make sure H and M had lunch ingredients, so I could go off on Wednesday.  By great time management, I got home in time for her tea at 3.30 (having not been able to go back to the house with my cousin after the funeral ) only to be told that she'd made her own tea at 3.15.  For weeks now she has refused to use her kettle because her eyes are too bad, but I have seen her using things very easily so I think the deterioration in eyesight may be a convenient way to stop H and I going out together. I'm dreading the actual operation on her catatract as she's already decided it will be awful and won't work (it's different for ME I have degeneration) although the consultant was totally confident it will.

Finished the hoodie I was knitting in time to take it with me yesterday.  Hope it fits.    It was lovely to see all my cousins - despite the sad circumstances.  

UFOs

 

A long time ago, about six years I suspect, I bought a lot of fabric from a sale at Ikea.  I started to make a quilt, then several things happened...  First of all, my lovely old sewing machine broke halfway along the first line of quilting, and was taken off by a kind repair man for an unspecified length of time - turned out to be about six months.  Whilst I waited, I tried my new sewing machine but it kept breaking the needle and I got fed up.   Then a set of play costumes intervened.  Then H was taken ill and left permanent teaching but needed space to work from home, so my sewing space disappeared,and both machines and a lot of other things including the quilt disappeared into storage.  Since we moved here I've had lots of space but have only recently had time to start sorting out.

 

Over the last few days I've been sorting out boxes and found the quilt (amongst other things) but not the binding, so after a quick trip to the local shop, I eventually finished it and it's now sitting on our bed. 

Feeling a bit more inspired, I set to and finished the little rug I'd been knitting in pom-pon wool I bought at the last craft show at the Three Counties showground.  It's lovely and soft and I like the colours very much.  It just needs a fringe to set it off, so I need to buy some cream chunky wool.

 

 I've started some artwork using the photos I've been collecting for some while now.   This is a central door pull from Redworth Hall in Co Durham - a friend found the photo for me.

He's coming on quite nicely - I'm using water soluble wax crayons  (Neocolour II by Caran D'Ache).  Daughter very kindly bought me some new art materials as in my sorting out efforts I discovered that some paints and inks had dried out whilst also in store.  I've also found that I have about twice as many brushes as I thought and several forgotten blocks of water colour paper.

Amongst other things, I've also sewn half the new curtains for my sewing room and knitted two thirds of a hoodie for my cousin's two year old grandson - photo to follow when it's finished.

A friend recommended, then gave me three novels by Laurie R. King.  I was sceptical at first at the idea of Sherlock Holmes with a young female partner (and wife), but the books are very entertaining, and I shall certainly track down some more when I've finished these. 

Realised today that I have only four more posts until I reach my first hundred, and only just over a fortnight until the blog celebrates its first birthday so I must contrive to combine the two I think. 

Still here

Thank you to the people who emailed to ask if I was OK!  I was/am fine but our broadband connection has been sick.  In fact we've been suffering a technology blight - we had two evenings with no TV signal last weekend, both computers have been struggling for unknown reasons and the broadband signal has been totally unreliable.

Not a lot has happened over the last fortnight really.  I collected my new specs but the pressure in my right eye hasn't dropped so I expect I'll need to go back to the hospital - waiting for optician to write to GP at present.  The flowers above, and a lot more, came from my brother-in-law for our anniversary but the deliverers got the date wrong - no matter, they are really beautiful and are lasting well.   I also had two huge parcels from Australia containing some of my late sister's things - to our horror the customs charges were about 10 times the value so I shall query them next week. BIL sent payment via Western Union but I'm still appalled by the duty and VAT on items which have purely sentimental value.

I was thinking yesterday that although I haven't seen my brother-in-law for 14 years now, he's been part of my life for 54!  My sister was 13 years older than me and I was 4 when she first met him, and 8 when I was a bridesmaid at her wedding.  They went to Australia when I was 18.  I worry now that he's very isolated as their children live in other far-flung parts of Australia - Skype is a blessing though as we can all communicate without bankrupting ourselves.

Weather has been variable but we've had a few good days, haven't we?   Having less problem with the photo uploads now but I don't like the new system at all.

Hope you're having a good weekend.  I might get to the Malvern Flea Fair tomorrow  - fingers crossed.