knitting mojo gone

So as you can see today was the day that I noticed my knitting mojo had got up and gone... This to some will seem a minor thing... But there are those out there who know quite how rotten this is... Knitting/spinning to me is my Long Drag on a Cigarette or A large G and T... and some more.  Since I taught myself to knit oh 5 years ago its been my constant companion.  It has come everywhere I have gone whether holiday, doc app. or even the cinema and theatre.... What I hear you shout you make that clickety clackety sound in the cinema?  but no I often don't actually knit as the film is on but have found the waiting before it starts a good few rows worth...

Now knitting isn't only about the actual item made though that is very very nice by product... nope for me Knitting is about the feel of the action while doing it, and the feel of the yarn, each yarn feels different and this sensual experience is vital to the overall good feeling knitting produces in me.  Its about the feel of the needles in my hands... this again is so different to my earlier foray into knitting when I started knitting I learnt to knit as my mother and granny did... oxter knitting the act of holding one needle under the armpit (oxter) and the other needle doing all the work... very early on I realised that this wasn't going to be relaxing for me...


 All I need to say is that needles are not long enough for me to be able to use them correctly this way... my womanly upper body makes this too difficult... its also why I can't play pool or snooker they just get in the damn way...lol ... So oxter knitting wasn't going to work so what next... OK so I started to teach myself to knit with the needles down near my lap... this was really alien to me at first but now I love it.... To be brutally honest I have to admit that at first my tension was rubbish and well there was no rhythm but after time i managed it.......

Now I love it, the feel of the needles the yarn passing through my fingers all make me relax and calm......   And if I really want to feel the highest pleasure then I need to pick up a set of double pointed needles and a nice alpaca mix yarn and knit me some socks..... oh just writing this has give me the intense feeling of where's my needles?  lol



So perhaps the mojo isnt lost just a bit put aside with all that's been going on... So I aim to post this blog, finish preparing the Thai infused chicken and jacket potatoes and accompanied by nice fresh salad with green beans.   Cook the dinner and after dinner tonight will be a wee dash of relaxation ie Knitting with ..... oh think I will have a  wee Pink Gin too... nom nom

Inspiration

Inspiration...what does it mean?

an inspiring or animating action or influence

something inspired, as an idea.

a result of inspired activity.

a thing or person that inspires 

a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul.

the divine quality of the writings or words of a person so influenced.

So why is my Blogg entry today called inspiration I hear you wonder..... 

Well I am feeling particularly lethargic the last couple of days cant quite say what's the matter health wise but just not right....

Think its very much to do with the M.E. kicking in after a particularly difficult few weeks with the gallstones and the rebirth of Milton... aka the conflicts between us and the builders and Architects... anyway while resting over the last couple of days with no energy to read (holding a book gets hard and concentration is zilch), and not even being able to sit up much so no knitting has been happening also, I have just let my mind wander over the way things are and what has been happening around me and also with in the circle of my friends..

And well have found so many people who have inspired me....some to do better at coping with things when they come along.  Some in a crafting sense inspiring me to do more and try other crafts.  In fact I am surrounded by inspiring people, places and animals and well I find myself feeling very lucky.

So what should I do now well I am not inspired to get up yet as its cold, wet and my energy levels are rock bottom...the cold which looks like its been coming hasn't quite that may be because I have bombarded it with Manuka Honey and lemon and tons of fruit to keep my vitamin C in take high, or whether the feeling of heaviness and shaky limbs is a bad attack of M.E. I don't know and really don't care as long as I am trying to do all I can to be better it doesn't matter what it is.

So what has been making me inspired........... 

If I say Facebook you will think me mad but its not just my family and friends but the regular posts of pages I have liked which have been particularly inspiring to me lately for example www.skyebatiks.com

This company is a small friendly run shop in Portree on Skye which has been a favourite shop of both rob and I for years and when I found them on Facebook it was like finding an old friend... they post most days new pictures of their amazingly colourful skirts/shirts etc and just seeing one of those pictures transports me there and makes me smile and feel all warm... the girls there also tend to post wee pictures of the view from the shop and so I get to see the harbour area and the Cuillins also all year round.

What a lovely way to keep their customers aware of them but also make their customers feel part of their every day life.... I for one am always excited by the colours and textures in their posts.

However they are not the only crafting page I have liked oh no there is also, 

which posts a different free crafting idea/pattern web site every day this is always interesting not that I do many of the suggestions but well all ideas are welcome and go into the wee brain box to become inspiration later on hopefully lol.

I am also lucky to have friends who do some truely amazing artwork like Jane of copper top cakes here is her link on facebook http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.156845941023974.30886.100000957085264&type=3

and let me tell you her cakes are amazing creative creations just look at that angelic face.  

I was lucky enough to meet a very quiet calm lady last weekend at a wedding of a friends brother she was the official photographer and well she didn't order people about in fact she looked and acted so calm and unobtrusive I was most impressed she let the bride and groom be the stars of the occasion and her photos were stunning. It was nice to meet you Jacqui Paterson and if anyone is ever looking for a lovely photographer please ask me for her details she is amazing.

Thinking of people who have inspired me this week alone well there is quite a list which covers the wonderful girls and friends at Once a sheep, Karen the owner has created an inspiring shop which has allowed lots of fibre fanatics gather and support help and inspire each other to do more..... These girls and Lewis (mustn't forget Lewis who is a superb knitter) are one of the highlights of my week and even when the pain is bad just being in their company is enough to make it worth the ferry trip over to spend the morning surrounded with laughter and friendship and well of course all the goodies in Karens shop.   And even better now Karen has got the online shop open so if any of my friends don't know about the amazing once a sheep shop please go and take a look at her here http://www.onceasheep.co.uk/............ gives of an evil wee laugh at the enabling I have just done. lol

I am always inspired by the hard work my two daughters are always doing one as a mum and full time night shift worker and the other the Uk and Ireland Marketing Manager for Royal Canin who also finds the time to be a downhill mountain biker, part time open university student, and will be carrying the Olympic Flame this summer in Inverness....

My hubby Rob who I adore and well I do believe he rather likes me too, works damn long hours being a driving instructor not a job I would have the patience or skill to do, but is always happy funny and well helps make it exciting to wake up in the mornings... ok enough slush from me ... 

However this week along with many other weeks two girls have really been an inspiration to me... they are both fighting the big C in their own way one is a young girl of 8 who goes to my granddaughters school and has been having some tough wee days, her mum posts on facebook some of the trials this brave wee thing is dealing with... Sometimes I think Leigh her mum is in a very lonely place in the night when she cant sleep but seeing the support she has had from all corners of the world has been tear jerking at times but well makes you remember that no matter how much pain the dratted gallstones are giving me... they will soon be gone and I will be getting on with my life, my heart is hoping that wee Aillidh will be getting on with her life soon too.

The other lady who is a constant inspiration is well my daughters childhood friend and adopted sister, is Lucy... this girl has lived her life so full it makes your head hurt to try and work out where she hasn't been and what she hasn't done however she is also having a huge fight and is doing so with determination, pig headedness and grace which leaves me breathless... However she has decided this week to start writing a blog and I am looking forward to reading all of her fun madness and inspirational writings.... if you are at all interested keep a look out in blogland for memyselfandanumberofdiseases-sg.blogspot.com I for one am happy that this inspirational strong gorgeous woman is able to share with us what she is doing...

The inspiring people above are really only a wee taster of the amazing people who are on my facebook friends list there are many many more some who have been included just by being part of Once a sheep, you ladies know who you are and thank you for being so inspiring to me and supportive and well being there fighting for your health you deserve to win, like all the other people who have their own personal challenges going on in their lives... 

you see life isn't easy it isn't even fair but it is life and well its the people we meet along the journey of life that help us to be good well rounded human beings and well I feel very privileged to have so many in my life right now who inspire me to do the best I can whether it is in crafting, caring, friending or even just plain old living.... 

So perhaps this isnt my normal type of blog and well if honest it is not what I expected to write today but well I am feeling a bit in awe of all the fighters out there who are unsung heros and heroines.  Thanks for being in my life inspiring me.

time flies when you have fun.......does it?

So as you may see by the date of this post and by the title I am contemplating time ....... whether it goes fast when having fun...........or drags when not...

Well last weekend saw us all packed and off to Glentress on Friday night, it was a nice evening clear skies and lots of glimpses of a beautiful almost full moon.

If none of you have been to the 7stanes site at Glentress near Peebles well it well worth a visit with the family lots of lovely walking and also some nice family trails along side more adventurous ones, very friendly people and a good social gathering place...here is a wee link to the site..http://7stanesmountainbiking.com/Glentress---Innerleithen  I love seeing families come along and out come the wee ones on the wee ist bikes ever and they bomb around the Eagles nest car park, definitely worth parking there as its central to all the fun, near the wee skills loop, walks go off from there and well there are benches for watching some of the fun and just having a nice wee sit and picnic....

Any way we found ourself with only one other camper parking in the carpark for the night, our fave spot was free so wee reversed into place popped the top and opened our sleeping bags and climbed in.... I had been warned by Joanne that the weather was to be very cold at night and she wasn't wrong it was Blinking perishing..................I know I am not known for feeling the cold but I can tell you at 3 in the morning I was so cold I very nearly woke up Rob and said OK take me back home to Dunoon and the cosy flat...............AM I GLAD I DIDN'T!

Morning found us with a weak sun shining on the Vinster and we hopped out of our sleeping bags and into our biking clothes, porridge on the stove top and cuppa tea and we were set... it was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday morning on the trails but all the better for us as we could ease into the biking.... I had looked back and it was November the last time I had been to G.T. and much too long out of the saddle.... (I continuously ask myself why I leave it so long to sit on a bike as it always means a sore deriar after the first hour.....lol so after playing on the Teenage Kicks for an hour with Rob and Nancy the tandem it was time to have another cuppa at the side of Vinnie...



To say it was chilly is about right, after a nice cuppa it was back up to the top or Teenage Kicks for some laughs and a look at the Rock garden a wee rocky section with a right bend at the bottom... this wee section has eluded us for years firstly the Green Cannondale just didn't have the clearance and to be honest though Nancy does we are always enjoying the last kicker before the rock garden that we never position ourselves correctly to master it... So this was going to be the weekend we did this... I was confident we could do it Rob was a wee bit cautious.... Anyway it wasn't happening Saturday as the snow flurries though not lying were making it not idea conditions..... We got chatting to a couple of nice lads who were complimentary to our biking skills well think its complimentary when a couple of teens say " MAD you really are MAD"  then say never thought you two would manage that...lol I do love being a 54 year old fat lady who gets wee lads to think again about what they perceive... good for them and definatly good for my ego.... that feathering of my ego makes the pain and hard work getting back into biking after a break all the more doable...

We had a really nice spicy lentil and tomato soup back at Vinnie and I rested for a wee while so Rob could go play with his solo bike... the cold still got to me and well when it was about 4 I suggested a trip down to the forestry centre below with the hot showers on offer... good move.  After warming up in the shower and a wee sit in the sun beside our Vinster it was time to go mooch around Peebles, the walk around was good for me as I was feeling a fair bit of pain again and one of the gallstones had done a move around and well wasn't too sure it was going to settle...

The evening was spent in The Glentress Hotel chatting to a lovely family of sisters who had come biking to Glentress for first time as a birthday treat for their brother... nice group and such a laugh... we also had a wee chat to the owner of the Hotel and well was sad to hear that things financially had been very tough the last 3 years and if he hadn't won the franchise for the Cafe he would have had to pull out of the area... that's so sad but it was also a bit difficult because we really support the girls who ran the Hub and made Glentress so successful and who had lost out to that Cafe and so went out of business.... to be honest the Forestry really didn't do right by any of them when they built the new centre and well it should have been possible for both business's to survive... G.T. has changed with the new set up and the old gang of riders are not going any more and that is a massive regret to us...We loved it so much the fun, the chat and the company that the girls from the Hub generated is sorely missed... in the past you would be able to go to the cafe at 6pm and have a lovely lively time all passing on tales of the days exploits... that doesn't happen the new Cafe though totally wants and tries to provide the same experience as well as suiting the casual family visitor, just doesn't and it was all the more noticeable this weekend when we went down for a shower and found an empty car park at only 5pm everyone had gone... such a shame... still for Rob and I and our limitations on skill and energy G.T. is still an awesome venue... though we do miss the old gang of riders..

That night saw me going to sleep in thermal biking tights and base layer and with the addition of a cowl I was an extremely warm and cosy bunny...

Next morning saw 4 parties waking up to the sun in the car park and a nice dry day again... I have to say that I was totally surprised all Sunday with my biking, I managed to bike all day and was only too tired by the end of the day... woo hoo longest session for a while and yep we managed to look at the rock garden and decide it could be done, once again snow stopped us trying but we did do the drop off we hadn't before and its was really easy...lol

I am including a link here of a lad who did the run before us with a helmet camera and well you can get an idea of what fun it is from his footage..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa-UxpbL55U

We had a lovely day and managed to do so much, we had cuddles from Foo as Lindsay and Chris were at G.T. for the day with Napier cycling club.  I have to say my daughter is so stylish and I am in awe of how she always looks so trendy and fit and well almost glamourous when in her biking clothes and I am not at all surprised she has been asked to be a tester for the new designer of women biking clothing  www.ananichoola.co.uk.

We also go chatting to a lovely couple who had a fawn greyhound girl which reminded me of my wonderful lad Red..

Turns out these lovely people are involved with Greyhound Awareness league (www.gal.org.uk) the very rescue society we got Red from and one of the charities we try to help when we can along with Royalheart greyhound rescue(http://royalheartgreyhoundrescue.freeforums.org/) and Scottish Greyhound Sanctury (http://www.scottishgreyhoundsanctuary.com)... these three charities are fairly local to us in Scotland and well they will be the first people we will be contacting when Milton is finished and we can finally get our selves a hound again... I cant wait and really am looking forward to the company and walks.... and sharing a duvet in Vinster with...lol no idea how all three of us will fit in but hey ho we will lol


So was last weekend fun?  Oh Yes, Was I shattered for the rest of the week?  Oh Yes!  Can I wait till next time? No I wish I was doing it all again now....lol

and did you notice this didnt get posted when written ops went into drafts by mistake lol

TGIF

hurrah its Friday and the start of the weekend and for once Rob isn't working Saturday so we have a proper weekend... don't get many of those these days...

So after a busy busy day yesterday cleaning Vinnie out and repacking him... today I put up his bunting again and added those last wee touches that makes a weekend away in Vinnie more fun, the wee box of Word Bluff in the drawer, the box of wet wipes for all eventualities and well a couple of packets of haribo for energy while biking...lol

So it was Friday and on a Friday at this time of the calendar month it means Ardentinny.  The lovely ladies of the village of Ardentinny do a massive baking during Thursday and open up the wee hall in Ardentinny for soup and sandwiches and of course cake.... OK so you guessed I wants partaking of the cake or even the soup this week all had some sort of naughty for gallstones in them but it was an impressive array of cakes and 3 amazing soups,  Chilli and parsnip which I had hoped would do me but alas the cream had been added so none of that for me... there was a Ham and potato soup and also a lamb broth all looked and smelled awesome and by the happy faces around our table the tasted awesomely good too....

Here is Joanne and Ali's hand at the beginning of the morning while we were waiting for Moira and family to come.

Jo was modelling dry shampoo.... I know odd but in fact Ali and her had had a conversation mentioning dry shampoo and jo hadnt heard of it before so Ali as ever helpful found some and brought it along... couldnt resist taking the cheesy posed photo...lol after this we settled down to some serious knitting waiting for Moira kirsty and John...

As you can see there was a wonderful selection for the girls to choose from while waiting for the soup to arrive...lol

After Ardentinny I called into Milton and showed jo around the site, not sure what she thought but well it is coming on promise will we be in situ in 5 weeks.... not in my opinion we wont...lol





Back to the flat for cake baking to try out the dreaded flat oven on a fat free cake and well what do you think?








 Received this thorugh the post does anyone know what it is?

THE WONDER BAG!!


A wee treat with some birthday money its a cosy for a saucepan for starters..... but oh so much more...

Now this weekend I am trying out The Wonder Bag, this was a present to myself with some birthday money and well I am so excited if it does all it says it will and I have no reason to think it wont then I am going to be one very happy and excited bunny by the end of the weekend.... I first heard about this from my mother-in-law Janet she knows how I love one pot cooking, and the enviroment and well also we have a camper and she thought this is a must have for Sandy and Rob....

So how does it work, its along the lines of an old straw/clay oven from years and years ago... you first boil the ingredients for a soup/stew or many more things, if it contains meat you simmer for 15mins, if its all veg based you simmer only 5 mins.  Remove pan from hob place into Wonder Bad  cover with provided lid, pull tight and set aside.... 8 hours later your food it cooked and ready to eat... wow no extra gas use... my sort of cooking and ideal for Vinnie camping.... it is also useful for picnics as it will keep things frozen for up to 12hours or cold for much much longer..... I can see many uses for this... its been used for some time in under developed countries and when I purchased mine another was gifted to someone in an African nation courtesy of me... Brill.... I am so excited... its going to be used to cook porridge over night and then keep the bolognaise and chilli hot while we are biking over the weekend.... Watch this space for a review after the weekend...

On that note its time to go and get the already cooked food out of the freezer and pop it into ............The wonder bag for the trip to Glentress this evening..

Have a great weekend and will be chatting to you all afterwards... take care

cleaning cleaning cleaning

Well today started cloudy and mirky but promised to be sunny later on...so armed with tape measure and the Ikea kitchen plan I set off for Milton first thing, we need to order the kitchen this weekend and well as we are the ones who are measuring and ordering I want nothing to be wrong unlike the professionals who managed to recreate my dorma's at milton and make them narrower by over two whole slates width and higher from the ground by about 5 -6 inches which means I cant see out of my own bedroom windows.... blazing only just covers a bit of how I felt at the site meeting.... will it be sorted you bet...though who is paying is still to be determined but no way are we funding this cock up...

Any way I want this to be real smooth to make them take notice that if I was left to it then the rebuild of Milton would have been a lot less hassle ..........splutter OK so that's not strictly true or even likely lol

Well got there and the chippy was there and well a wee word in his shell like meant that he will box in the room to the correct size so the sink unit will fit against the wall and not stick out over the door way...which I think would have happened if I hadn't been there today and measured it to make sure it would fit once again.... I have to point out here that Milton never ever had a square corner or flat straight wall or edge now that didn't bother me but what has been an real eye opener is that the builders have to be square and true but it blinking well means that they seem to be chipping away at the size of every room and well if they had chipped too much off the outside wall space in the kitchen well the kitchen wouldn't fit against the long wall... not going to happen for sure now after my nice wee word in the perfectly formed shell like....

here is a picture of the Ikea red Kitchen not the layout we are doing but just to wet your appetites

Oh and a big thanks to the builders this week who have also acted as mail receivers as ops on my part ordered some really nice nighties, new knickers etc for my up and coming hospital stay and well I had a blonde moment (note not a senior moment but a blonde moment), all our mail has been redirected from day 1 to us where ever we are... well I ordered my things from Asda and Rob told me last night that it had been delivered the day before...."Errr nope no new things here"... "what address did you put on it Sandy?" "doh |Milton of course I say" ........Cough from Rob and then "Erm think the parcels come by courier here darling not by redirection!.   Big clang as the dustbin lid hit my hand in shock.............. oh oh...


So when there this morning I asked very nicely erm has the postie left me anything?  and yep the builders mate said " Aye hen here it is...."  Bless him he had it under his coat trying to stop too much builders dust covering it.... lol  So alls well....though I did have to say that some thing else was due very soon ordered the same day by the same idiot who forgot that the parcels weren't redirected... and yep I did fess up it was me.....lol

Here are a couple of pics of the lovely long nighties I have for languishing around in hospital in....lol

no idea why they are so blurred sorry but you get the idea.... and knickers are knickers and well you don't need a picture of them lol

So the start of the day went awesomely well so decided it was a good day for getting things done.... I came back and made a huge slow cooker pot of quorn Chilli, and a casserole pot of quorn Bolognaise and a chicken sweet and sour and set them all off... also set the dry fruit a steeping for the fat free spicy apple and fruit cake to be baked tomorrow ready for a weekend away...must make one to take to OAS one day and then I can eat some cake there too....lol

So the flat smells gorgeous really yummy tonight...

When the sun came out I was to be found out in the flat car park up to my elbows in suds washing Vinnie inside and out everywhere got done today.... Even inside the upper canopy, I climbed up on the seat, then up on the sink, and up onto the sliding bed top and crawled about inside washing and wiping and generally making Vinnie feel loved... the old winter curtains are up again but with the funky new ones hanging on the outside of them so that he looks funky but in fact will be warm at night when the temperature drops as promised...lol

I have now done Gaelic homework, handwriting practice with Emilidh and sat down jiggered... but totally happy with my days achievements.... I have done so little in a day for ages with feeling so unwell all the time...

 the book we started today, if you are interested in listening to what Emilidh and I may sound like go along to www.gaelic4parents.com and series 3 of the reading books you will find this amongst them with a wee audio to help us get it right...lol what a hoot it is some days my tongue gets all tied up...

However there are few pictures taken today so will have to scratch my head and see what I can add to spice this post up a bit...lol

So you will realise I did find a few wee pics to add to the page to make it look a bit interesting.... of now to have a wee cuppa I think I deserve one after the fun packed day I have had today see you all again soon

part two

So what else has been great this month of April....

I have had fun with my spinning wheel, I decided to sit down one day and just spin the lovely gorgeous batt that I had been given for my birthday from the clever talented Kirsty.

As you can see this batt has lots of lovely shiny stuff in it but I didn't have any information about what it contained and so decided to just spin it and see what it felt like turning into.... it ended up as a double knit weight yarn in places and lace in other and also had some thick unspun tufts and it was such fun to do.  I managed to spin 142 meters of this gorgeous yarn which I have just thwacked and left to dry as a single...it turned out very balanced but after washing and thwacking it the weight of the yarn may have just changed......

I have also started a nice shrug with the gorgeous yarn given to me from the wonderful swap partner I had in the Outlander swap on Ravelry last month.

I was a bit silly as I just started knitting and although I am adapting the pattern abit not totally convinced I have enough yarn for the whole thing so one back and one front down and well not as much left as wanted so may need to shorten the shrug a bit before the arm hole shaping so some frogging may be needed.... drat daft person that I am... perhaps I can find some more yarn in someone's stash with the same dye lot and buy it... don't you just Ravelry for the ease of solving some yarn problems...

I have also started my Bow Jacket from Debbie Bliss aran tweed back done and front started so that's going well finding knitting on the larger needles a bit of a challenge so not doing it as much at a sitting...

I was also the wonderfully lucky recipient of two beautiful gifts this month both quilted items firstly gwen gave me her happy jacket..

This jacket was a special make of Gwens but alas she has lost so much weight through her fight with a horrible condition and it was much too gorgeous for her to just give away to just anyone.... Well fortunately this lucky lady was the person she gave it too, I love it and when ever I wear it Gwen I feel very lucky and enveloped in love and care that I know went into the making of this gorgeous jacket... Thank you

When I can one I will show you all a photo of me wearing it...but here is one on the kitchen door

                                                                This is a wee glimpse at the inside or reversable side of the jacket

The other gift also quilted was a lovely quilted blanket with amazing colours I couldnt believe how wonderful it is...



The very talented Anne made me this quilt she informs me that its had my name on it for a long time, which is nice to hear... the fabric is all Kaffe Fasset pieces and well it is full of colour and inspiration.







When I cover myself with it on a bad day I feel truely blessed and loved as well as cozy....

The colours are amazing and well what can I say other than Thank you Anne








So as you can see although April has been very bad for my health it also has been full of lovely inspiration in gifts... I am blessed.