Normality returns ?

Normality returns is the title but really in some respects what is normality to me?

Is it work ?
Nope not at this moment it isn't ... Though this week sees me attending interview 2  and 3 in the 3 interview process for Enable a local employer who works with disabled adults who need support in the community.   I have applied to be a sessional worker for them and am looking forward to the new challenge of time managing my energy to do the things I love and hold down regular employment..so no work to go to.

Is it volunteering?

Again not at this moment as the volunteer work I have just started a few weeks before Christmas with the gaelic mother and toddler group, were asked to find a new meeting place after the holidays.. It seems that the lovely cupboard space where all the wonderful toys, books etc we store so the experience of the toddlers and baby's of mums who are interested in finding out if they want their child to perhaps go into the gaelic medium for education ... Is needed for the cubs and scouts more than the money for the rent of the hall .... So we are looking for another handy local central hall with storage space to meet and that hasn't happened yet... So no volunteering..

Is it Rob going off to work this morning?

Nope not today he had booked today off to hopefully finish the work on Vinnie which needs to be done before his MOT retest this week... So rob is here and nope he isn't in the cottage working on vinnie because of the post disruption due to the Christmas holidays the parts haven't arrived yet.. So no house to myself...

Is it seeing friends and having a coffee?

Not today though hopefully tonight a wee trip to seasons spinning is going to occur.  But today I need to go over the water and collect some lovely camping bits and pieces a friend is turfing out and we can make good use of.  Oh and also to go to the mobile phone company to get replacement for Robe brand new blackberry which will not hold a signal at all even though his old blackberry always had a signal... Find it interesting we have to go to the expense of going to the shop when at the beginning it came by post... Oh well.will be nice to see my pap Moira for a wee while...

Is it sorting out the house after the Christmas festivities?

Nope that is all done though I could put on a load of washing if I wanted to....I don't as the weather is as ever..... AH HERE IS MY NORMALITY ..... The weather it is as ever raining.....

The ground is so wet it's beyond squelching its almost time to get the Ark finished its diabolical and has been for over a year truely it has...

Here is that statement being confirmed I have taken the liberty of copying a wee post by Andrew Leapers blog on rainfall statistics... Here it is

Sunday 6th January 2013 DECEMBER RAINFALL UPDATE The rainfall figures for 2012 have now been updated to include the rainfall data for December. December has turned out to be yet another wet month. This means that the yearly total for 2012 is now officially the highest annual rainfall, at 37.3 inches, since my records began back in 1984. The previous highest annual rainfall, at 36.97 inches, was recorded in 1992. Let's hope for everyone's sake that we have a little bit less rain in 2013! Posted by Andrew Leaper

Tree down and decorations packed away

So this morning saw me taking down our Christmas tree and all the festive lights from miltons windows.  I am always a wee bit sad when this happens as I am a sucker for fairy lights...still it had to be done twelfth night and all that..

 Am I still the only one who does all these old traditions I wonder? Was about to go first footing my mum the other day with rob and Emilidh and Andrew her dad asked "what's that?" Sorry I answered ! I mean he has lived in Scotland since he was a wee one and his parents where in the hotel/ tourist trade how can he have not known about first footing for goodness sake?

Ok so lots don't have coal fires but its the symbolism that counts to me anyway... We took along a nice Yule log to my mums and we even played nice and took along her favourite tipple so she was happy to partake of our bottle.. Lol..

Poor Cuillin today once again ran full speed into the closed back door, he really is still finding out about life as an indoors dog poor man.  He looked so stunned and not a little nervous when asked to come in when it was open.  He is starting to get a bit of shine on his coat now but saying that each time you brush him all the scurfy skin starts flaking off and the shine disappears and he looks like a project for head and shoulders poor lad.  Next week will take him back to the vets and get him micro chipped and weighed but am under no illusions he has put on weight since we collected him from the lovely foster parents Janice and Stewart up north of Perth.  He looks about the correct weight now so it will be my challenge to keep him at this weight... Not easy when he is totally fixated with food raiding anything and every thing and also needs encouraging to do anything when asked which of course means treats,  he is also managing to get through 2 lb carrots in about 5 days at the moment still hopefully once he starts to realise that we won't starve him or leave him for days without food or water he might become more relaxed... We can only hope.

So upstairs is all sorted now ready for the scalextric night tomorrow, seemed best to put this out upstairs and it might mean nothing gets broken because Cuillin goes and stands on it all lol.  While doing so I sorted out the handspun for next months KAL with the sheeple at Once a sheep. It's now lunch time then some knitting to do on the baby blanket followed by a wee nap and then the job interview....part 1.

On the needles :

Debbie Bliss striped baby blanket 20 rows done

Aeolian ..... Erm hibernated after first pattern ( will get out and look at it soon)

Herringbone shawl squares for waistcoat possibly

To finish off :

Sew up Debbie Bliss bow cardigan

Stuff v.w. campervan door stop

Spinning:

ply last of the cruise handspun to free up the bobbins for tomorrows spin Saturday

Thought for today is : nothing ever stays the same accept that and life is easier.....

Greyhound snood

Greyhound snood pattern overall length depends on size of your hound, generally 10 - 14 inches...


Using 4.5 mm needles, Cast on 84 sts join in the round making sure you don't twist the stitches place marker (pm)

Round 1: K2,P2, to marker.
Continue working rounds in K2 P2 Rib till work measures 4inches from the total desired length then knit lead hole row...

Lead hole row 1: K2, P2 till last 4 sts. Then turn work.

Lead hole row 2: work sts as they sit to continue the rib pattern.

Repeat these two rows 3more times. (4 times in total)

Next row: K2, P2, rib to the end of round, (this will close the top of the hole).
Continue in rib till work measures 2 inches shorter than final length.

Change to larger needles 5mm. ( this helps widen the last section to allow for sitting well on the shoulders...

Continue in established Rib till work is desired length.

Cast off loosely.

Sew in ends.

If you want to strengthen lead hole you can blanket stitch around the hole to give a stronger edge.

To blog or not to blog?

So it is the start of 2013 and today has seen me doing some housekeeping in the loose sense of the word.. I have sorted , updated my ravelry projects.  I have decided to start blipping but not sure if the blip will become diary like or whether to use the blog for that feature.
I have always aspired to writing a diary regularly like many people but usually fall down very short of being disciplined enough so here goes.

We have just had a crazy few weeks of cruises, adopting a greyhound, going on an holiday with said greyhound.  Then back to a recently rebuilt home 4 days before Christmas.  Janet arriving to stay and talk about hitting the ground running.  The short version is it all went well and I improvised brilliantly each time I found that we hadn't yet replaced something vital in the kitchen.

So rather than trying to get everything down and writing it up wittily try to take my word for it.

This year I want to do a better job of all things computer based ie I want to understand how to make my blog talk to my blips and Facebook and well my fairly new iPad is to be used for all these things... I think this could be frustrating and if any of my kind friends know how I am going  wrong can they kindly show me the errors of my ways.

Now. I wonder how I can link my blip onto here?
3 January blip