IT WAS LIKE THIS, YOUR HONOUR......

(ABOVE-FOR MY HIGH TESTOSTERONE DAYS)

Meet Aunt Edna

This is DIMARA AUNT EDNA, the new arrival at Tantra. Thanks to John and Mandy (Dimara). Her dad is Dimara Gorgeous George (2cc's) and her mum is Ch Dimara Misstical. She is 10 weeks on August 1st.
We drove up to collect her yesterday. She has been as good as gold and has not been at all phased by the crew already in residence. Despite what you see, Edna will be a silver grey eventually. It might take 2 years, it might take 6 but she will go grey.

On Sunday we went into Peterborough to the shopping mall. I have been wanting a very light coloured jacket, white or cream, for ages but had no luck in finding one at all. Now you may think this is daft, as I do, but I have before said to my dead Mum, 'look I want such and such' and I find myself directed to just where I need to be. I first tried it as a joke in a small town in Austria. I said to John, I am going to ask my mother to find a yarn shop for me. Well, I looked around, and I said to John, up here. We went and then I said, now right. And guess what? There it was. The yarn shop.

Anyway, I tried the same thing out on Sunday because we were both fed up looking. I spun around in my chair, moved out of the shop we were in and and 2 shops down, I went in and asked if they had a white or off white jacket. The assistant handed me the last Ivory Tuxedo they had, in my size and on sale.(My mum only ever bought on sale.) I bought it. I had not thought of a Tuxedo. It really shows off my waistcoats well. Oh, and she called it a dinner Jacket not a Tuxedo as we don't use that word here really. 'But Mum, I said, I still need a light jacket that isn't quite so formal.' We went and had coffee at Cafe Nero (really good coffee). When done, i said to John 'lets go up here'. Outside not in the mall. I saw the only shop open-a menswear store. And yes, you guessed it-a very light oatmeal coloured suit, on sale and in my size. Just what I wanted. I said to the guy i wanted it but not to bother with the trousers. At that he promptly knocked another 30 pounds off the price!

I also bought two Panama's and 2 Trilby's. On sale of course. John bought half a dozen shirts for work.

I will photograph them when the weather improves though we have just been told by the Weather Men of the BBC that we can expect this wet cold and stormy weather well into August......

I have had bad pain today so I popped a morphine about an hour ago and I feel better. weird really. I started off just feeling very tired and weak, not really that much pain but it grew on me as the day went on until my legs and hips were playing a tune up and down my legs. Stopped now. As have my hands. The morphine is the only drug that seems to stop my hands hurting. I still don't take it that much.

Oh, today I tried on lavender jeans, lavender, pink, silver waistcoat, lavender cravat, winged collar white shirt, the Tuxedo and a Panama with a lavender-ish band along with Kickers in three shades-purple, lavender, pink. That's me sorted for Paignton Championship Show. (The Tux has a zip up cover which it will stay in until I arrive at the show at unpack the car.)

Good Week

I have been wanting these kickers for a long time but they are 1. rare and 2. expensive. I got these on Ebay for £20!!!!! The seller said they were used but you can't tell. Perhaps they are a crip like me which would account for the soles having no wear.
The Kickers are rare and expensive too. I saw them on Ebay before and they went for more than I was willing to pay. These were on for 29.99 and I bid as there was only 29 minutes left. I won them for that!!!!
I have been dyeing again. I have bought several pairs of white denims cheap on Ebay. I have dyed one pair lavender and the other turquoise. The other two pairs will either be scarlet or royal blue or green or peach. I am at present using an orange dye on dark beige jeans. No idea what colour they will be but it has to be better than the baby shit colour they are now.

I also won a Seidl linen jacket for £12.95!!! It really has been my week. Seidl is Gwerman and this is a traditonal cream linen jacket. It arrived today and is beautiful.

Today has been a rest day. No swimming. Just pc and dvd's and knitting. The lace socks have proved a real challenge. I have had to frog half a dozen times so far. I think I have the hang to it now. I kept forgetting the yo's. The pattern has ended up being my own because I had to alter the original so much in order to fit my stitch count. Still, it has given a prettty good insight into how lace is structured, so next time, if there is one, I can make it up from scratch.

The dvd's I am watching are the first 4 seasons of House and also of Without A Trace. And all eight seasons of CSI (Las Vegas).

I have discovered that damp sets me off hurting. Yes, I know, I should have known that ages ago but it isn't easy to figure these things out. The weather here has turned cool and wet and the pain in my body, especially my hands has increased.

HONEST, YOUR HONOUR

Well, Your Honour,they just appeared. Really they did. You see, all of my life, from when I was a boy, I have wanted to emulate my idol, Samantha Stevens. Every day all I have done is practice twitching my nose just like her but until now nothing ever happened. Recently, whenever I have twitched my nose, the postwoman has brought me either a pair of Doc Martens or a pair of Kickers. Okay, so they didn't just materialise like they would for Mrs Stevens, but you have to agree that I am getting there. And that, Your Honour, is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. (Edit: Samantha did twitch her nose so I am not sure what Fred meant in the comments section of this post.)

SHOP TILL WE DROP

We were out most of yesterday. Did a huge grocery shop at Morrisson's , by far the best supermarket but is 28 miles form here. However, we decided yesterday to make this a regular monthly trip and only use Tesco's for the essentials in the meantime. We have enough freezer space, one as part of the fridge and another dedicate done upstairs.

The we went to Springfield's because John needed new suits for work. He only wears double breasted but they seem to be like hen's teeth so he ended up with two ordinary ones which he is happy with. Also bought shirts and I bought one winged collar one for my dog shows. Oh, and I also bought some pink sailing trousers. The saleswoman tried to sell me baby pastel pink. Ick!

We bought some crockery. Even John did! I like to collect coffee cups or tea cups. Never more than £5 each because I don't have good grip any more and I drop things easily.

We saw a fabulous vase and though it cost a small fortune, we bought it. It really is nice. I am going to photograph this and my cups and stuff later. ( I think I will photograph the stuff I bought in Austria and Hungary too.)

Oh and the photographs on this post? Well, they are Kickers and they just sort of arrived after I accidentally clicked on 'buy it now'. (I told you, my hands lack dexterity now. This happened at least twice more too but I have not seen the result yet.)

I did not go swimming today. I intended to but just couldn't get up at the required time. Probably just as well as I have a church service to take today.

Below is my Brother 940 with the garter carriage on it, knitting the orange garter stitch design you can see.

IRONIC

I think I am using the word correctly. It's ironic that a man who can barely walk has a thing for footwear! ( No, I don't have a thing for feet. Ick!) I shall have to think about what to do with them when I leave this planet. Museum? Will them to nice people with size 8 feet? If I get a warning I am about to pop my cloggs, sell them on Ebay and go around the world? With a hunky nurse? Have them buried with me in case I need them?

I was so excited when these arrived, I could have wet myself. Kickers of course.


Larger boots are Doc Martens, the rest are Kickers.

EDIT: I am actually a size 7 (EU 41) and in German shoes and Clarks that is what I buy. However, for Docs it's 8 (EU42) and for Kickers it's 8 or 9 (EU42 or EU43). You'd think they'd standardize would you not? Even so, some of my Docs are tighter than others, same for the Kickers.

WELKS 2009 ( April 24th) OUTFIT

The waistcoat and cravat were from Ebay as was the frock coat. The trousers I dyed myself and the boots are Kickers Kick Hi. The hat was also an Ebay bargain.

New Kickers

These are designed by the 70's group, The Buzzcocks.

RUTHLESS INTERVENTION

I desperately need the support of my dear friends. I don't even know if I can bring myself to tell you about this, about what I have done. I've been thinking about it for quite some time now but each time I have gone to the brink and pulled back. I have had nightmares about this. I couldn't believe I was even thinking of doing such a thing. Well, today I did it. I gritted my teeth, and with no holding back, I went over the brink. I don't need you to judge me, or to tell me I was wrong, I just need you to tell me it will be okay.

I dumped at least 30 pairs of shoes. Yes, you read it write. See, I told you it was bad. Now you know why I had such a hard time telling you. I know it will get better, but when?

There is a positive side to this. I have only got 27 pairs of Doc Martens and three of them are sober. Nowhere near the amount I thought I had. Room for improvement there I think. ( I have 11 pairs of Kickers too, with two on the way.)

Oh dear, odd numbers. 27 Docs, 13 Kickers. That must be made up to an even number, I am sure you understand.

(EDIT: all the shoes were brown and variations there of except for an off red pair, one lilac suede (bad idea), teal suede (equally bad), and a light blue suede pair. What was I thinking?)

OOPS! I DID IT AGAIN

Above are my Kickers. I have had the blue and red for a year and have been waiting for the yellow which have now become available again. I couldn't not have them as they go so well with the red and blue which felt quite lonely without their yellow friends.

I thought you might like to see the Garter Carriage that I often mention. Here it is knitting the final sleeve of my latest sweater. Dull to sit here and watch as contrary to popular belief, it isn't doing it itself. I have to hand shape and then hand sew. So I hand knit whilst I am waiting for the rows between shaping to be completed.

NEW BOOTS

Doc Martens above, Kickers below. I think I am done now. Enough variety for my various show outfits and going out. Some were Ebay bargains, others online stores.