BRUSSELS SHOPPING

I can't believe I bought sneakers nor what I paid for them, but these were just irrestistable.

New Kickers

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

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.

Feet and Legs

These are my new Dr Martens 'Croc'.

These are the silk long johns I bought cos I am told they keep one really warm.

This is my yarn haul form our German trip. All came from Globus, bar two balls which are Regia. The Globus yarn cost less than £1 a 50gm ball and is excellent. My Tyrol socks were knitted using it.

Twit!

I have been busy looking thru two computers to find my booking confirmation for the hotel in Dinant, Belgium tomorrow evening. Couldn't find it so called the hotel. Guess who hadn't made the reservation? All sorted now.

We leave here at 5am and will drive to the tunnel, drive onto the shuttle and 30 minutes later drive off in France. We shall go to Laurent and François on the way. It is from them that Nechung came. I shall see what they have, maybe a nice male I can take one of my girls too.

We leave them to go on to Dinant where our hotel is in a forest. We have been to Dinant before, in the Ardenne region, and it is picturesque and old.

On Monday we shall drive the rest of the way to Mannheim, Germany and settle into our hotel before driving to Sandhausen for dinner with Lui and Lia. It will be Lui's 65th birthday and I have made him a light grey cashmere sweater. (he doesn't read this blog!)

We will also meet up with Jane and Diana. So four people all of whom I would not have met if not for knitting and the 'net.

James and Tabitha, the pups, are at Mary's home and the 4 adults, Nechung, Micah, Shameless and Whitney are at Lorraine's . Lui went to his new home. The house feels very odd indeed with no dog sin it. Even though I had just come back from dropping them, I still went to le them out and wondered why it was so quiet!

I have been wearing my hot pink DM's most of the day, Very comfy. Think I might take them with me.....

Raining Again

Normally the weather doesn't bother me much but I have to say I am very fed up with this summer. Wet and cool. For months now. Pouring again when I awoke this morning.Not fun when you have a hairy dogs to have to go out and don't want to!

Yesterday at the show it got very windy, cold and wet. I am paying for that this morning. Very creaky! Still, at least I was sensible and have not gone swimming.

Micah was 3rd in his class and Whitney was 1st. Worth going. This was the last show until September now. I miss Wales and Scotland as we will be travelling to Germany on Sunday, the day of the Welsh KC show and we will still be away the following Sunday which is the day of the SKC show.

I really enjoy going away and have very good people who house and take care of my dogs whilst I am away. I get a break form having to do things. I miss them though. This break, from 17th to 26th is longer than normal by a couple of days.

My new boots have arrived. I will photograph them later if the weather improves or if I can get a decent indoor picture.



I could not resist this awful t-shirt.

New DM's

My New Doc Martens.

Weird Dogs

My dogs did not much care for my new boots. Lui barked at me ferociously and the others all backed off! I have a green pair of same coming tomorrow.

Good Day at SWKA

Yesterday was fun. I enjoyed myself. Had lunch with the lovely Sarah. If I were into women in that way, I might well ask her to fly off with me somewhere.

My companion to and from the shows, Angie, did very well, winning both her classes. I did not have good day as regards the showing. Micah was last of 4 and Whitney went unplaced. That is the way dog showing goes.

It took 6 hours to get home. We got caught up for 2 of those in roadworks, going the way Angie suggested. I have turned over a new leaf and just didn't argue and nor did I lose it when we were stuck for so long but I almost had an exploding bladder! When I eventually got to pee, I didn't think it was going to stop. It hurt too!

We got to the bottom of why Angie argues with my GPS. She doesn't like modern technology and doesn't trust it. I explained that my GPS was top of the range (it is) and knew where she was going even if Angie thought she didn't. She ,btw, is Gertrude. Because I feel daft yelling at a machine, so I named it.

I slept for about 9 hours last night! Not without waking but still, that is a looooong time for me. Getting up at 8.15 seems positively decadent to me.

It is about 10 days till my next show and that one is only 20 miles away. So I have a break.

Oh and my attire, especially the shoes, went down well again. A woman told me of a place where I can buy brightly patterned walking sticks at Leeds Showground so guess where I shall visit when I go to Leeds Show?

Edit: went to do the shopping. I needed to do so in the wheelchair. Although I am not in pain especially, I have very limited mobility today. weird that. There seems to be little, if any, correlation between pain and mobility for me. I can be relatively pain free and yet hardly able to move and I can be very much in pain and yet able to move more freely. Of course, I do have days when both go together. To be honest, I find the pain much easier to deal with than the lack of mobility / fatigue. Pills help for the pain. Nothing at all helps with the lack of mobility and fatigue. Not even sleep or rest. Just have to wait for it to pass.

Oh B*llocks!!!!

I hate that this problem of mine makes me clumsy. I dropped, yet again, a glass jar full of stuff on the floor. Yes it smashed. I had to move stuff and carelessly moved the hand held blender and it was plugged in and I touched the start button whilst my fingers were near the blade......

Now I have a slice of finger missing, it won't stop bleeding and it would of course need to be my knitting finger.....

I have wrapped it up well and stuck it down. I can still knit without much bother. I need to change the dressing again though.

I have felt a bit low today. I met someone yesterday I used to know and be very fond of. They have become a poisonous drunk and it is awful to see what that dreadful disease can do to a person.

I had LOADS of comments, most positive, about my attire yesterday. Mainly about my shoes. I had no idea at all that wearing two different colour shoes would cause such a stir!! Honestly, I am sure if I had worn just a jock strap it would have got less attention.

I am just gobsmacked that doing something that to me was a minor piece of artistic license was considered such a big deal. I ma glad to say in a positive way by most.

Hot Shoes ( and dogs)

Some more pairs arrived today. I had forgotten.
Millie is going to be shown soon. She has turned out very well, excels in front and head.
Micah is all ready for tomorrow, hence his hair being tied back until he is in the ring.
Lui just being Lui. Excellent dog, stubborn as a ....welll...an Apso.

Is as mischievous as she looks. She too is going to the show tomorrow. Like Micah, she loves to show off.

Blue Suede Shoes

No swimming today. Just couldn't drag myself out of bed this morning to do it. I did of course get up because the dogs don't give a toss how I feel, they need out.

Lorraine, my Dax dog friend is visiting later today.

I found some shoes / boots in bright red, turquoise, and violet and hopefully they will arrive today. I love bright coloured suede or leather shoes. Very hard to find. these are mainly Kickers. Most men's shoes are brown or black. Or black or brown. Some of the shoes I buy are women's but they are only women's because of the colour not the style and shape which is identical to men's. Seems shoemakers think masculine and feminine shoes should be clearly defined. oh brother. Or oh sister.

I am getting tired of my aran attempt. I spent the day yesterday knitting up a swatch that took forever. I used clean str8 lines, based on a one by one rib, all twisted and travelling. I thought it was a good idea. but it isn't what i have in mind after all. I think I am going to frog and go for a more traditional look. I do love aran but wanted to try out one that was all twisted travelling sts but it hasn't worked out to my liking. Now in socks, it works very well.