Major Tom

This yarn is Galaxy number 1555 by Regia. I bought this yarn whilst visiting with Lia in Sandhausen, Germany. I knit them using 2mm for the ribbing and 2.25mm for the rest. 38sts and 48 rws per 10cm (9.5 and 12 PI). I really like this colourway and design.
I named them Major Tom. You may be old enough to figure out why!

I did a Sherman heel. I increased from 36 sts to 46 sts on the sole before I did the heel and then decreased again afterwards back to 36. It fits well.

Richmond Championship Show

Micah was placed 2nd in his Post Graduate Class today.

The show was held here Loseley Park.

I have been feeling a bit low, almost like grief, for a while.

I realised why as I was leaving the show today. I had this excited feeling about getting home, like I was looking forward to something. Yes - certain foods or cigarettes. Then a weight fell in my stomach and it really dawned on me:

Not being able to eat certain foods without causing myself problems is not a temporary thing.

Not smoking any more is not a temporary thing.

This fatigue, aching and pain is not a temporary thing.

The food thing is the one that p's me off the most. It is so inconvenient and I miss foods I like and I feel resentful when I see others eating them!

Nighty Night

Last night has to be one of the worst nights I have had for a long time. I couldn't sleep for longer than about 30mins before being woken by pain.

First off by acid reflux. I think anyway. Although I have been eating properly. I did eat carbs on Monday and yes, I often get reflux a few days afterwards. Don't ask me why. I also get it at the time I eat the wrong thing.

I say I think because I get this pain even though I take Protium. I have told my doctor this but she wasn't concerned. You'd think a drug given to stop acid that didn't work would warrant something else, no?

Anyway, I get this dreadful burning pain but it's in my side, under my right ribs or breast. I must say though that I have had reflux when I have been hunched over the PC too long and the pain has stayed even upon standing until I take the liquid for it. It then goes str8 away.

Now this pain, although similar, isn't quit the same. It goes as soon as I sit up. I have taken liquid for reflux and it eases but is back as soon as I lay down. I can take a drink of water and it goes. But is back once I lay down.

Previously, it has meant I might have to stay sitting for 10-15minutes before I attempt to sleep again. Then I go back to sleep and that is the end of it.

Last night though, it just kept happening so I kept waking. I also happen to be hurting badly in my legs and hips, perhaps it is related?

I eventually got up entirely at about 4am and tried to sleep in the armchair. The pain didn't return but I couldn't sleep. So I went back to bed. I was awake with the pain again about 40 minutes later.

Interestingly, I got the pain whilst lying on my left side. The pain was in my left side and similar but not the same or as severe.

I am up completely by 7am and no pain since. I feel sore.

Despite how I felt in the early hours, convinced I had a terminal disease and was on the way out painfully, I know that doesn't make sense because this has been happening on and off for about 14 years.

I used to get, but no so often, a very similar burning sensation that would start in my jaw, left or right, and would seem to travel all long my major nerve routes. It was awful and then it just stopped. I still get that but not often.

Anyway, this pain in the side, might be to do with the arthritis or fibromyalgia. Or it is reflux and I just happen to feel it to the right side of my centre.

I feel better for having written all this out because it helps me see it more clearly. More importantly, as I have had this for so many years, it is not likely to be a terminal disease!

Judge Not, Lest Ye Be Intelligent And Responsible

If you do not judge you are probably:

stupid

irresponsible

or a liar

People get their knickers in a twist over this. Have you noticed that when someone resorts to telling you 'you shouldn't judge' that they are doing precisely that! They are judging you!

(As in recent correspondent regarding my Nonsense post. It seems that at least two, one wrote by email, thought I was writing about them personally. If this is the case, then I can only assume they think in the manner I wrote about and that somehow I must have known this.)

Back to the point.

We all make judgements everyday. More importantly, we judge others daily, hourly, minutely even!

Huh! I hear you shriek, I DO NOT JUDGE. I am a good person. Bollocks!(English for rubbish) I say.

You do. If you don't, you need locking up and medicating . If you have children, they need to be taken away and given to someone who knows how to care for them and who does not endanger their lives.

Someone knocks at your door. You open it. You see a stranger. If you do not judge, you let him in, let him play with your children. You leave him to it whilst you go out to the shops. This man was a god send. You can get away without the children for a while.

Or it's evening time and you are walking alone along the street and you see a crowd of skinheads coming your way. You stay where you are and smile at them when you get up close.

Or you are on a country lane at night, two men step out in front of your car and ask you to take one them to get fuel as their car ran out. If you do not judge, you willingly do this. If you judge, you recognise your vulnerability and refuse, ready to put your foot down on the accelerator should the need arise.

Okay I think I made the point. (That last one happened to me-I realised that being in my physical state, I was not able to defend myself if they were not genuine.)

Now if the commandment was DO NOT CONDEMN, LEST YOU BE CONDEMNED it would make more sense.

It is never a good idea to condemn anyone. No one is beyond redemption, no one is without the tiniest bit of light in them. Above all, no one is so above reproach that they have the right to condemn anyone else.

People who do this, and there many who do so in the name of their god, are behaving in a vile and unrighteous manner.

Condemning an action as wrong can be sensible. However, even then it is not simple. Things are not black and white. For example, THOU SHALT NOT KILL. There are times when killing is the right thing to do or the most compassionate thing to do, or the lesser of evils. It means we have to use our brains.

Of course scholars say that the commandment is Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder. which makes more sense.

Oh and if you align yourself with a particular belief system, do not be surprised when others take this to mean you believe certain things. One would be a cretin if one announced one is in the KKK or BNP and then get upset when others assume one is a racist!

Rather the same as when one announces one follows a certain faith and then gets upset when one is assumed to be a believer in the principles and edicts of that faith.....

Pardon?

We were in Sainsbury this evening.

Within a few minutes I had been knocked into by two different customers and one staff member.

I asked customer services if they had a wheelchair I could use. They brought me one that I could not wheel myself in as it's wheels were tiny.

I said so.

The 'customer services' person said I ought to be grateful they were giving me one and that a member of their staff would wheel me around!

I politely told her that this was insulting, that taking away even more independence was not helpful.

The look on her face was 'oh a nutter'. She said 'Really?' with genuine astonishment when I told her it was insulting to offer this chair....

I kept my cool and went away. I did get angry inwardly and felt like going back and crippling the stupid person with my sticks!

Sweaters On Ebay

I have put 8 of my sweaters on Ebay. The link will take you to one of them. When you get there you will see a link which says 'view seller's other items'. Click on it to see other sweaters.

http://tinyurl.com/2qknu9

The Andersson Heel 2

I did the heel slightly differently for the second sock. I increased for the gusset every 3rd row instead of every other-ie with 2 rows between increases. I also added garter stitch borders to the heel part - I knit 3 sts in Knit before and after each slip stitch. When you sl1 you knit the next 3 sts no matter if you are on a knit row or a purl row).

Bl**dy Hell!

If you do a Google search for The Andersson Heel this is what you find, amongst a couple of other links to my blog:

http://b.hatena.ne.jp/entry/5753760

A Sweater For John

Whilst John was sorting out my stash for me, he came across some yarn he wanted a sweater out of.

Dark navy wool/cotton slub. How could I refuse despite finding it rather hard to see what I am doing.

I knit it on the fine gauge machine at 36sts and 36 rows per 10cm. For the mathematically challenged (or Americans) , this is 9sts and 11.5rws to the inch.

I have done the front and back and neck and joined it all, ready for the sleeves.

I am knackered!!!

Gosh, I used to be able machine knit and sew up two sweaters a day.

This illness of mine p's me off.

Meditation

I meditate twice a day-most days.

I am trying to attain sainthood.

Trouble is I have never been sure that I don't just nap twice a day.

Sandhausen

This is the little town that Lia and Lui live in. This is John and Lia.
This is John and me.

This is of a woman rolling tobacco. This is a tobacco growing area. I saw my first ever tobacco growing in fields. Had no idea the grew it here in Germany.

Worms

Mannheim

The modern art gallery we went to is the middle building on left in the photo above.

German Trip again

These pictures are of Speyer. I really enjoy old places like this.

Holly took us to the museum and we saw an expo about Attila the Hun which was excellent. We have tried doing this sort of thing before but have not found them accessible. However, they are and fortunately Holly speaks German so was able to ask and we were then able to find the disabled entrance and facilities.

My John is a well educated man, used to teach and an Historian by trade. Holly is a Doctor(MD), Lia is a language teacher and Lui a Professor. I have to say that I often feel completely out of my depth in such company. My education finished at 15 and I have educated myself since. And certainly not in the way these people are. So I am not really able to talk with them in the same way. I cannot have conversations, educated ones,about history of art or history. I handle that most of the time. Sometimes though I feel so inadequate and it can affect me thus: I either clam up and people can think I am sulking or miserable, and I am neither, or I rabbit on nervously and make a fool of myself. I have this voice in my head telling me to shut up! So I think I might have enjoyed myself better if I was could talk with these people on their level. (I hasten to add that no one spoke down to me or anything.)

No One Is Perfect

So last night it was just watch a film night. I did not want to knit or do anything, just watch a film.

I chose Premonition with Sandra Bullock, who could be Carly Simon's daughter.

I found the film disturbing and upsetting and would have rather not seen it. However, I was engrossed and intrigued and emotionally affected by it. John on the other hand didn't like it and would have turned it off after 10 minutes!

We then saw a film called Sleeping Dogs which was most unusual to say the least. I cannot say here what the premise was. We did not know when we chose the film. It was entertaining and thought provoking though.

Later in bed, getting my back stroked, I felt really weary, fed up of never feeling comfortable. If not hurting, then aching all the bloody time. This week my hands are burning and aching, my knuckles sore. I have not had real pain in my legs or hips but have been very weak and unable to walk far due to that. So I console myself by saying well at least the pain isn't bad. Then early this morning I am awakened by my hips and have to get up. So it starts again.....

Yes I know moaning is of no use at all and most of the time I am good at ignoring it all and enjoying John, my dogs, and and the knitting. Sometimes though, it just really pisses me off. 24/7 pain or discomfort is annoying at best.

Plus my new spec frames are in. I had to order them cos the nose bridge on mine has broken. I bought the damn frame in Peterborough. This means I can only go on Saturday to collect them because I cannot go on my own(the shop is in a mall) and John needs to be with me. We have not got a free Saturday for a while....

I HATE the dependency this condition brings with it.

The Andersson Heel

Okay here it is. This just an explanation of the heel, not a whole sock pattern. That you can do for yourself.

Lets assume you have 72sts all told for your sock, split into two. (if you insist with knitting with the hedgehog, you'll have to work it out over 3 or 4 needles yourself.)

You are knitting toe up. You want to increase a total of 30sts (the amount that suits my instep)on the 36sts that make the sole. You also want the increasing to be completed just about 1/2 to an inch from the end of your foot. My gauge was 13 RPI and I started by increases on row 81 and finished on row 109. (I do not count my cast on and toe increase rows). (You must be prepared to frog so that the you ge the heel to be right for your foot length)

So on row 81 I increased every other row on both sides of the sole, 1 stitch in. When I had the required number of stitches, I knit another row and then across the instep stitches.

Now I am ready to make the heel.

The heel middle needs to be 34sts. I increased 15 sts either side of the 36sts I started with.

Subtract 34sts from 66sts which leaves with 32 sts. Divide the 32sts by 2 = 16 sts Add to the 34 sts. I need to knit 50sts, SSK and turn. Sl1, Purl until I have 16 sts left, then P2tog and turn. Sl1 and knit to stiche before gap. SSK, turn. Sl1 and purl to 1 st shy of gap, P2tog and turn

I Just kept doing this until I had worked all sts. I will have 36sts left on my needle.

I then just continue in the round.

Note: there were gaps when I rejoined to knit in the round. I closed them my way and you can close them the way you do.

If your sock was 60sts all told, you'd 30sts for your sole, you may increase to 50sts. In which case you'd need 28 ts for you middle heel, divide what is left by 2, in this case that would leave 16. So you knit 44 sts, SSK, turn etc

Your middle heel is always 2sts less than the total sts for your sole. The amount of stitches you knit before you SSK and turn is that total original sole sts minus 2 plus HALF the sts you increased.

EDIT: I found this fits better when I start the heel shaping 2 inches from foot end. i.e my foot is 10" long and so I start to turn the heel when sock is 8" long.

Antonio Banderas with Andersson Heel

Smooth with plenty of spice.

This is the sock yarn from Germany at 0.70 pence a 50 gm ball! That is €1 or $1.40. Very soft. 75% wool 25% nylon.

I knit the whole thing on 2.25mm Hiya Hiya needles. It is knit from the toe up.

The heel I am especially pleased with. It has a gusset, and a wide German style heel. No picking up of stitches. I have rather modestly named it the Andersson Heel. ;-)

It really is easy to do. Took a bit of working out-it got frogged twice -but by the 3rd attempt, I had it figured out.

Is This Love?

John has spent the last 2 days sorting out my stash for me. He sorted into count and fibre. The attic is full too. My sock stash is downstairs.

Gosh, how the word stash has changed in meaning for me over the years......

Trier

These two image are of the centre of Trier, Germany. We have been here before in 2005 on our way to Lake Konstanz.

It is a nice little town and has good clothes shopping and yarn shops.

I bought a Trachten suede jacket and shirt. I love traditional German clothing (Bavarian).

It peed down with rain and we had to buy a rain mac each. I had to phone Lia to ask her what to ask for. She told us a 'regan mantel'. Not the correct spelling but by saying it we were directed to the right place and bought two long plastic ones. With added sunglasses we could have looked like cheap FBI!

Liege

These are pictures taken in the centre of Liege, Belgium, our stopover on the way to Mannheim.

The weather was wet and chilly and it really looked as if we might have then the UK's awful summer with us. We consoled ourselves with the knowledge that we were going to be visiting with people in Mannheim so maybe it won't matter if it was wet.

Liege was not pleasant. It was full, really, of street people with drink/drug problems. We are approached and harassed several times in an hour or so. I always find this difficult, having some experience as a street person myself many years ago. I was fortunate and on the streets thru fear not because of drink/drugs.

We stopped for coffee. In the gap between ordering and the waiter returning, I must have gone elsewhere in my mind because I jumped out of skin when he returned with our order. It made us both laugh, though my laugh was tinged with embarrassment. I still have over done reflexes.(exaggerated startle response)

Poor Thing

Luna Lovegood's honeymoon with Yankee was definitely successful.

Poor Luna is suffering morning sickness right now and is off her food.


She is 4 weeks tomorrow, pups due October 6th.

Nonsense!!!! My Reply

Okay, first of all this 'lovely' little email implies that people who suffer do so because they do not believe in God or do not ask for God to help.

In other words, this is just another take on the 'blame the victim' attitude. Actually, it is highly likely that the 'blame the victim' attitude is biblical.

It is also a blatant lie which stands out a mile to anyone who bothers to think. Duh!

If it were true, then no one who professes to believe in God and who prays to her, would suffer. They wouldn't get sick, no one would ever hurt them, they'd never be poor. I think you get the picture.

I know of a 3 year old who just died of cancer. They suffered. What sort of evil belief system suggests this child suffered because they did not pray or believe? Or worse because their parents didn't?

Now to the last bit of the offending email: no one KNOWS there is a God! You can believe there is, you can feel sure there is, you can be fervent in your belief. But you cannot KNOW.

No human being has access to ABSOLUTE TRUTH. We only have our ideas and the meanings we create. That is it. We do not live our lives based on absolute truth, because we cannot know TRUTH. We live our lives based on our ideas and on the meanings we have created from our experience.

Even though not mentioned in the email, I will also add that the the idea that some people have that their 'sins' are 'paid' for by someone else, that we each have our personal whipping boy, is also clearly not true, no matter how much we may wish to be absolved of out personal responsibility.

How can I feel sure of this?

Simply because we suffer and we die!

IF someone else had paid for our sins, then we would not suffer the consequences of our errors(sins). We also would not die, because the wages of (punishment for) sin is death. Even the Holier Than Thou brigade die.

I have not written about belief in a god or supreme being or divine force or whatever. I see nothing wrong in such a belief. In fact it can neither be proven nor disproved. I also find a definite atheistic point of view to be as silly as a definite religious one.

None of us knows if there is a creator or not. No matter how much we fancy we do.

My objection is to the damaging stories people have made up about God. The damage they do to children by teaching it as TRUTH. I object strongly to evil portrayed in these stories and the inability of many people to see how these stories severely damage the human race.

Also, it disturbs me greatly that people believe them.

Just as an example, there are those that believe that the story of Noah is true. Forget for a moment the Ark and the cute animals walking in 2 by 2 and how lovely Noah and his family were.

WHAT SORT OF MONSTER DROWNS MEN , WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND ANIMALS BECAUSE HE IS PISSED OFF?

More to the point, what sort of person believes in such a monster? Could it be a person who harbours such foul feelings of revenge and destruction? Is this why they are able to accept such a God? Because their God thinks and feels the way they do?

All god's I have so far come across are made in man's image, not the other way around, and as such they very clearly display the worst components of man-the desire for worship and praise, the desire to control, the desire to destroy.

Finally, I often here people say 'if it brings them comfort to believe what's the harm? '

It harms because their comfort is at the expense of others!

It is these 'comforting' beliefs that allowed the Holocaust to happen for one, that allowed Matthew Shepherd to die the awful death he died, that allowed the 11th September attacks and countless other acts of evil.

It is this 'comfort' that allowed slavery, for women to be treated as chattels, for children to be abused(and still so). I could go on.

WHAT PEOPLE BELIEVE MATTERS. Beliefs based on error and evil , no matter how comforting to the holder, costs lives.

Just a cursory look at our world will show this is so.

Lightening Recovery

Shilpa had abdominal surgery today-late morning. By evening she was running around and later stuffed her face at meal time.

Her 'top dog' has had 6 days away and is still too knackered to post on this blog properly!

I will post more pics of the trip and also my thoughts on 'Nonsense'.

At least I have almost finished the first sock of a dark navy pair for John. I have knit them plain-the dark is just too much for anything else.

Nonsense!!!!

This is one of the best explanations
of why God allows pain and suffering
that I have seen. It's an explanation
people will understand.

A man went to a barbershop to have
his hair cut and his beard trimmed.
As the barber began to work,
they began to have a good conversation.
They talked about so many things
and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on
the subject of God, the barber said:
"I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?"
asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in
the street to realize that God
doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists,
would there be so many sick people?
Would there be abandoned children?
If God existed, there would be neither
suffering nor pain.
I can't imagine a loving a God who
would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment,
but didn't respond because he didn't
want to start an argument.
The barber finished his job and the customer
left the shop.
Just after he left the barbershop,
he saw a man in the street with long,
stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed
beard. He looked dirty and un-kept.

The customer turned back and entered
the barber shop again and he said
to the barber:
"You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?"
asked the surprised barber.
"I am here, and I am a barber.
And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed.
"Barbers don't exist because
if they did, there would be no
people with dirty long hair
and untrimmed beards,
like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist!
What happens is, people
do not come to me."

"Exactly!"-
affirmed the customer.
"That's the point!
God, too, DOES exist!
What happens, is, people
don't go to Him
and do not look for Him.
That's why there's so much pain
and suffering in the world."

If you KNOW God exists,
send this to other people---
If you think God doesn't exist,
then just delete it!

I SHALL GIVE MY REASONS FOR BELIEVING THIS TO BE NONSENSE LATER.

Schloss

The Kunstmesse Schloss at Schwetzingen, one of the places Lia took us. Beautiful gardens and follies.
The mosque in the Schloss gardens.
Mr and Mrs Peacock, also in the gardens.

German Trip

From left to right: Diana, Diana, Lia and Tina. Picture taken in Holly's home. This was the Thursday evening. The two Dianas and Tina are from the TownsendSocksKnitALong group on Yahoo.

It was a very pleasant evening spent with good company. I was very glad to have met these people. Holly, who is not in the picture, myself and the four in the picture all knit differently but we all produce the goods!

How about this then? There are 60 something steps up to Holly's home. I need not have been concerned-there is also a lift(elevator)!!! I was impressed.

There is much more to say and more pictures to show but I am still very tired so it will be added slowly.

Stash Enhancement

These are mostly for John's socks. The red, rust and light blue are beige and light grey are for me. Most of these balls cost me less than £1 (pound) per 50gm ball!The 50gm balls cost me £1 each! The Regia 100gm balls cost me about £5 each. Much cheaper than here in the UK.

Lia took us to Globus, a very large 'shop' which sold everything. It was amazing, shopping heaven. It is here I bought the cheaper sock yarn though they did sell lots of Regia.

In all the shops I went in, I saw none of the Kaffe Fasset yarn from Regia.

Strangely, the most expensive place for yarn was the department stores which sold Regia in only 50gm balls . However, it was still cheaper than the UK at only £2.80 per ball.

My Own Bed

I am back.

I have driven for 9.5 hours today and 600 miles.

I could have sworn I went 'no mail' before I left and now have hundreds to sort thru...

I will try and read and reply tomorrow or the next day.

I might even photograph the sock yarn stash enhancement.....

Hello From Germany

At present I am in Lia's home in Sandhausen and will be driving back home in the morning. We have had a good time. Holly took us around Thursday and Friday, and Lia did today. It's been very hot. Very tired but little pain.

LOT'S OF SOCK YARN BARGAINS!!!!!!!!!

Johnny Depp Done

Pretty, witty , somewhat eccentric, not overly butch.
Online Supersocke 100 Holiday Color, number 1001. 75% Superwash wool and 25% Nylon.

Knit entirely on Hiya Hiya needles, 2.25mm. 5 x1 garter rib.
German Strap Heel. Which is really just a wider , more oblong, Dutch Heel.
It seems to me this gusset and flap heel fits my foot better.

I Just Saw....

Daniel Craig in just his socks.....

There's a Moose In The Hoose

I was sitting talking on the phone and a MOUSE ran behind John's armchair!

I thought I had seen something dart under the kitchen sink last week but it was just out of the corner of my eye and I decided it was nothing....

I have called a man to come and do his thing tomorrow.

Do you think Daniel Craig does extermination on his days off?

It's A Miracle!!!!

I couldn't stand it any more.

What?

The mess.

What mess?

The house mess. I had run out of room to put stuff.

Something had to be done. So I did it.

I have been on my feet most of the day. I have cleaned up the kitchen, chucked a load of stuff out,driven to the tip, scrubbed surfaces, washed the net curtain, washed towels, ran the Dyson here there and everywhere.(Goodness does that Dyson suck.)

The dogs think I have gone bonkers.

My body is screaming 'what the f**k do you think you are doing?'.

In the meantime I have been doing drugs. Keeps me going and the drug companies in profit.

Okay so now I hurt like hell and am walking like I am 90 and dead but I feel good!

I accomplished it.

Later or tomorrow I am starting on the lounge.

And when John gets home, we are going to do something about my stash room. Oh, and I am going to do something about my huge collection of magazines. Knitting of course.

any suggestions about the mags would be considered. I feel at the moment I could get rid of them but that feeling may not last long......

I have done all this whilst listening to Carly and singing along. Masked the snap crackle and pops of my body.

I just hope I have not started anything up as we are going on our trip to Heidelberg next week.

My legs are screaming at me now. They just have no manners.

How About That Then?

Last night I went for my swim. When I had finished, I felt rather good and more mobile.

I needed to get something to eat from the supermarket, so I went.

For some reason, it just came to me to use one walking stick in my left hand and hold the trolley with my right. It worked.

I also found as I walked that I wasn't hurting that much.

I ended up filling my trolley with what I needed, not just the one meal for the evening.

Okay so getting it out of the car into my house was more of a challenge but it was fine, done bit by bit.

I then went as far as to chuck a chicken and vegetables and herbs and garlic and some red wine into the slow cooker (crockpot) and this morning the house is filled with the lovely aroma of my lunch for the next few days.

I am somewhat more sore today but I feel rather pleased with myself.

Bournemouth Show

Micah was 2nd in his class and Shameless was 5th in hers. 106 entered.

Daniel Craig Is Finished

Okay, Daniel Craig is done.

All done using one 100cm 2.25mm Hiya Hiya needle. 3x3 ribbing, German Strap Heel which is just an oblong Dutch Heel.

The yarn is by Regia. Nordic Colour, 5510.

(see Road To Ruin post below for explanation of the name.)

Drats

John is away. He has had to go up north to sort out family stuff after 3 deaths.

I find it rather odd. Since his dad died 30 years ago, John is head of his clan. Meaning sisters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles etc all turn him, the 'boss'.

Weird, yes?

Weirder still is when he calls me and I feel like I am talking to a complete stranger because my BBC English speaking John has become a Geordie speaker and sounds nothing like my John.

For you Americans and Canadians, this is like your Northern state TV newsreader, Peter Jennings for example, suddenly turning round and speaking Southern Hillbilly.

When he is away, meaning not here at weekends, it really does send it home to me how I might be quite stuffed on my own. I can't go and do a proper shop. So I have to make do with the odd bits I can get in the supermarket till he gets back next weekend.

I rarely let thoughts of the future impinge on me but every so often it does enter my mind that maybe he will get too old and infirm to help me or that I will get so much worse, it is progressive, that he wouldn't be able to anyway.

I would seriously rather die than a. be separated or b. end up in a nursing home, even if it was together. John feels the same.

I'd rather go out with a bang than a whimper.

But I don't think about it and live each day as it comes. It is the only way to live for anyone really. It is certainly the only way to live with a disease that causes 24/7 pain. You learn to really appreciate the less pain days and the bad pain days pass eventually.

And for now I'd rather hurt and still be living a good life, which I do, I don't let it stop me. The day it stops me is the day I get off the bus. Before the medicos and the law take my choices away.

Regia Sock

Regia Nordic colour , colour number 5510.

Road To Ruin

I finished my 4th second sock today.

That was it, I promised, I will get on with my sweaters now on the machines, especially that cashmere swatch just waiting to be measured and a sweater knit from it's info.

I tidied up the living room. I put all my sock yarn in the plastic sets of draws I bought a couple of weekends back.

So far so good.

Yes, I could feel the flutter in my tum. I could see completed socks in my mind's eye as I am diligently putting the balls away and closing the draw.

Then it happened.

I found a ball I didn't know I had. The Daniel Craig of yarn balls. Well the flutter in my tum broke into waves, I ripped off that ball band, picked up my Hiya Hiya's and I cast on. I then spent from then till now(bed time) knitting up Mr Craig.

Stuff the tidying up and the sweater.....

My name is Colin and I am powerless over sock yarn......so keep your hands off and back away sloooooowly....

Luna Lovegood

Luna has had three successful visits to her beau, Yankee.

Puppies due 5th October or thereabouts.

Knitting Time Well Spent?

maybe not

The Sissyfication of Seattle

Is this site a joke?

Surely it is?

Narrow Toes

This is a toe from a pair of socks found on the net.

I just do not understand why anyone would knit this sort of toe. They don't fit, don't look good. They are knit toe up. They really need to be cast on much wider so they fit the foot.

What beats me, is that they are knit from well known designer patterns. I cannot understand why otherwise excellent patterns/socks are ruined in this way.

Am I missing something?

If you knit your toes this way and are happy with them, fine, I am not knocking anyone on a personal level.

I just don't get why a toe that doesn't fit or look good is followed by so many knitters.

The photo has been manipulated colour wise and cropped so the original is not recognisable.

How to Make It Worse

Well if you read this blog, you'll know that yesterday was not a brilliant day for being intelligent.

What you may not know is how I made it worse, or rather ensured today would not be a good one.

We went out to a meeting last night,(the speakers were not good) and whilst here I had a rather bad attack of stomach acid pain. Got my medicine out of the car and it had gone off so I drank a gob full of milk and it went way.

I was really sensible when I got home. I could not be bothered cooking so I ate two sandwiches instead.

What is wrong with that I here you ask? Plenty if you are allergic to most starches, especially wheat.

I also took a 40mg dose of Protium since I had already that stomach acid attack.

I was up early, feeling crap, and was gone from here by 6.30am to take Luna for another visit to her beau. Got back, exhausted, ate sensibly and went to bed. About an hour after I got up again, I started to get bad stomach pain.

This pain usually starts in my right side, about where the ribs start, and moves over up my middle. I took the antacid and nothing happened, the pain didn't abate, or rather it did but was back within seconds, and more severe.

In short, two more doses and a shot of milk and 30 minutes later it subsided. During that time, I also took my GTN spray which had no effect I but I took it because I could feel the beginnings of panic. I also took deep breaths easily. So I could breath well, the GTN did nothing to relieve my pain, so it wasn't my heart. I took poor Micah for a walk(as he is frustrated as I have girls in season and he can't mate the. He is being remarkably well behaved.)

It has passed now and I feel okay apart from now having diarrhoea and gas! (I am sure you wanted to know that!)

So not only did I feel bad for the car fiasco but I then go and make it all much worse by eating what I know will make me sick! (Yet telling myself it won't!)

So I proved yet again that certain foods I cannot eat safely and that Protium doesn't really work so why bother to take it?

The car thing is no big deal in the scheme of things, I know, and it could have been so much worse. Sometimes I don't have a clue as to why I make the wrong choice when I know so well how to take care of myself.

In the end, the car thing was not the worst thing that happened but what I did to myself.

ARRGHHHH!!!!!!!

We got up at 5am to go to a dog show. On the way I stopped at a garage to fill my car.

I filled my diesel engine with unleaded petrol !!!!!!!!!!!!

If it hadn't overflowed, I would not have realised my mistake until I had driven off and the car would have been ruined. Thankfully I knew not to turn the engine on.

Three hours later we are at home having been towed here by the AA. Now I am just waiting for the company to arrive that will empty the tank and flush the engine out.

This will cost £200 (about $400).

Honestly, I don't know where my brain is sometimes. On the Continent(mainland Europe) this couldn't happen because the Diesel pumps are not in the same place and the nozzle wouldn't have fitted my car anyway.

The man just arrived and told me that yes, the nozzles are made in such a way that a diesel will not fit a petrol car but a petrol will fit a diesel! Fat lot of good that does me!