Life

Sixteen squares

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My first sixteen squares for KAS
Sixteen squares.

Sixteen squares done!

These have been knitted or crocheted in either double knitting, aran or chunky yarns for Knit-A-Square.  Some are kitting in stocking stitch with moss stitch or garter stitch borders.  Others have been knitted with a textured design on them, again with the borders.  One even has a flower on it – stocking stitch and reverse stocking stitch are the contrasting stitches – a pattern adapted from “Blankets and Throws to Knit” by Debbie Abrahams.  A couple have been knitted diagonally in garter stitch.  And there’s even a couple of crocheted ‘granny squares’!  I have spent time keeping notes of what sized needles I’ve used, the number of stitches in a square, the patterns used, in a little notebook.

Crocheting is not a skill I’ve been able to come anywhere near perfecting.  I can just about manage granny squares.  Simple edgings too.  But that’s it.  Knitting is more my thing.  I must admit it was fun to knit the flower from the book as a textured pattern rather than in colours – I need to seriously practice my intarsia knitting!  I did try to make it in colours, but I got holes and uneven areas; it’s been a very long time since I did any such knitting.

I’ve found a lot of fun and joy and pleasure in knitting these little squares.  They let me practice different techniques, play with different yarns, and learn new tricks.  They’re small enough that they’re finished quite quickly and the materials/tools are easy to carry around so that knitting can be done on trains and so on; to take the blazer I’m knitting with me would need a large bag and plenty of room to accomplish job – not always available on a train, for instance, and not always sensible to take a huge bag of stuff with me anywhere.  I’m hoping that their small size will allow me to become more creative with the designs as time goes on…with the limited number of stitches to make a square it’s a challenge!

The other good thing about this for me is that the size of the project is not overwhelming for me.  I’m not making a huge number of squares of a certain size in order to create a blanket/throw/shawl.  Each square is a complete item in its own right, and will become part of something much larger.  I do have a problem with projects that overwhelm me with their enormity, such as knitting a large number of squares to make a blanket/throw, or writing a story (let alone a book), or a large and complex piece of art or jewellery or clearing the garden.  Something I need to work on turning around … and until then, I’ll work on projects that either don’t overwhelm me, or I can push myself a little bit into something bigger than I would usually do, or sneak up on ones that would ordinarily overwhelm me and surprise myself!

Once I shake this cold/flu/pharyngitis off then I’ll no doubt start to practice contemplative knitting as a way of developing mindfulness, with the aid of tips from the book “Mindful Knitting” by Tara Jon Manning.  But that is for another day.  At the moment I’m still coughing, sniffing, blowing my nose and generally feeling off-colour still.

 

Rainy Saturday

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I love the sound of rain, I really do.  There’s something very soothing and calming about it when indoors and warmly cuddled up under a noo-noo (cuddly blanket) or quilt.  I will have to venture forth later to acquire some vittles (there isn’t a single banana in my humble home, which is serious!).

I am on the mend from the tonsilitis/cough/flu that has given me a horrid case of pharyngitis and the doctor has signed me off work until 1st November.  I’m feeling better today, though a little woozy most probably from the drowsy version of Benyllin cough mixture which did give me some hours of sleep last night.

All the down time has given me a chance to do a serious amount of knitting – I have a small pile of squares for KAS done, and another gown or three for Cuddles.  But with no charged batteries for my camera, I can’t take any photos of them!

Sicky, poorly, baaaaad.

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Yeuch!  I’m ill!

I’ve been off work for the last week.  It started with a cough and a sore throat and has turned into tonsilitis, a very sore throat and a wracking cough.  I’m on antibiotics and on the mend, but feel as if I’ve been through the wringer.

To cap it all I lost a filling Friday night, so that involves waiting to be seen by my dentist as I’m not in pain and it’s not an emergency.  My DVD player broke on me yesterday which wouldn’t normally be an issue, but when I’m like I am now all I want to do is to cwtch up under my ‘noo noo’ (a thick and cuddly fleecy blanket) and watch nice films/programmes and sip warm drinks and nibble nice foods.

Knitting

All this quiet time has given me the chance to just knit while I watch DVDs.  I did buy a set of circular knitting needles and a set of brightly coloured aluminium crochet hooks from Knitterknacks on eBay.co.uk, and I was amazed when the items were delivered this morning!  Now, there’s service for you!  I have a good range of sizes now to keep me busy.

I have made a few tiny baby gowns and blankets for Cuddles and I will be seeing to finishing the last couple off and getting them in the post soon.  I also have some 8″ squares to send to Knit-A-Sqaure so they may be made into blankets for needy children in South Africa.  I’m also knitting a moss-stitch blazer for myself in purple aran yarn.  I try to split my time evenly between the various projects, which is fun for me as I don’t get bored doing the same thing!  The squares and baby clothes are fun to do as they are much quicker to complete than my large blazer (I’m not a tiny nor thin lady …).  I have forgotten the pleasure I get from creating this way.  In time, I’ll find the confidence to create my own patterns … more so as I shrink in size when the time is right for my protective layer of fat to be lost.

Car update…

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11:22 BST

Insurance is sorted for the Corsa.

I’ve got in touch with RAW2K about having the SmartCar scrapped.  Just waiting to hear from them about it…

Need a person to remove radio from SmartCar.  Must remember to remove all belongings from her too.

Almost all done!

20:44 BST

Just spoke with Jason from RAW2K about the SmartCar.  One of their companies is going to be in touch tomorrow about picking her up.  He’s going to put a note on the email to them asking if they’ll remove the radio for me when they come.

Nearly all sorted then …

And I just had the scariest journey of my life, possibly.  Two old ladies came to pick me up from the train station in Ponty this evening to go do a talk in Merthyr.  They entered into the station the wrong way.  Then they reversed into the railing near me damaging the rear bumper and the brake light glass.  The journey to Merthyr was … scary … as the ability to read the road or follow instructions like ‘go into the left hand lane’ was understood as ‘turn left’.  On the way back the driver managed to turn right onto a roundabout, much to the hilarity of a group of drinkers outside a pub.  Luckily a kind young lass in an old Clio came along and stopped the traffic so the car could be reversed back to the sliproad and then go around the roundabout the right way … kind of.

I think I just had a few years taken off my life!

Remind me to NEVER accept a lift from aged drivers again … I’m beginning to thing that after a certain age a re-test should be compulsory, and perhaps every so often after a certain age to ensure the drivers understand the rules of the road!!!

Sunday wittering

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Trains

Anyone would think Mercury is retrograde with all the transport problems I’ve had lately!

Today it  continued.  I had a talk to give in Cardiff around 11am.  I’d checked train times and there was one from my local station at 10:09 that would get me there by around 10:30am – perfect!  I also have a talk in Merthyr this evening, and so was going to travel by train there.   I wandered down to the train station for around 10:00 to give me time to get tickets for both journeys.

I got there to find that all the trains between Cardiff and Treherbert, Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Rhymney had been replaced by buses.

Wouldn’t have been a problem except the bus journey takes twice as long as the train and I’d be too late for the talk this morning.  So, I phoned the organiser (thank goodness for mobile phones!) who was gracious enough to say not a problem she’d sort something out.  I think phoned the organiser for this evenings talk, and she said she’d come and pick me up and bring me back again afterwards.

Its no one’s fault really.  I knew I should have checked for engineering works over the weekend, and didn’t.  Ho hum!

Personal Progress

It’s at times like this, when I recognise how I would have reacted in the past to these kinds of situations, that I realise how much positive work has been done through the counselling sessions I have.

In the past I would have been blaming myself, really taken myself on a guilt trip that would lead to a dark place.  I wouldn’t have slept, would have worried myself stupid, found it hard to organise myself or do anything by myself.

This time, and this is not the first time I’ve had a car die on me, I’ve coped really well.  I do need to find my insurance details so I can arrange the insurance for the Corsa. I need to find the log-book for the SmartCar so I can arrange for it to be sold for parts/breaking/scrap.  And I need someone who can take the radio out of the SmartCar and install it in the Corsa for me.  I’m fact, I’m quite pleased with myself, and that in itself is a big step forward for me too.

Knitting

I have a couple of premature baby wraps and funeral gowns now made to send to Cuddles.  I have, and am, enjoying the process of knitting.  The book on Mindful Knitting arrived on Friday, and I’ve quickly scanned the introductions and some of the sections about how knitting can be a mindful practice, and I recognise much of it as a process I enter into when I find myself lost in art, not that I’ve done much art lately – wool, knitting needles, patterns, finished items and other paraphernalia of the craft cover the table I usually use to do art upon.  Today, though, I got a small wicker laundry basket that has a linen liner  to keep the yarns and stuff in in an attempt to have them easily to hand but also neatly in one place instead of scattered all over.  That purchase was one of the good things from not going to Cardiff this morning and walking through my town to do some shopping.  I don’t think the basket is big enough on getting it home, but it will help to organise things, so long as the puss-cat doesn’t decide they are there for him to mess with!

Cars – harumpf!

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Well, last night saw Smartiepants, my lil black SmartCar, die as it returned home, up a hill, from a very short trip to my meditation class.  3 mins walk away from home it happened.  Horrible sound.  No power at all from the engine even though it was running.  It took the RAC just over an hour to get to me.  It took another hour or so after the RAC man had left for the lorry to arrive to load her up and take her the short distance home.

What’s wrong with her?  Well neither of the mechanic type men were able to say definitively, but when the second one said ‘timing chain tensioners’ it reminded me of  when the timing belt went on my old Astra, same kind of thing happened … it happened to me twice, the second time it was terminal for the engine and car.

This year I’ve spent over £1000 on a 9 year old car.  Last year it was £300.  The year before was around £1000 and the first year it was nearly £3000, and that doesn’t include the £3500 I paid for her!  She’s had a ‘new’ (reconditioned) engine.  Loads of bits replaced.  And I now think it’s just time for me to let her gracefully go to the SmartCar heaven to rest in piece.

I’ve never had a lot of luck with cars, not even brand new ones.  So, I’m very nervous about looking for and getting a replacement car.  I have a very tight budget as I have to buy the car outright for reasons I’m not going to go into here.  None of my friends are car-savvy.  None of my family are available to help, not that they would if they were.

So, a stressful time ahead, maybe.

I know I didn’t sleep much last night, worriting about the latest car disaster to befall me.

Mind you, I think I’ve made the decision to not have the car looked at.  To let her go, gracefully and with thanks.  I don’t want a huge bill only to find it wasn’t fixable and then not have any money to buy a replacement.

Of course the lack of sleep isn’t helping me sort out what I want to do.  And in some ways doing without a car has it’s appeal, such as the benefit to the environment, the lack of stress when it breaks down, fewer bills … but it would clip my wings as far as travelling around to draw, give talks, go to meetings and so on is concerned.  And, as much as I like travelling back and forth with a friend, I still find it hard not to take some time at the end of the school day to mark and prepare and sort out things, and knowing that isn’t happening or rushing to get it done during the busy work day, is adding to my stress/worry about my ability to cope.

Still, it’s not the first time I’ve been here … and it won’t be the last given my experience with cars!  And it’s not as if I don’t look after them – I do!

And I now have a full teaching day, a twilight training session, and some decisions to make … as well as some enquiries to make about some cars I’ve seen for sale locally…

Fingers crossed!  And fingers crossed for a pal of mine who has a job interview today and another tomorrow …

Wittering

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Faff

Well, it’s the very last day of September, another month of the year all but gone.  Time seems to be flying by.  Grey, gloomy starts to the mornings of late, and not just weather wise either.  It’s been a fraught week at work.  I’ve been left feeling exhausted by the constant treadmill of behaviour management, which I don’t think I’m managing at all well, yet others think I’m doing fine.  I’m still putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect…

I went to buy some new skirts yesterday.  I do like the current fashion of long lengths – that’s always been my kind of style!  Drifty, floaty, off with the fairies.  And I do wish they wouldn’t put huge mirrors in changing rooms … but I did stop myself descending into a dark gloom about my size, and I did avoid comfort eating too.  Which is a little success for me.  But if I think about it … I’m in danger of seriously beating myself up about it.  It will sort itself out as counselling untangles the old learned attitudes towards myself and replaces them with better ones, bit by bit.

Knitting

I’ve been crocheting over the past couple of days.  I have one teeny wrap for a premature baby done, and am working on a blanket.  Crochet is a challenge for me, more than knitting, as I’ve rarely made anything by crochet!

I’m also enjoying the relatively fast gratification of completing a project.  It’s also nice to see the project grow so quickly.  It’s not that I’m sort on patience, its that I can be short on time, as well as having a lot of other interests.  But crafts such as crochet and knitting I can take on my travels with me, though I did chicken out of crocheting on a train last night as I travelled to and from a talk I was giving.  I’ll get over that as I got over my extreme shyness at drawing/painting in public.

The current wraps and blankets will be going to Cuddles and are based on their patterns.  I’ll just get a few more done before I pack ’em up and send ’em off.

Michaelmas

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Hiring, firing and pack rag days

Today is the feast of St Michael the Archangel.  It is one of the four Quarter Days, important times in legal and economic matters from at least medieval times to the late C19th.  Today was a day for the payment of rents and the beginning or ending of hiring engagements.  As these contracts came to an end, many local families were busy packing their belongings and moving home on this day, and it became known as ‘Pack Rag Day’.  Also, local courts were often held on this day.

Michaelmas Roast Goose

It was also a day for feasting, traditionally on goose.  The goose had been fattened on the stubble fields.  Sometimes, these geese were presented by the tenant farmers to their landlords.  It was said that ‘if you eat goose on Michaelmas Day you will never lack money all year.

Blackberries

Blackberries were bad, or even poisonous, after this date.  The exact date varies from Michaelmas to the 10th or 11th October, depending on the area.  The latter dates equate to the 29th September before the change in calendar in 1752.

The reason for the blackberries’ sudden decline was that the Devil interfered with them in some way on this date – putting his foot on them, wiping his tail or club on them, spitting on them, urinating or defecating upon them.

Election of the Lord Mayor of London

The Lord Mayor of London is the head of the Corporation of London, the authority that governs the City of London.  This is not to be confused with the Mayor of London, a post created in 2000 for the head of the Greater London Authority.  The Lord Mayor of London is a position that dates from around the year 1192.

The Lord Mayor is elected on 29 September, presents himself to the Lord Chancellor at the House of Lords in October for royal approval, and finally takes office on the second Friday in November.

The Lord Mayor is still an extremely important person in the nation, and in many situations is second only in precedence to the monarch.  As well as all the ceremonial duties, the Lord Mayor chairs the Court of Aldermen and the Court of Common Council and serves as Admiral of the Port of London, Chief Magistrate of the City and Chancellor of the City University.

  1. Steve Roud – The English Year
  2. Jacqueline Simpson and Steve Roud – A Dictionary of English Folklore

Autumn Equinox

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To Autumn  – William Blake

O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
Beneath my shady roof, there thou may’st rest,
And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe;
And all the daughters of the year shall dance,
Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers. 

Some Equinox Thoughts

At 04:09BST tomorrow morning, the Sun enters Libra and this event marks the Autumn Equinox, the start of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.  Equinox literally translates as ‘ equal night’, and the two equinoxes are the times in the year when the hours of light and dark are almost equally balanced – they may not be exactly the same length, but it’s the closest they get to being so!

I always find the Equinoxes and Solstices charged with a buzz, with energy.  A great sense of change is in the air.  Autumn is always a time to harvest that which has ripened, to clear away the chaff and dead leaves.  In doing so the land and the trees have their underlying supportive structure laid bare.  And so it is with life, as it seems to me.  It’s a time to celebrate that which has come to fruition, a time to clear away that which has served its purpose or has not grown, time to reveal what lies beneath the surface for contemplation as the Sun’s strength begins to wane and the night lengthens into day.  Letting go of things is not easy, even when they are complete, but it is necessary to make way for the  new that is to come.  It is also important to take time to reflect on what has been gained, learned and lost as that too brings a harvest of its own, and it is important, I think, to give thanks for this harvest of personal work done and progress made along our own way.  It is also a time to think to the future, to set new goals now that the space in which they may achieved is apparent.

Tomorrow, after a good nights sleep tonight, I will find time to sit in meditation and contemplate my personal harvest, what is complete, and my goals for the coming year, and to give thanks for all these things.

A curious custom – sin eating.

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The newly restored grave of the last sin eater in England, Richard Munslow,  is to be celebrated with a church service – BBCNews.

“The Last Sin Eater (2003)”is a film starring Heath Ledger, one I enjoyed watching the once, but has not been watched again even though the DVD resides in my collection.  It’s not the only film with this title, “The Last Sin Eater (2007)” featured this old custom too.