Nothing of Substance

I can already say I've had a great weekend, and it's only Saturday night! Tomorrow I am just planning on relaxing and I will continue to tidy up and get sorted for another week of work but I enjoyed last night and today with Kim, we watched some silly movies and ate far too much junk but it was just what I needed.

Angel is back with "Grandma" so I am all by myself until tomorrow, when I will probably go and pick her up again. I think I'll take her to work with me on Monday so once I have her here tomorrow, I don't have to worry about taking her back in the evening.

I miss her when she is not here but it is less stressful - I don't have to worry about her barking or any little 'accidents' (only one so far, which was my fault for not getting out of bed early enough) - it's not like before, when I could just open a door and leave it open (if need be), it's a major production of getting dressed, taking my keys, sorting the leash out and then standing there like an idiot in the cold when all she wants to do is explore and play...still, I wouldn't have it any other way, although I would prefer it if she wasn't quite so determined to avoid stepping on wet grass. Most people aren't referring to dogs when they talk about "the pitter patter of tiny feet" but the sound of little doggy paws clicking on the floor is really very comforting in an otherwise quiet apartment.

Two of my Postcrossing postcards have been received, so I can look forward to the others arriving at their various destinations early next week (hopefully) and getting a few of my own in return. It's interesting getting to know people from different parts of the world. I need to buy some more postcards, I'll send another two off next week and I have the stamps sorted out (for a few more, at least). I think a shopping trip into the City is needed but it will have to wait until after payday (like so many other things nowadays).

I am determined to get some crocheting done tomorrow but don't ask me what I'll be doing because I have no idea.

Just Popping In...

Sign-ups for SP12 are underway and I've signed up. I think the joining fee is a good idea - $2.50 is a small amount per person but with 300 participants, it'll add up. I'm happy to think that if it's not all used for SP12, then they'll donate it to charity. If you can't give $2.50 then I guess you probably aren't going to honour a $30 or $60 committment. Anyway, I'm looking forward to SP12!

In other news, I've sorted out all my car-stuff so I am quite pleased with that. It cost me a pretty penny to get it fixed, then the green slip, pink slip and registration but hopefully, that's the last for another year.

Minnie, I am persevering with the drop-spindle. The results are pretty ordinary and I don't know if I'm doing it right or wrong but I have a play with it for a few minutes each night and one day it might "click" for me. I'm just using the plain fibre to practice with. I'll have to get a photo of my progress but it's rather embarrassing.

On the crochet front, I've given Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl 1 a break until I figure out what other yarn I can use to finish it off and Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl 2 has been started but I think I am going to re-do it because my gauge is off (as usual) and I made a mistake and ended up with one extra space which I have studiously ignored and continued the pattern as it is meant to be continued but that extra space is sending me batty.

I've got some photos on my camera I have to upload, there are a few nice sunrises (as usual), and I bought a lovely zygocactus on Sunday and the buds are all flowering now so I'll have to get that up here, too. I joined Postcrossing and have five postcards in transit so I hope they are received soon, I'm looking forward to getting mine - all that's coming in my mailbox are bills (or letters addressed to the previous tenant and previous owners!).

That's about it from me, Kim is coming over tonight so I have to pick Angel up after work and then hightail it over here and get the place cleaned and tidied, it's a bit of a mess at the moment since I haven't spent much time here this week or last week. Yesterday was the first day for a while that I came home straight from work and didn't have people over or somewhere else to be.

Phanatic

I saw The Phantom of the Opera on Friday night and I loved every minute of it - I could've sat through it again - and I will!. I went with C from work on Friday and I'm going with mum and my sister in July.

I started the Chrysanthemum Tea Shawl on Sunday (from "Amazing Crochet Lace" by Doris Chan) and I used the Mystical Creations Yarn which I bought last year. Of course, I haven't got enough yarn to complete the shawl, I'm up to round 23 and I can probably just finish this round with what I have (fingers crossed!). I knew it would be more than likely that I'd run out before I started so I am not letting it bother me too much. I just wanted to try the pattern and use up some of the yarn I have not yet thought of uses for (that would be the MCY stuff). I have some nice yarn earmarked for another Chrystanthemum Tea Shawl when I go 'home' and get it (most of it is still at mum's place).

At any rate, the current partial CTS will work nicely on my lounge as a bit of a throw rug or someting, the colours look nice together but I'll see how it goes. I'm using a 6.00mm hook and the MCY is fairly bulky (although the thickness varies a great deal) so it's a decent size, even if it is 'unfinished'.

I'm thinking of doing two more so this practice is a Good Thing.

Some Photos

There wasn't a sunrise to see yesterday - although it did turn into a beautiful day, the morning was such a pea-souper, the sun wasn't visible for a good few hours. This morning, I took a photo or two and sat on the balcony for a while. I'll go back out there and finish my coffee in a minute.

I got my lamps on Wednesday and I put them together - I will never understand why everything has to come in as many pieces as possible and why the instructions are so often wrong!

It looks a lot nicer than the photo shows - that's the floor lamp and there's a smaller matching table lamp on the buffet as well. I do like the shadow it casts when it's on. Adds a bit of interest to an otherwise extremely boring and blank bit of wall.


This is my bedroom, or part of my bedroom - my china cabinet and tallboy are against the wall opposite the bed and the wardrobe is opposite the window. I am still waiting for my bedside tables:

Yes, my bedroom lamps are just existing, unplugged, on the tallboy. They do look different in the photo but they are exactly the same. The photos are of my mum's "aunty" (her cousin, actually), my mum when she was quite young and my grandparents.


And this is what I saw this morning, not really a sunrise (just after) but still as pretty to see. I really do enjoy sitting out there in the mornings.

Now, on to some crochet-related content - I finished the edging on the fleece blanket, just my standard shell border, which I quite like and think it's an effective edging. I did two double-crochets for each blanket-stitch around and then the shell, so it gives it a nice dense sort of look.

The other thing I did was I made a beanie using the alpaca silk I bought to try - I didn't think I'd have enough yarn to do anything else but it looks as if I might've been able to squeeze something a bit fancier out of it since I didn't use that much for the beanie. I used this pattern for the Lacy Shells Hat (I wanted a more interesting stitch) and the result is a bit like an old-fashioned cloche hat (or a baby bonnet but I prefer not to use that comparison). Anyway, as I have some left over, I might try an actual baby hat or something little I can include with the fleece blanket. I don't know yet...

I'll take some photos once I have the ends all tidied up.

Nothing Important

I missed the sunrise this morning, since I got out of bed at 6:30 instead of 5:30 but I think I can be forgiven, as this dreadful cold is still lingering. I do feel much better and I'll be back at work tomorrow (I enjoyed sleeping in)...

I started crocheting a square yesterday - the flower square I used for my floral baby rug but this time I am doing the squares in one colour, it reduces the ends to be woven in from 6 to 2 for each square (not including the edging and crocheting them together) which has to be a Good Thing and it looks quite nice all in white anyway. I'm using the Lincraft "Romance" yarn which is acrylic and mohair. It went well and hardly took any time at all except I made a small mistake on the leaf round and this yarn is just impossible to undo. I'll try again a bit later but I think I'll end up breaking the yarn if I tug at it any more. We shall see.

My good friend Lorna, whose granddaughter was the recipient of the Pineapple Circular Shawl, has let me know her grandson and his wife are expecting a baby and this time, it's going to be a girl (after 4 great-grandsons, this is happy news indeed). I toyed with the idea of making PCS in pink but I'd like this baby to have something unique - I just can't think of what! I was going to make another floral rug (hence the square practice yesterday) but I don't think it's dainty enough...what I'd really like is another pattern like the PCS with different stitches - maybe just a different border (even though I do love those pineapples). I wonder if I can look through my stitch-guides and come up with something myself? Probably not but I'll look anyway. It's worth thinking about.

At the moment, I'm doing a very simple shell border on a pink fleece blanket with a little bunny embroidered in one corner and it's turning out quite nicely so far...

I was going to pick up my lamps and my microwave tomorrow but mum has just phoned me and she suggests we go this afternoon and get them, so I don't have to worry about getting them tomorrow (not that it makes much difference but I am sure after work I will just want to come home and relax). My bedside tables won't be ready for me to pick up until the 23rd which is a bit annoying but there's not much I can do about it...

I spent my day yesterday watching "A Room With A View" and "Pride & Prejudice" (yes, the BBC version that someone I know despises) so I'm not sure what I'm going to watch today. I think I'll go with something funny because I could use a laugh or two...

Someone else I know posted about the mint slice she made a little while ago and when I was shopping last week, I had the good fortune to stumble on the mint slice mix on sale so of course I bought it but I haven't felt as if it would be worth making while I can't taste (what a waste of a good mint slice that would be). I wonder if I can taste it well enough today or if I should wait a bit longer?

Rocks or Diamonds?

I say diamonds!

Today has been a better day - no accidents to speak of and I did a perfect reverse park in a tight spot in the dark...it doesn't take much to keep me happy, does it? I was waiting to hear the melodious screech of metal against metal but it never came! I am just delighted. I hope I haven't jinxed myself with my pride but it was just what I needed after Saturday morning...and speaking of Saturday morning, I did revisit the scene of the crime today when I went to the Medical Centre and I must say - there wasn't a scratch on the guardrail, no evidence at all that I had ever been there and left my indicator cover behind (in many pieces, I assume) so I don't know what's up with that.

At any rate, I'm off work for the next couple of days and I don't feel that much better today health-wise than I did yesterday but yesterday was a real shocker so even a marginal improvement is something to be glad of.

What else? I brought some yarn home with me so I can play with a few ideas although I am not expecting to complete much at this stage. I also wound some of the odd skeins of yarn I had at home into balls so I can use them - I am feeling inclined towards beanie-crocheting because it is quite cold on my balcony in the evenings and early mornings (and I do spend a lot of time out there, watching the sunrise and enjoying my coffee). Anyway, while I was with mum and watching the football I started to crochet a scarf but I didn't like how it was turning out and then I started a few beanie-attempts but I didn't have a pattern and my mind is too fuzzy to improvise. Who knows what I'll come up with tomorrow while I have time on my hands to relax and crochet?

I was going to take some photos of my place but it is a bit messy at the moment, I'll tidy up tomorrow and then get some photos taken and uploaded...I'm still waiting on my microwave (which I have to go and pick up), my two bedside tables (as far as I'm aware, they haven't arrived yet) and two nice lamps from Freedom (I have to pick those up, too).

Right now I'm going to finish my cup of tea and go to bed.

Some Days Are Diamonds...

...and some aren't.

I'm all set up to go again with my internet connection and phone line - just a week later than I expected, which isn't too bad for Optus. I didn't like having to use my mobile all the time.

I've pretty much moved in and settled in, I still have a lot of stuff at mum's place, a lot of my yarn (in fact, all of it) and crafty things are still there. I'll bring them across as I sort out what I do have here and can make room for things.

I'm having a disastrous weekend as far as the football is concerned, I think I've gotten one tip right so far.

Yesterday I went one-on-one with a guardrail and I think the guardrail came out on top, I haven't been back to the scene of the crime to inspect the evidence but the damage to Frank leads me to that conclusion. I have to spend next weekend getting poor Frank repaired - just what I needed, an extra expense when I've got my rego and insurance due at the end of the month. Oh well.

On top of all that, I'm sick with a cold. It's a nasty cold but just a cold, all the same, so I am hoping I start to feel better soon. I am enjoying the butter menthols at any rate.