Day 48 - Question 3: Why is it always ME?

Question 3: Why is it always ME??

Does anyone remember that plaintive cry from the children when asked to do ANYTHING along the lines of taking out the garbage, packing up the table, wiping up etc? Well, today I reached a milestone - I KNEW I must be old and declining into my second childhood when I wanted to shout "WHY IS IT ALWAYS ME????".

And what, I hear you say, could have prompted this usually very calm (well, sometimes) and reasonable person to descend into such childish ways? - the blogging computer of course!! When I turned on today, instead of rebooting, there was some sort of message involving the word "PANIC" and no activity - there continued to be no activity when I rang Apple, as most of the process involved waiting for very long periods while a dinky little circle thing ran around in circles on the screen .......... I should have had my knitting with me. Eventually the problem was solved by reloading all the software - joy of joys.

So, dear friends in cyberspace, I shall reveal to you, the secret of life, just as I imparted this very special knowledge to the Fleas as they were growing up - the answer is this :" LIFE ISN'T FAIR and it's time you accepted this fact and stopped complaining!". Just as well I took my own advice and am now a happy little vegemite once again.

I keep seeing "Saturday skies" on other people's blogs - so thought I'd join in - hope that's okay, or are the sky police going to get me? I'm scared. If I never blog again, you'll know what happened.


The beautiful deep blue Australian summer sky - I love it so much. Whenever I'm overseas I miss that blue, along with the blue-green of the eucalyptus trees. I had often read that Australian painters fell in love with the light in Europe - and wondered how could that be? But the first time I went to the UK I knew at once what they were talking about - the softness of the light, pink skies at midday, misty hills covered in the soft pink heather - it was all so different. And, wonder of wonders, the trees that I disliked so much here, the ones with a very bright, verging on a yellow-limey-green, foliage, looked absolutely beautiful set against the soft colours of the English countryside and sky. I still dislike those trees in Australia.

As I have no new knitting photos to display, I'll amuse you again with another of my "Knitting Around the World" collection:


This photo was taken in a wonderful yarn shop in Ketchikan, Alaska (I can't remember the name). I fell in love with it - didn't buy any yarn - but got to feel Lorna's Lace for the first time, and remembered the Mariposa shawl knitted in a soft green bamboo for the future. I did buy some necklaces though - one was silver with lapis lazuli blueberries and the other had a quaint silver octopus pendant. I'll add photos at another time (code for when I can find them in the mess in my drawer!).

Happy knitting.

Day 42 - Question 2

This post has been in draft mode for a while, waiting for some photos - which leads me to: QUESTION 2: how do all you bloggers out there get the time to read all the blogs on your "Blogs I read" lists? let alone do your own blogging?

Answer: Beats me! I have had broadband for about two weeks now - I used the entire download allowance in the first week - developed a wonky knee and hip from sitting at the computer all day (and night) - got next-to-no-knitting done, did absolutely no housework (boo hoo!) and read thousands, well, maybe a hundred or so, blogs. Each blog leads to another - it's an infinite regress - I'm trapped in a never-ending cycle and can't get out - HHHHEEEELLLLPPPP!

Speaking of blogs - I stumbled across an amazing blog - Yarnstorm - the photography and use of colour are amazing. Check it out if you get a chance.

It's hard to believe. but it's raining again here. It started two nights ago and after petering out has been honouring us with quite heavy downpours, alternating with drizzle. The best news is, that there have been some falls in the catchment area for our drinking water. I hope it continues. So far we have had no more leeches in the house - and no, Roxie, they don't climb on the furniture like spiders - just across the ceiling and floor. Poor old Grandpa Flea had one drop off the ceiling onto him while he was in bed . He felt an irritation in the corner of his eye - and it was a leech, just about to attach. He was a bit put out about it! As I said before - the joys of wildlife!

Today we went down to see the hole where our new home will be:

Well (no pun intended), it has been raining! The builder assures us that the drainage (yet to be installed) will cope with future rainy days - we hope! It looks like they will pour the slab in the next week, weather allowing. Now all we have to do is sell our house so we can afford to pay for it!

I went to the Craft Show at Rosehill with a friend, Nunel, on Friday. I know Janette was out of there in an hour, but we arrived before the doors opened and left when they closed! Of course, there was some time out for coffee, lunch, gossip and putting our feet up. It was a much smaller show than I'd imagined - Janette gives a good round-up of what was there. Nunel and I are not focussed - we spent hours looking at beads which we rarely use,, vintage buttons which I love, cross-stitch for Nunel, and needle felting, amongst other things. I came home with a needle felting kit (I've already broken the needles), some heavy duty cotton to use for a button necklace if I can work out how to do it, some button backs to turn old buttons into pendants or earrings, and five buttons which I don't need but liked.

At the beginning of the year I intended to knit from the project a day calendar, as lots of the small things looked good for street stalls for The Shack but so far I've only done one thing, an angora scarf that turned out a lot smaller than in the pattern. But then again, I wasn't using the recommended yarn, but a Wendy angora I've had stashed away for years. The scarf is very cute - I think I'll give it to one of the little fleas and knit another larger one out of mohair for The Shack. There is no way I'd buy angora for a street stall - people want bargains and won't pay a realistic price. How inadequate can one person feel - I'd love to have the eye for colour and design that Yarnstorm has - I'll keep trying!

I have started Lucky from Pipsqueaks and have finished the back, two fronts and am on the sleeves. It is a very quick knit, but I think I've knitted it once too often - there's only so much moss stitch a girl can do ..... but it is a great pattern for tiny people - the button does up below the chin, so they don't have wool irritating them, especially when they have a little chuck-up. And the Zara is beautiful to knit with.


Eloise is still on the back-burner and Annie Blatt's ........ blocking.

Well, it is now Day 46 and at this rate the draft will never see the light of day - so, as someone once said (any idea who?): PUBLISH AND BE DAMNED.