Come live love and laugh with me
How can it be possible to end up with more than you began with
No, not stitches on a knitting needle 🧶
Chocolate!
I’m not taking away from the relevance of the day
But what a fun post for the Friday before Easter
Fun Friday – the day to leave all the worries of the week behind you
Three weeks you say – yes, it’s been three weeks since I mentioned knitting
I’ve been thinking you might think that’s all I do
So I haven’t said a word about it for three whole weeks
But just in case you have been wondering what I’ve been up to
With my knitting that is
I’ll tell you that….
I finally finished the 4yr old which ended up being one of those ‘seemed like a good idea at the time but my heart really wasn’t in it’ things
I had a lot of fun knitting this the first time round and perhaps it was a bad choice for the ‘challenge’ but look nothing ventured nothing gained. And I certainly wasn’t going to rip it out and start something easier
And as I’m still in my ‘make something simple’ by ‘using it up’ mood it means I’ve just about finished a classic style boys jumper which by adding stripes of various sizes means I’ve just about used up all the Grey and Royal Blue left overs. It does look very ‘boyish’ but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be worn by a girl
And the book Women of a certain rage – Various authors edited by Liz Byski 2021.
Blurb:- This book is the result of what happened when Liz Byrski asked 20 Australian women from widely different backgrounds, races, beliefs and identities to take up the challenge of writing about rage.
It was an op shop (charity/thrift) find, spotted and almost grabbed off the shelf after another person ‘pinched’ the car spot I was after. Saw the empty space as I drove into the car park, had my blinker on but she came in the other direction and just snuck in – I thought she was going to drive past so I could move in – but no, she just turned her wheels and snuck in there, right in front of me!
Settle down Catherine it was only a spot in a car park – it wasn’t your fault there wasn’t another one to be seen and you had to drive around looking for one. Rage does terrible things to your blood pressure 😡
******.
Last week I parcelled up these as well as a few other similar newborn sets plus everything else in the ‘box’ and dropped them off at a collection point so hopefully by now they’re making their way across town to the charity HQ. .
I’ve just noticed in the photo that many of the stitches on the blue cardigan look like they’re going ‘any which way but where they’re supposed to be’ – they don’t look like that in real life.
Trying to block acrylic yarn often results in a flat out of shape garment so better to not try than end up in tears.
So what are you up to.
‘What’s on your needles’ as the saying goes.
Have you been sewing, knitting, crocheting or making anything you’d be willing to tell us about? And have you come across any books you’d like to tell us about?
Sharing with Unraveled Wednesday . hosted by Kat
Many – well if the truth be told, an awful lot – of the people I associate with these days are in the older age group.
So when the person I’d spent most of Thursday morning with – sitting side by side on her small couch, talking laughing discussing (heads close together) – rings Friday morning and says “now I know why I was feeling a bit off” followed by “I’ve just tested positive” I knew I’d have to make some decisions.
Having had Covid once I’d rather not experience it again and even though vaccinations are all up to date…..’had she passed it on or not’…..was the question uppermost in my mind
If she had how soon would I know?
It was over 12 months since that infection (Dec 2022) and the virus has mutated several times since then. I read that with the latest variant it could be just a couple of days or maybe up to 5 days or even more
So even though the guidelines these days for ‘close contacts’ say, carry on as usual but wear a mask I thought it best, just in case I was shedding, to err on the side of caution and cancel a few bits and pieces.
The lovely Celtic Festival was on yesterday – Sunday.
Standing side by side with other retirees, singing away, breathing out and possibly spreading the dreaded virus to all and sundry didn’t seem the right thing to do. So I gave my apologies and stayed home
Today (Monday) is my aged care ‘volunteer’ day.
Testing negative on the day is fine but if it’s during that pre positive time when you’re infectious and could shed it’s definitely a no no – no go!
Tuesday morning is pool time – we’re not packed in tooth and jowl (and silly as I might look walking laps wearing a mask in the water I could do it ) but in fairness to the others I’ll give it a miss.
Same as the knitters group planned for the afternoon – mask or no mask kitchen table gatherings are close contact gatherings and I think best avoided. There’s always next month.
I’ve decided Wednesday’s choir rehearsal is out as well as Thursday evening’s craft. I might be (as one friend put it) overreacting and nothing come of it but I’d be disappointed with myself if it did and I caused harm to someone else.
Yes it’s one of my busy weeks ‘out of the house’ but I have plenty to occupy me at home
Lots to do….apart from housework that is – all was well this morning- no symptoms, negative RAT test result – but it’s early days yet
Is Covid still doing the rounds where you live? .
Are people taking it seriously or are they like my friend and think I’m overreacting?
Live and accept she said.
Monday Musings – a time to ponder and think
Earl and The Golfer are similar in many ways
This being one of them😊
Does this sound familiar to anyone else??
Oh and still no rain!
This was the forecast yesterday evening when I was preparing this post
Yep – no rain…..but getting colder overnight.
It’s time to close the doors and windows
Pull up the blankets and find the Hot WB for my toes
After what seemed like months and months of rain when we thought La Niña and her rain clouds would never go away it’s been nice not to have to cart a brolly around all the time
But it’s becoming obvious that we really do need it – the rain that is
Most of my plants can cope without it – now they’re starting to miss it. Everything is becoming dry and brittle.
Agapanthus (possibly one of the hardiest plants ever) are even starting to die off round the edges
And as for the grass….
Yes I know it’s not a necessity- some would say it’s definitely not necessary in today’s suburban house blocks
This patch in our back ‘garden’ has never received special treatment over the past 50yrs.
It gets watered when it rains – cut when it grows- never fed.
Normally it looks green and ‘healthy’
Doesn’t look like that at the moment 🙁
We’re nowhere near the pray for rain situation, Melbournes water storage levels are fine but last time I checked the one closest to us – Maroondah Dam at Healesville (30kms/30mins away) – it was only 64% full.
So a little bit of wet would be good.
https://www.melbournewater.com.au/water-and-environment/water-management/water-storage-levels#
Monday Musings – a time to ponder and think
I know November is the month for Novella but as February is a short month – and there were several time consuming things to do which I knew would limit my reading time – I thought maybe I could use the tail end of month (then flow into March) for reading several short stories, something that could be finished in hours, written by new to me authors
These I have read
Our Souls at Night – Kent Haruf 2015.
The book blurb said – A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future.
A story that begins with a mature age woman asking her mature age male neighbour to sleep with her. Not in a sexual way, just to keep her company during the night. That’s different I thought.
Set in a small town filled with ‘all seeing- all knowing’ people it follows Louis and Addie’s life with their ‘nightly meetings’, the discussions (thoughts, feelings , secrets even) about their previous lives, reactions of friends and family, then finally the affect their children’s lives have on them.
It’s hard to describe how I feel about this short quickly read book. A great deal is conveyed in few words – I suppose it boiled down to ‘are our lives truly our own?’.
Enjoyable but a ‘bit flat’.
The Christmas Guest – Peter Swanson 2023.
Oh dear, I thought after reading the first couple of pages – it’s written in diary style. Not my favourite- but after reading 49 pages of a young girls life it then changed and did it ever change.
The build up to Christmas in the country with a uni friend’s wealthy ‘county folk’ family along with all the stereotypical description of villages/villagers came to a sudden halt. To be followed by a twist to the tale that (to me) was a bit of a let down.
It was an ok read by an unknown author- a library shelf pick ( thin brightly coloured book) so I’m not sure what I was expecting. Possibly because it was so short the story/plot didn’t seem to have much depth.
What I did take from it was a quote from L.P.Hartley’s The Go-Between – a book I’ve never read “…..the past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” Oh so very true.
It’s now on my list of winter reads for up in Bowen (a classic a month 😊)
Small Things Like These – Claire Keegan 2021
Set in Ireland the mid 1980s it’s a very short story that begins with Bill Furlong (the local ‘coal man’) wondering about his life past and present. What he’d been- what he could’ve been- and where he and his family might go.
The reaction of his wife to what he discovers at the local convent baffles him and that’s where the storyline changes.
It becomes even more reflective- life wasn’t easy for most, he has misgivings about not giving what he’d been given as gifts to others who didn’t have what he had. The toing and froing in thoughts and attitudes of the towns people towards the church, its place in the town as well as the nuns’ treatment of young single mothers continued to confuse him.
A final decision is made that brings an ending I didn’t consider.
And on p.68 I smiled when I saw a little saying my mother would often use . . (buying something he didn’t need) “as he didn’t like to go back out (of the shop) with one arm as long as the other”
Plus this little number – a library shelf pick that’s been a delight
I’d rather be reading – Anne Bogel 2018
Gosh, that’s going to be a short story I thought when I picked it up. Then discovered the additional title “’The delights and dilemmas of the reading life”. Not a novel but little ‘essays’ about books, reading and readers.
Thoughts from the author about recommending books you think others should read, Reader’s confessions! Bookshelf organising. Rereading – yes or no. Finding something different hidden in the story or discovering it wasn’t as good as you thought the first time.
That sort of thing…..not as bland, boring or ordinary as it sounds. Lots of smiling and head nodding went on
Right at the end a ‘chapter’ on recording what you read.
Do you remember everything you read? I know I don’t. Keeping a list reminds me what I read and when but there’s often a blank look on my face when I try to remember what some books were about. Plot lines, characters, settings – all seem to be a mystery at times
There can be fun convos at book club when someone mentions a title, cue various questions from others….’was that the one where ***** or was that set in *****’
One little clue and you’ll hear ‘ oh yes that’s the one where such and such happened’. It’s good to have reading friends who think and act like you😊
*******
And finally I’ll begin this soon
Checkmate to Murder – E.C.R.Lorac 1934 (republished 2020)
Who fired the fatal shot that snuffed out the life of miserly old Folliner during a London blackout? Was it the beautiful artist Rosanne who lived next door, the old man’s Canadian soldier nephew or bumptious Special Constable Verraby, whose eyes registered deadly fear?
I’m hoping it’s as good as the last one of hers that I read
*****.
And looky looky here at what I’ve got
At the end of last month’s post I was musing on ways to encourage me to read more……”maybe take the easy way with children’s books, short stories/novellas, even A-Z of places in the title”……so I set about making it happen. And as you can see the library delivered- all at once unfortunately 😊🙁
Guess what I’ll be reading over the next month??
A Cold Death in Amsterdam – Anna de Jager 2015
The Brisbane Line – J.P.Powell 2020
The 12.30 from Croydon – Freeman Wills Croft 1934 (republished 2016)
No Roads to Darwin – Rex Ellis 2016
The Eden Test – Adam Sternbergh 2023
*****
Sharing with What’s on your Book Shelf Challenge
Will be back on Friday
I have no idea why but I definitely agree
And if you cut those triangles in half you get even more !
******
And somehow I think the next few days are going to be ‘Sandwiches Days’
because
This was next week’s forecast when I was preparing this post yesterday
All I can say – and many would disagree- better late than never 😎😎
(Although 37c/98f and windy is not a good combination
especially when everything is so dry)
If you’re interested this site provides bushfire and other information .
The blue area is the site of the Beaufort fire from a couple of weeks ago
https://www.emergency.vic.gov.au/respond/#
A couple of weeks ago I was ‘thinking about it’ – then it was all change and I needed something easy and straightforward to take my mind of something else I was thinking about – so I started doing it……again. Which means there are now two plain sleeves to go with the patterned front and I have begun the back. So come the winter an unknown 4yr old will be cosy and warm.
I did also pick through the soft coloured leftovers again
I’m sure (well, more like hoping) that if I keep plodding along making these simple, easy to knit baby hats that maternity wards like for newborns, one day I’ll find my box of white, cream and pale coloured oddments is empty – still got a long way to go before that happens tho’
Also this month’s book club book arrived
Beautiful Ruins – Jess Walter
A very small 18x12cm ‘take along with you in your bag’ sized paperback……with very small print!
I’m wondering how many of the older members will actually read it because
it doesn’t seem to matter how near or far away you are
It’s still very small print!
There’s a waiting list at the library for both the audio and ebook versions 🙁
Kat hosts Unraveled Wednesday . which features Reading Crafting Chatting – you’ll find it all there – pop over, see what’s going on – maybe stay and say hello.
On the whole I’d agree with this
unless they’re someone else’s little horrors
or even your own little horrors on a bad day😊
I had a good day recently when you could say my soul was healed
A day when all the troubles and woes in my life disappeared (for a while)
I was able to be with a child I hadn’t seen for over 12 months
and was able to ‘hug’ a grandchild
a fully grown one who had repelled all touching and cuddling as a little one
’Our big girl’ who now lives 3,500 kms away over in the west (Western Australia) had come over to see her big girl (and partner) so we Three Generations had lunch together. The Golfer was there as well but didn’t get much of word in. Just sat there revelling in our company ❤️😊
(And yes a ‘smooth the lines’ filter was applied to this photo – for the 61yr old’s (perceived) benefit, to make the 81yr old smile at the thought of looking 20yrs younger ‘just like that’ but was certainly not needed for the 25yr old😊).
*******
As an aside how do you feel about filters that ‘change appearances’ – this wasn’t taken with my phone so I can’t show the original but my skin certainly doesn’t look like that. It has lines, lots of them yet it seems to have removed years from my face.
Monday Musings – a time to ponder and think
You don’t even need the sound on to enjoy the ‘ridiculous’ fun
Although it’ll make you laugh if you do
Fun Friday – the day to leave all the worries of the week behind you
Still Waters 