While scrolling through the blogs I follow (I've been finding lots of new ones this year), I came across a new to me page https://citydailyphoto.org so I've signed up. This is my entry for February 1st's theme of DOUBLE. It's DOUBLE RIB knitted with DOUBLE KNITTING YARN.
It's been a very wet month, and I don't mind admitting that I'm pleased to see the back of it.
This year I've decided to follow a tree, it's not far from home so I'll be able to get to it quite easily, this is how it looks in January
I usually aim to walk 1000 miles each year, but I'm not setting that as a specific target this year. However I still like to keep track of my monthly totals, January wasn't as bad as it might have been, given how wet it's been this month, as on a few days I used my treadmill and walked to YouTube videos. Let's just say that when I was at school back in the middle of the last century, most of my school reports said "Could try harder"!
The highlight of the last week was another birthday, this time it was GO' Ginger One, who was 37. Here he is with his halo shining
I always enjoy having one or more of the girls to stay, this time it was GD5 who shared my room.
Happy February, everyone.
I love a photo challenge, Eileen sets one each month and January's subject was Begins with A.
Here are mine :
Abbot Ale (my favourite)
Agapanthus : in the pot and in the box
Air fryer
Atlas
August
Thanks Eileen, looking forward to February's subject.
If anyone knows of any other photo challenges, please comment below.
GM is always telling me that I shouldn't wish my life away, and actually, he's quite right. BUT I am pleased that we're getting towards the end of January.
Last week Ben came round to cut back the overhang from the conifers, OK it's not pretty, but it does mean more light will make it into the yarden during the growing season, and that's more important to me.
In an attempt to reduce my yarn stash, I've made a start on a cardigan for myself. The pattern is one I've had for a while, and looks a bit old fashioned, but I really don't care. I've knitted it up before and it's relatively easy, meaning I can knit while watching TV. The lovely bag was a birthday present from GD5 last year.
Just a little whimsy on my part
Once a year, usually starting on Boxing day, GM and I do a joint jigsaw puzzle, this one was actually harder than it looked, we finished it last Thursday January 22nd, so it took us almost 4 weeks!
The first 4 squares of my book cover challenge are completed, they will eventually be finished off and joined with white (which I may have to buy!!), so the disparity in size is not a problem - double knitting yarn these days varies quite a lot in thickness.
Just a little bit of stash-busting fun.
See you again soon.
If you are, like me, an over-fifty female, it's possible that you might have heard of, and already be a member of, The Silver Tent. And if not, why not, I wonder?
The Silver Tent is an international community of over 7,000 Wild and Wonderful Women with Wisdom Worth Sharing, and has been running now for over 8 1/2 years. Membership is mostly, although not exclusively, women from English speaking countries, but it really doesn't matter where you are in the world, you are welcomed. We are women from all walks of life, and as our founder, Francesca Cassini, states "We are all unique stitches in the cardigan of life", and our mission is to shift the Global culture to one of LOVE.
I've been a member since just before the Tent's first birthday, and I absolutely love it, I have made so many friends, both virtual and real. Local meet-ups are just one of the many perks of membership, and our everyone welcome get-togethers, SilverFests, at HQ in Tavistock, Devon, UK, have been quite remarkable, with some ladies travelling from far away places to be part of our gatherings.
First entry is via a free Facebook Group, and if you are on Facebook and would be interested in joining us, please contact me. Once you become a member, there's an opportunity, should you wish to take it, to join our optional paid group, Silver Synergy, a smaller and more personal group where deep and lasting relationships between members is not uncommon. The perks of being a Synergy member are invaluable, even if, like me, you are "just a granny".
The Silver Tent also has it's own, sadly currently under-utilised, website, free from the Facebook bots, where conversations about more intense and critical subjects can take place.
I really cannot sing the praises of this community loudly enough, it has been a life-changing experience for me, and probably many others too.
We are now just past the halfway mark of January, and I am grateful for that. January is my least favourite month. GM's is November, but I'm OK with November.
Our next-door neighbour, Richard, popped round and gave us a hand with removing some of the dead growth in the no-man's-land behind our back fence in order to let more light into our very small growing space. Before and after pics below
Before
We've done as much as we can safely do with regard to the overhanging evergreens, and I've now employed the services of a qualified tree surgeon, although a date has still to be fixed, but it will be fairly soon.
I mentioned my yarn stash in my last post
I found the following on Facebook
One of my neighbours, who, along with her teen daughter, also crochets, mentioned a challenge that she did last year, which was to crochet a square to match the covers of all the books she read during the year. I decided to do that challenge, but slightly differently. My friend Janet and I play a weekly word game with a different book each week, so I'm intending to match a crochet square to each of the books I use for the challenge. Due to unforseen circumstances we had to miss the first week of the year, so in order to make sure that I end up with 52 squares, I've done one for my Gratitude Journal, so you get the idea.
I went on my first adventure of the year on the wettest day of the year so far. I took the train to London to have lunch with my eldest son, who is celebrating his 60th birthday! He found us a nice pub in the Little Venice area, which isn't too far to walk from Paddington.
We enjoyed lots of chat and a couple of beers each with our meal, and completely forgot to take a selfie, so he sent me this on his way home
Happy birthday PJ, love you lots.
Chin up, it won't be long until spring.
Happy New Year to you all, dear readers. I hope you are now fully recovered from Festive excesses.
We had a mini get-together of the Wildshire branch of the family on New Year's Day. Our delightful DiL ST, on the left of the picture, along with her older daughter who's head top you can just spot above her mum's, put on this fabulous spread. Our other DiL, EGS, took the photo, and therefore doesn't appear in it with the rest of us. My three wise men, L to R - GM (Green Man, confusingly dressed in non-green on this occasion), GT (Ginger Two) and GO (Ginger One) all appear in line, and the rather surprised looking lady in the red jumper is Yours Truly. Three of the GDs (5, 7 and 8) were all remarkably well behaved, given the occasion, and we all had plenty to eat and drink.
I have now completed 5 days following the guidelines from both books.
Three days into the New Year a project that I've been working on for the last three months or so was completed, but as it's a gift for someone I can't show it until it's been received, so instead, here is my ongoing stash-busting blanket.
I have now promised myself that NO new yarn will be bought this year, I probably already have enough yarn to last me until 2050! I'll include a photo of my yarn stash next time, once I've decided on my next project.
The weather so far this year has been mostly cold, and Mother Nature has a way of making beauty even in the depths of winter. Here are some images that have made me smile.
Back soon x x x
