Thursday, October 30, 2014

October 2014

About 2-3 months ago I noticed I could no longer read close-up. I thought it had happened suddenly, however when I went to get my eyes tested a couple of weeks ago the optician told me I was typical for a woman in her 40s.
I have wanted glasses since I was three years old, when my best friend and next door neighbour at the time, Julie McKie, had to get glasses after crashing her face into a glass table in our house. The two events may not have been linked but in my childish mind they were, and for a time afterwards I wondered if I too could get glasses by colliding with the table. I didn't test my theory.

Hagos came with me to the optician, and photographed me trying out lots of different frames. I was beginning to think the perfect frames may not be out there for me, but then I tried on the above pair. As soon as I put them on they just looked right.

Also - PURPLE and GREEN! My favourite, and default, knitting colours. These glasses are so meant to be. My reading has increased as a result of having the glasses, which is great. Reading had become a strain. I still have to master reading-in-bed-with-glasses.
We held a Great British Bake Off final party. I thought I had photographed the table full of cakes, breads and fudge, but could only find the above cake my friend Lynsey made. I don't remember the name, but it is the torte that the bakers had to grill, layer by layer. I was so impressed. It was a fun night, lovely to have all the kids over and excited about baking, and everyone brought a bake. Sadly my attempt at macarons went awry and I had to quickly whip up a batch of chocolate pistachio fudge on the night.
We also had Cider Day weekend before last. I started picking apples at 10.30am and stopped as the light faded at 6pm. I really enjoyed it. Initially I thought the boys had the easy part of staying in the kitchen drinking tea :) but changed my mind when I saw Hagos's black hands from prolonged apple juice contact and realised the scale of how physical the job of macerating and squeezing the apples actually was. I went to bed around half ten; Hagos and Will were in the kitchen until a quarter to midnight.

Hagos bottled half of the cider a couple of days ago and I think we got almost 40 bottles, all looking lovely with green bottle tops. So impressive. 
At the end of October/beginning of November I love the anticipation of winter and Christmas. I go through a brief nostalgia and want to watch Christmas films (above: Meg and I enjoying Elf), read Christmas magazines, look through M&S Christmas food and drink brochures and daydream about my ideal Christmas time. Usually by mid-November I feel a sudden repulsion and revulsion for the gluttonous aspects of Christmas. The over-spending, over-eating, over-drinking, generally over-consumption. At work I introduced the Make-it-Yourself Secret Santa, where we make a present for someone. I used to do this when I worked for Norfolk Constabulary. It's a surprisingly great thing to do and I have to say my new(er) colleagues have taken to it with relish and have been incredibly inventive over the past couple of years.

I've been off work with a sickness bug this week. I can feel I have more energy today than the rest of the week. I hate being ill. I am always busy either with things I have to do, or things I want to do. And being ill means I can do neither. I can't read, or knit, or sew. The TV becomes a noisy annoyance. So, I'm looking forward to feeling healthy again and having energy to do stuff.   

Sunday, October 12, 2014

New phone case

My old phone case, on the left, was beginning to look threadbare, so I decided to sew a new one, on the right.
It took hardly any time. I love this bright pink toggle.
This is the lining - old on the left, new on the right. I thought I might be able to re-use the lining but it, too, was past its best.

The new case is a wee bit tight, but it'll do until I need a new one.

I have so many sewing plans. For my next update I'll show the dress I want to make with material I already have. 

I've been feeling so tired this weekend. Just absolutely washed out. I slept for 11 hours on Thursday night. We've had a run of being busy - work, obligations - no real days off where I also don't have to clean the house and try to establish order for the coming week (clothes for work, etc). I have some days off in December and I'm so looking forward to letting it all go for a bit.