The almost-finished tank top I knitted for my nephew's baby. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern and wool. Very nice to work with. I had to re-do the neck cast off and one armhole cast off but apart from that it was very simple. I thought I'd have enough wool to knit matching socks so I began knitting and this happened:
I ran out of wool about 12 rows from the end. I'm sure I knitted a cardigan for Nate a few years ago with the same wool but I've trawled my wool stash and can't find it. So I'll probably buy another ball! It really is very annoying. Or I could possibly unknit the toe on the first sock and re-knit both toes in a different colour. For most people I'd do that and I know they wouldn't mind, but my nephew's fiance is very fussy and that's the kind of thing that would put her off using them.
My energy has been very strange recently. I've been feeling wiped out, which isn't too surprising as I've been exercising a lot and limiting my calorie intake. Anyway, I took Friday off work this week as Hagos was going away again at the weekend and I wanted to help him to get ready, and I'm so glad I did because I felt as though I couldn't process any more information or demands. Even very small requests from friends felt like an added weight on my shoulders.
So Friday was a nice day at home with Hagos, getting his stuff ready, going for a bike ride, having dinner and watching All About Eve, which was great. I love those types of films. And yesterday I went into town early, after Hagos left for Europe, and got some new clothes and food for the weekend, then I came home and SLEPT all afternoon. I had to sleep on the couch as Meg's favourite place to hang out all day is my shed, and my bike was in there so I couldn't leave the shed open and go to bed. Then I woke up around tea time, read my book, knitted a few rows of sock, and watched Wimbledon.
This was me in my shed on Friday. The classic Wimbledon match features in something I'm writing just now.
Today I have super-energy, so I'm planning to do quite a lot, most of it to do with cleaning and sorting the house. I expect I'll suddenly keel over and have to sit down with a cup of tea mid-afternoon.
This is my new song! I was very excited when I picked it up. So far I have the intro :) but even though it sounds quite simple when Lou plays it, the song actually has three key changes (I'm reliably informed) and is smattered with flats and double flat symbols!
I've played most of it through very slowly, and it does sound lovely. I'm looking forward to being able to play and sing at the same time!
I loved Perfect Day when I was teenager. Slight shame the BBC used it a few years ago to advertise something. And I love Lou Reed.
I haven't done much in the way of knitting or sewing recently. And I've also gone off blogging (temporarily, I expect). Anyway, I did buy a couple of balls of Debbie Bliss cashmerino at the weekend to make this little pullover for my nephew's baby, which is due some time in July. 
It's only taken a couple of days during TV watching to knit the back and the front. And I expect it will only take one or two more nights of TV time to finish it altogether. I just have the neck and arm ribs to do. If I have much wool left over I might knit some matching socks.
Of course, what often happens when I'm brave enough to put my bum on the couch is I get sat on by this gorgeous cat.
That's her actually lying on my belly. She doesn't give me much warning she's about to land, and often ends up trying to settle down on my knitting book and needles and knitting!
In the meantime, away from knitting, sewing and blogging, I've been cycling, playing piano, reading, and other healthy pursuits.
Bye for now.
We went to Scotland this weekend for a long weekend. First of all we visited Hagos's mum in Ayrshire, then we made our way through to Edinburgh.
A day at Yellow Craigs beach. A hole was dug and a child was eager to get into it. We took about four huge bags' worth of picnic food, and a barbecue tray and had hot dogs on buns on the beach, finished off with ice cream in the car park, then to Pizza Express to meet more friends. In the evening it pared down to me, Hagos, Rik and Pete chatting till midnight in the pub. A thoroughly good day.
After dinner on Saturday night. The boys love having their photo taken, and particularly like making short films in which they enact a story. This weekend it was all about one boy swimming on the floor, then the other one appearing close-up to the camera. The only dialogue was, "Exterminate. Exterminate," said by the one swimming.
Me, JJ and Hagos. JJ loves playing with hair and sat beside me most of the weekend being my 'hairdresser'.
It's nice to be home again and to see Meg. If only we could transplant the whole of our village to the outskirts of Edinburgh it would be absolutely perfect.
My friend Julie and I had appointments at the hairdresser's together yesterday. It was good fun.
Then, in the afternoon, Hagos and I went for a cycle ride down the Marriott's Way. It was so amazing. I think it's one of the longest cycle tracks in the country. I'm not very keen about cycling on the road, and this is brilliant FLAT land to cycle on, enjoy the scenery, take in the fresh air and views. Really good fun.
Today we're planning to go again, and this time stop for tea at Reepham Station afterwards :) I feel very Famous Five-ish.
This is my new bike!!! I feel very excited about it. I haven't had a bike for years. I got it today, and this afternoon Hagos and I went out for a bike ride, just to get used to it.
The whole bike thing started because Hagos bought himself a bike on ebay a couple of days ago. And of course, as soon as I saw his bike I wanted one too. And he very kindly bought me one.
We're planning to go for another ride later tonight. There is a cycle route along the disused railway line that we plan to explore (and I think a few tea rooms along the way). In my fantasy I have a basket at the front of my bike to carry my picnic in :)
I'm still getting used to the gears. And even though I've been doing a lot of aerobic exercise at the gym recently, I was a bit surprised by how much effort it takes to cycle.
Meg isn't so sure about the bikes. She doesn't like the noise they make on the shingle; or the flapping of the bike cover; or, in fact, any noise that disturbs her sleep.
Last night I finally got round to starting the Lounge Pants I want to make my friends for their (retrospective) Christmas. I found it a faff extending the original pattern piece (the pattern only has the shaped part at the top of the Pyjamas marked out - you then have to get your own paper and add 29 inches for the leg). 
Anyway, here it is hanging up, next to an interested ginger party. I had to stop at the pattern-making stage last night as, when I laid the material on the living room floor to pin the pattern to it, Meg appeared and very determinedly began surfing the material (she starts off by rushing at it with her front paws so the material puckers, then she flops onto her side, wraps her whole body round it and tries to gut it with her back legs while holding it in her grasp with her teeth and claws - everything is an animal needing to be gutted in Megland).
And onto other news: this is the stage waiting for Martin Amis to appear. I haven't seen him for ten years and was surprised by how old he looked. Not just his face, but his body seemed old, the way he held himself and shuffled onto the stage. He was very entertaining and thought provoking though and I could have listened to him for much longer.
The discussion/reading had a very odd format actually. The event was due to start at 7.30pm and estimated to last for an hour and a half (which suited me perfectly as I had to pick Hagos up from Norwich Airport at 9.30pm). When Robert McCrum introduced Amis, he set out the timetable for the night: a half hour conversation, then a half hour break (what? is talking for half an hour too strenuous for the talkers or the listeners?) then MA would read from his forthcoming novel, then questions from the audience. The only reason I can think for the half hour break was to sell more drinks to the audience, and to sell MA's books for him to sign later. I had to run out the door as soon as the event finished (luckily the airport wasn't too far away) but I will definitely read more of Amis.
I was on the end of a row, unfortunately next to the exit and an assistant who, when I lined up this photo on my camera, leaned over and said, "You're not really allowed to take photos." Irritated I asked, "Not really, or not?" And he said, "Not. I was just trying to be polite." Anyway, at this point Martin Amis was talking again so I didn't pursue the argument any further. But, it's not like I had a gun and was trying to shoot Martin Amis ("You're not really allowed to kill Martin Amis.") And it's hardly a paparazzi shot that I plan to sell for tens of thousands of pounds and is an invasion of MA's privacy. Rules for no reason annoy me intensely.
Other news in brief: Hagos and I actually managed to get to Ha Ha's in time for breakfast yesterday! This hasn't happened for years. Usually we run in dead on midday, or just after, and have to wrestle the breakfast out of the waiter and chef.
Our favourite waitress served us, and the coffee (DECAF) was hot.
Oh, and we went to see the new Star Trek movie on Friday night and it was AWESOME.
Tomorrow night I'm looking forward to seeing Martin Amis reading/talking at the Playhouse in Norwich. His novel, Time's Arrow, is one of my favourite books. I also enjoyed his memoir, Experience (though thought he spent too much time dedicated to his dentistry - not interesting to anyone else, surely?). But his account of his cousin's abduction and murder was very moving.
While I was studying for my Masters degree at the University of East Anglia, he did a reading as part of the events series there. I don't remember what book he was writing and talking about at the time, but being on the Creative Writing degree programme gave us the privilege of having a private audience with the visiting writers before their main lecture.
We crowded into a small classroom. He walked in, took the prime seat at the front next to the whiteboard, and throughout smoked roll ups and tipped his ash into the chalk/pen holder. Though it was before the general smoking ban in public buildings, it was still against the rules to smoke in the university building. Obviously those rules don't apply to superstars who can smoke anywhere, even after the ban.
I was lucky that the year I was there UEA had a lot of very good visiting writers, and they were all sweet enough to spend time with us writing students beforehand.
The writer I was most excited about was Kazuo Ishiguro. I had only just discovered him, as part of the advice for getting on the course was to read previous students' work. Kazuo Ishiguro studied on the MA Creative Writing course at UEA almost 30 years ago. Of his four novels I have read I still prefer A Pale View of Hills, his first novel (I couldn't face reading The Unconsoled - actually I've just remembered I've read five of his novels but due to disliking it immensely had blocked out When We Were Orphans from my memory - dreadful novel).
Incidentally, Ishiguro is reading at the Southbank tonight from his new book of short stories due to be published soon. I wish I was there.
Megalicious enjoying a plate of ham on the kitchen table (don't tell Hagos). She hooks each piece with a claw, throws it up in the air as if it's a mouse, and catches it in her jaws. One piece of ham almost landed on my laptop.
After my weekend realisation that I am a coffee addict again I have decided to give it up entirely. (This is a photo of decaf Earl Grey tea alongside a smoothie.)
I've been feeing increasingly off-kilter emotionally, and actually a few times have felt white hot flashes of rage towards acquaintances and strangers, and towards myself.
I had a particularly upsetting day yesterday where I couldn't find any grounding in anything. All my existential angst appeared and shook me up.
I didn't want to admit that the trajectories of the caffeine intake and the emotional imbalance corresponded. While I'm drinking strong, fresh coffee I feel so positive and so happy, and that anything is possible. I feel invincible. But the cumulative effect of the caffeine, once the buzz has passed, has been very obvious: edginess, nerviness, rage, emotional overreaction and an emotional compass that swings wildly in all directions. Not good.
I will probably book a couple of sessions of acupuncture to reset myself.
So, back to decaf. And emotional balance and grounding.
This morning I perfected my own Mocha! Two dessert spoonfuls of chocolate, and half a portion of fresh (caffeinated) coffee. It is extremely good.
Last night Hagos and I watched a Woody Allen film, Bullets Over Broadway. It was so funny. The first Woody Allen film I ever saw was The Curse of the Jade Scorpion, which I think remains my favourite, but I like a lot of his films, especially when he's in them himself. Though there have been some terrible flops - Zelig, for example! His actors all take on his phrasing too, which makes it funny. I've just found out he has another film due out in June this year, so I'll look forward to that.
And I was very pleased to learn we have a new female poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. After 341 years of males. The world is finally catching up with itself: gay marriage, a black American president, and a female poet laureate. All on their own merit, of course. I don't agree with positive discrimination. And the arguments against gay marriage always infuriated me - to treat a section of the community like children and tell them they can't have the same legal and love rights as heterosexual people is shameful, and I'm glad that in most of the Western world it's finally been put right.
Er, rant over.
This is my dress so far. I just have to elasticate the neck and hem the bottom and it'll be finished. Now that it's in the shape of a dress though I'm not sure about the material at all. As material it's beautiful. The leftover scraps on my kitchen table still enthrall me. The material as a dress, however - what was I thinking? It's so pale pink! And is reminding me of the voluminous gowns my granny used to wear. Still, perhaps when it's properly finished it'll suddenly come into its own? (Thinking I should've listened to my head and gone with the dark blue material instead.)
And now it's ten to ten in the morning. I need to leave here at 10am to go to the gym, and be back here for half eleven so Hagos can give me a lift to the bus stop to get the bus to work.
I'm going to the gym as often as possible - every day until I hit a day when my body is just too tired to run. And every night I look at myself in the mirror and think, am I not thin yet? How much more exercise do I have to put myself through? And I can see a difference in my body, I just wish it happened at double the pace.
Better go...
I haven't felt so good this weekend. I had grand plans: trips to the garden centre, going out for coffee and a film, cleaning the WHOLE house, setting up my work back in the shed, finishing my dress - but I did hardly any of it. Yesterday at 5pm I suddenly gave in to feeling wiped out and went to bed. I think it must be the bug some of my work colleagues have been complaining of this week. It feels a bit like the beginning of the flu. I have an aching neck and head, and a sore throat, and very little energy.
Anyway, what I did achieve, was to cut out my dress ready to sew. This time I'm planning to do elbow-length sleeves, and leave them un-elasticated at the bottom. So I'm looking forward to finishing it. Already my mind is wandering to the same material in deep blue that is in John Lewis...
I thought about doing the tie-sleeves; maybe next time.
And apart from some cosmetic housework for Hagos coming home from Italy, I haven't done much else except read and play the piano. I'm making myself work through my Christmas songbook, so I can learn to read the bass clef. It's going fairly well so far. SLOW, of course, but I find it doesn't take me long to pick these things up ;)
Actually, it's been a really nice weekend. There are times when I totally appreciate everything I have in the house and really enjoy being here. I'm grateful.
Meg has been enjoying the summer weather. I had the top window open most of the day, and she was up, out, down, in - up, out, down, up, in, down - so many combinations of coming in and out the house. Then after I changed the bed she fell asleep with the winter duvet wrapped all around her.
I headed to John Lewis yesterday to spend my birthday gift voucher from my work colleagues. While I wildly appreciate they are now stocking Amy Butler fabric, I'm not so wild about the colour schemes they currently have in. However, I was determined not to leave the shop without 2 metres of material, and in the end I had three to choose from that I liked. 
After looking at myself draped in all three in front of a mirror I eventually chose this fabric. The other serious contender was the same fabric but in two shades of blue. I really liked it as well, and I think my natural colouring suits deep blue, but there was something about the faded pink and green that just won me over. I plan to make this dress with it.
The good news today is that my husband comes home after being away for two and a half weeks. I've really missed him.
It was my birthday yesterday, and I was woken up by a lovely text at 2am from Hagos telling me he'd hidden my present in his studio. Of course, I had to get up and find it there and then, and that led to me opening it. Above is a photo of the packaging.
I spent the day in Cambridge with my friend Janie. We went into John Lewis to look for Amy Butler fabric for me to make a new dress, but I didn't like the colourways they had. On the way out the door though, Janie spotted this. It's well known among my friends that polar bears are my favourite animal.
I had a really lovely day. Janie and I talked non-stop from the minute we met each other at the train station, to the minute we left each other at the train station five hours later. We mostly walked around, but we had lunch in an organic cafe, and then tea and shortbread/tea cake in a granny-type cafe later.
I made these meringues last night for my work colleagues today. The recipe is from Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer, Jane Brocket's book. I much prefer it to my previous meringue recipe, as this way the insides remain gooey!
The first thing my colleagues said to me when I walked into work today was, "Have you got them?" They were a resounding success.
Meg also gave me a birthday present - at 5am on my birthday morning. I think this may be the final installment of the bird chronicles!
I had a sudden need, last night, to sew the cushion cover for the crochet block I'd made. More on all that later (a slight finishing touch is required). It was ten o'clock when I finished and I was very tired but while I had the machine out I thought I'd quickly whip up a sunglasses case, which I badly need. I have lost two now: the first case was free with my sunglasses, but the second cost £5, which seemed overpriced. So - pants fabric to the rescue.
It took less than five minutes to make, as the off-cuts from my pants just needed squaring off and sewn together. Even the leftover cord was the correct size. So, I'm fairly happy with it. I just hope the material doesn't scratch my sunglasses (doesn't seem to have so far) when I clean them, and that the material doesn't attract fluff. 
Part 3 of the little bird friend chronicles: I was in the bathroom getting ready this morning when I heard a knock on the front door. At first I thought it was a person, and being undressed I hesitated to answer, but at the second tapping I realised it was our little bird friend! I stood at the entrance to the kitchen, and sure enough he was on the ledge tapping away. I was so intent looking at him that it took me a few moments to realise Meg was poised at the foot of the door waiting to pounce! The above photo was taken after she'd leapt up at him - I couldn't find my camera in time to get a photo of both of them together. She's waiting for him to return. I love that her little paw is perched on the doorstep, as close to the door as she can get.
It's really funny seeing them together. I wonder if he'll come back later or tomorrow? Makes me think of that Tom and Jerry episode where Jerry has a little bird friend who thinks he's ugly and so he tries to get Tom to eat him, only to be rescued by Jerry every time.
On Saturday night I hosted a little pre-birthday dinner. Just me and two friends. I made chicken fajitas (I was fastidious in my prepping so everything went off very smoothly), followed by homemade meringues, their bases dipped in plain chocolate, then sandwiched together with whipped cream and raspberries. They were absolutely delicious. I really should have photographed them, but didn't. I'll be making another batch to take in to my work colleagues on Wednesday so I'll photograph those. Then we watched The Piano, which Vicky and Bev hadn't seen before, and I haven't seen for years. I remember the film having a profound effect on me when I first saw it in the cinema in London. I still think Holly Hunter is amazing. And it was nice to hear some fake Scottish accents. And the little girl was amazing too. She really captured that uninhibited world that children exist in so well, in the scenes where she's playing. Of course, the whole thing was finished off with a performance by me of The Heart Asks Pleasure First on my piano (or - the first two pages, anyway), and Bev and Vicky were both satisfyingly impressed. It was a good night.
During the naked scene in the film, I couldn't help wondering if my own naked form has more in common with Harvey Keitel than Holly Hunter. Though we all agreed Harvey has a fine body, it isn't exactly a shape I aspire to! I go to the gym in an hour's time!
Oh, Bev gave me the hand and frog cutters for my birthday. I really like them.
Continuing my exploration of Norfolk, I went to Holt today, which is about 12 miles towards the coast from here. It's a lovely place, and I've often heard that people who move to Norfolk from London choose to live in Holt.
I've decided that while I'm living in Norfolk I'm going to enjoy it, rather than wishing I was somewhere else. There are a couple of author events coming up soon: Martin Amis at the Playhouse, and Ian McEwan at UEA, so I'll book tickets for those this week.
Above is Butlers coffee house. Two things drew me inside: the illy sign in the window, and this piano - pianos being my current theme, of course. I had a delicious coffee and read my book.
I am writing this at the kitchen table, where five minutes ago our little bird friend returned, tapping very persistently on the top window pane of the door as he perched on the wooden ledge. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Meg pounced! She leapt right up to the bird (on the inside of the glass, unfortunately for her, fortunately for the bird), which is about 2 metres high. So far, the little bird hasn't returned!
To be continued...
This sweet little bird has been trying to get into our house all day. He started perching on the windows while I was having breakfast, much to Meg's surprise and excitement. 
Then I went out for a drive, came back, and he did the same again, except this time he was tapping on the window pane with his beak, as if he was knocking to come in! For now Meg is a little too sleepy for serious bird-chasing, so he lives!
When we first moved to Norfolk I would often get in the car and just drive in any direction to explore the area. I found many wonderful and interesting places this way. But in the last five or so years I haven't done any local exploring at all, so today I decided to drive to Aylsham, which is only 7 miles away, and walk around the town.
I knew there was a shop I was interested in seeing, but I couldn't remember what it was. I came across St Jude's almost immediately, and this was the shop. Unfortunately it's closed its doors to customers, but a sign in the window said it's opened another in Itteringham, so that can be my next excursion.
I love the prints and fabric of St Jude's.
It's my birthday on Tuesday, and tomorrow I'm hosting a little pre-birthday dinner, just me and two friends, and because I can't cook, I'm planning to make chicken fajitas for dinner followed by home-made meringues dipped in chocolate, sandwiched together with cream and strawberries. And we're going to watch the Jane Campion film The Piano, and of course, I shall have to give a little performance of the theme tune on my piano afterwards.
Then on Tuesday I'm meeting my friend in Cambridge for the day, and I'm very excited about that.
And on Wednesday, when I'm back to work, I've promised to make my colleagues Nigella's chocolate cloud cake, though I'm now thinking of making the above meringues instead, as meringues are less calorific, and I can also share them with our admin table, who so kindly shared their birthday cakes with us yesterday (I, of course, abstained).
The almost-finished tank top I knitted for my nephew's baby. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern and wool. Very nice to work with. I had to re-do the neck cast off and one armhole cast off but apart from that it was very simple. I thought I'd have enough wool to knit matching socks so I began knitting and this happened:
I ran out of wool about 12 rows from the end. I'm sure I knitted a cardigan for Nate a few years ago with the same wool but I've trawled my wool stash and can't find it. So I'll probably buy another ball! It really is very annoying. Or I could possibly unknit the toe on the first sock and re-knit both toes in a different colour. For most people I'd do that and I know they wouldn't mind, but my nephew's fiance is very fussy and that's the kind of thing that would put her off using them.
This was me in my shed on Friday. The classic Wimbledon match features in something I'm writing just now.
