Holiday Post! Warning-lots of pictures..(and a Hemlock!)

Hello all, I am home!

We had an amazing time in France. I am glad to report that, thanks to the help of a bored 16 year old, all the holiday washing is washed and ironed and put away even!!

I took Hemlock Ring blankie with me and cast on on about day 2. It grows really fast and is a real joy to knit. Rob and Lily soon realised I had rows where I couldn't talk (every 5th for those of you who have knit it!) and rows where I could. I knit it on magic loop on 2 circs and as it grew I had to restrain it with elastic bands! The only thing with it, I found, was that, as my needles were a little short, I could never see what is was going to look like. I knitted the whole thing to row 121 and am nearly finished the bind off row, which is taking forever. Some pics of me in knitting progress!




Now, I know that second picture looks like I am NAKED KNITTING, but please be assured, I am wearing a bikini!!! I never thought, pre weight watchers, that something I was knitting would be bigger than me!

You'll have to wait until the end of the post to check out the blankie!

We had a really lazy time, reading books

just a few! My absolute favourite was one my sister Rozi bought e for my birthday

Such a good book, it made me want to open a yarn shop on the coast!!! I would definitely recommend reading it. It is, at the moment, winging its way to the Cotswolds to Mary, who is back in hospital with an infection. Get better soon, Mary x

I bought some yarn
from the tiniest little shop, which also sold Triumph bras. Yes, work that one out!!!
And some buttons from the market

which turned out to be a bit expensive but I didn't realise until I came to pay. I'm too much of a wimp to barter, so I'm just glad Rob wasn't standing within earshot!!!

The first place we stayed in was near Montpellier, and was a rambling old place in the middle of nowhere and down a track that caught the underneath of the car every time we went down or up it. It was good for me, as I couldn't bear it and so would walk to the proper road with Floss and meet the car there. A small amount of exercise being better than none, you understand!!!






As you can see, it is a truly amazing place, with vaulted ceilings and stone floors and a real rustic French feel to it. It was open plan downstairs, with French doors all around the kitchen and dining area, and outside, really bohemian with hammocks and chairs and so on. Beautiful.

The second place we stayed was near Beziers, and much more modern and smaller. But a proper flat road to it. It was in a hamlet in the hills near a small town which served the best Camembert Au Four. That's baked camembert with a load of cream, tomatoes and bread to you and me and obviously very slimming.Especially when followed by a dessert you can hardly see over the top of due to the whipped cream and sauce chocolat. Deeeelish!

Look where the doors from our bedroom opened onto...

Sigh...I could cope with that view from my bed every day. Rob of course, had to spring from the bed into the pool to wake up! It's the fastest I've seen him move within 30 minutes of waking up!!



Flossie had a great time too..


Beziers, where Lily bought a great bag and I resisted extortionately priced shoes..


And this is Olargues, one of the prettiest towns in France (apparently) but not a shoe shop in sight, which lessened its attraction for me. Although nice ice cream!!



There was a great river there too, which Flossie thought was amazing. We all had a paddle...well, some of us had a swim!



And now the grande finale!! My hemlock ring blankie so far...




I have about 120 left of the 600 sts to bind off and then it will need a really good blocking. I am hoping to do that tomorrow.

Other news, we are off to the Secret Garden Party Festival this weekend. Grace Jones and Morcheeba are playing, amongst others, so we're really looking forward to that. I am off out tonight for a leaving do as a friend of mine is off to work in Saudi for 2 years. Me and a few other pigs are going for a chinese meal so my holiday eating is going out with a bang tonight!! Speaking of diets, I had my second and formal interview yesterday for the Weight Watchers leaders programme and they called me this afternoon to say they want me to come and work with them!!!! I even had to do a psychometric test, but even that didn't put them off!!!!!! I am booked to go to a swanky hotel in August for 3 days for the training workshops, so it is looking like I will be doing it!! Help!! Well, with Lily getting older, and probably being able to drive early next year, I will be in less demand as a taxi and so I get a bit of freedom back in terms of not having to be so flexible. So it will be nice to be back in the job market again, but this time on my own terms and as my own boss.

Plus, I'm thinking I will have to keep a load of Weight Watchers sweets and biscuits as stock so I'll never run out again!!!!

Off on my hols.....

We are off tomorrow for two weeks in France. I can't wait, I am really ready for a break. I have decided to take Hemlock Ring with me. I tend to get up before everyone else, so I thought I would have the opportunity to concentrate on it even if it is difficult, for at least an hour early morning before the rabble get up and before it gets hot enough to lay in the blazing sun. For that time, I have Portia. See-perfect combination!

I am going to attempt Babette upon my return.....gulp!!!! Secret Pal, you had better be on hand!!!!!

See you all in a couple of weeks!

Happy and productive knitting in the meantime, I am expecting FOs!!!!!!

Back for good this time

Hah! I've tried to keep to the song titles theme when I go and come back, but it's true...that's the end of my gallivanting about this summer. Next trip away for me is a day one...a very important one...to the knitting and stitching show at Alexandra Palace in London in October. Can't wait!

We had the most amazing time away at this place and fell in love again. (with each other) Needless to say, the sock knitting suffered. The chateau was on the side of a (bit scary and high) mountain (I think mountains and hills are the same), and isolated in a way that there were only about 10 other people staying there. It felt comfortable and relaxed and I loved it.

Some snaps for you to get the picture...

That's my true love layig by the pool. I took that whist in the pool. The steps were at the other side, in the deep end, so I had to, camera in hand, heave my chilled out body onto the side and then wade, camera above head, over to the other side to take this. God, I hope no one saw me get in one handed, it was a sight, I can tell you. Go on, next time you go to the pool, try it, you'll see what I mean.

This is my arty photo...


Our room was in the gardens of the chateau, and we had a roof terrace above the room. This was accessed via a SPINDLY and DANGEROUS looking ladder, perched precariously on the high balcony. When we arrived , Rob went up there and shouted for me to come and look. He knows what a sun worshipper I am. Well, I managed to get my eyes level with roof terrace floor level, became overcome with vertigo and quickly came back down spindly and dangerous ladder.

Next day, the pool was in shade. There was one on the roof of the chateau as well, but remember.....VERTIGO?????? I was in a dilemna. Rob went up to the roof terrace above the room and helpfully told me it was in full sun. Hmmmmmmmmm.....what was I to do?

Of course, I went up the spindly ladder as quick as I could and then laid there trying not to think about where I was. Seemed to work. It was great. This is Rob coming down the spindly ladder...


Yea!!!! Didn't believe me, did ya?? Check out the scariness of that MF!!!! (Yea, I know I'm a wimp)

Knitting wise, I have finished the bag part of the Booga Bag. The Kureyon is a bit itchy, but I love the colours it makes. Just the handles to go now, except I can't but 6.5mm DPNs anywhere, so I may have to make do with slightly larger/smaller ones. It's going to be felted, so shouldn't matter too much. Famous last words!


Since I have been back, my dad and his partner have come over from Norway to visit Florence and other grand daughters. (I have 3 sisters and we have 5 girls between us-no boys!) We went to visit my youngest sister, whose partner is a farmer.
There's a tree in her garden which has plums on it.

Me: Will you eat those plums, or can I take some to make jam?
Her: No, they're crab apples.
Me: I'm sure they're plums.

This conversation went on for a while. My dad and his partner also were convinced that they were plums. We even ate some. She wasn't convinced. Come on, my dad's partner is a Norweigan jam maker. If ANYONE would know, SHE would.

Me and my 4 year old niece picked 3 kgs of them.

I don't know what crab apples look like, but they look very plummy to me.

This is what they are now....


Real, proper, true life JAM!!!!!!!!!
Oh yea, I made it. It's officially plum jam with a hint of cinnamon. I'm going to give a pot to my brother in law. Hah! Call yourself a farmer!!!!!!!!

Meantime, I have been reading this book. It hasn't changed my life yet, well, it made me make some jam, if that counts? But I would recommend it, it's funny, and easy to read.


On another front, the KAL that I am co hosting with Stacey is going strong. We have a load of people who have signed up now and one finished and some near to finishing. It is a truly beautiful piece of knitting and I can't wait to get started. I have ordered some different yarns in colours to find one I love to knit it in. Come on over to here and have a look at the loveliness of it! Why not join us????

Back soon.
Missed you all.
x

I'm back!

We had a great week in France, the weather wasn't that great, so I did manage quite a bit of crochet! I have now completed 20 squares. Only 28 I think, to go!! Getting there slowly but surely. This is where I was...



It's part of a chateau in the Dordogne and it's set in the middle of 12 acres, so you don't see anyone other that who you're there with. I did manage some shopping as well, and of course some swimming and laying in the sun...dodging the clouds and rain.

My friend loved her bag and we spent some time shopping for red accessories and clothes to coordinate with it! She is as major a sun worshipper as I am and so we were great company cloud watching and dashing out when there was something worth laying in!

In the meantime, I have joined a swap, my first ever and the links are on the right of my blog. I need to find some lovely green yarn to sen this month and I look forward to receiving some from Celia in Tenerife who is sending to me. It's soooo exciting, I can't wait to choose and send and to get a parcel. I am intending to get on with the swing jacket this week, in amongst all the washing and ironing from holiday of course!

Needless to say I didn't get anywhere with the ripple project. I stared and stared at quite a good tutorial I found on You Tube on single and double ripple crochet, but I just don't get it and it could drive me mad if I let it. If anyone out there knows of an easy way for me to learn, let me know please!!!