Went fishing...

Well, not exactly, but we did make it to Abersoch for a week.



The agapanthus only had 3 flowers this year, and John managed to knock off a flower head while on a mad snail and slug hunt amongst its leaves. Sarah (elder daughter) said it was a casualty of war. ;-)



Took a pile of knitting but mislaid the bag till packing to come back home. Ah well! Spent more or less the whole week in a nest of our double down and feather duvet on the bunk with the best view of the field and read some books.



The garden hasn't done too well, though we did have some plants survive. But I didn't get to trim the brambles choking the shrubs beside the shed - next time hopefully! Which we hope won't be too much later, maybe mid September, time will tell I guess.



The lily got chewed by bunnies I think, but badly snail or slug damaged too. The leaves you see in the background are the agapanthus. The lily still smelled wonderful, and I took some time to smell the flowers.



John and "the kids" went sailing, and friends and relations called, all good fun but I slept through vast amounts of fun. I was just really shattered.

It's going to take me a while to catch up, have a lot of stuff I want to think about and then write about. Still not really got to grips with everything that's happened.

Roadworks

They are digging up the road right beneath our bedroom window as I type this. The noise is unbelievable, hope it doesn't go on for long. Ah well, most of the rest of Liverpool is a building site, so why should things be different for me.



I've seen both Mum and Dad a couple of times since I last wrote here. Mum is behaving as bizarrely as ever, Sunday she hardly noticed we were there once we had made it clear we weren't taking her home. She went and talked to the lady in the bed opposite, she seemed to think they were related.

The week before she refused to say Hello to John, and after barely acknowledging me said "I hope you're feeling guilty". I replied "I've nothing to feel guilty about, Mum."

"What about how you treated your sister?" (I'm an only child) She keeps insisting her father is alive, and when John asked last week if she'd like to visit her husband she said "I don't have a husband".



So we left before visiting time finished, and went to see Dad. He had only returned to the nursing home on Saturday after a week in hospital being treated for pneumonia. At least Mum had a few visits with him while he was in. He was very tired, so we chatted for about half an hour and then he asked to lie down (they had to bring in a hoist to move him to the bed) and went to sleep. So we left then.



On to the flat, where I sorted some of Mum's clothes to bring home and wash. I did the first batch of washing yesterday, it's a bit damp still, but if John takes it back to the flat this evening after visiting Dad I guess he could hang it up to air there. Next load is in the machine now, so hopefully will be ready to take back on Thursday.



Mostly it's been too wet to get out into the garden much. But I can report that the flower on my agapanthus grown from seed has begun to open. I haven't got a picture of it open yet though (been too wet when I've had both the time and the energy recently), but here it is about a week ago.



Not done much knitting since I last posted. I cast off half the stitches on my sock swatch bag (this is the stage in the photo, the needle poked through the body of the bag is just to stop the edge curling), and have continued on the rest to make a flap. I'm not enormously pleased with it, so think I might rip out the flap. But I'm going to think about it for a while, so the ten remaining stitches are languishing on a stitch holder until I make my mind up!



It's quite fun trying to decide how to proceed. Currently I'm thinking of edging the flap with garter stitch, but I don't want to rush at it this time! I've found the perfect button for the bag, so I'm sure I'll get going on it again soon.

I finally ordered a swift which arrived last Wednesday, but it took me till yesterday to get organised enough to try it out. So I wound my first cake of yarn (artesano alpaca hummingbird, colour Lovebird) yesterday evening, and I think it looks very pretty. Will be casting on this evening I hope!



Thank you everyone who has left comments. I am finding life quite difficult at the moment, so mostly don't have time to reply, or to leave comments on other blogs. Mum is to be assessed soon for discharge. Obviously I am rather worried about it all. And the emotional upsets are taking their toll on my energy levels and capability to get stuff done. It is all just so utterly draining.

Friday around 4.30pm John had a phone call from a social worker (they always seem to ring around 5 on a Friday, rather like DWP and DLA stuff always arrives in Saturday's post), saying that a psychiatrist would see Mum on Monday, but we haven't managed to find out anything about that yet. The nurses we spoke to on Saturday didn't know anything about it. We are waiting to hear from her consultant's secretary, who John contacted yesterday. The staff on the ward aren't allowed to tell you anything over the phone (apart from a brief "bulletin") because of the Data Protection Act.

This is what I had for lunch today.

Comfort Food

Yesss!!! Sock needles!!!

Earlier today I left a comment on Jane's Probably Knitting which I copy part of here:

"Thanks for dropping by, and thank you very much for your kind offer of sock needles. I've ordered some 2.25 bamboos from Get Knitted. The thing is I KNOW I have loads of sock needles. I can even see the bag they are in with my minds eye (it's black felt with different coloured polka dots embroidered on it and it has a gold sort of brocadey lining) but so far I can't find the safe place I put it in! Will have to search a few more boxes later."

Went to search my so-called work-room (hmm, should post pics of that one of these days - if I can manage to fight my way in through the door!) and actually FOUND the bag of knitting needles. Here it is.



And, as I thought, there are several sizes of sock needles in it. As well as lots of other ones, mix of metal and plastic. These are the short other ones - the long knitting needles are in a wrap. There's also some free gift crochet hooks. I haven't tried crochet since I was expecting Sarah (now 29) so I kinda doubt these will get much use other than hooking up ladders in knitting. But then who knows? Crafts sneak up behind you and bite you and that's it. Rather vampire like in a way!



Have half a feeling I've got yet another stash of knitting needles. Had a load come in a workbasket full of random stuff from eBay a couple of years ago. Maybe I left them at the caravan at the end of last season.

Other thing I discovered was a practically finished WIP from around 17 years ago!!! I even have the circular needle that I need to do the neck band and sleeve bands. Will have to take a good look at this tomorrow (or any time I actually have a brain cell working), with a view to finishing it. Just hope I can knit to the same tension all these years later!!!



The knitting looks out of focus, but it isn't. The yarn is scheepjeswol Voluma - 15% kid mohair, so has a kind of haze around it. Otherwise it's acrylic, and it says it's machine washable.

I still like the colours a lot, and I wear a lot of sleeveless or short sleeved sweaters. I really overheat otherwise. Though my feet can still be two little blocks of ice at the same time, which is why I definitely need more wooly socks! Good excuse anyway!

This and that

Thought I was getting RSI as have pain in right hand. But now I notice a bruise erupting. No idea what I've done to my hand, but I always seem to be walking into things, so probably I just hit it and didn't notice.

Some more nice yarn came from Get Knitted last week. There was another Get Knitted pen, so John is happy as he has his own now and doesn't have to keep filching mine. They are really good writers, unlike the majority of ball point pens in the house. Also a fruit pop lollipop, which I have an idea for.



I thought I might makes some socks for Mum from the multicoloured alpaca. The purple I obviously had something in mind for Sarah, but I've forgotten what. Another time I must make a note of what I was thinking of doing!

Was going to order a swift and some more yarn, but with my debit card stopped it would mean using credit card which I am not keen to do. Just hope the new card arrives soon!

I've started swatching the Trekking, but the needles are too big for it, giving too loose a fabric. But I'm keeping going for now as I thought I might make a small bag with it so as not to waste all that effort. I'm really enjoying the colour changes, the resulting fabric positively glows, though my photo doesn't really do it justice.



It's on 3mm dpns, so will try 2.5 next, unless I can find some smaller ones in my stash of needles that came from Auntie Gertie. That's if I can actually lay my hands on my needle bag at all - the room that is supposed to be my "workroom" is so crammed with stuff it's hard to find anything!

This afternoon we have an appointment with Mum's consultant. John swapped shifts so is working 7-3 today so we have time to get to the hospital for 4.30. I am dreading the meeting.

When the going gets tough...

...the tough go shopping.



Monday "From Fleece to Fabric" by June R. Lewis arrived. Won on eBay. I think this is going to be a really useful book. My wheel still needs work (rather putting it off with all the other stuff going on at the mo), but will be pleased if I can get spinning again over the next couple of months. I haven't done any spinning for over 15 years, and was only a novice back then. But it's fun, and maybe my spindle will come out until my wheel is mended, fettled up and running.

Tuesday Cloth Paper Scissors dropped onto the doormat. I first came across it when reading my friend Loretta's blog. She has a lovely thoughtful article in this issue about life's changes as we move through our lives.

One of the things I like about the magazine is that many of the projects in it are small. Small enough to be contained on a tray (or over the bed hospital-type table) so something I could try even when house/bed bound. This is my first copy, am subbed for a year.



Today's goodies from the Postie are a nice pattern for bags (believe me, I am going to have a LOT of fun choosing fabric for the one in the biggest picture on the packet). And "The Craft of the Weaver" by Ann Sutton, Peter Collingwood and Geraldine St Aubin Hubbard. Another eBay win. Useful overview of weaving methods, not much on spinning, some nice history. This is just on a quick glance. Hopefully will be able to take a more leisurely look soon. I like to have books like this for a quick first reference for any question I might have.

Nice bonus is the book came wrapped in "stress squares" though transparent and not red as seen in Red Dwarf. In other words bubble wrap. But I'm having fun popping away and busting my stress.

And then there was the consignment of various things from Amazon that I forgot I'd ordered it's been so long (1st May) since I placed the order. Ah well, it was a nice surprise and included yet another knitting book.

International ME/CFS Day 2007

Not sure what this flower is - bulbs planted in a hurry between showers. Might it be a ranunculus?

Today is International ME/CFS Day. It's also Florence Nightingale's birthday - some people believe she may have had ME. She certainly had some sort of disabling, relapsing and remitting illness. She may have had chronic Brucellosis, as suggested by D A B Young, formerly principal scientist, Wellcome Foundation. Maybe that's another thing that could be checked for in ME/CFS patients.

Was very pleased to see that Dr Crippen included a post from Mary in this week's BritMeds about her recent consultation with her (locum) GP over her DLA renewal application. I have always been looked after both well and kindly by my GPs, but I have heard many stories similar to Mary's.

Dr Crippen also included a link to an article in the Scotsman about the spread of Ticks and Lyme Disease in Scotland. The lady in the article was misdiagnosed with ME, and I wonder how many other ME patients may be misdiagnosed when they really have Lyme.

This time last year we were staying with Sarah in her shared house in London. We demonstrated outside the Department of Health, and I presented documents from the MEACH Trust to 10 Downing Street. We did some gardening too.

This year we have had too much on our plate with Dad's hospitalisation and then discharge into a nursing home to have been able to travel that far - we haven't even made it to the caravan yet.



I like the way the raindrops have spattered the black pollen around the petals.

PS The knitting is going very slowly (and is also very mistakey!). About 1 or 2 rounds a day. But I think (hope!) it's longer than it was the last picture I took. I don't think John will mind the mistakes (he's not a knitter, so probably will think it's supposed to be the way it is), nice soft warm wooly socks, who cares about mistakes.

Postie brings a parcel!

Sunday I spent a lot of time reading knitting and craft blogs, and landed on Get Knitted. So I had to order some wool... I wanted to have something relatively simple to knit, the sock I'm currently working on has seed stitch panels. Because my concentration is so bad at the moment I keep making mistakes. While the sock will be perfectly functional with some misplaced stitches it seems a shame to put so much effort in and the final sock have loads of mistakes.

And then I thought that since I was ordering anyway, I'd get the Spring/Summer Vogue Knitting International. And of course I needed needles too - now I'm wishing I'd got 2 sets so I could knit the pair simultaneously. Ah well, next time I'm ordering! (good excuse!)

As you can see, the parcel also contained a sock pattern, Get Knitted biro and a lollipop too! Ordered Sunday, had an email Monday morning to say the parcel had been despatched, and arrived this morning. Great service.

Can't wait to get going, but will have to wait for John to hold the skein for me to wind... I should have ordered a swift while I was at it!

Found some just started socks!

I seem to have started this sock maybe in 2004... I've picked it up again, and done about 4 rounds today I think. Lots of mistakes, but John won't notice or care.



I knitted a pair of socks from the same issue of Vogue Knitting ages ago. Certainly more than 10 years ago. Initially I used them for Yoga Classes. Now I use them as bed socks very occasionally. They were my first foray into cable knitting.



Today I have been reading lots of knitting blogs, and succumbed to some yarn to knit more socks. But have decided to concentrate more on plain knit socks as I just want something really easy to work with. Something I can just pick up when waiting for whatever.

I'll still keep plugging away on the rust coloured socks, but right now I need some easy knitting.