Blogging Fail

It’s been a few days since I last posted. You haven’t missed much to be honest. I have had some blanket snuggling time which has been nice, I’m up past the armpits on Dandelion too.

Lovely Bloke has been for a visit. I hadn’t seen him for 2 weeks. I missed him. We had a lovely lunch out on Monday at the Mosque Kitchen, sat on the sofa, watched TV and he put up with my grumpiness.  Other than that I have either been filling out job applications, thinking about filling out job applications, writing various versions of supporting statements, running about getting job descriptions printed off and contacting people about references or for advice. Tomorrow I get to sit on a bus to the other side of the city to hand deliver an application. I don’t want to risk it getting delayed in the mail and it’s due in for Friday. I am taking a book and not thinking about jobs for a few hours because in the afternoon I head to a Job Club and look at/apply for more jobs!

The last 2 1/2 years have been challenging and difficult. My health dropped in to a huge hole, I’ve taken so many painkillers, had 2 lots of surgery, and had times where I could barely sit up, never mind stand up.

I think to find work I need to make looking for work my job. The DWP ask that you do at least 3 things each week to find work, for me that’s Friday to Friday. You list them on a form, when you did a search, when you sent off an application etc. Since Friday I have done 14 things on my sheet, I’ve actually run out of space, on the form and had to start writing on a piece of paper, and those 14 things do not include the application I have for tomorrow, nor the half completed one I did this morning. I have another 4 to do and send off by the end of the month, and I may find a few more tomorrow at Job Club.

If I apply for enough eventually it’ll happen, I’m sure the law of averages says so.

Happy Summer

The weather here has been a bit rubbish this week, not very Mid-summer like at all. I’m no sun bunny, but dreich and dismal rain isn’t my thing either. I’ve mostly stayed inside and dry. It has given me the chance to do some catching up on blogs though, as well as not having written in mine for a long time until the other week, I have also not been reading others. Reading about all the fab things people have been up to inspired me to do a bit of knitting, Lovely Bloke’s hat has grown by a few inches, he was here and very excited that I was actually knitting something for him for a change. I don’t usually do a lot of crafty stuff when he’s here, I always feel like it’s a bit antisocial, but I’m so used to my hands *doing something* whilst watching tv or listening to music or reading, I felt really odd not to. Restless hands syndrome?

I’m now trying to decide what do do tonight, I have singles I could ply (and 2 stubbies of beer), I have empty spindles I could fill, or I could knit, or crochet. A world of possibilities to procrastinate over, but I guess before I do any of that I should procrastinate over making dinner. I have some bargalicious, reduced to clear, organic beef to roast. Mmmmm….

Busy Bee and Surgery

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since I last posted.

I have had my visitor come and go, been to the cinema, made brownies, been over to friends for drinks, helped other friends move house, been to the Meadow’s Festival and had my hospital appointment. I have also started a shawl four times, frogged it four times and thrown yarn (admittedly back in to my stash and not across the room).

I am having knitting fail, it’s worse than losing your mojo. Not feeling like doing any knitting I can deal with, I have lots I can do instead, but WANTING to knit and having nothing you pick up go right makes me very cross with myself. Right now I have doubts I could even manage stocking stitch effectively. It’s depressing.

I have had too much nature. Allergies and sun rash, much husky voicedness.

I saw a new doctor (although he assured me we had met before in 2006 when he was a student – I assume his name is in my notes, and not that he remembered me (unless I have particularly memorable lady parts)). He seems nice, is very interested in endometriosis, it’s causes and treatments, and also runs a pain clinic specifically for gynae issues. I should be going in for some surgery about eight weeks. I’m not going to go into gory detail here, but I will be having a laparoscopy to remove endomeriosis deposits and endometrial ablation – if you want to look these procedures up then on your own head be it, I don’t want any complaints though.

I have been knitting, honest..

Plodding on with the gloves. Plodding in a good way, I feel fine about picking up and putting down, doing a row here and there. I’m now knitting two pairs though.. the plum ones and a grey pair (I can get more of the grey to make a hat/scarf, but not enough of the plum). I’m crocheting the odd row of flowers too, when the mood takes me.

My Arabella may have bitten the dust.. again. I had an envelope with my row notes on.. like you do, and then I stupidly tidied up, things don’t get lost when the place is a mess, I know exactly which pile of stuff is which, but yeah… the envelope has gone to the great recycling plant in the sky. I’ll print out the pattern and see if I can work out where I am, but it may be Frogsville for the shawl again. I am determined to knit this, but maybe the knitting gods are telling me it’s not the right time… we’ll see.

I’ve also been busy cooking the last couple of days, I have a huge bowl of roasted veggies and some sweet and tasty oven dried tomatoes. I’m planning on a huge salad later with all my goodies. I’ve also managed to read a little.

All this activity = no blogging time, I must get more organised!

Learn to read, young Raa (well OK not so young)

I don’t mean books here, or even patterns (although reading charts would be useful). I need to learn to read me. A lot got done yesterday, I escaped much of the aftermath. I think the bath and painkiller before bed were a stroke of genius on my part. All I have suffered from today is an over abundance of tired. I ended up back in bed for a chunk of the day.

I should know by now that tired+knitting=frogging. It’s a simple equation, easy to remember. Except when you are tired and a determined bugger. The Gypsy Rose Leaf got cast off very slowly last night. It’ll get blocked once I’m organised and not about to have a dinner guest. Today I hummed and hawed over what to do next. I have four WsIP right now, 2 only need blocked (see dinner guest above), 1 only needs seamed (not feeling the seaming love) and the last one is a snuggley scarf (not the weather right now to give me the impetus to go on with that… even up here in Scotland). Should I wait for more yarn to (magically drop out of the sky) arrive in the post or should I decide on a pattern for the current gorgeousness in easy reach? A bird in the hand and all that… I cast on Spring Thaw with the Starshine Angel 2 ply. I managed to keep track, even whilst making that apple pie, at least initially.

Row 16 K3 Purl to end K3… hang on this is a pattern row *unknits purls* I’ve already done that row.. Row 17 Why don’t I have the right number of sts? Oh Poop! I’ve already DONE that row… *checks properly* Row 21…. lalalalal.. hm mm this isn’t right.. why do I have  38 sts on this side of the centre and only 34 on the other side… *brain explodes* and frogging ensues.

Now, not only can’t I read myself, to tell that I am too tired for this lace malarky, but I am not familiar enough with this pattern to read back along my knitting and spot where I went wrong, or to read it as I am going and spot mistakes as they happen. The first wee bit is far too early to put in a lifeline.. and something else, I really need to mark off rows as I go. Lessons hopefully learned.

Tomorrow, well, I have things to do that involve screwdrivers and Ikea, so we’ll see if knitting happens, but at least I have pie.

*Does the Happy Dance*

The missing Heb has turned up safe and well… all be it back where it came from and not with me. With any luck I will have it in my hot little hands (where I will hug it, and pet it, and call it George) early next week.

I still haven’t worked out what to use it for… but I have time to think about it whilst poking other Works In Progress. Talking of which I really should pick up the Pina and finish the sleeve *looks at silk bag she’s been knitting instead*…*picks up book and starts reading*… *mutters “maybe after this chapter”*….

Procrastination, Oh how I love thee.