Knitonlybutalso

it's war out there... (so maybe it's safer indoors with some nice knitting)

Spring is a dangerous time, I think. The first signs of it and I get all excited and what-not, I start wanting to explore natures doings and see whats happening out and about. Therefore, I have been getting off the bus in Killearn of an evening and walking the two miles home - until Wednesday that is. Wednesday, I met a pot hole just outside of Killearn, which meant I kissed tarmac and broke my glasses, I also have four stitches much to the hilarity of everyone at work. There has been a distinct lack of sympathy at home too, however despite the stitches and the red and yellow and blue brusies to my eye and schnoz it actually doesn't hurt (and I am one class A wimp).

When I finally staggered indoors about 8.00pm after I did it, the offspring were watching TV, Nr.2 swivelled his head and said along the lines of "hmmph, that looks bad" and swivelled back to watching TV. Nr.3 said something along the lines of "hmmmmmm, you've ripped you tee shirt - people will see you" and also swivelled back to the TV and Nr.1 never even twitched. Now as it is on my forehead, foreheads bleed a lot and I was covered in blood so I did look quite a sight. When Gravel-guy got home at 9.00pm he barely registered it, but reluctantly agreed to take me to Stirling A&E for stitches as it was still bleeding and I couldn't quite smoosh it together. I'm glad he didn't know that we would eventually get home at 2.30am as it was pretty busy there that night and he is not a night-owl.

I have to admit I did feel a bit of a pillock wandering in with something that only needed a few stitches (but there is no on-call doctor out our way and we would have been told by NHS24 to go there anyway), but as the A&E was full of students "feeling funny" (but not funny enough to stop them making out with each other) I guess I wasn't draining the time and resources too much - well I hope not anyway. And we were there well before the usual drunks.

But the real nuisance has been my hands are bruised and a bit grazed - which makes knitting uncomfortable, so I have hardly touched the cardigan I was motoring along on (plain, boring old stocking stitch but will be embellished later with a bit of bling). Nor have I been as busy in the garden as I would be - but that hasn't stopped the tulips and things that can carry on regardless - fab eh, isn't nature just genius? This has meant more time dolefully watching more and less time doing, which means I have noticed the neighbourhood cats all like my back garden. And my little garden is full of precious little seeds, and there is a cat next door that likes to leap at our washing when it is hung out to dry and try and pull it off (not the washing in his garden you understand). Now I like cats, so I have fleeced and netted and laid sticks as much as possible but still they are there - it is like a cat queue (especially in front of the guinea pigs), it is like the drunken teenagers in Glasgows city centre of a Saturday night - there are hordes of them.

So I have bought this......

un-flipping-believable, the kids can't believe it - we've never had toy weapons on our property of any kind. Anyone bringing their favourite plastic pistol/toy sword to play was always made to leave it at the garden gate, even if they came with their mummies and their mummies made a fuss - we have always been a no-weapons household and no negotiations. But the neighbourhood cats, now thats a whole 'nother story.   

Let battle commence.

sprung?

 

Spring is here - finally! It officially started middle of March but it actually now feels spring-like and what a long time coming. Therefore, we can safely say that until the next snow flurries - Spring has officially sprung. I have been willing it to get a hurry-on and just come. The daughter has been willing it to come too as she thinks that will lessen the embarrassment of me hunkered down in the garden spotting sprouting plants and whatever - she finds it all quite mortifying in the way that 13year old girls find everything about mid-forties women. She worries, y'know - she thinks I should be inside where I can't be seen I suspect, and certainly not crouched in the bushes with my bum in the air watching primula or peering inside daffodils. She even thinks it would be better, if I spent that time knitting (indoors) - which is a complete about face... It's nice to now I still have some power over her - never underestimate the power of embarrassment I say, especially as I am officially sulking (she has finally over topped me - my little inchworm has finally inched her way past me and is taller than I am, so I am relegated to official status of family troll). I am also on official narcissi rescue - the ones that get knocked over/flattened by wind/just give up and lie down on the path need to get brought inside and put in water - this is Thalia by the way, she is very beautiful but not particularly happy in our garden, so yes, she is inside after rescuing, and she was in danger of being stepped on.

Speaking of offspring, they are on holiday again (yes, a bigger fence is needed around that damn school) 2 weeks - 2 WEEKS!!! of Easter holiday, and gravel-guy has tootled off for a sunny jaunt (sorry fieldtrip with a bunch of students) to Majorca, I think he is back tuesday-ish with a load of washing to be done and complaints that he is tired (No he bloody isn't - he doesn't understand tired until he looks after his own children and their friends, and their comings and goings, and their arrangements, and their kitchen raids, and their...). I shouldn't really complain - they are good kids, sweet kids, but sheesh, they get in the way of serious knitting time, and Nr.2 kid - well Nr.2 kid takes after me I know that but....  actually he is great. Lovely in fact, but when gravel-guy goes away Nr.2 worries about me constantly - endless cups of tea are made (which is fab but even I - serious tea drinker that I am, cannot keep up), he likes to keep me company late night at weekends in case I am lonely (but that involves a hulking 14 year old boy trailing the vapours of heavy metal music which drown out my Bob Harris or whoever is on BBC Radio2) and he gives great big bear-crusher scrunching hugs - which is fine and fabulous but I am now all bent out of alignment and I am sure one shoulder is higher than the other (permanently). I am like a little plasticine troll all mooshed out of shape. This all means I never seem to get peace and time alone, and given that time alone is what I crave above all else I am a little out of sorts. Still, they are lovely kids.

And I have finished the top down garter yoke cardigan- we are liking very much.