Saturday already?

It has been another busy week.  This working in the office business is high pressure, you know!  Actually, it’s not exactly pressured, just really, really long days which get boring pretty fast.  Still, at least I can work full time again without struggling.  And I’ve got more energy than a week ago – I’ve cooked dinner most days this week, without feeling exhausted immediately afterwards. 

So, apart from work, this week has been a mixed one.  I had a hospital appointment on Weds morning, in which I was told I have irritable bowel syndrome as well as the endometriosis I already knew about.  Hoorah!  They aren’t prepared to do anything about it until after xmas, because apparently I can’t be considered to be healed from the surgery for another 2 months at least.  It turns out, now I’ve done a little research, that I’m eligible for disability status, due to the severe and on-going pain.  Seems weird really. 

Also on Weds, I made it to knitting in the library, after missing it last week.  It was a busy meet-up this week - most of our regulars got there, and a new lady, Sue, who wants to come regularly and may bring along some colleagues as well.  Sue works in the offices above the library, so it’s really convenient for her. 

In other knitting news, well, not much really.  Due to limited time and stupid mistakes (the sleeves took no less than 3 attempts!), I’ve only just about finished the tiny little cardigan I had started last week:

It’s so small, it seems impossible that it could fit – every time he looks at it A is astonished all over again at how tiny this baby really is.  I know what he means.  I’ve decided to make a hat to go with it, which should hopefully only take a day or two.  Then I’ll move on to my step-dad’s birthday bear. 

It looks like A’s jacket will have to wait until we get back from holiday. 

Speaking of holiday, I can’t quite decide what to take away with me, knitting-wise.  I have the everlasting shawl and A’s jacket in progress.  But the jacket is already bulky and will take up valuable space in the car.  The shawl is a possible, but I can only work on it when I can concentrate and there’s a good chance I’ll be too tired after days out and exciting adventures.  Looks like I’ll have to cast on something new.  More socks maybe?

This coming week, I have a meeting with the boss-man and not a lot else planned really.  Work is hectic, as it’s my main report development time of year, but I’m on top of it for now, I just have to keep up the pace for a while.

Anyway, I’m off to get some housework done – a definite down-side to feeling so much better!

A quick Saturday catch-up

I don’t have much time today, so this will be even briefer than usual.  I have a thousand and one household chores to do, plus 2 very short deadline knitting projects to get on with. 

I’m back at work full-time now, kind of enjoying it, but frustrated at how little time there seems to be by the time I’ve been at work all day, endured rush-hour traffic on the drive home, cooked and eaten dinner and then washed up afterwards.  It didn’t help that this week we’ve been round to see A’s Mum twice (helping her to install a new phone) and my Mum once (it was her birthday yesterday).  Being able to drive in the evening can be a burden as well as a bonus!  At least once this week we didn’t even get out for a walk. 

Anyway, on to the good stuff…although it’s not that good…there hasn’t really been much knitting time either, and I’ve been too tired to do anything complicated.  I’ve only done a round or two on the shawl in the last couple of weeks.  Maybe I’ll take it on holiday with me and make some progress then.  A’s cardi is coming along.  It now has nearly-sleeves, just coming up to the point where the sleeves join the body.  Sadly, it’s back on hold again. 

I finished these little pretties:

They will be in the post to New Zealand as soon as we get our act together. 

I had just returned to the cardi, when I was approached by a friend at work for help with premature baby cardigans.  Her granddaughter was born 11 weeks early, and has already survived 7 weeks in an incubator.  Marriella is now doing so well that she is allowed short cuddles out of the incubator, provided she is wrapped up warmly enough.  Enter Grandma’s plan for tiny little cardigans.  Marriella is only 4lbs at this point and measures just 10 inches around her chest.  I can’t even imagine a baby that tiny, it’s amazing she can survive, let alone thrive as she is so far.  So I’m starting this:

Avril supplied both yarn and pattern, and I started last night.  It’s so small, it should knit up really fast. 

I was satisfied that I’d be back to A’s jacket really quickly, until we were at my Mum’s last night and I spotted a row of tiny teddies on the mantelpiece.  I remembered with a sinking feeling that I’d made them for my step-dad’s last two birthdays, and promised another bear and the rest of the picnic set (blanket, crockery, food etc) for this year.  His birthday is 2 weeks today.  Aaaarrrgghh! 

Oh well, as usual I’ll just get on with it and hope I have time for everything.  A really wants his jacket to take on holiday, but it looks like he’ll just have to wait!

Photo Saturday

So, back to work it is.  Or rather, I am.  After clearing e-mails on Weds, I went in to the office Thursday and Friday mornings.  And it was seriously hard, really tiring.  Maybe I’m not as completely recovered as I thought!  The good news is, my laptop is back and seems to be working this time.  This means I can start my new working pattern this coming week, working in the office three full days a week, and at home for two days.  The boss-man is coming to catch up on Monday, but apart from that it should be a quiet week (touch wood, cross fingers, insert other superstition here).

Boring work out of the way, on to knitting.  I haven’t done much since Wednesday’s update except start on these tiny pretties:

They are ‘Baby Monkeys’, for our friends Tim and Jenny’s new baby boy.  Montague (Monty) was born on Weds, so I started these Thursday…they’ll have a matching garter-square bunny, and will be sent off to New Zealand asap. 

For now, that means all other knitting is on hold.  I can give a quick update on A’s jacket though:

That’s the main body, folded in half, ready for sleeves.  The sleeves are on their way. 

Also, the photo I promised of my recovery socks:

I wore them for work on Thursday, and they were really comfortable.  Since washing, they have become even softer still – I’m really impressed with this yarn, especially as there is loads left! 

As of this week, I am pleased to announce that I have lost half a stone, since joining the ‘Knit not eat’ group on Ravelry and making an effort to eat better.  It helped that I lost 4 lbs over the 2 weeks of surgery and recovery, but I expected to put most of that back on so didn’t really count it.  I have only regained 1 lb though, so I’m doin’ a little happy dance.  It’s a good start and I’m determined to do even better.

I think that’s all the news for now.  I have washing and jam-making to get on with!

Back to work

I started back at work today.  It’s now not quite 4 o’clock, and technically I should still be at it, but I negotiated a ’soft return’ with the boss-man so for a few days at least I do as much as I feel up to.  Today I have spent most of the day clearing my big backlog of e-mails, working on my personal laptop at home.  Unfortunately, my work laptop is with the technicians for a rebuild…again.  I left it with them before going off sick, but it has died again since they returned it to the office.  That means that tomorrow I’ll have to go into the office, either to collect the laptop if it’s back or to work for at least the morning on a desktop PC.  I only have to stay for as long as I feel up to it, but as I’ll be visible I won’t be able to disappear too quickly.  Still, I need to get back into it, there’s a lot to do and I’m off on holiday soon. 

In knitting news, I finished my recovery socks on Sunday night (photos on Saturday) which means I’m officially better I guess.  I’m still picking away at the shawl, just a round or two a day.  I have made loads of progress on A’s jacket though, finishing the body up to where the sleeves join and starting the sleeves.  Unfortunately, it gets complicated after the sleeves due to my casual disregard for the pattern and the stitch counts.  Ooops! 

Sometime over the next few days, I’m planning to make jam.  Apple and plum jam.  Bizarrely, I haven’t been able to blag any free jam jars from anyone – everyone I know seems to have just given theirs away.  So I’ve ordered some shiny new ones, which arrived this morning.  Mmmmm, jam.  I’ve got a glut of plums and apples from the Riverford fruit boxes over the last few weeks, I found a recipe in Mrs Beeton’s wonderful book and now all I need is a tonne or two of sugar.  Oh, and enough time

Finally, browsing on Ravelry earlier, I stumbled across this amazing giveaway…goats!  I’d love to keep goats, especially ones I could get yarn from, but there’s no practical way I can, without some kind of massive lifestyle change (lottery win maybe?).  This farm have a fantastic way of selling their fibre and yarn – you buy shares!  It looks really good, and I’d be seriously tempted if I hadn’t already spent more than I can believe on yarn this year so far.  The blogs on the site are interesting reading too, sharing the ups and downs of the farm, and the livestock and people on it.  I haven’t dug very far into the older entries yet, but I think I’ve found a new favourite read.

Regular Saturday Round-up

I’m trying to get back into a routine, as I’m going back to work this week…probably Wednesday.  That means photos on Saturday, of course, although there aren’t many.  There isn’t much of anything to tell either really, as I’ve been sat around the house trying not to be bored for over a week now. 

That’s not quite true, I have been for a few outings.  On Tuesday, I went to see the nurse at my Dr’s surgery, to have stitches removed.  Two, she removed.  One, she missed.  One was done up so tightly she couldn’t reach it.  I went to knitting in the library on Weds, which was good.  Then I went back to the nurse on Thursday as I have infections in two of the three wounds.  Hoorah! 

The good news is, I’m off the painkillers…not even a paracetamol for 2 days now.  I’m waiting for the withdrawal.  There has to be some.  Both paracetamol and codeine are addictive to some extent and I’ve been taking both for nearly 18 months.  Perhaps I’ll be lucky.

Today, I’m getting my car back from my baby brother.  He has had it for the last 2 weeks as I couldn’t drive it anyway.  He used it to bring me home from hospital, but now I should be fine to drive again so I want it back.  I was looking forward to it, until this morning and now I don’t feel like it.  In a whingey, whiney kind of way.  I always feel like that about driving though.  Once I’m in the car I’ll be fine.

The main news of the week was the delivery of an enormous basket of flowers yesterday:

Pretty, aren’t they?  It took me a while to establish who they had come from, as the card included just said ‘Glad to hear from you, we’re all missing you you know’.  I decided it had to be my team at work, and indeed it was.  The main clues were the lack of names and the crazy punctuation…definitely the boss-man. 

The flowers are actually planted in the basket, and can be re-planted and kept.  That’s so much better than cut flowers.

Also included was a box of chocolates, which are were delicious.

In knitting news…the shawl is still growing, slowly.  I’m now on the final pattern repeat, with just(!) the border to add after the next 30 rounds or so.  My recovery socks are nearly done, I’m onto the foot of the second sock, should be done before I return to work – just the right timing. 

Finally, I gave in and started A’s jacket.  It is going to cause me some problems further on, as the smallest size was nowhere near small enough so I’ve reduced the number of stitches.  I should read ahead in the pattern to see what effect that will have, but I’m a coward.  I’ll deal with it when I get to it.

Saturday Catch-up

It has felt like a really long week, full of ups and downs.  I don’t seem to have many weeks which aren’t like that lately, but there’s no point complaining.  I’ve made it through to Saturday and I’m chilling out.

Work-wise it’s all about preparing for several weeks off sick, after my op.  Not only do I have a lot of new year pre-development work to get done, I also ended up running the monthly regional reports due to an equipment problem.  That was 3 days I could have used more constructively.  I’m back on track now though, and should be ready to hand over to the boss-man on Thursday.

In the garden, everything is ticking along prettily.  The Royal William rose doesn’t seem to want to stop flowering.  Every time I think he’s done, I find yet more buds.  The slugs and snails completely stripped the sunflower my Dad bought me…leaves, flowers and all.  The lavender looks like it will flower soon, and has started to smell pretty good.  One of my apricot trees seems to have some kind of problem though, its new leaves are weirdly shrivelled and no more have grown in for a few days.  The other one is fine though, and catching up fast.

Knitting is at a plodding along stage again…plodding along at the cobweb shawl…plodding along on the alpaca/entrelac gloves.  I may have to take a knitting break for a while though, as A’s aunt wants me to make a cross-stitch picture for her new grandchild…due in October.  It’s a sticky situation though, as I made one for Auntie A’s first granddaughter which Auntie A paid for.  Then I made one for Auntie V’s granddaughter, which A’s Mum paid for.  No-one asked for one for Auntie A’s second granddaughter, and I’d moved on to knitting by then so didn’t feel inspired to offer.  Now, do I charge Auntie V for her second one?  Or ask A’s Mum to pay again?  Or do it for free?  I don’t like being in the middle!

Speaking of A’s family, we got a big fat cheque in the post this week, from the estate of A’s late uncle.  It was completely unexpected – we thought if there was money coming to anyone, it was to A’s Mum.  Well it did, but also to each of her children (the same for A’s Aunties and cousins).  It was sadly but also gratefully received…we are going to pay off our one outstanding loan two years early .  We’ll be completely debt free now in less than 2 years, fingers crossed.  There’s even enough left after paying off the loan to start a ‘cruise fund’ for next summer.  Hopefully we can do the British Isles cruise we’ve been considering for the last year or so, and it would be really nice to take A’s Mum with us.

On to my family…Dad’s final divorce hearing was yesterday.  He texted me to say it was a long day, but all is settled and finalised.  He’s promised to pop in sometime today to tell me about it.  Fingers crossed it went his way in the end. 

Tonight we have Alan and Kat coming round for dinner.  Of course when I say dinner I really mean pizza .  It will be nice to catch up. 

Next week…I dunno, lots of work.  I might get out for lunch with Caron, if she’s free.  I’m hoping to go knitting in the library.  And I’ll be avoiding thinking about the hospital and surgery for another week.  I can’t put off thinking about it for ever, but the worrying can wait until the time comes.

Mid-week update

As I didn’t say much on Saturday, I thought I’d add a quick mid-week note to catch up on all the stuff I couldn’t get my head around. 

I’m knitting away on my lace shawl.  It’s really coming along, but still takes too much concentration to do more than a couple of rounds each evening. 

I bought some lovely 4 ply alpaca from a local shop, to make a hat and gloves to match my entrelac scarf.  I’ve settled on a plain hat/gloves with entrelac brim/cuffs to match the scarf.  The hat is nearly done and looking good.

Next, A wants me to make him a cardigan/jacket type thing.  It has to be black, and he has a pattern in mind.  I’ve found a suitable yarn and ordered it from Get Knitted.  It should hopefully be here in time for my time off sick, which implies that…yes, miracles do happen…I have a surgery date!

I’m going in on 25th August, just 3 weeks away.  I only found out late yesterday, and only then because I phoned the hospital’s Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) to complain, for the second time.  Still, at least I can start planning around it.  We’ve already booked our October holiday on the basis that I should  be better by then. 

Now, what else…oh yes, in the garden everything is coming along nicely.  Some of my wildflowers are actually flowering, which is so good to see.  A second apricot seedling has popped up and is rapidly catching up to the first one.  And the neighbour’s cats have been having a butterfly killing spree.  We went out on Monday to find 3 cabbage whites in pieces on the path.  I’m no fan of the hairy creepy little bugs, but such wanton slaughter seems somewhat harsh. 

Last Thursday I went to Plymouth for work, which gave me loads of knitting time on the train.  I stayed overnight in a hotel in the city centre, meeting up with my friend and colleague T, and her partner, for dinner.  We went to an amazing Italian restaurant, where I managed to order the creamiest pasta dish on the menu – I’m not surprised I’ve lost no weight this week, I’m just amazed I haven’t gained any. 

The work meeting I went to Plymouth for went well, then T and I went shopping at lunchtime to buy some goodies for our team meeting this week.  As I was thinking of heading back for the train though, I got the message from my Dad about my Grandfather, so that was a really hard journey home.  T did offer to drive me all the way here, but I figured I’d be all right. 

I spent the weekend trying to get my head back together, and suffering extra pain from all the travelling and stress, but I took Monday off to rest a bit more. 

Yesterday I went to Bristol for the monthly team meeting, then today I made it to knitting in the library. 

Tomorrow is my Grandfather’s funeral, then somehow we’re back to Friday again!  Work is really getting busy now, as we start into the new academic year, and it’ll only get busier from now until xmas.  Still, I don’t like to be bored

Anyway, I’d better get back to work…photos as usual on Saturday.

Photo Saturday returns!

Wow, there’s lots to tell this week…knitting, garden and surgery news.  It has been a hard week though, lots of pain, only two mornings in the office, no attempt to go to knitting in the library.  There has been a shocker of a letter from the hospital, a big disappointment from family and seemingly endless rain.  Still, it’s Saturday now, it’s sunny and even though I’m tired I don’t feel too bad. 

So, starting with knitting…I sent the baby socks and bunny to David in Bristol, for his new baby Anna.  He got them on his return to work on Weds and by Friday I already had a thank you card!  He seemed impressed by the bunny – once he’d worked out which way up it should go…and what it was! 

I’ve been plodding away at my entrelac scarf for what seems like months, and I suppose is months in reality.  It ahs finally made it to a length I’m happy with, with about 3/4 of a ball of yarn left.   I think I’m going to break off the yarn but leave the scarf stitches live, then make a hat and gloves to match.  I don’t expect there’ll be enough yarn left for both hat and gloves, and it’s a bit garish anyway, so I’m thinking of matching it to another ball of sock yarn, of a similar weight and creating something that uses both.  Maybe a stripe of the Apple Hill craziness?  Even a stripe of entrelac squares…who knows, I’ll get creative and see what happens. 

Anyway, here is the scarf in all it’s lovely longness (bear in mind it isn’t blocked):

Bright, huh?

I’ve also been working on the cobweb shawl I started and restarted last week.  It’s lovely, so delicate, but does take a lot of concentration.  This makes it slow going, especially as I have to put it away as soon as I get too tired, or something on the television catches my attention.  This photo doesn’t show it off very well – it’s really hard to stretch out to show the pattern, and the colours don’t quite look right either.  Still, I’m pleased so far:

The shiny white threads are dental floss lifelines, there to ensure I don’t have to start again if I do lose concentration. 

The final knitting news is that I finally got the buttons for my stripy cardigan:

I’ve worn it so much already, because it’s so comfy and warm.  It’s a surprisingly good fit, too, and it’s only because it isn’t black that A hasn’t stolen it as yet.  Guess what my next big project will be?!

Now, on to the garden.  Lots of growth, a few pretty flowers, herbs everywhere and an apricot tree! 

First, a pot of dill and a window box of parsley, chives and basil:

 

Next, lavender and pots of flowers:

 

Crazy teasels – there are three pots of these:

And finally, my pride and joy…an apricot tree:

Okay, so not so much a tree as an almost-not-there-seedling.  But it’s so cool, I grew it myself, from a stone!  The other two planted at the same time didn’t come to anything, but we really don’t have space for one apricot tree, never mind three! 

Apart from all of that flourishment, my Dad came round with a miniature sunflower, which I’ve discovered is very very attractive to snails.  The leaves are systematically being stripped bare, but the brave little thing continues to flower anyway.  The birds are constantly now in the garden, pigeons mainly, but still some other visitors from time to time.  One day last week, I got home from work at lunchtime and spotted a juvenile blackbird and a cheeky sparrow sat on the fence watching me.  As soon as I got out of the car they scarpered, but it was fantastic to see them there.  The pigeons have now got very brave, flapping down to the feeder even when we are in the garden! 

And…so exciting…while I was sat out in the garden last weekend, I saw a leaf-cutter bee!  It was cutting leaves!  Of course it was, that’s why they’re named that, right?  But in a garden that I thought was devoid of life not so long ago, to see something so interesting is such a reward for the work we’ve been putting in this year, and more than repays our insistence on not using chemicals as fertiliser, weedkiller or pesticide.  Slugs and snails we have aplenty, but I’ll live with that for the sake of the leaf-cutter bees

On to slightly less happy stuff, I got a letter from the hospital this week.  As requested by me (?!), I have been taken off the surgery waiting list!  I phoned them immediately and for once got a reply.  The end result is that the admissions officer is trying to squeeze me in to the August surgery list, and I should get a letter over the next few days.  Apparently I’m a difficult case to fit in because I need a two hour slot and an assistant as well as a surgeon.  As far as I’m concerned that should be their problem, not mine, and it’s wrong that I’m left to suffer for it.  I’m seriously approaching the point of complaining. 

Right, I think that’s enough for today.  In the coming week there’s work as usual.  Apart from a big meeting on Tuesday morning and a trip to Plymouth later in the week. That includes a serious, potentially difficult meeting, but also a chance to catch up with Theresa over lunch and potentially dinner.  And of course, there’s that letter from the hospital to look forward to

Now I’d better go get some washing done, before the rain starts again.

The usual Photo Saturday thing

It has felt like a long week.  Which is odd because it was a short one really, due to the bank holiday at the start of it. 

Firstly, our friends didn’t come round for dinner last Saturday after all.  They had some personal issues to deal with and weren’t up to socialising.  Big karma hugs to both of them. 

I’ve done fairly well work-wise this week.  I not only made it in to the office 3 mornings out of 4, I managed to time those days for when the fairly-high and really-high bosses were there.  Result!  I had a down day on Thurs when I didn’t get up on time, in lots of pain from the start of the day and couldn’t quite think clearly all day.  I made up for it with a good day on Friday.

This morning I woke up at 7.30am…but for no reason!  I lay in bed for a while, waiting to go back to sleep, then gave in and got up at 8.00.  The post lady knocked on the door 10 mins later (good timing!), to bring me this:

It’s the new sock book by Cookie A, who designs some lovely socks.  Part of the book is about designing socks, which is really interesting and could be useful.  I’ve waited weeks for this, since before our holiday.  In fact, I ordered it in time to take it on holiday, or so I thought.  I don’t know what went wrong, but almost no-one was able to get hold of a copy for a while, and as recently as yesterday my order status said ‘we’ll let you know when we have the faintest idea when we might send this to you’, or words to that effect. 

Hooray!  I got my prize! 

This week I have a team meeting in Bristol on Tuesday, and lunch planned with my friend Caron on Wednesday. 

The start of the team meeting has been delayed by an hour, but T from Plymouth and I have decided to catch our usual trains and meet for coffee before the meeting.  It’ll be nice to catch up, and have longer than the brisk walk to the office for once. 

I haven’t seen Caron for a while, and although I’ll miss knitting group this week, I really need to catch up with her.  She only works part time now, and doesn’t live in Swindon, so when she suggested Weds I said yes anyway.  Caron’s little girl celebrated her second birthday this week, and it was for her that I made the ladybird pyjama case.  We’ve now bought some ‘jamas to go in it too…

So cute!  I’ll deliver ladybird and ‘jamas to Caron on Weds and hopefiully get a couple of pictures in return. 

In knitting news, I’ve finished a couple of things this week, starting with the socks which were nearly complete last week:

I’m pleased with how they turned out. 

I also started and finished a little dog for my friend at work, whose dog was put down last week:

Ali was really happy with it, even though the spot pattern isn’t quite right.  I have offered to re-do the spots, but she just wanted to take it home. 

The second start this week was on my stripey cardigan.  I haven’t made much progress because I stopped for the dog…and to start a scarf (not sure why, the weather is suddenly lovely), but here’s where it is:

And finally, the scarf.  It’s an entrelac pattern, which is the only thing I’ve found to suit this particular sock yarn.  I love the mad colours of it, but the colour changes are just a bit too much for all the sock patterns I tried.  The intention was that I’d have this as a smaller project for travelling with…but now I’ve got the new sock book…maybe some socks are in order?!

I had a discussion with my niece a few weeks ago.  I was showing her some of the things I’ve knitted recently, and some of the things I’m planning to knit, and she asked me why I don’t knit for her any more.  I always used to include a hand made gift in their birthday presents, but haven’t for a year or so now.  For a start, we have 13 nieces and nephews, and several we include as step-relations.  Secondly, they just don’t appreciate them.  I pointed this out to M, and she went quiet.  An hour or so later she started raving about the cushion I knitted for her birthday one year.  Did it take her that long to remember the last thing I made for her? Or was she just trying to decide what her favourite gift was?

Anyway, M herself put a successful end to the conversation when she said about the cardigan I was showing her ”I don’t know why you don’t just go to Primark and buy one for £6″! 

Nuff said.

Photo Saturday

I hadn’t realised how important emotion is in my life.  I just read back through the post I wrote yesterday, and it is astonishing how different I feel now, compared to say a week ago. 

Yesterday I made a comment about enjoying work, and I gave that a lot of thought yesterday.  I do enjoy work, especially when there is so much to do, and I’m the one who knows how to do it…I’m busy and driven and..yes, I enjoy it. 

That is such a difference to a week ago.  I was still as busy, had as many deadlines and problems with the data as I do this week, but I just couldn’t quite care.  I plodded through the day and finished as early as I reasonably could. 

Of course, all that aside, I’d retire tomorrow if I could (come on, lottery win!). 

Anyway, I promised photos and here they are…nothing exciting, but some knitting stuff as usual:

That is the progress on my made-up socks.  Not much really, for a week, but I’m working on both at once (magic loop) so they should be done in a day or two. 

This is the yarn I bought yesterday to make myself a cardigan:

I’m excited about starting it, but holding back until I’ve finished the socks.

That’s it though, just two photos.  Hopefully by next week I’ll have finished the socks, started the cardi, cast on a  new pair of socks and maybe even made a small dog for my friend.  She made the final decision yesterday, and was having her dog put down last night.  So I’m sending a big swirl of thought karma her way this weekend.  I’m also sending a big old swoosh of karma to my friend D, who needs it too at the moment.  I only wish I could help in some way. 

Last night turned a bit manic on us.  We went to Gorse Hill after work (A actively encouraged me to buy yarn, I wonder what he wants?), then strolled over to Sainsbury’s, taking the scenic route through the River Ray Parkway.  It was a lovely walk.  We got a few bits of shopping, but not much, had a drink in the cafe and strolled home again.  On the way back we got picked up by my Dad, who was on his way round to deliver some baby albums and scrapbooks which he found when clearing out at his house.  He wanted them out of his soon-to-be-ex-wife’s reach.  He stayed for a while. 

Then we realised we had just 45 mins to make and eat dinner before our Sainsbury’s delivery arrived.  It seems odd that we went shopping there when we were getting stuff delivered anyway, but it makes sense really.  We order online once every 4 weeks, when A gets paid.  That stocks up the freezer and the tins and non-perishables.  Then in between deliveries we just get fresh stuff like bread, milk, cheese – the sort of thing you want to pick out for yourself and check the date on. 

So we considered take-away, but had already defrosted a plate full of prawns.  A came up with a master-plan to just warm them through in a pan with some mushrooms, then chuck them on a plate with chips and curry sauce from the chip shop.  Voila – easy prawn and mushroom curry!  Of course, we had no cash.  So A plodded off to the cashpoint 5 minutes away, intending to get the chips and curry sauce on the way back, while I started preparing the prawns and mushrooms.  The cashpoint was out of cash.  So A came home and we considered our options.  There was no time to get to the next nearest cashpoint, prepare dinner and eat it before the shopping delivery.  So bizarrely, on payday when we should have most money, we scrabbled around trying to come up with just £2.60 to buy dinner! 

We managed it in the end, but 5 minutes after we sat down to eat, and 15 minutes before we expected them, the Sainsbury’s van pulled up outside!

Dinner went cold while we unloaded the shopping, but by that time we were both so tired we didn’t care.  It was only 8pm but we seriously considered going straight to bed.  Instead we had to stay up to watch the new episode of NCIS on FX…how could we miss it?!

Tonight our friends Alan and Kat are coming round for dinner and a good natter.  We’re taking the lazy option and ordering pizza, especially as one of the big pizza chains put a leaflet through our door which gives us 50% discount when we spend £30 or more.  And we had the foresight to include a big box of lager in the shopping delivery.  Hooray!