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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

An O'Hare-y Day

Sitting in the airport and feeling thankful for knitting, and Chris, but not in that order.

We are stuck in the airport. Our first flight was grounded in the previous airport, so we've also missed the connecting flight to London. Sigh.

We are booked on the next flight from here, and are supposed to be in London one hour late. Too late for mattins at St. Paul's.

Good thing I have beautiful blue Colinette jitterbug yarn, the color of my hair. The pattern I am travelling with is for socks, but I realized, I forgot mitts, so I have cast some on, while having a lovely chat with a knitter from Vermont. Chris has a little light reading -- Bede's. The Ecclesiastical History of the English People (Oxford edition). I am also perusing Wilkie Collins The Woman in White. Craftlit has been readimg it for quite sometime, and I'm going crazy by being kept to their reading schedule. I don't like to take my time with books, and, I guess I don't like to take my time with books being read aloud.

One other thing: knitting with Bry-Flex knitting needles is like knitting with a fish. Not even a lovely little Swedish fish, that has the redeeming quality of being edible, but a horrible, Billy-bob singing fish with either the batteries dead, or the batteries never-dying (whichever is the greTer horror for you). They are plastic toothpicks, too blunt for getting that annoying piece of steak from between your teeth; or like knitting with coffee stir sticks and dental floss, but without the thrill you receive by being so clever as to think of doing that after your knitting needles are seized on an Italian flight. Basically, these knitting needles suck.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Getting ready for tomorrow...


Friday, April 22, 2011

Business, just not quite as usual

Alright. Eldest has top braces:


Three weeks ago, youngest had ear tube surgery...



...and yesterday he passed the hearing test with flying colors!


Middlest has ridden a motorbike with friend Malcolm at the helm

And has helped daddy with projects around the house.

Mom has brilliantly gotten through ankle surgery, and is one plate and 8 screws richer for the experience.

And I, in the spirit of The Passion, have lavender hair.


p.s. I am just having the Dickens of a time attaching pictures. It has been four days in trying, and, I'm giving up adding those last ones. Sorry!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Preparations Continue

Just called the place we are staying in Oxford and extended it a night.

I am getting psyched for the trip! Clothes are strewn about my bedroom with wild abandon, and papers are being meticulously checked. It's sort of a trial run for facing the bobbies of London!

My physical preparations for the trip have failed somewhat. I had planned to walk at least 2 miles a day, adding weights and other workouts last week. Does helping my mum up from a wheelchair count? Mom fell last week and fractured one ankle and severely sprained the other. Youngest and I toodled down to help, especially since dad had a total knee replacement 6 weeks ago. My sister flies down today, and mom's plate and pin surgery will be tomorrow morning. We would all appreciate your prayers for her health and speedy recovery. My brother then joins her on Easter day.

As for my other physical preparations: I had planned to start gradually getting up earlier and earlier, so as to accomodate myself to the time change. Well, youngest again is a helpful boy. Yesterday it was 3:40a and today 4:20a that that little alarm has gone off. If only he were starting a little later, going backwards, and ever so consistently helpful.

Other than that, I am cramming in Catherine Tate show, Tommy and Tuppence, Jeeves and Wooster, Fry and Laurie -- basically all those cultural icons that will help me appreciate England at its finest hour.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a sock I began last June, and abandoned. Going well. Turning the second heel.

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Getting in Shape for London

The count down is on, and I don't mean just for the Royal Union. Hubby and I are headed to London the 27th, and I'm so excited. I have a workout agenda, to make sure I can schlep my share of the yarn, and so far, I am on schedule. I have also exercised my brain and learned a new word. See if you can find it.

Our trip was already in the works, when Will and Kate stole the limelight. That's okay: I'm willing to share. Till then, we have booked the tickets and three nights stay. Two nights are up in the air. (I'm so excited!)

Meanwhile, we went to Michigan for one weekend of Spring Break. I had a lovely time visiting with Uncles, Aunts and friends, then left my knitting at someone's house. It took a week to make it home, undoubtably larking it up in its free time. So, while at my friend, Apryl's, I borrowed some roving and spun a small skein of some lovely maroon merino, and cast on some wrist warmers. I began with a picot hem, incorporated some wrapped purl stitch, then dropped it like a hot potato when I got home. The kids were rather demanding for the second half of the Break.

But now that track and field, softball and t-ball have begun, I am hoping for some good knitting time in the bleachers.

For times when I can concentrate, I am back to working on the drunken fair isle. Today, after three hours, I am finally done with weaving in the hundreds of ends on the body. The shoulders are seamed with three-needle bind-off, and the arms are itching to be worked on.

I went for a walk with the ends, scattering them to the wind, hoping some robins will incorporate them in the nests. But it
all seems rather like a floccinaucinihilipilification.

Just to get caught up on some Spring Break pictures...



Saturday, April 02, 2011

Foolish Mail

We received this Thursday, but I think it was meant for yesterday:






Anyone want to claim responsibility?