Archive Entries for May 2006
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Monday May 29, 2006
Quiz Night at the Fox
This weekend is the traditional Whitsun Bank Holiday - now renamed "Spring" as it no longer follows the church calendar, (Whitsun being June 4th this year, apparently). We have not really taken much time off as such, since we have both had some work to catch up on, in order to be ready for next week. In addition, as usual, there are a lot of things to be done around the house.
I managed to put some real plants into the outdoor pots to replace the little dead things that had been overwintering there. I also renewed my pelargonium pots, and tried again to grow some "useful herbs" (chives, parsley, and tarragon), on the kitchen windowsill. The books say that tarragon grows to a height of 2 feet - but somehow not for me - and the old wives say that parsley only grows in a house where the woman wears the trousers - so I am hoping for greater success there.
Meanwhile, George was turfing a load of geraniums off the car port roof - they had self-seeded and were a providing a splendid floral display; however the roof was bending dangerously under the weight, so action had to be taken.
In the evening we went to make up a quiz team at the Fox, with my sister Lyn, husband Terry, and Sam. And what a team we turned out to be! We came second - beaten by only one point....
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More excitement - a deer appeared in our garden in the evening. It seemed young and on its own. However, it came back twice, seemingly mesmerised by the house, but at the same time very wary. I wonder - knowing what a pest they can be - if it was attracted by the flowers in the beds near the house, but too scared to come up close enough to eat them!
The Gardener, (o.. you caught me... yes, I have a gardener who does the less lady-like things in the garden), reported that the deer has already eaten the lower blossoms on the apple trees.
Posted on May 29, 2006 at 1:47 PM. Category: The Garden.
Wednesday May 24, 2006
Ladies that lunch
Sometimes your working life provides unexpected pleasures - like my friend Sheelagh. Of course, in fact, she is one of my customers, but I've been working with her for over 10 years now. Thus I was able to go and see her today and it was a pleasure to share a spot of lunch. We went to Browns and here we are with our fish and chips.
After that we went for a short perambulation, during which I felt duty bound to take a picture of the (presumably Victorian) Magdalen Street public conveniences. There are not many of these facilities left these days - councils found they were too difficult to maintain and protect from vandalism so they have filled them with concrete.
To add to my amusement - on my way through St Giles I found the "Gents" - nicely labelled "St Giles Gents", making a suitable matching pair with the one below. I thought a single photographic record was sufficient however.....
Posted on May 24, 2006 at 8:10 PM. Category: Days Out.
Sunday May 21, 2006
Boudoir Bedjacket
I managed to knit "River" for my friend Diane's birthday - and, if you don't know what that is, do take the opportunity to see: "River" at Ferretworld for Alison's version. Since then, I have discovered that Diane is about to embark on a long spell in hospital, so I decided that a bedjacket might have been more appropriate, and embarked on the project right away.
This is an obvious opportunity to explore all those vintage magazines that I love, looking at the bedjackets. There are a great deal of patterns for them but overall they conform to the same standard, which is a bit dull or a bit overly fussy (I know - probably a reason for that - they are bedjackets).
Here are two from my Mother's collection showing how little things had changed from the late 1930's to the late 1960's. Further, this pattern seems to have been much reproduced among all the recent proliferation of shrugs**.
In the end I decided to knit this (probably 1960s) pattern, in a modern synthetic baby wool.
Now I can see that some of you will already be questioning my taste in choice of pattern. In my defence, I was also trying to apply all kinds of criteria to avoid irritating wool, and anything too impractical, like flappy sleeves and so on - and I want it to be quick to knit. However, after I had knitted a few rows, I really was not enjoying the result. I tried several times to get something that looked the right size (Diane is very small) and finally gave up in disgust.
Alison then helpfully confirmed that I should go for pretty not practical; so I kept some of my criteria, and, using the same "practical" basic pattern (three quarter sleeves and no frills), I am devizing my own design. I'm using some ancient stash wool purchased in Germany in the 1980s.
Doing my own thing is very unlike me - which is why I had the stash for 20 years in the first place I think - but the wool and knitting, so far, is proving to be very inspiring.
**This likeness between shrugs and bedjackets has not gone unnoticed (Skank Shrugs and Other Useless Items); I am currently knitting a shrug/cardigan from the latest Rowan magazine which is precisely the same design as a vintage bedjacket pattern that I have, (although in a rather nicer wool, the recommendation for the original being Bri-Nylon).
Posted on May 21, 2006 at 11:12 AM. Category: Knitting.
Tuesday May 16, 2006
The Perfect Blog
There's nothing like having the gauntlet of a challenge laid down to encourage you to get on with something.
Actually I'm pretty sure I that's not a sentiment I subscribe to - but that's another topic. Meanwhile, take a look at the advent of Ferretworld....
...and then here, as described: "the perfect blog".
Emerging from a dream-like state, invoked through excessive interest in cascading style sheets and the like, I am the first to admit it lacks something on the styling front.
But hey! for a few moments of strange lucidity it all made perfect sense.
And it all works.
Fantastic.
And by the time anyone reads this, maybe it will have been "improved" - although....
... can you improve on perfection?.
Anyway - I have no time for all that now - there is serious idling to be done.
Posted on May 16, 2006 at 6:28 PM. Category: Red Letter Days.
