Useful Things I did Today – Page 23

Being a grown up.

Mijal threatened to drag me off to the produce markets at Flemington at 7am this morning. Apparently it wasn’t a threat – and she arrived before 7am, and I was still in the shower. Off to the markets (I can heartily recommend the coffee at the Flower Market Cafe), we got loads of veggies (a green bag FULL of fresh herbs for $5 – very happy bunnies!), and 2 bunches of tulips for $4.

After that my parents picked me up for a swim – swam not quite twice as far as last time, but I’m calling it double because they had the wave machine on for part of my swim, and it was hard work.

Now I’m home, and have started to bake some veggies, make a frittata and I have 2 kilos of swiss brown mushrooms to get creative with.

Hmm… I wonder if I can find a recipe for mushroom pate?

And that thing about being grown up ? Well I’ve decided not to let my brother shit me any more. He won’t change, he won’t bend, and he won’t empathise. That is just the way it is, and I have fuck all control over it. What I can control is my reactions to things, and I can be a grown up and take control of the things I do have a hold on.

And my great aunt Patsy (Patricia) died this morning. She had been sick for a long time, and we had been expecting this news for a few weeks. She lived a full life, was the matriach of a big catholic family (grandchildren and great grandchildren up the wazoo), and a much loved sister to my grandfather George.

The picture above is George and his two sisters, Patsy and Maree (Patsy is in the middle) at our wedding in April 2004. He died less than six months after this picture was taken, two years ago today. Patsy followed him two years later, to the day.

I still miss George every day.

Kickin’ nupp butt…

So I did the extra 5 repeats of the first chart, and the first two “rest” lines of the Lily of the Valley Chart #1- then put the shawl down for a few days for two reasons.

Firstly, I wasn’t looking forward to finding an odd number of stitches, and having to do maths to make the larger shawl work.

And secondly, my first experience with nupps wasn’t a happy one.

But I found a great tip on the Swallowtail Shawl Knitalong. I have finally found the joy of shared experience while working on the same project. Apparently you can slip the first two wraps, purl the last three together, then pass the slipped wraps over. It’s MUCH easier than trying to purl all five together at once, and it seems to look exactly the same. Also, I am knitting this on addi turbos, that are notorious for their blunt tips.

So, thanks very much for the tip, and if you’re considering a project with nupps, don’t be discouraged, there is an easier way – and you’ll still get that spectacular look.

Nothing like a dinner party…

…. to make you feel loved. It’s been ages since Mark and I have entertained, and tonight we had some friends over for dinner. Nothing fancy (except Mijal’s amazing dessert), just a cleani(ish) house, good friends, a relaxed atmosphere, and I feel fine.

I spent this morning being waxed, plucked and manicured, got to Rubi + Lana’s for the S’nB about 5 minutes before they closed, and then spent all afternoon shopping/cleaning/cooking, but it was all worth it.

I’m now tucked up in bed with a 10kg kitten at my feet, and life seems a whole lot better than it did last week.

A day

Today I stayed in bed till after Oprah. Yes, I watch Oprah. I love her. I’d probably make a tit of myself just like the middle aged, middle class tubbies in her audience. It’s comforting really, that I can be so contrary in most of my opinions, and yet go crazy about Oprah like most of middle America.

It was a pretty ordinary show today, despite having Salma Hayek and Forrest Whittaker on. But still, it felt good.

Then I got up and went to Medicare to get some money back for the last couple of counselling sessions, and then to Ryde Aquatic Leisure Centre. They have HUGE pool, with bits for laps, bits for kids, and a sort of figure 8 whirlpool thingy. I bravely wandered in on my lonesome, stripped off and exposed my lardy bits to some toddlers, and climbed in to use some muscles that haven’t been used in about 2 years.
I was feeling the burn during the first lap, but still went on to do five laps. I could have done more, but I didn’t want to over do it and not be able to go back. (That’s five laps of the figure eight thingy – no idea how long each lap is, but long).

I bought a few ties for Mark from Tarocash (two crappy ones, and a purple paisley one) to replace some of his collection that are overdue for retirement.

And then off to ikea for a few bits to complete my dodgy photographic kit. A proper studio lighting kit can set you back many thousands of dollars, but thanks to a post I found on a photographic website, and my adorable husband, I now have the beginnings of a decent kit, for less than $200. Two worklights from a hardware shop (a single and a double on a stand), a shower curtain, and a car sunshade with one white side, and one shiny reflective side. A couple of daylight bulbs for the lamps round out the basic kit. Add some gaffer tape, a few bulldog clips, and some wooden pegs, and you may not look like a profesional, but you should be able to get some professional looking shots.

Now that I have been outed as the photographer of the shots on Jussi‘s new site, I’d like to publicly thank her for being so wonderfully supportive of my learning process. I’ve been photographing plants and animals for a while now, and I’ve even been happy with a few wedding shots I’ve taken, but babies are a whole new experience. I don’t yet feel that I’ve taken any good shots yet. Some are OK, and I hope they show Jussi’s wonderful knitwear well, and that the shots have some emotional pull on potential customers. I feel confident that I’ll be able to get better and better, but the patience and generous praise from Justine and the parents have been very encouraging.

Maybe photography is something that I can earn a few dollars from eventually. And if not, at least it’s something I can gain pleasure from.

Tomorrow, more pictures (sans babies).

A mental health day

Apparently, it’s called grief. A feeling of helplessness, sorrow, pain, and loss. I am not depressed and in need of medication, I am grieving.

Makes a lot of sense. Now if only I can pass through the guilt stage and get into anger and depression….. Acceptance and hope will be right around the corner.

(1) Shock or Disbelief that the loss has occured. (2) Denial is the stage in which the person refuses to accept the loss has occured. (3) In the Bargaining stage, the person attempts to reconcile the loss by making deals with other people, sometimes also with Diety. (4) Guilt is marked by statements of “if only I had done/been . . . “. (5) Anger is a natural stage everyone must pass. Anger may be directed toward the loss, the person lost, or even Diety. (6) Depression is a stage that comes and goes throughout the grief process. Resignation at the end of the depression indicates that the truth of the loss has been accepted and the person is ready to move on. (7) Acceptance and Hope means that you understand your life will never be the same but it will go on with meaning and hope.

An Unveiling

Lee is a few months old now, and it was before she was born that the Courthouse knitters decided to knit her a blanket. Some idiot (me) thought that 10cm squares would share the workload the most fairly. But of course, I have never done that much seaming in my life, let alone seaming randomly sized swatches, in extremely random gauges, fibres, and construction. There is knitting, modular knitting, crochet, and tricot. There is cotton, polyester, wool, acrylic, eyelash (though the knitters referred to those squares as pubes..), there is baby yarn, there is handspun (my first), there is mystery yarn from Argentina, and even a square that looks like scrambled egg.

So it is only thanks to Mijal, Emma and Christophe that this project was finally completed. I crocheted a border (sounds impressive, but it was a LOT easier than all that seaming and weaving in ends), and blocked it, and we finally were able to present it to Chris and Karen this afternoon. It was still damp, but hey, all the ends were woven in (thanks Kellie).
It’s roughly 70cmx80cm, and there will never be another one like it.

And this is the gorgeous Lee, modelling an umbillical cord hat I knit for her before we knew that she was going to be a female type person. Debbie Bliss Wool Cotton. Lovely stuff, but sadly discontinued (I think).

Tomorow will see another unveiling. Stay tuned!

Byron Bay Markets/Presents for the new baby

Byron markets were on the morning of the wedding, so I got up early and went to check them out. Mostly I bought baby stuff, and a card (for the happy couple) by a local photographer.

These singlets are the ultimate baby souvenir from Byron, so of course I had to get a couple (the kid may turn into a hippy even if we shelter him/her from the evil influence of tie-die)…

And the socks….. $5 a pair. Pretty reasonable until you consider that EVERY DAMN STITCH IS HAND KNIT!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought 4 pairs. Would have bought more but the money ran out, and the bank of Mark wasn’t as impressed as I was.

P.S. Have decided not to feel sorry for myself. It may not work, but it’s the only strategy I have right now.

UnBearable

Just when I thought it was safe to talk to people again, I was loosing sight of my deep despair, and my Dad has to have surgery again. “No problem”, says our plucky heroine, “he’ll be right as rain in no time, and it surely won’t be cancer”. I was given flowers by a lovely man, good Aussie “Premium Non Vintage Cuvée” by a lovely woman. I asked my boss if I could work part time (so far so good), Custard bunny seems to be keeping up his weight (if not actually gaining a whole lot), and life in general doesn’t suck as much as it could. I am even making good progress on another Swallowtail Shawl for someone who could possibly read this blog, so I have to be a little ‘neaky.

And now two more crappy things have happened to my nearest and dearest. My great aunt Patsy (George‘s sister, is dying. And Marguerite, my mother’s sister broke her pelvis in a cycling incident. I told her that knitting is a much less risky sport, but she has this thing about keeping fit.

Mag is in surgery now, and I waiting to hear if she is up for visitors tonight.

P.S. I have pictures of the bears face, but they aren’t pretty. I have sent them to the local koala rescue service, along with details about where I saw him, but his eyes were in a pretty sad state – not for the weak of stomach. I will get around to posting holiday pics very soon, there are some wildlife shots that I can show people who have delicate digestion.

Champagne, and flowers – on the same day!

Today I was given a gorgeous bunch of orange tulips, and a bottle of Jansz champagne, from two different customers. I feel special.

On the down side, Dad has to have surgery again. His allergist referred him to an ear, nose and throat specialist, who found a lump. It’s unlikely to be malignant, but it has to come out just in case.

Feeling slightly brighter though – thanks everyone for your kind words.

Dad is fine

I’m home from visiting him at the hospital, he was in good spirits and a bit of pain. He says that the Hills Private Hospital is not a patch on the one in Thailand, and the food is nowhere near as good. The great news is that he is allowed to go home tomorrow (initially they said he had to stay in for 2 nights), but I still haven’t heard from the doctor how the operation went.

I heard last thursday that he’d have to be cut open again, they only fixed 2 of the 3 compound fractures, and apparently one wasn’t fixed right. So now he has even more metal in his leg, and even more scars. And the countdown of the three months before he can walk begins afresh today. I guess we get to keep his car for a while longer. 😉

Friday night we celebrated the arrival of a new book keeper at work, Mita took today off to graduate form her Masters in Accounting – and yet she is happy to accept a job as a book keeper for a computer shop. What is the world coming to? Perhaps I shouldn’t whinge about my job so much!

After work we had dinner with Simone for her birthday – I gave her a pair of crocs (Holey Soles actually), and I think she is a convert. Lovely to catch up with her, and some old friends I hadn’t seen for a while.

Saturday morning the cleaners arrived bright and early, I raced off to work for a busy day selling macs, and then straight after work to a friends place to work on a top secret project. Details will be revealed in the fullness of time.

Then it was off to the Brandenbug Orchestra at Angel Place, thanks to the lovely Andrew, who bought the tickets at a charity auction. The music was divine, the company was better, but the free champagne was better still. With our heads ful of beautiful music we caught a cab back to The Warren View for Adam’s (brother in law) birthday party. A very big day.

Sunday I finished up the install of dad’s new computer (a wee bit more tinkering to do), and then dragged myself off to knitting. Good thing I did, as the amazing Emma had been shopping at Ecoyarns, and saw fit to include some unspun soysilk with her order for me to play with. I am sure I will cock up the spinning badly, but it’s for me, and nobody died to make it, so I will spin, and ply, and then dye (I already have the pink and orange food colouring) to my heart’s content. Thanks Emma, you are a world class shopper. You could shop for Australia. 😉

After knitting, Mark and I went to a Nettle family dinner, and collapsed into bed after a very full weekend.

And bless my mother. She took Custard out to Penrith on saturday morning to visit Matthew the wonder vet. No, I live nowhere near Penrith, and I must drive past a dozen vets to get to Matthew, but he is a great vet, and a superb human. I was Matthew that had to tell me that Fuzz Bucket had cancer, that Custard had a terminal abscess (so far he’s been wrong abut that one), and do the autopsy on Rhubarb. Matthew has never once made me feel stupid, ignorant or crazy, and all through every up and down, he has been compassionate, gentle, knowledgeable, respectful, and also open to new ideas and opinions. When I found a new treatment for abscesses in rabbits, Matthew was willing to let me try it, and I am sure his support and generosity with his time and expertise saved Custards life.

So we drive to Penrith. He’s cheap too.

Custard had some blood taken, and it appears that he is a little aneamic and has lost some weight. I’m going to give him another course of worm treatment, and weigh him every few days for the next month, and if nothing much changes we’ll revisit things in a months time. There doesn’t seem to be anything dramatic wrong, but he has lost weight (Custard has always been a fine figure of a bunny, so a little weight loss is out of character for him), and he seems to be a little more quiet and reserved than usual, not racing to attack the treat jar with his usual gusto. I didn’t worry much at first, as his chance in behaviour seemed to coincide with Rhuabrb’s death, but now it’s a few months on and he hasn’t bounced back as I would like.

Please keep your paws crossed for both Dad and Custard. I appreciate it.