2paw: Weblogs

The Sixth Fence

"I see dread, people".

Or as Split Enz (almost) sang: I see dread, I see dread, I see dre-ead.

Yes, there was dread in our hearts, we were afraid that the fence would fall over and/or The Labradors would escape. So Operation Fence commenced last Thursday with a kind next door neighbour. There was a lot of aerial whipper snippering. I am not sure of the names of pruning tools.

And then some sawing and a lot of bags of vegetation to be taken to the tip. And help from The Labradors who were banished inside when the electric tools were operating and then had to sniff double time to make up for it.

After a couple of hours the fence looked like this:

A trip to the hardware shop and there is now lattice ready to be attached to make the fence more stable and escape-proof. The top of the old trellis has to be chainsawed off before we can proceed.

After that effort I have had to have quite a big rest over the weekend and, ergo, there has been a sock knitting fest.

I started a new pair of 8ply socks (Sake to Me) in Teal Patonyle. The wool is just so soft and snuggly. The second pair is in some hand-dyed 4ply and my own pattern to fit my foot: The Green Style socks.

All my Library book Holds are taking forever and so while I was idly browsing the shelves I found and borrowed The Knitter's Book of Socks.

I am quite taken with most of the sock patterns and so I have decided I will knit my way through all the socks without fair-isle or intarsia. I am trying new things and so I learned Judy's Modified Magic Cast On, and I am knitting toe up. The gusset increases are made in the sole, so is very interesting.

On Saturday I helped the Wool Shop lady with a double stitch heel. For me, this is much easier than a wrap and turn and now I am up to the heel turn before the flap I am using the double stitch instead of W&T because there are no holes!!!

I am going to knit the 8ply Stepping Stone socks next. This pattern is free and there's a link on the Ravelry page.

MrsDrwho and I have completed August's Craftsy Block of the Month block #2. Of course, even though I sew a very scant 1/4 inch my block is still too small. When all the blocks are completed we are going to sew a plain background border around all the squares and then cut them to the 12 1/2 inch size. I am beastly careless because when my quilt is finished it will be lain on by Labradors in a trice. And grubby ones at that!!

My mini garden has moved to a new higher Labrador-proof table and when I came out the back door this morning there was Miss Peri Pumpkin, sunbathing on the warm foam squares atop the little table. She was all warm and snuggly and had a lovely nap. I think she looks a little worried that she is being naughty by lying up there.

Miss Lorelai Gilmore, who does not have her Naughty Ears on, is standing near the other new lattice that contains The Forbidden Zone.

I am very unhappy with The Typepad at the moment. For perhaps a month I haven't been able to add any books to my side bar. The linky thing to Amazon is broken and all they can say is that it is a priority and that we should all become Amazon affiliates or something and use a widget. The very reason I pay for my blog to be hosted is that I am not computery enough to add widgets and be affiliated. I am reduced to scrabbling for my Library print outs and taking photos of my book covers. Now the Spell Check is broken. I thought I was doing something wrong for weeks as when I click the Spell Check button the incorrect words are highlighted momentarily and then the Spell Check turns itself off. Many people have complained about both these issues and the Typepad Satisfaction Staff ( and believe me I do think this could an oxymoron) ever so nicely say it is a priority and they are working on it, but nothing has happened. Typepad users are trapped because if they are sad un-computery people like me their blogs are pretty much held hostage because we don't have the skills to take our blogs somewhere else. One Satisfaction person offered me some free months of blogging, but I don't want money back or compensation. Shall I tell you what I want what I really, really want? I just want my blog, and all it's bits and bobs, to work the way it used to. I do not understand how things can just stop working all of a sudden when they have been working for years.

I have no recourse. Consumer Affairs would find it too difficult, or get no response from an overseas company. So I shall just keep replying to the Tickets I have opened, stating my case, albeit more crossly as time goes by, and hope that it might be fixed sometime soon. I cannot recommend The Typepad to you right now. I am very disappointed, which is worse than being cross really.

Aung San Suu Chi visited the US last week and was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. She was given 2 minutes 9 seconds on the ABC News. A young footballer on an end of season trip to Las Vegas who was extremely inebriated and died while trying to jump from a hotel roof to a palm tree rated 2 minutes 5 seconds. In fact his funeral was given greater coverage than that of an Armed Forces member who was killed in Afghanistan. It is very sad for his family, but I ask you what is the world coming to??

And now, here is The Magic Path. Gilly believes that when she walks back along the track to the gate Sandy the Labrador will appear. It is variable reinforcement, because sometimes she comes out the gate and he is there, and sometimes he isn't. She's positive that Sandy will be there and surges ahead, making Peri and I walk faster. Sandy wasn't there today. She saw some people getting into their car by the Look Out and after they went she ran like the wind just to see if Sandy was there. He wasn't.

Ahh, true love!!!

Monday, 24 September 2012 in Books, Craftsy Quilt, Knitting:Socks'n'Scarves, Special Happenings, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (14)

Scooby-Doo, Where Are Shoe??

Peri didn't sleep a wink on Tuesday night. In the afternoon she spent a lot of time lying on her back, but the weather was warm and humid and she likes exposing her belly to the cool air.

She was very restless, couldn't settle, and wanted to be in and out, in and out, all night. We were very worried the Pancreatitis might be back, because she couldn't get comfortable then either. So we locked Lorelai Gilmore inside and went to The Vet to see Dr Alison. She is such a lovely, gentle doctor and Peri loves her. Dr Alison discounted pancreatitis and said Peri is so slim she could feel her very small stomach and everything was fine. She checked for ticks, fleas, arthritis or joint pain and then spotted that Peri's skin was a tiny bit pink. Looking at her lying on her back photo, I can see that clearly now.

You can see Dr Alison really checking Peri"s spine carefully and Peri is wagging her tail like all get out!! She gave her some low dose cortisone tablets and said she should start to feel better in an hour or so. And she did!! I was going out for a few hours and I felt quite happy to leave them both home. Peri slept like a log last night and I check her skin all the time to make sure it is still pale and she is happy!!! Dr Alison is so clever and we are so lucky to have so many good doctors and nurses at the vet.

Last night I went to Sewing. We don't actually sew any more, but in the olden days people made embroideries and cross stitches and did all sorts of fun things. Now we mainly have a glass of bubbly, some nibbles, and a jolly good chat - but I usually do some knitting. It's very relaxed and comfortable and I always take off my shoes. The Renos have a lovely dog called Jubbly. He's a fluffy small dog, like a Pomeranian. When it was time to go home, I could only find one shoe, and much to my amusement and MrsReno's horror: Jubbly chewed my shoe!!!

That is the photo with the least Gilly. The shoe must smell of Jubbly's chewing and she was fascinated and wouldn't get her head out of the way. East or West.

These are the shoes I bought on The Ebay for $29-99 and MrsReno insisted I take some money and buy myself a new pair. She is very kind, I hope she has recovered and Jubbly isn't in the dog box!!!

Gilly and Peri are very slim. I have kind of lost the ability to judge. I thought Peri was putting weight on, but on the scales at the vet yesterday she was 29.9kg and I know Gilly is 23kg. Gilly is so very cute. I love looking at her funny expressions. I was asking her if the postman was here. Obviously it is night time, you stupid boy Pike she is thinking, and so the postman is not here!!!

There has been a bit of a cooking disaster this afternoon. I ended up emailing the Delicious magazine but there was no-one there. Still I soldiered on for my Friday Food.

Tonight I am going to sort out some of my embroidery threads and put them in my thread box. I was in an embroidery thread whirlwind when I was making the Star Trek Book. I don't mind the winding though, it's very therapeutic.

Some people have a Wordpress blog, and at the moment the entire Wordpress refuses to let me comment, whether I am logged in, or out, or in and out, or out and in. I am reduced to emailing tit-bits of comments because I usually forget to copy the comment and when I go back it has mysteriously disappeared.

Margaret Whitlam died on Saturday. I think The Whitlams were my first Federal political memory. She was a woman of substance in her own right and made a difference to people's lives. The It's Time ad makes me wistful for days of yore.....

Thursday, 22 March 2012 in Clothes and Shoes, Sewing, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (15)

Rondo The Twist

Have you read any Paul Jennings? If you haven't he's very good, a kind of older children's Roald Dahl, the slightly scary and weird Roald Dahl!! Or, you can watch the DVDs , Round The Twist, also very good. I quite like Wunderpants, Santa Claws, Spaghetti Pig-Out and Little Squirt. His stories are wicked and slightly rude,sometimes scary but always riveting!! have been to a dinner where he spoke and read excerpts from his books.

I bought some Rondo, a 100% highly twisted wool, from Bendigo Woollen Mills. It is Lime Zest, it could be a little zestier for my taste, but it was only $10-50 a ball so I bought four. I am not sure what I will knit as yet. I found three balls of Classic 5ply in Poseidon I think. Maybe I will make Deco??

I have been knitting the nameless sock, I am almost to the heel. It is hard going in the dark blue Patonyle.

Peri and Gilly have special ritual games that must be played before they put their harnesses on to go for a ride in the Dog Car. The game is played this way: Gilly has a toy and Peri must try and take it from her.

There is much running, hiding, dodging, growling and general mayhem.

Sometimes I am standing there feeling as useful as a hip pocket on a singlet while they have a lovely time playing. Still, once we are there, they trot along together as cute as can be.

I used more of the rosemary from Tuesday's recipe to make some roast potatoes. I finely chopped the rosemary, added some grated garlic and a little lemon zest, salt and pepper and oil and then roasted them at 220*C for about 45 minutes. Perfect!!

I have two new books. The first is a biography of Terry Nation, the man who invented the Daleks and wrote Blake's 7 and Survivors, and contributed to many more famous TV shows. I am really enjoying it and I am reading a chapter or two every night to make it last longer!! The other book is Nancy Bush's Vintage socks. Wow, so much information and so many patterns. I will definitely have to read it thoroughly before I decide to knit anything. Thank you MrsDrWho, excellent choices!!

What I did with my psychologist this week:

We looked at next week in my diary and I learned why I am feeling so tired and sometimes find it difficult to cope. I need to lower my expectations of what I can do. I do so many things, well too many, and I have to rationalise somewhere. I have DW dog walking, *blogging, light blue housework, red squares going to the supermarket or shop, green social interactions and yellow something else I can't remember!! Now I am feeling better mentally, I want to do the things I like, but I am more tired than usual. I looked at the week and saw Fridays are usually free and decided I would vacuum then: Wrong!! I should be having a rest them and trying to eliminate other things.

Maybe I can have the heavy non-perishable groceries delivered once a fortnight.

I could have my drugs posted to me from the hospital because there are NO parking places. Ever. It is worth paying $4 to have my drugs posted to me, rather than spend half an hour driving up and down the road looking for a parking place and becoming more and more frustrated and upset.

And maybe even have a box of fruit and vegetables delivered as well. Lots to think about, and I am going to work on a way of using a chart to help me plan my weeks more carefully.

If I have 10 'units' of energy each day for doing tasks or coping with things that happen, then my day might look like this:

2 units: dog walking
2 units: showering, getting dressed
2 units: making breakfast for everyone and tidying up
4 units: talking to my mum

And there are none left for anything else. I did know this, but now I understand why an hour or so of sewing that requires concentration wears me out.

MrsDrWho has lent me her Wii and so I am relaxing with some yoga and deep breathing!!!

This is my 1000th Typepad post, but not my 1000th over all. I started blogging way back on 8th October 2004, so this is probably my 1100th post. I like to talk, even when it is written down!! I average a post every 2.5 days which is more frequent than I thought. I have found that having my blog, and interacting with other people and other bloggers, has stopped me feeling so isolated after I had to leave work. I spent every day of every week for forty weeks a year with my class, and I still miss it so much, miss the children and working with them, and them being My Class for the whole year.

Life is never what you expect, but there is always a silver lining and in our house it is Golden: The Labradors!!!

And if you've read all the way to the end here, you deserve a medal!!!

Thursday, 25 August 2011 in Books, Knitting:Cardigans & Jumpers, Knitting:Socks'n'Scarves, Television, The Labradors, Tuesday:Letters Eat, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (18)

Glengarry Glen Cross

I had an Afternoon Of Crossness.

Crossness to Bear #1

In spite of all their Mastercheffiness, Sunbeam have not delivered good service at all. I have been waiting 43 days for the two beaters I ordered, when the nice man in the local shop said probably 8 days. I have popped in 3 times to see if the beaters have arrived. The fruit for the sideboard, however, was the 30 minutes I spent on the phone this afternoon waiting to talk to someone. The Lady kept saying We'll try not to keep you waiting too long and reminding me of how important I was. I had decided that 30 minutes was my limit. I am not often cross, but I could feel the crossness rising up in me.

I sent them an email in Bold and Red saying how cross I was about their poor service, their poor customer relations and I also might have suggested that they spend less money on sponsoring Masterchef and product placement and a little more on customer service. I said I would post, very crossly, to my blog because that was all I, one individual, could do to in response to a giant multinational company.

I am now saving up to buy another brand of mixer. There is no point in waiting around. I am moving on, but I just have to write it out loud to make myself feel better!!!

Crossness to Bear #2

I Dine Out with friends once a month, we've been doing this for a couple of years, yet today, I had to go to a part of the Country Club Casino here in our Island State and either leave my credit card number with them which I was not ready to do, or, after negotiation, leave $100 deposit in case we ladies, most of an almost certain age, did a runner. It was too late to re-arrange our evening. I registered my disappointment with the Receptionists and said I felt very uncomfortable and not at all welcome. We have dined out at the Casino proper and not had to leave a credit card number on booking, or a deposit. I shall be writing a letter of disappointment.

Now, Happiness, because I can't stay cross and life's too short to waste time feeling that way: my gloves work a treat and kept my hands so warm in zero degree weather!! I am embroidering my Garden Patch and The Labradors had a wonderfully muddy walk yesterday in the rain!!! We 'played' outside today sweeping wet leaves and other various dog toys like plastic cups into a pile, and then I used a little shovel to clean the mud and leaves off the steps. Gilly helped by bringing the shovel inside to play with it, mud and all. I swept the steps cleaner with some water and the outside broom.

Love and Happiness: Here is Peri in Full Flight. She looks ever so athletic and wonderful wild beasty!!!(Bodmin??)

Happiness and Love: Here's Gilly executing a similar move and you can just see Peri behind her. They both really run, run like the wind, at the dam.

More happiness, when my ISP sent me an email saying our area finally has ADSL2+. At last, broadband that is faster than dial up!! I will have 20 thingamabobs at the same price as my at the moment 5. And, when the new NBN fibre-to-the-home fibre optic cable eventually arrives, I can easily switch over to that if I want to. I have to have a new modem as mine is so old that it is not even on their list any more. I should be properly up and able to watch unmetered iView in 3-5 working days. Hurray!!

Even more happiness:Tomorrow I am meeting one of my imaginary internet friends, and I am very excited!!! We are going to have a cup of tea at the cafe on the corner!!!

Wednesday, 04 August 2010 in Craft, Sewing, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (17)

The Hunt For Red Blogtober

I feel all 'My Way': And now, the end is here, And so I face the final curtain. Way back when, Bells suggested that I could actually succeed in the Blogtoberfest, I pooh-poohed her idea, but she was certain. So I joined and here I am, gentle reader, at the end of the fest. Thanks Bells, for knowing I could do it!!

It has been the best of fests, it has been the worst of fests: but now the fest is over. I'd love to pinch Bells' great collage idea, but really I can't choose one Labrador over the other and I'd need 93 pictures. Oh I'm just having a lemony drink with ice and I thought for one horrid moment I had another broken tooth, but it was just a piece of ice!!!

Peri hopped in the creek on our walk, but Harki finds it harder to jump out now, so she paddles in the shallower part of the creek upstream.

It has been unbearable hot all day, hot and humid. It was 28*C in the city. I bought a bag of ice, I hosed The Labradors and there was much playing in the paddle pool and lying in the shade. (Them not me!!) It was too hot to knit my socks or the scarf that needs to be finished by Wednesday. Quelle Horreur!!!

Lorelai Gilmore is quite confused by hot weather and ice. The former has suddenly appeared, and the latter suddenly disappears if you lick it. She's been mooching around because I had to hide her frisbee. Harki keeps finding a sudden playfulness and snatches it away. She's on a mission to chew it up, so I had to put it up high and away from everyone!!!

Halloween has come and gone with much upset in the neighbourhood. There was screaming and yelling and that set all the dogs in the street barking. They blew raspberries and 'boo-ed' in the front windows and upset The Labradors. I left a note that said I wasn't participating but I would defend to the death their right to 'celebrate' or words to that effect. They were not happy. Fences were jumped, gardens were run over, parents smiled indulgently. I shall draw a line under Halloween now.

I have unearthed my Easiyo Yoghurt maker and made my first batch for the year. In Winter I am all about the slow cooked rolled oats, but in Summer I like yoghurt and fruit for breakfast. I have some apples and raspberries to add to my morning yoghurt tomorrow!!!

I have not fulfilled all my Blogtober goals. I have not read all the Blogtober participants' blogs, computer circumstances beyond our control intervened, so I shall be doing some extra reading in November. Due to said circumstances there was not any scanning of photos, but now my computer is zoomingly fast there is some hope that will occur anon. I have cut out a pattern for a dress, and if it's cool tomorrow, I shall be tracing it and undertaking some adjustments!! So much for my goals. I have, however, found blogging every day quite good. Usually if I am feeling poorly I avoid blogging but I have really enjoyed posting everyday. I can't ever say I will do it again between now and next October, but I would like to blog more frequently.

Since it's too hot to knit, I will have some peppermint tea and watch the end of Taggart and then to bed, where we hope it is cool enough to sleep.

Till next Blogtober then: thank you, thank you very much!!!

Oh and tomorrow there will be some form of Labrador Enhanced choosing of the 'Bespoke' skirt winner!!!

Saturday, 31 October 2009 in Knitting:Socks'n'Scarves, Sewing, Television, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (10)

Normal Blogging Will Resume ASAP

We're having a few computer issues here, Back as soon as my Luddite mind can work out what's happening. Or what's not happening!!

Tuesday, 13 October 2009 in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0)

Days of Swine and Roses

Yesterday I was first on the list to do this:

So today I am taking some lovely drugs for my side effects and resting my forehead under this cooled cloth:

Harki is resting quietly like me, Peri and Lorelai Gilmore are going beserkers bonkers. Lorelai Gilmore has 'eaten' a box of tissues and really eaten two flies.

There were a few days without rain. Yesterday it rained again. I am going back to bed now I have fulfilled my first Blogtober commitment. Bells said I could do it: no clicky links, it's too much effort.

Three Labradors:

Thank you for all the kind and lovely comments when I was poorly with my cold. This headache should ease (!!!) I have a bazillion comments to reply to. I am, as usual, unreliable and the replies will be, as usual, late. But I will get there!!

Thursday, 01 October 2009 in The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (10)

166: The Number of The Zip

Today I went to Support Group. It was not on. It is on Thursday this week, but my baby addled brain decided not to remember. I hadn't even opened my diary until Monday at about 11am , whereupon I realised I had an appointment to have my port flushed a bit later on. I must get my act together. Anyway, whilst having a chat with Lovely Nurse and Wonderful Volunteer, they remembered that one of the other people had dropped off a present for me: a bag of zips. And here they are in all their wondrous, zippy glory. All 166 of them!!!

On Sunday Gilly and I went to brunch at Auntie and Uncle Dutch's house. She had a lovely time playing with Tommy and Poppy and she met Auntie and Uncle Electric too. We had pancakes with bananas and home made caramel sauce. I took some berry and blueberry sauce as well. And there were about five pots of French Earl Grey!!!

Non Appearing Photo

Right here there should be a wonderful picture. I have been trying to upload it for hours. It is a collage like the one of Caramello that follows. If you click on the words Non Appearing Photo, it might open in a new window and you might see it. Honestly, The Typepad is boogelly at the moment. People can't comment, I can't even comment on my own blog. And do you know, whenever I open a ticket for Help, they always say it must be me. But if one collage will appear in my post, why won't the other??? I even created the collage three times in case I had done something strange to the first one. Thank goodness I have just taken my blood pressure tablets, otherwise who knows what might happen!!! (Head explode?? Steam from ears???)

This morning whichever lucky cat was caught went to the vet. The 'winner' was Caramello. She wasn't too happy in the Waiting Room, turning her back on me and sulking, but once we were in the Surgery she was so well behaved and such a good girl. The vet said she was very healthy and gave her two vaccinations, and lauded MrsDrWho's care. See how this photo appears???????

Before that, Harki and Peri went for a walk. Now let's see if that photo will appear shall we.....

Look at that: a picture. Gilly loves Peri, they had a big romping play outside in the dark. I have left The Labradors home alone quite a few times and all seems well.

I have finished my face cloth for The Ravelry Cloth and Soap Swap and started again on a project that has been languishing in a basket for a very long time.

Now I'm trying for a random picture from any old folder....

Oh look, that one works too. That's my Gingerbread House from a few years ago now.

Then we all had a very big nap. The puppy exhausts us all, and though we do sometimes escape to the bed without her, this afternoon we let her up and everyone slept happily. Later MrsDrWho and I went to The BlackSpot of Doomlight's sale for an hour. I bought some fabric and some Lock. Lock is the non-slippy confection that you put under rugs to stop them slipping. Mine is green and it is going in the back of the car for The Labradors.

OK, I must go to bed now because in the morning it's Cleo's turn to be caught and taken to the vet.

Wednesday, 18 March 2009 in Knitting:Other things, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (11)

Hansel and Grit-el

Yes, there has been gritting of teeth and The Typepad has utterly refused to work properly. It wouldn't let me delete anything in a draft and then it just made a big blank space. Sigh. After 4 hours I finally made it post. I can't make the blank space go away so I have stopped trying. Finally I can go to bed. The Labradors are already there!!!

So, after a lot of further ado:

Edited a minute or so later to add that once again, courtesy of The Typepad, we have metres of empty space at the bottom of the post. Again. Use it for your shopping list, or to write a letter to The Typepad to complain. Truly, I think I am a Luddite with good reason.

The Ungingerbread House.

You will need:

2 100s and 1000s biscuits

3 Tina wafers, any colours

2 Iced Vovo biscuits

2 Mint Leaves

2 Liquorice Allsorts

Icing sugar

A little water

12cm piece of card covered in Christmas paper and clearly named on the base

Place the 100s and 1000s biscuits pink side down and ice along their short edges. Attach 2 wafers to one biscuit and then press the other biscuit onto the wafers to make the four walls.

Wait till it is set.

Ice along the bottom edges of the walls and press onto the cardboard base.

Cut the last wafer in half, making two triangles, ice the long edge and press onto the top of the back and front walls.

Wait till it is set.

Place the Iced Vovo biscuits pink side down and ice along the short edges. Press iced sides onto the triangle wafers and make the roof.

Wait till it is set.

Tuesday, 02 December 2008 in The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (12)

This Little Peggy Went Wee Wee Wee All The Way Home

Written Monday 6th October

There can be no clicky links today because The Typepad Compose Page is the only place I go on the whole Internet that has the Little Yellow Triangle Of Error in the Task Bar at the bottom. Nowhere else. Just here. And when the Little Yellow TOE appears I can't make clicky links, or make things Bold or Italic, and there will be no pictures. I might be able to came back later and put some in. Who knows????

There was a Big Yellow TOE this weekend when I went to the ATM and I had No Money. This is not unheard of, but I could not for the life of me think where I would have spent all my money, so that it would not appear in my Online account. Online it was there, but not at the ATM. I felt slightly sick all weekend, and moreso this morning. I couldn't tell the Credit Union because my card wasn't lost or stolen and neither had my computer been taken over or my phone hijacked. I did email, but no-one answered. When I was finally able to contact them this morning the lady said that my money was definitely there, but there had been ATM malfunctions over the weekend. Good news, but I had a horrid 40 hours. MrsDrWho lent me some spending money to tide me over so I could feed The Labradors fresh celery and zucchini!!!

Personally I think Peri is taking this green food thing a bit too far. I bought some new Environmentally friendly, non rusty, recycled, very pretty all green pegs. They were in a crinkly bag. Peri thought they sounded like food, and so she decided to give them a whirl!! It seems they were not good at all. Amazingly she didn't break or chew any and I have them arranged in coloured pairs, dark and light green, now. She also had the tape measure: perhaps I should call her Katt. Except Peri didn't break it!!! Harki was bitten by an insect of some kind on Sunday and she had to lick her muzzle and drink lots of water and be very restless. She must put her nose where there are ants, but she's not too allergic. It's usually 2 hours' worth.

I am crocheting Sharon a hat: The Nubby Brimmed Cloche. I have finished it but it isn't right. MrsDrWho modelled it. She looks wonderful in every hat, whereas I look lovely in NONE, nevertheless this wasn't flattering. I checked on The Ravelry and most people seem to have doubled their wool. I am using 12 ply, so 24 ply here I come. The crown is all half trebles, which are boogelly, but the brim is double crochet, which I like. So I am unravelling it, and starting again.

My keycase had deteriorated to the point where it was falling apart so today I made another one to be going on with. My new one isn't leather, it's a green fat quarter, and it worked out to be slightly bigger. I think I did scant 1cm seams instead of full ones. It works really well and I used it this afternoon. We have to carry our Licence whenever we drive or be fined if caught without it and if I am going in the car to the dam for The Labradors' walk I don't take my purse. So this has a pocket with a snap in which I can keep my Licence.

Since I can't put any pictures or make clicky links I have thrown my frock over my head and I am off to bed now. There's nothing on TV. I've watched last night's Julian Clary episode of Who Do You Think You Are? He was very funny and made me laugh out loud: really!!! I've watched The Mentalist, a kind of dark version of Psych, and that was good. And the pattern for the bamboo socks is in the car, and it's dark. Oh we have Daylight Saving. If I was a cruel mother I would poke The Labradors awake from their sound sleep in the mornings: they wake at 7-45am, that is really 6-45am. I was awake before them. We are pretty much just doing things an hour later. We don't care. We are Daylight Saving Rebels until we adjust!!! We like it once we are adjusted.

Tomorrow is Show Day. I know The Labradors would win Every Single Category if they were entered, Best Cooking, Best Pig (Peg), Best Chpping Best Dog etc!!!!!

Written Wednesday 8th October

The Typepad people emailed me this morning and suggested I make them a 'trusted' site!!! I did this and now I'm up and running again although I am pretty sure this isn't why. Very weird. Now I can add some pictures and a recipe. Today I had a check up. I have a boogelly Rotator Cuff tendon. Obviously, as MrsDrWho ponted out in her email, this is why I was overlooked for Wimbledon and not chosen for The Olympics this year.

The doctor was running almost two hours late. I knitted socks while I waited, but I was starving by the time I got home. I made Corn and Ricotta 'Pancakes'. They are quick, healthy and delicious. I used a mixture of fresh corn on the cob and some tinned corn I already had. I grilled some tomato and local free range well looked after pigs' bacon and added some greenery while they were cooking. The mixture makes A Lot.

Corn and Ricotta 'Pancakes'

2 fresh corn cobs (decorned) or a 440g tin of corn kernels

250g ricotta

1/2 cup of buttermilk

2 eggs

3/4 cup self raising flour

2 spring onion, finely chopped

1/2 bunch chives, snipped

salt and pepper to taste, olive oil for cooking

In a bowl mix the ricotta, buttermilk and eggs till well combined and then add the flour, corn, chives and onion. Mix till smooth. Heat a non-stick pan to medium and add a little oil. Spoon a good tablespoon of mixture into the pan and flatten a little. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked right through. Keep warm and then eat.

Wednesday, 08 October 2008 in Knitting:Socks'n'Scarves, Television, The Labradors, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (17)