A lovely surprise in the post this morning - a Pay it Forward package from Sue containing one of her wonderful sock bags - I promise to post photos when I have batteries in the camera!
It’s based of the concept of Pay it Forward where acts or deeds of kindness are done without expecting something in return, just passing it on, with hope that the recipients of the acts of kindness are passed on.
Here is how it works. I will make and send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I do not know what that gift will be yet, and it won’t be sent this month, probably not next month, but it will be sent (within 4 months) and that’s a promise!
What YOU have to do in return, then, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.
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A visit to the Dr yesterday saw me signed off of work until the 29th. The pain in my foot is subsiding and I can now put weight on the foot and walk - a good job as I still have a lot of preparations to make for our trip to Wales. We will still be traveling on Xmas Eve but much earlier in the day - I hope this means we can go the scenic route and avoid the motorways.
The clothes packing is easy - but how many projects do I need for 5 days away, 2 of which will be spent on long drives and the other 3 days laying on a sofa being spoilt rotten?
So far I have a very simple lace shawl (so simple I don't think it should count as lace!); the yarn to start a baby blanket and a selection of needles in case Santa brings yarn!
Friday was a productive day in the office and was due to be followed by a team night out on the town however my foot began to hurt, then throb and finally reach excruitiating pain levels so I spent the evening sitting in the Emergency clinic at Kings College Hospital.
Diagnosis by the Senior Clinical Fellow they dragged out to see me was in complete agreement with what I thought it was - by then the pharmacy was closed so they could give me no treatment. Matt has had to drive back there this morning to collect the drugs - hope he gets back with them soon.
So all xmas plans for today which included a trip to the post office and a shopping trip to buy the outstanding presents are cancelled. Looks like I'm sending New Year Gifts this year - sorry folks
I woke up this morning feeling totally grotty so opted for a duvet day.
At various stages during the day:-
I attempted to knit - useless;
block - ended up with a very wet floor;
frog - large pile of kinky yarn to be re-used
read books - hopeless as I couldn't focus.
So instead I listened to
Sweet Bells - Kate Rusby - I love her voice and her version of The Holly and the Ivy is brilliant.
I also listened to English Village Carols downloaded from ITunes - I think I've drunk in at least 60% of the pubs featured and it brought back some very happy (if hazy) memories.
For viewing I resorted to Nostalgia
Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple in Murder She Said.
Pride and Prejudice - the Colin Firth edition!
What do you do to make yourself feel better?
A day spent indoors, listening to xmas music and putting the finishing touches to a number of xmas gifts. For some reason there seems to be a preponderance of frills this year and I've finally cast off the last of them! I love the look of them but rows with 1600 stitches in 4ply seem to take forever.
I amused myself by changing needles for every row of the last frill to see if I had a preference. The Denise cords were too sticky; the Hiya Hiya points too blunt; the Knitpicks kept coming unscrewed but that was because I couldn't find the little pin thing! The join on the ebony's wasn't smooth enough and the square needles cable was too floppy. The most successful was the addi lace needles.
The music was a real treat. Liz gave me my xmas present last week with instructions that I was to open it early and enjoy - so I did!
I enjoy xmas music, ancient and modern but my real favourites are the traditional carols (more info here but I can't hyperlink! http://www.westgallerymusic.co.uk/articles/GP1/GP1-10-Russell.pdf ) and wassail songs from the South Pennines where I grew up. The local carols still sung in the pubs and clubs in the area and I remember one night 30+ years ago when I heard about 15 different versions of the same carol!
It was a great shock to me when I moved South and realised that everyone everwhere else only sang one version of 'While Shepherds Watched".
Tonight was the IKL xmas party, it was a good job I arrived early as room was soon at a premium!
Gerard and Craig organised Secret Santa and I did manage to finish my contribution in time - You know you're successful when the recipient wears it immediately
Yarn is Lang West and the hat is knitted in broken rib stitch - I think there could be a few more of these in my future.
A trip into London on Saturday for a meeting meant that I was in Oxford St for the VIP day - coming out of the meeting at 4.30 I thought I might manage some xmas shopping.... bad move the place was heaving with rampant consumers and it was overwhelming. A slow walk down towards the station brought me here
The tree is donated by the people of Norway and my knitting friend Synnøve was there when it was cut. It was such a peaceful sight that I felt soothed. This evening I have been out with Liz to her "office" Carol Concert . The music and choir was fantastic, the lessons were read by some of the people who work here
a beautiful service, followed of course by a visit to I Knit London where I nearly finished my secret santa pressie. The evening was completed when Matt surprised me by meeting me at the station and taking me out for a late supper