they do so spectacularly!
Flexi-retirement is great, I'm already feeling more relaxed and the knitting is going well, so what's the problem?
The major issue is that my employers "forgot" I was retiring and so have not started the process to release my pension - this could be interesting when the bills start coming in and there's no money to pay them. Anyone want to guess what date this will be resolved? Perhaps I ought to run a sweepstake..
I've written a few choice emails, had words with key people and counted to a hundred several thousand times.
Yesterday was the first day of my flexi-retirement - today I'm going back to work - think this might take some getting used to!
I started the day yesterday with a long list of all the things I "needed" to do. By lunchtime I'd achieved 1 task so hastily recalculated my day and assigned the other tasks to the "some day soon" list and sat down to knit for a few hours and made some small progress on the Ivory Leaves jacket. I'm trying to clear the decks ready for the Winter Olympics as I think I may have been rash enough to state I'll do at least 2 events in the Ravelympics and have to start swatching for the main project even if I can't cast on until the opening ceremony ( 2am in the UK 13 Feb)
Thanks to Penny from the IKL group I had enough yarn to finish Citron at the weekend, it's now had a wash and is having a gentle block. I knitted it using Zauberball which is a heavier weight yarn than the original, combined with my loose knitting this looks to have made a decent size shoulder shawl for me. Photos as soon as it's dry.
The other thing that demanded my time was a new phone - I've switched to an iPhone and am now totally confused with what I've transferred where - think I need to book some time with the nice people at the Apple store!
Only 3 more working days until I go on flexi-retirement!
I'll be working 2.5 days a week and plan to spend the rest of my time tackling the backlog of things I want to do. The knitting list is beginning to grow longer, the pattern books are being thumbed and yarn is being wound into cakes.
Matt keeps dropping hints about household stuff, home cooked food, clean shirts, ironing, that sort of thing - somehow I think he is in for some disappointment.
The last two days have been painful due to an abscess in my jaw, I had emergency treatment yesterday and feel somewhat better but it's amazing how pain affects my knitting gauge, I've just ripped out two days work.
There is some progress, I nearly finished Citron but ran out of yarn 6 rows from the end. A friend has promised me a partial ball she has left over so I'm hoping to get it finished this week.
Whilst waiting for that I've started knitting Ivory Leaves using Rowan Scottish Tweed Aran that I scored in the £5 mystery bags sold by Kemps before xmas
Well if the start of 2010 is anything to go by it will be a quiet one and I'll have plenty of time to knit!
We were invited to one of my sisters but Mum was tired, I had a hacking cough and Matt was running a temperature so we decided to stay home. They both dozed off and on and I sat there quietly knitting. Matt stirred and went outside for a cigarette, that woke Mum and she went to the bathroom and that's where they were when the fireworks went off and I realised it was midnight!
There are no major resolutions this year; no grand ambitions to use the stash, lose weight or whatever - just a few simple guidelines I intend to follow:
a. To make more time to enjoy family and friends.
b. To continue fostering the love of knitting and its creativity by volunteering my time at events and online wherever possible.
c. To knit / crochet more and to allow my creative side more freedom.
d. To continue learning.
e. If possible support some charity with knitting and/or crocheting
f. To be grateful for all of the joy that comes my way.
This seems a good way to start out the year, yes?