Fear of complications.

I wish I could knit more than just scarves. I mean I like scarves and in our house they’re de rigour for most of the year due to the perpetual draught and heady British climate.

It’s just when I succumb to an irresistable ball of wool I wish I could be brave enough to;

1.  buy more than one ball and
2.  overcome my unreasonable fear of patterns.

It’s the counting – it seems so daunting. Also the fact that a quick glance at the instructions reveals they seem to be written by a moonlighting cryptic crossword compiler. My clever sister has recommended I get a kids book and give something like a hat a go. Anything really that breaks the rectangle mould. She’s probably feeling a bit worried about next christmas’ offerings.

On a more positive note, today I bought a wool skirt in a charity shop. It’s a burnished burnt orange colour and I thought I might applique/embroider/ felt some birds..or flowering vine..or butterflies around the hem. As you can see I’m still musing but quite excited about project and the addition of some clothing to my meagre wardrobe..see here..all for the princely sum of a pound. 

Get me – big spender.

 Going to hit the childrens section in the library next week in search of yarny advice.

Maybe they also have a ladybird book on crochet? Something like this…

cats and cuts

My blog writing time, which is snatched at best has been sabotaged by my son who showed Ida  Josie and the pussycats on YouTube so the minute my hands stray towards the keyboard I have a small irritable spotty toddler swarming up me demanding Cat! Cat! very insistently.

We went to the library this week after school with some friends and I’ve been meaning to write about how important it is in our lives and how angry I feel about its threatened closure. I’m posting this link to a speech by Philip Pullman who puts it perfectly and far more articulately than I could ever hope for. It’s a long speech but I really urge you to read it if you haven’t already. I’m pretty sure people who enjoy blogging, both writing and reading  them feel strongly about  the importance of these institutions in our society and our communities.

I for one am enraged at many of these cuts. Do you know that todays national debt, although large,  I’m not denying it, is still smaller than it was at any point during the Thatcher administration?

I feel as though the “financial crisis” is being used as an excuse to paralyze us with fear while a series of immoral, shockingly fat cat, rotten borough style cuts are being swept through by  a Tory government wearing a soundbite, media savvy, useless liberal, effing “New Man” mask. Big society my bloody arse.

Is the Trident program being cut? Are we withdrawing from illegal,intrusive, empire building military action? Have the House of Commons redecoration..(it’s all listed you know..got to be posh wallpaper) budgets being cut? What about all the money being wasted for people to behave like toddlers dressing up in ridiculous wigs, prancing around  with historical artifacts booing each other in a lavishly maintained building full of special members bars and lackeys polishing shoe leather and arseholes – whoops – sorry- got carried away and inappropriate.

phew.

Anyway….

yeah…read the Pullman piece. It’s good stuff.

Disco fever

I woke up with a heavy heart this morning. It just feels like that sometimes. The day itself actually went a lot better than expectations so am feeling a lot more optimistic now.

I did a lot of flylady stuff today, and threw a lot of stuff out – lots of recycling and three binbags destined for various charity places. One was a bag of old toys for the Haven so I made care to get it out of the house before Z came home from school and unpacked it all, protesting bitterly about losing toys he hasn’t looked at for years. ( I am VERY careful not to get rid of genuine treasures – honestly! Steve is still reeling from his Mum offloading all his Starwars toys to a jumble sale while he was at university,  and it’s been years…)

It’s just so freeing – clearing away clutter. My parents are absolute hoarders and so is Steve. I’m not advocating constantly buying new things and I’m not claiming I don’t hoard things like fabrics and button (ahem.. and lone teacups..) but I just like a pared down collection of lifestuff. Was it William Morris who said – No beauty without function and every function with beauty. That’s where I’m aiming but its seems a way off yet.

I’ve also cut out the tunic dress for Ida from the wool jumper I felted and I’m starting to blanket stitch around the edges. I’m trying to finish it for her birthday tea party which is next Saturday (15th) We’re doing a disco party after school on her actual b’day with a few really good friends and Z and I had a brilliant time making a playlist for it,  it’s eclectic, veering from Scooby doo to Blondie to Skinny Puppy with a bit of JLS and some Johnny Cash…going to be a good party. It’s a disco party because she went mad for dancing with all the older kids at Z’s party in October when they were playing Musical Statues and was incensed by them sitting down one by one. I promised her a dance floor for her b’day and a dance floor she’ll have…must dig out that glitterball…

Managed to return the overdue library books that were slowing ticking up fines. I’d been dreading it but they were less than I thought – huzzah! Returning books on time is a personal weakness. I once lived in a flat NEXT to the library and still ran up fines. I’ve actually been doing quite well so far – it helps that Zeph is always desperate to go and change his books. I love the library and its thrifty green credentials are undeniable. I always come away with that “been shopping glow” and no cash spent. I also  feel the urge to use it while it’s still here. (big society… grrr *spit*)

The washing- up- before- bed regime is still on track – if I could just make it a weeks worth…