Catch up

Hello one and all!

So much to cover and so busy that I seriously doubt i'll manage to do it all justice! Indeed, I am entirely unprepared to be blogging today having taken no photo's! Thus I need you all to plug back in your imaginations. You remember, those things that we used before the modern world began to bombard us with images, when we read novels, not text messages, surfed waves, not the internet and played in the playground instead of on games consoles.

Had a few days off recently and had a wonderful time. Wednesday saw me at my sisters, indulging in a new haircut and a variety of beauty treatments. I've been waxed, plucked, massaged and tinted all over in preparation for the wedding this Friday! Such a lot of effort for one day but I'm sure it will be evry special. Picked up my suit this afternoon too so desperately hoping that I've not put on any weight since I went for my fitting (I'll just kill myself if I have - it was only five weeks ago!).

On Thursday Nathan wanted to go to Thorpe Park so off we trotted. Not my scene really. I don't understand the compulsion behind paying out £35 quid to be thrown around in circles and sprayed with water. Some unsteady garden furniture and a length of hose would, in my opinion, do the same job! Nonetheless, we did go and it wasn't as awful as I'd imagined it to be. I staved off the desire to pack my knitting, though I do think that completing a row whilst plummeting hundreds of feet on a rolercoaster would elevate me to the level of master knitter, truly skilled!

Friday was my choice for the entertainment and our feet remaimed firmly on the ground as I led Nathan around Hampton Court and its grounds. What a lovely couple of hours that was, all the better because the short series of showers seemed to have kept many of the parent-child parties inside their own homes. I have nothing against children - i'd just rather not see or hear any! If anybody out there is able to make a trip to Hampton Court, I sincerely suggest that they do!

On Saturday we took a brief trip to the Royal Egham Show. I wont bother to elaborate any further. It was a complete waste of time. They charged six pounds per person for entry (and I do understand that there are costs to cover)but the entire effort seemed pretty half hearted. If all of the food stalls were removed then the 'exhibitors' list would have been reduced by about 50%. The same situation again when it came to tombola's offering as prizes what was clearly the unpacked contents of bin liners that had been left outside charity shops. I always wondered why they have signs outside saying 'Please do not leave carrier bags outside the charity shop. They WILL be stolen'. Now I know why...... Furthermore, the 'craft' tent featured a multitude of stalls selling everything from plastic jewellery to 80's style hand knitted baby jumpers in god-awful shades of acrylic. I know it all comes down to taste.... but please? Nathan now thinks I am a craft snob but I can live with that.

To turn to my own crafting pursuits, I've been busy with a variety of things. I'm still working on a HUGE felted bag that is to be given away as a Christmas gift. I also finished a felted hat based on a design by Nicky Epstein. I'm pretty pleased with it. It's a gorgeous deep shade of purple/red that Nathan spun by hand with some Angelina fibre to give it some extra sparkle! Glorious! This is also to be a gift but I can't say anymore yet! In fact, we've decided this year that we are having an entirely handmade Christmas. We intend to do little xmas hampers for all our friends and relatives. Nathan is a fiend in the kitchen when it comes to xmas cakes and jams/preserves, plus all of our knitting and crochet items. It's not even about the recession, just a desire to get back to a time when less was more!

Has anybody read 'The Friday Night Knitting Club'? I recently discovered the joys of audiobooks and listened to the entire novel whilst knitting this weekend. It wasn't in the least taxing, indeed, the entire thing was something of a cliche for the genre. Nonetheless, it was hugely enjoyable and far superior to watching re-runs of 'Friends' on TV (why does Friends seem to be running on a loop these days? It should have its own channel!). It was actually quite nice to listen to what pretended to be nothing but a simple, nice story. I have a degree in English lit and used to feel terribly guilty if I was reading anything but the classics. Now though, I'm comfrotable with it. Who cares? Moreover, who wants some aged and infirm British actor narrating War and Peace in their ear whilst trying to navigate a tricky lace pattern?!

Pleased to report that my Boss has given the thumbs up to my suggestion that we take part in Take Your Dog To Work Day on September 16th, so Deny will be coming to play at my office for the day. Bruce is a bit of a nightmare, so Daddy Nathan is taking the day off to spend time with him alone. Ahhh!

I'll wrap things up for now as I am incredibly busy!

Just wanted to say hi before the wedding day.

Speak soon

M xxx