August 11, 2011

Rain Again

I don't know about you but here the rain has been horrendous for days. Add in gale force winds and it is not fit weather for the builders to put up the conservatory. We have had a base down for several weeks. I was hoping that the build would have been completed for this weekend for Mr. MOg's birthday but it wasn't to be. I had started to arrange a party. This has been postponed til hopefully next week. I had invited good friends from various parts of the country most of whom could make it. However once I realised the delays I stopped inviting and started delaying.
Still the work will be done sometime I am sure and we are both looking forward to having an extra room . Our home is great but just that bit too small for entertaining more than a couple of people.
So what else has been going on? Lots in the outside world mostly crap as I am sure you know. Here we still wake up each morning glad that we have another day together. Sounds silly maybe to you but each day is precious. I know we all are aware that our lives on this spiral are a finite length but when you are reminded it brings it home. It makes you appreciate everything.
Good friends and family who are there for you if you need them yet not in your face. sunset over the sea and the smell of blackberries stewing gently on the stove .
The spinning is a little slow, my body is having a bad spell with scuffles to see which part hurts today. But knitting keeps me sane and shawls (of course) continue to appeal.
Not a lot here today but I wanted to say hello.

August 01, 2011

Rainbows

 Long time no speak. It has been a roller coaster time for various reasons.
The main one being Mr Mog's hospital appointment. Supposedly to discuss which trial to start on and to tick boxes as Oncologist said on his month of extra hormone treatment.
 We started to discuss trials and then she said she better check his latest blood test to add to the form, it wouldn't be different she assured us but she had to check.
Well guess what? The PSA had gone down. Oncologist was astonished to say the least and reiterated that that shouldn't have happened. You are weird she informed Mr Mog. I wouldn't exactly call him weird, just different. I told her it was all the positive thoughts and well wishes being sent from around the world.
 At this point she said he had better go away and continue on the 2 lots of hormone treatment. Mr Mog has to go back every month for blood tests and check up and if he gets any other symptoms or becomes tired he has to go and see them immediately. But we don't care:) We know it hasn't been cured but to be honest every week without chemo etc is a brilliant week.
 We had our very first weeks holiday  and broke it for one night to attend Mr Mog's appointment as it was at 8.30 in the morning. The pictures you see are from that week. We stayed in a log cabin in Cumbria and it was amazing. Views of the mountains and mainly Skiddaw and a long view down to Bassenthwaite Lake. As you can see we took things to do over the week. We had rain for some part of every day but it didn't matter we were content to be in the cabin watching the ever changing views.
 We didn't go too far just one trip to Samye Ling Buddhist centre and a couple of trips into Keswick and Cockermouth. We had friends came over on 2 nights and we went out with a large group of friends on another evening.
 We came back to gorgeous sunshine of course. It wasn't until the 3rd day of our Holiday that we realised why there was so much rain. It was Keswick Convention and it ALWAYS rains for that:)
 We came back with several alpaca and Jacob fleeces as well.

I think I may have mentioned that I took up spindling recently? I was so thrilled with my Holly spindle from Jenkins that I wanted an oak one to balance the year. It arrived today and is just as beautiful as the Holly one





I love colour and when a friend of mine came over a few weeks ago with a sturdy large project tote I asked where it was from. Picperfic is a person of many talents:) She spins, dyes and sews to name but a few. I wanted a bag large enough and sturdy enough to carry knitting, spindling, ipad, phone, pills and other assorted stuff.
This is what Marianne came up with for me.

 
 It holds a lot:)

 Now for the rainbows of the title. I posted pictures a while ago of stuff I had  acquired from a friend of mines new Etsy shop. TattyFleece is a fairly new dyer and specialises in rainbows:) I first of all got this, a Wensleydale Boa. You can wear it , spin it or felt it. Multi purpose clothing:) I also purchased some bags of rainbow curls.
 

 Then  last week I was sent a gift of a new shawl pattern on Ravelry Iris Goddess of Rainbow shawl. I mentioned in passing how it would be great to knit this in rainbow yarns.
Just look what the talented Tatty came up with:) Absolutely perfect for  the goddess of rainbows. It is Blue faced Leicester sock yarn and there are approximately 400 metres in each skein. Well a Goddess needs a spectacular shawl don't you think?
 
 Watch this space for the results. If you are in the market for rainbows do check out Tatty's Etsy site. There isn't any rainbow yarn on at the moment but you could always ask I am sure she could be persuaded:)

Poetry for Brigid Imbolc

  The Lake Isle of Innisfree BY  WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay a...