• Really, sort out kitchen floor covering (emailing for a quote resulted in no quote) Ordered same stuff as last time, but in French Navy Blue.
• Finish painting thingies for Christmas (nearly done, they just need rosy cheeks)
• Laundry including wool wash and sheets
• Supermarket shop including salt for dyeing might have helped if I'd taken my shopping list with me.  And, consulting said list, if salt had been on the darn thing.
• Try to decide whether, if my hostess has the sort of chest infection that results in the antibiotics that I had such a bad reaction to in September 2008, should I go to her party (consulting friend doctor).  Dad reckons that since I am an asthmatic, chesty sort and have had two chest infections myself this year, I probably shouldn't.  Mum doesn't want me to either: at the age of 30, I am unable to decide whether to defy my parents. Decided. Friend Doctor Jo, former flatmate extraordinaire, says "well, usually I'd say go, but you get chest infections..." 
• Sew up squares for Mum's sweater (currently on sitting room floor)
• Take stuff to secondhand shop
• Christmas cards
• Cast on for something nice for me, this time I mean it (the last thing I tried turned into a scarf for someone else). I bought yarn to make a wonderful Jade Green scarfy thing.  Can't ever have too many of those.  Very tempted to make an Ishbel.
• Dye towels They are newly blue
• Give self facial and pedicure: I have realised that I have been letting standards slip somewhat recently.  I had a manicure yesterday, and thoroughly enjoyed it (and bought a bottle of the nailvarnish so I can extend its life).  I also got my hair done yesterday.  I feel rather more tidy round the edges.
• Sort out tablecloth
• Wash clothkits kit.
• Clean fish tank, sort out filter.

The Great Dane Puppy has a friend coming to stay this weekend, which means that the flat will be utterly full of people again.  Last night I sat on the sofa and quite simply resented the noise of people (namely Great Dane Puppy and Girlfriend) walking up and down the hallway.  Silly really.  People have a right to walk about the place.  They went out, but didn't wake me when they got back, which was good.  I was rather tired, not having had an unbroken night's sleep for several nights now.

Right.  Must achieve.  Onwards, and, quite literally, upwards to Hampstead.

xxx

---

I rather randomly, and accidentally, went to Keats' House while in Hampstead.  I was tipped over by the fact that there was an exhibition of costumes from the film 'Bright Star', also, I was lost while searching for the flooring shop (which was closed.  The Islington branch was open, so I sorted it all out there).  Bright Star tells the love story between Fanny Brawne and John Keats, who met via mutual friends, and who lived in the same house which had been divided into two (they lived in different halves of it). I saw the film on Tuesday, as there was a free viewing, and the costumes were divine.  I might go and watch it again, or get it on DVD.  I would like to examine some of the costumes more closely, being as I was, right at the back of the cinema.  At Keats' House I saw Fanny's engagement ring, and some jewellery that she'd had, lots of paintings of Keats, as well as sculptures and so forth.  The house was very pretty and a little empty.  And the exhibition?  Rather a disappointment.  One hat, two dresses, and a costume that the actor playing Keats had worn.  I did take a couple of pictures on my phone (but can't work out uploading at this point.  Give me until tomorrow?).  I cannot find pictures of any of them on t'internet.  I can find pictures of what they weren't.

Not this costume:

Nor this hat

Or either of these costumes.

Mind you, one of the costumes involved a little knitted jacket, knitted in extremely fine yarn, and, I could not decide, machine knitted or not.  I think not - it was too unusual, and there were various ends visible on the inside of the piece (Yes, I looked).  It did have an invisible cast on, though, which made me wonder.  Lovely cabling on the sleeves, and an unusual construction.  I'll post a picture and someone will be bound to tell me exactly where it's from.

Right.  What to do with a Saturday night when it feels about nineish, and, really, it's not even 7.30pm?

xxx

---

So, by Sunday at 6.30pm, I have devoured the second volume of the Moneypenny diaries, and failed to find the third volume in either Waterstone's, Borders or Foyles.  I did buy 'The Female Don Quixote' and a volume of Keats' poetry in the last.  I am not really a poetry person, but my interest has been piqued what with films, and houses, and whatnot.

I also have a cough which came all over productive in Oxford Street. Naturally, since I have spent the past hour or so on the sofa watching 'The Spy Who Loved Me', it is perfectly placid again.  I merely sound slightly croaky.

Can we all pray that this does not turn into 'time off work to be ill'? I would rather not be ill until I have a permanent job again.  I'm hoping that they keep me.  I think I'm cheaper than sporadic contractors, and they have asked if I want any training on anything, which is always a good thing to hear...

xxx

• Finish Em's stole (procrastinating.  I merely needed to cast off.  I didn't want to.  It's like losing a bit of her over again.  I shall have to knit something from the little bit of leftover yarn.  Or incorporate it into something special).
• Block Em's stole, pack it up ready for her Mum
• Quote for kitchen floor
• Laundry (including wool wash) wool wash now on.
• Dye manky bathmath  STILL need to buy salt
• Eff for supper and cocktails tonight  well, we stayed in with a bottle of wine and got merrily tiddly, and I felt a bit rough this morning.
• Sort out rugby first aid stuff on Sunday while the lads train. Or, rather, at 4pm, because I need to get to John Lewis in the meantime.
• Supermarket
• Letters and emails
• Sort out parcel contents for Sara
• Pack up and address
• Christmas present Japanese family Think that I can do headbands for them?  They're quite quick... Or maybe edibles?  Liebkuchen would be nice to mail over.  Which would be quicker.  Hmmm. Went with a Christmas pudding.  I am mailing  a Christmas Pudding to Japan folks!
• Find Christmas presents I plan to make and start them
• Take stuff to secondhand shop Whoops, forgot.
• Brownies Accounts
• Get Well card for Guide who has put her hand through a glass door and possibly damaged a nerve  Card bought.  Did consider a magazine to go with it, but decided that the taste of an 11 year old football playing girl is probably quite specific and I'm not up to guessing.
• Start Christmas cards Might help if I knew where they were...Found 'em  Does this count as a start?

In other news, I am so over being ridiculously emotionally PMSsing.  I suspect that, yes, my radio was at a slightly high volume while I was having my bath this morning, and the Great Dane Puppy was not unreasonable in wanting it turned down a little so his girlfriend could sleep in even more (at 10am after the clocks have gone back, this seems a little excessive).  Certainly, there was no real need to clean the doorframes, the skirtings, the bath, the shower curtain and do the washing up in retaliation.  I broke a mug in the process (and swore).  This means one mug fewer to accommodate, but it was a present from Mum and had a picture of a cat like my cat on it.  Humph.  Since then, I have veered to tearful to cheerful and back again.  Not quite sure where I am at the moment.

It could have been worse.  I could have broken the small cafetiere (the one I had at work has been broken, I am on the hunt for an insulated cafetiere mug now, which I think has less potential to be broken).  Mugs break on a regular basis in this flat.

I have also FAILED to take the gas cylinder to be refilled.  We can do it on Friday if we go camping.  That is all dependent on my Welshman finding somewhere to live.  Anyone got a spare room for a housetrained Welshman in London?  He does smoke, but never indoors.

I am reading blogs.  I am failing on commenting.

xxx

"It won't fit."

"They don't make a cupboard that size."

"The washing machine can't go there."

"There can't be a swivel shelf there, I need to put a pipe there."

He's starting over....  there has just been a troubling sounding clunk from the kitchen and I am about to knit a row in order to try and CALM DOWN.  At least the contract states that it cannot cost anything more than it does currently: if they muck it up, it'll either cost the same, or less.

Once I have knat, I shall eat some emergency chocolate and return to the matter in hand: logging onto each and every one of my 80 SQL Servers and then worrying about patching them.  That is far less stressful.

xxx

 

• Brownies Accounts Monday
• Em's Mum's stole  bit more to do tonight, I have one more full repeat and then the edging.
• Tidy sitting room (i.e. shift the Great Dane Puppy's girlfriend's underwear into his room) Well, it looks vastly better, but it isn't as good as I want.  Being full of my laundry now, and I've been writing letters.
• Laundry (including sheets)
• Sort out kitchen floor Don't know when I thought I'd have time for this.  Next weekend.
• Knit something for me (an Urchin).  Yarn now repurposed to a scarf for Jo.  Urchin is not going to work.  Gauge issues.  Will knit myself something else.  No idea what.
• Go to the seaside
• Text Eff
• Find some more things to go to the secondhand shop
• Find stuff for making Christmas Presents
• Rugby First Aiding (double header)
• Supermarket Shop
• Deliver letter re bag packing Monday
• Collect dry cleaning Monday
• Letter old Guide Captain Monday
• Pack up Ebay Shoes to return Now merely need to mail, which requires the address...
• Test out logging into work Portal Managed to lock myself out with bad passwords.  Will have to reset password on Monday at work.
• Try to collect Recorded Letter from Post Office (thus, leave flat at 9am on Saturday morning) Who was I kidding?  Plus I'd left it too late anyhow (you can only leave Recorded Letters a week without collecting them).
• Try to find out about the smudge-propensity of ink used by schoolchildren in the 1920s. Question asked of various, but not yet answered... General consensus is that it would smudge on application of a tear.
• Write thank you letters Bevin Boy, Chelsea Pensioner

In other news, I didn't have Guides this evening.  I had a batch of three year olds who got potato everywhere while making potato stamps, and then did hand prints and then rubbed their painty hands on their faces.  One was not allowed to make her promise, owing to the fact that she hadn't really kept even the spirit of any of the Guide Laws.  If I ask you nicely, twice, to do something (including saying please), and you just back chat me, I reserve the right to raise my voice, and I reserve the right to give you a ticking off when you complain about it.  I was the one who was being reasonable to start with.  Not you.  When I say 'please will you', I expect it to happen.  And, conversely, if you say 'please will you' to me, I will do it.  Unless it involves putting myself in danger, or I really disagree.  When it comes to wiping paint off the floor, you won't even have to ask me.

A Guide is polite and considerate.

Hmmm

xxx

I have ordered a new kitchen.  No more cupboard doors that don't open fully.  No more freezer door that doesn't open.  No more drawer that doesn't open.  No more perishing floor with strange green and white bits that refuse to clean off.  No more dishwasher that doesn't drain.

And no relying on parents (possibly some relying on boyfriend, but, if you are allergic to paint fumes, glue fumes and anything of that ilk, some help is required when painting needs doing, floors need changing, and tiles need replacing).

I am a grown up girl, after all.  And very lucky to have some redundancy money to use.  And a sale.  Gosh, but I could not afford this but for a sale.

Last night, I exploded a bicycle inner tube, which was not the cheapest evening.  I hit a semi-submerged light while I was avoiding a pedestrian.  Wretched SOAS architects.  So, I started walking home, realised that this really was a bust inner tube, and flagged down a taxi.  Not quite as impressive as when I flagged down a taxi with my foot, but still, from the opposite side of the road and while wielding a bicycle, it was not bad either.  I was lucky.  One of the cycle shops on the high stree was able to deal with my tyre, even though it was nearly 7pm.

I'm knitting madly.  I have finished Sara's mitten, and now wonder what to put into a goody parcel (Jaffa cakes?  Digestives?).  I have finished my Welshman's birthday hat.  I may mention now that he shares his birthday with my Grandpop.  I'll have to see if I can take a photo of one of my photos of Grandpop.  Mum only mentioned this tonight.  I'm currently finishing off Em's stole, for her Mum, there's a few more repeats to do.

On Monday, it was the 94th anniversary of Edith Cavell's death.  There were flowers and wreaths on her memorial in Charing Cross Road - I looked because it was unusual to see wreaths before Armistice Day.  She was a Norfolk girl, and I often visited her grave at Norwich Cathedral while hanging around waiting for rehearsals to happen (or for my parents to collect me).  I've also visited Swardeston.  We played at a pageant there.  I have no idea why, and I don't remember much about it, other than that it's in the middle of Nowhere, the way so many places in Norfolk are.  I was on my way to coffee but I paused.

"I know now that patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred and no bitterness towards anyone."  Edith Cavell (1865-1915)

xxx

There would be a list, but I'm missing my Welshman terribly.  In the past couple of weeks, he practically moved in, and it's been cosy, and lovely, and nice.  And now he's not here, and I'm not entirely sure when he'll be up in London again.  A good side.  He's moving up to London from Bath at some point this week (not sure where in London), and that'll be lovely.  We might just get to go on dates.

We have never been to the cinema together, but have done dinners and a ball.  I went stark staring mad this morning, and, instead of hurrying to be ready for the rugby match, I booked us tickets to see Enron.  In February.  This seems like mad forward planning.  I also bought tickets for Calendar Girls just before it closes.  I may need mind bleach afterwards.  I think Daddy is perfectly happy with the concept of Jerry Hall nude.  It remains to be seen what his reaction to the 80-something (and terribly brave) June Brown nude is.

Rugby was grand fun.  Apart from Mr Still Attached bouncing up to greet me "Hello Lover!" (and not in a West Country burr manner), and asking how my love life was....  This has been going on for two years now, and shows nary a sign of let up.  However, he's easy enough to ignore.  One twisted ankle, one split lip (inside) and one split eyebrow.  All in the last 10 minutes or so of the game. Two fingers broken 3 weeks ago sent off for further medical attention, although, frankly, they should have gone at the time.  

Yesterday, I went to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally.  I didn't buy much.  Yarn for a friend, some pretty yarn for me, and a sock kit.  I also subscribed to The Knitter Magazine, as it is just too lovely, and they had a special show special offer which was special There's a sight too many specials in that sentence.

And now?  Well, my Welshman just called while I was mid blog, and I have remembered that I am yet to get him a birthday card (it's on Friday), and I may make one.  With a teeny-tiny knitted hat on it.  That would be rather fun.  Thus, I feel able to make a list.  Five minutes of conversation.  I am Entirely Lame.

• Make bed (I stripped the sheets off this morning)
• Last load of laundry (include muddy jeans that I am currently wearing)
• Tidy sitting room (aka put The Great Dane Puppy's girlfriend's laundry in his room, and why is she doing her laundry here? She is the only flatmate's girlfriend I have ever known to do her laundry in a shared flat in which her boyfriend is living).
• Finish Sara's mitten (I got about half way last night.  Colourwork is addictive).
• Download free REM album
• Cook potatoes for next week's lunch
• Resist casting on another Urchin with my pretty new yarn (it's Colinette something-or-other and it was £4.50 a skein). Keener on the mitten.
• Brownies Accounts This is vastly easier now my Welshman counts up the cash.  He used to cash up the tills at the Oxford Street Waterstones, and, thus, is not scared of my piddling piles of small change.
• Enter some Brownies into GuidingOnline
• Teeny tiny hat for card

xxx

Let's make a few things clear.

It is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

This does not mean that we're going to come all over pink and fluffy here.  No.  We are not going to be buying random pink items from companies that give a measly small percentage of their profits to cancer research because we are buying a pink object from them. 

We shall not be pretending that cancer is pink and glittery. No.  It is not.  It is nasty, cruel, scary, debilitating, and it kills.

We shall agree with Katie and Laurie.

We shall be checking our breasts (male and female) because that's a sensible thing to do.  Men may well want to check their Other Bits that ladies don't have too, as that's also sensible.  There are plenty enough places to check out how to do that.  Find something weird?  Go to the doctor and I hope it's nothing to worry about.  Many funny lumpy bits turn out to be perfectly normal.

We shall be handing over four knitted blankets as part of this campaign (pictures of blankets #3 and #4 to follow when both completed blankets are in my flat).

And, yes, some money will be put into the collecting tin.

But, without contributing to the corporations.

xxx