All I ever seem to do now is a weekly list: just too tired in the evenings after work (or, this week, far too busy going out on the razz - I was at my club twice in the space of three days for either Younger Members' drinkies or curry.  I ended up checking the club rules on my return home.  Why yes, the ladies' sitting room is open to ladies only, regardless of membership status).

Anyhow, I have what feels like 1001 things to do today.

• Collect prescription from chemist, drop off request at doctors.
• Get photos printed, and mail parcel
• Collect flooring from floor place, arrange for it to be fitted.  Or, possibly, just phone them up... but this will have to be done on Monday.
  
• Stay in for the phone man who is putting in the work line makes this a bit harder, particularly since the normal phone line isn't currently functioning, but the internet is (?)
  
• Remove kitchen floor
• Clean out contents of kitchen cupboards into crates which will go I know not where, probably my bedroom, as this is London and it will insist on raining.
  
• Church Parade
• Rugby
• Give up on the concept of laundry and going to the supermarket.  There is nowhere to put the laundry to dry, and there is no point in adding to what needs to be moved out of the cupboards/the fridge this week.
  
• Knit
• Knit some more
• Manicure and pedicure More of an effort in throwing varnish in the general direction of fingers and toes.
• CHOCOLATE AND GIN
  
• Do not let sitting room get any more untidy (the pile of boxes containing the new kitchen is quite enough untidiness) More or less winning this one...
  
• Maintain tidiness in bedroom. Given that the entire kitchen is now in my bedroom, perhaps not the easiest task.  But I'm trying.
  
• Take stuff to secondhand shop
• Get my Welshman's camping gear into the shed if he hasn't found anywhere to live.  If he has found somewhere, it can stay in the back garden because he'll need to get it out of the back garden rather than out of the locked shed.
  
• Replace his bicycle helmet which fell off the top of the precariously balanced bag of puffy envelopes. Apparently he is in no hurry for this, but since he hasn't been out on the bike since last week, there is no huge hurry. We must sort this out next weekend.
  
• Brownies Accounts
• Add new Brownies to waiting list (I shall not ask why they turned up wearing pink frosted lipstick last night).
• Get cardboard boxes into loft (my Welshman or the Great Dane Puppy are supposed to be doing that). But I did it.
  

At some point, I'll tell you all about the Younger Members' drinkies and the curry, but not now.  I have to get to Boots to get the prescription stuff (it's bath stuff.  It's been sitting there for about three weeks, and the Boots in question is not open on Sunday, which is generally when I remember to go!).

xxx

---

Well, there has been gin, but not enough chocolate.  There is an awful lot of stuff that is not in the right place, and my neck muscles are screaming.  However, it was my rugby boys who got the massages.  One of the really young ones - OK, at this point, since I don't work there anymore it doesn't really matter: the Graduate Business School at which I worked until June started a new one year course for students who are one or two years out of University this academic year, so there are some really young chaps on the team now - blew a kiss at me on my way home.  Bless.  The older guys on the rugby team have a new game on the back of this.  They find a really pretty lass on said course, and then ask if her Mum's single...  The captain also borrowed my Hawaiian shirt for the post-match celebrations: cheating, really, if you ask me.  He's cute enough to get away with it, though, and I don't need to take a fine for not wearing a Hawaiian shirt after matches (it's a perk of being the only girl on the team).

The floor is up, and I only made one hole in my hand.  My Welshman took most of the lino up after I'd had a wibble about it - there was rubber flooring over lino, and, you know what?  It's really hard to remove rubber flooring from lino, but rather easier to remove lino from wood.  Bless him.  Deep down, I know he's not 'the one', but we have a good thing going here, and I'm so much less scared about the idea of a relationship in general, I'm in a healthier place than I was this time last year.  I've been doing much thinking.  I think I'm getting to know what I do want, after many years of being entirely unsure, and this is comforting.  Rock on.

I have fresh microwave popcorn, and am about to hit the Brownies' accounts.

xxx

---

It is 20.26.  Those boxes are going in the loft.  I'm getting the ladder out.  The only way to do things round here is start them yourself.  Then I shall knit with chocolate.

Promise to check in in about 5 mins.

---

Still here
xxx

• 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

I have my three month end of probation review tomorrow.  My boss is very hands off, and only mentioned it today, so, hopefully, he'll be happy with what I've been up to.  However, I did manage to review my various targets for what I was supposed to be doing ("The list that'll take you all year") and by dint of an hour's focus on documentation, actually achieved some of them.

Documentation, bane of my life, but beloved of managers, as it it is measurable.

In other news, I managed to make supper tonight without any drama.  Last night, I set the smoke detector off, at the same time as burning myself on hot fat (hello blisters and frozen peas during the night), and, at the end of it all, was so overwrought that I couldn't eat most of what I'd produced.

Tonight I merely welded the custard to the bottom of the saucepan, leaving a rather interesting caramelised smell in the kitchen.  And discovered that the blackberries had gone mouldy, so we're having custard and jam for pudding instead.  The pan is soaking, the jam is Tiptree Little Scarlet.  Yum.  Will mail to the Americas in return for, oh, edibles and hugs.

So it goes.

xxx

A sort of reverse list

• had bath.  Broke beloved coffee mug.
• Cleared out two bags of clobber from wardrobe, including My First Suit™ which looks like it belongs to my much bigger sister, and has done ever since I moved down to London
• Sorted out the laundry, including the sheets
• Waited in for a letter, which arrived, which it transpired I didn't really need to wait in for.
• Helped sew up Macmillan Blankets.  If you ask Ciorstaidh very nicely, she has photos.
• Got given glorious laceweight yarn to knit up.  Felt a bit guilty about having coveted it when I first saw it.
• Felt dire afterwards, probably due to lack of food during the day.
• Ate something, and sorted out various birthday presents.  Bought a new coffee mug and some Christmas Cards, and Presents.
• Made discovery that I have randomly lost half a kilo, and I'm not exactly sure where. Or how.  The landlord of the pub that the rugby club use informed me that my tatas were smaller than he remembered...
• Failed to play pub golf with the rugby club, but went home to watch Ghost.  Rugby club (and I can see their point) saw me as peripheral.  Would have helped had I worn my Hawaiian.
• Knitted Em's stole a bit more, and think I am more than 3/4 way through.
• Slept muchly, but still felt a bit urky.
• Took several bags to the charity shop, acquired a pair of trousers for my Welshman, and a TM Lewin shirt for me.
• Drank coffee, and then went to the supermarket.  Acquired quantity of food, plus replacement milk for the Great Dane Puppy.
• Took my Great Aunt's Congregation of the Children of Mary certificate to be framed.  It will be expensive, but it will look wonderful.  I've used the framers before (they're in the market), and they do excellent work.
• Bought a new cycle helmet (old helmet was 10 years old, and the strap wasn't terribly well fixed.  Sorry about that), and a bike lock (bike now properly insured, as has bike lock that is efficacious).
• Bought a copy of 'The French Lieutenant's Woman', a theatre book for Frogspawn21's birthday, a biography for Mum from the nice secondhand bookshop near the bike shop.  Had only gone in for the first - the library's copy is due back tomorrow and cannot be renewed as someone has reserved it.
• Staggered home under weight of new acquisitions.  Fitted bike lock to bike, and helmet to head.
• Delivered letter to Council Offices near Euston, detoured home via a local nature reserve thing, which I couldn't really see properly through the gate, but which smelt... natural.  Decided to take the Brownies one day.
• Came home, filled the dishwasher with salt, worried about the state of the kitchen floor (green in some places, cracked in others), decided I want a new kitchen but lack the energy to do anything more about that at this point.
• Ate chocolate brownie, drank tea.  Read blogs, and realised that ring is whizzing about in a most annoying way as I type.  Texted former Brownie's Mother, to let her know about a unit with spaces in the general vicinity.  Got text back.  Brownie says hi.
• Next up: sort out the Brownies' accounts, buy citric acid, find patterns for the laceweight yarn (600 yards, two different but contrasting shades), and all before my Welshman arrives (at eightish, as opposed to tennish).
• Put off until later on: sign into Guiding Online and add the Brownies names in, hem two skirts and the new tablecloth, mend socks.

It's only 7.15pm and it's dark.  Must ensure have enough batteries for bicycle lights.

xxx