Five on Friday - randoms

This week has flown past in a jiffy. I have been exceptionally tired this week, not sure why, I am not ill and life has not been more busy than usual either. I have a collection of completely random news today. I am linking up with Amy's Five on Friday. If you have a minute, do go and have a look, there is something interesting for everybody.





Fruit trees. Ours are not carrying much fruit this year with the exception of the apple tree that is laden with small apples. The branches will bend under the weight soon. I had so much hope for my quince tree. Dozens and dozens of quincelets in late spring were promising a rich harvest. Last time I checked, there were two quinces. The stems turned brown and the fruit fell off in late May. Not sure if the dry month of May combined with high winds have cleared the tree of its fruit, it could also be a disease. Any suggestions? The plum and pear trees have very little fruit but there was not much blossom so no surprise there. 

The extension. It is happening, very soon and should be complete by December. We have met with our builder (how strange this sounds, our builder) and the architect and have discussed details. It appears that we are easy clients so far, I have only asked for one minor change to the drawings and have not questioned anything really. I guess a good architect understands your brief and translates your vision into something practical. My most urgent question yesterday was the location of the cat flap (there will be a little tunnel through the wall). We are going to loose half of the kitchen right away but luckily the stove is in the other half. Not the sink though but I have been promised a temporary one so all is fine. If not I guess the bathtub will have to do... not a thought I cherish. I am quite anxious and no doubt plenty will go wrong and I will moan about it here in the coming months....

James and Alistair have been to a holiday camp all week. We chose the day camp option because the boarding one cost an arm and a leg. The boys came home most days in full war paint and wet on occasion (water fights). They have bing singing motivational songs, very much like the ones in the dreaded Barney the Dinosaur show (hey, you, can you do it? I don't know but I will try!). It makes me cringe a little but they are having a grand time. All holiday camps we have sent children to in the past were sports only so this new camp is very refreshing with its options of football, general sports, creative arts, performing arts and action & adventure - and lots and lots of team building. 

My foot has been really sore this week. The pain comes and goes and seems to not be correlated to shoes or activities. It doesn't get worse with exercise either. I't just hurts or doesn't hurt. It has been like that for many months. I had x rays and other investigations but there appears to be nothing wrong with the foot. Except of course that it hurts. I feel like a fraud when I make yet another appointment at the doctors. I finally managed to get a podiatrist appointment (I was given the wrong number and was cursing for weeks because no one answered the phone) and hope for some relief, although I have little hope.



I have started another crochet blanket. The last one I made disappeared into a teenage cave, never to be seen again. I am using Drops Karisma and Sandness Smart yarn, both 100% super wash wool, most of it from my stash. I made a blanket with this yarn before and prefer it over the Stylecraft Special DK I have used for two other blankets. I am loosely following the 'Weekender Blanket' designed by Sandra at Cherry Heart. I love Sandra's designs, she has a great eye for colour. Having said that, I chose my own, inspired by Sandra.

That's it for this Friday. I hope you are having a nice day. Summer has returned to Scotland for a few days (I hope) and I am enjoying the warmth through the office window. xx



Comments

  1. happy Friday Christina x hope you get some help for your foot soon. I have a specialist insole from the podiatrist, it works wonders x

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  2. Lovely apples , good harvest...

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  3. Where is the time going? I'm very slowly (to save my fingertips so they are good for gardening, allotmenteering and cooking) hand quilting a double-bed-sized quilt but I would love to start a crochet blanket too. Are you suffering from Plantar Fasciitis? I suffered but I've got it under control by wearing shoes for gardening (not flip flops), chucking away the plastic clogs I used to wear at the allotment in the summer in favour of walking boots and never cycling in thin-soled shoes. I have also stopped standing on my hard kitchen floor in bare feet (now I wear slippers or Birkenstocks) while I prep and cook allotment produce. If you google PF you may find a very useful four page advice leaflet which I followed to the letter. I'm sorry if you haven't got PF and it is something worse. My symptoms were that on waking up in the morning, or getting out of the car after a long journey, the pain in my heels was so bad I could not walk properly but after a couple of minutes of movement I was fine. Very disappointing plum harvest here and I'm hoping the recent heatwave hasn't killed my newly planted quince tree. Exciting news on the kitchen extension. Have a great weekend Christina and I really hope you find a solution for your sore feet.

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  4. I like your random five Christina, they paint a great picture of what life brought your way this week, Hope your foot pain gets diagnosed and treated soon.
    bon weekend.

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  5. I'm sorry to hear about your foot. I had problems with my left one and after some tests we found out it is a Morton's neuroma. I've been using an insole for some time now and I feel much better. Irune

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  6. Some weeks are like that, low energy. Could the trouble with your foot be plantar factiitis?

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  7. Hope your foot problem gets sorted out...I seem to have random pain and swelling in my foot since my ankle break, some days worse than others for no apparent reason. Sounds like James and Alistair have had a lovely time. Enjoy the weekend Christina x

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  8. The foot doesn't sound good, don't give up and keep going to the doctors as there is obviously something wrong they just haven't discovered what yet. The boys holiday camp sounds like fun, we seem to be having a bit of camp here with all the visitors we are having.

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  9. Oh no the dreaded Barny, that took me back ha! I sympathise about your foot and was to and fro from the doctors about my arm for ages before I was finally diagnosed - I hope they find what it is soon. Ah our apple trees are like your Quinces, I put it down to the really windy Spring. Have a lovely weekend xx

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  10. I wonder if your quinces had been pollinated? Not sure if that could be a problem, but maybe. Glad the boys have been having a good time at camp. Sorry your foot is painful, I hope it goes away soon or that it is at least properly diagnosed. I hope you have a lovely weekend. CJ xx

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  11. It's great to have a crochet blanket on the go especially when you're about to start an extension, it'll help with the stress of all the mess! Both will be wonderful when completed.

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  12. Please get your foot checked out as it sounds like you are suffering a bit. The children sound like they had a great time at camp. Your yarn colors are so luscious as is the blanket pattern. I hope you feel better soon. Hugs. Pat

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  13. Day camp sounds like a great option and what fun they are having! Your yarn colours are so lovely and are sure to result in a beautiful blanket. I do hope your foot pain can be sorted soon. Pain can be such an energy-sapper.

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  14. I've always wanted a quince - too bad about the fruit drop. So much fun for the kids at camp and it gives you a little break, I'm sure. I raised 4, too :) So frustrating about your foot. I had foot pain once that was never solved, but it eventually went away. I hope yours does, too. It makes life pretty miserable. Lovely colors for your blanket. x Karen

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  15. The weather was so moody or still is, that fruit trees are not so full as usual. Builders in the house is not fun, but once it's done you will be happy. I think it's a good idea to go to a podiatrist he certainly can help you more than a doctor with x-rays !

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  16. Exciting news about your extension! Hope all goes smoothly. Sorry to hear about your foot. Foot pain really drags you down. I hope the podiatrist can help, they are very specialised practitioners. I have been attending since I fractured my foot and now have insoles and exercises which have helped me. X

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  17. look forward to seeing the blanket. great colours.

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  18. A lovely five, except for your foot pain which I hope will be sorted soon. Our fruit bushes and trees have been disappointing this year, I don't think the massses of little plums on the tree will all ripen. We had to put a catflap through the wall with a small tunnel when we had a new conservatory a few years ago. It seems to work well:)

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  19. I hope the Podiatrist can help and your foot improves soon. The colours for your blanket are lovely and will look so warm and cosy together. Fingers crossed the building work goes well.

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  20. Your right about time, I can't believe its nearly August already. I hope your foot improves, really - we do spend most of our day on our feet! I have been closely watching fruit trees where I live, as the apple and pear tree in my garden are failing to fruit.

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  21. An up and down sort of post, like life! How exciting about the extension I do hope it doesn't mean washing up in the bath, I would end up breaking all the plates if I did that ;). I am sorry to hear about the pain in your foot, hope you get some answers soon.

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  22. A random 5 is always fun and I like the colours of yarn for your next crochet project. Hope the specialist gets to the bottom of your foot problem.

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  23. Beautiful colors for your blanket. Hope, the apples will be ripe and delicous. In some years are a lot of fruits, in other... but the quince might have a fungal disease.
    I'm not a doc, but maybe your footpain is a fascial problem. I have pain too, often and for a long time and they can not see nothing on pictures. Get well soon and good luck for the extension

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  24. Ooh good luck with the extension, that's exciting! The holiday camp sounds great, even with the Barney songs. I remember those, they get lodged in your head and drive you mad... I hope your foot gets better and you can find out what is causing it soon. Your new yarn looks super squishy, it'll make a super blanket. Have a lovely Sunday, Christina xx

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  25. That foot doesn't sound good and it's not as if you can put your feet up with the busy life you have either. Here's hoping it gets better this week.
    Have a good one!
    Wren x

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  26. Good luck with the new blanket and your extension. So exciting. Hope you are feeling less tired soon and your foot improves. B x

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  27. All good things - apart from your foot which I hope gets better/resolved soon. Enjoy your blanket making and apple picking and I hope that the extension works go well! Glad the boys have enjoyed themselves. Thank you too for joining Five On Friday. I hope that you have a great August and I look forward to seeing you again in September! xx

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  28. It's so good to catch up with your blog, Christina. Has work on your kitchen started already? I wish you luck. The process is stressful but the result will be so worth it. I hope your foot is ok. I often get random pains in the bones in the middle of my foot and sometimes toes, always when my feet are cold and damp, so I think it's a mild and early arthritis - yay. xx

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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