February.... ing









It is time for another ... ing post. February is galloping past and I already feel the pull of spring although I am sure there will be some more really cold days in between now and then. Richard, James, Alistair and Jack are away for a three day adventure and it is very quiet in the house with just two teenager for company. Quiet and tidy!

Swatching for a new jumper. I have enough yarn for two jumpers exactly. Both are fingering weight so more knitting with small needles... I was careful to get the gauge right for once because my last knitted jumper has never been worn. A combination of sloppy swatching and not quite reading the fitting instructions resulted in a gorgeous but too small jumper.... I was deluding myself it would work out ok all the way to cast off but of course it didn't.

Feeling happy with Alistair's current enthusiasm for reading. I remembered the other day that Sam used to really really love a series of books called Warrior Cats and I suggested to Alistair to read the first one when he was looking for "something to do". We read the prologue of book one together and he was instantly hooked. He was disappointed that we don't have the full series on our shelves but Kindle purchases are cheap and instant and all was good. On Friday evening, it was just the two of us. I had to work unfortunately and left Alistair to do "whatever he felt like" (within reason), assuming he would spend the two hours playing the Switch. When I finished, I found him curled up in front of the fire, reading. I felt surprisingly choked up.

Listening to "The Humans" by Matt Haig and to "Purple Hibiscus" by.... I am taking turns because I find Purple Hibiscus quite a challenging text and I need something a bit more lighthearted to balance things out.

Thinking about our summer holiday. Richard gets easily bored and would ideally like to bring work on holiday but I am not keen he does. Annie wants to do something "a bit different", but so far her suggestions are prohibitively expensive. James and Alistair are happy wherever we take them as long as there is an outdoor pool.

Looking at new coffee machines. Our current one makes lukewarm espresso without crema, which is not pleasant to drink. It is about 20 years old and Richard has already fixed it a number of times. Sam wants a bean to cup machine with lots of buttons and dials but Richard and I prefer something simple and small.

Feeling pleased to see Annie after her two day Scout subzero camp. It was not below zero but if you live in the West of Scotland, you'll know that the gale force winds were quite something. I worried rather more than necessary on Friday night because I could literally feel the house vibrate in the wind and I imagined being in a tent was not much fun and quite possibly not safe either. As it turned out, she had a good time and came back with a healthy glow on her cheeks.

Enjoying a (long) walk to the most local yarn shop in Sam's company. I needed a 3.25 mm interchangeable needle set. We stopped at the Northstar Cafe for coffee and cannoli. I told Sam that Richard and I used to go there when he was a tiny baby. It is quite unbelievable really that he is now a proper grown-up.

Casting on the first of two jumpers. I found the Matilda pattern on Ravelry.

Sewing ice cream soda blocks, one at a time and loving it.

Finding out that there is funding for another two years of work for me and hoping nothing goes wrong in between now and the end of my contract. Last time I was in this situation I ended up being made redundant, which was not fun.

Ordering school uniform items for the first time in about seven years and hopefully for the last time. We have been able to recycle all school clothes for James and Alistair from Annie and Sam but somehow, the largest polo shirts have gone missing and James has taken an unexpected stretch.

Looking forward to two days off next week!

Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. It is lovely to see new commenters here on the blog. Welcome to this small corner of the internet.

Comments

  1. There's never a quiet moment in your busy household. The best kind of busy, however.
    I'm glad Annie survived her camp. There must have been some hairy moments in that wind. Character building at any rate.
    Enjoy choosing your summer holiday. It can be challenging finding something to suit everyone but I find all the planning quite exciting. X

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  2. Glad you are enjoying a moment of peace. Satisfying when they grow up and you can share childhood memories together. Loving your patchwork as always. Have a lovely few days off. B x

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  3. Those EPP patchworks are gorgeous!

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  4. Hurray for two more years of work, that is good news. I am all about the coffee these days, but wondering if my slightly 'off' feelings are something to do with it. It doesn't really agree with me I fear. I love the sight of your little man curled up reading in his quilt, wonderful. Also thinking about holidays here. I am pushing for North Wales, my spiritual home. My eldest told me earlier that he would probably have gone by the time the next World Cup comes around. That stopped me in my tracks. He'll be 19 in 2022! Eek. The littlest has his eye on his room... CJ xx

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  5. Way to go with the reading. Neither of my grands are readers. I guess they take after their father.

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  6. My son loved the Warriors series. They are great books. Planning for a holiday sound fun. We will be replacing our roof this year. Our holiday will definitely be on a very tight budget. But that’s ok, we have fun doing most anything so all is good.

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  7. Congratulations on the renewal of funding.

    Your quilt blocks are lovely. 😊

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  8. Bravo on the refunding for your job! How sweet that your son is loving reading those stories and wrapped up in the quilt you made for him.. so sweet. Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing your knitting progress. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  9. the only quiet time i get to myself is when i wake early in the morning to get my chores done. otherwise its all about homeschooling the small ones and trying to keep the house in some form of order through the day.

    your quilt is gorgeous!

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  10. I am so pleased you managed to extend your contract again. What a beautiful moment for you when Alistair was found curled up with a book, precious! Long may that last. Beautiful quilt. The winds here have been strong too I am not sure I would want to go camping in it.

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  11. Lovely post. These cosy times at home are so special and make for lovely memories.

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  12. The Matilda pattern is lovely, just enough patterning to keep it interesting. I must admit that I'm a bad swatcher and more often than not just hope for the best. Neither of my two were good readers, even though they both enjoyed having stories read to them when they were younger. It made me smile to see Alistair snuggled up in his gorgeous quilt.

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  13. I love that sweater pattern, you are going to wear it all the time. I can't swatch, after all these years of trying I never seem to get it right and then do my own thing. Thus nothing I make works! I love that your Alistair reading. Little B and I are reading the Junie B Jones series, she is so naughty and he loves them. HE is an excellent reader but math, well don't get me started on that. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  14. Love your ing post, we are in tune aren't we? It is great to see boys reading. We commented only yesterday that we were pleased that our girls love to read. Your quilt blocks are amazing, I really love them. Good luck with the jumper it looks really nice. Enjoy your two days off. Jo xxx

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  15. I do enjoy your posts, I just want to sit a nd smile. Congratulations on the job front. I always tell my husband about your posts, he says it's good to know there are families like yours.
    That's wonderful about James and the reading.

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  16. Your boys are soooo cute,lovely looking.Great photos and those quilting blocks are amazing.Good luck with the jumper.Thanks for you lovely comment on my blog.x

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  17. Was a lovely photo of Alistair curled up reading in your quilt. Good news on the work front... fingers crossed for no sudden changes.

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  18. You definitely need a new coffee maker..
    Ah summer vacation.. it's snowing outside right now so I'm definitely looking forward to summer.
    It is so wonderful that your son has discovered the joy of reading.. yay!

    http://www.henatayeb.blogspot.com

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  19. I love your ing posts I must have a go and tag you and Joe in. It is wonderful to see children reading, my boys hardly ever read now at 16 and 19, such a shame as they powered through books when they were younger. I'm not surprised you choked up and I loved seeing one of your beautiful quilts put to good use. x

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  20. Lovely quilt photos! I am very anxious for spring. We have had snowy days here in Vancouver and am ready for the sun!

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  21. That's great news on the job front :) I hope nothing goes wrong this time.

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  22. Good news on the funding renewal, Christina. Reading by a warm fire in a lovely quilt looked quite wonderful for Alistair, even if the hardwood floor would be uncomfortable for most adults. We also need to get a new coffee maker and are considering one that both brews a pot of coffee and can make a single cup at a time.

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  23. You are the queen of juggling work and family and hobbies, Christina, you are amazing. I love the look of that Matilda jumper. I had to look up Ice Cream Soda Blocks and they are gorgeous. Makes me think sheepishly of that EPP quilt I started last summer which is in a bag somewhere....

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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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