Still hot and bothered

The hot weather continues apace.  We have had one day where it was in the lower 20's and that was gorgeous!  Mary-Jane continues to sleep with us.  She is increasingly complaining of being tired and is actually asking to be taken to bed during the day for 'snoozybugs'.  Something will have to give on that front quite soon, natural progression.  HK and I also continue to be tired through lack of sleep and the heat, not painting a happy picture!

 

It has been too hot to bake, although I am getting withdrawal symptoms from being in the kitchen.  I have made a fruit lasagne, which didn't turn out anything like the picture.  I like the principle of it, but thought it lacked very much in the 'cheese' sauce department.  I haven't even made anymore ice cream, and two 300ml tubs of cream have gone down the sink as they've not been used.  I hate waste like that.

 

There is still no word on when I start work.  I am still waiting for my driving licence and new passport to come through.  I would have hoped the licence would have been here yesterday or today.  There is always tomorrow.  The passport I am not expecting for another few weeks at least.  I might be in this new job this side of Christmas, you never know.

 

The Pi Shawl is coming on well.  I still haven't put it down yet as I know that I probably won't pick it up for quite a while, so I endevour and enjoy to do as much as I can at the moment - around 3 - 4 rounds an evening.  I have now come to the point where the pattern says to cast off or do the edging, so I am free wheeling now.

Hot

I didn't realise it had been a week or so since I last blogged.  I had actually written, or attempted to write a couple of posts, not getting as far as publishing. 

 

It is so hot.  Yesterday the car said it was 30 degrees c.  Wilt.  My feet, especially the right one, have swelled up like balloons, from hlaf way up my calf to nearly at my toes.  Standing up to be on the laptop is very uncomfy.

 

We have been busy.  We went for a beautiful walk a couple of days ago, there are downloaded photos, to be published.  I have been to Penrith today for work Induction.  I still have no start date, but they wanted me to attend induction as they didn't know when the next one would be.  My driving licence is not through, I am expecting it any day.  My passport has now expired.  No doubt they will want a current one.  I am sending off for a new one tomorrow. 

 

I have made some Lime Curd Ice Cream - and very nice it is too!  And strangely enough - very cream!  I have plans to make some strawberry ice cream and lots more past there.  All in the fullness of time.  I will put the recipe up.  I've not baked, but am ready to do the Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake.

 

The Pi Shawl is coming on lovely.  I think - I know I will have to do lots more rounds more than the pattern states as I have used lace weight yarn instead of 4 ply.  It won't bee finished as soon as i thought it would be - only 24 rounds according to the pattern.  I might be about half way when pattern is completed, though I am hoping it will be more than that!

Trying

Last evening was a long one.  Mary-Jane didn't settle to sleep until 9.30.  Tonight was about an hour earlier.  When HK went into her room, she had thrown her blanket and pillow, taken her pj top off and ripped even more wall paper off the wall.  Not to mention the shouting and screaming.  Which had at least, taken longer to reach crescendo.

 

I took her out shopping today.  In the second shop she started warming up for a tantrum, so I went to put her in the trolley.  She screamed all the more and fought to not go in the trolley.  So I picked her up and carried her out of the shop and to the car.  She calmed after five minutes or so, then had another five minutes sulk and came around after that.  Unfortunately it took Granma a further half an hour to exit the shop, by which time MJ was getting restless.  Apparantly the till had broken down as she was going through, then got caught by someone she knows who can and did, rattle and rattle, despite after ten minutes me fixing her with a few 'certain' looks.  These for me, were still in the range of polite glaring, not my full on glare.  Perhaps that might have been more effective, but one has to maintain some degree of politeness.  It was the once that I hoped MJ would start shouting and screaming, never mind!

 

After that Mary-Jane did try really hard to be good, she slipped a few times, but In fairness, worked really hard with herself.

 

I have been treated to Peggy Porschen Baking Boutique.  There are a lot of cakes I want to make, surprisingly.  The first one may well be the Summer Berry Layer Cake or the Dark Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake.  I might not do it dark chocolate, I find dark chocolate a little too rich, or not on the top of my likings list.  There are a few more I want to do and have been inspired to create a few of my own.  The recipes say to use 6" pans for the layer cakes, something I shall have to put on my wish list.

 

My Pi Shawl is still coming on well.  I am now on 576 stiches per round.  I have the lace pattern for this section well sunk into my head, so I can do the lace rounds (alternate ones) whilst the telly is on.  I have been watching 'Endevour' these last two evenings.  It is Morse as a young copper, quite good.

Coming Up To Speed

Mary-Jane is continuing to sleep with us, all night.  She shouts and screams until HK goes into her and they go into our bed.  HK does usually go up around 7pm to lie on the bed and stretch out, read and listen to the radio.  Mary-Jane settles fairly quickly once she is settled in bed with Daddy.  It is Daddy that she calls out for and Daddy that she wants.  She is still tired during the day, as we both are.  I'm not too bad with it at the moment, but it is catching up with HK.  She is generally settling better during the night, not waking up with the screaming ab-dabs.  Daytimes are slightly better as well, not so many tantrums and not for quite as long or quite as bad.  Still a way to go though.

 

I've made my Key Lime Cupcakes this afternoon.  I am tempted to decorate them tomorrow and pretty-fy them, perhaps use an icing bag to put the topping on.  I've not tasted one yet.  I'm hoping to spend a good bit of time in the kitchen tomorrow, we shall see.

 

MJ and I went to playgroup this morning.  Only the usual protests from her as we left, luckily.

 

I have another provisional Start Date, but this does not take into account the fact that my clearance checks are not complete.  The Induction Date is now 10th July in Penrith, for the afternoon.  It may be a step forward, or just a red herring step in the mist.  In other words, I'm not banking on it, not am I disregarding it.

 

I went to the Woolfest on Friday.  I always love going.  And as usual I could have spent an absolute fortune.  There seemed to be more for felting and spinning.  Spinning will happen, but in a few years at least.  I made a mental note that I could buy automatic carding machines, now that would save a lot of time!  There seemed to be a wider range of stalls, rather than just weighted towards ready to knit yarn.  The animals were lovely to look at, the alpacas raised the biggest crowd.

 

Saturday evening I went to the Annual Friends Of Chernobyl's Children fundraising social.  Very enjoyable. It is the third time I have been now.  I came a bit close to winning one game of stand up bingo.  Dad won the big raffle prize - a rocking horse for Mary-Jane.  She - and I - were thrilled to bits with it. 

 

I'm still on with my EZ Pi Shawl.  I'm enjoying doing it.  I have just started the increase row, from 288 to 576 stitches.  I do wonder how much I shall be enjoying it then!  It is not as big as I hoped for, so once I have done set amount of rows, I will be driven by my enthusiasm as to how much more I do of it.  I should be starting a Tuesday Night KAL, but I haven't decided what yarn to use.  I want to use a plainish one, the pattern calls for 4ply.  I can't lay my hands on plain 4 ply, only dk.  I will have another look at what I have in the house and get cracking with that as soon as poss.

Catch Up

Just a quickie tonight, to keep me in the rhythm.  Busy, sleepless weekend.  MJ still having horrendous tantrums, though slight improvement.  My headaches and health are feeling the stress, as is HK's.  We are getting there though.  Knitting is flying - Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawl - the one from the Knitters Almanac.  Made Lime Curd, not got to make the Key Lime Cupcakes with it yet.

Palmette

I have finished my Palmette Shawl this evening.  It is being blocked at the moment.  Technical glitches prevent images.  I have really enjoyed doing this project.  It has been a lovely break and simple to do.  On the lace part, the lace pattern is in sixteen row repeats.  There is only one actual row of lace in four rows.  The actual stitches that repeat the pattern are the same, so once you've got your head around that, which to me is an easy to remember formula.  This may well spur me on to do more shawls and shawl like things.

 

All this and on the eve of the Woolfest.  I should be swinging from the rafters, but this years Woolfest is going to be a 'Seeing Only', not buying, for me.  I know that will rankle me, but that is how it is.  Ha, otherwise I would spend a fortune on exquisitely gorgeous yarns to make upteen shawls and other beautiful goodies with!  It will make next years Woolfest all the sweeter.  In the meantime I shall go stash surfing in my SABLE Stash, for scrummy things I have put by to use.  Even stash surfing is making me excited.  Never Mind!

 

We had another disturbed night.  Not quite as disturbed as the others.  I think HK had a much worse night than me to be honest.  I woke up feeling rather grotty.  My guts have been playing up, in a way they were over the winter, a tad worrying.  They have improved as the day has gone on, but they still don't feel quite right.  HK insisted that I go back to bed again after breakfast, which I did, and had a good sleep/rest.

 

Poor MJ has been very tired, and not overly full of beans.  Even she has tried a few times to take a nap and get cosy comfy to close her eyes.  She hasn't been successful with this.  She has asked to go to bed a few times in the day.

 

I didn't get to do any baking.  I didn't feel up to it at all.  Doing a mashed egg sandwich at lunch time was enough.  It was nice to have a relaxing day.

Wednesday

Mary-Jane woke up as I was getting into bed last night.  We bit the bullet and kept her in with us - or did we try her on her own bed, but started screaming as soon as the bedroom door was shut?  Each night is getting a bit samey samey at the moment!  She did try to settle down, rather than be wide awake and bouncy.  Initially she clung to me, really nestled into me for quite a while.  Although she is a cuddly child, her need to be held and to be close to me, was quite intense.  I did wonder if she had been dreaming about falling out with me - shouting and screaming and having a tantrum - and wanted lots of re-assurance.  This is the sort of thing she would do.  We cuddled for ages, it was lovely I must say.  I could feel her breath on my skin, so gentle.

 

When it was finally time to get up, I was still tired, weren't we all.  MJ wanted to stay on the bed and have snugglebugs.  I felt a bit run down, as if I was getting the start of a cold.  A while later, HK sent me off to bed to have a lie down and a sleep, to help me feel better.  I didn't need to be told twice.  I had a sleep for nearly an hour and a half and felt a lot better for it. 

 

Nothing much else was done this morning.  MJ and I had some time out in the garden, trying to ignore the strong breeze.  The sun was lovely though.  MJ was thoroughly delighted when Daddy came out.

 

This afternoon, HK had to sign on.  Off to Whitehaven.  We did our weekly shop early to avoid going again tomorrow.  I can't go Friday as it's Woolfest.  I am lucky enough to be a Volunteer again, so I get to help out and get in for free.  Usually there is a complementary yummy ice cream as well into the bargain!

 

I have applied to CCFWI - Cumbria Cumberland Federation Womens Institute - for a Bursary to go on a course at Denman House in Oxfordshire.  I suppose I have as much chance as anyone else of winning the bursary.  Attending there is not something I can do under my own steam for quite a few years with the way things are now.  My app will get there at the last minute, the end of June is closing date, so fingers crossed!

 

My provisional start date for work is July 5th.  With all the business of having to send off for my driving licence, I have convinced myself that I won't be starting then.  I have recieved an email this evening from my boss-to-be telling me that I will be kept in the loop over the next few days.  It does make me wonder if strings are going to be pulled for me to start on the 5th.  I am not quite mentally prepared for this.  I guess being thrown in the deep end is something I have got used to.  I am better swimming there than at the shallow end.

 

I am hoping to do some baking tomorrow.  Not decided what yet, key lime cupcakes, a rhubarb cake, rhubarb curd and maybe either baileys scones or mincemeat scones are all vying for my attention.  I suppose a lot if it depends on what tomorrow brings, and tonight for that matter!

 

My knitting is flying.  I decided to do an extra set of pattern repeats on the Palmette Shawl.  I have another six rows to do before doing a crochet cast off.  My goodness - does that mean I could get it done and blocked, ready to show off at Woolfest on Friday?! Maybe a tall order.  Or less potential baking  teeheehee!