The View from the Manor

Knitting Update September 2011

2011-09-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

Finished Objects

I've been a very busy girl this month - I've finished the Crow Waltz shawl and the socks for mom, knit four scarves, three pairs of fingerless mitts, a little princess crown and an octopus.

I'm so pleased I've finally finished the Crow Waltz shawl. I didn't have enough pins to block it properly so eventually I may reblock it but at the moment I'm pretty happy with it. Here's a picture of it blocking and I'll try and get one of me wearing it.

I've been knitting fingerless mitts for a charity that distributes them to dialysis patients, although Evie tried on a pair and decided she wanted one. Since she's headed back to chilly Reading next week I'll give her the black pair and knit up some new ones to replace them. I was really tempted to keep the purple ones but I have some yarn left so I'll make a pair for myself next.

(Evie was the hand model for these.)

I finished the Monkey socks at campmeeting but, as I feared, they were too narrow for Mom's feet. I had my purple socks with me and they fit her much better so we did a swap, and I'm now the proud owner of the blue & green Monkeys.

I was working on my pink bamboo Shale scarf while at campmeeting and it garnered much interest and requests for similar scarves so when I'd finished mine:

I made one for Noely:

(she just got it in the mail and loved it so I've asked for a picture of it on her)

And then one for Mom:

(Shh, I haven't sent it to her yet)

I've also knitted a little princess crown and a scarf for charities through Ravelry, which I don't have pictures of at the moment, and crocheted an octopus for Evie's friend Claire, in California, as a thank you for picking me up at the airport in July. Apparently she loves octopi.

I think he's pretty cute

What's on the Needles

So, at the moment I'm knitting a lace cowl for myself out of the Debbie Bliss Andes I made my slouchy hat out of last year:

It's going pretty fast so I should have it done by the end of the weekend, if not earlier.

I've also started a coat for Evie out of Ella Rae Classic worsted wool in a dark red, held double, which will be felted down to make a kind of pirate-y coat. It's knit on big needles (8mm) so it's going pretty quick, but I won't be able to felt it until Evie comes home for Christmas (to make sure it fits), so I'm not in a hurry with this. It's stockinette, so fairly mindless knitting and I can work on it while I watch TV, although I do have to be careful that I take up both strands in each stitch - I do have a tendency to miss one every so often.

And finally, I've managed to block the pink cardigan:

The empty living room is perfect for blocking at the moment. I've brought up the spare twin mattress and covered it and a throw rug with sheets.

If I can get the cowl done before the weekend I'm going to make a start on seaming the cardigan up.

Hibernating

Nothing at the moment!

New Stash

Apart from the new yarn for Evie's coat and the commissioned scarves I've been mostly knitting from my existing stash. I did make one "retail therapy" purchase when I was having a very bad day, of some gorgeous Malabrigo sock yarn, with which I'm going to make a lace shawl. The colourway is "Velvet Grapes" and the name of the shawl is "Candy Shoppe".

What I've Been Listening To

Lot's more Agatha Christie - it really is the perfect knitting listening, entertaining without being too demanding. I've also been listening to a fair number of the divine Phryne (rhymes with briny) Fisher books by Kerry Greenwood, also very entertaining. I've just seen that the ABC in Australia (the books are set in Melbourne) are making a TV series, so I'll have to keep an eye out for that.

I've downloaded some more knitting podcasts - still working my way through the 150-odd KnitPicks episodes - but have discovered a few more that I enjoy, including "Never Not Knitting".

What I'm Reading

Again, not a lot, although I have discovered a fun knitting/mystery series at the library by Sally Goldenbaum, set in a little seaside town on the East Coast of the States (Massachusetts I think, they visit Boston a fair amount). There do seem to be several knitting/mystery series but this is the one I've liked the best so far.

Knitting Update July 2011

2011-07-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Finished Objects

Hufflepuff Scarf - Oct 2010

Because in the Harry Potter World I'm a total 'Puff.

Felted Tote Bag - Feb 2011

I crocheted the tote but it ended up so enormous that I threw it in the washer on the hottest cycle and it felted down to this perfect size.

Lacy Summer Socks - June 2011

I started these on the coach trip in Europe at the end of May and finished them on the plane to California in the middle of June. They are Cookie A's "Summer Sox" pattern and were so much fun to knit up.

Stashbusting Bags for the Kids

And some charity knitting

Recovery Buddies

Handmade Especially for You

and a random alpaca hat for a homeless charity

I've also knit about 8 cotton dishcloths but haven't bothered to take pictures of them.

What's on the Needles

As of this moment I'm a couple of inches into a second sock for mom.

These are Cookie A's "Monkey" socks and are looking good in the self-striping wool I'm using. I started these at Mom & Dad's in June and will hopefully finish them in time to give them to her for campmeeting in a couple of weeks.

I'm also knitting an "Old Shale Scarf" from bamboo sock yarn and I love the way the self-striping is creating the wavy pattern in the scarf.

Hibernating

I haven't worked on my pink alpaca cardigan since I finished knitting it in the winter. It just needs blocking and sewing up but I just haven't found the initiative to do it yet.

I finally started the "Crow Waltz" shawl in my beautiful "Old Maiden Aunt" yarns in April. I knitted up the lace border and then picked up the 200 odd stitches to make the body but several inches in realised I'd been doing something wrong and had to frog back to the border. Since then I've been too demoralised to pick it back up again. I think I will take this to California with me later this month and make it my campmeeting knitting.

New Stash

I got money for my birthday and the very next day went to Muse in St Helena and blew it all in one go.

The bright pink with a hint of green is Zauberball sock yarn and I've been coveting this colourway since the first time I saw it. Initially I thought I'd make a pair of socks with it but then I saw a picture of it make up into a Citron shawl and due to the semicircular shape it looks a bit like watermelon so I think I'll go with that.

The other two skeins are Manos Serena, made of baby alpaca and cotton and I just couldn't resist them. One is a solid purple and the other a variegated purple. I'm not sure yet what I'll make of them yet but in the meantime I'll enjoy petting them.

So thanks to Lauren and Fin for the funds, and Maria R-B for her excellent enabling!

What I'm Listening To
Mostly I've been listening to books on CD lately, rather than music. Right now I'm alternating between Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", and William Gibson's "Spook Country". I've also, belatedly, discovered knitting podcasts and have been working my way randomly through some of the ones I've found on iTunes. I particularly like the Knit Picks podcast as it's well produced and extremely informative and entertaining.

What I'm Reading
As I've been listening to books on CD I haven't done a lot of reading of actual books but at the moment I'm re-reading Laurie R. King's "The Language of Bees" before I read the sequel, "God of the Hive".

Koumpounophobia

2011-02-25T23:32:00.000-08:00

Blog Fail

2011-02-22T06:15:00.000-08:00

I should NEVER have so blithely declared that I'd post every day this month. Sigh.

I have been so busy since we got back from Maryland (and consequently so tired) that I've been collapsing into bed at 9.00 most nights.

The news so far:

The sellers agreed to give us an escrow check for the ENTIRE amount of the re-roofing quote. They originally countered with half, but our realtor, the awesome Phyllis, pointed out to them that there was an identical house in the next street over selling for £50,000 less and that if they wanted us to buy their house, rather than the cheaper one, they'd better offer some incentive, because the roof was a deal-buster. The reason, by the way, that we were going for this house, rather than the cheaper one is that the cheaper one was a short-sale, and it can take 6-9 months to get an offer accepted on short-sales. Also, the house we chose is move-in ready. All we are waiting for now is the valuation for the mortgage lender, and a background check to make sure there are no liens on the property.
We've had contractors round our house here to give us quotes on some of the work that needs to be done to get it up to scratch for renting out. There are a few things I can't do, like removing the old gas fire or replacing the toilet cistern (it's one of the old fashioned two piece toilets), and a lot of things I could do but which would take me much longer and much more effort, like fixing guttering and resealing the bathroom and kitchen. So the contractors are going to do most of the repairs on the house, and I'm going to do all the painting and decorating. We are getting a certain amount from the Conference towards the costs and I got a small tax rebate, so that will cover the contractors work, and the materials I'll need, with a little bit left over for emergencies and getting professional cleaners in at the end if necessary.
Evie has settled in really well at University, is getting on pretty well with her course, but has really found her true love in RUCAS (Reading University Circus Arts Society) and contact juggling. If you've ever seen David Bowie in "Labyrinth" you'll know what contact juggling is. If you haven't, this is the sort of thing...and she's getting really good at it.

The plan is still for David to go mid-March and for me to finish up with the house here and follow at the end of March. If everything goes smoothly we'll be able to move into the new house shortly after I arrive (although we'll have to get a few pieces of furniture to tide us over until our shipment arrives).

Our House (fingers crossed)

2011-02-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

We've put in an offer and it has been accepted. The home inspection was this afternoon and it flagged up some issues with damp, the electrics and the roof, so our realtor is going to negotiate to see what she can get for us.

So, if everything goes according to plan, this will be ours on 22 March.

Isn't it preeeeeety?

If you're the praying sort, we'd really appreciate a mention or two.

On our way to owning a house in the USA

2011-02-08T17:15:00.000-08:00

Very tired. But pleased - we put the offer in on the house we want, should hear back tomorrow morning. The house inspection is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Had one "sort of" job interview - more a chat really - at the radio station. They don't have anything right now but might by the time we get moved over, so I'll call them back when we are settled in. Have another tomorrow morning at 8.30 - I am not my best at 8.30am, but I'll try and be coherent. I'll need a lot of coffee first.

Short & Sweet because I'm jetlagged

2011-02-07T18:02:00.001-08:00

We've found a house to make an offer on. I have two job interviews before we go home. More anon.

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right"

2011-02-06T18:38:00.000-08:00

We walked around some of the monuments in DC this afternoon and stayed for some time at the Lincoln Memorial. On one inside wall of the memorial is the text of the Gettysburg address, and on the other the Second Inaugural Address. Lincoln had such a spare, elegant, humble, nobility to the way he wrote. The Gettysburg address is very well known, but the Second Inaugural is actually even more powerful.

"At this second appearing to take the oath of the presidential office, there is less occasion for an extended address than there was at the first. Then a statement, somewhat in detail, of a course to be pursued, seemed fitting and proper. Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention, and engrosses the energies [sic] of the nation, little that is new could be presented. The progress of our arms, upon which all else chiefly depends, is as well known to the public as to myself; and it is, I trust, reasonably satisfactory and encouraging to all. With high hope for the future, no prediction in regard to it is ventured.

On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago, all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war. All dreaded it--all sought to avert it. While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war--seeking to dissol[v]e the Union, and divide effects, by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came.

One eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the Southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was, somehow, the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union, even by war, while the government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the territorial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the seat of other men's faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has His own purposes. "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" If we shall suppose that American Slavery is one of those offences which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South, this terrible war, as the woe due to those by whom the offence came, shall we discern therein any departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a Living God always ascribe to Him? Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

The Universe is Laughing at Me

2011-02-05T05:46:00.000-08:00

After having blithely declared I would post every day this month, our internet connection promptly quit on us.

However, we are now ensconced in a Comfort Inn in Maryland (with free wireless) to spend a week in meetings and looking at houses so I'll be blogging about snow and house-hunting for a few days.

Now, I'm off to church, for the first time in over a year. Woohoo!

Knitting to Date

2011-02-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

As I said yesterday, I haven't done as much knitting in the past few months but I thought I'd share what I have done.

I liked Evie's slouchy hat so much I made one for myself.

I also made a pair of socks for a Harry Potter sock swap, I made Gryffindor socks for her and she made Hufflepuff socks for me, although sadly mine haven't turned up yet.

At the request of the husband, I also made a winter scarf, in his favourite colour. I tried to keep it interesting by trying out a new stitch pattern, but he complains that the holes let the wind in. You can't make everybody happy.

All of the above were fairly quick knits, but I've had one project on the needles since August. My parents sent me money for my birthday last summer because I wanted to buy the yarn to make myself a cardigan. I chose a fairly straightforward pattern that is all garter stitch (knitting every row, no purling) because at the time I was still a beginner and it is knitted from side to side, instead of top to bottom or bottom up. I think it's taken so long partly because I keep getting sidetracked by the smaller projects and partly because it's just a LOT of knitting. I have the sleeves on the needles for more than a month now, only knitting a few rows at a time. I'm hoping blogging about it will give me the push to get it done!

This is the back, the first piece I knitted, and the colour is actually somewhere between this one and the following one. Neither is quite right. Once it's done I'll have to take a photo outside and see if I can capture the colour better.

This is the back, one front, and the beginning of the second front. I've since finished the second front and I'm working on the sleeves.

I'm knitting both sleeves at the same time so the stripes and increases are in the same place on both sleeves. I just need to make a big effort and get these done (I'm about 1/4 of the way through these) and then I can seam it all up and do a crochet border around the neck and front opening, sew on buttons and I can finally wear it!

Fecund February

2011-01-31T10:47:00.000-08:00

Fecund: Adjective: Producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile.

I've decided that to kick-start my blogging I'm going to post every day for a month. As February is the next month, and is fortuitously also the shortest, I'm going to start tomorrow (well actually today, but you know what I mean).

A lot's been going on the past few months, but it has mostly involved boring, routine stuff. My creative juices have been dry (or frozen, it's been so cold) - I haven't even been knitting much. I'm hoping that by forcing myself to write something every day some of that creativity will start flowing, like the sap rising in spring (hence the title).

Moving Again!

2010-10-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

OK, here's the deal. After spending two great years in California we moved back to England last January. We felt strongly that England was where we were meant to be this year. David even turned down a job in Tennessee that would have been a solid, secure alternative. And I really liked Chattanooga. But, after thinking and praying hard, it just didn't feel like the right fit for him. So we took a step in faith and came back to England, in the dead of winter, with no guarantee either of us would find work, and not sure how the move would affect Evie. We had seen providence working in our lives over the past two years and really felt that this was the right thing to do.

I'll tell you now that that belief has sometimes been the only thing that's kept us going over the past 10 months. I was lucky enough, after a couple of horrid temp jobs, to find long term temp work at the hospital, but neither of us have been able to find permanent work and we've had to survive on my temp pay, some articles David's written, and the kindness of friends and family. Fortunately David got a three month fellowship at the Folger and was able to send some of it home to cover expenses here, but it was a really tough summer.

The good news is that while David was in DC this summer he was offered the position of Director of Archives and Statistics at the General Conference (of the Seventh Day Adventist church, for anyone not in the know). Which means that come early next year we'll be moving back to the States. And, without having to stretch the imagination much, we've seen providence again. David was in the right place, at the right time to be able to attend interviews, meet with the right people and make all sorts of arrangements before he left. We had some long talks on the phone while he was there, and then when he got back, about whether this was the right thing for us to do, especially bearing in mind how strongly we felt we needed to be back in England. We concluded that everything seemed to be coming together to point us in that direction.

God works in strange ways. Funnily enough, not having a car or any money has meant that since we've been back we've rarely been able to do the things we love to do here in England: eating out, visiting National Trust sites, theatre trips, days out in London, weekends away, etc. That, combined with the fact that, after living in Angwin, Whitley is shabbier, dirtier, noiser and generally more unpleasant than we remember it from before we left, and that we lost our wonderful neighbours and now have to listen to the new neighbours screaming at each other and their kids all day , has prevented us from being as attached to life here as we would have been otherwise.

So, the plan at the moment, contingent on his work permit coming through, is for David to go out early in January and for me to follow in March. They will pay for me to come over for a week to have a look around so I'll go with David in January and do some mad house-hunting. The I'll come home and tie up the loose ends here, get our house in shape to be rented out, and arrange for the movers to come and take our stuff away. My Dad's trying to organise things so he can come over for a couple of weeks in February to help out which would be fantastic as he is totally Mr Handyman. David will fly back over at the end of February to help out with the last minute things, spend time with Evie on her birthday, and then we'll fly away in early March.

We sound so organised don't we? Ha!

More later on what we are hoping for the next few years.

Peek-a-boo

2010-10-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

I've got a couple of posts brewing in my head, including one about why we are moving BACK to the States early next year, but in the meantime, here's some cuteness to tide you over until later.

I've always been a little shy.

Yes my child, I've been around since dinosaurs roamed the earth.

And for those of you who are really missing the 70s.

Check out that awesome 'fro!

What do you mean it's the middle of October?!

2010-10-19T04:24:00.000-07:00

It was a weird summer. Basically I worked, I came home, I occasionally forayed into the town centre to do some shopping, I got out of Reading exactly once per month (and actually I'm not sure about September, it's a blur), I neglected my garden, I really neglected my housekeeping, and I did some knitting. That was my summer. It was hot, and then it was wet, it was mostly boring, it was lonely (my other half being in the States for three months) and I felt sorry for myself a lot. Hence the lack of views from the manor.

However, since 1 October, when the husband returned, it's been all go. I got aforementioned husband back, lost my job and packed my daughter off to college, all within three days. I then came down with a vicious cold that laid me out for the whole of my first week off work in eight months. I'm now working part time in the orthopaedic department at the hospital, aforementioned daughter comes over every few days for food and laundry and husband is off to Geneva for a few days.

So, that's me caught up!

Oh, and we're moving back to the States next year. But that's a whole separate issue.

Actually it hasn't been all bad. At the end of July I had a wonderful day out with my knit night friends at Knit Nation in London. I'd just got a £100 bonus from my doctor in the Renal Department so I blew it all on my day out - yarn, lovely, lovely yarn. My Wednesday nights at Outcasts in Reading have been my salvation - the nicest bunch of people on the planet, I tell you.

Here are a few pics of Knit Nation, and some of my knitting from the last few months.

The totally awesome Wollmeise stand.

The smaller but equally awesome Renaissance Dyeing who use only natural dyes, including their speciality, woad. How cool is that?

This was our combined haul from the day.

This was my personal haul from the day.

I was especially chuffed about the green and purple skeins in the middle from Old Maiden Aunt. The green is called "bitter bug" and the purple is "derelict daughter". I've wanted that one since I first heard of the name of it! I'm going to make this shawl with them.

The yarn on the far left is from Wollmeise and I made these socks for David out of it.

He has worn them but I have yet to get a picture of them on his feet.

Here are a few more of my projects from over the summer.

Tabi socks for the girl child.

A cardigan I did for a finishing class at knit night, which just happens to fit Bear perfectly.

A scarf for me (modeled by the ever obliging child) made of bamboo. It's been a steep learning curve this knitting thing. A few months ago I didn't know you could buy yarn made from bamboo, soy, corn, milk or seaweed - and now I do!

And finally, a hat for the Child (it needs a little stretching out, yes) - my first lace project.

I've also finished the back of my birthday cardigan but I won't post pictures till it's done.

And for those few of you interested in my foray into vegetable gardening, I don't have any pictures but at the end of September I harvested a big bowl full of little potatoes, five fairly motheaten red cabbages, and two enormous courgettes that had hidden away under the leaves and which I could hollow out and use as canoes. All in all, considering how much I had neglected it in its later stages, my garden did pretty well for me.

What to do with all that zucchini

2010-07-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

I have six zucchini/courgette plants and two of them are presenting me with the cutest, tenderest squashes I've ever eaten. Based on the number of blossoms on the other four, I'm going to be more than replete with squash this summer. I'm trying to catch them when they are little but one sucker hid under the leaves and when I found it this morning it was rehearsing for a policeman's truncheon. There was only one thing to do...make chocolate cake.

I've always been a little skeptical about cooking vegetables in desserts - even carrot cake is a little dodgy in my view, but I've been assured that you can't taste the zucchini in cake. So I did a search and came up with this rather luscious sounding recipe on the aptly named Zucchini & Chocolate website. Since allergy boy and vegan girl are away from home I thought I'd whip up a chocolate cake using real butter, eggs, cocoa and dark chocolate and see if it's enough to hide the squash.

The result - absolutely frickin' gorgeous. Rich, moist, chocolaty and not a trace of zucchini to be found - it's just melted into the cake. I made a powdered sugar glaze to top it with but it's kind of gilding the lily. It doesn't need anything else.

[Sorry no pictures but Evie has my camera in DC - maybe next time]

The Habit of a Lifetime - One Month at a Time

2010-07-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

I turned 42 last month. I'm not ashamed to admit my age - I'm embracing the "I don't give a s**t" attitude that has been creeping up since I turned 40. So, to celebrate the fact that 42 is supposed to be the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything, I've decided to make this year meaningful. And how, you may ask? I will tell you. I'm going to cultivate 12 good habits this year. Research tells us that doing something every day for a month will establish it as a habit, so every month I'm doing one thing every day in order to make it part of my routine.

For example, I've always been rather hit and miss about flossing so, since 22 June I have flossed every single night before I go to bed. I've put the floss right by my toothbrush instead of in the medicine cabinet so I have no excuse to forget to do it. Hopefully by 22 July when I move on to the next habit formation I'll floss as automatically as I brush.

So here are a few of the things I'd like to make new habits in the next year, in no particular order.

Clean and moisturize my skin every day. I used to be able to get away with often being lazy and going to bed with my makeup still on, but those days are long gone.
Drink my 8 glasses of water a day. That's easier to do in the summer so this may be July/August's habit.
Make sure that all the dishes are done and the kitchen tidy before I go to bed so I don't have to come down to a mess in the morning. I used to be good at this but like so many things I've let it slip dreadfully.
Take 10-15 minutes each morning for a devotion and prayer. I really SHOULD make it longer but 15 minutes is do-able and I can leave making it longer for another time.
Plan dinner further in advance than 6.00 that evening. I am definitely the "come home and see what's in the cupboard" kind of meal planner. I think this one may wait till Evie's off to college as that will make it easier. It's not easy to make dinner for 3 when one is a strict vegan and another is allergic to everything. Our choices are fairly limited but it would be nice to have more variety than rice pasta potatoes, rice pasta potatoes, rice pasta potatoes...
Walk to work and back EVERY day (3 1/2 miles round trip). I usually walk either to or from every day but it's so easy to come up with a reason for spending £1.70 to catch the bus - it's too hot to walk, too wet, I'm tired or running late. The funny thing is that the nearest bus stop to work is still about 1/2 mile away so I'm not saving that much effort or time. By the time I've walked to the bus stop, waited for the bus, rode the bus and then walked from the bus stop I may as well have walked the whole way. And I won't get into the whole issue of germs, weirdos and Whitley mums you get riding the bus.

I'm sure more things will come to me as the year goes on. There are certainly plenty of areas for improvement in my life but I think this is a do-able plan. Much more than my usual vague New Year's Resolutions - lose some weight, eat less chocolate, etc.

So, I'm off to floss :)

Haha, Sock Success!

2010-06-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

My first pair of socks!

Aren't they pretty?

Oh yes, I am proud.

...and pretty maids all in a row

2010-06-08T11:40:00.000-07:00

I have a garden.

Everyone "ooh" and "ahh" now (and if you knew me growing up on the farm, laugh).

Seriously, I have a garden. I admit, I'd made grandiose plans. I had a great time poring over seed catalogues and making up longer and longer lists of veggies I wanted to grow. In the end however, money, time and energy dictated a somewhat more modest endeavour.

The monsters at the back are my potatoes. I'd like to say I'm proud but to be honest all I did was put them in the ground. The two largish courgettes on the left are what's left of the six I planted and the ones in the middle were a gift today from the lovely Ralph. I've given them a good soaking and hopefully a couple of them will make it. The little green dots on the right are my pepper seedlings.

The big white thing in the back is a carpet I've put down to kill the lawn so I can expand the garden later in the summer. I'd really like to put some beets, leeks and red cabbage in. I love pickled cabbage and beets, well pickled anything really, and I'm looking forward to making my own.

Do I seem overexcited about a small patch of mostly bare ground in my lawn? Perhaps. But it's a first step towards my dreams...tread softly.

Zen and the Art of Sock Knitting

2010-06-03T00:03:00.000-07:00

Knitting is cheaper than therapy. Heck, knitting IS therapy. Last week I started my first real knitting project, a pair of socks from a kit I bought. Coincidentally I had a really stressful week at work (and financially). On Thursday I was starting to tear my hair out so I put everything down, went outside and sat on the bench in the sunshine, took out my sock and started knitting ribs. I must have sat there for half an hour, soaking up the rays, watching my sock slowly grow, and I could feel the tension melting out of my shoulders. And all it cost me was £9.99.

Here it is in the early stages. It's made from a lovely German sock wool called Opal, which is variegated and self striping. I'm just about to finish off the toe of this one and then I have the second one to knit, and I'll have my very own, hand knitted socks! I'll put up pictures of the finished product.

Update

2010-05-31T01:08:00.000-07:00

Ok, quick recap of the last six months. We left Angwin just before Christmas, spent Christmas in Australia, moved back to England in January and have spent the last few months looking for work. It's been stressful and I haven't been posting because stress tends to kill off any creative impulses that might be lurking. In fact I haven't really been in touch with anyone lately because I'm afraid all I'll do is moan.

However...despite the fact that we still don't have permanent jobs, it's spring in England, my itty bitty garden is looking good and I've discovered knitting, so blogging is on the to do list.

More when I've uploaded some photos of the aforementioned garden and knitting.

Things To Do Before I Die

2010-01-31T00:26:00.000-08:00

The recent movie "The Bucket List" seems to have inspired bloggers everywhere to create their own Bucket Lists, lists of things they want to accomplish in their lifetimes. Some are fairly shallow (spend a weekend at the Playboy Mansion, some profound (save a life), some amusing (ride a camel - I have to admit that's one of mine too). I imagine most of us have lists of varying lengths which we have come up with in the course of our lives, whether formally written down or just in our heads. I've had various versions which have changed as I have changed, and as I have accomplished things. When I was very young one of my ambitions was to ride in a taxi, which I accomplished on my one and only visit to New York City as a nine-year-old. Of course I've taken countless taxis since, but I can still remember the excitement of the firs time I ticked something off my "list".

So here, in no particular order, is my current "Bucket List":

Cruise down the Nile - I'm planning this for my 50th birthday
Become self-sufficient
Grow a vegetable garden
Learn to play the lute
Visit Murano Island in Venice and buy some Venetian glass
Meet my birthmother
Ride a camel/elephant
Visit Petra in Jordan
Volunteer for an archaeological dig
Learn to dance
Climb to basecamp on Mt Everest (I know my limitations)

And a few things I've ticked off:

Ride in a taxi
Live in England
Spend a night in a museum
Live in the Napa Valley again
Find my birthmother (although I haven't met her yet)
Visit Paris

I'd love to hear what's on your lists.

One for Evie

2010-01-25T13:28:00.000-08:00

Rat Song

BY MARGARET ATWOOD

When you hear me singing

you get the rifle down

and the flashlight, aiming for my brain,

but you always miss

and when you set out the poison

I piss on it

to warn the others.

You think: That one’s too clever,

she’s dangerous, because

I don’t stick around to be slaughtered

and you think I’m ugly too

despite my fur and pretty teeth

and my six nipples and snake tail.

All I want is love, you stupid

humanist. See if you can.

Right, I’m a parasite, I live off your

leavings, gristle and rancid fat,

I take without asking

and make nests in your cupboards

out of your suits and underwear.

You’d do the same if you could,

if you could afford to share

my crystal hatreds.

It’s your throat I want, my mate

trapped in your throat.

Though you try to drown him

with your greasy person voice,

he is hiding / between your syllables

I can hear him singing.

Home, Sweet Home?

2010-01-18T03:39:00.000-08:00

We are finally here and starting to settle back in, and it feels really strange. The house is smaller (and shabbier) than I remember and I'm racking up items on my to-do list (mostly small repairs and lots of painting). There's a leak in the bathroom sink, all the sealant around the tub has turned black, the tenants left heaps of junk in the backyard, it's cold, and grey, and the pretty snow is gone.

But...I'm home. My house. My home. So there's lots of work to do - I expected that. So it's small (cozy) - I can adjust to that again. So it's a little shabbier - paint's cheap and therapeutic. And, I've got new carpet! Installed by someone else, so I got to come home to it all done and ready.

We are also having fun pulling boxes out of storage and rediscovering things ("why did I pack that up and not just throw it away?"). I feel like an archaeologist. It's a small but significant joy to find a favourite tea towel or wooden spoon.

So, back to the unpacking and excavation.

A-Z Reading Challenge

2009-12-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

I found this challenge at The Luscious Literary Muse and thought I'd give it a try for 2010. I've reproduced the rules as they appeared on the blog.

"Option A: Read authors A to Z. Commit to reading 26 books theoretically speaking.

Option B: Read titles A to Z. Commit to reading 26 books theoretically speaking.

Option C: Read both authors A to Z and titles A to Z (52 books; this is the challenge Joy created)

Option D: Read internationally A to Z (books representing 26 different countries) (The books could be from international authors (writers from that country); however, it's fine if a book is only set in that country. If need be, instead of countries one could use cities, states, regions, etc. The idea is to use proper place names. If you'd like you could even use a few fictional countries.)

Option E: Read 26 Alphabet books. Embrace your inner child and go visit the children's section!

General rules:

How strict is the 26 or 52? I know it isn't always easy to find those difficult letters. The thought of finding the X's (for example) might scare folks away. It shouldn't! I'm a merciful host! (Ask anyone!)

If you want to give the X's a go... For authors, try to find an X in the first name, middle name, or last name. For titles, it doesn't have to be the starting word. Try to find an X somewhere in a title, and it'd count in my book.

Still can't find a book for the letter you need? I'll take your word for it. I've been there. I know. If your library doesn't see the need to order books just because it starts with an X, then I don't blame you for not wanting to special order a book that you may or may not enjoy. You gave it your best, don't feel bad. You can still make this challenge work for you.

Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations. Look at the previous site. Ask other participants. Or ask me, your host. I may not have the "right" recommendation for every letter, but working together, I bet you'll find something that interests you.

Audio books count in my opinion. If you take the time to listen to books, then that should count towards something.

What about rereads? I don't have a problem with rereads. I would hope that you'd want to mix it up a bit and read some new authors, new titles, etc. But I'm not going to require that by any means.

What about children's books? Children's books and YA books count along with adult fiction and nonfiction of all sorts. (Poetry and plays too. Short stories count if they're in a collection.) I don't see a need to discriminate between "adult" and "kiddie" books. Even picture books can count if you like. Though try to use them in moderation. I used a few picture books to get tricky letters this year."

A Warm Respite

2009-12-30T02:09:00.000-08:00

After weeks of running on adrenaline, now that I'm relaxing all the stress I ignored is taking its toll. I'm tired and headachy and generally feeling rundown, but at least I don't have to be anywhere or do anything and can go take a quick nap if I feel like it. It hasn't helped that the past few days have been horribly hot and humid which saps me quicker than running a 100-metre dash (not that I've done that in 25 years but you get the picture).

Today the weather was perfect though. The monsoon rains of the past two days have blown over and it was hot and dry and sunny and I had a gorgeous swim in the pool, although I'm pink and tender tonight. It's been so long since I've swum and I was enjoying it so much I stayed in even when I could feel my shoulders starting to feel the sun. I'm not crispy and it's not too painful, but I've lived in England too long. I've lost my tolerance and burn like an English Rose.

We're getting lots of reading and websurfing done and periodically play with the puppy. Geoff and Anne have a beautiful Cocker Spaniel puppy named Baxter who alternately amuses and infuriates.

Well it's 8pm and I'm wiped out - off to bed.

Taking a Deep Breath

2009-12-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. After a day of packing and cleaning and more cleaning and more packing we finally got everything into (or onto) the car. David, bless him, packed the car up and then came in really pleased that he had managed to fit everything in - and then noticed the carpet cleaner my mom had loaned us (which in the end we didn't even use because we ran out of time). After some cursing and walking round the car, he took out a suitcase and we strapped it to the roof of the car with bungee straps. We collected up our coats and bags, turned out the lights and locked the door for the last time around 8.30 last night and then drove down to my parents' in Ceres. I was so exhausted that I zoned out while we were on the 12 and didn't wake up again till we were on the 99 and then zoned out again till after we'd exited the highway and were on my parents' road. I have to be REALLY tired or sick to sleep in cars or planes so it's an indication of how worn out I was that I slept for nearly half the journey. When we finally got to the farm at about 11.30 we got out and the suitcase we'd bungeed to the roof had slid down to the back of the car and was hanging on for dear life. We only unpacked the essentials and made our way upstairs as quietly as we could so as not to wake Mom & Dad (which half worked - Dad sleeps like a log and Mom wakes up if a fly lands on the window screen).

Today I've been achy and slow and have spent most of the day sitting in front of the log fire, chatting with Mom or reading old Period Home magazines. I've been down here to visit so often over the last two years that it doesn't feel like we've moved - just like we've come for a long visit. Tomorrow we are visiting with friends and family, Monday is a shopping day, and Tuesday we fly to Brisbane, so after the last few weeks it was essential to have a day like today. We will be seeing family in Australia but I'm hoping that most of the time will be for lounging around the house and the pool, relaxing and soaking up the sun before the whirl of getting ourselves back to California and then on to what will no doubt be a cold and wet UK. Evie got an email from a friend in Reading who said that it was snowing there today.

I do want to try and keep up my blog but it's probably going to be patchy for the next month. So if my dear readers (all two of you) will be patient I'll try and occasionally write something worth waiting for.

A Moment of Reflection in the Midst of Chaos

2009-12-18T09:58:00.000-08:00

I'm taking a very short break from everything I have to do today to pause and think about the implications of today, Friday the 18th of December. This week the movers finally came and took away all the things we had put aside for shipping and when they were done our voices echoed around the suddenly empty space. Since then I've been trying to get the apartment clean while packing up what we have left, going to work, and saying goodbye to friends. Yesterday Holly Hughson came and helped with the cleaning - she scrubbed the stove and oven, bless her! Last night we went out for dinner at Armadillos, our favourite Mexican restaurant, for the last time. Today is my last day at work and I have four hours to get all the last minute jobs done. When I finish work at noon I have to go home, finish packing, clean the bathroom (bleh) and shampoo all the carpets (bleh bleh) before we can finally try to fit all our stuff into the car and head down to Mom & Dad's.

So the upshot is that I think I'm going to be too busy today to really appreciate the fact that after two years, it's our last day in Angwin. It's been an amazing couple of years and I'm hoping to write a post on what it's meant to me - but today is not the day.

The Long Goodbye

2009-12-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

The past few days have been full of lunches and dinners to say goodbye to people here at PUC. Saturday Bruce and Audrey had a crowd of people over to their house to say goodbye and many very nice things were said about us, particularly Evie's involvement in Drama and of course David's contributions as the Utt Professor. I was very proud of both of them.

Sunday night I had dinner with Cherise at Boskos in Calistoga (fantastic roasted artichokes) and we sat and talked long after we had finished eating. She's off on a mission trip to Zambia at the end of January so I'm looking forward to hearing how that goes.

Tuesday I had my 'goodbye lunch' for work - a little early so everyone could be there. I decided we should go to Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, since I'd really liked it the one time I'd been before. I had excellent steak with garlic mashed potatoes and for dessert a lemon flavoured pudding with huckleberries. I really got it for the berries, so now I can say I've had huckleberries. Tuesday night we went to Armadillo's in St Helena (our favourite local Mexican restaurant) with Maria.

We don't have anything else scheduled for the next week but we've got several meals with people the weekend we are with my parents, before we head off to Australia.

It's just as well that people are feeding us because I've been so busy I forget to eat (and if you know me at all you know that's just not me - I never forget to eat).

And now for something completely different...

2009-12-04T22:39:00.000-08:00

This week's been crazy and I'm tired and I'm going to bed, so here's one of my favourite songs to tide you over till I can post something more substantial.

A Little Known Fact About Me...

2009-12-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for cows. I really do. I love them. I WANT one, or even two. I even have names picked out for them - Agatha and Luella. Never mind that each cow requires an acre of land and I have one medium sized suburban back yard, I still long for one. I also want chickens and sheep but this post is about cows.

My grandpa was a cow man. As well as farming almonds and raising chickens (which actually my grandma did), he used to buy calves and raise them until they were ready to be turned into all the things cows that don't produce milk get turned into. I wasn't aware of this at the time, I just knew that grandpa had cows and they all had names. He wasn't sentimental about his cows and was quite ready to exchange them for cash when their time was up - but he named each and every cow he owned. In the winter I loved finding Grandpa in the barn, which smelled of hay and warm cow, and in the summer the cows would be turned out in to the small field which ran along the side of the property and behind the barn, and was emerald with tender grass.

Grandpa's cows tended to be black or black/white but the next set of cows in my life was the huge white Brahman cattle in Nigeria. In most of Africa cows were originally the currency of everyday life. A man's status and wealth depended on how many cows he had. The Fulani are beautiful, nomadic people who herded cattle over vast distances and in Nigeria, in the early 70s, their cattle of choice were Brahmans. Originally from India, their natural resistance to heat, insects and disease, their gentle natures and their outstanding milk (leading to outstandingly big and healthy calves) made them popular in hot climates around the world. I was very young when we were in Nigeria but a lasting image was the very common one of beautiful, graceful Fulanis herding their beautiful and very distinctive cattle through the village.

My second favourite cows are the shaggy, red, peeking shyly through their bangs at you, Highland Cattle (or coos as we like to call them). I completely fell in love with these cows when we were in Scotland. They are the complete opposite of the Brahmans with low compact bodies and long shaggy fur to protect them from the cold wind and rain in the Highlands of Scotland.

Honestly, how can you resist those faces?

My third favourite are the ever popular Jersey cows. They are the glamour girls of the bovine world.

Doesn't she look like she's been made up for her photo shoot? But these are not just pretty faces - their milk has one of the highest butterfat content of any cattle breed.

So, now you know far more about cows than you ever thought you should. But aren't they all gorgeous?

Here is one last picture of the closest I can get to owing a cow at this time in my life. Meet Francine.

The packet next to her is a starter kit for a herd of cows. The front says "Genuine California Cow Seeds - Grow Your Own Herd - Herd Starter Kit - Directions on UDDER side" and on the "UDDER side" it says:

"Directions
1. To start herd, follow directions to the letter.
2. Plant the seeds in a warm spot.
3. Plant seeds right side up or cows will grow upside down.
4. Be patient, cows need time to grow.
5. For best results, moo softly while watering."

Corny? Oh yeah! But I couldn't resist.

Calistoga Pottery

2009-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I went to The Calistoga Pottery to buy something to take home to England with me.

I visited once not long after we moved here and kept meaning to go back so I took the chance while I was down in the Valley getting groceries.

It's a tiny little place, packed with treasures and it was really hard to choose what to get.

What I really wanted was something that had been ash glazed, because they use ash from local vineyard trimmings, which I thought would be a great thing to remind me of our time here. Unfortunately they didn't have a lot of choice of items in the ash glaze but I ended up getting a shallow dish, meant as a wine bottle coaster, which would work perfectly to put oil and vinegar in for dipping bread.

I bought Evie a lovely cereal bowl and then I was snagged by a butterkeeper. Butter kept in the refrigerator is too hard but leaving it out risks the butter turning rancid, so the butterkeeper uses cold water to keep it fresh but still soft. You pack the butter into the lid, put water into the pot and then set the butter filled lid into the water. When you want to serve it you just pull the lid out and place it upside down on the table. I love little things like that so I couldn't resist.

Here are the pieces I bought - the butterkeeper has the lid on in this one.

And here it is with the lid off, as you would put it on the table to serve.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables

2009-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

When the nights start getting colder this is one of my favourite recipes for dinner - it's really easy and you can use whichever vegetables you like or have on hand. Bear in mind that it can take a long time to cook so leave plenty of time to prepare the vegetables and then roast them.

I used:
salad potatoes, unpeeled (the largest cut in half)
sweet potatoes
parsnips
carrots
beets
leeks
(cut all these into large bite sized pieces)
several whole cloves of garlic
fresh sage, rosemary & thyme
salt

Drizzle olive oil and stir till veges are well coated and then add balsamic vinegar and stir.

Line a roasting pan with foil (to make cleaning up easier) and drizzle a little more olive oil in to coat the bottom, then just dump in the vegetables. Ideally you should have a pan big enough that you will have a single layer but my pan is on the small size so I had 2-3 layers, which increases the cooking time. Cover with foil for at least the first half of cooking (esp if more than a single layer of veges) and cook till tender. Then take the foil off to let the vegetables brown a little. I cooked mine for 1 1/2 hours on 450F and a further 20 mins on 400.

You could probably cut the time down by cooking it on a higher temperature to soften the veges but make sure you turn it down a bit when you take the foil off. Personally I like them slow cooked so I make sure I have plenty of time - Sunday nights are perfect.

Stuff, I've got it

2009-11-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

I've been sorting through stuff this evening to pack for shipping and I can't believe the amount of junk we've accumulated in the two years we've been here. Where does it all come from? We aren't shopaholics (well maybe a little bit, but only a little), we live on a fairly tight budget and we've been aware the whole time that whatever we buy we'll have to either ship or leave here, and yet we seem to have twice as much stuff as we came with. And that's despite a cull or two in the last year or so.

I've been dividing things up into different sections - clothes (not too many for me, more for David, lots for Evie); books (lots for all of us and much more than we brought); kitchen things and dishes (OK, I admit that's mostly mine and I have acquired some really nice things since we've been here); paperwork (I think it's practicing spontaneous generation!); and misc bits and pieces (way too much of that too - and I'm not sure what some of the things are or where they came from).

I keep trying to simplify my life, cut down on the junk I own and rid myself of unnecessary mental clutter, but it slips back so easily - it seems to be a lifelong battle. There always seems to be something that I "really, really need" or that I feel will make me happier. Sometimes I wish I could just retreat to a cabin in the woods and live like a primitive but I have a husband who loves his creature comforts, and to be honest so do I, so I have to reevaluate my life on occasion (moving is an excellent time to do this) and decide what in my life is really important. I sometimes wonder how I would feel if our house were to burn down or be catastrophically flooded but there really is nothing I own that I can't live without (they say three moves are as good as a burn). There are a few things like family photos or items with sentimental value that I would feel bad about losing, but as long as I know my husband and daughter (or any assorted pets we might have) are safe and happy, there is no object more important to me than that.

That is not to say that I'm not going to continue sorting through our stuff, cause I'm not ready to do without everything just yet. I am trying to be brutal though and follow William Morris' advice to have nothing in our homes that is not either beautiful or useful.

Wish me luck!

The Highwayman Part 2

2009-11-27T21:25:00.000-08:00

Deborah sent me a link to Loreena McKennitt's version of The Highwayman, which is absolutely gorgeous. Thanks so much Deb!

The Highwayman

2009-11-25T21:15:00.001-08:00

It's probably cheating but I'm feeling uninspired tonight so I'm sharing an old favourite.

The Highwayman

PART ONE

THE wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,
A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin;
They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!
And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,
His pistol butts a-twinkle,
His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

III

Over the cobbles he clattered and clashed in the dark inn-yard,
And he tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;
He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

And dark in the dark old inn-yard a stable-wicket creaked
Where Tim the ostler listened; his face was white and peaked;
His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like mouldy hay,
But he loved the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's red-lipped daughter,
Dumb as a dog he listened, and he heard the robber say—

"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night,
But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light;
Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day,
Then look for me by moonlight,
Watch for me by moonlight,
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way."

He rose upright in the stirrups; he scarce could reach her hand,
But she loosened her hair i' the casement! His face burnt like a brand
As the black cascade of perfume came tumbling over his breast;
And he kissed its waves in the moonlight,
(Oh, sweet, black waves in the moonlight!)
Then he tugged at his rein in the moonliglt, and galloped away to the West.

PART TWO

He did not come in the dawning; he did not come at noon;
And out o' the tawny sunset, before the rise o' the moon,
When the road was a gypsy's ribbon, looping the purple moor,
A red-coat troop came marching—
Marching—marching—
King George's men came matching, up to the old inn-door.

They said no word to the landlord, they drank his ale instead,
But they gagged his daughter and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed;
Two of them knelt at her casement, with muskets at their side!
There was death at every window;
And hell at one dark window;
For Bess could see, through her casement, the road that he would ride.

III

They had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest;
They had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast!
"Now, keep good watch!" and they kissed her.
She heard the dead man say—
Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!

She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good!
She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood!
They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years,
Till, now, on the stroke of midnight,
Cold, on the stroke of midnight,
The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers!

The tip of one finger touched it; she strove no more for the rest!
Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast,
She would not risk their hearing; she would not strive again;
For the road lay bare in the moonlight;
Blank and bare in the moonlight;
And the blood of her veins in the moonlight throbbed to her love's refrain .

Tlot-tlot; tlot-tlot! Had they heard it? The horse-hoofs ringing clear;
Tlot-tlot, tlot-tlot, in the distance? Were they deaf that they did not hear?
Down the ribbon of moonlight, over the brow of the hill,
The highwayman came riding,
Riding, riding!
The red-coats looked to their priming! She stood up, straight and still!

VII

Tlot-tlot, in the frosty silence! Tlot-tlot, in the echoing night!
Nearer he came and nearer! Her face was like a light!
Her eyes grew wide for a moment; she drew one last deep breath,
Then her finger moved in the moonlight,
Her musket shattered the moonlight,
Shattered her breast in the moonlight and warned him—with her death.

VIII

He turned; he spurred to the West; he did not know who stood
Bowed, with her head o'er the musket, drenched with her own red blood!
Not till the dawn he heard it, his face grew grey to hear
How Bess, the landlord's daughter,
The landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Had watched for her love in the moonlight, and died in the darkness there.

Back, he spurred like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky,
With the white road smoking behind him and his rapier brandished high!
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,
And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.

* * * * * *

And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,
When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
A highwayman comes riding—
Riding—riding—
A highwayman comes riding, up to the old inn-door.

Over the cobbles he clatters and clangs in the dark inn-yard;
He taps with his whip on the shutters, but all is locked and barred;
He whistles a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there
But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,
Bess, the landlord's daughter,
Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.

Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)

I need a vacation!

2009-11-24T23:40:00.001-08:00

Whew, I'm just squeaking in under the wire here to get this post in today. After running around (not quite like a headless chicken) all morning, working this afternoon and a 2 1/2 hour drive we are finally at my parents' for Thanksgiving. This is an especially poignant holiday because it is the last major event we will have with my family before we go back to England. We are spending Christmas and New Year with David's family in Australia (which is a whole other story). We are having a crowd this year with us (me, David & Evie), Mom & Dad, Lauren and his family (Fin, Ally, Madie & Cedric), Fin's parents, Susan & Shupinar, and Fin's brother Ray and his family (Leah, Yuske, and The Bump). Finally, as the cherry on top, my Aunt Pat.

We will be having the traditional turkey for the carnivores, as well as sweet potatoes, cranberry relish and stuffing (my contribution, keep your fingers crossed as it's my first time ever to make it). Lauren will be making his traditional (and awesome) mashed potatoes. Mom will be making my Grandma Laura's bread rolls (with butter and honey they are better than any dessert). For the vegetarians and vegans among us we are having my Grandma Gerry's walnut patties (I would choose them over turkey any day, and I Really like turkey) and Evie and I have decided we are going to try to make vegan Turducken. For those of you unfamiliar with this animal it is a turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. Evie and I are going to take mock duck and stuff it into the little fake chickens my mom has (seriously, they are totally vegan but are shaped like little tiny chickens - think Cornish game hens - they are kind of creepy actually), and then wrap it up in Tofurky. What do you think?

I'm buying apple and pumpkin pies from Costco. I feel slightly guilty about that but I AM making stuffing from scratch!

The Good Life

2009-11-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I started this blog was to report on what I was doing in the SCA and, although I've done nothing while I've been in the US, I will be going back to it when I get back to England. But I've realised that it's more than just sewing costumes.

I have always been fascinated with the way people lived their lives before industrialisation, before mass produced consumer goods and labor saving devices. I started reading the Little House books when I was six and re-reading them recently I realised that even more than the story what I really loved were the descriptions of the way they lived their lives, how different how they did things were from today. I love descriptions of the Home Front during WWII, with their Victory gardens and their mend and make do mentality.

I called my blog "The View from the Manor" because I love the idea of medieval manors, the way they produced almost everything they needed from their own land - wood from woodland; stone from quarries; meat from cows, sheep, chicken, ducks, geese, pigeons, rabbits, wild game living in the woodland; eggs from the poultry; fish from ponds, rivers, creeks; wool from the sheep; milk, cream and cheese from the cows. They often had their own smithies, dairies, carpenters. They wove cloth from the wool produced by their sheep and made their own clothes, tanned leather from their cows and furs from rabbits and wild game. They grew fruit in orchards, produce in kitchen gardens, as well as both culinary and medicinal herbs; wheat, barley, oats and other grains in the fields. Their own hives produced bees to pollinate their plants, as well as make honey and wax to be made into candles and ointments.

This is what I want - my own manor. I would love to be self-sufficient, to wear clothes which I wove from wool produced from my own sheep. To eat honey and make candles from my own bees. To learn to make cheese from my own cow's milk. To grow heirloom fruit and vegetables which not only taste better but preserve old varieties which are in danger of extinction. To know where my food came from, and limit my environmental impact. I've recently been reading about how much fossil fuel it takes to grow, harvest, package, ship and store most food and I feel I need to make an effort to limit this for myself and my family.

OK, I know I don't have my own manor, just a suburban back yard, but it's a place to start, and I can always dream about owning a few acres in the country.

I know it would be a lot of work but I want the satisfaction of knowing that I have provided for myself and my family - not just by working in an office and bringing in a paycheck, but by spending time, and sweat, and care directly on what we will be using. I think that, when I look at myself in the mirror at night, I'll like the person I see a lot better.

Lettin' Our Hair Down

2009-11-21T21:12:00.000-08:00

I got in too late to post last night. I met up for dinner at Applebees in Manteca with Robin and Debbie who I haven't seen since high school and we ate and chatted for 4 1/2 hours! We were hoping Julie, Ernie and Candi would show up but they couldn't make it, but the three of us had a fabulous time catching up on each other's lives over the last 20 years and admitting that we couldn't believe it had been so long and that we were all 40! They are all going to try to get together every three months or so and I'll let them know when I'm in California so we can meet up again. It's making it harder to go back to England where most of our friends have left. We will have to make a real effort to see the ones we still have there more often.

Pearlies

2009-11-19T17:11:00.000-08:00

Today's post is going to be short - Evie had all her wisdom teeth out this morning and is in a great deal of pain tonight. I was lucky I guess and never had any problem with mine but David had his out in his mid-20s. We've stocked up on juice, chocolate soy milk, soy yogurt, jello and juice bars but at the moment it hurts her to swallow anything so she's holed up in bed with ice on her jaw. Poor baby, even the Vicodin isn't really helping.

Better late than never

2009-11-18T08:09:00.000-08:00

I've just now, on the 18th, discovered that November is National Blog Posting Month and we are supposed to be blogging every day this month. In my typical way I'm half a step behind everyone else but I'll try to post every day for the rest of the month and hopefully this will inspire me to post more than once a year.

If there's anyone left who is keeping track I'll update you for the year:

June - got my hair cut SHORT, spent two weeks with David in DC.

July - new nephew, Cedric Liam, born on the 7th

August - canned peaches, visited Chattanooga and Southern (loved Chat, decided Southern wasn't for us)

September - bipolar crisis with Evie

October - went to Vegas for the first time for David's 4oth (WEIRD place!)

November - trying to get ourselves organised for the move back to England.

So, that's my life up to date.

Fan Girling

2009-05-22T13:43:00.001-07:00

I got the chance to see one of my favourite authors last night, but it was an event not without its traumas. Laurie R King, author of the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books, was at the San Francisco Public Library at 6.30pm, talking with Les Klinger, a Holmes expert. I got off work early, and left at 4.00, naively thinking that 2 1/2 hours was long enough to allow for what should be a 1 1/2 hour drive, even at rush hour. Unfortunately I was NOT driving against traffic, as I assumed I would be, and didn't get into SF until 6.30. Then, I got to the library to find that some other major event was taking place nearby and there was nowhere to park! Finally, by the time I'd found a parking garage and got into the library it was just before 7.00 and I was so flustered I'd left the book I wanted to get signed in the car. ARGGG! Fortunately I found a seat right away and enjoyed immensely the last half hour of the program. Both participants are intelligent, witty and very entertaining speakers. Afterwards Mrs King very kindly offered to send me a signed bookplate to put in the book I had left in the car, so it was not a total loss. I stopped for a consolation pizza on the way home and swore that if I ever have to attend a mid-week, evening event, I will just take the whole afternoon off.

The high school formerly known as MAA

2008-04-17T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was not only the only person from the class of 1986 at Modesto Adventist Academy's Alumni Weekend, I was the only one from the years between 1984 and 1987. How sad is that! I wasn't able to make it to my 20 year reunion two years ago but I was hoping SOMEONE else would turn up this year. On the plus side I did see a lot of people my parents' age who I hadn't seen in some years so that was very nice. I'll try very hard to make it to my 25th in 2011 and hopefully there will be a few people my age.

It's a little disturbing to think that it's been 22 years since I finished high school and that I have a daughter who will be graduating in two months. I'm not quite ready for that yet!

34 Kids sponsored! (and my first radio appearance)

2008-03-13T22:11:00.000-07:00

We managed to get 34 children sponsors in a day and a half. Well, less than that really because at the end of Thursday we only had five or six sponsors. We got no new sponsors for the first two hours of Friday but we got more than 25 sponsors in the last couple of hours of Friday! I'd been wanting to sponsor a child but was finding it difficult to find $30 in our budget (everything is costing more than we'd thought here) so I arranged to volunteer two hours a month at work and the station would sponsor the child for me, and as a result Monika sat me down in the studio and interviewed me for a couple of minutes to show people that they could be creative with their giving. I should be getting the information about my little girl shortly - I let the Mission of Mercy guy choose a child for me because he knew which were the most needy. I do know she's from one of the countries in Africa most badly hit by the Aids epidemic. I'll keep you posted.

Lovin' my job

2008-02-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

I think I've finally got my head around all the things I need to do and have started to relax into the whole thing and enjoy it. I love being able to listen to music while I work and I'm starting to have favourites I listen for as I work. There is an absolutely gorgeous version of "Amazing Grace" which plays at least every couple of hours. I've put a link in at the left for anyone who wants to see our website and listen to the music. It is wonderful to have a job which I feel makes a difference to the world in some small way.

Next week we are going to be doing some fundraising for "Mission of Mercy" which sponsors children at risk in third world countries - there is a link from The Candle's homepage or you can visit it here. It is only $30 a month to change a child's life.

Among the employed

2008-01-29T14:49:00.000-08:00

Well, I've got myself a job. Starting next Monday I will be the Office Manager for KNDL (The Candle) the radio station here in Angwin. It's half time and church wages but it's just enough money to cover our budget and as I only have to work four hours a day I'll have time each day to do some studying and work on hobbies. I will go in on Thursday and Friday to do some handover work with the lady I'm replacing (also called Wendy) and she may come in once or twice next week if needed. It sounds like the job will be interesting and I get to listen to the radio while I work!

David is in Washington DC this week filming some more spots for "Faith and Freedom" so Evie and I drove him to the airport in Sacramento last night and then drove down to my parents'. David got a GPS system for Christmas and it has been SO helpful - especially driving somewhere new in the dark - you don't have to worry about trying to read maps by passing streetlight. Evie is sick with a sinus infection so I took her out of school and she has an appointment at Mom & Dad's doctor tomorrow.

So, that's where we are at the moment. I'll keep you all updated as to how the new job goes.

Snow!

2008-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

We woke up to this view this morning. After several weeks of weather almost warm enough to wear Tshirts in (at least for those used to UK weather) it has turned and bitten us. Normally I get really excited by snow but now we live in the mountains I thought twice about driving down to Napa (I was supposed to be signing up with temp agencies today). Sadly the white didn't last although it stayed cold and we had snowflakes most of the day.

I can't put off finding a job any longer so I have appointments first thing tomorrow and Thursday morning at Napa temp agencies. I hate having to take their tests to prove how fast I can type and that I know how to use Word and Excel. And I'll have to do it over again at every agency I sign up with! Blech. Anyway, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Finally here!

2008-01-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been an enormous effort (and has cost a heck of a lot more than we'd foreseen) but we are finally settling in. We've moved into a tiny but fairly comfortable apartment on the hill across from the college and after several days of chasing our shipment by phone all over California it arrived this afternoon and I've made a start on unpacking it. We've also finally got internet set up in the apartment so I am going to try to be better at keeping in touch with everyone. I haven't found a job yet but I haven't been looking too hard so far. I did apply for a part-time job in a bookstore but they already had some interviews set up so I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get it - which is too bad because it would have been perfect. I'll go into Napa early next week and sign up at job agencies and do some temping for a while.

It really is beautiful up here, even in January. The weather is mild and sunny now (after a bad winter storm that left us without power for a day!). I'll try and get some pictures up as soon as I can and keep this thing updated regularly.

2007-11-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

So much has happened since the last time I updated this. I finished at PwC at the end of February and temped for a couple of weeks in March. Then Genevieve and I spent a week with our good friends Stacy, Claire & James Mitchell and Alveen Thoresen at Stacy’s house in Normandy. It was very cold and actually snowed a couple of days but we chilled out in front of the fire and got a lot of reading done. We also saw the Bayeux Tapestry, which is incredibly well preserved for something made of fabric that’s 1000 years old! The colours were still vibrant and there was such a sense of movement and immediacy about it. Amazing!

I started temping at Reading Borough Council in the Child Protection department at the end of March and absolutely loved it. I really felt like I was making a difference, in my small way, which I’ve never had in any of my previous jobs. I was really sad to have to leave it last month. I’m now just temping till the end of November.

Genevieve finished her GCSEs in June and left straight away to spend the summer with my folks in California and she is now in her senior year at Rio Lindo Academy and has settled in well.

David and I have been spending the last few months getting things prepared for our move to the States – if we had known just how much work and hassle was going to be involved we might have thought twice about doing this, so it’s probably just as well we didn’t.

We had to have our dog, Willoughby, put to sleep last month which was very sad for us, but he was old, arthritic, blind, deaf and increasingly incontinent due to dog dementia and his quality of life was declining so we decided it was the for the best. We found him at the dog rescue four years ago and he has brightened our lives and we like to think we gave him a really good home in his declining years.

I may not have time to update this before we leave but I will try very hard to update regularly when we are in the States so you can see what we are getting up to there.

Major Update

2007-02-23T04:47:00.000-08:00

OK - I join the long list of people who start a blog and never update. However, I have big news and thought this would be a good way to share it.

1) I've quit my job. Well, actually, they were making noises about cutting back in my department so I pre-empted them and said that if voluntary redundancy was on the cards I'd be interested. So, here I am two weeks later about to finish on a job I've been at for over seven years. Fortunately, the package was good enough I can pay off some debts and have enough left over as a buffer in case I have periods where there is no temp work and enough to cover December so I can go to California early.

2) Which leads me to major news item number two - we are moving to California for the year 2008. David has accepted a year-long research position at Pacific Union College. We will only be 2-2 1/2 hours from Mom & Dad and Lauren, Fin and the girls. I'm so excited I'm beside myself! Of course I already have a list as long as my arm of things we have to do before we go... David and I are getting UK citizenship so we don't have any problems when we want to come back (Genevieve of course is already a citizen by birth); David has to sort out work permits; we have to find tenants to rent the house while we are away; we have to do a major cull of junk and decide what goes, what stays and what will come with us; get quotes for shipping our stuff; I've got to get the house in a fit state to be rented out; we have to decide what to do with the pets - one frail, elderly dog, one middle aged cat and a budgie (parakeet). Arghhhh!

So, we will be looking forward to seeing all our friends on the other side of the pond and getting to know my nieces better.

I'll try and keep this updated with our progress as we get ready to go.

Links

2006-12-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

I'm having a little trouble getting the links up to my favourite sites - bear with me and eventually I'll figure it out!

In the meantime I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas. As soon as I get the (few) pictures I took downloaded I'll post them here.

Early garb attempts

2006-12-15T05:40:00.000-08:00

This is my first attempt at a blog. It's really just to give the folks at home a chance to see what I'm up to.

These are pictures of some of my first attempts at garb for the SCA.

So far I've made four linen shifts, the green linen dress Gen is wearing, my purple linen dress, two wool dresses (one for each of us) and a couple of linen dresses for my friend Stacy (see above) and her daughter Claire.

Gen's is from a pattern she found (Simplicity if I remember rightly) - it's not entirely 12th century but she liked it and it works as a first attempt. It started out terracotta and cream (dyed from plain white linen) but she decided she'd rather have green so I used some dye remover on it and re-dyed it dark green and it has turned out really lovely. My purple dress is a basic T-tunic pattern and it looks a little bag-like because I didn't have a belt on. Stacy's is a t-tunic underneath and on top is a linen dress she already had which didn't quite fit so I took the sides out and put eyelets in so she could lace it up. We are both quite happy with the way it turned out.

I'll try and get a picture of up the wool dresses I made as well. I made them from plaid wool I found at our local "hole in the wall" fabric shop for 99p a metre! They are also basically modified T-tunics. When I made mine I was thinking I'd have a 13th century persona so I made it with Magyar sleeves but I've decided since to go for 1400 but it will be OK - I'm actually going to eventually try to have an outfit for every period because I can't decide which I like best!

I love the feeling of linen and wool, I love wearing it and I love working with it. Just gorgeous! I've just brought home a stack of fabric and things from my mom (more on that later) so I'm well stocked for the moment.