Monday 12th December - in praise of cushions

I was going to order some replacement sheepskin slippers, as my old ones, probably 20 years old, are wearing out. 

They were a guilty extravagance from John Lewis; I knew as soon as I put them on that I was not going to leave the shop without them. I had been suffering from chilblains all winter; those long hours standing in the playground waiting for the children to come out of school while my toes became steadily numb, and then the painful walk home.

I have been wearing some slipper socks over my normal socks up to now, which seem to have provided a secure grip, even on our wooden stairs. Today I decided they were overdue for a wash.

I thought I had lost the free pattern - but hurrah - here they are and I have just enough yarn to make some more - they don't take long. The construction is a little unusual, but just trust the instructions. They won't take long to make.

Meanwhile, my lovely sheepskin slippers are in the bin. Over the years the soles have become polished and hard, with the result that I made an unexpectedly rapid descent down the top couple of stairs, landing heavily on the third one down. Where I sat. Rather in the same way that McCavity the cat lay there after she had fallen down the back of the settee some months ago.

When I was ready, I cautiously moved from standing to sitting. I reckon I'll be okay, apart from feeling pretty bruised on those parts of my anatomy that made the most emphatic contact with the stairs - the instep of one foot, the little finger of my left hand, and my bottom. 

So I'm very grateful for cushions on the settee, the dining chairs, and the chair I am sitting on at the moment.  

Luckily I don't suffer from chilblains anymore, and won't be missing those luxurious sheepskin slippers, especially once I have made some new knitted ones.