Monday 28th February - Looking back over February

 Knitting;

The sock is coming along - it stalled out twice; once when I picked it up after having a glass of wine and the subsequent effort of sorting out the consequences took most of the next day, and again when other projects took over. I've nearly finished the hell heel and then it should be plain sailing until I get to the toe. Now I'm hoping to get the other sock completed by the end of March.

I'm also mighty relieved to see that there is a good chance it will fit.

I put off knitting socks for years, until I could be sure that I would be able to persuade myself to knit the second sock. 'Second sock syndrome' is a well known condition in knitting circles.

I've finished the wristlets, commissioned by a friend after she saw mine. why is it, that when one knits for oneself  it all goes reasonably well, but making the slight alterations in order so make it for a friend causes endless complications, dropped stitches and other issues? 

Ah well, I'm at the stage of finishing off the loose ends - literally - and will soon put them in the post.

The greeny-blue jumper has also stalled out, but at least I got the 'hard thinking' part straight in my mind. I'm realising once again that it is probably unrealistic to start a winter jumper in Autumn, and similarly a Summer jumper in Spring. One should really be knitting thick heavy garments all through the long hot days of Summer, to be finished in time for the cold weather. And likewise creating airy-fairy items in linen and cotton all through the snows rains of December. 

As long as I don't get side tracked by the ideas currently filling my head for a wool cosy with felted steeks for my new tea pot..... the previous stump tea pot developed a crack and was leaking tea everywhere. This one is slightly smaller.

Sewing

I have been sewing a lot - another reason for the lack of progress in other areas. I completed the sewing kit, and the daffodil 'freestyle' picture, and I've nearly finished the stitchery swap postcard project I'm doing with Ang over on Tracing Rainbows. No pictures yet - I've got to wait until I'm sure she has had a chance to have a look first!

I think embroidery will be the new skill for 2022. Last year it was touch typing, which has stood me in good stead all year. Mind you, a bit of revision wouldn't come amiss.

Bread

I finished making the giant Hot Cross Bun on Saturday. Here it is about to go into the oven; 

And forty-five minutes later

And discovering we have no container large enough to store it in.

It has come out pretty well - I'm enjoying it - but himself isn't so keen. I shall slice and freeze it so that I can slowly consume it while he indulges in other more calorific treats.

I have cut one of the segments into cubes and toasted them in the air-fryer into little rusk-like bites to make snacklets for morning coffee. 

Well, I guess tomorrow's post will be 'Looking forward into March' - if I get it written -  

.

Monday 11th January - I, me, myself

 That's the letter for today - I

Me, myself, and what is in my mind's eye?

I'm sure we used to have a copy of this book; 

and now suddenly this poem has floated to the top of my brain

The Tyger

BY WILLIAM BLAKE

Tyger Tyger, burning bright, 

In the forests of the night; 

What immortal hand or eye, 

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies. 

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain, 

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp, 

Dare its deadly terrors clasp! 

When the stars threw down their spears 

And water'd heaven with their tears: 

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright, 

In the forests of the night: 

What immortal hand or eye,

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

Ah, but it uses the word 'symmetry', not 'geometry'. As you were then.

I managed a 'quick' walk before lunch - I haven't been out while the weather was so cold. 

My Other Half was cooking lunch, so I had just 20 minutes. Being on my own I didn't have any oxygen support, and I can tell you I surely noticed the difference. Even so I managed 300 metres in my first 6 minute walk test, and then spent several minutes standing still until my breathing steadied. Once I was ready, I walked on a little further, stopped again to catch my breath, and turned for home. I made this a second walk test and covered 340 m. The further distance is because the return journey is slightly downhill. One again I paused, and then covered the final distance, just ten houses from home. Overall, 800 metres in the 20 minutes.

If I had been using oxygen, even at the lowest setting, I reckon I would have all this and more without needing to stop. 

My reward for all this effort was a glass of wine with my beef pie... well-deserved, I thought, although it made me quite sleepy all afternoon. 

I had a go at the next lesson of touch-typing. It is as I thought; adding two more letters has more than doubled the difficulty (although some of that might have been the wine??)

It does mean the little stories are getting more involved;

i sigh like jill; jed has a high hall; see jaffa as he jigs

a sad seal did fall; dad filled a field; a sill leaks alas;

i like a fig; half a heel has  held; jill has a gash; i hike

This is Such Hard Work now!

I'm spending more time going over each word, and then each line, until I manage to get it right. Then, of course, I ruin it by rattling in this post using my 'eyes on the keys, using three fingers' method.  Tomorrow, if I dare, I get to learn o, n and the shift keys. To be honest, a Bach four-part fugue is easier.

   

Sunday 10th January - I promised you proper pictures

 Proper pictures of ice-flowers, as in taken on a proper camera;

You can see how the ice has formed  feathery strands.

Today's surprising discovery is that Cillit BANG! Lime and Grime can do a decent job of cleaning brass. I was trying it out to see if it would remove the lime deposit on a candle stick that had been sitting in some water.

This is the one - it had been doing duty as the centre of the Advent ring. I do find a lit candle is good company when I am doing admin or typing stuff

Considering that I put this together at the beginning of Advent, and the water in the dish dried out several weeks ago, I'm surprised the greenery has lasted so well. One type has shriveled, but the rest, and the ivy looks more or less the same as when I assembled it. The wreath outside the front door is still going well, and I have left it there as part of my 'defiance against the dark'.

I did my typing practice again today. I was doing ok when it was just asdf jkl; and I was using the 'proper' computer. Now e and i have been added; two more letters has more than doubled the think time I need. On the plus side I am now typing little phrases. I'm sure there's a story in there, somewhere.

Next time I will be adding g and h - this could be a straw that breaks my brain.

For some time now I have been unable to do more with the tv than switch it on and watch whatever is in the tv guide for some time now. W have a selection of remotes and mobile phone apps called humax and roku and I haven't got round to learning how to operate them. Now it is looking as though our tv isn't smart enough either these days; we thought we'd watch a BBC programme on iplayer, but that doesn't seems to be a possibility at the moment. Tech support has gone silent; he's in think mode. Oh well. I can read a book!

    

Saturday 9th January - Letter H

 

H for - heaven, hell (the latter two tie in with the third of the Gifts of the Magi, Gold, for a King, Frankincense for a God, Myrrh, for death)

which reminded me of Blake's poem, The Clod and the Pebble;

"Love seeketh not itself to please,

Nor for itself hath any care,

But for another gives its ease,

And builds a Heaven in Hell's despair."

So sung a little Clod of Clay

Trodden with the cattle's feet,

But a Pebble of the brook

Warbled out these metres meet:

"Love seeketh only self to please,

To bind another to its delight,

Joys in another's loss of ease,

And builds a Hell in Heaven's despite."

I guess the truth is somewhere in between... too much clod or too much pebble in one's character is going to end up in tears either way... maybe H is for Happy medium?

I have discovered my new challenge - I'm not sure how well I shall stick to it. 

'Learn to touch type in just 10 hours'

we shall see. I spent some time on it today - lesson 1, or Hour 1, doing the drills and consolidation exercise. It is very like, and very unlike, learning a piano piece. \i think one problem will b that I am already quite a fast three finger typist, which means that I have a multitude of terrible habits to painstakingly eradicate.

Like I said, we shall see...