🦞🦂 *What are we up to?*🦂🦞

Ixion it’s not so much a ratio of talk to knit as talk to unpick. I can knit away quite happily for ages chatting to everyone then spend ages unpicking as I’ve gone wrong.🤣. Very basic pattern k3P3K3 to end. You’d be amazed how many times I’ve gone wrong………or maybe you won’t 🤣
Kaimoana yes that’s true. So many things these days little ones wouldn’t understand.
Notspaghetti i feel as though I’ve gone into “power save mode” working at low capacity.
Bit like me and my propelling pencil only to be told it was called a mechanical pencil .
A clockwork skull Grammaretto good gracious, what sort of toy was that? Oh are you having haggis. DH and I were in a cruise once on Burns night and we had a piper aboard to pipe the haggis in. I had my photo taken with him. He was twice the size of me I looked like a child.

Being unable to correct my mistakes, I just knit on regardless !
I reason that whoever gets these colourful scarves with pom-pom ends, is unlikely to spend time examinig them for faults.

When you are decluttering or sorting things to give away, please don't forget Womens Refuge.
Thos women and children have often left abusive homes with just what they were wearing.

Good toys are particularly welcome.

How do you donate to women's refuges Kaimoana?
They are not advertised for obvious reasons. I can ask around.

My knitting is almost finished but I still have to pick up the stitches around the neck and make a collar. I can't do tricky things in the class. I stick to easy things.

Ceilidh dancing tonight was fun and very hot. One dance called "shifting bobbins" we got into such knots it was decided to try it again at the beginning of the evening when our brains wouldn't be so tired.

I think the skull came from a joke shop. My boys loved joke shops!

I'm in bed already.
It's been a long day.

I would suggest you Google 'Womens Refuge' and see what comes up, after all, dessperate women MUST havea number to call eh?

There is womens aid but they don't want old toys.
I wish there were jumble sales like the old days.
Now even charity shops turn up their noses at anything old or used yet I used to love finding bargains at them. We I still have the sit in toy car which my DC and their DC loved. I know it will end up in a skip 😒

How are you all?

I'm just back from the shops. I've invited another friend to tea so am wondering if my food will stretch. It will have to.
I shall attempt to light the fire. The wood has been rained on so may be stubborn to light.

I hope all your loved ones are safe and mine too. Such a dreadful landslide in NZ.

I have found people taking old things (including toys) through Freecycle.org but I think you had someone not turn up once...

Uncle Googles said:

"In the UK, several organizations and retailers accept used toys to reduce landfill waste and support children, including Oxfam, The Entertainer (via The Salvation Army), and Toys 4 Life. Options range from high-street shop drop-offs to dedicated toy recycling banks, with many charities, such as Barnardo’s, also accepting good-quality donations. "

www.bhf.org.uk/shop/donating-goods/donate-to-charity-shops

www.toys4life.co.uk/

And try the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) for local places.

Easy peasy, even from New Zealand

Evening all. Been for a walk with the group this morning and a nice chat after.
Spent a useless hour on the phone with the inappropriately named Talk Talk who only communicate in text messages. 😡
Grmmaretto pleased you liked the dancing though the bobbin one sounded a bit of twister. Hope you had a nice tea with your friend.
Kaimoana I’m sure anyone would be grateful to have one of your lovely scarves with Pom Poms. Do you make the Pom Poms yourself?
I’m still knitting for church. We sat yesterday in our little group inside the church. Not much in the way of lighting but we had a lot of lovely chat.

You do make me laugh Doodle. 😂
The inappropriately named TalkTalk

I discovered years ago when trying to speak to a human about my telephone that BT left no phone number...

I hope your weekends are not too wet.
I'm looking out at a very wet landscape.

My 2 friends came for supper last night and we had a very cosy evening round the fire.
I'd made leek and tattie soup for starters so the lemon sole, peas, more tatties and salad went further.
I'm a canny Scot these days 🤣😅

Thanks for all your suggestions Kaimoana
I am grateful really. I would just much rather do displacement activity.

*The inappropriately named TalkTalk*
made me chuckle too!

Ahh! The joys of "displacement activity"

Grammaretto i would loved to have joined you round your cosy fire last night. Food sounds lovely. It’s been dry here today and I went out for lunch with two friends.
Church tomorrow might go to the hospice for a bit after then back home for hobbies or chores depending on how much energy I’ve got.
Sleep well all.

I got on with my pottery commission today and was doing the buttonhole border of my sweater when the phone rang and it was my friend from last night who was stranded and needed me to collect her from a village about 5 miles from here.
I was able to and heard what had happened to her.

She'd set off early to catch a bus to Dumfries and had a nice time there but on the bus back it was so dark she couldn't see where she was and asked to be put off only to find herself on the main road, in the rain.
She knocked on the first door she came to and the people tried to call a taxi but there were none. They had had a few drinks so couldn't drive her so I was her saviour!
Last night she was trying to persuade me I didn't need a car. I'm glad of it sometimes.

I wonder how Nfk Dumpling is. Like NN she has a campervan . Haven't heard from her for a while.

I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow Doodle. The hospice sounds very nice.

I've had hot chocolate and am tucked up in bed with a hottie and an extra duvet.

Night night 😴 everyone.

I haven't abandoned you....I have been struggling a bit of I'm honest. I think pain has made it harder to concentrate and put things in perspective but I'm getting there. I finally got confirmation that the op is set for Wednesday afternoon and they now finally know that the pain is down to hip impingement caused it would seem by a less than careful surgeon who did the first operation. I can also not realise that the redundancy came at just the right time....DH is due to receive his 25% tax free amount that he can take as he is 55 next week (We worried about what his parents would think of the age difference when we were first together but they just said age is just a number). He is looking for another position but neither of us want him travelling to somewhere like Bristol that would add at least another 2 hours to his working day. We have always believed that everything happens for a reason...and I'm not giving up on that now. Love to you all. X

Forgot to bold.

I haven't abandoned you....I have been struggling a bit of I'm honest. I think pain has made it harder to concentrate and put things in perspective but I'm getting there. I finally got confirmation that the op is set for Wednesday afternoon and they now finally know that the pain is down to hip impingement caused it would seem by a less than careful surgeon who did the first operation. I can also not realise that the redundancy came at just the right time....DH is due to receive his 25% tax free amount that he can take as he is 55 next week (We worried about what his parents would think of the age difference when we were first together but they just said age is just a number). He is looking for another position but neither of us want him travelling to somewhere like Bristol that would add at least another 2 hours to his working day. We have always believed that everything happens for a reason...and I'm not giving up on that now. Love to you all. X

Grammaretto i just read the first line of your post and was wondering what sort of pottery you were making that had a button hole border.🤣🤣
Sorry your friend got stranded what a good thing you were able to help out.
Yes hospice was nice today I go at least once a week. Nice coffee shop too.
NN sorry you’ve had such pain. Hope it is resolved on Wednesday and is successful. Could your Dh cope with just a part time job perhaps? Hope things work out for you both.

Good to hear from you, NN.

Don't you go getting cancelled, as we are choreographing something a little special to raise your convalescing spirits. I have told Doodle she won't need her thermals as, for once, our little number will be bed-side ,in the usual high temps of hospital wards.

Mind you, with such a high-flying # support team, they will certainly prioritise your surgery if push comes to shove so to speak.

Kaimoana - have you heard about how Gubbins is faring at school? She gives the impression if being very self-assured - is this the case? I do hope so. Was your Doctor's appointment last Thursday or this coming one? I hope something practical and supportive can be done about your sight issues.

Grammaretto - busy as ever. What is your commission? Have you a deadline?
What a nightmare to be put off the bus miles from home in the dark.
Thank goodness you came to the rescue.
I think we would all like, when we are back from Kaimoana's, to spend the evening round your fire with some home made soup. Tho'I do fear I might just nod off.

Not much news from chez Ixion. As well as being weary and ache-y, I must have done something to my knee in bed. It is very painful and unstable, but I have, in the interests of the family and the laundry basket, abandoned the use of ^D**p H**t^🔥 due to its all-pervading liniment type smell and greasiness.

Anyone remember Sloane's liniment? Beloved of my father after his badminton matches.

I shall now hobble away and decide whether I can get into the bath.🤔

Take care, all .

I swear by epsom salts in a hot bath Ixion and of course a hot water bottle or several for aches and pains but maybe your knee pain is not muscular.

Whatever the cause I hope it's soon better.

Naughtyneine I hope you have a different surgeon this time and that all goes well on Wednesday and you bounce back.
🤞 🤞

I must say I quite like the idea of a button hole border on my pots Doodle 😃
The answer is yes there is a birthday this Friday. My friends' DGD who is a doctor and who likes my pots will get a couple of pasta bowls and the other order is for small jugs from someone else.

You are most welcome to sit at my fireside and join me for soup and supper.

Ready for bed now.

Just for a moment Grammaretto I thought you were talking about me :-) How conceited is that, eh?

Wishing you all the best NN for Wednesday. I do hope everything is easy and straightforward for you after that!

Aches and pains and birthdays could apply to any of us Kaimoana
It's DS birthday in NZ this week and he can't find a haggis anywhere!!
😂
The blossom is out in Princes Street gardens. Almond?

Gosh that seems early Grammaretto - is it always in January?

"You can buy haggis in NZ from specialist butchers like Westmere Butchery, Saint Johns Butchery, and Blackball Salami, online retailers like UK Goodies, and sometimes major supermarkets like Woolworths (often Grant's brand), with options for traditional sheep paunch or pouch versions for delivery across the country. "
PLUS -- haggis.co.nz

Someone was talking about sausage links a while ago.

My Uncle Harry used to own a butcher's shop and whenever I visited over the years I loved to sit making the (seemingly endless) line of sausages from the machine, into links.

I could probably still do it