2020, My Video

Day by day I have recorded whats going on, just a few seconds at a time, so grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy my view of 2020. Hopefully 2021 will be so much better.

I know that in the past some people have not been able to view my videos due to YouTube being asses. So, if you cannot, here is the direct link.

Birthday

Just over a week ago I turned 51 and due to the current world conditions, we did not go anywhere. We are in Tier 2, so could happily go to tier 2, 3 & 4 places, but this epidemic really has put us off from going places, add to that it was pissing down, meant that there was no point trying to go anywhere unless we wanted to either stay in the car, which wasn’t much of an option or seek out a place that was dry, which really meant that the day would be option one as it was raining close to all parts of the country, except the mountains in Scotland where it was snowing.

As always, M spoiled me with hobby stuff, books and a Go Cube. If you do not know what that is, it is a Rubix cube for competing, and it has an app for people wanting to learn how to solve the cube as well as brush up on skills, and speed. I did have it on my wish list waiting for the price to drop, but it really didn’t move, so I never purchased it.

I thought I would share my birthday cake with you all.

Covid Birthday

Christmas 2020

I have to say, I really enjoyed Christmas Day. Not only was I spoiled completely by M, but it was a nice easy day, with no stress at all. Even making Christmas dinner went off without any problems, and everything was ready when I aimed for it to be, and needless to say, it was rather delicious.

As mentioned, I was spoiled by M with a Yamaha Electronic Baby Grand. Not only is it a Baby Grand, but it has hundreds of different “voices” (instruments), and it can teach you how to play. I learned by ear when I was a kid, but due to my father being an ass hole I was never able to take it further. My uncle taught me stuff and let me play on his piano. Two of my uncles are pipe organ tuners and restorers. Both of them told my father (their brother) that he should encourage me as I had a talent and that one of them would get a piano for me, but the ass hole said not and that was that. M to the rescue all these years later and I am giving it my best shot. I admit, when I opened it I was shocked and rather intimidated as I knew that I had not played since I was about 14/15, and being 51, that’s a long time, almost biblical. My wrists are aching a little along with my fingers from all the stretching, but at least I am giving it my all. I feel 2021 is going to be a full packed year of piano, crochet and reading.

M bought me lots of books too including The Colour Purple, Malcolm X autobiography, James Baldwins Notes of a Native Son to name a few. I also got a beautiful William Morris tea set, William Morris notebook, oh, also a Vogue Knitting Colour Work Paper book that will enable me to design and plan some Fair Isle projects. I received so much more and will keep the details for another post as and when I get to them. There were so many gifts for each other we all, including the dogs had stockings full of gifts that we kept until Boxing Day, which we have decided will be a tradition from now on.

Harper

Over the years we have been asked what breed Harper is, which, every time, made me shake my head in disbelief as she is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. We bought her as a Staffy and over the years we have had no reason not to believe that she is a Staffy. To us, she has all the traits and looks how a Staffy should look. 6 years after getting her we decided to have her DNA mapped, not for any real reason but curiosity and to see if she had any genetic conditions that could be a problem. Today the results came in and I am happy to say that she is a Staffy, but somewhere in the deep deep history of her mother’s line of ancestry, there is 4% Dalmation DNA, which is bizarre but could explain why she is a little taller than other Staffies. The tests were also 100% with her description of colour, tan points and what they call a “mask” which is that she has a blue face. They also said that she had Hind Dewclaws, which was true, but we had them removed due to them catching on things.

Purely due to the genetic conditions that they scan for, I am going to get Mazikeen’s DNA done. She is a pure breed English Springer Spaniel, we got her ancestry records though the Kennel Club which was presented on a huge certificate showing all the champion gun dogs she is descended from.

Christmas Wreath – Complete

I bought the letter off a seller on Etsy and never received them, being told they must be “lost in the post”. I question this and it turned out he had screwed up my address, but would not resend them, blaming Etsy on it. I had to order a second set in order to complete the project. It took him 5 days to actually put it in the post. Not happy as those letters cost me £10 in the end. Now I have them I will be complaining to Etsy about this as I think it was BS I was being fed. Anyway, I am very happy with the finished item.