Winter Blues

I love snow, don’t mind the cold, but boy, it depresses me quite a bit. I’m trying to be positive, but it’s heard as fuck! Yes, I swore, get over it.  There seems to be so little sunlight in this part of the world at this time of year, and I love my sun, and I know this is a main part of it, but there is so much pressure too to add to it all.  I do wish I was a proper bear that could go and hibernate over this time of year.

My birthday is coming up and that has been a bone of contention all my life as near all forget it because it’s Christmas.  No one wants to go and party because it’s Christmas and they are busy.  So I’m used to that but it is a blight. As such I no longer advertise it, or bother about it. My hubby does bother and is usually the only one. 

I’m moaning as I’m suffering with the winter blues, so please ignore me, I’ll be right as rain soon enough..

Snow Play Time…

The so-called “Beast from the East” arrived overnight and we finally got about 3 inches of snow.  Now, those of you know my blog, know I love snow and have been waiting for a good snowfall since 2010, and today it arrived, but it did not last too long as the sun came out and the temperature reached a whopping 1c and the sky turned blue.  Over the rest of the week, we should be getting more snow, but I doubt it will arrive, this was a rare event here.  M shot a video of me and the dogs in the snow, this is Mazinkeens first proper snow.  Harper has been in the snow before when we have been up in the mountains.  It is a shame Lilu was not still with us as she loved playing in the snow, and we have many videos and photos of her enjoying it.  I think my love of show rubbed off on all my dogs.

Misty Woods…

I thought I would share my photo of the woods.  Although I would take the heat of the summer anytime, the winter has some lovely moments.  The mist was fading away, the bright winter sun was burning through, dappling the path and colouring the foliage.

I’m Back…

Busy, yes, I think that sums up the past 3 weeks.  In fact, I could go one further and say bedlam, mmm, yes, I will stick with bedlam.

Obviously, the pup has been keeping us on our toes, but we have had so many appointments to fit in including puppy days at the vets, Mazikeen getting her final injections, then back for worming then again for kennel cough vaccination, then Harper with all hers.  Add to this cardiology for me, helping out a friend with her business, and life zooming along at a million miles an hour that is it in a nutshell.

Once Mazikeen could go our a week after her final vaccination we took her to the forest, which she loves.  Picking up sticks to carry with her, meeting other dogs and people that just want to fuss over the both of them, and who can blame them, they are both very cute.  We have not taken her to the beach just yet as the weather has not been very good to us.  The near freezing temperature is fine, we all have winter coats and the dogs have lovely matching ones, it’s just the constant rain and high winds that make it near impossible to be on the coastline.  Mazikeen’s training is coming on very well and the breeder was very surprised that she does so much on command at such a young age, as she is only 3 months old today.

I have managed to finally finish The Dynamite Room by Jason Hewitt, and given that this is his first novel, I thought it was well written, and kept me interested throughout, although the end was a little anticlimactic.  So with the end of one physical book, I have started another one, this time “Breakfast with the Borgias” by D.B.C. Pierre.  The title and cover intrigued me, also last November I was in the Borgia Apartments in the Vatican, so it felt like I had to read it.  I mentioned it being a physical book because I have so much I am reading on my Kindle including among others Captian Scott by Ranulph Fiennes and Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang, this is the second time I have read this.

I have not managed to do any more of my sweater, and I really need to finish it, I’m getting cold.

Christmas is close at hand and with that comes more running about and buying presents for M and the dogs.  I have done my cards and bought some presents for M, but more are on the way, and I have managed to get something for my niece but still looking for my nephew and my parents.  This year I have found it really hard to get things for M.  I have not been inspired by anything and being honest, I thought that the hateful black Friday may give me some ideas and bargains, but nothing at all, everything that seemed to be on sale were things that we already have.  There was one thing that I saw but was too late as they had run out of stock.  I am sure you can tell that I am not a fan of BF.  I think it is just a way for the shops to get us to buy crap that we do not need, but the fact remains that over 60% of goods on offer on that day can be bought cheaper either before or after the so-called deal day.

I had a little accident this week and managed to fracture my nose.  I have broken it many times and I am a tough cookie if I am honest, and I just get on with it.  I have smashed many parts of my body in through the years and ended up in the hospital far too many times.  This time I was cleaning the inside of the back window of the car, I have an X-Trail and it’s quite a big car, and with that quite a big hatch.  I stepped back and to the side after cleaning and pulled it down with a lot of force, but had not stood back enough and brought the corner of the door/hatch down on the bridge of my nose.  Pain and seeing stars was then followed by lots of blood pouring down my face, needless to say, I looked a bit of a mess.  I have a little bruising today, but nothing worth talking about.

That about sums it up.

Progress, Sweater So Far…

Since the passing of Lilu, I have not been in the mood to knit, so in effect, since my last knitting post update on this sweater, I had not done a single stitch. The last few days I decided to delve back into it, and not before time.

The nights are drawing in and the weather is definitely on the change, Autumn is in full flow and Winter is on the brow and heading this way fast. Friday night I dove back into it and made quite a bit of progress. Later that evening whilst letting Harper out into the garden to do her business I heard Canadian Geese approaching, and by the sound of it, the flock was enormous. After a minute they started flying over the garden and were making the most incredible sound. The sound of geese fills me with sadness as it is a marker for the end of summer and that autumn is truly in flow, but at the same time, it makes me happy to see all these gracious birds heading over to winter at Martin Mere, which is not too far from us. These geese took over 15 minutes to pass over, all the time I stood in the garden looking up smiling, listening, and of cause getting wet as the rain it never stops.

This moment in the garden has spurred me on to finish off my sweater, so the next month I intend to complete it before the cold hits hard.

I have done 54cm of the garment and have 5cm to go until I start the armholes, so with that, the front should be finished quite fast.

The rest it does not really have a pattern, just plain back and arms. I have never had to sew a knitted garment together, so that will be a small challenge, but rest assured, I can sew and have over the years have done lots of sewing both by hand and machine (I have my own sewing machine).

More updates to come as I complete each bit.