End of an era

Feeling that my cough was finally leaving I took my usual Bertie walk today, however the darling alpaca wasn’t in sight.   I was peering into his field when a lady walking her dog kindly stopped to tell me the news.   He has gone to live near Otley with a family that has horses. At least he will have some company as lately he has had neither the sheep nor goats that used to share his field.  I knew the field was the subject of a planning application for 5 detached houses, despite it being green belt agricultural land it will likely be approved making Bertie homeless.

So after many years my climb to the other side of the valley has lost its purpose.  Dear Bertie I will miss him and our chats but MrFF knows from his walks exactly where the boy has gone.  I wont be increasing my mileage from 6 to a 20 mile round trip to visit but hopefully I might see him again sometime, bless.

Coughing and confusion

Life lately has been irritating.  My cough continues though after several nights of disturbed sleep I think I may have turned the corner.

I had notification last week that a book I ordered before Christmas, Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden has arrived at the library. Saturday morning I finished the last 30 pages of my current book, Joyce Carol Oates’ Babysitter so I could return that and collect the new one which I have been looking forward to reading.  Thwarted.  The library is closed for staff training until Tuesday so I had to resort to a gifted paperback destined for Italy finishing which is going to delay me starting the library book.

This morning I went to the dentist, a check up and hygienist session. It came as a surprise to me when on Saturday MrFF told me he’d had a text confirming the appointment, I thought he said on Monday.  Obviously I hadn’t turned the page of the calendar or my desk diary but a brief flick through the latter showed a midday appointment.  I was rather worried about my cough but my dental surgery always say if patients are well enough to get there they be seen.  It’s a good 35 minute walk to the surgery, I allowed extra time given my weakened state.  There was some confusion at reception until they discovered my appointment is tomorrow, back home the text, my diary and the calendar all confirm this though we were both under the impression it was today. Never mind I have to go out to the library tomorrow anyway. 

To end on a positive note my amaryllis continue to display multiple wonderful blooms, they have been amazing this year, I did get something right.

Another grey month

I seem to have caught a bug.  I had two days feeling weak and feeble followed by a mild but irritating cough that is worse at night but doesn’t keep me awake.  I took a  covid test, negative,  and have more or less continued with normal life in a somewhat subdued way.   I’ve been getting out but my walks have been much gentler, yesterday I strolled down to the riverside and walked through the park. It was delightful and made me feel positive that when I reach old age I can happily spend my days down there with a book, my knitting and a picnic unless I pop into the pub for fish and chips.  MrFF did point out that I shall still have a good climb back home, we will cross that bridge when we need to.  

Photo from Friends of Ilkley Riverside Park

The days can still be grey like today, but finally we are seeing some blue skies and spring bulbs in flower.  I wished away January thinking February would be better, now I am putting all my hopes on March.

We need light

I believe we had two days when we experienced some sunshine over the last week, otherwise it’s still grey and wet.  There are signs of spring, snowdrops, crocus and the first daffodils are flowering but in the gloom they are not so noticeable and hardly lift the spirts. 

Let me try to do that with a little colour. 

A couple of photos from MrFF’s walk in the Dales on an unusually good day and my lovely amaryllis which got quite leggy as they sought the light.  The red one sadly keeled over and snapped but it then brighten up our dining table as a cut flower.

Yummy Yorkshire Yarn

Lately my knitting has not been going well. I tried to use up a ball of alpaca to make a little triangular necker.   I find these useful for wearing about the house when the heating isn’t on. I have a mustard coloured one that has been much admired and those I’ve gifted have been well received.  However my latest effort is just too small, I may give it to Elodie’s doll Baby Jonas.  I also knit some fingerless gloves for a friend using up stock, they seem enormous so I am hoping he has extra large hands. 

However my knitting experience is looking up since I discovered and ordered sock wool from Northern Yarns a wonderful ethical supplier of goodness.  

The ball band tells you everything you need to know about the British wool and recycled nylon.  I can vouch for the soft silky texture and beautiful shades,  my lovely parcel even included a quality tea bag to get me started.

Amazingly I paid only £7.20 for each 100 g ball, what are you waiting for get ordering get knitting, it would be rude not to.

February suits me better

Now that January is over I feel much happier.  Sunday morning bright sun was streaming into the kitchen and the nights are getting lighter.  Several other things have lifted my spirits lately.

Most importantly I discovered last week a box of 6 mince pies in the cupboard.  I thought we’d finished the many half price ones MrFF bought after Christmas.  Of course I take no notice of use by dates so this is special.

I am immersed in literature.  Last year I read Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall then Bring up the Bodies, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed once I became familiar with the many characters.   I wanted to read the third and final book, The Mirror and the Light, which in the paperback edition I borrowed from the library 3 weeks ago has 875 pages of small print.  I managed to get maybe a third of the way through before fortunately being able to renew for another 21 days.  I have to admit it’s hard going, I commit to reading for an hour or two in the afternoon then more when I go to bed, on both occasions I usually fall asleep. The Cromwell trilogy is such a wonderful work of literature recognised by 2 Man Booker prizes, I’ll feel like a winner myself when I finish, at present I am almost half way. However I had notification that a book I reserved a while back is ready for collection.  I have about 10 days to collect it then 21 to read it, I doubt I shall be able to renew it.  The pressure continues.

We were at a family Sunday lunch last week to celebrate my brother’s 75th birthday.  My lovely grand nieces were there and, I assume after the success of baby Jonas’s blanket and hat, I had a request from Isla to knit red wellingtons for her Paddington Bear.  I explained they would not be water proof which was accepted, in fact I knitted a pair of long red baby socks and posted them off to York.  I am now knitting from stock fingerless gloves for a friend who I noticed had holes in those he was wearing.

And my final lift was finding bargains in a charity shop half price sale.  I’ve been looking for some smart black trousers for ages and found them last week, not the greatest fabric but with a little stretch they are flattering yet comfy.  On a roll I also found a FatFace cotton tunic top with pockets.  Total cost of outfit £7.25, the socks are models own.  

The photo was taken in front of the new full length mirror, my friend says it makes me look fat and I should return it.  For clarity the trousers are size 10 the top 8.

Is it just me

who is finding this January particularly tiresome.  World events do nothing to lift the gloom but the days seem so grey and foreboding I cannot wait for spring.

The decluttering is not going well, it gets worse before it gets better.  I put a few Rowan magazines on eBay with not much interest, they are now in sorted piles in the lounge. 

I have sold one item of Emma Bridgewater pottery having refused low offers on two other pieces, I’ve freed up hardly any shelf space at all just moved things round and not into better places. 

MrFF who has a completely different decluttering technique has turned the office into a bomb site. For 11 years I have reminded him that we have no way of listening to the hundreds of CDs we keep. I thought progress was being made when I found him sorting through them this week. Wrong, this was just the first pass, he was merely looking at them and didn’t have time to decide if he was keeping them.  Most are back behind the curtains in the lounge, a few are now on the office shelf and 3 went to the charity shop along with a some DVDs. That was quite a logistical exercise as first they had to go into a box then next day be transferred into a bag so I could carry them.  Only handle it once is an alien concept to some people, decluttering it seems is alien to us both.  

But credit where it’s due after 11 years of asking I finally have a full length mirror in the penthouse.  It’s fixed to the inside of the cloak cupboard door in the hall.  It’s lovely to be able to see my lower body and know what my shoes look like with an outfit.

After an iPad update I can no longer upload photographs, we have spent half the morning trying to sort this and given up.

Next day MrFF has fixed the photographs but not without raised voice and more stress.