Into February

So far February has gone well.  Tuesday I was back at the dentist who said normally the stitches would have dissolved but mine hadn’t so he took them out.  It was painless and he reported everything looks healthy.  Now we wait 6 weeks before impressions are taken for my implant, then another 3 weeks before it is fitted.  What an age this has taken, my mouth still feels a little sore but I am grateful to be so well looked after and hopeful of a good outcome - eventually.  Meantime I have not been very sociable because I really don’t like wearing my temporary tooth. MrFF would have liked us to take a break somewhere warm but it would have been pointless for me, I’d rather stay home with a gappy smile.

It’s lovely to have longer hours of daylight with quite a lot of sunshine.  I am walking out regularly and climbing the 3 flights of stairs back to the penthouse.  I often return through the town with a dash into one or two of our charity shops for a quick treasure hunt.

Lovely recent finds are

A Kosta Boda snowball t light holder for £4.50, it is chunky, heavy and twinkles beautifully. My lovely Danish friend in Italy has several these that are always lit when we dine outside on warm summer evenings. I have admired them for many years and now have one of my own that even in February brings to mind convivial summer nights.  

200 grams of Trekking Hand Art hand dyed sock wool £4.99, just look at those gorgeous shades. 

The yarn 75% wool, soft and squishy, it speaks to me of men’s cable socks and I cannot wait to cast on.

Nice weather, time outside, good books, lengthening days, green shoots, it’s going ok here even if the outside world is a crazy scary place.  Sometimes we have to find comfort where we can.  

End of endless January

A bright sunny end of January day.  The light coming into the kitchen this morning prompted me to dust the slats of the blinds but enough cleaning I’ll take a walk soon.  On Saturday when I returned from my usual 6 miles the power was off in the building, I had to climb the 3 floors to the penthouse via the fire escape.  It made me realise that I should use the stairs more and now after my walk that’s what I do, an extra little work out.

There are definite signs of spring, clumps of snowdrops in flower, bulbs coming up in my balcony pots and my Christmas bulbs brightening the lounge.   Yes that is blue sky.

Last week I was at the dentist for the start of my implant placement.  The post is in,  I have 7 stitches in my mouth and am back to eating cautiously. Apparently I still have about 9 weeks to go with appointments right through until April.  MrFF is getting restless to return to Italy, I just want the job done and ignore his suggestion I ask my dentist to hurry up.

I am being stoic with my pastimes. I am reading Wolf Hall, one of the books on my should read list and knitting from the stash, socks and neckware.

 
The scarf is Be Simple by Carolyn Glauz-Todrank which I knitted using 100 g of yarn and wear knotted like a necker.  

Could do better

Last week I ordered and received a cotton polo neck jumper from the John Lewis sale, a cosy wardrobe addition to wear under a cardigan or jacket. It was just right except for the label above extolling their ethical sourcing of better cotton, even though there might not be any better cotton in the garment.

A Google search for what the label is trying to tell me didn’t enlighten me at all.

Better Cotton is sourced via a chain of custody model called mass balance. This means that Better Cotton is not physically traceable to end products, however, Better Cotton Farmers benefit from the demand for Better Cotton in equivalent volumes to those we source.

Mass Balance is the chain of custody model that laid the foundation of the entire Better Cotton initiative, making our programme easy to scale and bringing immense value to the farmers. It was first introduced in the Better Cotton Chain of Custody (CoC) Guidelines, the guidance document that set the requirements for organisations in the supply chain that are buying or selling Better Cotton or cotton-containing products through Mass Balance Better Cotton orders. After the introduction of the CoC Standard v1.0 in 2023, Mass Balance remained a key offering alongside physical chain of custody models. 

Any wiser?  Me neither.  I imagine the scheme makes very little difference to the cotton farmers or the environment but gives a tidy income to those who thought it up, wonderful career and travel opportunities for its board of international directors and cons the unwary purchaser.  

Walking on ice

Winter dusk

This year the council have only been clearing snow from the main roads in our town, side roads and pavements are untouched and over the week with below zero temperatures and more snow fall it’s been difficult to get about. Schools and community centres have been closed, the bins have not been emptied, care workers struggle to attend, most people have stayed at home.

Our challenge is that we have to descend a fairly steep hill to reach services like shops, buses and this week my dentist.  I’d been out a couple of times with MrFF for some exercise, we’ve managed to stay upright with a few skids but it was not pleasant and at times bitterly cold.  These last couple of days as the temperature has risen above freezing, just, the surface of the snow and ice has melted in the sun leaving a skating rink or in our case a bob sleigh run.  I don’t have the confidence to walk by myself so on Thursday MrFF kindly accompanied me to my dental appointment, a 4 mile round trip. 

As an avid snow shifter when we lived in Scotland, I had my own personal snow shovel, I am surprised how few people have cleared their paths and drives, though I am pleased to see how little they’ve used their cars.  I know shops no longer clear the route to their door because of health and safety regulations, they could be responsible if there was an accident. That probably applies to offices and businesses generally but if residents cleared the pavement in front of their house it would help us all.

Temperatures are set to rise by Sunday which could make conditions worse before they get better.  Let’s hope the snow is gone quickly and no more arrives before my next dental appointment in about 10 days time.  My dentist is pleased with my progress so far though he too struggled to remove my temporary denture, commented it was still a snug fit and asked me to take it out.  He says I’ll be all sorted in another 11 weeks. The last 6 weeks with this temporary front tooth have felt like a lifetime but equally not wearing it and having a front gap isn’t comfortable either.  I am not miserable like I was at the end of last year but I am looking forward to April and hoping January won’t linger as long as it usually does.

These two obviously think otherwise, our littlest grand nieces up early on the first day of snow enjoying their first proper winter weather.

As expected

I was up several times in the night checking the forecast snowfall, it was quite gentle but persistent and by morning we had this.

Undeterred we walked the couple of miles to town and back collecting the Sunday papers and some fresh veg. Only the main roads had been cleared and we saw several cars stuck on side roads, the snow on the pavements was deep, rutted and becoming compacted, if it freezes it will be treacherous.  There were plenty of children out with their sledges and a lack of milk, bread and eggs in the shops as apparently deliveries had failed to arrive. 

A seasonal start to the new year, a year which I can only hope will be an improvement on the last.  We still think of Grigio often, Mario eventually reported that Vincenzo is fine at his house.  I am back at the dentist on Thursday.  6 weeks into the 4 month implant process I struggle every day with my temporary denture which I often remove to enjoy the various delicious treats we received for Christmas and always to sleep.  I should be fixed by the end of March, MrFF is talking of returning to Italy in early April.