Reflecting on my week #66

After managing to survive my first five day working week of the year relatively unscathed, the weekend called for some taking it easy. Like most of the population I’ve been trying to get January off to a healthy start, and for me that’s involved walking to and from work each day and so most days I’ve clocked up a healthy 4-5 miles.

After watching a recording of the Twinstitute, where they pitched one of two sets of twins to lose weight through diet, and the other through exercise to see which fared better, both did well, but with diet just tipping the scales I realised something I already knew deep down. And that’s, this year as well as getting more active - I mean, I am seriously threatening to actually make it to the swimming pool this month - we probably should look at what we’re eating, or more specifically our portion sizes.  So maybe a fortnight or so after everyone else we’re getting on the healthier eating bandwagon.

We've fallen into a bit of a rut, especially with the lunches we take to work so I’m looking to branch out from our failsafe rolls, which if I’m honest can be quite dull, but easy to put together of a morning. It’s going to take more planning, but it’s entirely doable and if we work it right our lunches will be tasty, and good for us, and not leave us starving!

Getting organised 

My craft supplies drive MOH mad, well not mad exactly just a little exasperated. He doesn’t get them, and doesn’t see why there’s so many, or why I keep things just because they might be useful one day.  On one level he does have a point (there’s no need to let on, is there?) and I do need to have a bit of a sort out as everything is everywhere, it’s all mixed up somehow and I’m struggling to find what I want, which is hardly conducive to a productive and mindful craft session.  

Oh, and I want the storage to look pretty too, surely that’s not too much to ask. On Saturday I rounded up the ribbon I’ve saved and wound them securing with pegs, real size or miniature depending on the quantity and dropped them into this glass storage jar, which is now on display.

I bought the jars originally to use in the kitchen a good few years ago, and while I regularly use the smaller size, I  use this larger size less.  I think it’s worked well and is much nicer than having the ribbons shoved out of sight. I’m not sure if MOH has clocked it yet, so there’s no verdict from him as yet...

I don’t mind having my supplies split between our two upstairs rooms, but I’m as keen as MOH that they don’t take over - and with wool for crochet and knitting projects, materials and threads for all sorts of sewing projects and card making loveliness too, that’s quite possible.  I’ve been hatching a plan to get items for the same crafts together to make it easier for a little while now, but I’ve needed some of MOH’s DIY skills as the plan only works if I’m able to access the storage space I have. 

And that’s meant fixing the shelves to the shelving unit, rather than balance them on the boxes. lt’s a small thing, but it’s radicalised my craft supply storage. The shelves have been cut for a while, and the boxes and baskets have been storing stuff. It’s just that, in the case of the boxes I’m not sure exactly what and finding out has been a palaver.  

But no longer. Now the shelves are attached to the units - like proper shelves - I can get the boxes out easily, and that’s meant card blanks and envelopes can be stored in the grey boxes, and other “they’ll be useful” items, like maps and music can for the first time be stored together in the larger cream boxes.

All of which makes me inordinately happy.  

During this latest sort through I rediscovered all my momentoes from London 2012, including tickets and maps from the events we attended and much from my time volunteering as a London Ambassador. So many memories, some of which I’d forgotten all about, but all of which came flooding back with extraordinary detail once prompted. These included my pink and purple uniform, walking maps, pin badges and my ID, along with the handbooks of useful information and the celebratory teamwork baton presented once the Olympics and Paralympics had completed. What a great time, and experience that was. 

I’ve a couple more spaces to sort out - not craft supply spaces (at the moment anyway!) - and who knows what memories they’ll provoke, I’ve no idea, but I’m quite interested to find out.  MOH is just pleased that his DIY skills were much appreciated, and happy for them to be stood down for the next phase, I’m sure.

And the best bit? Once the organising is done, the crafting and card making can begin again - yay! 

A few new crochet projects

Somehow I seem to be accumulating crochet projects - there’s just so much I want to get on and crochet. Well, not just crochet, but let’s stick with that for this post. I have at least a couple on the go - the main one is the Vintage Hearts colourful throw and the latest additions are these Granny Flora squares. Strangely they’re much easier than they look. They’re the last design I have to complete from the first section, and I’d left them until the end as they looked tricky. So discovering they weren’t has been a bonus.

GRANNY FLORA FROM THE VINTAGE HEARTS THROW

The colours are great aren’t they? The completed throw is destined for our conservatory, and with the bold and colourful cushions I think it’ll fit right in. As well as this I’ve got the square a week green, natural and pink throw almost there. At one point I thought it might be ready in time for Christmas, but soon I realised that was just pure folly. The plan for that when it’s completed is to complement the material throw over the arm of our new sofas, in an attempt to prevent wear and tear.

But you already knew about both of those, so they’re hardly new are they?

This little box of colourful loveliness was one of my Christmas presents. It’s full of small stone or river washed scheepjes wool, with just about every shade imaginable. I spent a few days over the break just admiring them and pondering how I could use them and show them off at their best. I’ve decided on something a little different to my usual squares, and that’s hexagons. I’m thinking something with a flower centre with a couple of colours against a darker background.

SCHEEPJES STONE WASHED DESTINED FOR A HEXI “FLOWER” THROW WITH A DARK BACKGROUND

I spotted a pattern online, with a pattern for sale but on further investigation only a hardcopy if you lived in South Africa, so that didn’t work. But of course I can’t get that pattern out of my mind so I’ve been trying to work it out from the picture. Strangely the centre of Granny Flora has helped a bit, although I’ve managed to draw a chart that looks as if it might work, I’ve still some testing to do before committing these little balls of wool to it.

My next project is already started, and it’s a lot less colourful than anything else I’ve even got planned. In fact every time I look at the photo below I’m convinced it’s black and white, then realise the bookcase isn’t.

MONO - NOT BLACK AND WHITE - QUITE THE CHANGE FOR ME

I saw a beautiful Portuguese tile inspired throw in a magazine, full of yellows and blues and whites, just like my post of Portuguese tiles and patterns and in a complete shock to the system, I chose the monotone wool to complete this in. Clearly it will have a completely different look, but it fulfils my need for variegated wool and crochet, and I don’t think it will suffer for that. And, let’s face it, if I enjoy it and want a colourful version then I can add it to the list.

The tweedy wool below is for another project, this one without a pattern as such. I rarely wear a coat - I find the sleeves oppressive - and the fleecy type wrap I have is getting a bit bobbly. So in a spate of positivity I decided I could create my own. A colleague at work had made a scarf in a stitch I liked and the idea was sown. I’m intrigued to find out how this will work up, and also now wary about if it will work at all.

As I’ve no pattern, I haven’t really got much of a clue as to how much wool it’ll take - and so I’ve probably got too much, so I could be branching out into everything tweed - or having a very short wrap, who knows. Not me, that’s for sure - but even though I’d be happy to have this completed by the end of the winter, I suspect it may take a little longer to complete - because there’s one or two other projects to make progress with too, along with everything else!

But it’s good to have a plan!

Looking towards 2019 with tenacity

Sitting down to write this post I looked back at my similar post from this time last year where I pledged to be kind to myself. As I read through it I realised that many of the things I set out to achieve didn’t materialise and I was a bit downhearted.  Although I knew that often they didn’t happen for good reason rather than just life’s busyness, although at times I think that and the lethargy that had been building over the year played its part too it was still a disheartening read.  But it was only as I remembered I was meant to be being kind to myself that I realised that I had been after all.  Had I been driven by achieving everything, quite honestly I think something would have had to give.

So while I didn’t achieve everything I set out to, and while sometimes it’s been quieter here than I’d have hoped, and I haven’t been as on top of things everywhere, that’s ok as 2018 has been a tricky year for us.  But it’s been one full of family time with commitments reevaluated and with plenty of highs to counterbalance some of the lows.  We lost my FIL relatively quickly to cancer, but we’ve also celebrated eightieth birthdays for both mums with afternoon tea and a surprise weekend in Birmingham and that impromptu trip the ballet.  There’s been holidays, but not the big trip to the US as we thought, as it was more important to be able to get home quickly if we needed to.

There was some big work on the house with our conservatory revamp, and smaller jobs too with some new wallpaper, which you’ll already know I’m very pleased with.  Our garden - and time working in our garden - suffered though as there wasn’t much time to spare and we reluctantly also gave up our plot, as that was one thing too far, even for us. 

Overall though, I was kinder to myself, despite my first reaction when reading last year’s post.  I was still busy, and it was a busy year at work as well and as ever there was still lots to do (and most of it got done), and there was a promotion for me at work too.  However, the biggest act of kindness was finally taking myself to the doctors towards the end of the year and giving myself permission to slow down.

It’s clear that in 2019 I need to continue the kindness - and build on it - so the word I’ve chosen for this year is tenacity.  I’ve a feeling that I’ll need to approach this year with determination, patience and persistence and it’s a word that works in many ways, whether that’s related to pursuing my health to make sure I get the right answers, crafting and learning new skills and of course, booking that big holiday which is back on again, and this year we’re determined to make it happen.

We’ve a family wedding to look forward to as well and a milestone birthday for my dad, and who knows what other celebrations the year will bring.  No doubt there’ll be the usual house jobs to do, many left over from last year and we’re hoping to really make progress with the garden again, making sure we schedule in plenty of time to enjoy it too.

It’s not just our garden that we’re planning to enjoy, MOH has already started a list of restaurants and pubs we should visit, and more ambitiously I’ve places for weekends and short-trips.  I’ve some photo books to put together for the past three years, and I’ve some plans for my blog too, which include sharing many of the older photos which for whatever reason haven’t made it here yet. 

I knew I had a few posts that I wanted to write and photos to share, but seeing just how many means I won’t run out of content any time soon, and that’s without even doing anything new!  But even so, 2019 already feels like it’s got potential to be a busy year, and I’m sure that we’ll do our best to influence how it plays out as best we can, as much as any of us can.

What’s on your radar for this year?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash