Wednesday, 3 January 2018

Moving right along

When I got home after my days in Saskatoon, it was time to get my house in order.  I did what I had to do because my kiddies were coming but my study was a complete disaster.  So yesterday, I put my study in order.

I also dug out some sock yarn for a couple pairs of socks.


Nothing fancy, but it hit me over Christmas how much I rely on certain people for certain things.  My brother for his stalwart companionship and his spare bedroom when I go to visit, and my oldest son, who just takes care of my car and hardly says anything.  Both of these guys deserve socks.  Both of them.  I know Anthony would really use the socks.  He loves handknit socks but told me a long time ago he only wanted black socks, but he is different now and wears the silly things I get him at Christmas.  He works mostly outdoors now, so having warm feet matters.  So socks.  Simple gents socks.

When it was time for a coffee break during the work, I had stuff at the ready.  


Ever since last year's dishcloths during the Scotties and Brier, the box of cotton yarns has been sitting close to hand with a short circular needle in it.  Whenever I had nothing else to do and time was on my hand, I could grab it and have at it.   This dishcloth was about half done when I started it on my first coffee break, and was finished before days end.  So, first finished object of 2018:  dishcloth!

I stuck with the work in my study all afternoon.  I was doing laundry and I fixed a huge part of the pile of things that urgently needed fixing (urgent definition: since I was in my wee house).  I am so happy to report that I now have more than two pairs of decent long pants and can retire my summer clamdiggers to summer.  Some needed shortening, so I have some new pants that have never been worn before and some needed elastics upgraded.  I have a couple skirts that need adjusting at the waist and they will be ready too.  There are still a few more things that make a much smaller pile that need addressing, but once that is done, the huge box of mending that I accumulated over the last few years, will no longer taking space in my room.  One of the things I want to do this year is to sew up a few things from my pile of fabrics.  Some simple dresses for around the house summer wear, and a few skirts and some blouses too.   

As I did the whole days work in my room, I was listening to a book.  It is National Just Read More Novels Month, and I have decided to challenge myself by doing this again.  It's going to be a mix between reading and audiobooks, but like usual for this challenge, all will be new to me. My first listen was Agatha Raisin:  The Quiche of Death by MC Beaton.  She wrote the Hamish MacBeth series of mysteries and I'm familiar with Agatha Raisin from Acorn TV.  It was a hoot to watch, and I thought it might just the right sort of lightness to soothe me into the start of this challenge.  I tried heavier stuff last time and it didn't work well.  I still haven't read all of the books I bought last time. This time I am going for lighter reads.  I have been reading a lot of Agatha Christie that I haven't read before and Agatha Raisin is very much in that spirit, though in a much updated time.  Kind of like an appetizer before the heavier course of books.  

If I get to heavier books, that is.  I  have another Agatha Raisin to read and a couple Miss Silver's, one audio and two ebooks, and that might be plenty to keep me going.  I have a couple Matthew Shardlake novels and a Maisie Dobbs waiting in the wings  too if staying with mysteries appeals but what I really would like is something a bit lighter, something not quite so genre.  Something much more like Major Pettigrew's Last Stand or the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  A bit light but not a happily ever after sort of book.  I guess what I am looking for is a book with something more.  I will search and I do hope I find it.  There are such good books being written.

Anyway, on to finishing up in my study, and the last bits of after Christmas house cleaning.  But first, coffee!



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