Bird Strike

Last weekend was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which involves sitting still by a window for an hour and watching who lands in the garden. Sounds easy. It only works, however, if you have the cooperation of the birds.

In anticipation of the watch, I kept a close eye on wing activity over the week, many birds visited, ate and left. We even had a gang of Long Tailed Tits gracing our birch tree. They are a rarity in our patch, preferring the house three doors along which is bigger, has a better selection of trees and superior bird food.

Sunday found me perched on the kitchen worktop, feet dangling over dishes on the drainer to gain the best view of the proceedings. The first thirty minutes passed. Not a cheep. After sixty minutes a grand total of 17 birds had been counted. And about half of those were starlings. The Long Tailed Tits were a no show. I think the weather was against me with the wind so strong that it was tricky for little legs to perch on the feeders. That and the presence of Georgie Ginger, the cat from over the wall who chose that very hour to walk with menace across our lawn.

I have emailed my measly total to the RSPB and hope that it will help a little in their studies.

In other news, I made a hat and a scarf for Knittah's Botswana Project and bought a second hand book of embroidery stitches. Inside was this little pressed flower card. A note on the back dates it as 1975.

Feeling grey all over.

There has been so much rain these last few days that it seems as though the sun has gone for good. We are huddled under quilts, cat-snuggling and dreaming of wood burning stoves.
Update - in the time it took for the pictures to upload, the rain has stopped. Only to be replaced by soggy, wet snow.

A brief flash of sunlight appeared earlier on in the week and I rushed outside into the freezing cold to remind myself that there really is light in the world. I think I'll have to rely on the knitting to bring colour into my life until the Spring arrives.

So few opportunities for pictures have occurred, that I resorted to snapping some house DIY in progress. Oh that poor bear!

Respect the beans.

The weather is hurtling around Mog Towers, spitting at the windows and rattling old Coke cans up and down the street. At least it has warmed up a little, last week was freezing, frost and ice everywhere and little encouragement to leave the house. I did make it as far as the Farmers' Market where the purchase of some home made croissants and beautifully garlicky cheese cheered me up no end. Other than that nothing but reading, knitting and curling up in cosy chairs.

I have been playing with my balanced singles, knitting them into a simple shawl which changes from garter stitch to stocking stitch. The orange in the colour sequence is, at the beginning of the shawl at least, a bit over whelming. I had been aiming for something akin to kingfisher but the reality is more like a kingfisher on a building site wearing a high visibility vest.

The beans? This is what happens when you fail to accord aduki beans the respect they deserve. If you forget about them while distracted by luridly coloured yarn, they show their dispeasure by scarring the bottom of your best saucepan.

Aiming For Balance In The New Year

Christmas morning found me in Knitting Headquarters learning how to spin balanced singles. Instead of spinning in one direction and plying in the other which automatically balances out all of the twisty bits, single ply involves spinning carefully one way and hoping that the yarn is neither too twisty to knit or so soft that it disappears through your fingers. The judicious use of boiling water and an icebath helps things along, felting the yarn a little and making things less kinked. This way I can get the colour combinations I want, a la Noro without striping them out of all recognition.

The rest of Christmas day passed in a blur of food, family and fog. My mother's buffet never lets us down but the weather was more grey than festive white. One little figure shining out of the gloom was the old family fairy. More akin to the bargain basement than the realms of glory, but much loved for all that.


And if Tom is reading this, it's my turn to put her on the tree next year!

Christmas, Solstice, Hanukkah or Humbug

Whatever you celebrate, or not at all.

Thank you for reading my nonsense this year, I've really enjoyed sharing it with you.

I hope that 2009 brings good things to everyone.

Jetlag dishcloths and a gentle man.

Time is gradually slipping back into it's familiar ways and the brain along with it. For most of the week I could only be trusted to undertake the simplest of activies - eating sandwiches and making garter stitch dishcloths. There is a lot to be said for the simple beauty of garter stitch made into a cotton square, especially when topped with these lovely stitch markers made by Ravelry chum Wyndwitch.

I've woken up enough now to spin a little - this is a mix of shetland and rabbit from a local spinner and funnily enough, rabbit owner. I used some of my Kool Aid that was smuggled through customs from the USA to dye it and the mix of a darker shade of yarn with the zing of the Kool Aid creates something rather subtle. Or at least subtle-ish.

The gentle man of the title refers to Oliver Postgate, co-creator of some of the best childrens' television ever. He died some days ago and his leaving makes the world a sadder place. Thank you Oliver, for Bagpuss, for the Clangers, for Noggin the Nog, for Ivor the Engine and for all of the joy and imagination that you brought to my childhood. Here is an obituary in the Guardian, I defy you to read it and not wish that this man had been your friend.

Jetlag and Happy Memories

I am shimmering with tiredness. We flew home on Monday night, arriving in London Tuesday afternoon and finally home to Mog Towers on Tuesday night. Everything here is cold and frosty, such a contrast to the Californian sunshine.

There are so many stories to share and photographs to post that I couldn't possibly do them all justice. We had a wonderful time and felt right at home.

The inside of my fortune cookie from Golden Gate Park's Japanese Tea Garden sums it up rather nicely.