Spiders abound and other stuff.

May I introduce to you - Humbug. He/it/she is a Giant Black and White Tarantula. As the tweezers give the piccie scale, you can see that at the mo Bumhug (as I like to call him) is only a spiderling and would fit on a 20p piece - weenie! He/it/she (lets choose he) arrived yesterday from the the wonderful shop in Cowplain called South Coast Inverbrates - the boys had a jolly jaunt down there and enjoyed choosing our next baby. I think J really fancied a Goliath Birdeater - maybe next time hmmm. Anyhoo Bumhug eats micro-crickets - now I've heard of everything. He dispatched two of them with great efficiency yesterday and also managed to maim a paint brush - he's one fierce hombre!

Other stuff....

Well Sp 6 starts this week - I have a new pal to spoil - but as yet am unclaimed by my secret pal *sigh* its only been a day but patience is not one of my strong points.

I feel a bit better - still snotty and tired but over the hump of it. Now it's just taking the time to recover fully.

I knitted a lovely scarf whilst ill - piccies will follow - it's a beautiful mauvey pink in moss and double wrap knit stitch. Also cast one to knit 2nd little shell sock - but no knitting this weekend as I had my nose in a rather good book or two. I ate lots of bad things likes chocolate and nuts, read and lazed about - yummalicious.

Managed to finished week 1 of my course. Heard from my tutor - seems nice. Will be attempting start of week 2 later today.

Have J's home-ed group today (hurrah - did that sound sincere - nope) I just don't like groups (forgive me Allie & Dani) but that's the way I am. They do my nut, but J is still in a quandary about remaining in the group (some fav friends have left) he still has some very close friends there but I think they are the only reason he wants to go. Oh well - such is life.

Having a hair, tattoo and piercing debate with myself - I'm 39 very soon and want a change to my look. I fancy going lighter again (have been dark for 14 months) plus I need to get my Madonna redone as I had to let it heal. But shall I go the whole hog and have another one as well or shall I finally get the tat I've been talking about getting for the last two years? Watch this space..... can you stand the tension?......Isn't this post exciting?.....Not!!!

Ta ta peeps xxxxx

Boris (or maybe Doris -still not sure) has a new aboreal tank. As he likes to hide away in his web a piccie like this showing his amazing colours is a rare treat. So I thought I'd share it with you. 

Intermission.

Enjoy this Dartmoor view until normal service resumes.

Still ill and

drowning in a pool of snot!

OMG I can't remember being this ill for a long time. So ill I can't knit - yes - "I CAN'T KNIT!"

I don't want to do nuffin not nuffin. I did study for a bit yesterday - but it was a struggle.

Food tastes like shit. My ears itch. My head aches. I'm fed up. And I can't even knit - cos my brain is so fuzzy I'll just fuck up whatever I touch. I am not safe to be left alone to do anything.

*wallows a bit longer in pit of eternal self pity and misery*

Go read someone else's drivel for a few days. Normal service will resume as and when.

Can you Adam and Eve it?

My first cold of the winter! I've been taking my zinc tablets, eating loads of raw fruit and veg and exercising (love my new treadmil) and I get a (sensitive peeps - cover your eyes) fucking, snotgobbling, spunkbubbling, arsewiping cold! And to top it off - it's not a sniffle it's a MFer of a cold and I feel like a bag of shit! (OK naughty word bit over now.)

I am drinking copious amounts of ginger tea. I am resting today. But the timing - I started the prep work for uni last night and I felt good about getting ahead - HA!

So, now I am a very, very, very, very bad tempered, grumpy little P. Cross me if you dare cos feeling like this - I will rip off your head and spit down your neck. Grrrrrrrr.

On the knitting front (how's that for a change of pace?) I am making a lovely cloud scarf in KSH in a raspberry colour. I have two odd socks from wonderful (machine wash) sock yarn sent to me by Skip in sp5. I have one plain knit sock in reds and one Little Shell Sock in mauves - I'm not gonna post pictures until I have knitted their mates though. I picked up Cozy the other day - knitted 2 rows, realised I'd lost a stitch somewhere so put it back down - I'm fed up with it at the mo. My Clapotis in on it's 8th centre repeat so it's growing slowly and my aran silk slipover is sulking cos I've ignored it for a fortnight. I treated myself to some Debbie Bliss Maya as it's discontinued in a lovely orange/pink colourway - just 3 skeins - but I think they will make something yummy (a felted bag possibley.)

Been having fun doing Dr Funsters Thinkaminutes with J - he's getting good at them. We looked today at averages which he seemed to enjoy and he has also been using his Muzzy vocab builder on all the different languages - today it's Italian.

Am not reading much at the mo - still textbooks - but I have a book craving and am going into town tomorrow (if well enough) so I might get a new read.


Finally, a friend of M's had their baby yesterday - so welcome to the world little Jessica can't wait (once this minging cold has gone) to give you a cuddle. Am now off to raid the stash for any baby wool and a bootie pattern.

A meme

Tagged by the ubersparkley Glittr.

4 jobs I've had in my life.

S/Employed crafter
Insurance Underwriter
Office Manager
Photo shop ass

4 Movies you watch over and over.

The Matrix
The King and I
Chronicles of Riddick/ Pitch Black
K-Pax

4 Places you've lived.

Brighton

4 TV shows you love to watch.

Spongebob Squarepants
Little Britain
League of Gentleman
Deadwood

4 Places you've been on vaccation

Cyprus
Malta
Germany
Netherlands

4 Websites you visit daily

Knitty.com
6767.com
Nickleback by Nickle-Kittie
Open Democracy

4 Favourite foods

Chinese
Thai
Indian
Italian

4 Places you'd rather be right now

In bed
In a sauna
In a cave on a mountain
Up Jacks arse and round the corner

4 bloggers I'm tagging

can't think of any who haven't done this meme - if you fancy a go - then fill your boots.

Flower Petal Shawl (elann pattern) modelled by Ma. Started 15/12 finished 18/01 - Artesano Alpaca in Lilac. I so enjoyed making this and love it now it's finished. By the way Blogger Bot rearranged my piccie order which is why they are out of order *sigh*.

J's Chullo. 

Close up of yarn/stitches. 

The worlds cutest model in his grooviest hat! 

Here's our new baby - Dolly, isn't she lovely! She will get a lot bigger, so watch this space. 

Hi, Honey, I'm home..............

back from our wonderful break away. So relaxed, so calm, so chilled and very happy. The picture was the view from our bedroom window. I walked for miles, eat delicious food (I did pig out a little but hell I was on holiday and the food was lovely) and spent a lot of time either in the hydro bath or in the saunas. We also spent a lot of time in front of the log fire watching the wildlife, reading and in my case knitting - pure bliss.

Missed J but Ma said he had a ball. They seemed to do a lot together including a trip to the Lego shop to spend some hoarded Xmas money.

Glad to be home as my bed is my bed and I sleep best there.

Stopped off on the way home at our favourite tarantula shop (piccies to follow) of Dolly the Paraguay Pink Stripe tarantula.

Off now to reorganise my knitting, drink some coffee and chill out until Monday.

A lovely view of the lake from our patio. At the best we had 12 ducks, 6 moorhens, 2 squirrels and a rat feeding there in the mornings. Yes I said ...rat, a brown rat with a waffley nose and long whiskers. Fine by me I like rats ;0) 

May I introduce to the boldest squirrel I've ever met. He just sat there when I opened the patio door about 4 inches from me and waited for me to throw out more sunflower seeds. 

Question. How many moorhens can you fit on a brick BBQ? 

I just had to post this.

I sitting in the bathroom having a little cogitate when I noticed what looked like shoe tread on the top corner of the bath (?) I then noticed that these went all along the top of the bath rim. Now, these were little treads from the bottom (it appeared) of Spiderman slippers. So when I'd done with my little think etc, I called my DS and asked him why he'd been standing on the bath expecting a logical answer, like "I saw a spider on the ceiling and wanted a closer look." What answer did I get? "I was practicing tight-rope walking as I've decided I want to join the circus when I grow up." Long pause, for my stunned silence, trying very, very hard not to laugh at such a serious idea as this. Anyhoo, a lecture ensured regarding the safety of wet steel baths and glass shower doors, so hopefully this is the one and only time I'll find footprints along the bath rim (I am not holding my breath on this one!!!)

As I sit here typing M is cleaning the bathroom and has now found prints on the loo-seat lid as well - oh well if job is worth doing it's worth doing well. DS is now receiving 2nd lecture from M. I quite honestly expect to find footprints on the ceiling when I lay in the bath tonight. It's those Spiderman slippers, I am sure it!

NB - I don't have any idea why all the sidebar stuff on my blog has shifted (from yesterday) to the bottom - any bloggbrainiacs who can help this Luddite understand what has happened and how to rectify it ...............please post and tell me............please.................please.

Yarn Pr0n - Fiberspates Silk Boucle - mmmmmmmmm yummy! 

I'm so excited

I can't wait to go away for our romantic, smoochy and spa-ish mid week break. We leave early Monday - wheeeee!

Grandma is boy sitting (not literally - doh) he's going to be spoilt rotten - so he's excited too. I do miss him when we go away as a couple (I phone him everyday) but it's good for us to have time to be a couple, something I think that home-eding parents lack more as we don't offload the kids to school and other peoples care that much ;0) I know it's a personal choice but whatever the reason a break away is still a good thing.

I plan to relax, read, knit, walk, eat yummy food and sauna myself silly.

I also enjoy a break from the humdrum - you know ironing, cleaning etc, etc. Paying bills, balancing the budget - all the daily stuff - that just for 5 days can look after itself. Ahhhhh bliss.

Now I have to organize what to take - most importantly what knitting to take - need variety. Mmmmmmmmm socks (of course), my petal shawl and my aran silk top I think - so plain knitting, lace and cables - good mix - don't you agree?

Book wise I have the latest Joanne Harris - Gentleman and Players - which I've saved to take with me and the book of K-Pax incase I finish the other one. I'm packing my Ipod. Just wish M had had the time to convert Jane Eyre (thank you Deb) to MP3 files - but he's been rushed of his tootsies at work, so it's still on his to-do list. Oh well, I have a copy of Emma on there - that will do.

Now, I know you will all miss me most terribly, but chin up and all that, it is just for a few days, I'll be back in a wink!

I'll publish some yarn pR0n b4 I go to get y'all drooling while I'm away.

See you in a week xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's the Snew year.................Yawn.

Hippy, hoppy, happy 2006 to one and all.

We had fun. M had a birthday - which was a total blast. J has been inflicted with Dr Whoitus - and me.....well I've been calm, happy and relaxed.....................YES I HAVE!!!!!!!! No stress here.

I have been knitting - finished my Irish Hiking Scarf, Mil's Coronet and Voodoo wristwarmers, M's sockies, J's sockies and almost my sockies - no photos cos I just couldn't be asked. Am still knitting my full size clap and my petal shawl (mmmmmmm Alpaca) as well as a couple of other bits and bobs.

Ordered some scrummalicious yarn from the sale at Get Knitted including some silk - oh heaven, pet it, pet it.

Am reading .............text books!

Have been playing with J's AstroLogix. (see piccie)

Bought a couple of CD's including the new one by Korn - 'See you on the otherside' which is amazing.

Watched loads of films including 'Bride & Prejudice' which I love and ' I Robot' which is good but I prefer the book.

Have eaten too much but have tempered it with loads of healthy fruit smoothies and veggie juice from our new gadget.

Am back on the wagon - apart from Xmas day have hardly drunk anything and I admit to feeling so much better for it, so I'm now determined to stick with it and become an occasional drinker only.

Looking forward to - the ballet tonight, my favorite 'Sleeping Beauty'. Going away with M for a midweek break....yummy. Starting studying again. The rest of 2006.

Xmas 2005 - been there, seen it ........done it!

Or I perhaps a better title might have been 'A 101 uses for a Sonic Screwdriver!' J's top pressie. As for the rest of us, well, Loobles ate her furry squeaky boot and Buster killed his brand new catnip mouse. The spiders had a Locust lunch and Snuffles munched his favorite - celery and sliced pear. Dh and I enjoyed a long lunch with big sis and her hubby - where much merriment ensued. The two boys romped, played and were fairly well behaved.

Boxing day - a very quiet family day, just the 3 of us - lovely. Lots of knitting and reading. Very relaxing.

Yesterday - at Dh's family - 9 adults and 5 kids. We played a quiz DVD which got quite competitive but was fun. Got the pee taken out of me for knitting socks - but as I did better than the others - I claimed it focused my mind!

Today - life resumes - Dh is at work. I am recovering from a dodgey prawn - oh boy was I ill last night! I have plans to hatch & formulate for Dh's b/day on Saturday and loads of chores which I plan to ignore!

Hope everyone had a peaceful and jolly Christmas - does the thought of another mince pie make you want to hurl yet?

Happy New Year etc - see you on the other side!