Blogtober Day 31

Wahoo! Made it. It has been a weird October because it is the first year in a very many that I haven’t carved any pumpkins for mommas front door step, ready for trickers and/or treaters.

David starts his new job tomorrow, I got him a good luck card and inside I wrote “I hope your new manager is lovely”. It’s me. I’m the new manager. Heh heh heh!

The doll commission is very slowly coming along, I’ve done the hair for the little doll that I made first time round and now I need to figure out the face.

I have started two more recent commissions, busy busy busy.

Not many photos today but at work before 8:30am I had a pocket full of golf balls. Apparently someone uses the bowls green out of season to practice his teeing off, but then he never takes his balls home again? So now they’re mine. Finders keepers n all that.

I have spent lots of work money today, I always enjoy doing that.  

Blogtober day 30

Monday, Monday, so good to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! It has actually been a good day today. I pulled my managerial hat on and made a Big Decision which will probably result in me having to put my big girl pants on and defend said decision. Heh. What fun hey.

Today at work I found a very good leaf, a turkey oak I think. I wanted to collect them all and I had grand visions of preserving them in wax or gelatine, then sewing and embroidering them, and making garlands and décor and stuff. And then I realised that I am quite probably on the spectrum and I will NEVER get around to doing any of that, so I left all of the leaves on the floor. Husband will be happy.

My lunchtime amble to the Co-Op because I was too lazy/sad/upset/crying to make a packed lunch yesterday was most upsetting because they didn’t have any cinnamon pastries left!! Clearly they had a Monday rush. So I went to the bakery bit and got a pack of two iced cinnamon buns instead. Winner! Deliciously gooey and sticky and I could’ve cut it in half and then I would’ve had four and that would’ve been one a day for every day I’m in the office this week, but I am also a fat pigwig so I ate one. A whole one. Needed it to fuel my managerial decision making. And then I had to hide the second one from myself.

I have started a new project today while my brain still works out issues with the doll. I think I have come up with a solution but I’m not in the mood to do it. I need to get in the mood though because I’m handing it over on Friday.

Beef stew for dindins. Cooked it for ten hours yesterday and it’s been cooked up today for a few more.

A good postal day today as my new Gaslight Anthem arrived, wahooo! Now just need a cassette release and I will be v happy. Also need to get a CD player as mine is dead. And a record player because I don't have one. It was my birthday present to myself except I pre-ordered it months ago.

Found tinky winky in the bin at home… not sure how and why a tinky winky has appeared…?!

Blogtober Day 29

Nearly there! Only two days of blogtober to go.

Today I have done another seven hours or so on this heifer of a doll and have now decided it isn’t worth it. This is the second doll I’ve made for this commission trying to get it right, it took me three hours to make the head – just the head – so the body in total has taken me over 12 hours. If I charged an hourly rate, that’d be £300. Not including materials, or the clothes, or the hair, or the face, or anything else. Just the shell of the body. I simply don’t have the time to get it finished, nor do I have the patience. The hair has taken me 4hours to do two thirds of the coverage, and that’s before I comb it all out and try to make it curly. Which ain’t gonna happen. So that’s that. Another make confined to the ‘never to be finished’ pile. The hair itself has had three attempts made today, I tried to do it in black yarn but I absolutely HATE working with black yarn, especially working into a chain to made a spiral. Sod that for a pack of carrots.

Today I have watched the first Garfield movie, and also Coco. I then listened to some old skool Red Hot Chili Peppers – some would say vintage. Because 2002 was soooooooooooo long ago (21 years, say whut).

I have done a huge beef stew to cook on the log burner today to eat for dinner tomorrow, and then cooked a roast dinner for today. I made a huge tray bake pud. It wasn’t great. It hasn’t been a great weekend.

Tomorrow I shall start my next crochet commission……..

Blogtober Day 28

My brain thunkle to remake the dolly was a Good Idea. I’m a lot happier with this version, even if it is literally going to end up the size of a newborn baby. Maybe even bigger. It is sure taking a lot of stuffing.

I have been true to yesterdays blog post and have indeed been very firmly parked on the sofa all day. I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas this morning, we watched Gremlins at lunchtime, and now we’re watching Oceans 8. And in between all of that, I’ve crocheted over 4,000 stitches and STILL am not done. I started at 8am and have taken minimal breaks. I’m working on the body now and then just have the other arm to go, and then I need to make the dress and the hair. The hair will have to wait until tomorrow because it’s made with black yarn and looks well fiddly, so I need natural light for that.

Not a lot else to report. It’s been a delightfully slow day, with lots of snacks and lots of sitting. Haven’t even put deodorant on today. A bra? Pah. Who has time for one of them.

This mat is approx 50cm x 50cm...

Blogtober Day 27

A much more betterer day today! I think I slept for around 10 hours. I felt much better when I woke up this morning. I wore my bird jumper to work today, made by my mommy. My little office is SO cold, so I have to wear lots of layers to keep warm. And then this afternoon I went for a walk to look at a tree, and it was cold and drizzly so I put my huge work coat on over the top! I was SO toasty. And I saw a woodpecker and a flock of siskins. Very good day.

I have done the wrist cuffs and since taking the photo have also done the thumb tubes for my gloves. I need to do the finger tubes now. Tomorrow I shall not be leaving the house at all, I am going to be firmly parked on the sofa, frantically crocheting to make a dent in all of the commissions I need to get made. Gotta get made or I don’t get paid.

Dinner today was pizza washed down with beer and to follow will be………….. Dairy Milk. Can’t get enough. And I had a cinnamon swirl at work because I was too lazy/tired/dead to do a packed lunch last night, so I went to the co-op today. Always gotta get a pastry. I love pastry.

A good day today. Yes.

Today is mine and Davids monthiversary – our first date was December 27^th – so today marks 6years and 10months, or 82 months total. Aww.

Blogtober Day 26

Today at work I laminated lots of signs and then did some first aid training and then ate a massive cinnamon pastry. You’ll all be relieved to hear that I have restocked my emergency chocolate drawer.

I am incredibly tired. It is 7pm and I think I’ll be going to bed soon. My eyes are going blurry.

Not many pictures today.

David had his last day at work yesterday! Which meant he has been home today so he has cooked dinner. Chicken and pasta with homemade sauce. Sooo good.

I have finished the first cuff on the first glove. I am too tired to compute the second one, so that’ll be a tomorrow job. I have also decided to start a recent project completely over because I’m not at all happy with it. My weekend shall be spent frantically crocheting to get things done.

Nighty night.

Blogtober Day 25

My uterus decided to wake up this past weekend. I was hoping that with this implant I would have a couple of years without blood, but maybe not. I am now using this as my excuse to bosh entire bars of Dairy Milk in one go, not that I needed an excuse. Me and Dairy Milk is no problemmo. I could easily eat a 200g bar a day to myself….! I need to restock my emergency drawer at work because I had the last choccy bar today (a single Galaxy Ripple, honest). I am very loose about what constitutes an emergency requiring chocolate.

Today at work I went for a restorative lunchtime walk in the woods, partly to get some fresh air and stretch my legs, but mostly because I went on a managerial inspection of the flood damage and to take photos to direct the team to fix stuff. I wore all my woollens because I was really cold when I left, but by the time I got back to the office I was SO toasty I had to take it all off and sat in the office with the window open!

The field at home is drying up nicely. Well, draining, not drying. It’s very squelchy still. The geese (literally HUNDREDS of them) look a bit put out because there’s no water.

Lamb tagine for dinner and then tomorrow I shall freeze the rest. Last day of my first aid course tomorrow. I feel like after three months I am finally settling into the role and getting things done.

Had a close encounter with a buzzard today when I came home. I think they like the flooding because it gives them places to hunt.

Blogtober Day 24

Day 24 eh. Feels like I’ve been doing this forever.

Today I worked from home which meant cooking dinner on the log burner, wahoo! The first log burner meal of the season. Lamb tagine. Very noice.

I have been making myself a new pair of gloves as procrastination instead of doing/making everything else I need to do/make. But now I am procrastinating finishing these because I can’t decide what colour to do the wrist cuff.

The flooding is receding, it’s off the track now and has dropped maybe 40cm (using a horizontal willow tree as measurement – countryside style-ee). The wildfowl are enjoying themselves. The National Trust man came today to check out the drain flooding at the back of the house. He says that someone has been authorised to come and look with cameras and stuff to see if the drains actually go anywhere, or not. And to hopefully find what the issue is. 

Trilobites make good door stops. Having the log burner going all day means that the house is nice and toasty as I’ve had all the doors open to get the heat upstairs. 

Pippopotamus has rediscovered his towel house and has been in it all afternoon.

I have been designated as a Day Manager for an event next month at work. I've got a month to get into manager mode..!

Blogtober Day 23

Back to work today! I did not enjoy a 6am alarm after nine days without. I feel like I haven’t actually successfully got any work done today, but I’ve been in meetings and walked around the town and looked at photos and reports and dealt with stuff, so I guess that counts.

It was hella foggy this morning, so foggy that I couldn’t see the extent of the flooding as I drove up the bypass. I came home early to discover that the track has been breached, and the garden also. I’m not expecting it to rise much more. I hope heucheras and applemint don’t mind being temporarily submerged…

I saw two red kites on the way home, and had a fly-in-front-past from a buzzard as I came down the track.

Garlic bread for dinner. Ever since starting this job, I get home and I just load up with sugar and carbs. I think that should probably be telling me something about energy levels, too much brain thinking, and how I need to improve my lunches. It is a very intense brain thinking kind of job. One of my team finished their summer season today, and I have two new staff starting next week. Still lots to get sorted.

Please enjoy the picture of the cat eagerly getting his mush into his food tub. I don’t think he’s realised yet that I mixed the diet food in with his normal stuff.

i didn't make this

this morning

this arvo

the limb of the oak sticking out to the right is 10ft off the ground at its lowest point

Blogtober Day 22

Well, that’s the end of my week off work!

What I wanted: a week off to fully relax, spend some time at the allotment cracking on with jobs, quality crochet time, watching halloween movies, going for walks in the wood, and generally just doing the things that I like to do, that I don’t get time to do.

What I got: not that.

It’s been a bladdy busy week!! Lots of things all conspiring and falling and crashing and having to be dealt with. I’m not really looking forward to going back to work tomorrow because I don’t want to know what I’ve missed. Only eight weeks til festive break!

Anyhoo. Today. TODAY. We have driven lots today (he has, I hasn’t). I’m all out of sorts because I haven’t been able to do my Sunday routine and now I’m anxious because I’m not ready for the week ahead, but I’m purposely trying to use my two hours this evening before bed to relax. Chillax. Calm de fook down. But I am angsty, I got shit to do. I haven’t vacuumed, haven’t done my eyebrows (eyebrows should not join the hairline), haven’t cleaned the kitchen, haven’t meal prepped, haven’t oiled my hair, haven’t planted the crocus bulbs I bought the other day…. Arrrrgh. I shall be going to bed and ruminating on all these things I haven’t done and it’ll drive me up the wall.

On our fourth attempt we have finally been out for our birthday meal with Davids parents. I had three scoops of sprouts. It’s a good job I have my own office at work. I shall shut the door and parp.

Flooding wise, I’m not worried. She is rising but slowly, I doubt the track will be breached until sometime tomorrow and even then it won’t be by much. Probably be a quarter of the way up the garden, so nothing major. I have however packed my waders, buoyancy aid, a change of clothes, and a wading pole, in case I end up in the water at work tomorrow to help the team clear blockages from trash screens and under bridges.

The cat has started on his new “light” food today, the little (big) porker. 6.9kg of Pip. He is a big boy anyway but how he’s much more biggerer. Fatfuck. Takes one to know one though - scroll down to see todays dinner,,,,

Blogtober Day 21

Today I decided to (gently) bonk myself on the head with the giant parsnip to see if I could use it to kill someone, and the answer is yes, it would make a v good weapon. V good. Could probably also use it as a doorstop.

I’ve been over to the allotment today to pay my ass fee for the year, and to plant some onions. I think I planted around 100, a mix of white, yellow, and red. I brought some home to chuck in the garden somewhere (above floodwater….?!) and then gave momma the rest. So £5 has possibly bought nearly 200 baby onions. So if they all grow we shall be rich in veg! I also harvested some more carrots to take to other momma, to go with some smaller parsnips from the garden.

I was in Sainsburys today and had an email notifying me of another Etsy sale, so that’s exciting. And then I’ve had a commission via text message from nephew number one, so that’s another little project. Friendly reminder that if you want crochet gifts for a festive celebration, you need to order them now.

The Quatford Wetlands is back for the season. The river hasn’t burst her banks yet – expecting that tomorrow or Monday – this is all surface water.

The farm shop fry up is still doing negative things to my insides. Sooo much oil. 

The Lib Dem man won the vote so we are now a yellow ward (we were blue).

Hotdogs for dinner.