Whatcha doing?

These socks have been in my kitting work bag for over a year unfinished, pure laziness, they were not alone I had two other pairs there, all three pairs are now finished and these this week will be winging their way to a new home. The design is mine, I have used left over yarn from other hand made socks, using 4 different shades and the multi coloured

Another good book, a simple task leads to a discovery, you know you are adopted, but now you have a huge new family, with secrets, should you dig deeper. A plot with a double time line which worked well. Book 6 read this year.

I have often said the buds on an amaryllis when opening look alien, this bloom is dark red, I can't wait for these loud blooms to show themselves, my hyacinth is in circle photo, I do not know what colour these blooms will be, they are forming. January is a good month for inside bulbs, I do love to watch their growth, the hyacinth bulbs will go outside in garden once finished. 

I spent some time outside, my main job was to cutback the fleabane daisies in this bed, I did the same last year, keeps them at a tidy size, you can see lots green new growth at the base of the plants. Now I can see the spring bulbs shooting, I also removed 3 clumps of primroses, which were completely hidden, they are now in new spots, they fell apart so I had 5 plants.

Saturday was dry, sunny and not too cold, an hour in the garden pleased me, I managed to weed my side bed, the weeds are tiny and easier to pull, soon spring bulbs will cover the bed. The bed above is looking a bit ragged, my two snowberry plants are doing well, I will cut back the right hand side to allow the other newer plant to grow so they match size. Hubby renewed the wooden perch on my fork handle, I've never seen a bird on it, but I do like to see it. It's a bit like Triggers broom (Only Fools and Horses), the handle was replace a while ago and now a new perch, it belonged to my mum, so it is years old. 

Molly brought home a reading book with words in on Friday, already she knows them, she was very excited to read to us, all three children have a love of books, just like their mummy and me, Will has been unwell this week, he rarely has time off school sick, so they had a lazy weekend at home, George is happy to be together with them all. 

Cold spell.

 We have so far missed most of the snow, we had a sprinkling over night, loads of frost every morning, with the low sun loads of spots stay white, the front of the house is the sunny side. Every day we have bright blue skies and sunshine, looking out it's brilliant, not so good once outside. This is much colder than we normally have at this time of year, which is reflected all around the country. 

 This yellow weather warning map covers most of UK, not covering the south coast, which is where we live, I have everything crossed we avoid the worst of the weather. In previous years we have missed the snow, we have no appointments in the coming week, so we will stay in.

I am keeping a check on my Olive tree, it now lives in a very sheltered corner, they are hardy to about -5° we have had this plant since 2019, I rarely cover this plant, I am keeping a close eye on it, so far it's OK. The rest of the garden is just left, whilst the frost are about it is best not to touch anything.

Meanwhile in my greenhouse the temperature is doing OK, I do not heat inside, it's in the sunniest spot in the garden on a raised base, which always helps with winter inside temperatures. I cleared the setting on Saturday, so these figures are for the 24 hours, it got down to -2.7° and was highest at 31.3°, both acceptable for the contents. 

I have not knitted any socks for a few years, which is a shame as I do love knitting them, I am wearing my homemade ones, much warmer for my feet, I am also wearing a few extra layers, our heating is working well and we try to keep the house between 18 and 20 in the daytime. We are not doing so much, so we do sit down more, which then makes me feel colder. 

We do try and have a short walk most days, wrapped up warm, my duffle coat is the warmest, with a scarf, gloves and knitted bobble hat. Our park is still busy, its a lovely place, the children's play area is always in use. Working on my computer is good, its the sunniest room in the house, my 2024 book is coming along nicely. I try and sort some of my crafting stash most days, there are loads of card bits to get rid of, I am keeping some bits for Molly to use, she does love crafting.

Meals are simple, I have a few bits of cheese left, I have enjoyed having so many different ones to try, there are hardly any chocolates left, I did not get too many this year. Our Christmas cake is being enjoyed, its not so dry now, must of just been one small section. 

Traitors is back on TV, along with Pottery throwing down and we love 1% club. There are a few new series we are starting to watch. I mainly read, not doing any crafting, I am searching for a cross stitch, nothing yet has fired my imagination. 

Shopping

We popped to our favourite garden centre for a walk about, I was surprised to see so much Christmas stock left in their sale, I have been looking for lights which are timed, stay on for 6 hours and off for 18, all four packs have this feature and were half price, so £10.50 for 4 sets. I love lights at Christmas time, but hate having to go around and turn them off, these are for inside my tealight holders.

 

Our cats are digging, as they do, in our long side flower bed and often flicking soil onto the slabs, this edging should stop the soil and look good, can't put it out yet, the ground is hard. It's plastic, but we preferred this design, the metal ones were straight tops. 

We did look at plants, 2 lupins and an Alcea, which is a hollyhock, 3 for £10, these are in the greenhouse to allow the plants to grow, it's not worth trying to put small lupins into the ground the slugs love the young growth, so all three will hopefully be double the size before I plant them. The primula fell into my basket, just because it was so pretty. 

I got a small plastic greenhouse for inside my big greenhouse, I want to start seeds as early as I can without heating the greenhouse, so I hope to be able to warm the inside and use it for propagation. I hope to heat the inside with a candle and a clay pot, and taking any warmth from when the sun shines, I will firstly pop the container of soil in there. I had these type of greenhouse years ago, if cared for they can last for years, and I will have a few more shelves in the greenhouse. 

I have finished my socks, a nice easy project for the dark evenings, I am enjoying knitting in 3ply, the socks are small so even with the extra stitches, it's still a quick project. I do have to search online for 3ply, I can't get any colours locally, I do have a couple more 3ply yarns, but I really don't need anymore socks. I do love the colours in this pair, very different for me, and no colour matching, plus only two strands to sew in on each sock. 

I did not spend my birthday money, I would like to get get something special with it rather than plants, all the spend has been added to my stash spend list, I am keeping it going, it's interesting for me to look back on. I have been looking at when things were purchased or done in the garden and have started a list, so we can judge if something is working and good value. 

It's very cold here for us, Tuesday it was -9° when we got up, the days are bright sunshine, I have been outside most days, not for long, just pottering and watching, working with our new layout. My rhubarb is shooting, which is pleasing the plant has settled in well, can't harvest any this first year, but something to look forward to next year. The broad beans are tall and holding well through this cold spell, I have propped the bigger stems, we are looking forward to a small harvest. 

There was alot of discussion on our local news regarding our overnight weather, there was a low coming along the English Channel, would it come north enough to find land, if so where it came in contact with the colder air from the north, we could wake up to snow, well this morning we are all clear, just really cold, a mere -4°.

Dry January

These cold bright days are wonderful, no rain, we can wrap up warm and walk, I have not done any jobs in the garden, it's too cold, but I am very happy with this view. Having put a few things back out, it looks like our garden.

I have finished the first sock, 

I love the colours so much, these are knitted in 3ply. 

My little display on my desk is looking good. 

My Albucas sprialis frizzle sizzle, has a second bud, the first is really tall and looks ready to open. The second bud in on the new forming plant, so I was not expecting it to flower in it's first year. 

The bulbs in my sitting room are a bit mixed, my brother purchased me a amaryllis with two buds, but they had hardly grown, and the one planted new, is just showing the tip of new growth. My hyacinth's have done better, the two in water are just forming roots. 

I got this book from our library, I read the back and brought it home, once I started to read it, I was not sure, it's set as a 7 episode TV programme,  6 experts trying to solve a historical murder, it twist and turned, right up to the end, I loved it. Book 3 read this year.

I am loving this cold spell we are having, and a week without rain is perfect, it did try and snow on Monday and we had a sprinkling when we woke on Tuesday, but so far we have managed to avoid it. 

I have walked to our library, I am trying to stop purchasing so many books, most I get from charity shops at a pound each, I got 4 which I should enjoy reading. 

Ashcroft Arts centre is where I do most of my local craft courses, I am extremely saddened to read it is being closed down, this is it's last year. The local council has rebuilt their local large centre, where they aim to promote all the plays and productions, so the Arts centre will not be required. They do more than that, all the classes for art, craft, dancing and drama, but the council is not answering any questions about any of these, just saying it can't afford to support this centre anymore, the local museum is being shut as well, they have asked the council for more funding, which was refused. Like everywhere councils are struggling, we are lucky so far we have not seen too many changes. 

I did mention before Christmas Hampshire county council had agreed a change in road layouts just outside our village going towards the local town, they are making bus lanes, so all other traffic will be swashed into one lane, there is now single lanes both ways, and it's causing chaos through out the day, it's taking much longer to get to the motorway junction, and traffic is backing up back into the town. No-one is happy, loads of moans on our local facebook page, people are trying to get it stopped, it seams no-one wanted this project to go ahead, it's going to take a year to build.  

Weekend

I got the buttons for my green cardigan, these are metal and feel correct for this weight, Aran yarn, but at £1 each, not cheap, I needed eight, was given a discount paid £5, still expensive, I am proud of myself for sewing them on already, it's a simple task I don't like, when my daughters were young I always knitted them jumpers so there would be no buttons. 

I have started another 3ply pair of socks, using hand dyed yarn, beautiful shades. I'm at the turn of the heal, beginning the decrease rows before I start the foot. I love the shades in this yarn, and will enjoy wearing them, I have made the top of the sock a bit longer than I normally make. 

I am cynical on so many things, I do often see the good side of things, but when it comes to shopping and supermarkets, I often question their reasons. Last year I succumbed to purchasing the double sized toilet rolls, with thoughts if how quick will they start to reduce their size. So on my request we will never use the bottom roll, it can stay there and record the reductions which will come. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Friday we popped out shopping to the other side of town, nearer to daughters house, we were babysitting later in afternoon, we tried the huge out of town B&M, can't say I would be in a hurry to go back, we also popped into B&Q, hubby had a few things to get, and then on to home-bargains. We had lunch in Whitley and popped into a few more shops, hubby was looking for jogging bottoms, but could not find any he liked. We did pick up a few useful bits, not spending much at all. 

Will had his first sleepover in ages, he was busy over the Christmas holidays, he still sleeps in our room, I am trying to get him to sleep in the spare bedroom, he call's it uncle Martins room, he will be 7 in February, so it's time for the change, both mummy and daddy are happy he sleeps in our room. George and Molly if they sleep over is always in the spare room. Very early start on Sunday morning. 

It's very nice to see dry sunny days, the dirty laundry bin is empty, first time in weeks, we spent some time outside, Will loves being in the garden, I managed to sort a few things, Sunday afternoon started the greenhouse, I hope to finish it this afternoon. It feels so good to be outside at the start of another year for growing, sadly far to early for starting seeds. 

Knitting

I have just finished my second sock, it was much easier to match the patterns, I did stop and think about matching as I started the first sock, and started at a defined spot in the colour pattern. I do like to see the patterns matching, I'm sure no one would notice if they did not match. BUT I would know. I have to sew the ends in, not to many, should not take long, I did enjoy using 3ply on this small project.

I have started with my blanket, this is DK yarn, I do knit loose and always use a smaller needle, but because this is a blanket, and I would like it warm and strong, I decided to use 3.5m needles, so the squares are smaller and dense, I'm not worried if they are not square, as long as they all look the same. It's a fun easy pattern, it directs you to knit each pattern in all the colour choices, rather than following the layout on the blanket, I am doing my third design. 

I got these tea towels in Dunelm, I love the fabric, they won't be used for drying dishes, I have an idea for the green one with Merry Christmas on, the other will go into my stash. I did see some lovely fabric Christmas tree ornaments when I was out, I might have a try at making some for myself.

In a devil may care moment I went online to look for 3ply sock yarn, I was very surprised not many sites have any selections, my local shop does not sell 3py. I found a site selling German sock yarn, which I like, I fell in love with the hand dyed blue colour, I was cross with myself as the purple is cotton, which I don't use for socks, I have a ball of white in my stash which is the same weight, I will have a think of how to use them. The 3rd colour is just shades I love. 

I have not done anymore to my needle felting, I have an issue, which once sorted I will post about, no desire to get my sewing machine out at the moment. I am not making my Christmas cards this year, I have everything I need to make them other than desire, I did get some nice packs back in January at half price, I can't see me making cards again, I have kept everything, I'm sure grandchildren as they get older will use what I have, if not the local school will get everything.

Friday we took the bus to our local hospital for a quick check up, afterwards we stayed on the bus and went into town, just a couple bits to get, we had lunch out and then back home for the afternoon. 

Saturday was sunny and bright, a line of laundry was done, hubby walked to the village for Remembrance service, I did a few things in the house and then outside picking up leaves, and a general check around of the garden, I have started to make a small wildlife pond, something I have wanted for ages, I need some plants, I will post when it's looks finished.

Sunday we had Molly for a visit, mummy took George to a party and Will slept over at Grandma's house, she is much better and was chatty the whole time, she was very putout because the patch of garden outside the patio doors was messy, we did not go out, she kept going to the glass door and telling Grancha it's messy sort it. We did see George but not for long, mummy had to get back for Will. Hubby baked loads, we still have lemon cake made a few days earlier, he made a blackberry and apple tart and a few mince pies, everything taste brilliant, he also made home made soup on Saturday, so loads of tasty things to eat. 

Phew, storm Ciaran.

I've started and I am enjoying this design once again, it's almost to the armhole shaping, I find it an easy pattern, I don't need to keep checking on what comes next. Being Aran, which is a thicker yarn for me, it does knit up quickly. Being so wet and windy outside, I have plenty of craft time.

These are my evening knitting, Grace is always on my lap, so I use double pointed needles which are shorter, I have made the top of the sock much longer, I do love the contrast colour, it goes well with the colours in the main yarn. Being 3ply, I have loads left over and another 100grm ball. I am playing with this design, the purple sections are using 4ply, I did not have any other 3ply, it looks to be working are the 3 areas are all places which get most wear. 

Hubby managed a second go and took off the top of the Magnolia tree, it looks terrible at the moment, but next spring it will vigorously grow back, all the leaves have been shredded and are in a black dustbin for leaf mulch. The logs are put in a pile at the side of the greenhouse, near the door for bugs. The left side of the tree needs to be done, once finished both mulch dustbins will be full. 

This side is bare, all the plants have gone from the bed, wooden furniture is in the garage, we moved the Olive tree to shelter from the wind. All this area will be dug out and replaced with paving, it will become our seating area. Just the three smaller pots to move, up by the greenhouse, once work starts. The levels are up and down with the removal of the decking, we popped a few bits of grass where we walk.

I got some radiator foil stuff, you should pop it behind the radiator, but this is for my greenhouse, I don't normally use any type of insulation, we don't normally get the heavy frost and snow along the south coast. Last year my bougainvillea struggled, it did not die, but it was not as strong in the summer, so I have popped some behind my top shelf to protect it and a couple of other plants, I have also wrapped the pot in some fleece, everything together should work enough

Wednesday night was very wet, the winds were not as bad as we feared, the garden greenhouse and house were fine in the morning, I am glad hubby sorted the Magnolia tree, it's leaves are huge and hardly any have dropped, our soil is saturated, I would not want to risk loosing it in a storm. Thursday was not as bad as expected,  but we did not go out at all, hubby cooked our main meal for mid day, I went to Pilates,  it was dry, breezy and cold. A day for knitting, I'm enjoying my different projects,  I am planning to start my Christmas blanket, 48 small squares, should be fun.

Our part of the south coast is often protected from the worse of the weather by Isle of Wight, again this was the case, locally there were some wind damage to buildings, roads remained open, schools were shut to ensure the safety of children. We have not heard of any flooding, and the promised dryish day today will help. This morning it is calm and sunny outside, time to pick up leaves blown about and pop to town.

Boredom....

 .....is a terrible thing, as is our local craft shop face book page, Sarah the owner knows just what she is doing, this Christmas blanket comes as a pack in a box, knitted in DK, I'm bored, I don't need it, but it's something to do, I'm sure the little ones will love it. Sarah ordered 4 packs and whilst unpacking her order, she has already sold 3. 

Just being nosey, seeing what else was in the order, Sarah got these out, Aran yarn, I loved making my 2 chunky cardigans, and thought it would be good to have another. Everything has been added to my stash list, not the planned start to November. 

I have done more on my socks, I do love the feel of 3ply, and if everything goes well, I might make another pair, they do not grow as fast as my other socks, but with all this rain I do have plenty of time to craft. 

I am going to start my cardigan before finishing the socks, I love the colour of the yarn, I decided to make this one shorter, I do love the two I made from the design shown above, but a shorter one is a nice change. I am finding myself keeping really warm at the moment, I wear my normal light jumpers, which I wear through out the year, I pop an Aran cardigan over the top and it's really snug. 

I popped into town on Monday to get our fruit and veg, I did have a look around, as I am stumped on what to get hubby for Christmas, yes I know it's only November, but I do like to get things sorted before the stampede which is the run up to Christmas. We have set a £25 limit on gifts to each other, and my problem there is nothing he wants, and I can't think of anything he would use and enjoy. For a change the morning was dry, the bus journey home long as the traffic was backed up again, we sat for ages waiting to get past the closed lane, but for once there were people working. 

Tuesday we had a birthday in sign group, so it was more of a social morning, hubby spent the time outside, he has cut back our side flower bed, and dug out the salvias, they were too big. Hubby also started in the Magnolia tree, its a big job, he has filled one dustbin with shredded leaves, hopefully we will get another dry spell to get the tree finished, just a small bed to dig out and we are ready for landscaper.

Yesterday I did something very different, Sarah at our craft shop is struggling as the shop is busy, she does not want to take anyone on as she knows there won't be enough work for 3 people in January. So I am volunteering for a couple days a week to help out, just for 8 weeks, I know enough about most of her products to help customers, I had loads of fun with like minded ladies of all ages. Just 4 hours for my first time, I'm in all day on Saturday as Liz, her right hand lady is having a day off, it did not feel like work at all, so much fun.

We have got through the night loads of rain from storm Ciaran, we are still on an amber alert of wind, going to be a bumpy day.

Between raindrops

I managed an hour outside on Friday, I used our homemade leaf mulch on this bed, and then I popped in some string to help the broad beans grow straight. I do have a few beans which did not come up, I don't have anymore so it's Ok. The two rows of onions in the middle are growing, I popped the net back down, just a case of watching them grow. As I've never grown broad beans before, I'm hoping Sue in Sussex will give me encouraging comments I am doing it right, she kindly commented before. 

The perfect treat after all that work, our cake is moist and perfect, you can taste the citrus in the fruits, it has cherries in but no nuts, as I would not be able to eat it. As we sat and ate it at mid day, we had to turn the lights on, we had a thunder storm and loads of heavy rain.

George will be 4 next month, and we have been struggling what to get him, daughter has a house full of toys, most of which Molly and Will use, George loves his play kitchen and all the wooden foods, he also loves dressing up, his box is full of outfits Will had. He does love reading and doing early learning with mummy, who encourages him to use his voice. So I went online to get him a book, none were what we wanted, so I sat down and made him one, the first few pages are about him and his family, then I have learning pages. With the numbers and colours, I have at the back of the book made a second set, which I will remove from the book, cut out and laminate, he loves a matching game. The images I have used came from searching free images, there is a whole world of things if you look. 

I have started another pair of socks, these are different, I am using 3ply, much thinner and therefore more stitches, that's OK, they are for me and I have plenty of time, the top, heel and toes are in contrasting colour, I'm hoping I can wear these with my boots, my other home made socks are too thick. I did not have a 3ply pattern so I have altered my usual design, mainly more stitches. 

I saw this on BBC news site, I hope this happens, I don't know about you, but I miss Wilko's, every time I go to town I shopped in the store.

The weather forecast has been for very wet days, and with loads more wet days ahead, locally a few roads have been difficult to pass, even when we get huge downpours and flooded, areas are nothing in comparison shown around the country, you would have to be very unlucky to have your home flooded here. Wednesday afternoon, the sun shone, and again for most of Thursday, it was a surprise, we still had a few sharp rain storms, Friday another sunny start, showers most of the afternoon and very heavy rain through the night again.

For the first time, we had space in the garage to put our wooden bench and 2 garden chairs, they should stay nice and dry, they are on my side of the garage, tucked in and out the way, I won't need most of my garden stuff until next spring. I also moved some of our herb pots up in front of the greenhouse, they will block the path, but again I won't need to get there. We are almost ready for the landscaper, we don't have a date and are hoping all this rain is not going to slow him getting to us. 

Hubby and I were chatting regarding the compost and leaf mulch we make, I purchased my hotbin composter because we did not want another waste bin and to have to pay the council to empty it. We worked out the cost of the hotbin, a shredder and two black bins, which I use for leaf mulch, would equate to 3 years payment to the council, including the cost of purchasing the councils bin and minus the price I got when I sold my wormery. By next spring we will break even on the cost, both the leaf mulch and the compost we get are great quality, no woody bits, I've not purchased any type of mulch for the general garden, I did get 1 bag of bark for the new flower bed. My working area behind the garage is clean and tidy, I can get to everything, we did discuss having a 3rd black bin, but I don't think we have enough of our own leaves. Other than recently removing stuff for the garden refit, we don't often need to go to our council tip, everything is working well, which it has to do in a small garden.

Finishes

 I have finished my leftie shawl, this is a gift, I love knitting this design, it's simple but so beautiful. I do sort the ends as I am knitting, it's a job I don't like, so leaving them all to the finish would make the end of the project not so enjoyable. The leaves make an interesting design, I have made it in many different colours. 

These socks are for my sister, part of her Christmas gift, she can knit, but chooses not too, she has been giving me hints for a while now. This will be the last part of her and her partners Christmas gift. I don't have any other gifts to make this year. They should be finished in a couple of evenings, a simple stocking stitch, with the yarn doing all the work. 

I had another go at making a cat at home, using all the bits I already have, it's much easier to make them a second time, as I understand how the final cat should look. I made the head and features bigger this time, maybe a bit too big, he still looks good, I love the mixed colour fibre I am using and I have a plan to use it again. 

The weather is keeping us inside, which is good as it makes hubby slow down, he is itching to get the raised beds done so he can dig them in, I would rather he paced himself and ensure he is not too tired. I get my fix from houseplants on days I can't get out, both these plants are my stars at the moment, the cactus is in the bathroom and full of colour, the bulb, Albuca Spiralis Frizzle Sizzle is on my desk and is growing, as I have said often, I love leaves which curl. 

Another book finished, I got this one from the works, from the start I was not sure, it felt like one of those books where everyone was young, successful and having a perfect life, I know loads of people love books like that. I did enjoy the plot, not as much as others I have read, I guessed the conclusion, but not totally how she would finish the book. Book 29 read this year.

Sunday morning and at bedtime we had thunder and lightning, with heavy rain most of the time in-between, Monday started dull, we again had heavy rain in the morning, so plenty of inside time, crafting, I have almost finished another task, I hope to be able to post soon. 

Tuesday we met with sign ladies at a local garden centre for coffee, we did have a walk around, with all the work going on in the garden, I did not purchase anything, we did look at furniture, we hoped there may have been something in the end of season sales we liked, not this time. It was cold and windy outside, the season has changed, sadly this week, I'm wearing long trousers, socks and trainers, I have also pulled out a warm knitted cardigan, summer has departed. Hubby is still wearing shorts. 

Wednesday was another wet and windy day, we walked to the village,  which was quiet, our market had been called off, we got a brilliant bargain in Iceland, Felixstowe pouches, 2 big boxes for£20, we got 4 boxes, so our cats are sorted for months to come.

I did have a bit of a wobble for a while, on seeing the size of the veg beds and the proposed new layout, was I making the right decisions, I'm closer to 70 than young, was this going to be too much for me to cope with. I have wanted to grow veg ever since we moved here, but nothing we did worked for me, so doubts crept in, I know once the veg beds are put in place they won't look so huge, and once I start planting they will become small quickly. I have to trust myself and my hubby, who will ensure things are done right, the landscaper will sort the rest closer to the house, we are just waiting for a start date. I have moved tender plants into my greenhouse, I plan to move other pots up to the area around the greenhouse, just until the work has been done, then I have to sneak them back nearer to the house.  

Last finishes.

 SIL socks are already wrapped and in their hamper of goods, he should have lovely warm feet, he does love colour and I have enjoyed using these orange yarns. The tops and toes are the same colour, the photo is not that great. I still have loads of sock yarn, but not sure if I want to knit any more this season. 

The cakes are done, I'm pleased with them, I did have fun with edible gold spray, we have glittery holly leaves and glitter around the kitchen, it got everywhere, I did make too many holly leaves, and I'm really glad I took the effort to make them different shades. Our cake in the middle one, they are all the same, except brothers cake is smaller. Everything in edible other than the bands and greetings. These cakes are not cheap to make, but everyone loves them, they won't last long into January.

Friday was a busy day, hubby made sausage rolls and mince pies, I wrapped the remaining gifts, my brother arrived early afternoon. I had a good session for my back, next week will be my last one, I am hoping I won't need to go back in the new year, the lady is very good, the cost is not to bad, but going every week does build the cost. I had my scans at our local hospital and have been given another all clear. 

Saturday I finished the cakes, we then walked to the village, there was our vintage fire engine, with Santa's sleigh on, Father Christmas was cuddling all the children and handing out sweets. They collect every year and all money raised is used back in our village, this is run by our local fire station, we are very lucky to still have it here in our village. There were also a choir singing Carols, it did feel really festive, loads of people had Christmas hats on. 

Sunday we had breakfast out, no walk, just far to wet, the rest of the day was spent at home together. TV has been good, the final of Strickly and the last Escape to the Chateau, both we have really enjoyed. I never watch The Handmaids Tale on Sunday, it's too close to our bed time, so I will watch later today.

We have had 2 men sleeping out locally, together the village has helped both. One is now in a shelter, the other had issues before in a shelter and declined to go, so a local family have give him the use of their hut for the winter months, the pub in the village allows him to sit inside whenever he needs to, a funraiser page was made to help both, one now has new glasses and can read clearly again, and both have warm new clothing. Villagers can pop into the pub and pay for lunches and coffees, he does not drink. It is sad we have people who's lives are not better, but it does feel so good to feel part of a community who can help others. 

Finishes

I'm still finding stitching time, I am working on 4 more squares, 1 is finished, 2 need the infill sections done (flowers and squares), one white and one pale pink, the 4th I'm loving stitching. There will be at least 12 squares here.

This shawl is finished, it is a very simple design, called Leftie shawl, purchased from Ravelry, I have made it many times and each time a different colour choice. This is for a friend, who I hope to see in the next couple of days, not a Christmas gift, just something to help stay warm, I do love to knit, but there is very little I want made. I have finished SIL's socks, I just need to sew in all the ends. 

This is the second book in a series, I did enjoy the book, did not think the link was that big, but it did have a conclusive ending, I have another 5 books by this author to read. Book 83 read this year. 

I've had a bug, or ate something which my body did not like, Saturday night was messy and Sunday was a total wipe-out, I did not get up until after 10, and could have gone back to bed. As a result my shoulder and back were complaining all day, I did not take any painkillers as I was not sure if I could keep them down, so a day lost. 

Did I say it's bl**dy cold, I don't normally feel this cold, but the temperatures have plummeted, every morning we have heavy frost, everywhere is white, it has been sunny in the daytime. Sunday we had some light rain, worrying as the temperatures have dropped every night. Monday was frost free but wet and very grey, we listened to the snow reports around the country, luckily we live in a spot along the south coast where often we miss the snow, it doesn't reach us from the east or the west.  

We popped into town and got our fresh fruit and veg, no packaging, just lovely produce, and a brillant solution for the Christmas veg, they gave us a card, if we order by the coming weekend, they will deliver our fresh fruit and veg on the Friday before Christmas. We totally trust their products and will be using them for all our needs, one less thing to have to think about. 

Today is sign group last meeting, we are having lunch together, I have my secret Santa gift, and an extra thankyou gift for Shelia, she works so hard with everything, making our meeting so much fun, without her my BSL would be much weaker.