Hello!

Friday

2009-11-14T21:17:53+00:00

So, we went to Glasgow. I spent my teenage years in the suburbs, heading into the city at the weekends on the Blue Train and getting myself lost in the city centre for as many hours as I could manage to reasonably escape for.

In those days the city was not as cosmopolitan as it is now and I spent time mooching on Byres Road and Sauchiehall Street and treating myself to puff candy in Lewis's (not John Lewis). I also spent endless happy hours fondling the fabrics in the treasure trove which was Remnant Kings.

These days Glasgow city centre is much more sophisticated and I much prefer the city to the rather staid old lady which is the capital on my doorstep. We were through to go to the Proclaimers concert at the SECC. Going "through" is a linguistic peculiarity where one travels "through" from Glasgow to Edinburgh and vice versa. This is on occasion shortened to

"Are you going through?"

with no requirement for the actual destination.

We went through with enough time to go to Wagamama for tea.

Choices, choices...

We parked the car and walked the last wee bit to the concert venue. This is the new BBC Scotland building on the opposite side of the Clyde. The plum coloured lights at the top change colour which is rather striking, though I do wonder (quietly) about the lights being left on... I mean do they need to have those satellite dishes lit up all the time? Interestingly the next building but one is the STV offices, slightly smaller (but still with every light blazing)... and with MUCH smaller dishes. Perhaps a case of "mine are bigger than yours are"?

Then we walked around the Armadillo. I'm not sure if this is really what it's called, but it was beautifully lit.

This is the inside of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, a huge building used by everyone from Take That to the Knitting and Stitching Show.

You'll just have to take my word for the fact that it was brilliant!

The performance was a mixture of new and old... and "500 miles" brought the house down.

I was also hugely impressed by the security/marshalling/yellow jacketed staff. One particularly large and muscular gentleman, the sort you would not want to mess with, bore the legend "Ask Me For Assistance" which, given his size I took more as an order than a suggestion.

We were in the seated area and in the banked sections on either side of us, at two separate times, two people collapsed. Well boy did these guys move. They RAN, they had First Aid people on the scene in under a minute and they extricated the injured in almost-darkness with an expertise which was seriously impressive.

We drove home in pouring rain. I would see The Proclaimers again in a heartbeat. If you get the chance to go, grab it with both hands!

n

Not really a blog post...

2009-11-13T13:54:05+00:00

... just dropping by to say that I will be dyeing more electric, happy, botanic and doodle on Monday, I've updated the quantities in the shop so if you order this weekend it will be posted on Tuesday.

... and I'm going to see The Proclaimers tonight in Glasgow, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.

... and the bird feeders I put up in the garden have been very successful with the smaller birds. I have seen Blackbird, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Wren, Starling, Robin, Thrush, and Goldfinch, and that's just this morning!

Store Cupboard Challenge Update

2009-11-12T09:21:57+00:00

The Challenge is well into the second week now, and we have been working our way through all the leftovers in the fridge and freezer so it was looking fairly empty last night.

In the freezer we have

top shelf - rolls, plain bread (it's a Scottish thing), and that bag of gooseberries.

second shelf - mackerel (awaiting gooseberries), and quorn chunks

third shelf - broth x 3, parsnip soup x 2 and jerusalem artichoke puree.

two drawers of peas, spinach, corn, and prawns.

And in the fridge we have

top shelf - natural yogurt, the acorn I am winterifying before planting, soya milk, tomato juice

second shelf - evaporated milk (known in this house as "nation") which Fegrig likes in his coffee, homemade chilli and ginger and cumin paste, root ginger, butter, cream cheese, and a completely empty real cheese box, which, mouse that I am, is giving me palpitations.

empty drawer - usually has bacon and other meat in it.

next shelf - mustard. Four varieties of it. I like a bit of mustard.

last shelf - olives, black and green, sauerkraut.

two drawers of fruit and veg - carrots, beetroot, onions, Bramley cooking apples.

In the door sections we have milk, suet, coffee (real, not imaginary), and more (and more) jars of sauces, pickles and dressings.

So, plenty of ingredients and spices, but not much actual food, if you know what I mean.

If you were starting again from scratch, with an empty kitchen and no food at all, what would you buy as your staple items?

I'll see if I can come up with a list for tomorrow.

The Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

2009-11-11T14:16:30+00:00

This morning I went for a walk.

I left the house at about half past ten, and I walked towards the station.

I walked past the Primary School with six and seven year olds shouting and jumping and playing in the playground.

And I continued down the road past the smallholdings until I came to the level crossing and gingerly made my way across the rails because there is no footbridge.

A hundred metres later I came to my destination.

The War Memorial for the villages of East Calder and Kirknewton.

No two Memorials are the same. Contrary to what we might expect today, they were not built by the state, but by public subscription. Each community raised their own money and commissioned their own design. They don't all bear the same dates. Some say 1914-1918, some 1914-1919 and some 1914-1921.

Although the date we now remember is 11.11.1918 - the date the Armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany - many memorials such as this one bear the dates 1914-1919 because it wasn't until the following summer that the Treaty of Versailles was signed. A few memorials have 1921, the first American Armistice Day.

The silence we now associate with Armistice Day began in 1919, following a letter to the London Evening News, although there are reports that on the evening of the first anniversary there were parties and dancing in the streets to celebrate peace.

In 1920 King George V, after initially rejecting the concept, approved the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey. The description of how this was done can be seen here - do read it. The flag which covered his coffin hangs in the Abbey.

In 1921, a similar ceremony took place on the 11th of November at Arlington Cemetery in Washington.

So at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 2009, I stood in front of the memorial and read each name.

And when the two minutes was over I jumped over the low wall (because the gate was locked) and I did the same thing again.

There was no-one else there.

It is notable that on the first list, names are given according to rank, then alphabet, but on the second, it is purely alphabetical.

When the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter in 1917, there was dissent about a number of aspects of the establishment of War Cemeteries. However principles were laid down then and are still adhered to today.

Names should be placed on the headstone or memorial where they are known.

Headstones should be permanent.

Headstones should be uniform.

All very logical. However the Commission also decreed two further principles.

The first was that there was to be no repatriation of bodies. There was outcry about this because families wanted to bring their sons (and daughters) home, but in reality only the wealthy would have been able to afford it which would have created inequality, something the CWGC were staunchly against.

The second was that there should be no distinction made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed. This was remarkable for the time, but as I saw on the plaques, by the 1939-45 war, it was accepted practice. Again there was dissent, the concept of laying officers and "men" side by side was alien in a class ridden Britain, but the Commission insisted on it.

Memorials take all forms, some are grand with extensive stonework and carving and others are very simple, little more than cairns of stones. Some communities have no physical memorial because it was left to each village to decide for themselves, and they decided to pay for a District Nurse for their community instead.

Among the expected poppy wreaths from Girl Guides, Scouts and Boys Brigade, I found this.

It reads

REMEMBERING OUR UNCLE

PRIVATE JAMES RENWICK

7th CAMERON HIGHLANDERS

Missing 20th August 1917

Aged 20 years

AND ALL THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES

FOR OUR FREEDOM

You can see his name on the plaque. My sons are now 18 and 20.

And as I walked back home past the now silent school I realised that since the school was built just over a hundred years ago it is quite possible that he would have been one of the little boys running around in that playground with his friends in the early years of the last century. The same playground my own children played in when they were small.

n

Happy Doodle Botanic Electric!

2009-11-10T17:51:50+00:00

Ysolda's new pattern will be released any minute, so it's time to make the yarn available in the shop.

I have my own copy of the book, and am eyeing up several of the designs, particularly Damson.

However, I have to confess that I am rather partial to the Cotton Reel Mittens.

Botanic on the right, and electric on the left.

Happy on the right, and doodle on the left.

I have put them in the shop this afternoon. These are repeatable colours so I can dye more if the shelves are empty.

There are also other possible combinations of course, for example the nude yarn would work really well with any of the more saturated semi solids.

I've also added a few new style colourways.

1275 and 1278

1273 and 1281

And Macushla is back in the shop too!

1289

Ysolda's website is here and the pattern will be available very soon, today or tomorrow. Or you can buy it as a ravelry download.

natalie

The Optician Saga, Part V

2009-11-09T21:03:50+00:00

The saga of the Opticians continues.

This morning I went to get my eyes rechecked, or rather, one aspect of them. The New and Wonderful Optician diagnosed a muscle weakness in one eye last week, I think that in a child this would be called a squint if it was severe enough to be visible to a non-Optician. Mine is invisible to ordinary mortals, but visible to an expert.

To do this I drove into Edinburgh through what felt like acres of traffic disruption, road repairs, non-functioning traffic lights and the never ending tram-installation-disaster. Eventually I arrived 20 minutes late and very apologetic.

For the record, this is my original prescription.

RIGHT Sphere +1.25 Cylinder +050 Axis 35

LEFT Sphere +1.5

Reading addition +1.75

The NEW prescription - the one I can actually, you know, see with, comprises

RIGHT Sphere +0.50 Prism 0.5 Base OUT (not sure what this means)

LEFT Sphere +1.00

Reading addition +1.75

The right eye has been very over prescribed by Boots, with no prismatic correction at all, but with other unnecessary additions. The left is also over prescribed.

Small wonder then that they made me feel rather ill.

So I took the prescription back to Boots this afternoon and explained. The Manager was very good, but contended that I should have gone back to them for a repeat test. However, she did understand that I had little confidence in them given how bad my vision was with the prescribed lenses, even before I knew about the difference.

After that I went back to Specsavers and explained what had happened. They contacted their supplier who said (rightly, in my view) that they couldn't help with a refund because the prescription was incorrect and they had dispensed what the optician has prescribed. The optician there said that this also explained why I had to hold my head at an angle and look slightly sideways through the lenses to get any focus. They were very nice and tried hard to help. They gave me a copy of my receipt which I then took back to Boots. And Boots have agreed to refund the full cost. They will send me a cheque in about a week.

It's nice to know I was right.

Tomorrow I will put the colours for the Ysolda mittens in the shop, so stand by your screens and prepare to fall in love.

n

A rose in November!

2009-11-08T18:43:10+00:00

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw what appeared to be a rosebud outside my kitchen window a couple of days ago. Surely not. In November?

But it is indeed a rose, and since it was frosty last night - enough to make a skimming of ice on the chickens' water bowls - I thought I should take a photo of it, to record its determination in the face of advancing months. I have picked it now, we have clear skies tonight and the potential for more frost, and it seems a shame to leave it outside where it will inevitably get frost damage and be destroyed by tomorrow morning. If it has tried so hard to flower for our delight, the least I can do is enjoy it for as long as possible.

Today was a day of relaxation after working yesterday so I fed the girls some chicken porage. I mixed together corn, oats, wild bird seed and hot water - they seem to enjoy it and it's good to see them fluffing up their feathers, preening and jostling for position at the food bowl, especially when you think that this time last year they were trapped in a cage about the size of a dinner plate and had never seen the sky.

I also went to the local garden centre and splurged on new bird feeders for the wild bird population. We have seen everything from wrens to sparrow hawks in the garden in the last year so I'm hoping they will be much visited this winter. This morning I heard the honking of geese flying over and jumped out of bed to catch sight of them flying north in a huge V. They were too far away to see clearly. Maybe I should look around for a second hand beginner telescope, it would be nice to get a closer look at them.

Are you a birdwatcher? Or even a ringer?

I'd love to know more about it all.

Woolfish

2009-11-07T22:22:31+00:00

It was busy.

Louise was fabulous.

Everyone was lovely.

I had the stall next to Lucy who was destashing (and I may have snagged a skein of Wollmeise).

And I am sleepy so I will just show you photos.

Clan in the sunshine which was streaming through the windows.

A former Club yarn transformed into a Baktus with a lacy edge, which looked much prettier "on" than it does here. (That's Ysolda's new book in the foreground.)

And at the same time, another clever knitter showed me her socks on the same yarn!

This, according to Sandy, was a happy accident involving a husband, a washing machine and some judicious tugging!

And this is Sandy herself, tandem rider extraordinaire. I've always wanted to try a tandem but I think she's rather intrepid, and cycles up Scottish Glens and stuff, so I may need to pay her a visit for a lesson. She is also a huge Outlander fan, and I feel this is something I should investigate further! Oh and that's Ysolda wearing one of Kate's Owls sweaters.

You know, I could swear she inhaled deeply as I was taking this...

So that was Woolfish November '09. See you there in February!

I'll reload the shop on Monday with lots of new yarn... and the DK I took with me so that people could squidge it met with unanimous approval, so I hope to put in an order for it next week.

No Photos

2009-11-06T22:50:52+00:00

I have no yarn photos despite the fact that I have 30 skeins of macushla, merino/cashmere.nylon and (quick count) about 200 skeins of Clan, along with assorted laceweight, toddy and a bargain box full of fibre sitting here. I am just too tired to take sensible photos (or even insensible ones).

I now need to tie on about 250 labels... or maybe not. If you are coming to Woolfish tomorrow and you need to wait for a minute and a half while I tie a label on, you won't mind will you?

I have the pattern for Ysolda's mittens which forms part of a kit if you buy the yarn - Ysolda has requested that the patterns are not sold separately and I agree.

I also have the first ten print copies of Whimsical Little Knits 2, first come, first served ... and some copies of WLK 1 as well.

Not a very coherent blog post, but I need to get the boxes into the car, and I'm sure you'd rather I did that than waffled on here. See you tomorrow.

PS The shop is offline until Monday.

Evening Knitting

2009-11-05T23:32:50+00:00

This evening I joined the group of knitters who used to meet in K1 yarns in Edinburgh at a new venue, Biblos, which is near the National Museum of Scotland in the city centre.

I left home in a huge rush because all three of us needed to be in town. Fegrig was at the Scottish Parliament, Adam was doing karate training and I was knitting. I have (sorry, Jane) frogged the mitten. I did try to capture the stitches but the lifeline I had put in was too high and all those twisted ktbls defeated me. I have restarted it, and actually, I'm enjoying it more this time so it's my "home knitting".

This left me with no "away knitting".

I ran upstairs - Fegrig had already started the car - and grabbed one of the skeins I knew was not on the website... it WAS on the website a couple of weeks ago but I took it off and added it to the Woolfish box because there seemed to be a lot of green around and it was unloved.

Next, needles.

I cast around for suitable dpns. Puppy? A brand bought in Japan as a souvenir, bamboo (naturally)... or whisper was it time to break out the Lantern Moon ebony needles bought on another holiday in Chicago.

Decisions, decisions. I took both. No time to wind the yarn. Picked up the custom paint-chip matched skeins for another Edinburgh knitter and raced up to the car.

Knitters are lovely, I was immediately made welcome and had a restful couple of hours with Sarah, Mel, Nic, Ysolda, Louise and lots of others. That's me in the grey T shirt next to the window. If you look closely you can see that I have the yarn wrapped around my shoulder, knitting from the skein again... which is what you have to do when you leave the house in such a rush.

I continued to knit when I got home with supermarket pizza and a varietal cider to go with it. The Lantern Moons are very sproingy, aren't they?

And thank you for not buying this particular skein... I quite like it!