Life & hobbies

As well as getting on in the garden, I've been catching up on my Family History, cardmaking & knitting. It seems the days are whizzing past & sometimes, after what seems to have been a particularly hectic day, there doesn't really appear to be anything to show for it. So, I now TRY to split my days into sections, a bit like like the timetables we used to have at school. If anything HAS to be done - i.e. shopping or appointments, then I try to get that done first thing in the morning. That way, it gives me the rest of the day at home to do what needs doing there. I spend a lot of time running between the house & the *husband hut*, making sure Shaun's OK & hasn't had yet another fall or fallen asleep at his lathe, still holding onto a particularly nasty looking pointy metalled object. AGAIN. Honestly, he's turning me into a nervous wreck & I'm getting greyer by the day. By the end of the year, I may well have turned to drink !! :o)

Once the shopping & the dreaded housework (shudder !!) has been done & I've made sure 'imself is settled with his wheelchair or Zimmer at hand, I then go hunting for card making inspiration. Sadly, most of the time I don't find it. I think it must have upped & left, which really would explain why I always feel sadly lacking, in OH, so many ways !! :o))

BUT - I needed to make a couple of cards recently & as I'd been given a lovely box of pearlised cardstock for my birthday back in January, I decided I'd try to use them. The biggest problem for me was that they were tall, thin cards & as I tend to use cards that are square, it was a bit of a challenge considering my total lack of inspiration & imagination. However, I managed to come up with something & although I think someone else could have done a much better job, I was quite pleased with the way they came out.

I find that once I get an idea in my head, that's all I can do :o) I can't seem to vary it very well, but I've also found that if I do a card based on me - plain & simple, cheap & cheerful (sometimes !!) - then it's usually OK.

I do wish I could do more artistic cards though. Some of the cards my friends do are just amazing - they belong on the wall of an art gallery, not on a mantlepiece for a few days & then chucked in a box or thrown away. I keep every card that's made for me, because I appreciate the thought & the time that's gone into making it.

The evenings are when I do my knitting. Again, it's not something I'm particulary brilliant at - I do wish I was really good at something (other than talking the hind leg off a donkey, that is !!)  - but I enjoy it & find that it helps me relax a little. As I've probably said before, I don't *do* big things. I get bored quickly & I get impatient when things take a long time. I know my limitations, so I try to stick to things that don't take more than 2 or 3 days at the most to complete. The majority of things I knit only take a couple of evenings, so probably no more than about 6 hours & that suits me fine. There are a few things that take longer, but I find that if I do a couple of quick things between the longer things, I don't mind it so much :o)

This little heart with a *kiss* is a Christmas tree decoration. It's just a jokey thing for Shaun, a silly thing to remind him of something years ago :o)

This bird is also a tree decoration. It's not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I LOVE it :o)  Shaun's NOT so keen, but for some reason, I really love it :o) It's different, it's quirky & somehow, I managed to give it knock-knees when it doesn't actually HAVE knees !!! :o)

My oldest grandson is 3½ & he is obsessed with Harry Potter & super heroes such as Iron Man & Spider Man. My daughter bought a cheap pair of reading glasses, popped the lenses out & gave them to him to wear & she bought him a little super hero cape, which he says is his invisibility cloak :o) . Shaun made him a little wooden wand on his lathe & as he has a small scar on his head in the same place that Harry Potter has, he really thinks he's Harry Potter :o) However, he didn't have an owl, so he asked me to knit him one, but it had to be brown & stripy. I don't know why, but there you go. You can't argue the logic of a 3½ year old once he's set his mind on something, can you ? :o)

I found a very simple pattern that didn't require any real shaping & nor did it need wings, although you could always add some if you wanted to, I suppose :o) He loved the finished article, but I think the buttons I used for its eyes make it look somewhat startled !! :o)

For some peculiar reason, this owl is called *Red Wing*. It's not red & nor does it have wings, but apparently, it's got something to do with super heroes. Hmmm. As I said, you don't argue with the logic of a 3½ year old :o)

I couldn't make one for Grandson 1a & not for Grandson 1b, so this is the one I made for him.

They're small enough for little hands, but big enough to hug.



On the family history front,  a couple of weeks ago I made a significant discovery, something I'd been trying to find for over 10 years, so I was well chuffed. However, as time is now getting on, that will have to wait for another blog :o)