Extreme Knitting Redhead: Weather

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Weather - or not!

Before I start waffling on about the weather we've had this week I thought I'd better show some more crochet pieces.

I love the colours and shapes but getting gauge seems to be causing one or two headaches amongst the group, me included. The 4 small squares were spot-on. The corner pieces were way too big using a 3mm hook so I had to downsize to a 2.5mm hook which worked fine.

I've got 5 more pieces to finish for the first batch but I need to take a short break to crochet some baby bootees as my friend Angela has become a granny again; to a little baby girl named Violet. I found some pretty violet coloured baby yarn and bought some pale primrose and some white so I can play around with the colours as I thought they were very fresh and Spring-like.

Now, about the weather we've had this week. It started so well on Monday and Tuesday with lovely sunshine and no wind and it was so warm that I ran in my shorts and tee shirt.

Sunny coppice

Bluebell leaves peeping through

Esther and Kizzy without their blankets on

The fields had just started to dry out a bit but the next day it rained and how it rained! The water butts, which were nearly empty, were filled up overnight and the fields developed small ponds and waterfalls. So it was back to wet-weather gear for me when I tended the horses. Very glamourous!

It also went colder so it was back into long tights for my runs.

The ditches started to fill up again

Ramsons (aka wild garlic, a misnomer) peeping through

Misty telegraph poles stretching into infinity

Not content with trying to drown everyone, the weather then decided to get even colder again and whip up the wind. I went out for my run at 6:30am this morning and it was reasonably mild with no wind. One hour into my 15 mile run the bitter Easterly wind started up and the temperature dropped dramatically.

Thankfully I'd dressed accordingly and I was very glad I'd worn gloves as I was bitterly cold when I got home 2 hours 45 minutes later. That cup of coffee was most welcome!

I had a good run with only a couple of minor niggles in my right leg and my breathing was OKish so I was pleased. I amused myself by spotting shapes in tree roots and stumps:

The trees have ears!

A stag's head and antlers (well I can see it anyway!)

Back home I had to put Kizzy's rug back on as she is not as hardy as Esther - she has a thick coat and so is OK without her rug.

Esther's mane glows in the dull light

This little fellow has been scrapping with other drakes (it's that time of year when they choose a duck with whom to mate) which is why his chest has white bits where he's been pecked.

They keep picking on me!

1 comment:

Shan said...: I see the stag's head too...and WHAT an ear that is!

Lovely horses and spunky drake.

Envy your crochet talent as mine is abysmal. Must practice more!; March 15, 2013 at 10:36:00 AM PDT

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Mum's Story

In 1997 my mother, then aged 81, had a series of minor strokes. Shortly after that we started to notice behavioural changes notably memory loss and confusion over everyday items. We thought it was just old age finally catching up with her. Then she started wandering and had violent mood swings. Although she already lived with us it became obvious that she couldn't be left alone for long and so I left my job to care for her. The next few years saw a gradual decline into the blackness that is 'vascular dementia'. My normally placid mum became violent and aggressive. She had psychotic incidents where she would see imaginary people (children hiding in her wardrobe, Russians sitting on the stairs, women stealing her clothes) and she would shout at them and sometimes throw things too. She was so convincing that we used to go and check that there wasn't anyone there! When my sister died mum did not know who Judy was or that she was her daughter. There came a point when I suddenly realised she no longer knew that I was her daughter and this was a terrible time for me. In the last 2 years that she lived with us, life for us all became almost unbearable as she needed 24 hour care - she couldn't be left alone at all because she would either wander off or hurt herself, she never slept for more than 30 minutes at a time during the night, she became incontinent and incapable of doing anything for herself. Finally my husband and I realised that we could no longer provide her with the care that she needed and she went to live in a special care home where the team did a splendid job caring for her in the last few months of her life. There she lived a zombified existence unaware of who she was, what she was or where she was. It was heartbreaking. She died in March 2005, the day after her 89th birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to read mum's story and I hope you'll dig deep and sponsor me using the link below to help find a way of beating this destructive disease.