Stormy Weather

My goodness we've had some very changeable weather the last couple of weeks. The winds have been so very strong and as one storm moves away another has followed swiftly. With 80+mph one day last week our windmill decided enough was enough and lay down in the grass where we've left it as the strong winds still keep coming apace!

We watched as the fence by the yard moved ever lower and it's now settled at a jaunty angle but it's too windy to go and sort it out at the moment. Fingers crossed it doesn't go right over!

We watched the birds trying to fly in one direction and then get blown a different way. I saw a Wood Pigeon fly out of the oak tree only to be blown straight back into it. The sensible birds, like this female pheasant,  rode out the storm in the safety of the hedges.

The adverse weather has meant that the 101 jobs I need to do in the garden haven't been finished and the new growth of the herbaceous perennials is showing through. I did manage to start digging out the herb garden, as it need replanting, but that's still not finished. I'm hoping that the weather improves soon so I can get on with things.

I'm in the last 4 weeks of the Six Pack Revolution and I realise now that I couldn't have done all my planned running events alongside the regime anyway. Doing all the exercises in the plan has taken my mind off not being able to run so a lot of good has come out of being injured. Sometimes things happen for a reason don't they.

I've also noticed some changes in my body shape and my clothes feel more comfortable plus I've got muscles in places I didn't have them before! We have to send in a photo of ourselves each week and I can see a huge difference from week 1 to now. I won't share them yet but I will show you my comedy belly button which has gone from this shape ( to the shape of the Mercedes logo:

Go Team Mercedes!

I started running short distances again a few weeks ago and today I did a hilly 10 miler and whilst I can feel the pain in my foot slightly it has improved dramatically from when it started back in December. Now it's a fine balance of getting myself to the start line in the Brighton marathon in 4 weeks without too much pain and then London 2 weeks later. I should add that I really, really, wanted to do the Sevenoaks 30 today with all my chums but Mary Massage Lady forbade it - being sensible is jolly hard!

In other news our darling Tilly cat has had a major operation to remove what the vet thinks is a malignant lump in her intestines. The vet said she wouldn't normally operate on a cat her age (she's only 12) but because she's a feisty little lady she decided to go ahead. We're waiting for the test results but I suspect the prognosis isn't good for her. Poor little darling. 

She refused to go in her usual basket when we arrived home and so I remembered the Hello Kitty one that Mike chose for her (which she refused to use much to his dismay!) and thought that might be worth a try:

She's been with us 5 very short years and I'm praying that she can stay with us a while longer as she deserves to have a long and happy life as the first 7 years before she chose us were horrible for her. Please send her all your positve thoughts and prayers as I think she might need them. 

Finishing off

More decisions on the Circles of the Sun CAL cushion cover - which colour to use as an accent around the border - turquoise, brown or red?

Once I'd made up my samples and stood back to look at them it was obvious that it should be turquoise.

I did toy with the idea of attaching the crochet chain using red French Knots but it seemed overly fussy when I tried it so I applied Occam's Razor and kept it simple.

This part of the dining room has turned into crochet corner!

I've finished swatching for Mike's mitts. They are knit in the round, so to simulate that the swatch instructions say to knit it flat and leave long floats.

In order to check the stitch/row count you just snip through the floats and then treat it in the usual way.

I love the speckles in this yarn.

In other news I entered the Sophie crocheted blanket and my latest knitted shawl into the local Show and won First's for each category which was nice.

However the knitted one was shared with Ella's clown which she kindly donated for me to raffle for the Garden Society:

There's just one thong wrong with this idea - I hate clowns. There, I've said it! They paint a smile on their face and then go around in groups throwing buckets of water at people.  There's always a sad one in the group who they pick on and everybody laughs whereas I feel sorry for him. Children often burst into tears when they see one and who could possibly like clowns if they've read Stephen King's "It"? I rest my case!

I tried desperately to persuade another member of the Committee to take it home but no, he had to come home with me. This has resulted in much hilarity for Mike who has been seen giggling about the house as he hides the horrible thing for me to find. However, since the blood-curdling scream that ensued as I turned down the bedspread to find it sitting on my pillow it has been left sitting in my raffle box where I can see it without having to wonder when it's going to surprise me.

Tilly has been spending a lot of time pottering around in the garden whilst I've been out there. She also likes to sunbathe as long as it isn't too hot. The other day I was sitting doing some embroidery with Tilly sunbathing nearby when I saw Simba, a cat from down the lane, climbing up onto the chair next to me. I tired to shoo him away 'cos I was worried that Tilly would be scared but she spotted him and chased him into the front garden where there was much caterwauling from both of them. I was very impressed with our little lady as he's much bigger than her but she held her ground and eventually he sloped off!

One minute I was having a nice snooze in the sun….

.…when that big bruiser from down the lane came onto my turf…….

….so I showed him my best humpy back, hissed and screeched at him until he saw the error of his ways and retreated!