Merry Post-Xmas

I hope you all had a good Christmas and Santa was charming and the family was good to you and so on and so forth. Christmas came in a big whoosh this year and none of us were quite ready for it. Hence, no one was very excited. Plus, lots of people seemed to be ill with colds and flus and headaches this year. Too much partying through December I expect. (Yes Grandma, that includes you!)

Clare and I are now in the new flat and the boxes are slowly depleting. Andy and Fenella came over last night and cooed over the high ceilings and period features, which was nice, because I've sort of forgotten about them already and am just looking at all the things we need to do to the place, and thinking how much it will all cost! Plus the phone Does Not Work (it won't get fixed by doing line tests BT, I know your computer says it looks fine), and we need broadband! Urgently!!

I'm back at work and so far it's very quiet (I don't like to tempt fate) and the place seems to have become overrun with Little People. Our postie has just come out of the lift with a small flock behind him. Aw. Looks like all the mummies have had quite enough and despatched the kids to work so they can have a well-earned rest! That or they've gone to the sales....

So what did you get for Xmas? Amongst other things I got:

A book on how to shoot straight
A nightie from mum (in the same style that I got for her - we match!)
A pink alarm clock that says 'so many men, so little time' on it
A black and white spotty cake tin
Chocolates.

Oh oh oh - did you see the Vicar of Dibley on Xmas day? With the gorgeous Richard Armitage in it? Mum and I were so jealous of all those snogs Dawn French scripted in we were spitting feathers. Brilliantly funny though, so perhaps we will let her off. Just a little. *:)

Spooky coincidences

I've read things referring to the Gashleycrumb Tinies twice in the past couple of weeks. I'd gone through almost 30 years on this earth and never heard of them before. Clare referred to them on her blog, and the Knitting Carmudgeon says on hers today that it's their family general term for anyone under 16. How delightful.

However, this sort of thing happens quite regularly, don't you find? Like you discover a new word or shop or kitchen implement and then see it referred three or four times in quick succession by different sources. Is there a term for this phenomenon? Like in German they have a term for that annoying tune you get stuck on the brain all day - they call it an earworm. Or if there isn't a term, can anyone suggest something we can use?

Quote du jour

Just been checking out the possibilities of clubbing in T Wells (I knew it was bad, but blimey, some wince-worthy reviews), and this one made me chuckle:

'Bar zia is full of sixth formers and squaddie types in pastel coloured ben sherman shirts looking like a packet of opal fruits.'

Opal fruits. Hee hee.

Oh my god there's more

Following from previous post, here is another entertaining pattern, this time for a felted baby's yoda hat.

Thank you internet for cheering me up!

Glad to be grumpy

I love Clare's blog, but I know that some days it is actually a strain to find good things to blog about. So today I am going to take advantage of the fact that in this blog I can be as grumpy as I like, should I so desire.

First thing to moan about - Christmas shopping hoardes in Marks and Spencers. Argh. It's cold, so I dive into the jumper section to see if there is anything cheap and suitable for work. There is. However, because they have rammed as many racks as possible into the available space, it means that each aisle is one man wide, and you cannot stop to look at anything - you have to move to let people past. I was totally unable to stop in one place, instead got chased around and around by a steady stream of impatient shoppers until I thought 'sod this' and walked out.

Second thing - do people really have to vomit in trains over Xmas? I got on the train this morning, and it's the carriage with the first class section, and there was a definite odeur... Why can't drunk people just keep with tradition and sleep it off in the gutter?

However, all is not lost today, because I found this knitting pattern for a 'French tickler cozy'. Too funny! Other similar free patterns at Knitting Pattern Central.

We have lift off!

Aragon Yarns is live! Finally, the website is up and we are open for business.

There are still a few bits and bobs to complete, and we are frantically knitting up and testing patterns that will become the knitting kits, but all the wool is here, and all the lovely needles. Check out the site and let me know what you think!

www.aragonyarns.co.uk

Intriguing...

A commuter on the train the other morning answered his phone with a 'Really? Goodness!'

I am not used to listening to commuters' conversations on the train, and try hard to tune them out, but this one caught my curiousity. What did the other person say to this man to prompt him to reply like that?

'Darling, little Johnny had been climbing the apple tree, fell out but was caught by his ankles. He was swinging there for ten minutes but I've got him down now.'

'Mike, this is your mother. I've just run over a squirrel with my mobility scooter.'

'Sweetheart, I'm lying here in a black lacy basque and suspenders and thinking of you while doing unspeakable things to myself...'


You see how one's mind runs riot when bored on the train in the morning.