A break from the usual

 My sister and her husband are on holiday at the moment, so I am "housesitting", but really here to pop round to Mum's every day, and do some jobs for her, like my sister does.  Basically, to make sure she's eating. 

It's a tough time, as Mum wants to stay in her house, but she's got two types of dementia, and has deteriorated quite a bit since I last saw her.  I expect that the inevitable will come, but she's also started throwing, "if I'm still here" into conversation, why she's having lucid times.  

Mum isn't the easiest person to help. 

A bit annoyed...still!

 I decided to make socks for all the male members of my family and cousins as they reached 65, and for my female relatives a shawl for their 60th.

The reason for the age difference is that I decided to do this the year my younger sister was 60, and several of my male relatives had already turned 60. 

Anyway, as I have been friends with a couple since I moved into my own house...over 20 years ago now....I thought that I would add them, as he was 65 in mid January and her birthday is early March. I asked the man what colour shawl he thought that she would like, and he told me that her feet are "always cold" and socks might be more welcome.  

So..I cast on some socks for her, and was almost at the toes on the second when I thought it might be a good idea to check the fit, (I don't always get this chance,).  So, I let her try the finished one on. 

Grrr!   I'm surprised that I managed to keep calm for the rest of my visit, as she found numerous things "not quite right" with it .  I got back home. Crossly finished the second sock, and then vast on the most bland sock you can think of. Just a tiny leg portion, then the foot. I decided that she wasn't having the first pair, that I would find a welcoming home for them.

I had also cast on a laceweight shawl, I decided that she wasn't having that either.  

So, I am still cross, as I haven't seen hide nor hair of her since she found fault, over two weeks ago. I was informally invited to a party at theirs on Saturday, but I detest large gatherings, unless they are my family, and then I will still sit in a corner and people watch. 

So, I need to find homes for the socks, ladies size four, and a laceweight shawl, when it's finished....although it might be suitable for a female cousin who has not yet reached 60. 

New system at doctor's

 As from Monday just gone you can no longer phone for an appointment and get one immediately, but neither do you have to wait for ages to speak to someone. 

Well, how do you get an appointment, I hear you ask? 

You either fill in an online form, outlining your symptoms, and send it to the surgery.  This is then reviewed and dealt with. 

(If you'd rather phone or go in person the form is filled in for you.) They then try to get back to you with the day, and action is taken.

I sent a form in just after noon, and have had a phone call giving me an appointment for Monday morning.  In the past, I have been given appointments as much as four weeks in the future, and nearly always two weeks off. 

Apparently the new system is making for smoother running of the surgery, and less wasted appointments, as all are reviewed and may not need a face to face appointment. 

It will take a while for some to get used to it, but I'm all for smoother running. 

Panatone colour of 2024!

 The folk at Panatone select a "colour of the year" annually.

This time I wonder if the person selecting the colour is feeling OK.  The colour chosen is Peach Fuzz, and it's such a nothing colour.  It has absolutely nothing about it.   It actually reminds me of my grandma's bloomer like knickers that she wore.   It's definitely not a colour to get you noticed, and is actually more non-descript than the 70s/early 80s go to colour of magnolia. 

I really think someone should ask the person who selected the colour if they're OK....really OK. 

Are blogs a dying breed?

 As you might have gathered, I like knitting and crochet.  Anyway, recently I have searched for other blogs, as an interesting pattern caught my eye, and the ones I looked at haven't had any new posts for about 7/8 years.  So, this made me wonder if vlogs are slowly taking over.

So, I wonder, if  you're reading this, do you have your own blog?  When was the last time you posted?  If you haven't been blogging, what are you doing instead, vlogging?

It's not something I think I would like to do, as I don't think I photograph well, so the thought of being on screen talking leaves me cold.

I think I'll stick to writing this blog.......I might even start posting on Fidgetty Fingers again as well.    

Happy 2024

 As I put the year just then, it occurred to me that it's ten years in March since I was diagnosed with spinal stenosis. 

Anyway, that wasn't what I planned to witter on about.   The subject of New Year's resolutions has cropped up on Facebook.

I haven't made any for years, in fact I don't think that I ever have.  I do promise myself to be kind to others, and myself, and treat anything bad as stoically as I can. Then move on from it, dwelling on bad stuff that happens to you just eats away at you and makes you bitter towards the world.  So, as that Disney princess sings....I try to "Let it go".

I do set myself reading and craft goals. 

The reading goals are usually the same.

1)  Read a classic

2) Re-read a favourite book

3) Read a translated book.

4) Read a Shakespeare play

and last year I added to the list, read a poetry book.

As for craft goals, I set myself several for last year, and completely forgot about them, because I had decided to knit a shawl for all my female cousins as they reached 60, and a pair of socks for my male cousins, but they have to be for their 65th birthday , as I had missed quite a few of their 60th 's. (Then I decided to add in Auntys and Uncles as they reached 80, several are already past 80, but I will work around it.)

So, I intend to keep myself busy this year.