Resolutions? An update

I thought I'd have a look at my list of non-resolutions to see how I am progressing with them so far

I have read Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White and Boris Pasternak's Dr Zhivago, and am currently reading Villette on my Kindle, so the read one classic book this year has already been completed.

I am still trying my best to eat healthily, although it did stumble slightly when I kept getting viruses.

I have made some of my own bread and will continue to do so.  I have also decided it would be good to try at least one different recipe per week.  Today I cooked a chicken and mushroom gougere.  I have never made choux pastry before so that was definitely a first.

I have been making dents in my wool stash, but did have to buy a ball of wool to complete something which I thought I had two balls the same , (enough to finish, ) but when I looked in daylight they were totally different. But the stash is diminishing.

I have only made a skirt so far from my fabric stash, and not done any more on the patchwork.

Entrelac knitting is going to be my next project in knitting.

The pot garden is being tidied slowly.  I bought mini tools suitable for using in the pots, but the extended cold spell put me off trying to weed, as frozen earth does not give up weeds readily

The kitchen, I think, is a summer project.

All in all, I feel I have managed to keep pretty much to the promises I made to myself back in January.

Why?

If you've been reading here recently, you will know that I like sewing and knitting............BUT, when browsing both sewing and knitting patterns I have to doubt the sanity of some pet owners.
Why? I hear you ask.
Simple, I do not understand why people dress up their pets. At first I thought it was just dogs, but when browsing for a suitable example to show you, I also found this , and now I know there are certifiable pet owners out there. There must be, as a big pattern manufacturer would not print and make available for sale such patterns otherwise.
BUT.....what I don't understand is why do people dress up their pets? Both my dogs do have coats, but I tend to only use them if it is raining heavily and the dogs have been clipped, or turns very cold very suddenly. They don't wear coats at other times, as ..in light rain, dogs periodically shake, which frees the rain from their coats and prevents it sinking through to the skin. [I hate it when people stroke wet dogs, as this breaks down their natural barrier and then the rain soaks through. Also, dogs coats get thicker if the weather gets progressively colder, so they are warm enough, without a coat.
The second example I found, well, all I can think is either the cat is very old and infirm, or it is stuffed. dressing a cat up like that would be pretty dangerous for your average moggie that likes to explore.
Ah well! It takes alsorts!

Fluffy visits

Yesterday, my friend's daughter, Fluffy, visited.
She needed help with her sewing machine, which quite frankly, after looking at it, I thought it could do with binning. Every time an attempt was made to sew the thread jumped from the tension disc, which was very difficult to alter, and the whole machine was sealed, so you can't actually take it apart to service it. The only thing I can think of that is causing the problem is the feed dog is full of lint, and that could be removed by vacuuming it.
Anyway, we tried my old machine, and that didn't want to play ball either. So I used my newer machine, which gave no trouble at all.
(I have since suggested to Fluffy that she tries vacuuming out her machine, that's about all she can do.)

Progress?

I think that I'm beginning to make forward progress, at last, with my recuperation. The exercises are going OK. The insoles are driving me nuts, but I'm going to ask for thinner ones to be made special if possible. (And I don't see why not, as the consultant said he could arrange them.)
I've managed to walk the dogs on the beach today, then go shopping to the supermarket, and do one or two other jobs before I felt I had to stop.
Whether the activity will hit me and make me tired tomorrow remains to be seen.
Over the past few weeks I've been cross-stitching and sewing. Have made a couple of waistcoats for my partner, and nearly finished a third cross-stitch project. (There are 4 that I would like to complete before returning to work. :D )
And if possible, and time allows, a fifth one, may get done.
After I've made up a garment I have cut out I intend doing some more patchwork, and make some crazy bags. I think it's time everyone became more conscious of how long plastics take to degrade, and revert to real shopping bags. (But that's just my opinion)

Big Smile

As I posted on here a few weeks back. I have finished my first ever patchwork quilt. I used the step by step idiot proof "lessons" online at Sew a quilt, and when you have finished, you can send in a photo of your finished quilt. So mine's on there. Amongst all the USA ones. It's a lovely little quilt, the only complaint I have had from daughter about it is....."It could do with being bigger so you could snuggle under it when cold". At the moment it's on the back of the rocking chair, it makes leaning back a little comfier. So, I suppose that is another thing to be added to my list, the mental one, bigger quilt to snuggle under when cold.
At the moment I'm making t-shirts, the pattern isn't quite as straight forward as I would expect a t-shirt pattern to be, it's got a fancy over lay on the bodice top, looks nice though.
I think my next project will be making something for someone extra special to me, for his Xmas present.
The link to the quilt site is at the side.

Stuff

I know it's a while since I wrote anything here, but when you can't go so far your world shrinks.
Mine has shrunk from as far as I could walk, cycle or drive, to as far as I can hobble, and bear to drive. Driving to the city, a mere 4 miles away, (if that,) daunts me. Going to the supermarket for shopping fills me with dread, on two levels, the trolley won't behave, and steering is a chore. Then will some plonker have parked in my spot by the time I get back? Meaning I have to trail my groceries from wherever I have parked.
I hate how my life has been restricted.
The worst of all this is, no-one has offered me a disabled parking disc, let's be honest here, if walking around my house causes me pain, then I am in essence disabled. To think the stupid event that brought me to this!
All this is very self indulgent.
I haven't had much to write, cos my world has shrunk, I can't believe how swiftly it has, and I think it might shrink even more soon, as I am getting cramp early on when I swim now.
Apart from all that, this last week, I've read 2 and 1/2 books, made PJs for my youngest, top and two bottoms, finished a cross stitch project that someone drew, and I translated, (so no-one else will ever have the same thing,) and re-started a cross-stitch UFO, (unfinished object.)

I've done a little knitting as well, I'm determined I won't get bored, frustrated, yes, bored, no.

Shock, horror!

I think something very odd might be going to happen before long.
Why? I hear you call.
This morning my daughter washed her car!
She washed all the mud from underneath her wheel arches, bet the car will go faster now. The mud was from her visits to Download and Leeds festivals, working.
I got her to leave the stuff out, and washed mine as well, and my neighbour wanted to know why I was washing it, as "it's not even dirty" he said.
It was, it had bird poop on it.
I finished off the skirt I made for Samantha, now I have to work out how to make the top she would like. And if possible, finish it by Tuesday evening, as it's fancy dress at Rock Nite this Tuesday. And Samantha wants to go dressed as a pirate wench.