A year in some pictures

Nearly the end of another year.

I don't really know why I stopped blogging - I enjoyed it. It almost feels like a friendship breakdown. The longer you leave it, the harder it is to pick up the phone.

2012 brought a year of consolidation, really. No huge excitements, but steady contentment, I suppose.

We reworked some areas in the garden, but got hardly any use from them as the summer weather was so bad.

We enjoyed the Olympic coverage, but less so the Jubilee.

One of our neighbours decided to tackle the squirrel situation with a gun, to our horror. However, they came back, which makes me very happy.

I eroded my fear of heights a little.

Our woodpeckers had a baby, who continues to visit most days, but is very difficult to photograph.

J and I explored more possible escape locations across Yorkshire.

I decided it was time to go grey disgracefully!

Awww...

Weather magic - a personal apology.

J and I are personally responsible for the change in the weather this week.

How it happened:

We created a new patio sitting area:

We teak-oiled the garden furiture:

We bought a new garden parasol:
 
We stocked up on anti-mosi outdoor candles:

 We bought new outdoor unbreakable 'glassware':

And then, to put the final seal on it, I dug out my summer clothes and ironed my white, linen trousers.

Sorry folks!

And we thought we were in the clear!

It snowed quite hard last night.

When J went out this morning, the garden was full of fox footprints. We played CSI Fox tracking where they had been - there was more than one. The garden has a secret life all of it's own at night. I seem to spend so much of each night awake but still miss it.

Catchup

Every week I have good intentions about blogging and every week those intentions seem to fall by the wayside as each week is just as manic as the previous one!

A quick catchup:

I spent a lovely couple of days hiking around Gibisde with a group of kids and some hardy colleagues. We had a great time, but slept little! Gibside is a great location and the stable block, where we stayed, is a really interesting building. I had regular periods of feeling watched, though. I know the chances of that are pretty high when there are 37 of you sharing the space, but it wasn't that. Regular readers will know about my insomnia and night time wanderings, and it was the times when I was on my own that were most interesting. Need to investigate that a bit more, I think. Maybe not. Maybe I'm better off not knowing.

I've been finishing some small, knitted items as I haven't had much time/stamina/wakefulness to invest in a bigger item. I have cast something on in anticipation of my forthcoming half-term holiday, though. My plan is to sit on the sofa for a week and watch all the films the blokes won't watch.

Shivery!

Well, after wondering if we were going to get away without really having a winter, the weather starting to deteriorate a bit over the past week.
J and I got up early one morning to visit the RSPB Saltholme reserve in the hope of seeing short eared owls or marsh harriers. We didn't find them, but watched a flock of Barnacale Geese land on one of the lakes. It is very beautiful at this time of year.

 

In knitting news:

I finished a pair of socks for my brother, P, while on the train to and from the BETT show in Olympia. I enjoyed the show and it was a good day out with a colleague, but I know I couldn't do a really long commute like that every day (or even every week)! I did enjoy explaining how I got the socks to (more or less match) to the chap sitting opposite us on the return trip.

Then I finally finished my Hitchhiker scarf, in Sanguine Gryphon Bugga. This is gorgeous yarn. I was aiming for 42 points, but managed 36 - not quite the ultimate answer.

Next, I knitted up another hat - need to keep the wind off my ears these days. This one is in my hand-dyed, handspun yarn (merino, alpaca and silk). If I look wrinkly and knackered, it's because I am wrinkly and knackered all the time these days.

Stormy

J has gone off to repair a friend's fence, which blew down yesterday. Good to see he is getting such early use out of his new Christmas drill/driver!

Yesterday was so stormy. There was a brief lull in the wind and rain in the early afternoon. We headed out to the beach - I was feeling a bit stir crazy. It was deserted except for us and the sea birds. We watched a little colony of turnstones fighting to stay upright in the wind.