Recent garden visitors

It's that manic time of year again. Two more weeks of school and about seven weeks of stuff to fit into them.

We've had some extreme weather too, making it difficult to do lots of the usual things involving going outside.

Today was hot and dry, thankfully and I got some knitting done outside after taking j for new glasses and trying to do some shopping in hot, angry crowds.

Some pictures of our garden visitors this weekend:

An out-of-focus woodpecker. I've been trying to photograph him for months, but he's so fast and easily scared.


The reason for the recently escalating cost of peanuts and sunflower seeds.


A drowsy bee staggering across the top of a scabious, covered in pollen.

A splash of colour

A splash of colour to distract from yet another blogging hiatus. I guess I've been too preoccupied by life to write about it.

June, so far, has seen me alternately baking in the sun and freezing in my woollies again - I can't believe we had to put the heating on this week, but we did.

Work is hectic as the Summer term always is. The concept of non-contact time has gone out of the window at the moment as four of my colleagues are at Carlton Camp with one of our classes and the rest of us are filling in where we can as good supply teachers are a rare commodity at the moment. I seem to have had a lot of Continuing Professional Development Courses recently, too and these have taken me away from school for days on end. My 'to do' list grew into a 'to do' pile and now it's a 'to do' bag.

Of all the things I've been doing recently, I think the Primary Movement Programme is the most interesting.


I finished my sock monkey. I'm rather fond of him and he was a distraction. The picture above looks like a bad monkey passport picture. The greeny yarn is Twinkletoes Sock Yarn and his hands, feet and muzzle are Wollmeise. A luxury monkey.


News Flash! - j passed his driving test and is now the proud holder of a proper pink licence rather than his provisional, green licence. I'm now the proud owner of a whole new set of things to worry about.

Information Seminar

I went to the weight loss surgery information seminar last night. I found it all very stressful. I had expected to feel elated to be getting this far, but I don't.


J couldn't come with me as some friends had come over to help him with his car, so I had to go on my own. When I got there I was the only person on her own and I just felt like crying. It was such a strange experience. So many big people all in the same place. I don't often feel ashamed about my weight or size, but I did there. The seminar room had 'normal' chairs and specially-built fat chairs.

The seminar was informative and frightening. Peter Small, the surgeon, was frank and matter of fact about the statistics. My chances of dying from the surgery are much less than dying from my fatness.

The dietician who spoke about the lifestyle and diet changes after surgery was also very frank and informative. Do I want to never be able to eat bread or red meat again? Red meat I could live without easily, but bread? My relationship with bread is a given part of my life. It'scomfort, basic, a joy.

I feel ridiculously emotional, even now.

Trying not to think about going back to work

Another gorgeous day in the garden. I caught up with some knitting. Will have my sock monkey finished soon. I've had to make a lot of it up as the pattern I chose doesn't seem to be very clearly written. Maybe it's just me.

Next up, this:

Destined to be Sackboy.

I'm re-reading Men at Arms when I'm not knitting. It's another book that I must have devoured when it first came out. I'm finding so many things I missed in these books as I read them for a second time. Next on the pile is Monstrous Regiment.

I love my battered old Birks

It's this time again!




The last six weeks just whizzed by! In my last post I was moaning about the cold, but today it's 25 degrees C on the deck.

What have I been doing?

At work: occupied by preparation for SATs and then SATs, interviewing for new teachers and moving rooms around. Coping with the latest pressures and initiatives from the Government (APP - Assessing Pupil Progress, FNE - Free Nursery Entitlement, CC - Duty to Promote Community Cohesion, to name but a few acronyms)

At home: coping with being the parent of an increasingly independent young man. There is currently a space on the drive beside J's car, where my Fiat Punto usually rests on its weekends off. Today it's somewhere, filled with young men buzzing around Teesside. Yes, j passed his driving test and I am now the mother of a driver. More things to worry about.
Apparently, it's liberating driving without me in the passenger seat making 'that face'.


I've been knitting on the deck this afternoon after retreating from the shops at Middlesbrough before lunch. I can't handle that every weekend, but I do like a mooch. I bought some 'lovely' tops in lightweight cottons and cheesecloths. Looks like I'll be back in Middlesbrough next Saturday, returning them. I think I'm too old/too fat for frills and smocking.

Every year Buddah gets burried more and more by marsh marigolds and siberian irises. It's nice and shady down by the pond though.

Make the most of the weekend.

Woe is me! Only two sleeps til work starts again.

The weather is horrid and even a walk alongour favourite local beach is rather unpleasant due to the steam and smoke and smell from a fire at the Greythorpe recycling plant.



There's a haze over everywhere.

Due to the return of winter, I cast on a sweater for me:


I'm having another go with the Unpatterned formula for a top-down sweater. The yarn colour here looks quite washed out and grey, but it's Cascade 220 in Duck Egg Blue.

I'm hoping to bash on quite a way with this this weekend, in between trips out with j to practise for his upcoming driving test. Although he is very good, I think knitting in the car might count as a dereliction of my duties as supervising driver.

Plan to put my feetup and knit this evening - Britain's got Talent!. Keep threatening to sign J up for this or the X Factor. He has a very loud penetrating disabling fine singing voice.

Maybe we'll watch a movie. When I'm at work I get up early and get tired early in the evening, but I've surprised the lads with my ability to stay awake and watch a number of films this holiday.

February Redux

April was the second month of the Roman calendar and it bloomin' well felt like February this morning.


We walked at Saltburn and almost had the beach to ourselves.



Well, there was us, the chap who drives the beach cleaner and these oyster catchers.



Then some surfers arrived to brave the freezing water. I can't imagine how cold it was, even in a wetsuit. I had all my storm flaps securely fastened down in - reminiscent of all my childhood seaside trips.


According to the Guardian, "Saltburn is one of the original centres of the north-east surf scene and the locals are friendly despite the busy waves. Good beginner waves can be found either side of the pier. The guys at Saltburn Surf Shop above the beach can provide everything from lessons and hire to advice and new boards, and after thrashing around in the cold North Sea there's the option of great coffee and smoothies at Camfield's Coffee Bar, or beer and pub meals at The Ship, both right above the beach"

How can this be?

I've just stepped on the scales.
Not something I often do. It upsets me.

It upset me more than usual today.

I'm exercising.
I've reduced my food intake.
I'm taking the *&£$!^%+ Orlistat.

Not a pound down.

Have a review of weight and BP with my GP tomorrow. That will be fun.

Spring Break

I've been enjoying just relaxing this Easter. I'm glad we decided not to try to go away somewhere as I've been so tired and it's wonderful to know that I still have another week of R and R.




Another gorgeous day today. The freezing and wet Easter that we were promised gets pushed back every day.

J and I walked around Cowpen Marsh this morning and I got to the top of the hill wihout stopping (thought I needed oxygen at the top, but it's a start).

The view from the top:


The garden has appreciated the warm weather we've had recently.

Developing a scarf theme this week.

My second Travelling Scarf has come home and it is a real beauty!


This one is by the Ravelry Traveling Scarf Group 50: Teachers who Knit Europe/UK.
There are some gorgeous yarns used here and the colours work wonderfully together. I'm very pleased with this scarf.

Who wouldn't want to live on Treacle Mine Road

or Peach Pie Street?

The builders, Wimpey, are giving people the chance to do just this in Wincanton. Wincanton, which has in the past been twinned with Ankh Morpork, has named two streets in a new development after the Discworld locations. More details here.

Scarfie come home

My first travelling scarf came home:

A big Thank You to all the knitters of the Ravelry Travelling Scarf Group 27!

The second one, from Group 50, should be due to return in the next week or so, which just leaves me one more (Group 53) travelling around Europe.

I've enjoyed the Travelling Scarf experience, but I think I will probably have them out of my system by the time number three comes home. It isn't the knitting, it's the trips to the post office that are difficult when, like me, you can only go at the weekend.



We walked around North Gare this afternoon. Despite all the forcasts of rain and feezing weather, it was lovely.

Finally...

Finally posting a photo of my International Scarf Exchange 7 scarf.

It's lovely, and based on the Monkey sock pattern.

A moment of quiet

I love the spring in the garden.



I love the acid green of the euphorbias.







The hellebores are just beautiful at the moment.

Monkeys and mice

Finished at last!



I can't remember the last time I was so disenchanted with a project as I have been with this. It was a boring pattern to knit, the wool stuck together, making the ladders hard to drop and it just seemed to go on forever.

Still, it's finished now and I quite like it. Clapotis is definitely out of my system.


Can you tell what this is?

I've had some interesting suggestions so far. Obviously it's a sock monkey leg, in Twinkletoes sock yarn with a Wollmeisse foot.




More monkeys. Another pair of 72 stitch Monkey socks. I love this pattern. It fits so well and is a little more interesting than plain socks. Malabrigo sock yarn. Feels lovely.


Drove out to Egglestone Hall Nurseries this morning.
Couldn't get a table in the tea room :(
Didn't find the plants we were looking for :(
Prices seem to have really gone up so only made one impulse purchase :(

Did see this little chap, though :)

2 inches long.

Spring tides

At certain times of year the tides are high and low enough to change the whole appearance of the beach at Seaton Carew. The submerged forest starts to emerge for short periods.


It's the remains of fens and a birch and alder forest in a peat bed from 8000 years ago when there was still a land bridge from England to Europe.

These posts, however, are the remnants of the supports of some drainage pipework from the 20th Century rather than anything foresty from the Mesolithic. Does make me think of Flag Fen, though.

Happy Mothers' Day

A cold and blustery day after yesterday's sunshine. Had to wear a hat when we went for our walk this morning. Managed to find increasing patches of colour in the garden, though.



My next photographic mission is to capture the woodpecker who has started visiting J's feeding station. Every time I creak onto the deck to try to snap him, he shoots off like a dart.


My gift from j today was a tidy room. I have been nagging him for such a long time to decontaminate his bedroom and now it is done. I'm content. Doesn't take much now, does it?

Considering a decision

I'm on the fence about the whole surgery thing.

When I told j, my son about it he was really enthusiastic: 'Go for it', 'I'd have it done tomorrow!'

He's not fat. He used to be but still thinks he is. I've managed to mess him up too.

My husband, J, says I should do what I want. Thing is, it isn't what I want, but what I seem to need. It seems so extreme.

I've been tossing it around in my head. I think the problem stems from the fact that I had been thinking that surgery - especially NHS surgery, here in England - was only for people whose issues were much bigger than mine and I didn't want to accept that I am in the same place as them.

I've asked my GP to refer me, but am still thinking about it.

In the spring...

...a young frog’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.

(I don't suppose Tennyson will mind too much)



Our pond isjust one big frog orgy at the moment.


14 degrees this morning!
Walked through Cowpen Marsh this morning and took my fleece off!


The water birds are all starting to pair up and the swans are gathering nesting materials. It definitely feels springy.

Health issues discussed, look away now

I'm wary that this is turning into a catalogue of health issues. An update anyway:

I haven't managed to lower my blood pressure by relaxation, exercising and wrestling with my diet, so I've now started to take some medication to help reduce it. I also had a chat with the partner I'm now seeing at my GP surgery and have started to take Orlistat to help with the weight loss. I must say, the side effects read as very glamourous.

She also asked me if I wanted her to refer me for gastric band surgery, which is done on the NHS in the next Health Authority.
I must admit, the idea floored me at first. It just seemed so far out there.

I've been doing some research. This is what they do:


Some of the resources I've been looking at.
UK Gastric Band
Living with a lap band
Gwen's WLS Blog
WLSInfo

We're going to discuss it some more at my next appointment.
In the meantime....

More monkey business

I succumbed and wound this into a ball.




Then I cast on for another pair of Monkeys.

My bad...