A Few Things...

A few things for a brief catch up :)

First up, this tickled me a bit – my Pinterest Weekly email a little while ago included a link to one of my own Pinterest boards!

Last week, on my way to stay with my mum for my brother’s wedding, I got my smallest tattoos touched up by Jessi. They are now a bit more unique and colourful - although a little difficult to get a decent photo of when there’s no-one to help, I had to stand like Charlie Chaplin for the 'after' photo! (I know it must by now sound as if I have a lot of tattoos, but honestly you can't see any when I'm dressed - even in shorts and sleeveless top! Except if I wear flip flops or sandals, in which case you can just see these two teeny ones)

Before...

...After (the colouring will soften with healing)

I took lots of crochet away with me – some to give away, like the Mumbles Ripple and the Glastonbury Blanket; some just to show my mum so she gets to see what I’m up to, like the Cuddly Hexagons; and finally I also took her blanket beginnings (previously mentioned here and here) in order that she could make sure that she liked the design, and so I could continue working on it.

There wasn’t much time for crocheting in the end, as The Cake had to take priority, but before I we got started on anything cake-related I was able to have a silly play around with the existing crochet bits…

I thought these flower motifs were like water lilies on the Mumbles...

I think I prefer them in the orchard :)

I joined the local library yesterday – I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of doing this sooner! I’m a bit of a bookaholic, but currently all but very few of our book collection is boxed up and in storage.

It was great fun to go through the book shelves, searching for my next few reads, and to then walk out with them without paying! I felt really naughty for walking out without paying – it’s so long since I used a library, and the feeling was enhanced as this library has a computerised issuing service. You scan your card, put your pile of books in a hatch of the machine, and then it registers them and you are free to go, so you don’t even have to go through the librarian to take your books! I have to say, I kind of missed the whole taking the ticket and stamping everything process that you used to get in libraries…

Slight Edit here as I just finished the book! The book I took out to read yesterday - and have already finished! - is this Neil Gaiman book, The Ocean at The End of The Lane. I really enjoyed it, as you can tell by how quickly I read it. I might try to do a bit of a review of it, as I want to get better at this sort of thing - I’ll post that if I get round to it, and if it's any good! The book, however, was brilliant!

I also discovered this bit of the library while I was there:

A whole big section of craft books! Brilliant!! I bought a few fairly dud crochet books when I was learning, but now I can borrow them, and then only buy the ones I think are worth it! Brilliant!! I took out ‘75 Crocheted Floral Blocks: Beautiful Patterns to Mix and Match for Throws, Accessories, Baby Blankets and More’ by Betty Barnden, and I have to say this is looking like something I might like to buy… I haven’t had a chance to play around with the patterns yet of course, but already a few designs have leapt out at me as things to have a go with!

Finally, I’m heading off to Snowdonia today, to go to Plas y Brenin again (I have been before here and here). This time round I’m going as a ‘mock student’ for one of their instructor courses taking place tomorrow, and I’m hoping to get some rock climbing done as part of that – I say “hoping” as the weather seems to be very damp and rainy again! 

After Snowdonia, I will be heading off south to Somerset again, to go to a bit of a cider festival with the other half and a few friends. It will be taking place on the pier at Weston-super-Mare, and will include a gig by The Wurzels, so I’m not totally sure what to expect from all that! At least I can combine it with seeing family and friends though, which is getting increasingly important as time-before-Oz gets shorter!