Poorly 'puter

Haven't been able to post for a few days as my computer has been a bit under the weather. Amber got a new phone and tried to load something onto it via the hard drive which knocked out some operating system but we are back and running as normal now.

Now what's been happening here ...

Didn't get Susie's remains back which is probably a good thing as I can remember her as she was, still feeling very down though. Am going to get some sort of shrub to remember her by - something prickly but pretty.

Frogged the Eleonora shrug as the pattern simply wasn't working. Showed it to Debbie Abrahams on the DYOK workshop and she agreed that something wasn't wuite right with the instructions. Am now using the yarn to make an Ilga Leja waistocat pattern.

Really enjoyed the workshop but am a bit flummoxed as to how to sort out sleeve heads so I may well go on part two again! I did, however, design a scarf in Susie colours which, I hope, will be for sale soonish!

I did have a lovely birthday with wine at Kangaroo!

Oh, and I've bought two new tops from M&Co. I think they fit OK but they are a lot more fitted than usual so will take a lot of getting used to. I intend to be a lot smarter when I go out!

Not again!

Overspent again!

I have decided to to make any major purchases of yarn etc. until the my bank account is extremely healthy.

jo xx

Ryan ....

... has had his engligh GCSE re-marked and has now got a 'C'!

Sad news

My beautiful baby, Susie cat was killed on the road outside our house yesterday morning but I didn't know she had died until lunchtime today when I finally heard from the RSPCA inspector. I thought it was strange that she didn't appear when i called her for her breakfast and when the kids came in from school they'd seen someone putting up signs to say a cat had been found. We managed to get through to the RSPCA but they had been told it was a tabby cat whereas Susie was calico/tortoiseshell, and they gave me the numbers of some local vets to try, but when no-one had treated a cat, I knew something bad had happened.

The RSPCA inspector said, from my description, it was Susie and that he hadn't seen such a beautiful cat for a long time, he is going to try and get her back for us but she was taken to the RSPCA centre in Patcham and their day for 'body disposal' is wednesday and I won't know until friday if we can bury her.

We will get a shrub to remember her by, and it will probably be something a bit prickly to match her personality.

Jasper (kitten) is going to be an indoor cat whether he likes it or not, but will be micro-chipped and we bought him a cat harness with a lead this morning so that Amber can take him for walks.

Updates!

First update, Ryan's over the moon that he has more hits on his blog than me but, I didn't get my counter until my blog had been running for over a year so, guess what, I don't care!

Second, very worried about Frances who is currently in hospital suffering terrible chest pain and is constantly in my thoughts.

Third, not getting on very well with my knitting at the moment (well haven't been for ages now). Have finally finished the first sleeve of Eleonora and now have sore fingers from the needles piercing them, so hoping the back will be a little easier. Not doing so well my the clapotis in the RAK shawl-a-long since Auntie Ann kindly told me she wanted a scarf 'the same lenght and width as last year's but in a different pattern and style', and have made a slow start on the blanked squares for the Macmillan Blanket appeal.

Fourth, it's the 'Design Your Own Knits' workshops this week and I think I am feeling a bit overawed already! I know what yarn I want to use and roughly what I want to design but, if I tried hard enough, I could probably find a pattern for one!

Plus, I managed to lose my glasses on saturday! I was sure they were in my bag when we left home but after dad dropped us in Forest Row, Ryan and I went to the Craft Shop and I hadn't got them! I only had my Oakley sunglasses which only have distances lenses so I was really struggling. My sister drove us home to collect them and they weren't there either! I eventually decided to ring the pub where dad dropped us and, someone had handed them in - thank goodness!

A Short Message From Ryan

Ah, hello! I'm Ryan, i dont usually get onto my mums blog but i have a good enough reason....ok it's a childish one but i'm winning! My blog has 11,963 hits! Wahoo!

Shawl-a-long

I have had to change my mind!

The yarn was far too dark for me to see so ........ Instead I am going to do a spot of christmas knitting - Auntie Ann's clappy!

Update on the Ryan situation.

Ryan is to do a business Course which covers english and maths, and will be equivalent to 4 GCSE's at A* to C grade (he already as one C) - 5 are needed, with merit or ditinction, to enter 6th form, and we are waiting to find out if there were marking inconsistencies on his paper which could lead to a better grade (currently D). Apparently, employers generally require a C pass in maths and english before employing.

He will be taking re-sits for english and Matchs in November but gets another chance in the spring but he still has to do this business course.

At least he knows that he has only got himslef to blame for this predicament so ....

Ryan

Feel better today now that I have managed to get hold of a member of staff at school.

Ryan is definitely down to go into 6th form but will have to do a Level 2 Business Studies Course to resit his maths and english (I have also given my permission for the school to get his papers re-marked as they think there were some inconsistencies in the marking), provided he gets a merit or distinction in that, which is equivalent to 4 C passes at GSCE, together with the C grade in Reistant Materials, he will be able to go on into his other courses next year.

I hope that makes sense, I had to type it out quickly before I forgot what the nice man said!

It fits beautifully!

I tried Freda on and am pleased with the result! She's a bit itchy but I will have to live with that!

BTW, this is a rare photo of me!