Not in hibernation

just keeping busy. I dog sit Monday to Friday, as you know, and now I have a pair of Bichons in the mix. They are only here for one day a week at the moment, their owner is having a series of tests and now scans.

When her treatment starts that will probably escalate, Doggy Day Care in action.

There is some talk about the possible transfer of the virus from human to pet, apparently the current thought is that cats are at risk but not dogs. My neighbour works mostly on his own, and out in the elements or in his designated work building.

He drops off the dogs into my little courtyard and I let them into the house once he has left, we do it in reverse when he collects them.

My friend has been diagnosed with a Nasty and has been shielding.

I feel that collecting her Bichons and then returning them is safe as we have no close contact. I put them into her lobby and remove the collars and once I have shut the door behind me she lets them into the house.

It would be lovely to stop and have a cuppa and a chat but we are all aware of the possible outcome. So we don't, and none of us can see a time when we can be so sociable.

In the meantime we are all keeping busy. I have been organising the garden to make room for a solar tunnel, it is here and we will start putting it together tomorrow. I used to be quite good at the Tetris game,

The vegetable beds are keeping me tying in, cutting back, pinching out etc, and I have made a brassica cage using metal stakes and a reel of scaffold netting. Well less than half the reel which cost far less than buying said cage. I did have to sew 2 lengths together, 30 minutes including measuring.

Then there is wool, lots and lots of wool, ranging from raw "smells like a mucky sheep" to prepared yarn that smells like a clean slightly perfumed sheep.

Delivered in a feed sack, freshly sheared, by my lovely neighbour. There was one for Jess as well.

Once washed, dried and carded I broke out the spindle. This was a bit too fine for my purpose so it has been wound into a ball and set aside.

Time for some colour.

Some thick and thin, full of texture wool that is destined to go onto the peg loom and be a rug when it grows up.

There are many more days of dyeing, carding and spinning to come and I look forward to each and every one. The only small inconvenience is to do with the dogs. If I stand and drop spin they want the spindle and after one too many near misses I now spin sitting down. It takes a bit longer but I am in no hurry, this is pure unadulterated pleasure.

I have also dug out a bag of bumps of merino fibre and am spinning some of that. It is so smooth and I am spinning as finely as I dare.I have blended various shades hoping for a fade, they were only little bumps, and have around 35grams. I aim to finish the blues and then carry on with a contrast colour, possibly a pale grey or pehaps a very pale blue. Wind it into a centre pull ball and then ply it. That is how I did the pink and grey for my rug and it was so simple. Just the one ball to control rather than having 2 flying all over the place. Straight into a dogs mouth perhaps.

I have been reading quite a bit and we have had some Telly evenings and binge watched a few things. I sit closer now and am front and center of the screen so that I do not miss details. 

I am knitting vanilla socks and have just managed to finish the Penny sweater from Tin Can Knits that I started months ago. Cream wool and a good light were essential for the lace pattern and I love it.

My time is fully occupied with all the things that I love and I feel blessed. As I type away I have Herbie on my left, Revi and Poppy on my right and the Bichons on the back of the sofa washing my neck and ears. Once they go home I will have another shower.

Michael is busy in his man cave, The Shed. I can hear faint noises every now and then. I do believe that he considers that he is Tidying Up. The trouble is that hardly anything gets removed because it "might come in handy". 

I have been through the cupboards and the sewing room has a corner with several items in it. I have not used them for a good while and if they have not been used by the end of the year they will be leaving.

Some will be donated but much has had a long working life and is a bit too dilapidated to pass on.

Once again we have talked about having a fryer, our treat of fish and chips from the shop is but a distant memory. It is likely to remain that way for another year from the look of things. After much humming and hahing we have shelved it, we are happy to have the occasional meal of oven baked fish and chips, not as finger licking good as deep fried but so much better for us.

I think it is time to call a halt here, this is in danger of becoming a novella.

Keep safe

                           TTFN                          Pam