OMG, guess what I found!

I was rummaging through my stash to find the Aran wool for the GAAA (I figured if I stuck a ball in my project basket, it might inspire me to actually do a square or two) and I found yarn! Yarn that I bought last August when I went to Scotland! I totally forgot I had it and now I want to knit it *sigh*

Unfortunately, I didn't buy huge amounts of it, so there's probably not enough for a shawl/stole, but there is for a scarf -– although there are times when lace surprises me and I don't use as much as I think I will.

I also found the remainder of the purple yarn from MD/AN –- I've still got just over two balls left! This means that the Queen Ring Shawl might get done in purple for me after I've done it in whatever colour Mrs R wants it!

We had our first Knit-A-Lunch today, there were only a few of us; Joy, Jan, Linda and Rachael (and myself obviously). I don't know if we'll get more people for lunch as time goes by and there was some discussion about changing the day to a Saturday, I guess we'll just have to see…

Do you know what's REALLY cool? Seeing something you made being used! I made quite a lot of stuff for people just before Christmas and Kerry is the only one I've seen use the stuff. When I went up at the weekend, Phoebe used both blankets and a cardigan I'd made her.

I got quite a kick out of that LOL

Full Basket

I've filled my basket up now - it holds LOADS! It's currently holding my KnitPicks binder, a 400g ball of Aran yarn, a reel of cotton, my chatelaine, a project bag with the shawl in, a ball of sock yarn, sock needles, Louhi + pattern, patterns for the shawl, GAAA, socks, my iPod…oh, and my sons phone (which I've taken away as a punishment!)

Project Basket

Look what Mel gave me! I showed her a picture of one of these in the catalogue, I thought it'd be ideal to use as a basket to carry my current WIP's around in. She gave me this one today, said it was sitting in her loft doing nothing. It's not really my colour, but hey - pink and black go well together lol!

The shawl I'm making for my mother is coming along well. She's seen the yarn and that pattern, but not the work and she's not going to until her birthday - I have to keep hiding it quickly when I think I hear her coming!

I've got so many projects on the go and so many more I want to make, it's so unfair.

I've also just bought the pattern for the Queen Ring Shawl - cost me £25 - just for the pattern! I think it's a rip off, but I said I'd making a wedding ring shawl for somebody…I'm sworn to secrecy on who I'm making it for so from now on, I shall just call her Mrs R! I've already told her that if she doesn't like it, it's cool cos I like the pattern and will make it for myself and keep hunting for her. I've got 11 months to make this shawl in apparently, I think that'll be enough as soon as I know this is the pattern, I'll get hold of Joy and tell her to order me some yarn and dye it to the colour we want!

I've never made anything so fine!

I must get on with the GAAA as well - I've done nothing to that since well before Christmas because I was so caught up in MD/AN *sigh* so much knitting, not enough hours in the day!

So many projects, so little time

Now that I've finished MD/AN, I decided to start Louhi. I love the colour way I've chosen to use and it's knitting up lovely. I also decided to make the Vernal Equinox Shawl for my mum as a birthday present. I just hope I get it finished in time!

I've just been up to Kerry's for the weekend, we had a lovely time. Going away is lovely, but coming home is even lovelier.

I'm taking it easy this week, my back is killing me and I've got a muscle in spasm under my shoulder so I don't really have any choice LOL

Moroccan Days/Arabian Nights

It's finished! My god, I'm soooooooooooooo pleased with it! What do you think?

Pattern: Moroccan Days/Arabian Nights

Source: A Few Stitches Short

Time: 3-01-09 - 16-03-09

Gorgeous Day!

So I got up this morning and looked out the window - the sky was blue, the sort of blue that says "It's warm, the sun is shining, it's BBQ or picnic weather GET UP AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!"

So I got up, hung some washing out on the line (first time since last summer), pottered around a bit then decided to take Isis and Kim out for a walk on the beach.

The bloody tide was in! So half of our walk entailed keeping the dogs on the lead so that they didn't push some unsuspecting toddler off the promenade. Eventually we reached a bit of beach where we could see sand and let them go. Kim promptly went straight into the sea with a huge grin on his face - anyone who's ever owned a Border Collie will know exactly how a dog can grin!

He came out sopping wet, they ran all over the beach then we headed home. It was a beautiful walk, but now I'm hot and my back is agony (I ALWAYS overdo it, tut)!

Here's a picture taken from the cliff path - Jess said it looked like God had dropped diamonds on a blue carpet lol

Furious

When I decided I wanted my BlackBerry I did quite a lot of research. I spoke on the phone with T-Mobile a few times too, asking about what I would need in the way of a data plan etc.

I searched about looking for sim free phones and then I decided to call T-Mobile with an idea I'd had. I had 12 months remaining on my current contract, my plan was to buy out of my contract and take out a new contract with a free BlackBerry handset -the cost worked out the same and it all seemed like a good idea.

Well, until T-Mobile got involved!

I called one evening, the kids were in bed, the house was quiet, I could talk on the phone with no interruptions! The first guy I spoke to said that I should just pay a specific amount for an early upgrade, but after farting around, discovered that I couldn't do that. Then he transferred me to someone else to get a PAC (Porting Authority Code - this allows you to transfer your number), I got the PAC then had to go through to someone else to get the new contract. The third guy told me that I couldn't use my PAC within T-Mobile, I would have to transfer my number to another network then transfer it back again using another PAC issued by them - I argued this as I have transferred my number around O2 (between contract and PAYG {Pay As You Go} with no problems), but he was adamant. THEN he tells me that they don't have any BlackBerry 8900's in stock anyway!

I went ballistic; I said "If I had been told that 3 people and half an hour ago, I wouldn't be talking to you now! Okay, cancel my cancellation request, I'll just buy a sim free BlackBerry and add the BlackBerry data plan onto my account." He said that'd be no problem and I hung up.

Fast forward a week later. The mail arrives. A letter from T-Mobile "We're sorry to hear that you're leaving us, please find enclosed the PAC that you requested." Well, knowing as much as I know about mobile phone companies - reinforced by what I had been told a week previously - I knew that if I didn't use that PAC then my account would stay active and I wouldn't be charged.

Fast forward another week. I was trying to set up my Gmail account on my BlackBerry, but the option to do it just wasn't there and according to a forum I had read it was because I didn't have the correct data plan or some such thing. So I logged into my T-Mobile online account to check.

Account Balance £430!!! WTF?!?!?!?!?!

I immediately picked up the phone - of course, there's no one there at 10.30pm!

I nearly destroyed my house - I was so f%^&*$g mad!

I called them the next morning; I had to relay the whole story to the CSR (Customer Services Representative) who then told me that I needed to speak to the cancellations department, so she transferred me. I got some bloke; I think his name was Nick. I ranted at him for a bit, told him that I hadn't used the PAC and demanded to know why I had been charged. He agreed that the charge should not have been made, put me on hold then came back and told me that his manager was sorting it all out and crediting my account right then and there. I said "TYVM" and hung up.

Fast forward (again - are you seasick yet?) to today. I was chatting about DVD boxsets with Mel, you know, entire TV series in one handy boxset and the prices. She said she had found some quite cheap on Amazon. I went online to have a look and compare with play.com and a few other sites. The prices looked really good, so I logged into my bank account to see if I had some money to play with.

Guess what? Go on, I dare you to guess. I can guarantee you'll be right.

Direct Debit - T-Mobile - £404.39!

Well, as you can imagine, I went completely batshit!

I phoned T-Mobile, screamed at some poor CSR whose name I didn't catch, she transferred me back to cancellations so I could scream at someone there. I dutifully did so.

Lyn on Team 5 was totally baffled as to why I've been charged the cancellation fee that I asked - twice - not to be charged for. She has sent a dispute off to the billing department and is going to call me back within 24 hours (apparently) to let me know what is going on and when she does I am going to demand some sort of recompense for all this trouble!

DIY

I have to block the lounge door or isis sneaks down to the kitchen, eats the cats food and then suffers from chronic wind! I used to slide an old kitchen unit door across, but during my Ikea trip I bought a gate and put it up today, all by myself!

Bling-a-Berry

I'd love to put those Swartzkopf crystals all over my phone, but to have it done properly, I'd have to send my phone off. Well I don't really want to send it away so I bought a snap-on fascia instead and a mirror screen protector.

I think it looks quite snazzy!

Although I'm still debating about figuring out how to take the housing off so that I can do my own bling job!

77 years old…

…and still going strong!

Get a load of this!

Isn't she beautiful! I spotted her in Tesco petrol station today and I went rushing over requesting to take photos. Unfortunately, I only had my BlackBerry with me instead of my proper camera (because the proper camera is too big and awkward to carry everywhere!), but I did get a few shots.

The gentleman that owned her said she was made in 1932, gives him no trouble whatsoever, does 25 to the gallon and he's taking her to France next month.

Fantastic!

Annual Southampton trip

When my second son Matthew was six weeks old, they discovered a hole in his heart. When he was 10 they operated to close the hole and tighten up the aortic valve which had been pulled towards the hole and had become saggy. The surgery went well, they almost closed the hole completely and they said they would see him for check up's every year. It's a pain, but it's for a good reason.

So, the school was notified that Matt wouldn't be in today and we headed off for the ferry in the car. Mel came with us and we were going to go to the new Ikea in Southampton. Because of this, we decided to take the car over ~ usually Matt and I go over on the passenger ferry and catch the bus.

The ferry was delayed leaving the island due to an elderly gentleman being taken ill, there was a half hour wait for the ambulance to turn up and get him off the ferry then we were underway.

By the time we arrived in Southampton, we were all starving so a quick stop in KFC and then up to the hospital.

It was heaving!

In the end, I gave the car keys to Mel and told her to go hunting for a parking space and rushed in with Matt. We burst through the door at children's outpatients and announced our arrival.

They hunted for our papers, but couldn't find them or any record of our appointment. I pulled out my appointment card and handed it to her; she looked at it and then informed me that the appointment is actually scheduled for the 12^th! We always go over on a Monday; we NEVER go over on a Thursday! Fancy sending us on a Thursday, what a ridiculous idea!

Thankfully, Dr Roman agreed to squeeze us in. He had his ECG, echo, height and weight (which haven't changed from the 55kgs and 173cm since last year) then went in to see Dr Roman.

He said everything looks good, the residual leak is tiny and the floppy valve is holding up well ~ they made it quite clear after his surgery that he'll probably need a valve replacement, but it wouldn't be until he's an adult. Today he said that that surgery is a long way off due to the fact that Matt is never ill because of his heart and has had no adverse effect. He did say that next time we go, he'll probably have a cardiac MRI which will be repeated every 3 to 4 years because his heart has pretty much stopped growing now.

Then we left and headed towards Ikea. Thankfully, that wasn't too busy but it's bloody HUGE!

As soon as I got in there, my phone rang. It was Alex who had had an argument with Kyle. Kyle had given him a bloody lip, been yelled at by Jess and my mother, had thrown a sheet of MDF at Jess which then landed on Isis and then he had stormed off. Alex was upstairs in a right state yelling down the phone at me that he was bleeding and feeling quite picked on. Everyone yelled at everyone else and hung up on each other.

I found a few bits I wanted to buy and while I agree that Ikea appears fabulous, it's just simply too big! There's too much there and walking for any length of time causes me back spasms. After all the telephony arguing, I really wasn't in the mood so I got what I needed and headed home.

I've had a calm and reasonable discussion with the kids, told them that they're not to use the computer (which is how it all started) if I'm not at home, informed Kyle he will not get pocket money for the next two weeks and everyone is now calm and either watching TV, playing the X-Box or gone to bed.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, maybe I can do some knitting now………………………………

Finally finshed

My mum is big on DIY, really big. She has tools that most men don't own!

So a while ago she decided that it was time she had a go at tiling and set about tiling my smallest room. There were ups and downs, mutterings and numerous complaints from my children (all sensibly when Nan wasn't here to hear them!), but today she has finished! The toilet room (as my kids call it) is now finished!

I think Mum has done a great job and I'm very proud of her, what do you think? (Sorry the pics aren't that good!)

Tut

Well, I failed the daily blogging challenge already! I meant to post Monday night after knit night, but I was in bloody agony when I got home and in no fit state to sit here and type stuff! Then I was going to post last night, but I spent most of yesterday in a medicated haze with a hot water bottle plastered to my back and anything I typed wouldn't have made much sense.

So, knit night was great! A couple of newbies arrived and it was a very noisy chatty night, if we keep going at this rate, we're gonna need a bigger table! We average about 10, but there are more depending on weather, light, whether it's the holidays, etc.

I'm doing well with MD/AN, I'm about halfway through the second half and I'm hoping that it'll be finished in a couple more weeks. I can't wait to show it off!

I'm going to make Louhi next in purple and I just know it's going to look gorgeous! I saw the yarn in our local haberdashery store and just cleaned them out lol.

I decided enough was enough today and I called for an appointment to see the doctor. I didn't ask for an emergency appointment, because it's not a bloody emergency, I'm not dying, I'm just going in to moan at him about the injustice of it all again in the hopes he'll give me SOMETHING that'll help with the pain without turning me into a zombie at the same time.

The next available appointment is in TWO WEEKS!!! That's bloody ridiculous! I said to her "It's a good thing I'm not dying!" and she offered me an emergency appointment immediately. It really is no wonder that I rarely see me doctor with the receptionists giving out emergency appointments willy nilly! Mum said "You'll be better by then." And while I agree with her that this flare probably will be over, the underlying problem will still be there. They rarely do anything when I go up there, other than give me new medication to try. I realise that they've got hundreds of people to see each week and couldn't care less about me or my problems, but I care dammit and I want someone else to care, someone that can do something!

We're going to be blitzing Alex's room next week, he's gotten too tall for a single bed and my friend Dana has offered me a double bed free, her boyfriend is even going to deliver it for me in a couple of weeks. So we need to get in there, have a good sort out, move a few bits around and get rid of whatever he doesn't need so that there's room for this new bed!

Being homely

I've been quite the homey mummy recently - a week or so ago I made laundry detergent - very successfully (well, I like the results!) and fabric softener. At first the mixture was very runny and I was in two minds, but it worked, my clothes were clean and smelled gorgeous so I didn't worry too much. Over time though, the solution has all merged, the liquids have been soaked up by the dry ingredients and I have a crusty sort of goo in the airtight container. I've just put a load on and I don't anticipate a change in the way it works! In fact, I'm rather glad that it's less liquidy.

Then I made a cake for Jess and Alex's birthday - which was very yummy!

So today, I made shampoo! I've just got out the shower and my hair is still wet, so the jury is still out on how good it is - my 15 year old son is not convinced lol.

Edited to add: Wow, I’ve just realised that this was my 100^th post, coooooooooooool!

The shampoo came out okay, but it’s a bit too oily so I’ll need to dilute it a bit…just need something to dilute it in…