HI!

Hiya! Long time no see, eh? Bad Fishwife! Baaaaad blogger......


I`ve been busy, that`s my excuse and with things that fill the days and drain the energy and make you just want to slump around in moments of free time, alas. School Easter holidays, Mairi`s ear infection, the finish of the outer building work (some of it, anyway...), the start of Phase 2.....

Phase 2? That`s the fitting of the new Combi boiler and full central heating system. Our old one was run by a 40 year old gas Rayburn...pretty object, but also pretty useless compared to a modern system. It didn`t have enough capacity for our big house (this study is completly unheated all year round, will have you know!) and the hot water was heated by an ancient electric immerser and I cooked on the gas cooker in the kitchen instead...so all in all, the Rayburn had to go. It was starting to fail badly over the last couple of months so we just switched it off and wore more sweaters. RIP, Rayburn.

So at the moment the house is in chaos again...except it`s worse than the windows getting done as all rooms, hallway plus attic are involved simultaneously. Carpets are up, there are floorboards up everywhere too, power tools, pipes etc everywhere. It`s horrible. I can`t even go to the loo without an appointment. Getting into the kitchen to make lunch will be impossible. Thank Gawd they`ll be finished by Friday. Maybe......

Onyhoo, there`s not been a lot of knitting perpetrated this month. Nowt, in fact. I have stalled on the second sleeve of my Noro jacket, but that`s not to say it`s going to be a UFO. I just need a little space and tranquility first. And smooth hands...I`ve been spending as much time as I can manage down on the allotment too. It`s not enough time, not at this time of year, but if you miss the planting season you`re dead in the water for the rest of the year, no? So the spuds are in (thanks,
Sue, for all the posh seed potatoes...all planted and I`ll let you know how they get on!), seed beds sown and the propagators are full. The allotment is somewhat weedy, but I`ll have crops.

Apart from that I`ve been planning the big camping trip, which is a complicated job requiring a long lead-in period. We needed new passports this year,the new car needs towball and bike racks fitted, the bikes need overhauled and adjusted to fit the kids (we have two tandems and a triplet tandem), cattery booked, car checked (EEKK!!!...Book Car In For Service! I need to put that on my list!!!), trailer tent checked for winter damage, any new clothes and equipment bought, Green Card (this is a car thing, oh USA readers), tickets for some places we`re going to that are cheaper booked in advance...the list is a long one, belive me. Food, camping gear, KNITTING, bike gear, bike tools, bike spares, car spares, clothes, books, toys......We`re like snails. We carry everything. I do hasten to add that I don`t take food to France for five weeks, btw! We`re not the kind of Great British Camper that takes a fridge full of bacon and plastic supermarket cheese plus enough Spam for the duration, oh no. But you have to take teabags and HP sauce, oh yes. The French don`t make decent teabags!

Wot else? Oooh, I`m certain you all log on every day wondering how the diet is going? Well, I`ve achieved my New Years Resolution of losing two stone, yup. (That`s 28 lbs for the non-Brits.) In fact I`ve lost 30lbs, in 15 weeks, so I`m quite pleased. Would have liked more, but I`m honest enough to admit I have been cheating here and there..and here again. Bit too much cake and chocolate on occasions. I`m an emotional eater and my first response to any kind of stress is to want to eat something...preferably cake or chocolate! But 30 lbs is a good start (plenty more still to shift though!) and I`m trying for another 14 lbs before I go on holiday, in eight weeks. Watch this space. Oh, and I`ve been joined on the diet trail by Gourdongirl, who has just announced she`s off to Weight Watchers. I`m a Rosemary Conley follower, so we can indulge in a little friendly rivalry, eh Shona? Good luck with it anyway. (And may we both lose....;-) )

Oh well, the *&^%$£* plumbers have gone for lunch. Time to walk the plank to the kitchen and find something to eat. All this talk of diets makes me hungry.