Happy New Year.

Blog? Whassat? Oh yes, that thing I`m supposed to post on every so often. That blog, wot you lot read. Sorry. Happy New Year, one and all!

It`s been an interesting holiday period. Hubby was off for two weeks plus (he`s a university lecturer), the kids were home as well of course and we were all in the house together. At the same time. For extended periods of time. Weird sensation. We really only spend that amount of time together when we go away camping. So odd to do it in one`s own house. It did indeed feel like a holiday, despite the fact there`s still cleaning and shopping and....oh, forget all that. We did some nice family things.

However back to reality and life as we know it on Monday, when both new terms start. (And hopefully the workmen too.)I took the chance though to meet up with Gourdongirl today...she`s been working like a slave all Christmas and New Year, night shifts all the way, with only a few days off to have flu. We sat in Starbucks in our local Borders Books for three hours and knitted and gossiped, while I got completely spaced out on the coffee. (I don`t drink coffee normally.) We knitted and gossiped and talked about knitting etc etc...it was just like summer down at PrestonGrange, really. Except we had to pay for the coffee.

I suppose I`d better note down my New Years Resolutions for this year here, but to be frank they normally end up as a List of Wishful Thoughts. Better do better this year, SF!!!!!

Ahem...

1) Lose two stone.(That`s 28 lbs for the furriners.) GourdonGirl has suggested that doing this by Woolfest (which is in late June) would be a more than reasonable timetable for this to happen in, so Woolfest it is. I will start by going to my local Rosemary Conley class on Tuesday...it`s the only diet that has ever worked for me, so back we go again. Last time I went I lost about 40 lbs but as soon as I stopped going, I back slid and two stone of the weight has gone back on again. Bah. It`s also true that I need to lose a LOT more than two stone, but I don`t want to think about that all in one go!

2) Stop buying yarn and fibre and knit/spin from stash this year. ALL this year, with two exceptions...Woolfest and Skip North. To be honest this shouldn`t be too difficult as the shopping opportunities at both these events are so good that it`s worth saving all my yarn cash for them.

3) Dump another 10% of the contents of this house. The first 10% has barely made a dent on our packrat lifestyle so there`s plenty of leeway for this. However you can feel the difference (just not see it, lol!) and over the next few months the furniture will be moving round rather a lot so it`s the perfect opportunity to jettison stuff.

4) Spend 10% more time (non-craft time, that is) on me. To be honest this means 10% more of bugger all to start with...I`m not a high maintainance type. Chores like shaving my legs or getting my hair cut tend to be things that get done in an emergency rather than a matter of routine. How is it that when you`re young and dewy fresh you spend hours of completely unnecessary time on beauty routines, while when you get older and need a bit more routine restoration you either don`t have time or can`t be bothered? My toenails are a disgrace....last time they saw polish was summer 2005.

5) Spend more time at allotment. This is totally incompatable to being more groomed, however.

6) More exercise. Well, I`ll get that at diet class as they include a 3/4 hour workout to allow the words of wisdom on nutrition to percolate in. But I`m also thinking bike and swimming pool. Fortunately this IS compatable with spending time on the allotment.

I read in someone elses blog that they wanted to become a better wife, a better mother, better friend, better person and knit about 100 things for charity in 2007. Reading back over my list I want to do a lot of things for me, spend more time on me and throw a lot of (other folks) stuff out. And I never knit anything for charity. I am clearly a lower form of life, lol. So I feel I need to contribute something to global karma, no?

7)Therefore I resolve to improve our recycling routine this year. I already recycle glass, tins, paper and all that stuff, use Freecycle and charity shops both to buy and to dump clothes and other items and having an allotment is fabulous for recycling very many very weird things, but I`m sure I can do more.

8) Finally I resolve to cut down my spending by 10%, on both the household shopping and my own personal budget. We are so skint ...or will be, after the household improvements are finished...that this is a necessity rather than an option if we want to go on any sort of holiday this year. Not buying yarn or rubbishy, unhealthy, fattening food will help.(I like a good dual purpose resolution, don`t you?)

Watch this space. There will be an update in 2008. *grin*

Merry Christmas.

Against a tasteful background of partially stripped wallpaper and two poinsettias, a Playmobil Nativity as arranged by my children.

Three Kings, travelling from the lands of the Great Northern Hallway....

Sheep (merino, naturally) and Angora goats....

The Holy Family with their pets and friend. (Yes, doesn`t Mary look familiar? )

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Cats:0 Tree:1

Two cats who do not like pointy, nasty, prickly, smelly evil realses treeses, noooooo we don`t, precioussssss....

Cats:10, Tree:0.

Actually, the catlings won by a landslide. Poor tree, it never stood a chance. I put the lights on it but that was just one more thing to pull, as far they were concerned. By last night even Hubby was thinking the tree was looking a bit wrecked. And we hadn`t added one single bauble.

I was sad, because I really like a nice tree and we bought that one for Duncan`s first Christmas so it has done us proud over the last ten years. However after a brief consultation with the kids I have gone out and bought the spikiest, the prickliest, the most determinely piney smelling Norwegian Spruce in a pot that I could lay hands on. It`s only little and I suspect it won`t really survive being planted out on the allotment for next year but it`s a cute tree and the kids will like it.

Plus the catlings are gazing at it with extreme resentment. (Hehehe...) Oh well, chaps, give me time. There will be plenty of things to play with on it soon. Fortunately most of our decorations are childproof non-breakable ones, so the cats should safe from them if not me when they pull them off.

Picture to follow, once the kids have had their evil way.....ooopps, decorated it this afternoon.

In a word....

I don`t usually do memes, but...

Yourself: sleepy
Your boyfriend: who?
Your hair: long
Your mother: daft as brush
Your father: dead
Your favorite Item: Louet S10
Your dream last night: gone
Your favorite drink: port
Your dream car: camper
The room you are in: study
Your ex: who?
Your fear: ill heath
What you want to be in 10 years? healthy
Who you hung out with last night? computer
What you're not: awake
Muffins: yuck
One of your wish list items: time
Time: 07.45
The last thing you did: slept
What you are wearing: dressing gown
Your favorite weather: warm
Your favorite book: everything
The last thing you ate: bagel
Your life: stressed
Your mood: ditto
Your best friend: Shona
What are you thinking about right now? Haddington Planning Office
Your car: Ford Mondeo
What are you doing at this moment: waking up
Your summer: busy
Your relationship status: married
What is on your TV? The Faries
What is the weather like? raining
When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
Who do you tag? you?

Irn-Bru.

You really have to be Scottish or at least British to "get" this ad fully, but belive me, it`s taking the p*** on so many levels it`s a pure delight if you know what`s going on.


(And for these who know, watch out for (amongst many other gems) Blackness Castle, the Monarch of the Glen and the Gresley A4 Pacific steaming over the Glenfinnin Viaduct is straight out of the 1959 version of The Thirty-Nine Steps.)

Coca-Cola, eat your heart out.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.....

I usually put the Christmas tree up round about this time every year,but due to having too much to do as per usual I only managed to put the bare tree up this evening. I`ll do the lights tomorrow while the kids are at school, and then they can hang the baubles when they come home.

Maybe....

Here`s our bare tree.(Yes, it`s a fake.) Not very interesting yet, is it?



Or is it?????? (Click the picture..... ;-) )



I`m taking bets on how many times I`ll have to pick it up off the floor this coming festive season. But for the kittens Christmas has come early, and Santa has brought them a new toy.