The wind isn't blowing a gale and the house has been warm all day without the heating on. Is this the apocalypse? The generators at the power station are humming away, maybe the rest of the world has vanished?
Nope! Spring is coming!
At Silly AM on Tuesday morning I was having a bout of insomnia brought on, as it turned out, by the electric causing the microwave to beep as it went on and off. I started using my PC but then the power truly went off so I got the oil lamp, managed to put the chimney on without it exploding and knit by lamp light:
As long as you're not doing something overly complicated it's actually rather peaceful to knit by lamplight. So peaceful I made a humongous mistake and had to pull back a few hundred stitches. But Mum will be happy to know her jumper is now at the waves chart. Sleeve stitches waiting for pick up after knitting the body.
Speaking of knitting, *mumble* years ago I took some yarn and a book from Sue with the intention of knitting the rather nice lace item in it. It took me so long not because it was slow but because of the border. The original has a nice frilly border to compliment the pattern in the body but it drove me batty! I couldn't get the pattern into my head and kept making mistakes. So I consulted the island expert in lace shawls and did a simple yet complimentary garter stitch edging. Then I got distracted by some deadlines. Last week I found it again and finished the knitting. This week I soaked and blocked it:
It dried overnight and looks lovely:
Close up of the detail:
I am very happy with the end result and admit I'm also happy it's done. One less item giving me guilty vibes for not finishing it.
I have had a physically exhausting day today. Took full advantage of the wonderful weather and did the first line dry of the year. Two loads of laundry washed and then dried in sun and breeze, lovely! Even if I did have to wear boots to put it out and get it in because the back garden is water logged.
The trike got a good air drying too. I found any new rust spots and treated them with rust cure in the morning and painted over them with car paint in the afternoon. The patches may be black on the blue lacquer but they're weather-proof again. Come Easter it's getting a good service; new chain, new rear tyre, new rear sprocket, more rust treatment and a darn good clean. At either Easter or summer hols it's also getting it's first recoat of varnish. The marine ply and varnish applied by the makers has done sterling work these past three years but it's starting to fail. I shall order some new marine varnish (the good stuff) and give all the wood a clean, brief sand to key, and then a good varnish. Hopefully that will see it right for another three years.
The trike's frame is under warranty for ten years. I think at the rate the weather and air attack metal here we may be claiming on that. If anyone ever manufactures something, be it material or item(s), that they claim is weather proof and corrosion proof and will last for years outdoors in all sorts of weathers, I think they should test on Tiree. We have strong winds; salt air; sandy wind and rain; cold and hot in one day and rain that can find the tiniest of cracks. Claim something can last five years in a climate like you might find on the Thames? It should last two on Tiree. The weather here makes light work of metal, rubber, silicone, paint, lacquer and more. Could also be a nice earner for folk here; allow someone to attach a box to your house for a few years and in exchange for taking photos and checking every so often you get a rent and the manufacturer finds out quick if their kit can do what they claim.
So, yes, I have had a very busy day, in seven hours I sat down for a total of one and a half and the longest burst of that was a half hour knit.
I shall leave you with photos of a very, VERY happy dog:
I shared these with the RSPCA rescue shelter in Halifax where we got her years ago, they were very happy to see smiling dog and I like to let them know she's doing well. She's now snoring in her bed, I expect doggy dream yips soon. But, I have laundry to fold and put away.
TTFN and I hope the sun finds you soon if it hasn't already.
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