Getting it Sorted - Healthwise!

 Okay, it's been a while - there's reasons for that  - I won't go into all of them. suffice to say that just when I thought I was back on track and ready to go into what the doctor has agreed to (no pills for a while - hooray!) I got shingles so was derailed a bit.

Anyway, I've only got a short (3 month) window to get my blood pressure and cholesterol in check or I've got to seriously consider the doctor's request to take medication. 

It's easier said and done as stress is apparently playing a big role, but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Obviously the first port of call is my weight. Don't get me wrong. I'm not humungously (is that a word) in trouble here. I had been doing well, dropping a stone and a half, when the doctor first put me onto blood pressure tablets. The weight then stopped dead and exercising got more and more difficult due to the side effects of the two tablets we tried! Now I'm off them it's time to really concentrate on slimming down.

Exercise has always done it for me. Particularly running!

Sadly, due to work on our seawall my regular ParkRun exploits sort of ground to a halt as my knees object to running on sand. Along with some time pressures it all got put to one side. Luckily the ParkRun is back to it's usual route, my shingles (let's not go there) have gone and I can grab back my Saturday mornings for this week!

I still get to tennis, but the doctor also wants more strength training. I used to go to dance and martial arts fitness at our local sports club. The class times no longer fit in with what I can do so I was in a bit of limbo. I haven't renewed my membership till I work out if it's worth it just to use the swimming pool - time has been my enemy again there. So, as I had a good time during the pandemic with online classes I've decided to restart those. The package I've picked also has some quick start programmes to try to get you into the swing of it quickly. I did start the initial one until the shingles got in the way. The plan is to begin again at the end of this week when the diary is a bit clearer.

I'll report back on this first element next time - along with my eating plans - I'm still working that one out as the summer is a really busy time for family birthdays and there's just far too many temptations for success. Next week will be a good time to examine how to adjust my willpower there!!!

The other thing that's well and truly slipped has been my making. I haven't got to my spinning group in ages and I've been too tired to concentrate in the evenings. I did manage one or two bits though...

Birthdays mean cards and mini presents so that gave me the kick I needed to get these done...

 

I've also managed to keep up my SubStack contributions. I did think that was going to sink without trace as well as so much other 'stuff'. Then I thought I could keep my weekly posting going by being a bit kinder to myself and readjusting my expectations. For August I'm sticking to a photo and a quick message to go with it to give myself a rest from the pressure of regular longform writing till September.

How's that?

Now I've written it all down I feel like more's been moving forward than I originally thought - hooray!

I'll let you know how it all goes.....

From finishing to starting..

 Okay, the finishing off is well underway so what's next?

Month 10 - Bite 24

Just so I don't get stale and revert to slumping in front of the TV, undoing all my good work, I must think of what else I want to try.

I want to carry on with the hobbies and pursuits I enjoy - and add to them...

There are so many things I'd like to experiment with and discover that the task in hand for this bite is to begin to list and research them. I've started learning Italian so the next step is required to make sure I'm better with the language for our next trip in the Spring. Then there are other crafty pastimes to explore - my crochet skills are so basic that they need some work. Then there's the music that I've ignored for quite some time. My guitar and concertina are gathering dust and certainly aren't earning their keep in my home.

On this tick list item then is the planning to see where I can commit some regular time to one or all of these to get them underway and where I'm going to find the information to polish the skills.

Month 10 - Bite 25

While I'm in finishing and starting something new mode - both at the same time - I want to look at what keeps me warm. I'm going to raid my yarn stash to make something warm. Will it be a hat, or a scarf, or a cowl, or socks? Let's return to this later and I'll show you.....

Socks it was then!

I don't want you to think that I've abandoned the 'learn/try something new' idea - I've attempted a different way of joining the heel and toe seams.

My next adventure will be into the world of crocheting a scarf - I've only ever done squares and blankets before - so going back and forth in rows could be a challenge!

Month 10 - Bite 26

Finally, I know I'll need help with some of these bites. Bite 26 is to give me time to find out where I can get some of that help. I know that my spinning group will assist and I also want to explore any courses that are free or cheap locally so that's my project for today.

Naturally, joining a group of like-minded people should be fun and supportive - I also think groups like this gathering together has got to be good for the energy bills! After all, we'll all be using one heat source (not just the hot air of our conversations either) by not using all those individual homes during our time together.

Most of all I'm looking forward to the fun bit (oh, and the tea and cakes that such courses/groups excel in!).

Warming up

So as the night's are drawing in and the bills are going up it's time to look at preserving the heat we've got!

Here's my next few attempts at doing just that...

Month 10 - Bite 3

Having got used to lowering blinds and drawing curtains in the daytime during the hot weather to keep the sun out and the rooms cool, now we'll be doing the same at the other end of the day! By using the sunlight during the daylight hours to heat our home, from now on the blinds and curtains need to be closed as the temperature drops in the evening to keep the warmth in.

Month 10 - Bite 4

We love the flexibility of the internet controlled thermostat and heating system that's been in for a year now, but have got used to switching the heating off when we're out to come into a cosy home. That's not going to happen this winter. As long as the property doesn't get too cold the heating won't get fired until we're in. The inconvenience of keeping outer layers on until we switch the thermostat up and the house warms to a reasonable temperature in minor compared to the savings it'll represent. So from today that's it, no driving back home and turning it all on half an hour from home.

Month 10 - Bite 5

Back to the wardrobe and drawers for me today. It's time to sort out my jumpers and cardigans. I've got some 'nice' ones I wear out and about and some 'comfy' items that are only for indoors. One or two I've spun from pure wool fleece are really warm and I rarely wear them. Why? Because it's always been so easy to turn on the heating and wander around in a t-shirt! This is a habit that's got to go too. Once I've got the woollies sorted today then it's out with the light gear, on with the cosy stuff and no to too much heating.

Month 10 - Bite 6

It takes a lot more energy to heat a room than it does a person so the task in hand to tackle next is the search for our warm-you-up items. Somewhere around this place we've got hot water bottles and oat filled cushions or pads that take little to heat up and keep warm for ages. Once I've tracked them down and double checked they have no leaks (!) they can be employed in the evenings to stave off putting the heating on.

Month 10 - Bite 7

While on the search I need to explore what's in the ottoman in the bedroom. It's a treasure trove of goodies that don't really have a place anywhere else. I'm sure there are some really warm blankets nestling in there so it's time they came out and went on the beds and in the lounge for snuggling into during the colder evenings.

I may even start making some from my wool stash rather like those I made a while ago....

Phew - with all that searching around I'll get quite a bit of heat up from the exercise too.....

A sign of the changing season

 Month 9 - Bite 28

Just recently there's been the usual round of fairs, goose fairs and carnivals that proliferate locally at this time of year. Many have ancient roots and most are only just making a comeback after the great lockdown and its aftermath.

I had a lovely time with my spinning group demonstrating at a local fair near to where we meet and it was good to get back to showing all comers how we convert fluffy, tangled stuff into useful items with wheels, looms, needles and so on.

It did make me think about a lot of the odds and ends I've still got stored in the loft that need using up so today I'm starting to make a list of how I can turn some of them into Christmas presents to save them going to waste and me spending money when I don't need to.

There's also a number of crocheted squares up there I know that will come in useful for one of my ideas for next month, so I need to track them down.

Month 9 - Bite 29

While concentrating on not wasting, recycling and such it occurred to me while I was emptying the bin that I'm wasting far too much time, effort, paper and printing ink when using the computer. I don't need most of the things I print off and even then I should be using both sides of the paper. For instance, I changed credit cards and renewed some insurance lately. I was about to click on print when I noticed one of the documents ran to 17 pages. It's been emailed to me so I can keep a digital copy, I've saved it to my portable hard drive too and I can access it through the company's website - so why was I printing it? Pause over the button time. We're pretty good about using scrap paper for notes and lists, but there's a lot still wasted so today's the day to track down where I don't need a hard copy and start the habit of not printing anything unless it's really necessary.

Month 9 - Bite 30

Time now to look at that revised spending list started at the beginning of this month. It needs to be compared with the one made at the beginning of this process. A number of the items just don't seem to appear now - through the season in some cases, but largely through the slimming down of spending that became a habit until I didn't miss them. One item that seems to have crept back in is the occasional hot drink out. I'm allowing myself to keep that though as it's a particular treat rather than a regular routine and I do enjoy it a lot. I also tend to use the 'sit down with a drink' time to plan or think things through and it's been truly valuable, especially when deciding on what to do next, including a new project for next year!

And so onto Month 10!

So, just what can I do?

 No, seriously, what can I do? I'm very aware of what I can't do, what my weaknesses are, but what of my strengths and skills. I'm really good at downplaying any good stuff - you know the sort of thing where someone says something positive and you go 'it's nothing', or 'it wasn't just me', or 'no, no anyone can do it' or - well you get my drift.

When I started on this month's project of looking of ways to increase income I began by looking at the obvious of selling unwanted things that were part of the sorting process that I had embarked on. Very quickly using any skills I have crept in so now it's time for...

Month 3 - Bite 25

Taking a long hard look at myself ... in a positive way.

I enjoyed and often return to 'The Multi-Hyphen Method' by Emma Gannon. It always makes me stop and think about how I've often tried to describe what I do/like/make and so on - like my butterfly brain description. She make it feel ordered and reasonable - it's well worth a read.

Anyway, if I'm going to explore all the ways in which I can benefit from my skills and/or talents (get me!) then I need to start from recognising what they might be. 

knitter..                        

fabric worker..               

literacy consultant...              

spinner...                            

 weaver..                            

classicist...                         

writer.. or perhaps food lover!

it's certainly not style icon!        

So, this task is a thinking and listing one (I love a list), and requires a cup of tea, a pencil and paper (for writing I'm more at home in front of a keyboard, for thinking the physical holding of a pencil does it for me) and a space of time to establish just who and what I am and what use I can make of that information. 

Hmmmmmmmm......

Festival and family

It's been another full on couple of weeks, but all great fun. The Exmouth Festival coincided with my family visiting so there's been plenty to do.

I was able to put some of my work on display at the Blackmore Theatre and it was good to get one or two items finished in order to do it!

Here's a picture I finally completed - it's called 'Heartfelt'. I'm rather pleased with it as I hand felted the background and topped it with a ceramic button I made a while ago. I know the photo is on a bit of an angle, but any other shot I tried to take reflected either the rest of the bedroom where it now hangs, or me taking the picture!

 

I also hung a couple of scarves I made a while ago from bamboo poles as wall hangings. These I spun  from sari silk. It always amazes me how a ball of random fluff can end up looking like this once it's been spun and knitted.

I had some of my hand spun, knitted and felted bags on display too.

As well as this bag made from some thicker sari silk.

Once that was all up and on show other than a spell of stewarding on the Monday I was able to spend time with my sister, mum, niece, her husband and my great nephew. Graeham and I had a full day's digging on the beach on the holiday Tuesday while Finn directed operations and gave out spades. He'll make a great foreman when he grows up. Then the action moved on to Crealy the next day with the weather still with us. Thursday saw mum, Judith and me eating ice cream on Budleigh beach and then on Friday we all met up for scones and tea before they had to get ready to head back to Surrey.

On Sunday it was back to the Festival withthere workshops at Seadog Gallery. I took the wheel along as well as a couple of drop spindles and some chopsticks (yes chopsticks) so that anyone who dropped in could try their hand at spinning some merino and silk (yes with chopsticks) to make simple bracelets. 

The sun shone, sandwiches and scones were plentiful and it was a lovely day in Anna's garden. I had time to watch Hayley teaching others how to craft mosaic panels and even got to try making a felt flower in Natasha's workshop.

So, from then on it's been back to the day job, with plenty of writing to get to grips with! 

Today we've been shopping for fabric. A bit of household sewing to do - I'll show you when it's finished....

Phew.... Time for tea I think - and an evening of football......

I'm Baaaaack!

It's been a while, but at last I'm back (or baa-ck) with the blog.

So much has happened that if I were to begin filling you in I'd be here till midnight - so I'll just carry on as if I've never been away and try harder to keep up to date. That includes rejoining Handmade Monday and enjoying all the other posts there each week....

I finally gave in to sense and said goodbye to my first wheel... 

I was sad to see it go, but there's not really room to keep everything and I use my travelling wheel more so it's gone off to be used by a really nice guy who farms alpacas.

I've finished one or two patchwork-y pieces.

The first was a recycling project... The front here is made up of old felted jumpers

While the back is old worn out t-shirts...

Finally here's the crocheted mini wall hanging that I started ages ago.

It's now got a starring role on display! It's Exmouth Festival this week, so I've put it in the exhibition at the Blackmore Theatre - part of the Exmouth Art Trail. I've also got some bags, a couple of sari silk wall hangings and a felted picture down there. I'm stewarding at the end of the weekend so I'll try and get some photos to add....

More news soon.... I promise it won't be such a long wait between blogs this time!

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend.....