Busy As Usuall

Hello Dear Readers,

We've had some lovely weather these past two weekends here in London, nothing to rival the heat and sunshine baking the US but pretty nice for us. Last weekend I spent all Saturday with some knitting friends, we started the day with breakfast knitting in a cafe, then moved to a picnic lunch at Ravenscourt Park for the rest of the afternoon. It was lovely, and we got a new crocheter and a new sock knitter out of the day. Hurray for Icy and Sian!

I also finished my mother's sweater this weekend. It looks ok on me, I hope she will like it.

....and I finished the baby skirt for my friend, now I just need to find the time to give it to her!


Yesterday Patrick and I went down to the rowing club to clean our bikes. I got pretty filthy, but black beauty is looking pretty good. All that crap that I thought was actually part of the gears came off and though she doesn't look new, I like to think she rides a bit more smoothly. Hopefully this nice weather keeps up so that she doesn't get trashed again Monday morning.

In the afternoon Patrick, Jess, Chris and I went down to the SouthBank where they were having both a Vintage and a Street Food Festival. If you are ever in London on a weekend and want to do some people watching, the SouthBank is the place to do it, it was crammed! We had some cider, I had these interesting deep fried risotto ball wraps (with apple slices and corn) and we finished up with churros and chocolate and Flake ice cream.

Today I tried to do my taxes yet again, but realized that the last form that they sent me didn't have the activation code I needed, only my ID number, and the activation code will come in another letter soon. I hope. Sigh. Why doesn't the government make it easier for me to give it money? No wonder we are in such financial trouble! Chris starts his new job at HMRC (the tax office) on the 15 th of August, so maybe he can straighten them out for me!

This afternoon I have a friend coming over to learn to knit a sweater, I'm really looking forward to it, and then Friday Chris and I are headed to Germany! No post next weekend as I'm traveling, but I'm looking forward to posting pictures of my childhood home soon!

Auf Weidersein!

BINGO!

Hello Dear Readers,

Whew, it seems like a long time since I last blogged! I've been pretty tired in the weekends, and not too much exciting stuff has happened, but when it rains, it pours! I had a really crappy week this week, one to rival Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, that stretched on and on and on.... anyway, that's all in the past now, life moves on, and just as bad things often seem to come in three's, so apparently do good things. The first was on Thursday afternoon, when I arrived home, I realized my back pack was WIDE open! Fortunately the only thing that fell out was my top, but it was a nice red top my sister had just given me in May. Luckily, I was able to cycle back and found it not to far from home, undamaged, phew!

This week Chris's cousin Christiana graduated with a degree in Math from the university at Surrey. Congrats! That meant Chris's Aunt, Uncle and two cousins are visiting this weekend, with the usual whirlwind tour of London. Unfortunately for them we are getting a lot of good old fashioned London rain this weekend! Oh well, there is lots to do inside. On Friday we went and saw Chicago at the Cambridge Theater (by the way, for high school friends reading this, the program said that the Buddy Holly story played there in 1999, is that where we saw it?). The show was AMAZING!! The dancing is so phenomenal, and the show stared Christie Brinkley, yes, that Christie Brinkley.

Finally, last night I went to Knit Nation Bingo. I went to the Knit Nation last year, but decided just to do this special event this year. Before the bingo I met with some girlfriends from my Hammersmith Stitch and Bitch group. They had all been at the marketplace earlier in the day, and won books from Ysolda Teague. They assured me it would be my turn next, and you know what? IT WAS!!! I won on the two line bingo (don't ask, the system is much more complicated than American bingo) But I won this lovely book from Ysolda, and even got her to sign it for me there, how fantastic! I was so excited when I won I leapt into the air and shrieked BINGO!!! at the top of my voice, and was so surprised I sat right back down and covered my mouth! The kid calling said, was it a bingo or not? I said yes yes! Most of the other winners would just quietly announce bingo in a restrained English manner, but I couldn't help myself!

I also got a nice bag from the bingo, and two skeins of lace weight yarn from my friend who I made the shrug of many colors for. The great thing about the Knit Nation bingo is that everyone there was wearing knitting, working on knitting, talking about knitting, it's like being among my own people.

I was working on this sweater for my mother, for which I just have to finish the second sleeve and put some buttons on. I think it turned out pretty well, I just hope it fits right!