Saturday 27 June 2009

Activity Review: KiP Crawl, Elderflowers, & Duck-herding

Oh, and auctions, and spinning, and immigration fun (for work -- whew!), and gardening, and mouse-killing, too.

Such as lot has managed (somehow) to happen in the 20 days (b-a-d) since the last blog.

Firstly, there was Worldwide Knit in Public Day (around 13 June every year, so get planning for 2010, fellow knitters!), of which Clare sparked the organisation and I just figured out the route -- the 'route', you see, because instead of a stationary and sedentary 'knit', a little walking in between seemed like a good idea and also increasing chance for more people to see the Knitting Missionaries. (This is an ironically amusing term since we started at 2 churches -- giggle.) I suppose we could use the term 'Proselytes' but to the uninitiated or to the unreligious, that might sound like a kind of amoeba... and we are not Those! We were not cycling missionaries, since the yarn can so easily get hung up in the gears. However, there was a Naked Cycle Ride in Cardiff, which their KiP day happened to be on the route of... (oh my -- it appears to be worldwide as well!)

Our route covered a good part of the city centre and the weather cooperated gorgeously. Walking and knitting (not at the same time) does really poop you out, though! We started at St. Clement's (selfishly, you may say -- but I was typing the route and we had to start somewhere... and this let us get started earlier -- 11 am-2pm knitting in the churchyard). Jonathan and Jack and Molly were terribly amused and possibly bemused by our motley crew and Jonathan regaled us in quite an out-of-character style -- and he brought me a daisy plant from his garden and some seeds, which I had to carry through Norwich with me instead of leaving at the church since he might have thought I didn't appreciate them. So, yes -- your correspondent strolling the streets of Norwich with a large bag of a daisy plant, stopping periodically to knit for 45 minutes -- all successfully adding to my attempts to fit into Norfolk.

The Cathedral Cloisters was out next stop, and we managed to pick the spot immediately next to where a wedding party wanted their photos taken about 10 minutes after our arrival. So most of the time was spent trying to stay hidden behind columns and out of photos.

From here, we migrated to Frank's -- sadly all the comfy couches were taken, so Clare and I perched on the edge of the most uncomfortable-built in bench-on-the-wall ever. The daisy plant fell out of the window and onto Shelly's head. And we had to have the first Pimm's of the day. Frank's has scrummy food and cakes and the best use of adjectives like 'shiny' and 'lovely'. They also occasionally have an 'Animal of the Week' on their signage.

The Forum was skipped because a) we didn't expect any more knitters to join (wrong! oopsy!); b) we were behind schedule; c) we felt the need to stop into St. Gregory's Pottergate and check on their previously unknown KiP event -- which was non-existent by the time we arrived; and d) the Forum was deemed 'boring' since we go there every thursday eve anyhoo.

So, we descended upon The White Lion (right around the corner from St. Miles Alley) and may have startled Ralph slightly, although he quickly recovered and made us some Pimm's. It was a good location, with nice big windows and lots of light (since Caroline didn't feel comfortable in the red-painted room at the back); and it was mostly quiet except for the tipsy man who kept wanting to commission some baby booties off me but who has yet to call with his order :) Clare yarn-bombed The White Lion (well, Clare bravely did) by hiding a ball of yarn with two needles stuck through into a table drawer along with a little note. Since it was hidden, maybe it should be termed 'Undercover Yarn Bombing.'

Skipping The Golden Star as well, we proceeded to The Playhouse (for one more Pimm's and some tea) and one final UYB in the hanging magazine rack (Can clever readers spot it -- actually there are 2...?). By this point, we were all fairly flagging and so Here Endeth the Knit Crawl.

Another crawl should be forthcoming soon!

*******
The work weeks over, say, the past 3 weeks have been nothing to write home about. Let's just say morale has swayed between incandescent fury and maniacal laughter at institutional and governmental incompetencies. After a while apathy sets in and you feel you have sold your soul and become a civil servant -- oh wait. You have.

Cycling is a positive aspect of my 'work' life right now, though. I have managed to cycle roundtrip to work 3 times now and one-way (from work) either once or twice... It is 4 miles from Lyndale to UEA, or twice as far as from the centre of Norwich -- surely 8 miles a day, twice a week (or more) qualifies as vigorous exercise, right? BUT even thought it is further, it is not as traumatic because the route is through pretty, wind-ey country lanes bordered with hedgerows and horse pastures and wheatfields and rape (canola) fields. Birds sing; cars do not honk or spew fumes in your face; there is only 1 traffic light, in Cringleford; and it is lovely decompression time to attempt to convince yourself that work is not necessarily the pinnacle of your vexation and does not need to control your life. This is a good thing!

Of course, I do feel like collapsing into the grass sometimes, but it is getting easier and I am now quite refreshed and hyper once the destination is reached. The first day, I fell asleep on the living room floor behind the sofa while trying to empty my panniere bags -- '...just a quick rest of the eyes...'.

*******
Last weekend was just busy-busy-busy!

Friday, we had to dash from work for the auction viewing. It looked quite promising.

Saturday a.m.'s agenda had E and me at Blyth's at 9.35 (but I did manage to win bidding on two green man garden pieces before being sent off to St. Clement's and leave him to manage the situation -- which ended in his purchase of a ginormous cane conservatory chair for £1 and which has created 5 days of amusement and activity for all. Now that it has finally made it into the house -- a funny tale to be shared with a glass of wine -- Kitty approves entirely.).

Jonathan and I attacked St. Clement's quite exhuberantly, following the exodus of the plasterers, who repaired and painted the archway between the chancel and the nave. I believe I emptied the vaccuum bag 4 times (ick). We have a little more to do today, but it is well on its way to being back to full viewing tidiness.

Leaving St. Clement's I walked back to the auction house, to finalise everything, since E had had to depart early to take car home and make it back to the city for The Rugby (British Lions v. South Africa, Test 1 -- or something like that).

THEN, loading as much as I could manage into my old-lady shopping trolley, I wheeled the 30 minute walk up to Norfolk Yarn -- for 'try-new-things' day! After some very patient teaching, I managed to successfully card, spin and ply wool. A bit of investment later (that is what we tell E, you see!), and I have a spinning wheel maintenance kit, a bag of 300 g of raw wool (£4.95 -- yay!) and two new bobbins! My plan was to get that project going yesterday on my day off, but instead I chose to spend the day on the phone to the US, talking to various people about UK immigration for students... hoorah.

Sunday -- we made a good team effort at a picnic lunch, and Houdini packed a remarkable amount of food into the picnic bag (from Georgia and Matthew -- merci!) and toddled off to Sheringham Park for Yssy's First Birthday party! Despite the grey skies when we left Norwich, it was sunshine and sunburn close to the coast, and E has only now stopped peeling (mostly). A lovely afternoon was had by all, although all photos that we had are on E's N96, which has kicked it and died. This includes evidence of the knitted summer hat and amigurumi turtle -- 'something green'!

*******
This week began on Monday (as they occasionally do) with Clare and me venturing forth into Nature to collect elderflowers for a concoction. The original plan was to make cordial, but since her attempts to purchase citric acid from various drug stores failed (apparently, they do not stock it anymore because people use it to cut illegal substances with... damn them all), we had to resort to starting champagne with Mr. Fernley-Whittinstall's recipe. It is doing its thing in the pantry, but I am just not sure I can hear fizzing...

His Lordship was very helpful in picking out the best flowers and shaking off the little buggies who felt the need to come along for a ride. [Not to alarm anyone -- and the bugs ARE all gone -- if you have the flowers in a plastic-coated grocery bag, you can hear the little bugs scurrying to get out of the bag. Kind of disconcerting and yet amusing. Like maggots :)] Persons who know what a disaster the back garden started out as will be able to note some progress in bed creation/edging, severe budleia pruning, and some new plantings. As well, all the little pots on the top of the wall are volunteer foxgloves and hollyhocks from the front of the house which had to be removed for the edging to go in there as well.

Back to the elderflower concoctions... E has now managed to get to the home brew shop before 5.30 one day and I do have citric acid, with which I will start a cordial concoction this weekend. And I will wear long trousers and shoes and socks to go through the nettles (which is generally where elder trees are located) instead of a skirt and flip-flops (what a pillock!).

The garden is coming along rather splendidly, although one of the violas has been unceremoniously flung aside by some creature using the garden as a loo (slight frown).

1 comment:

xxJazzxx said...

Firstly, according to the speddy thingy in the car, city centre to UEA is 3 miles...so your bike ride is longer than you thought :) (I live just down the road from UEA!!) and secondly I hope you are well, I missed you thurs eve, it's just not the same without you and I felt myself judging people, which I dont normally do....meep....(to be fair I felt everyone was a tad elitest with all their talk of various wools and here's me not being able to afford anything but acrylic, but I realise now that I was just feeling..well poor lol!!) anyhoo, hope you ane the Mr. are good :)
Loadsa hugs
Jazz aka Cheryl