Starting something new

I'm over on a new blog. I'm not finished with this one yet... Just trying something new...

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Hello

It's been a while...

The Woolly Brew yarn shop is now open!

It's taken 32 days, and a couple of years of planning, but today Karen and I made our first sales.  We survived, the customer survived and the till eventually stopped beeping at me.

I also got an iPad! Thanks to a very generous brother and a Black Friday sale it arrived this week.

Still finding my way but it's very intuitive.  I'm typing this on it!

Still need to work out a few things... But love it.

three years

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her or you can be full of the love you have shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she has gone or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back or you can do what she’d want – smile, open your eyes, love, laugh and go on.

mydailylists

Margaret Cooter has an interesting offer as she continues her exploration of books, text and the journey they can travel.*

Check it out to take part.

*I wrote that quickly... makes sense to me but perhaps not a complete definition of Margaret's work!

birthday girl

Goldilocks

5 today

I am still alive...

Busy busy...

Blogger

I'm using the new blogger design to type this post...

Its a bit odd...  no change to functionality but looks very different...

Also read this recently too... Google are retiring the Blogger brand name...

I don't subscribe to "if it ain't broke don't fix it", as I quite like change and shaking things up... as long as it doesn't mess up my blog!
 

empire biscuits

Made by Nearly School Girl for her Nursery Fun Day.  Very cheery!

celebrity moment... bare with me

Whilst on Ravelry searching yet again for top down cardigans I did a wee search for a bolero.  I have one which I wear often and I've tried before to knit one but haven't managed to get a good fit, feeling a little more confident in my abilities I think I will give it another go (especially as I can't find one I would like to buy).

So I found a pattern to buy, Lemongrass by Stephanie Japel.  Its not quite like the one I have but it looks interesting to knit and looks nice both open and closed.  A further search for a yarn to knit it with led me to the Drops website - a yarn brand I have used before and one I think we should investigate further for The Woolly Brew yarn store (more on that later).

Back to Ravelry to read what others think of the yarn Nepal, I decided to have a look at other peoples projects to look at the colours and reviews etc.  Apparently it has very good stitch definition!

Anyway back to the designers website and Drops to find out about yardage and how much I would need to buy... I notice Stephanie has a free stuff link.  Saving for my iPad I decided to take a wee look.

Therapi - a long open cardigan - caught my eye.  Its similar to one I bought last year but never liked - too tight across the back and it bobbled as soon as I looked at it...

So back to Ravelry to check out its projects and read reviews and advice etc and one stood out - bright pink!  Not my colour to wear but I like to look at it...

The notes left by the knitter were amusing and a word of warning given she knitted the XS and I would be the XL at least...  And it looked good on her and she looked familiar....

I clicked through to her profile page and I vaguely recognised the name... quick google and its Astrid from Fringe!

I maybe need to step away from the Internet...

numbers

351 unread posts in my Google Reader
82 posts away from 1000 on this blog... (oh giveaway?)
£98 in my iPad jam jar (miscounted earlier - forgot my loose change jar)

iPad madness (part 1)

My brother recently bought an iPad.  For him it makes sense, taking into account his lifestyle and current media needs.

He brought it up last week for a visit... and I am smitten...

I use a laptop (a 'new' hand me down from hubby) and to a lesser extent a desktop PC.  I use them for:-

• book-keeping
• photo editing and storage
• creation of packaging and documents
• word processing
• document storage (mostly patterns & tutorials!)
• email
• Internet use

My Internet usage is mostly:-

• Google Reader for the blogs I read
• home shopping - including groceries
• my blog
• The Woolly Brew
• social media - only Facebook really
• surfing!  I currently use and highly recommend Evernote for 'clipping' ideas and info
• news and radio and I've been watching/listening to a few videos recently too

My laptop is perfectly adequate for all of these.

Add to that, I don't like computer games (apart from solitaire on my mobile phone).  I don't watch movies or read fiction or indeed listen to music anymore and I don't have any desire to have 'facetime' with anyone.  And  I don't have an extensive social network to follow, like, share or tweet.... nor do I need to do much 'on the move'.

So why spend £399 on an entry level iPad (and £35 on a cover and maybe £20 on apps)?  Especially when I have no income and there are many more pressing things to spend extra money on...

And especially when I will only use it for things I already do on my laptop and paper diary....

er...  it will look nicer

Is that a good enough reason?



When I worked (a job that paid) and travelled, I had a Palm Pilot (circa 1996) and I remember being totally obsessed with that too and used it extensively for diaries and lists and note taking... I even learnt how to write using graffiti...

it's back

Blogger has been AWOL for the day.

Slightly concerned about the outage... 

This is a test post from my brother's iPad!

Let's try and insert a photo.

Oops needs a work around.....

wedding flowers

our buttonholes for Karen's wedding were stunning!

blogoversary

I have added a blogoversary button.

Hopefully I won't miss by blogoversary this year...

stuff

my laptop is still acting up.  It switches itself off if I look at it the wrong way...

I have over 270 unread posts in Google reader
posts to write and schedule for The Woolly Brew
and end of tax year stuff to do

I think I need to make the desktop PC more pleasant to use...

happy mothers day

made by Four Year Old

still having technology problems!

hopefully sorted now (sort of)

Blah

I have 274 unread posts in Google Reader
my laptop is no longer connected to the Internet...
the desktop is not playing fair
the bathroom sink is draining very S L O W L Y
the gas hob sounds unsafe
the kitchen tap is only a trickle
but I do have one unstuffed bride...

St Monans International Food Festival

Each year St Monans has an amazing International Food Festival.

There are many tables of different cuisines all cooked by enthusiastic amateurs.  Tables in the past have featured foods from amongst others Japan, Mexico, France, Eastern Europe, Australia...  There has also been a pudding table and last year for the first time a cake table - manned by me and Karen and featuring the culinary talents of the Tuesday night knitting group and friends.

Last year I made - Lamingtons (ok), chocolate babka (lovely!) and orange scented semolina cake (not so lovely)... but this year I am going to make these courtesy of my Beautiful Baking book...

Bara Brith

Spanish orange and almond cake

glazed mango sponge

These photos are from the Reader Digest book and not from my kitchen.... 

St Monans International Food Festival, Saturday 5th March, Church Hall, St Monans.  Tickets at the door.