now that I've found my camera cable

At last I've managed to download, then upload some pictures. I've still not managed to control the order in which they appear on the page, but here's a selection of my favourites from the last few weeks:
*Josie and Vee, 2 of the participants on the patchwork knitting workshop I did last month. I had the loveliest thank you letter from Josie.
*a wonderful East Anglia sunset, captured from my doorstep a couple of weeks ago.
*astonishingly thoughtful (and tasty) SP9 goodies from "The Secret Socker"; I'm hoping to immerse myself (and that yarn, prewound to self-striping sock proportions)in the Kool Aid, probably on Boxing Day.

Sunday in Cambridge

One of the greatest joys of Cambridge life is the organic veg stall on the Sunday market. (The picture above was taken a fortnight ago, I was most amused to spot the wallflowers in amongst the veg). So how did I spend the morning whilst Graham went to a service at St Edwards (said to be the "cradle of the English Reformation")? I went to work! I've always scoffed at workaholics and suddenly... But I was eager to do some number crunching (nothing like numbers to soothe my soul). Will spare you the details though, as I'm sure nobody else will be interested.

After that, we lunched at Loch Fyne, one of my favourite places for people watching (and definately my favourite place for eating fish). From the corner of my eye today I spotted twins in highchairs (probably aged about 18 months)one moment they were tipping bits of jigsaw on the fllor, the next they were licking oyster shells. What sophisticated taste. Meanwhile, poor Graham blanched when he saw my squid, don't think he's ever seen it in anything but rings before.

Once home I blog hopped for a bit (and found that Wyesue had posted a picture especially for me: thanks Sue, I'll raise my glass to that!) then buried myself in Freakonomics, which is the most entertaining book I've read in a long while and very thought-provoking. If you share my fascination with numbers and cause and effect and haven't come across this book yet, go get it now. Match-fixing amongst Sumo wrestlers, Superman v. the Ku Klux Klan, and what (statistically) makes a perfect parent.

Now, though, I'm listening to a choir competition on Radio 3, and poised to complete EdgarII. Or so I thought. Graham has, alas, just asked me what we can make out of 6 mushrooms, half a cabbage, a slimey green pepper and one cherry tomato. How I rue going to work rather than food shopping!

First Santa Sighting of 2006

EEk! Dashing to the bus stations last night I was accosted by Father Xmas, outside Boots where he was handing out promotional material (how the mighty fall!). My ears were assailed by the sound of a jazz band across the road in Marks & Spencer. Yes, the Xmas late-night shopping season was being launched but there seemd to ba a decided dearth of late-night shoppers.

And if you see a madwoman bouncing around Cambridge on a space hopper tomorrow that'll be me (or one of my team...I'm rather good at delegation, tee hee) advertising extra special bargains on all our lines, even the space hoppers!

But for true eccentricity, take a look at this extraordinary pattern, which I found whilst bloghopping (as opposed to spacehopping) this evening!

Spending the night with Edgar

With both Graham and Laura away at parties in far flung places last night I have to confess to
*hitting the gin and tonic
*eating a ready meal from Sainsburys
*scoffing almost an entire packet of chocolate biscuits
and
*succumbing to the allure ofEdgar with Charles crooning romantically in the background!

BLISS (and just as well, too, as my day off today has just vanished with staff phoning in sick.) Hey ho, Edgar and I are now off to take the bus together!

things that make me go hmmm

the state of britain's railways; (I suppose that I have to heave a sigh and admit that re-nationalisation is unlikely, then gracefully agree with Ms Dunwoody's insistence that more operators need to be involved)
idiotic individuals stirring up intolerance...and note how the journalist sensationalizes things: making hyperbolic statements--"medieval witch hunts"-- and implying that lots of people were involved, rather than just a minority of the group.

I do seem in a grumpy mood tonight, don't I?!

I've actually had a brilliant day immersed in books( an old favourite, Paul Smith's you can find inspiration in everything and my latest favourite Re-imagine! by Tom Peters, although actually much of this book makes me furiously cross, so much so that I've scribbled on it in places, but there are some extraordinary ideas at work behind the giant ego!) and dreaming (retail) dreams (that's retail as in me doing the retail, rather than me indulging in retail therapy, which makes a change); dreams inspired by William Morris's dream of artifacts that bring "a happiness to the maker and the user".

Think I'd better soothe my aching brain (and cold hands) with more work on my scarf!

Birthday treats

another year older, and 3 days of partying draw to a close... on tuesday Liz and I enjoyed cocktails at the maypole (a singapore sling for me) then knitted at the mitre. yesterday evening, my colleagues interrupted our staff meeting to ply me with crisps and chocolate cake and present me with flowers. today I was overwhelmed with delightful presents and dined with graham and laura at cafe adriatic. (was also wined which is why i'm not venturing into the realms of using the shift key to create capital letters).

lots of thoughtful and indulgent pressies came my way, too. The main themes were yarn and food (how well people know me)..Pate de fruits, Noro Blossom and matching hand-dyed yarn from Liz (she did the dyeing herself and has come up with a perfect match for the Blossom)...an assortment of nuts, seeds, chocolate, biscuits and Rowan yarn (in my favourite shades of green) from Carole, Claire and Lil, all presented in a wicker basket...Graham and Laura have ordered me some of Opal's Hundertwasser yarns from Get Knitted, as well as supplying me with munchy seeds, a new wallet (bright pink) and a voucher for a massage. Goth niece and Miss Pegs have given me a stunning glass pendant.

How can anyone object to being a year older when surrounded by family and friends like this?

Pictures follow as soon as I can find which folder the computer has hidden them in...