Rag bag

Planted the beans and learnt how to make a smelly rug out of old socks - looked quite good actually.
My mission - to learn how to make a Swedish toothbrush rug.  Not as odd as it sounds.  You use an old wooden toothbrush handle to bind it together.  Now where can I find an antique wooden toothbrush?

Crocheted a rug out of bits I had stashed away.  It needed to be bigger.  Need more bits.  The whole point of this was to use up some of the scraps I have lying around not bringing in any more ghastly bits.


Going house hunting tomorrow - for real this time.  So exciting. I am thinking about packing up this house ... A daunting task.  I am sure Mr Smith will be no help.  Oh well, I will just have to pack him up too.

Home spun

I tried to get Donna's 'woven on a hula hoop' rug finished but ran out of t-shirts.  I cut up some of my clothes but still didn't have enough.  I then went to visit the lady in the Charity shop; the mean one who makes me pay over the odds despite my amazing donations.  She will have some for me on Friday.  I have now gone off the whole thing.

I tried to crochet a rug.  I need a bigger hook.  I had a practice with a small piece but it wouldn't go flat.  I have now scoured the Internet and used less stitches and learnt all sorts of useless things including how to turn your socks into smelly rag rugs!

Suddenly remembered to concoct a stew so I don't get found out for lounging about all day doing nothing productive.  Dug up leaks from garden - there's nothing quite like successful own veg.  Will now plant runner beans.

I went to knitting group but it all went horribly wrong.  I finished a wonky scarf that I hate and lent some books to Mad Maurice which I will probably never see again.  I failed to get a big crochet hook for the rag rug and I didn't manage to get home early but I gave a good demo of belly dancing and   learnt how to knit a frilly boa.  Such fun!

Oh, we sold our house.  Well, that means we are under offer for now.  Happy Mr Smith.  Rather worried Mrs Smith - shall I bother with the beans?

Jingle jangle

Completely contorted today as there was a new teacher at belly dancing who did it a bit differently and I dislocated all sorts of new parts. However, I jingled nicely in my Istanbul Grand Bazaar jingly belt.  Tinkle tinkle.

Trying to keep to the daily prescribed number of calories.  Hopeless.  It seems just about enough food to sustain an anorexic fly.  I will persevere.

Mr Smith has sold our hovel.... I think. Ooooh so exciting.  Now we can buy a new one. House hunting on Saturday.  Yippee.

I am trying to sort out Donna's mat woven on a hulahoop.  It is a disaster.  Seemed such a good idea but, seriously folks, don't try this at home.

Constantinople is a very long word ....

I love Istanbul. Lovely shops, amazing mosques, an easy transport system and a grand bazaar.  What more could a fat tourist like me want?  Perhaps better food but it was OK.  Things I bought: A beautiful towel, a piece of ikat to make a cushion or two, a couple of jingly belly dancing belts and a great deal of Turkish delight.  Wish I had bought more.

My photos say it all.  I had such a lovely time and long to go back.

Up up and away

Ballooning is the most beautiful sensation in the world.  I mean travelling in a hot air balloon not swelling up enormously from overeating which does seem to be a side effect of my holidaying and isn't a lovely sensation at all.  The weightlessness of the air makes it very glidy and you feel like a feather gently floating upwards.  It was quite one of the loveliest things I have ever done.

Cappadocia is so odd.  It really is fairyland with jutting fingers of rock sticking upwards with tiny doorways and windows carved out of the cave walls for troglodyte living.

Sightseeing and shopping today.  Oh I do like a bit of tat.

Terrific Turkey

Turkey is absolutely lovely. It is spotlessly clean and stuffed full of a billion shops all wanting to sell you a grillion bits of tat and a blue eye.

I will not visit a hamman (Turkish bath) or buy a stupid carpet.
I will have a ride in a balloon and marvel at the weirdness of Cappadocia.
I will buy bellydancing kit.... for Mr Smith.
I will buy Turkish delight and chew it til my jaws ache.

Being an exceptionally busy little holiday maker I have climbed a castle and swam in a very cold pool, been shopping and explored the town.  So far I have bought nothing .... not even a bit of tat that looks like the netting the tangerines come in - yet.  I have eaten far too much and feel ridiculously full all the time.  I will have to make some better menu selections though so far we haven't actually had any choice, we have just been inundated with dish after dish of touristy fare.  Good fish.  Many veg.

I gave T a challenge.  She had to buy something for 1 Turkish lire (about 33p) in the grockle shops.  She did it - a little purse.

The hotel we are staying in is very much a family affair.  A lovely man and his little round wife with mild to medium b.o. run this marvellous b&b that reminds me of a Swiss chalet inside - very woody.  They looked at my paintings on line and offered me a free 10 days in June when they have their residential art course. Looking at the hideous paintings that adorn every wall the standard does not seem too highly competitive.  

The poo chart looks unblemished by achievement so far.  Mr Smith will be interested.

Happy holidays

Having just had a totally amazing weekend in Sussex followed by a couple of great days in Kent by the sea I am now off to Turkey.  It is positively around the world in 80 days with Mrs Smith.  I am Passepastouting to T, my fat friend.  Actually she is arranging all the everything and I am just coming along for the ride, a spot of shopping in Istanbul and a balloon trip across the moonscape of Cappadocia.

I want to draw and paint in Turkey but T has a rather packed itinerary planned for us so I have packed my walking boots and less paints.  I am worried that we might get a bit over tired.  Oh well, I can just plan the next holiday to recover from this one.

So goodbye rainy Britain and hello sunny Turkey.  (I have packed a mac just in case.)

Old me back

It's ok I have reverted to the old me.  I decided to perform a wardrobe clearance with the intention of taking my old clothes to M&S and getting a fiver from JoannaLumley, but I couldn't be arsed to go there so I took them to my local chas shop where I got a free pair of knitting needles.

I was going to perform in front of an exercise DVD but instead I tried out domino knitting.  A disaster. But at least I had a bash.  I sent off for a book in the hope that it might get better.

I walked to the butcher in the drenching rain - it was nice when I set off.

I gardened.  Sweet peas in two sites and a mass grave for beans.  Tick.
Cleaned kitchen then messed it all up again.
Last sweet peas, a dinner party and David Bowie today.  David Bowie is not coming to dinner; it's  Unpresuming Ed and Sensible Alison and lots of vino.

Actually, will have to watch the old vino as I am off to say with mates in Sussex for the weekend.  back to the Witterings .... So exciting.  Old stomping ground here I come.  I miss it.

The New Me

I don't know if I like the new me that much.  I don't drink and I exercise non stop.  Of course it is all proper exercise sessions such a 10k step walk or a class or a swim which means the dog is unwalked and the garden undug.  Today I will will make exercise more home orientated with an emphasis on bean planting even though it's raining.  Actually, I have a cunning plan, Baldrick, to torture my sweet peas into growing.  I am going to give them new locations, previously untried, because they have a habit of either being totally weedy or not growing at all.

The exercise thing would be fine if I lost weight but not an ounce has been shed since I have taken up  all this mad walking and I am beginning to get a bit peed off.  My mood is not improved by noticing that Mr Smith failed to bring the washing in despite a prompt last night and the weather looks inclement.  I was out pursuing the body beautiful - belly dancing class.  I was so depressed at the sight of my bingo wings I almost signed up for flying lessons.

The hamster, poor younger son who has had his wisdom teeth out, was going to go to the seaside to recover but now the weather has changed so perhaps he and his rather uncharming new girlfriend won't go after all.  Oh good.  She isn't very nice and I don't really want them to go to my beautiful flat as though it is a free hotel.  I am becoming selfish with my possessions but then they are mine and not his.  I feel rather the same about Mr Smith who is having his golfing cronies round.  Mmmm we'll see.

I have been shopping - shoe shopping.  I have lovely sandals for my forthcoming trip to Turkey.  Mr Smith asks if I am joining the Roman army.  They do look a bit gladiatorial actually.  They were very comfortable and I walked a million miles in them over the weekend but yesterday they started hurting.  I bought some special cushioning stuff in the chemist but it was actually just the nasty sharp label.  They are comfy again.  I also treated the top half to a new bra.  Quite lovely and very stripey which shows through all my clothes.

Today I will buy matching knickers.