Spring pleasures and searching

- I think I've benefited from being away last week (as well as reaching the end of the course) and the lighter nights. I've felt much more cheerful so far this week. I do enjoy the spring.

- We had our evening meal in the summer house. It was good to sit (almost) outside enjoying some bread, ham and cheese, with some wine, and watching the sun go down.

- I've cast on for a test piece to make a Clapotis scarf. It's not the rights colour but it's probably the right kind if yarn (merino dk). If it still feels soft and lovely then I'll probably buy some darkish blue for the real thing.

Spring growth, opportunities and a pleasant evening

1. More beautiful weather with an early summer/spring burst. The flowers are starting to show their colours and there are so many birds in the back yard. I saw a blackbird yesterday, as well as the usual bedlam of sparrows, which was a nice surprise.

2. I enjoyed being able to tell a young applicant that he's been successful for the maternity cover in my team. Not so much fun telling the other lad he hadn't got it, but at least I can give him a 2 month extension to his current contract. Hopefully they'll both be able to make something of the opportunity.

3. Last Pilates session before Easter so she worked us hard. Lovely to relax with friends afterwards though, and to knit as we talked. One slipper is almost complete :-)

More small steps, and some progress

1. The oil-drum is empty and back with our neighbour. I was amazed how quickly we could get through the garden rubbish, and we saved a few hours of shredding too.
2. I've finally put some wallpaper in the corner of our bedroom. Hopefully once it's painted it will blend in ok.
3. The moebius cowl is finished! It's turned out to be quite a good length and I'm pleased with how it looks. I don't think it can be blocked though... too tricky for a twisted loop.

Satisfying weekend

Thursday:
- I returned home from Sweden to 2 transformed gardens. A's dad has worked hard during the week (thankfully he seems to enjoy it!) and has: tidied the front garden, painted the gate, cut the grass in both gardens, cleared the triffid taking over the summer house, and dismantled the remains of the gazebo.

Friday:

- I took the day off after my travels, but caught up a bit on emails during the morning to make Monday easier.

- My in-laws came back to finish getting burning the rotten wood from the back garden. He also put a make-shift fence up to keep next door's dogs in their own garden.
- I went for a walk with a friend and her baby. I'm pleased that he's getting to be a bit less demanding so that she's got some more flexibility in her routines.

Saturday:

- haircut, then we popped into town for a short while. I had a very enjoyable time looking for yarn to make myself a wrap to wear to 2 family weddings this year. I've not bought anything yet, but I'm feeling a wee bit inspired.

- we had a lovely time at a party to celebrate our friends' 50th birthdays. A barbecue in the dark in March - very tasty - followed by a fab banoffee pie

Sunday:
- A beautiful sunny day so we drove to church and back with the top down; it was a bit chilly on the way there but glorious on the way home. What a treat!
- We finished burning the rubbish from the back garden - I smell of bonfire now...

- We watched our first F1 race of the year. I'm not sorry we weren't up early to watch the 50 min rain delay, and maybe the extended highlights will work out well; I didn't feel I'd missed much anyway.

- A helped me wash the car. It was absolutely filthy after a winter's driving and it's still not totally clean, but what an improvement.
- I enjoyed being outdoors and getting stuff done.

My knitting's coming on a bit too:
- I cast on for a pair of slippers for Andrew
- The moebius cowl is close to being finished; only about 3 rows left now (never mind that they're each 400 stitches...) It's been getting quite unwieldy to work with so I'm glad it's almost done.

HIMP 4, day 3

There's still a half day to go, but the course is basically finished now. Our presentation had to change at the last minute because it overlapped too much with the first group's but it went very well. We got some laughs while still making a serious point, and it was good that we went last - I don't think anyone would have wanted to follow us...

I went for a walk with a couple of others before dinner and saw a lovely sunset.

We finished the day with the course dinner and gave each other our diplomas. Bo was very nice in his description of me - apparently I'm very calm :-)

A last highlight was a crowd of us sitting in the lounge singing along to Tommy playing guitar (whether we knew the words or not). Good fun.

HIMP 4, day 2

1. Today's topic was rhetoric, or the art of persuasion. It's been interesting to analyse a couple of key speeches and understand how they were put together - the trick will be to remember this in a few months.

2. I managed to go for a short run outside (about 5 minutes) before dinner. I ran further than I expected, and very much enjoyed the fresh air.

3. Our group's presentation has come together well. It's very different to how we first planned it, but it feels good now.

HIMP 4, day 1

Week 4 of the management training...
- leading your self: understanding ourselves so that we can be better leaders (I think!)
- "making a life while making a living"
- it's been nice to catch up with the others on the course
- I'm very pleased that the aerobics class is back in the programme
- and I got back to my room to find the cleaner had looked after Bob the bear

A very lovely weekend

Andrew had planned a weekend away for us, as our annual spring weekend away.  As often happens, he didn't tell me where we'd be going and it was lovely...

- On Saturday morning we drove to Bowness-on-Windermere (with a short stop for a ball of yarn in Cockermouth, when we bumped into Emily and Becca about to go looking at wedding dresses). 
- We caught the boat cruise to Lakeside, then a minibus to the transport museum.  We didn't look at the cars this time (except through the window) but had our sandwiches beside the weir, followed by tea and yummy brownie in the cafe.
- The return boat trip was quite a bit colder, but this time we could hear the commentary better and enjoyed looking at all the posh houses on the lakeside.
- We checked into the hotel (Hotel Belsfield, just above the landing area) which had stunning views across the water and over the town.  Our room was towards the back, but still with nice surroundings and a bottle of wine waiting for us.
- We didn't stop to drink that though... Andrew had booked tickets for the cinema to see "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel".  We were the only online booking, so they were waiting for us!  It was a lovely old-fashioned cinema, complete with an intermission after the adverts and trailers.  I really enjoyed the film too - full of life, colour and very much a feel-good movie.
- Tapas at Bodega's near the lake.  I love this style of eating - a delicious Rioja with chorizo, chicken, mediterranean veg, Spanish omelette, salad and plenty of bread.  It's not so often that we can have a meal out together when neither of us is driving, and I do enjoy being able to relax over good food.

- On Sunday morning we enjoyed a cooked breakfast at a window table overlooking the grounds & lake, then I repacked my overstuffed suitcase to make it slightly easier for going away this week.
- The sun was shining!
- Finally... shopping in Bowness, lunch in the car while we waited for my colleagues, then I was off to Sweden again.

I've very much enjoyed a night away, when we could properly relax together.  I feel so blessed to live in this part of the world.

pretty things...

1.  The daffodils I bought on Sunday are still looking bright and colourful.  I love the yellow clusters along the roadside which herald spring, and it feels good to have their cheerfulness in the house.

2.  I got home late last night to find a present from Andrew waiting for me.  I now have a lovely new bag to replace the plastic Thornton's bag I've been using to carry my bits & pieces to and from work.

3.  My 'free' gift has finally arrived after taking out another year's subscription to the knitting magazine.  I'd originally been hooked in by KnitPro wooden interchangeable circular needles which never arrived, but many emails later I've been sent a set of brightly coloured Acrylic needles instead.  I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Catching up, making a difference, a good replacement

1. My list of things to do at work is gradually getting cleared; there are a handful of things which must be done before I'm away next week, and at the moment it feels manageable.

2. So proud to listen to Andrew describing the West Cumbria Community Money Advice centre which he's involved with. It's still early days but encouraging that they've already been able to help some people get through the debt trap.

3. I handed over a fully inflated birthday helium balloon, after returning the original to the shop. It had been looking very sad after only one day so I couldn't take it as planned yesterday. All's well now though.

Letting the train take the strain

I'm back on the move again - this time to Bristol for a printing trial. If all goes well I'll be home again late tomorrow, but there's a chance I'll need to break my journey if I miss the last train home.

I do enjoy travelling by train though (and it doesn't hurt to be able to sit in 1st class). Some of today's highlights:
- a cup of tea and a yummy banoffee fondant fancy within 5 minutes of sitting down
- comfortable seats with wi-fi
- sunshine and the British countryside outside
- I waved back at a small boy and his mum greeting the trains at the end of the platform
- lots of time for knitting: the moebius scarf is well on the way, especially after a couple of hours' more in the hotel
- a very welcome gin and tonic mid-afternoon
- I made my connection with no worries

Lovely lunch, knitting starts and ends

1. We had friends round for lunch after church. Their daughter helped me make Eve's Pudding before we enjoyed Andrew's sausage casserole, and we all played Pictionary afterwards. Lots of laughter and good conversation.

2. I've finally completed a knitting project I started last year and have pinned it out for blocking.

3. I've started a new project, ready for two long train journeys this week. It's a bit of a geeky cowl: a moebius loop with Fibonacci stripes... Hopefully it'll look nice too, and it's in a lovely merino sock yarn.

Spring is coming, and an evening out

1. The windows are letting in so much more light after Andrew cleaned them. And I spent some time trying to clear moss from around the snowdrops and daffodils in front of the house. The tidy-up continues...

2. I enjoyed heading out to Cockermouth on my own for an hour or so. The sun was shining, the fells looked beautiful again and I was glad of a little fresh air.

3. We went to see The Artist this evening. It's amazing how a silent film makes you concentrate so much more, and even to listen harder. A very clever film, and a strong story well told.