Bye

I suck at updating two blogs so I'm going to put all my crafty stuff over on Always Autumn. Check it out. And thanks for reading.

No fingers!

I'd ask you to picture the scene but then you wouldn't quite get the feeling. Three floors up, built sometime early last century, leased by a charity, one storage heater at the other end of the room.

It's cold. Cold. Cold. Cold!

These little guys knitted over Christmas are helping to make me something close to productive again. Plus they are useful for jogging and keeping the hands warm while I write and read outside on not so cold days.

The pattern, from Weekend Knitting, is great to knit. I did both at the same time to minimise the chance of only having one glove at the end of it. The garter stitching and short row shaping give a great look.

But of course it doesn't matter to me...

Trying to find a way of saying this without sounding patronising and stuck up is harder than I thought. But the trigger for this post concerned my family. So please forgive me if I seem like I know best. I know I don't. But I still want it for those I love.

We got a Wii Fit for Christmas. I've wanted one ever since they first came out.

And I'm a sensible girl. I know BMI is bullshit. I know I don't want to loose weight. I know that loosing weight is a bad goal. I know I want to exercise because I like it and I miss being more active and I can't rely on running because of my ankle... and so on.

I'm a good girl. I do it right. I know better than to be affected by being told my BMI or the little mii getting fatter and... well no. Because my BMI is 'normal', middle of normal at that. My Mii is neither skinny nor plump. I know better than that yeah but even if I didn't it wouldn't matter. I don't have to deal with a computer game shaming me.

I'm a good girl. The Wii said so. My Doctor said so. I'm ignoring compliments and I'm betting that it is much harder to ignore the insults.

But that is not true with everyone in my life. Waif like boyfriend, large Father. Each being told they are wrong (guess which one more than the other!)

Don't tell me it's not straight

I've finally managed to hang Darwin! (and even iron him, I'm being such a good girl today) It's been such a long time between finishing it and buying a frame that it now has a partner, and a third one drafted. I'm hoping to fill the gap in the centre with Dorothy Parker.

The partner features fun metallic brown threads (and by fun I mean...) and little flowers. I must have come up with the idea when the balcony was looking less ravaged by winter and more bountiful and beautiful.

Revolutions not resolutions

Last year I accidentally made a new years resolution. Yes, that sounds stupid but did. I decided that I wanted to lessen my impact, shrink my foot print, that sort of thing.

I didn't make a resolution in so many words. 'I won't do this' or, as the taught us in school to be more positive about self denial, 'I will do this' In fact my resolution, such as it is, contained so many exceptions and so much hedging language that it doesn't compress in to a catchy phrase.

I wasn't going to buy any new clothes.

Except...

• Things that would wear out (like a pair of jeans or pyjamas)

• Gear (for camping, not freezing to death and other things with safety concerns)

• Underwear

• Guide Uniform

• Fabric

Everything else has to be second hand. I didn't make it an official resolution because I knew I'd break it. And I did, although at the time I didn't know that unemployment would help me keep on the straight and narrow. Besides it's just a thing I decided in January and not anything I put together for new years.

I sinned in Disney World, for a job interview, and shopping in the sales with my Dad last week. But I'm not giving up my not-resolution. I'm going to try to stick with it, let myself off for the little things and feel smug for at least making a small difference to my consumption levels.

This year it's happened the same way although due to a festive spike in our consumption levels. Christmas gifts have brought me three things: a Wii Fit (thanks Dad!), a pair of trainers (thanks Boyfriend!) and a journal (thanks Grandma!). Which means I'm exercising more, scribbling more, and running again.

I enjoy these things. That is why I'm doing them. And I'm not stressing about how I have to do it all everyday. Well, I'm trying not to. I'm enjoying the movement and enjoying the pen between my fingers. Who knows how long it will last. But I'm thinking that doing something that I love creates slightly more sustainable habits than telling myself that I have to do something.

And let me finish by belatedly wishing you a wonderful New Year.

loves christmas

One corner of our flat (and only one corner... to please my Christmas hating Boyfriend) has officially been given up to the season. And on the tree are two new decorations for this year. I do have a certain number of filler baubles but eventually I want each one to be one of a kind. I'm not going to demand a story from each one (although most have one) but I at least one them to be incredibly pretty. This year they are hearts made from fabric and ribbon scraps. Memories of unemployment I guess.

In Pixels

I wrote this so long ago that my biography lists me as having a job. It was before I joined in with Guiding in Torbay too.

But I did write it! From The F-Word about Guiding and being girl only.

"Starting Guiding at the rather late age of 20, I was admittedly being a hypocrite. All of the benefits I claim to get out of it now were far from my mind and I did not like the idea of a single-sex organisation. After all, that is why I was never a Guide growing up."

Now go read the rest!