Embrace, followed by a stern look, and presents to finish.

My Embrace sweater seems to be turning into a project of Epic propotions.  I thought I'd be finished the back last Sunday, but I was still knitting the Fair Isle pattern on the shoulders last night.  I still have two more centimeters to go before the shaping starts.  Then, finally, I have to try and get my head around reverse shaping(!). It's all good stuff - NOT.  Perhaps I should stick to something I'm actually good at instead of being seduced by this adult knit.

The fact that I'm only 5ft 1.5cm isn't helping either - the pattern is obviously designed for some 7ft model-type, so now it would appear that I'm actually knitting a dress instead of a sweater. If I'm not careful I could even end up with an itchy woollen nighty!

I'm determined I'm going to finish knitting those final two centimeters tonight - fingers crossed there's something half decent on the box to keep my spirits up and my mind focused.

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Today I took Violet for her first Swimming lesson at the leisure centre just up the road.  Before we'd even got in the pool I had to give a man a very hard stare whilst we waited in the queue. I was clearly the next person to be served and had been standing patiently behind the man infront of me at the desk (I was also wet through from the rain, Violet was squirming about with all the excitement of going swimming and I was trying to manoeuvre a pram).  I must have had my invisibility cloak on though because when it was my turn, this silly man behind me thinks that it's now his turn.  How rude and ignorant.  He seemed very put out when I told him that it was now my turn. "Are you waiting?" he asks me.  What the F does he think I've been doing standing in a queue of people for the past 5 minutes?  So, you can understand why I had to give him a hard stare.  Then, my little angel of delight proceeds to pull the alarm in the changing room.  There's me minding my own business, hardly wearing any clothes, wondering why I can hear a gentle buzzing type noise.  Oh no, Violet!  You'll be pleased to know that all was well in the end and we did manage to get into the pool and enjoy our half an hour of swimming.

I have a question though:
Why wasn't there anywhere safe and secure for me to leave my pram (which was quite expensive and I wouldn't be able to afford to replace it)? You'd think that the Council would rejoice in the fact that people walked or cycled to their Leisure Centres instead of travelling by car - so why is there a massive car park, a secure place to keep your bike, but prams have to be left in the reception area where any Tom, Dick or Harry could just walk off with it?  And, if this should happen, they take no responsibility whatsoever.

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And finally tonight, I'll leave you with some more pics of the goodies for my friends 40th:

A Woody keyring

Some champers

A nice bottle of Pinot Grigio

A lovely bottle of Rosé and some After Eights.

Another coffee time read

A tealight holder

Some coloured towels

 and some classic reading material

It's like the Generation Game all over again isn't it?

Have I shown 40 yet?  I'll just go and check.

I've been a very busy bunny today

That's to say, I've been shopping, and not of the grocery variety.  What fun! Though taking a toddler into a changing room whilst I tried on various garments (speedily I might add) is not my idea of fun.  I used to relish the thought of clothes shopping, but nowadays it's all over and done with so quickly, there's no enjoyment anymore.  I'd been given this opportunity to 'spoil' myself you see - what woman wouldn't be excited by that prospect?  I couldn't get to the shops quick enough, but it was over in a blink of an eye.  I grabbed items that looked the right size off the rails and darted to the changing rooms as quick as a flash, trying to manouever a squirming toddler in a pram into the shop's largest fitting room.  Tops were flung here, there and everywhere whilst I quickly tried them on and then discarded them. Then I appeared triumphantly (if somewhat frazzled) with a top - hurray for me!  I had images of me buying wonderful things from the likes of Whistles or Reiss, but in the end I've ended up with something comfy and relatively child-friendly, and it matches all the other mumsey clothes I have in my wardrobe - Yummy Mummy I am not (unfortunately) :0(

Anyway, enough about my sad wardrobe.  I also purchased some beautiful gifts for my friend - if you're not too bored to hear/see:

 

And what will be her main present:

Some silver earings, which I love and hope she will too.

But, I didn't stop there. Oh no.  Off I traipsed to WHSmith, and, after falling out with their lift, I picked up the latest in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith, The Double Comfort Safari Club. This won't be on my bedside table for long. I wasn't very enamoured with his 44 Scotland Street series or The Von Iglefeld series, but can't get enough of Precious Ramotswe or Isabel Dalhousie from his Sunday Philosphy Club series for that matter.

Then it was off to The Works (discount bookshop) for a quick browse around - I've read a few blogs that have really raved about Barbara Pym's books, so when I saw Some Tame Gazelle and No Fond Return of Love I thought I'd give them a go.  The shop was offering 3 books for £5, so I had to try and find a third - I ended up with Peter and the Starcatchers which will be another book in Violet's ever growing library (perhaps I'll wax lyrical about my obsession with children's books another time).

So there you go - not bad for a couple of hours work eh?

One final question before I go.  Where did the respect for people and society go?  The things I heard and saw today beggar belief and it's heartbreaking to see.  Our world would be a much happier and peaceful place if respect for people and society was restored. I could really get on my soapbox about this.