I can barely remember what we did in January, had to look back at this blog in fact, but I DO KNOW there are 3 MAIN things that happened to me in 2012 and some are directly related to one another.
Totally UNPLANNED but nonetheless TERRIFIC and WONDERFUL was the loss of weight and re-vamping of my lifestyle from February to August 2012 and then I have managed to maintain my new shape for 4 months now.
This involved LOTS more exercise: initially I walked as well as danced but lately I have started dancing 3 times a week and this has kept me fit, happy and healthy. Scottish Dancing therefore has come up the priorities list and the experience of SUMMER SCHOOL this July was inspiring and amazing and I do so hope to be able to do it again and again. Even if one unfortunate side effect was the change in sleeping routine for the dogs while I was away from home: Miss E had them sleeping upstairs in the bedrooms, and now we have both dogs refusing the sleep in the kitchen. We have a badly damaged kitchen door to illustrate Lucy's reluctance.
Pippa now sleeps in a basket in the study upstairs and Lucy starts on Miss Y's bed and moved into ours at around 4 am each morning which involved me getting up and letting her in.
3. The third change is me being a student again and studying at Oxford Brookes for my MSc PH.
I am enjoying the latter HUGELY but the current module was quite easy and hasn't involved a lot of reading or extra work so I must be careful ,because the next ones may prove a lot harder and more involved and potentially stressful.
January: Trynig out lots of new recipes and especially trying out NIGELLA recipes: one or two NEW ones EVERY WEEK or WEEKEND.
February: Started WW with Miss Y and myself going every week and keeping food diaries and increasing exercise: looking for ways to walk more and dance more. Miss E hit 14 and became a lot more young ladylike even while we see a lot less of her, always in her room watching things on her i-pad or facebooking or doing homework.
JJ and I have an amazing evening at a Valentines BALL. ( even if I do lose my car keys.)
March: Very quiet with 2 birthdays and a Show where I became interested in leather work from SIMPLE WAY kits and RESIN JEWELLERY . Even a visit to York involved NO shopping ?!
In crochet terms: the white SALICE and the Pink Cashmere dominate.
April: We went to HOLLAND! Lovely DELFT and visited Friesland as well as my favourite living artist: TON VAN SCHULTEN. I fulfilled a long held ambition to see his works LIVE and visit his museum.
May: We had some sun I think and I basked in it in case it was not to come again?
I can't quite rememember this month.
June: Leeds White Rose festival was a revelation and fun to do. Met my old Scottish Country Dance tutor from the late 1970's in Newcastle.
July: ST ANDREWS! Summer School was the best of fun and St Andrews such a lovely place to visit.
August: I reached GOAL at WW and treated myself to my first bikini in decades! HOT sunshine in Corfu: a lovely week with Miss E and Miss Y had an excellent horsey time and came back very confident with new friends and lots of new skills
September: I enrolled and became a STUDENT identification card- holder again. A proper student!
But before all that started: JJ had a bad spell which meant I started doing accounting again .
There was a brief visit to York which included dancing and a terrific weekend at Halsway Manor with the Towersey Folk club, including a huge room with a mock priest-hole...
October: the half term passed uneventfully with the girls mainly sleeping into the afternoons in good teenage/ preteen fashion and Miss Y grew about 4 cm! I did make the Christmas puddings as per family tradition.
JJ settled into an industrial unit which meant a loss of company for the dogs and lots of internet problems with BT. Difficult when all homework is internet and broadband dependent these days...
Meanwhile I was happily getting to grips with SPSS19! ( A statistics package)
And I started and finished the NORO Boxy Jacket from the NORO CROCHET book and made it in silk garden sock. A cardigan which fits well in my new shape.
November: mum hurt herself and was visited in hospital, rest of month passed quietly although I finally got around to DOING some work with RESIN. ( first seen in March) and by the end of the month I finally finish a leatherwork NEW NAVY HANDBAG which I had the kit of in March.
And Sloes were picked and Sloe Gin made for NEXT year's consumption.
December: Storage is currently becoming an unavoidable issue as I can no longer store any more new items I make or buy and half the time cannot find something I decide to wear as they are scattered through too many boxes and trunks and so on. I do not have anywhere to put the Salice or Pink cashmere when I do finally finish them and they HAVE NOT yet been finished because I changed size between then and NOW and they both look a ''bit big'' on me. Like the ROWAN cardigan ffrom last year- or was it the year before? See? Too big, it hangs so loose?
And what to do with my many PIPELINE projects?
Crochet:
The Turquoise circle and texture stripes jacket
the White cotton Salice
The Pink Cashmere - to be a shawl or waterfall finish
The tumbling blocks in blue-grey/purples- a continuation from the sample done in Dec PARIS last year, 2011
The Pink and Grey cables or ribbed AZTECA?
The DELFT or delta BLUE 4 ply cotton to be a lacyb top - that I bought for APRIL 2012 BIRTHDAY PROJECT?
The navy 4 ply Cannele which similarly may become a lacy number for dancing
The odds and sods single balls in my baskets
The plan for a FREEFORM pinks and reds cardigan
THE PINK BAMBOO???
THE RED BAMBOO as a textured potentially basket weave boxy jacket
the re-make or not - of the RED rose COTTON SOFT ?!!!
SEWING:
The black satin ribbon dress mentioned in Jan 2012 post but which is about to be ''tartanised '' with BLACK WATCH ribbons , taken in and relined with cotton and viscose.
The cotton shirts and tops from Liberty Tana Lawn
The faux FUR coat that I'd like to make ASAP
The hood for the navy quilted jacket- to be snapped on and lined in Liberty lawn, but the matching fine wale navy corduroy is proving hard to source.
The skirts and dance dresses with gored panels and flowing skirts
ETC ETC ETC
December hasn't happened yet but will involve baking and shopping and card writing and hopefully some dancing and lots and lots of festive fun. ( here's hoping)
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