Memorandum Monday spring is sprung

A big spring wave to you all.  On a lovely Sunday walk I was pleased to see so many signs of spring growth (and a picturesque remnant of last year) and I've noticed that the geese and swan couples on the river are staking out their nesting spaces.  Definitely feels like spring

During the week I finished the two crafting projects that I shared last Monday

a collection of flowers made with my 3D pen (it extrudes plastic that sets fast) - I just need to decide how to display them

and my crochet dragon

I'm very pleased with how the variegated yarn worked for this project.

I also made something for the first time with the tiny 1.5mm hook that Santa gave me - and 4ply cotton yarn.  I was inspired by this decorative piece as I browsed through my new magazine and made it that afternoon

that is a button in the centre - good bit of stash bashing.

Wishing you all a good week - plenty more crochet projects jostling for my attention and the weather forecast promises dry weather so I should be able to find more signs of spring.

Memoranum Monday gets crafty

An extra big wave to everyone after all those weeks away.  My sleeping patterns are back to normal although I always find my digestive system takes longer to adjust to the 12 hour time difference.

I was pleased to open up the box where I had packed away all my crafting projects before I went off - and very pleased that I had taken the time to note where I was at on the pattern for each item.  Nice to sit on the sofa in some sunshine and work on my crochet dragon

I also had a play with my 3D pen working on an idea I'd had to make a batch of basic flowers - pleased that the basic idea works and working on refinements and deciding what I'll do with them

the stone and button are there because I used them to help create the depth when I made the petals

Wishing you all a good week with time for creative endeavours

Memorandum Monday countdown

A big wave to you all - still with my left arm but my right arm is nearly back to normal - still being careful but just an ache rather than twinge - thank you for all your good wishes.

So did you experience snow this week?  According to the news it was everywhere (UK and North America) but we did not see any laying here - a few thick rain showers and some dusting of white on the hills in the distance but that was it.  I'm not complaining.

In the midst of the cold I am finding it odd packing lots of t-shirts and keep having to remind myself that with temperatures of 16 - 22C I will not need cardigans!

Some nice signs of new growth in my garden - lots of green tips poking up for the bulbs and my rhubarb has emerged

and enjoying the low light on my river walks

I love the pattern through the clouds and the shine on the water and how it turns everything monochrome.

Wishing you all a good week with plenty of cosy.

Memorandum Monday left handed

Big wave to you all this morning - but unusually waving with my left hand because my right arm twinges when I raise it - not sure what I did to strain the muscle.  Doing lots of things with my left hand, arnica cream and taking care of my movements seem to be doing the trick and it is much improved.

The other new thing I spotted at the weekend was in the supermarket

yes the Easter chocolate is on the shelves already - and someone came along and happily took some for her trolley while I was taking the photo.

Wishing you all a good week - I have lots of lists and organising in mine, and perhaps even the start of the packing

Memo Monday 2017

A big new year wave to you all as I start to get back into routines. 

Now that Christmas has gone and gifts have been opened I can share the 3 crochet pictures that I made into cushion covers for those in my family who actually like to have cushions (not me I tend to move them out of the way).  This photo was taken at my crochet, cake and chat group - being held up with a lovely squares cushion cover one of the others made

I enjoy making the pictures although they need concentration and marking off the grid as it is done so not an activity to do at the crochet group, or even while watching TV. I used graphs created for cross stich or peeler beads - plenty of creativity being shared online for each.

Wishing you all a good week as we transition into the new year and new routines.

Memorandum Monday in the festive spirit

A big wave to you all as we count down to Christmas - plenty of lists on the go with a satisfying number of items ticked off as completed (but somehow more are being added too)

The local yarn bombers have been busy - this lovely snowy scene has been attracting lots of attention and people stopping for a photo - it is on top of the big postbox in the middle of the high street

This afternoon I'm heading into the city for my last foray to enjoy the decorations and some last bits to buy - I don't intend to venture in again until next week and am hoping a Monday afternoon will be quiet enough to get through the shops and market without feeling like I am wading through people all the time and that checkout queues will be reasonable.  There is always the lure of some mulled cider if it gets too much!!

Wishing you all a good week and Fabulous Festivities

Memorandum Monday fusion

a big wave to you all as I happily post from my big computer now that my broadband is working again - there were 5 components that could be the cause of the problem and mine was fixed when they addressed the 4th one!  All working fine now and I won't miss the daily chats to the people at the call centre helpdesk.

what else is new for me this weekend?  I captured another item for the winter scavenger hunt when I went to a new monthly market in our local town

I was pleased to browse 15 stalls with some tasty local produce to try - plenty of jams, chutneys and jams to sample plus some biscuits and fancy sausage rolls.  There seemed plenty of interest and purchase so I'm hoping it will continue.

Another first was an unexpected new fusion section on the menu in a sushi restaurant - sushi with grilled cheese on top!!  we couldn't ignore it so had one piece each to try - and I won't be having more as hot sushi didn't work for me.

Hope you all have a great week with some festive fun and no list stress

Memorandum Monday blinds

Big Monday morning wave to you all and a cold but sunny day - we've had several like this recently giving lovely light on the water and nice reflections (when the birds stay still!)

I learnt a lot about venetian blind workings this weekend - for instance
- when the cord used to raise and lower them frays it no longer fits through the hole and so wont work
- the cord can be removed and replaced
- the easiest way to measure the width of cord is to wrap it around something 10 times, measure the width of that and then divide by 10
- not many places stock 3mm nylon cord and the places online that stock it charge almost twice as much for postage as the cost of the cord
- using thinner cord means that the mechanism to counter gravity and lock the cord in place when open does not work (but a knot around a handy hook on the wall does the job)

I still don't know why they are called 'venetian'

Off to start some tidying and putting away of ornaments (and general clutter) ready to start getting out festive decorations on the 1st.

Wishing you all a great week

Memorandum Monday after the shocks

A big wave to you all and lots of good thought waves to all my New Zealand friends - I was relieved to learn that the levels of destruction and causalities was much less with this earthquake even though both were bigger than the one that devastated Christchurch in 2011.  When I lived in Wellington - the city most expected to have a big shake - I had water and food supplies in case of a quake and we had supplies at work and I knew about all the emergency help stations near work and home.  But in the 5 years I lived there I never experienced a shake that went on for over a minute and made the cupboard doors open and moved the pictures on the wall - but yesterday all those things happened in Wellington several times.  While horrible for everyone,especially all the aftershocks which will be so unsettling, NZ is prepared and has the infrastructure to cope with natural disaster - when your country is on the Pacific Rim of fire you have to be. 

Back to Scotland and my weekend - lots of 'same old' for this time of year with rugby on the TV, plenty of crochet and then more TV with the big reality shows.

But I did also do something new - a fun set of events at the museum to celebrate the recently opened fashion and design galleries (featured in a snap in July).  There was a fascinating table full of corsetry and undergarments showing the things people have done to change their body shape - including items bought this year.  Lovely to be able to pick them up and feel them - they all felt very uncomfortable. I was fascinated by a woman doing small loom weaving and another making origami jewellery and I enjoyed all of the slogans that people had written on t-shirts but didn't join the queue to get to that table - because I was intent on queuing for another fun stall - all will be revealed on Wednesday!

And, of course I'm not going to leave you without a photo - too cloudy to try for the super moon last night but on the way to the museum I did spot a fabulous new mural on an end wall

Hope you all have a good week - with far fewer big shocks than last week!

Memorandum Monday crochet

Big wave to everyone and hope you are all keeping warm - there was snow in Scotland over the weekend - not near me but up on high ground and forecast this week for the hills I can see on the horizon.

all the cold wind made it perfect for staying inside to craft and watch international rugby matches on TV (well done Ireland).  I started on festive crochet this weekend

as well as being cute, there is a jar inside waiting to be filled with goodies as a hidden surprise.  And I have a growing list of festive patterns that I want to try.

Hoping you all have a good week with some hidden nice surprises.

Memorandum Monday with apples

A big wave to everyone as I adjust to the change in time with our clocks going back an hour at the weekend

On Saturday I helped out on the apple tasting stall at the local community orchard's apple day - not a new thing for me as I also helped out last year.  A pleasant afternoon of people (mostly families with pre-school children) enjoying picking crap apples (the appeal was in part climbing the ladder), ducking for apples, watching the bonfire, singing apple songs and of course eating apples.  It really is interesting how different the apple varieties taste and how some people prefer sweet and others sharp flavours.

I do also have a new from the weekend - when I was radically pruning the privet hedge I discovered an old bird nest - yes it was a radical cut back as the nest was formally in the middle of the hedge.  From the number of old leaves inside the nest I would say it is more than a year old and I was pleased there were no old eggs inside.  I've never come across a complete nest before - amazing to see how much work goes into creating it and weaving the materials together to build up the sides.

Hoping you all have a good week

Memorandum Monday clearing the decks

A big wave to you all on another overcast Monday.  Continuing my feeling of season change I've been working on finishing on-going crochet projects ready for some festive crafting.

I started making the coloured centers back in January and this weekend I finally joined all 8 big squares together and started the brown edging.  I did design it to be modular and easy to do in bits and to pick up and put down but recently the unfinished bits had been staring at me so I'm glad to get it done.  Then some reindeer patterns are calling me - amongst a raft of dragons, monsters, bunting, large mandalas .....

hoping you all have a good week and particular big wave and good wishes to the several of you with ill and ailing relatives.

Memorandum Monday autumnal

Waving to you all on this autumnal Monday before I go out for a walk to enjoy some blue sky before it disappears again!

Definitely feels a change in the seasons - I couldn't put off wearing my boots any longer so swapped over all my footwear and jackets and generally did my wardrobe seasonal change.  I do like wearing boots but not the fact that I'll be wearing them for about 6 months.

A nicer autumnal practice has been picking and eating the tasty apples from my tree - this was the second half that I harvested on Sunday

Another first this week was going to see the Billy Elliot musical - it was fabulous.  I love the movie and was interested to see how it had changed for the musical - fabulous use of dance to tell the story of the miners' strike which is the background to the story of the young boy who becomes a great ballet dancer. 

Hoping you all get some sunshine this week and have a good week.

Memorandum Monday how new is new?

Big wave to everyone on an autumnal morning - still getting used to getting up when it is dark.

I spent a pleasant hour on Sunday crocheting this fun carp that I'd marked in my crochet magazine a few months ago - it's sole purpose is to raise a smile

On Friday I had another first - a pleasant evening at the opening event of the local community book festival - lots of poetry readings and songs all on the theme of 'we're all Jock Tamson's bairns' - this phrase was also new to me even though when I looked it up I learnt that it was first included in the Dictionary of Scots Language  in 1847. It means we are all the same. The theme was interpreted widely with historic and very current examples.

And I wanted to share a first from last weekend when I was in Barcelona - the magic fountain display - a fabulous half hour of lights and music and changing water formations in the giant fountain - a free display.  The crowd was large but the water spouts high and it was easy to see (and at times feel) the spray.  This is a screengrab from my gallery which shows the variety - and if you look closely along the bottom of some of the photos - the number of people using phones and tablets to capture the magic

wishing you all a good week

Memorandum Monday unpacking

Extra big wave to everyone in between unpacking and adjusting to the cooler temperatures - I went from 26 to 6 C on the way home.

I'll share plenty of my holiday in northern Spain over the week (and next probably) but for now a taste of the new bit at the weekend - Barcelona

I'd heard lots of good things about the city and it really is a delight to wander - the small winding streets of the Gothic quarter with interesting shops and cafes around each corner; the magnificent architecture with a mix of elegance and creative exuberance; plenty of people to watch; and a fabulous beach a few blocks from the city centre.  Plus easy to use and cheap public transport it is an easy city to while away the time.

I have 123 blogs in my reader so it may be later in the week before I get to visit you all and catch up on what you've been sharing while I was away. 

Wishing you all a good week - now I must go and finish unpacking, do some more laundry then settle down to sorting my photos

Memorandum Monday takes flight

A big wave to you all on an autumnal Monday when everything seems to be on the move

This weekend I learnt that I find it easier to meet the 10 kg requirement than to cram everything into the case that meets the baggage measurement restrictions. 

Wishing you all a good week and an extra wave because I wont be round to see what your weekend held and I wont be here next Monday either (but I have set up snaps).

Memorandum Monday - application of physics

Big wave to you all on a cool Monday morning (with the promise of sun tomorrow). 

I've been 'busy' this weekend becoming an armchair expert on all things Paralympics.  You know how it is when watching new sports and listening to commentary and discussion - its easy to suddenly have an opinion on
if the guide is 'pulling' their visually impaired athlete along
or on the problems on navigating a corner when running on two blades and therefore don't have knees or feet
or why running blades are longer than everyday prosthetics and why they have to change legs between the race and the medal podium
or what is meant by 'equivalent to an above the knee amputation' in the context of high jump - and even how it is possible to jump on one leg
or why the swimmers wear massive jackets to walk to the side of the pool
or how can you swim in a straight line with only one arm

if only they had used such examples when teaching physics I might have been more interested!  

I did take a break from viewing to go wild bramble (blackberry) picking - an excellent crop this year with plenty of big juicy berries.

and I realised another physics related truth - when you have to stretch to pick from a cluster of berries - best to pick the highest ones first because as you pick, the branch becomes lighter and therefore rises - just out of reach unless you move closer into the prickles!

Wishing you all a good week - I'm looking forward to plenty of wheelchair racing, the road cycling and the madness that is wheelchair rugby

Memorandum Monday seasonal change

Waving to you all on a lovely autumnal feeling day and Labor Day greetings to my friends across the Atlantic.  With blackberries on the bushes, apples ripening and trees starting to change colour plus all the signs of a new University year about to start it really feels like a seasonal change is in process.

So as we ease into autumn I was pleased to discover at my crochet group on Saturday that I am not the only one who has started work on winter items (I'm not mentioning the C word here) !!  We all agreed that with plans to make several versions of an item for family or work colleagues and have them ready in time that work needed to start now.  Having broken the ice when I pulled out my hats to  work on we happily swapped ideas and images saved of possible and started projects.  One of our group happily told us we only have 16 more meetings before that C word.

I'm making these for winter wear so want them finished by the time it is cold enough to need a hat (the pattern is by the fabulous Sarah from Repeatcrafterme)

Anyone else started winter crafting?

Memorandum Monday up a hill

Big wave to everyone on a sunny but breezy morning.

So what did I do for the first time or learn this weekend?  Well, on Friday I went to the Poetry Library in order to get on a minibus for an hours drive out of Edinburgh into the hills - so that I could walk around the gardens / exhibition space at Little Sparta.  The garden 'is created from the artistic fusion of poetic and sculptural elements with those of the natural landscape which is shaped and changed to become an inherent part of the concept'.  For instance there are several winding brick paths in and around bushes and rows of redcurrant bushes with plinths and stones that have words engraved on them. There are also lots of small bridges over a stream - some stone, some wood and most with words on them and also stepping stones in several places, again often with words on them. 

This garden is only open on a few afternoons over the summer and is hard to get to so I jumped at the chance when I heard about the minibus trip.  There is a 700m walk up a farm track from the car park to the gate - adding to the feeling of remoteness - this is the view from the gate looking back down the path.
 

The garden has a strict policy on protecting its copyright of the whole garden as all aspects form part of the art - so no publication of photos of the garden are allowed, and they ask that people pay if they want to take photos.  So I went along knowing that I would be looking rather than photographing.

However, when we arrived at the library we were all asked if we would be willing to use a disposable camera to take some pictures as we walked around and record our feelings about each image we took - like it?  puzzled by it?  wanting more information.  This was some research that the trustees had commissioned to better understand what visitors would like in a map or guide.  I readily agreed and had some flash back moments as I had to remember to hold the camera up to my eye to look through the viewfinder and also to wind on the film between photos.  I actually enjoyed the process of recording my feelings on each image.  And - big added bonus - they will send me a digital file of all the photos I took - for my own enjoyment.  If you want to have a look at some images from the garden there is a slideshow on their website here.


I had several requests for more information about my last 2 posts.  I don't know anything more about the man playing piano on the beach - just something I saw as I was out for a walk.  The feet in the carpet were a group trying to drum up an audience for their Fringe show - he was wrapped up in a big rug - the show they were doing is an improvised 'who dunnit' with some links to cluedo scenarios and he was the 'body in the drawing room'.

And a last bit of fun from the buzz of the Fringe - I managed to catch a Pokemon - old school!!!!

Hope you all have a good week.

Memorandum Monday - rainy day

Big wave to you all on another overcast Monday - but a least it is not raining - Friday it absolutely poured down all afternoon so when I met friends in town we headed for the museum as a dry place to visit and discovered that everyone else had the same idea!  We were surprised to hear applause so went to peer over the balustrade and discovered dancers

Did you spot the lady either totally oblivious to the dancing or totally ignoring it?  sitting on the right, right next to the soundbox. 

Yesterday I went to the Book Festival again to listen to a local crime writer Chris Brookmyre - his writing is very funny with wry commentary on life in Scotland and the occasional rant about social issues.  Delighted to discover that he is just the same when presenting - I've come across enough people who are different in how they write and speak to not take that for granted. 

No food adventure last week - I will try better this coming week.  Hope you all have a good week