Socks for Japan please

Through my knitting friends on www.ravelry.com I found out about a way we can give a little help to people in Japan.

This is a genuine effort by a group of people living to west of the affected zone who are working with various government authorities in the affected prefectures. Jason Kelly, colleagues, family and friends are distributing desperately needed supplies of socks. You can read about it here
http://jasonkelly.com/helpjapan/ and on http://www.facebook.com/socksforjapan

Each pair has to be in a ziplock bag with a care letter.

From website:

WHY SOCKS?
Several reasons. Many of the survivors ended up barefoot after fleeing in a hurry. In the disaster zone, feet get wet and then extra cold at night, especially in currently freezing weather. People often forget about socks in favor of more obvious items like blankets and jackets. Receiving a new, fresh pair of socks provides a moment of comfort. If those socks arrive with a caring note as well, it’s very heartening for survivors. If you’ve ever been stuck in a pair of wet, cold socks or no socks at all, perhaps you remember how soothing it felt to pull on a warm, dry pair. Survivors have already requested socks on TV news.

Socks aren’t primary support, but a token of care that will last beyond their small mid-crisis comfort. All supplies exist here in Japan, so we wanted something that delivered meaning past the need of the moment, something more special than what people get from emergency teams and government supplies. Military socks are not the most comfortable. Small joys matter. A March 17 CNN article observed about the survivors: “It was the little things that helped them retain their sanity as an end to crisis still seemed distant.”

So please send a parcel to Japan as detailed on website

Missing presumed having a good time..

Blogging obviously hasn't been a priority in my life ...Missing presumed having a good time Knitting, sewing, veg gardening, foraging, cooking/preserving/brewing produce have been my favoured activities this year. Cupboards are well stocked with chutneyand jams. Wine has been bottled and there are still demijohns bubbling. And now I have another interest? hobby? passion? I was lucky enough to be given 3 Zwartbles fleeces so wool has to be spun or felted.

DH has bought me a beautiful Turkish spindle hand crafted by Enid Ashcroft, a wood turner in the North East of England. Shaft is beech and spindle is yew. Could take me some time to spin all that wool . . . DH has said he'll make me a wheel but that may have to wait until next year when he retires. I'm still mastering the spindle and there is a lot of wool to sort and card...so if I'm missing

Life happens

OK , I said Friday would be blog day but...life happens.
I had lots of bits drafted for Friday but was away from pc all day and happily weary by time got home.

Online friend I met through Freecycle is victim of *!* !* builder who has left her house uninhabitable. She was in deep despair so DH & I went over to see if we could do anything to help. Work had started on 6th December and was supposed to take 6 weeks. It has been worst winter for years but that is no excuse for the standard of the work .

When I started listing what we could do to help I thought Blimey! We do drystone and wetstone walls, paint, wallpaper, move furniture, lay carpets, cut trees, hedges, fencing and... more. Well, at our age we have a lot of life experience...

We've never built or added extension.. we live in a flat.
When telesales used to cold call about patios, DH used to say
"That would be lovely", listen to schpiel then tell them that we live in a second floor flat and the sunny side is over the main road ...they never failed to laugh! :-)

Lovely to meet a real friend and we spent 2 days working on garden and moving stuff inside to help family get back home...and we brought half a hundred weight of rhubarb and some lovely fresh eggs home!

Today they have meeting with building surveyor, building control and ...the builder if he turns up. So I'll be thinking aloud about them all day...and awaiting the news

And I'm thinking "Who do we know with building skills?"

Oops..too long..been busy

Where did the morning go ( a favourite Robin Laing song) ...and the months...oops 2 years
Been busy with life of course
Growing things
Learning things
Knitting things
Good times , bad times,
Happy times, sad times
I've decided that Friday is blog entry day..but not tied to an hour as my life isn't like that.

Cold day again.The veg garden soil is so cold. I've cloched peas and beans planted out after raising in lounge. Frosty nights this week..and soil is dry as we have had little rain in April.

Charlie Thorpe advised putting cabbages in cold frame said they will be ready in 6 weeks.Those are about 4 times size of outside ones...he does have over 40 years local growing experience.
Got another frame to build..winter's dreadful weather meant such jobs weren't done..before courgettes take over the lounge.

4 year old chilli plants thriving and cropping at south facing windows..

Music night tonight ..Eric Bibb http://www.myspace.com/ericbibb

What a night..Eric is a sublime top class musician who cares and gives so much. I'm sure every member of audience and staff at Queen's Hall went home with a happier heart.

We didn't take camera and John remarked that he didn't need a photo as would have the picture of Eric's happy smile and caring handshake in his head forever. Eric got out of seat where he was signing CDs and said " We will pose so that the whole world will see us together" put his arms round both of us and I still feel my cuddle from Eric Bibb in his purple silk shirt!

And I will have news of knitting in my next post..

Yippee got a Veggie garden!

Wow, life has got VERY busy! 

I was asked to take on post of co-ordinator of Carbon Neutral Biggar Garden Share Scheme and we now have a garden. Every fine day in the last 10 days has been spent tidying and digging the plot. It is only 5 minutes walk away. Easy to dig as it has been cultivated in past, but unused for a couple of years. The soil is full of worms and robin likes to sit nearby. He doesn’t eat the worms; he prefers wholemeal bread from my lunchtime sandwich! And the air is full of birdsong. It’s Spring! 

On wet days I’ve been planting seeds inside, our south facing lounge is a great greenhouse. But we will soon have cold frames; before the beanstalks reach the ceiling. Should get cold frames made at weekend and compost containers by next weekend if weather is good to us. Got a load of really useful garden stuff from a disused nursery through local Freecycle group...

And that’s another of my jobs, moderator on the group. Hopefully I’m learning fast as I have never moderated before. I’m passionate about saving usable stuff from landfill. One man’s rubbish is another’s treasure.  You meet lovely people through Freecycle. 

No chemicals or pesticides in our garden. And anyone who is new to gardening can come and learn & earn share of produce.

And I’ve still managed to do some knitting, thanks to lots of hand rescue balm. I hate gardening gloves. Time I picked up needles for a relaxing knit before I go to sleep… My chunky shrug after I've done the last cuff on preemie baby jacket for lovinghands.org... and a cup of Nilgiri tea

Hot tea another addiction - but OUCH !!

My left hand is out of action - caused by a mug of tea! But lavender oil is working wonders on the scald and it almost doesn't hurt now.
Oh, how I laughed out loud ClaireA’s blog about her son wanting girly shoes. http://thenaughtystep.blogspot.com/

My little one is 28!
Her best friend at playgroup was a boy who loved wearing a red dress from the dressing up box. Some Mums wouldn't let him have it! He loved to wear it and do every domestic chore in the playhouse and he is now a wonderful father & husband. ( But not to my daughter).
He was at home with his Mum & Gran most of time so that's who he followed, helped and learned from . But as soon as he was old enough he learned from his Dad, how to drive a tractor and raise calves.

I did finish a boob, a preemie hat and started a preemie cardi for Loving Hands group last weekend but no knitting since the tea incident. I got Brother E100 Embroidery machine in Oxfam shop last weekend - I love it! More about that next time. Been looking out stuff to offer on Freecycle group. What a hoarder I am, but I might need it tomorrow.........

Hooray, I've done it

started a blog. I've been intending to for....sooooo long.

Been really busy this week and the more I do the more I fit inbetween.
So here I am out of hibernation, it looks good outside.

I knitted 2 rainbow babies this afternoon for http://lovinghands.freeforums.org/
a charity knitting group I found recently and tonight's insomnia knit is a boobie for them. Their by Easter challenge includes...
The third part of our challenge is to make another one hundred boobs for Tommee Tippee - as you know they are going to be pairing up with the breast Cancer awareness charity this summer to help raise awareness of this very curable illness (when caught quick enough) I am sure we are all in contact with at least one woman who has fallen victim to this awful illness so it is a very emotive subject. Let us help them to promote this very worthwhile cause - more woolly mammaries please! They are a very friendly bunch.

More about this week's happenings in future blogs
Got boobies to knit.
Sleep well