Hello my dears, back again after an exceptionally stressful few days. Not what I was expecting right before Christmas, if I'm honest.
This was our house on Monday. Bearing in mind that on Friday it was snowing, and the temperature has not raised by a significant number of degrees since then, you may note the absence of a functioning roof.
On Friday night, following the snow, we noticed a small leak in the corner of our bedroom. Assuming some damage caused by the weather, I contacted a roofing company to come and take a look for us. They located the problem, and agreed to set about fixing it on Monday.
Monday arrived, as did the roofers. I had had a very bad night, and less than 2 hours of sleep. Finn did not like all the people, and all the noise, so he was alternating between sitting in my lap, and launching himself out of my lap to bark at every bang. I was not dealing with either the banging, or the barking, very well.
Then, there was a knock at the door, and Stephen was guided up the ladder onto the roof, and shown how the recent weather damage was the least of our worries. In fact, the original roof had a multitude of issues, meaning that water had been getting in and damaging the joists for something in excess of 20 years, and the joists could now be easily squashed into damp tinder between finger and thumb. Which was not at all terrifying...
So, instead of a relatively quick repair on part of the roof, we have instead had the majority of the roof replaced, and we have endured 3 days of inadequate sleep, lots of banging, and incessant barking.
I am very much looking forward to a lie in tomorrow, as I've been told that everything is finished bar the final check and sign off.
Somehow, despite having many more waking hours in my day, I have not been any more productive. In fact, I would say that I've been less productive than usual. I've probably been averaging one stripe a day on my niece's blanket, and maybe half a square on the mitred squares blanket per day. Yesterday I ran out of the pale blue yarn for my niece's blanket though, so tomorrow I will knit the final stripe. Then it needs blocking, and backing before I call it finished.
Something entirely unrelated to knitting, or fibre crafts even, did arrive on Monday that made me happy though:
Anyway, advent stuff...
December 7th
The Advent of Change charity on Monday was the Rainbow Trust, who help the families of seriously ill children to deal with all of the added complexities of life with a sick family member.
Made by Penguins - 20g, 4-ply, sparkly mini-skein in shades of pale yellow, plus a sparkly pink square progress keeper.
Mothy and the Squid - 10g, 4-ply mini-skein in shades of pink and purple, in a blue drawstring bag.
T2 - Moroccan Dreams herbal tea.
Lindt - mini milk chocolate Lindor truffle.
I really loved this tea! I'm not sure if it is really meant to be a "Sleepy Tea", but I found it soothing and calming anyway. I mean, I know I was utterly exhausted on Monday night, but I have to give the tea at least some credit for bringing my stress levels down from where they'd been all day so that on Monday night, for the pitiful few hours that were permitted before another early alarm, I slept like a log.
December 8th
The Advent of Change charity yesterday was Dellaglio Rugby Works, who use rugby as a focus to engage disadvantaged young people, and help to build a positive future for them.
I forgot to upload the photo of Finn getting his advent treat on Monday, but that's ok, you can still get your fix of spaniel cuteness here!
Made by Penguins - 20g, 4-ply, sparkly mini-skein in a pale pistachio green colour, with splashes of brown. (All of the colourways in this calendar are named after desserts, I was sure when I took it out that this one would be called Mint Choc Chip icecream, but actually it's called Backlava)
Mothy and the Squid - 10g, 4-ply mini-skein, in autumnal shades of yellow and orange, with brown speckles, in a beige drawstring bag.
T2 - Creme Brule tea. I wasn't sure I'd like this one, but actually I love it! It's almost sweet.
Lindt - mini milk chocolate Lindor truffle.
December 9th
Today's Advent of Change charity is Tempus Novo, who work with prisoners, and former prisoners, who are committed to turning their life around, and help them get back into work once they are released. Evidence shows that getting back into work is the biggest factor in preventing re-offending, but many employers are reticent to take on people with a criminal record. This charity works with the former prisoners, and with employers, so ensure that both are getting what they need.
Coming from a working class background, as I do, I've seen just how easy it is for poverty to lead to criminal behaviour. But I've also seen how many people who resort to crime really don't want to find themselves trapped in that loop, but believe that they have no choice. I believe that programmes like Tempus Novo are essential, at least until such time as we can eliminate poverty.
Today my little snuggle bug got 3 treats in his calendar! He was a lot less stressed and barky today. Possibly because there was less banging from the roof (They were onto the bit's furthest from the living room, and there was more sealing felt, and less hammering in new joists), possibly because he was getting used to there being people around, or more likely because he spent the vast majority of the day cuddled in my lap getting fussles!
Made by Penguins - 20g, 4-ply, sparkly mini-skein in a pale, minty green, with black splashes, plus 2 progress keepers. (This colourway is called Mint Choc Chip Icecream!)
Mothy and the Squid - 10g, 4-ply mini-skein, in a white base, with lots of splashes of cyan, and a few splashes of bright purple, and lime green, on a pale green drawstring bag.
T2 - Sticky Date Delight tea.
Lindt - mini milk and white chocolate Lindor truffle.
This is really nice tea! It genuinely tastes like sticky toffee pudding! Also, I got some lebkuchen today! I've not been able to eat these for years, since I discovered that I'm intolerant to gluten. However, this year I've been trying out some medication to reduce the symptoms of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and I've discovered that while taking these medications, I can eat things with gluten in them with minimal adverse effects! This has multiple benefits - firstly, it dramatically reduces the cost of our food bills! FreeFrom foods are usually twice the price of the normal version, and also usually smaller portions too. Secondly, if and when I get to go out for a meal anywhere, I can choose what I really want to eat, instead of only from a tiny sub-section of the menu. Thirdly, I can eat a whole bunch of seasonal foods that I've really missed!
Right, my head is spinning with how tired I am now, but I still have to hang the laundry, set the dishwasher going, wash the fancy tea set, and brush my teeth before I can go to bed. So I'm going to do those things now!
Sweet dreams my dears!
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