Keeping busy

I can taste the finish on this blanket, it helps most evenings feel much cooler, so having this on my lap gives me pleasure in more ways than one. It is now the length I require, so each row is one square shorter, so it's getting quicker to do each colour.

The top is my start line, this will be a my lap end, the section I am working on will be the bottom, I wanted the colours to match on both ends. I am going to edge this blanket, something I have never done, so a session on you-tube is needed to ensure I get it right, I have a different shade for the edging. 

Joy my yarn came, much quicker than I expected, this is for the summer top shown here, then disappointment as I ordered 4 balls of this yarn and only 3 were in the parcel, I have emailed the company, but their automated reply was bear with us, we are extra busy and down on staff, but we will get to you. So I can't start my knitting because at this moment I don't have enough yarn. 

But don't you love the shades, it looks and feels like summer, and  it's a bit thicker than my Spanish cotton, this is 100% cotton. I do have some fabric which would match this, I've had it for years, purchased on a trip to The Gambia for youngest daughter, she just never used it, it's a lightweight pure cotton. 

I'm doing a zoom course this weekend both mornings, with a 9am start, there is no chance we will be able to do the 2nd part of this course any other way, should be interesting. I have been reading through level one again, in places it's hard, some signs are different from the BSL I have already learnt.

I have been reading, this series I have read books 1, 2 and 3 I'm reading book 4, all with the same DI, these are lighter crime thrillers and an easy read, hubby put this set on my kindle. Once finished this book it will take my reading to 41 books this year. 

Whilst on a walk earlier this week we saw loads of boxes of books outside homes, I choose the top 3 books, 2 new authors for me and another book by Karen Rose, so plenty of reading to be done.

Thank you to everyone for you kind comments from my last post, I am extremely pleased with my weight loss, hubby has helped, he has been eating the same foods as me, so no preparing 2 different meals, and he has lost weight as well, it has also helped the weather was so hot, salads are easier to eat in the heat, we have salads most days for lunch. 

I have done nothing in the garden, nothing needs doing, we are both pleased with the views from our windows, we are eating raspberries and a few strawberries from our garden, I have purchase UK grown strawberries as I now consider them to be in season, and they taste wonderful, we both love eating seasonally, having a break from foods makes them taste much better when they come back into season, we can't do it with all foods, but we do it as often as we can. I finished making mask and packed the sewing machine away, and I've changed buttons on hubby's new blazer. Hubby is sanding the last chair from the outside dining set, he still has the table to do, in each case he takes the item to bits, sands and stains before putting it back together, he is a bit of a perfectionist, which I don't mind. After the rainstorms yesterday all our water butts are full again, and the garden has had a good soak, it's sunny now but more rain is expected.

We sorted some kitchen cupboards, doing so much baking has shown us what we use and what is just stored, youngest daughter took a few items home with her, we have a few more items, and with some books I have we will put a box outside this weekend, see how much can be passed on. 

We saw daughter, Will and George, on Wednesday, it was chilly, and George was on the sitting room floor with doors open, he is moving, always on his tummy and very interested in everything around him, Will was so good, he was allowed in to get his cars and doctors kit out. I was at one point showing him the robin on the bird feeders and I put my hand on his back, only to be told, 'don't touch, you have germs', bless him.