Appropriate

For quite a long time now I have bought clothes I loved and then never worn them because I felt them to be appropriate to some particular time or occasion that I simply never encountered.

As I've got older (most noticeably in the last year or so) I've somehow started to realise that (as long as the clothes aren't wholly inappropriate) its ok to wear them in my normal everyday circumstances and that, shock horror, noone else will notice or care.

Today I'm wearing a perfect-for-summer-barbeques-with-friends-who-have-nice-big-gardens skirt, it's fab!

Inside*	Outside*

* The skirt is actually reversible - this is today's inside and outside.

PS - This is not the post I was planning to make today. Come back tomorrow for some sock-update photos.

Exciting Post

Yesterday lunchtime, there was a knock on the door and I got excited. I'd ordered some new DPNs from p2tog.com so I could put the last bits together for the knitting bloggers swap I blogged about recently and she often hand delivers to me if she's passing through. So, I grab Hobnob's keys from the back door and open up, only to find... a postman holding a parcel!

Two exciting things to note here:

1) A parcel for me, woop! (More about this later...)

2) A parcel delivered by Royal Mail on a Sunday! This is truly bizarre. I'm not sure why I'm so excited about this except that it just breaks all the rules, everyone knows you don't get post on Sundays, but the man with my parcel was definitely a post man, he had a van and a uniform and a "while you were out" card in his hand just in case.

Right, back to the parcel... some time ago I signed up to participate in a four seasons Ravelry swap. Four parcels to be sent out over 2010, one for each season. I duly mailed my Spring one just in time and, well, that was it. Periodically I received a message assuring me my parcel would be mailed soon, but it's September now and nothing has happened yet.

BUT

At the start of the summer, group management was passed to a new member of the group who created a thread for folks to post updates about their current swap status. I sent a private message to the new coordinator telling her how things had panned out and she found me a swap angel - someone who sends out a parcel to someone who missed out to make them feel better and "restore their faith in other knitters" :)

Here is my amazing parcel from libs:

The parcel includes:

• Three different samples of fibre:
  
  
  Some green and some purple/pink/orange tencel, chosen because it's apparently great for the beginning spinner, and some merino fibre in a really lovely dark red colour. I think I may have to find some time for spinning soon!


• Some Lush goodies and a handmade washcloth/dishcloth:
  
  The Lush goodies are Porridge Soap and Space Girl bath ballistic.



• A couple of bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk... nom nom nom.
  
  
  
  
• A pack of highlighters.
  
  
  
  
• And last, but not least, a lovely pair of fetching fingerless mitts:
  
  
  These might be just the thing for combatting the office air con (she says, rubbing her hands together for warmth - perhaps tomorrow would be a good day to start :)).

Thank you libs, you are amazing!

Natural Stitches

Visited Natural Stitches last night for their Ravelry group and to look around. Never did get round to exploring the shop but it was really nice to chat to folks and think about things that weren't work or food. Will have to make it a regular haunt for the three months I'm in Pittsburgh :o).

Anyway, I loved the shop and really appreciated the friendly welcome - if you're ever passing through Pittsburgh I highly recommend it.

Engagededness

Hobnob and I are engaged! We did a bit of playing around yesterday evening to take the obligatory ring shot so here it is :)

Someone loves me!!

I have my first favourited project on Ravelry! Someone likes me :)

carcarcar!

I have a car (and also some insurance and breakdown cover and L-plates and screenwash)!

It's an exiting life :)

Film in Four Words (V For Vendetta)

Magic. A better Matrix.

(Image from Wikimedia, more film info at IMDB)

So many of my films at the moment are second viewings and this is no exception. I love this film. I'm not entirely sure why, but it was one of few that live up to my (scant but positive) recollections the second time. Poor Hobnob is bemused (as he often is by my film choices) but I found this film makes me feel like I'm thinking without sharing his need to scour Wikipedia for the details I might have missed.

I wish I had the imagination and intelligence to create art like this. It's beautiful and philosophic all at the same time. An artistic thought experiment, or something...

Anyway, I waffle. I love this film. (Just don't ask me why)

Pay It Forward

I've just found this post from Half-Baked Brownie Guider. The idea seems fairly straight-forward: each person who wins recieves a package from the person running the pay it foward. They then put together three packages of their own and allow people to enter a draw for them via. a blog or messageboard. On a specified date three names are drawn and those people are the new set of winners - each receives a package and is expected to run their own pay it forward for others.

Like a chain letter only not so nasty. I came across a chain letter that involved mailing people nice (new) knickers - I never got any :(

(I did wonder when I'd next use the underwear tag)

Spring Harvest

Woo! I'm going to Spring Harvest after all. They phoned me this evening to say they're really struggling to fill the teams this year and was I interested in doing Skegness. They're going to phone back to fill the form in for me tomorrow as I can't get to it through the university network.

Connections

Sometimes Chancellors Wharf reminds me of Spring Harvest. I don't know whether it's the nature of the flats themselves or just the feeling coming out of my block in the morning knowing it's cold now (coats and scarf cold) but could be baking later. Or maybe I'm just odd.

I do think I'll miss Spring Harvest this year. I keep thinking about going anyway.... decisions aren't really my strong point.

Happy!

I love the bright winter sun and my new red jumper!

I like sitting down at the computer and seeing my awake red sleeves typing away. Looking over my shoulder at the window the sun is so bright you could think it was summer until you stepped outside. I love the way the low winter sun falls, it's just good! It makes me want to go for long winter walks under the bare branches of the trees.

:)

Happy day Saffy!

Flowers!

Every girl likes flowers!

Yay, more snowing!

I was going to title this post 'Yay, more snow" but that would sound like there was something to show for earlier.

Yay, it's snowing again!

It's snowing!

Yay!

Bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy fun!

I like being awake!

Today is a happy awake day. I'm happily dosed up with hot chocolate and breakfast and listening to a nice AISD lecture on formalisation. The week is progressing increasingly quickly (seemingly) and I seem to be all planned up now until the weekend so I'm sure today and friday will disappear before I've really noticed.

Woo, birthday post!

I got my birthday post today! The lovely post people delivered me some socks, a notebook and letter paper made from elephant dung :)

The Proclaimers

The Proclaimers are awesome. Happy happy music of bouncing and excitment. Also, even their sadder stuff is happy (or makes me happy).

Hurray for Proclaimers joy!

All Induced!

Well OK so maybe induced isn't really the word I'm looking for but it sounds less clumsy than inducted. :)

Today was the MSc. welcome/induction day. The induction talk bit was fine, just went through roughly how the course works and such. After the talky bit though was lunch where I had some good conversations with people from the department and a guy on the networks course. Finally we had a quick tour of the labs, got chatting with Matt (PhD bloke from the department) and went for a hot drink for a bit more chat.

I also dropped by Freshers Fair again this afternoon. Joined CU and bumped into a bloke from my course who is apparently also a LuBBer (SamBC).

I like days with stuff in them.

I'm not just here to use up air!

Went to a Duggie praise party in Halewood (Liverpool) on my way to Dad's before I go to Liverpool tomorrow. Saw Pete (Mr.) and Doug which was kinda nice. We (Thom & I) went with some of the kids from what was Friday Club. He did a trick I've not seen before - the vanishing yellow ban(d)ana - which was cool.

Got the train afterwards with Thom who was on his way to Formby to see Lianna. Met the scary lodgers - Pete & Michael. Michael seems very young! They disappeared to wash-up as soon as I came in so I pottered for a bit and am going to bed with my newly arrived book swaps.

Talk Like A Pirate Day knickers!

Went to Buxton today and bought some knitting needles and wool. I haven't tried to knit in years but remember being quite useless - seemed like a fun thing to try again (and might save me ploughing through so many books, maybe). I sat down when I got back and attempted to understand some instructions that supposedly told me how to cast on - I got as far as tying a slip knot.

Am going out with Dave tonight to see a film, we haven't decided what (it was my job and I haevn't done it), should be good.

In other excitement... I'm wearing my Talk Like A Pirate Day knickers!