No Pigs For Me

So, my new books are here! I am now the proud owner of Stitch n Bitch: Nation and Stitch n Bitch: The Happy Hooker. I’ve had a bit of a read through the first chapter or so of both, and had a good leaf through the patterns. I’ve also ordered myself some sets of crochet hooks from ebay which should be with me soon. I will have to use yarn from my stash at the moment, because I am skint. There are a couple of items that I am itching to have a go at crocheting. I must work on the secret project though, as my time to complete it is limited. I do want to learn to crochet before we go to Florida because then I can crochet on the plane. There’s a clear notice that one can not take knitting needles, but there’s no limitation on crochet hooks – though I might need to pick up a nasty plastic one. I say “nasty” because I like the way that metallic knitting needles feel in your hands, the way they click when you knit, the way the yarn slides along them. That said, crochet hooks are a different beast…

I do have plenty of yarn in my stash to use up too! as well as the yarn I’ve bought specifically for projects (where I do tend to end up with too much!) and the yarn I’ve bought to get me started (mostly DK) I have a big pile (well, drawer full) of yarn I bought as a job lot from ebay. This yarn is an incredible mix of stuff, from some beautiful baby 4ply in white and pink, some black 4ply, loads of Peter Pan from Wendy, a cone of black spotted stuff (it screams lacy shawl to me, but if lace knitting is always as evil as the stuff I’m doing right now, I may not tackle any more for a while!), some weird wool-fleece stuff, loads of spotty patterned yarn and some ribbon-like stuff too.

I’m selling the eyelash yarn that I bought on ebay. I bought a four scarf pack with three balls of each colour, pink and blue in feathery texture and burgundy and white in eyelash texture. I made a scarf with the pink, which is funky, and I think I have enough left to cuff some mittens with (the mittens can be in the leftover of the pink or cream from the pom-pom hat) I’m not sure yet about the blue, but I was thinking about a bag for the red and white, but decided against it and so I’ve put it on ebay. Two of the balls (one of each colour) are ball-band-less, which is a shame. There are people watching the items, but not bidding on them yet. I’d quite like to sell some other things on ebay too, I think. The yarn is a good start.

Last night I went for my first solo drive, it wasn’t as scary as I thought it might be, although the roundabout near Tesco was a bit flustering! I did go to pets at home too, and bought some treats for Aston. I looked at the baby guinea pigs too. I’d love to have a guinea pig, but really I’d like to have a place to put them. A friend of ours has guinea pigs (who are adorable!) and they do tend to chuck hay everywhere. We pig-sat for them one time, the pigs were fab! They squeak all the time, it is so sweet! As I said: no pigs for me. Not even the cute ginger one who squeaked so adorably at me through the door of the pen in pets at home.

Waiting to drive

I’m waiting on the post now. Well, not actually waiting, it would make me even later for work if I did that. But I am waiting for things to arrive in the post: my new full driving licence and the camera we ordered.

Tonight I am going on my first ever solo drive at potentially a busy time too. I’m off to Tesco to get some random bits of shopping. I might call in to ‘pets at home’ too, while I am there! Very exciting for me, though probably not for you!

Knit and Purl Mama sounds like she’s trying to be the perfect mum. Her recent post asks “How do they manage” – meaning mums with more than one child. Now, while I can’t comment on that particular aspect (I only have Leon and our hamster to look after) I want to send out a big hug to her, and say this:
The most important thing for your family is that you are there for them; it doesn’t matter if you forget to hoover on a weekend sometimes, and it doesn’t matter if you put off the ironing in favour of having a rest. In fact, make sure you do have a rest!

I know that K&PMamma surfs in here occasionally, and I hope that I’m not being too bold.

Well, otherwise I don’t have much to report. We bought Lego Star Wars II at the weekend, so I haven’t done as much knitting as I would have liked. I’m about 10 rows in to the second piece of the secret item. I’m a little concerned that my gauge is too far out and that it will not fit the intended recipient. That would suck! I could wear this one myself if it turns out too small, but I wouldn’t have time to knit a second one in a bigger size. I’ll see, I guess. Maybe it will be better when I’ve pinned and pressed it (gently of course). It is also machine washable, which is always good.
Speaking of machine washable, my OH put my Opal socks through the wash just a couple of days ago, and they are fine! I’m really pleased with how well they have washed, and I am surprised that they actually seem softer than at first (possibly I should have washed them once before wearing) but this does pressure me to start my next pair. Also, I weighed the ball of Opal remaining and there is 50g. As it was 100g to begin with, I am hopeful that I might get a second pair of socks out of this ball, which would be smashing! It would be heartbreaking to get to a few inches from the toe and not have enough yarn though, so I might look for a pattern which would require a touch less yarn – something with eyelets or ladders in it might work with the stripes. It doesn’t want to be too complex because it will be striped too.
But I must cast on and knit the “gypsy socks” I have planned in the nice burgundy yarn I got. If it knits up well I might get some more. I’m also considering getting some cotton sock yarn for summery socks!
Also, an interesting question, if one is allergic to wool (which I am fortunate not to be) what would one use for warm winter socks instead?

I’ve just had a phonecall from WHSmith to tell me that my books have arrived – how nice! I was expecting an email. And so, I’m off to get the books, then off for a drive.

TTFN


PS. I would have put a random title, but blogger isn't letting me!

Update: It let me put a title on today (11/07/07)

Busy Weekend?

Indeed, yes!

On Saturday we went to Castleford (a completely different place to Castleton!) to collect our "new" car. Here she is. The colour is so vile that it's fabulous! I do like it; it's different.

Anyway, since this was my first proper drive (I did drive back from the gym, but that hardly counts as I had done that with L plates) I had asked Leon to print out a route where I didn't have to go on the motorways. I know I have to sometime, but I didn't fancy my first ever drive in our new car being quite that scary. However, somewhere along the way we missed a turn or something, and we ended up on the A1. It went something like this:

• Me - We're approaching a roundabout, which way?
• L - Third exit.
• Me - There are only two exits. I'll take the second one.
• L - Oh...
• Me - That sign said A1(M) this way. We're approaching another roundabout. (trying not to sound worried)
• L - second exit.
• Me - We appear to be merging with the A1? Aah! We're merging with the A1!

So, anyway, it was all fine. We came back via the A1(M) and the A64 - how exciting!

Today we decided to go to the garden centre where we picked up Aston and Martin to look at the hamsters. There weren't any though! I was a little sad, but never mind.

Then we headed off to Knaresborough for the afternoon.

We had fish and chips (yum!) and then wandered around the castle and some random gardens.

It was a thoroughly pleasant day, and I drove home. I almost forgot to wear my specs though, I think I need a reminder sticker!

Clear the roads!

I am officially allowed to drive on my own without L plates!

Yes, today at 10:44 I began my driving test (well, 10:47 actually) - I did turn in the road and reverse park.
I got three minors, which is pretty much as good as it gets, and I'm really pleased!
I found out that I had passed my driving test at approximately 11:30

Thanks to my driving instructor, who has been really good with me over the last few months and has always been confident that I would do it.
Special thanks to Leon for believing in me, even when I've been grumpy about it, and also for suggesting that I spend some time affirming myself (I am a proficient driver, for eg)

We're getting the new car tomorrow, so I'll be able to drive that for real, no more L plates! Woo!

So, if anyone needs some magnetic L plates, give me a call!

A Good Weekend

This weekend my parents were visiting to bring us a sofa-bed (as I may have mentioned, I intend to sit on it to knit)
However, we ended up going off on a jaunt down the M1 to look at a car, which we bought! It’s a fairly revolting colour, being as it is electric turquoise (or similar, I’m sure) – though it will be easy to spot in a car park etc! It’s an N reg Polo, with the electrics kit. It’s nice, and I look forwards to driving it, with or without L plates, preferably without, but we’ll see about that one. That’s my big purchase news.

Aston is much better now, we took him back to the vets and a different vet saw him, he had a feel of the bad leg and said that he could feel a hard bit which meant it was healing. We’re still giving him pain killers for another few days, and he can’t have his toys back for three weeks. Poor Martin, Aston’s brother, is a bit under the weather at the moment. One of his eyes looks a bit gunky. We’re keeping an eye (no pun intended) on him and if there’s any funny coloured or smelly discharge then we’re taking him to the vets.

The Smoking Ban came in to force in England on Sunday. We went to what is usually a smoky pub and took part in a scary pub quiz. Much nicer than before, though I’m not sure I’ll become a regular there.

Secret Pals! I’ve just signed up to SP11, which I'm hoping I can join in with. It’s quite exciting, if you’re a knitter or you crochet. Should be quite exciting, I think. I’m sure you’ll see more about this soon.

Knitting has been going pretty well. I am about half way through the first piece of the secret garment I am knitting. It’s looking pretty good, though I’m a little concerned about my gauge. I’m already plotting some covers for the cushions that come with the sofa bed, possibly to match (or compliment) the throw. Photos will be here when I sort them out.

Best go now, happy knitting.

Remaining philosophical

This weekend we went back to Gainsborough to celebrate my Dad’s 50th birthday. The celebrations have been ongoing since his birthday, and are now on hold until Florida. Anyway...

On his birthday Mum and Dad organised some food from the new Marks and Sparks Food store (it’s new in Gainsborough). The following night my sister had organised for him to go se a T-Rex tribute band (2-Rex) and he got cake and champagne! We all arrived on Friday night and I gave Dad the gifts I’d got him. I’d splashed out a bit more than I normally do, and so he got a flashy heart-rate monitor (he runs and goes to the gym), the Tomb Raider chronicles (I think) for the PS2 and a bottle of posh single malt whisky (which always goes down well). Shopping on the Saturday and then Mum, Gayle and I went to the new shopping area in Gains while the boys watched the football. Sunday morning we sat up on a hill while Dad went on his gliding experience (from Mum). We got sunburn. Well, Gayle and I got sunburn! Mine is down one side of my face, so I look a right pillock. It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, and I even got some knitting done on my sock, which is over half complete now.

We also went for a run on the Saturday morning (me, Dad and Leon) and managed Dad's 3 mile course in 30 minutes. Woo!

And, more good news! We didn’t win the PTH. We were mid-table this time, probably due to it being less actuarial now than it was. I’m willing to bet that the next one is even more convoluted, and I don’t like the buying big prizes nonsense. This could be the end of Bad Data.

On the knitting front, I’ve begun shaping the gusset of my sock. I was hoping it would come out with a distinct corner, like when you buy them, but it doesn’t look like that at present. We will see, I guess. I’m enjoying the self striping yarn, and will almost certainly buy more at some point. Sock yarn is so expensive though! Enough for one pair of socks can cost almost ten whole pounds! I don’t spend that kind of money on socks I buy, never mind socks I’m making and so my time has to be factored in! Oh well. I do have a cunning plan on the sock front for this Christmas (7 months and 2 days away!) but that is all I'm willing to say!

So my run of three bad luck items is as follows:

1. Car is not going to pass its MOT and so needs fixing or selling
2. Computer blew up
3. Failed driving test

Now that they’re out of the way (and assuming that no1 counts) then I should be a bit luckier now. They say that it comes in threes, but I’m not superstitious, it’s too unlucky (ba-boom-tish)

Well, I guess that’s all for now. Wish me happy hunting for my new PC and car, and also luck in getting a test earlier than the next one is scheduled for.

Remaining philosophical.

Reverse order post

We’re still awaiting the PTH results. I suspect that they will announce today.

I had another driving lesson on Sunday evening. It was raining, which wasn’t pleasant. I did two rather shoddy parallel park manoeuvres, and lots of emergency stops! (Fun, in the rain)
Trying to remain calm in the face of the impending test.

After lunch on Sunday we went to New Look. I almost bought lots of clothes for my holiday, but ended up only buying a new pair of trousers for work. They are fab, mind you.

For Sunday lunch we went out and met some friends who don’t live in York any more. It was very pleasant to see them again, although it was a bit of a flying visit. We must sort ourselves out and go visit them some time. We still haven’t seen their new pad!

On Saturday night we went to perhaps the most peculiar barbeque I have ever been to. It was at the Royal York, and as it was raining, it was mostly inside. We had a proper sit-down starter with melon and strawberries, which was lovely. Then we had barbeque food (I had steak and a fish kebab) and then we had strawberries and cream. Yum. After that we had a bit of a boogie.

Saturday afternoon we went for a look around the shops at Monks Cross, to look at some t-shirts that Leon wanted. I bought some flight socks for the flight to America too. (We now have a “things for holiday” box) As I was feeling a bit low, I treated myself to some more nice Radox bubble bath and a body brush with anti-cellulite massagine nodules on one side and a nice scrubby brush on the other side. Not for use wet. We also had a look at Lily Allen’s new range in New Look. On first glance I wasn’t enamoured, but having considered that position I think I like a couple of the dresses, if worn with belts. I dislike the new “gold” range in there though.

On Saturday morning I was feeling especially low. I made the mistake of weighing and measuring myself. After the week we’ve had I should have expected it not to be good. It’s so frustrating though! I haven’t lost any weight (well, a pound or two, maybe) since January when I joined the gym. I also haven’t lost any girth. It’s just not on. I don’t care what all these people say about how skinny isn’t the answer because I don’t want to be skinny I want to be lean. There is a difference. Anyway, I guess we’ll see how that goes. Leon’s got me listening to a podcast by some American chap who claims to have the answer to meeting my fitness goals, I quote: “Doctors don’t know, Diet Clinics don’t want to know, Health Club Owners don’t care, Personal Trainers – they care, but they don’t always have all of the information either.” But he says that he knows. He says it’s something to do with protein and two types of carbs. Frankly, I’m as puzzled now as I was before!

Diet? What diet?

On the diet front, the weekend has been a bit of a disaster. Starting with pizza at my parents’ house on Thursday and rampaging through cakes and cookies to a three course wedding meal (very nice though) and ending in my putting back on two of the three pounds I thought I had lost.

Otherwise it was a thoroughly pleasant weekend. We took it easy, I did quite a bit of knitting, the wedding was lovely and the dancing was not too strenuous.

Having a day off was quite nice, although it’s never long enough! Even though it was a bank holiday which made it a four day weekend, I was still loathe to come back to work!

So, I’ve cast on and completed two squares for the sudoku blanket, and almost completed a third. I started on pattern three because one and two were a bit complicated. I think that it should be possible to complete one square per evening, but as I also have socks on the go, and have other commitments some evenings, I will not complete the blanket in 81 days. (Gosh! It’s just dawned on me the vastness of this project!) So, I aim to complete all of the pattern three squares before I move on to the other patterns. Pattern three seems to be a very good starter square because the eight-row repeat is about an inch and a half high, so for an eight inch square you need six rows. I’m not entirely happy with my cast off edge; I am wondering whether I should be casting off knit-wise instead of purl-wise. Still, as long as I do all nine squares the same it should be fine.
The socks are still going. I haven’t done anything on them over the weekend despite taking them with me. I will have to train myself to knit in the car without feeling car sick. I’d have got an extra six hours of knitting in then. Well, except for when I was directing us.

My dress for the wedding was a success. It went pretty well with the shoes and looked very posh with my fur-collared cardi. Leon wore his light coloured suit, and looked very nice. He took some photos at the wedding, which he might put online soon. I don’t think he took any pictures of me (but I wasn’t the main attraction) so you’ll have to wait until I find another occasion to wear it (like the barbeque at the weekend?)
I didn’t have my legs shaved or waxed on the day, and that didn’t seem to be a problem (you could hardly tell, and nobody was looking) although I am not due to go back for another three weeks. I don’t know if it’ll throw out my plans if I go sooner. It is meant to last for 4-6 weeks, and it’s only been three, almost four. And it’s expensive, but worth it I think.

I am driving again tonight. Not long until my test now. I had a pretty good drive last weekend; I hope that today’s is good too. If I don’t manage to pass, it could be after my holiday to Florida before I get another chance. That would suck. I just have to not do anything stupid. All the things I failed on before were stupid. I have to remember to do more observations and make them useful. Looking is good but seeing is necessary. I don’t want to chat too much. I don’t mind going on the A64, but I’d rather not go on at the nasty roundabout. They are both nasty though, actually. I know that I haven’t been out for a drive with any of my friends or colleagues. This is not because I don’t think they helped Leon, I’m sure that they did in fact. I just can’t face asking them, and because I have a horrible desire to do this on my own, in my own way which may be my downfall. My instructor has been fantastic so far though. He’s sensible and is teaching me to drive, not just to pass the driving test. I’ve been watching Leon’s driving too, mostly to see things and not to criticise.
Can you tell that I'm worried about this? I promise to let people know how it goes when it happens. If it’s good news it’s likely to get out faster than if it’s not.
If I write any more I'm likely to give away too much and people will guess when it is and then I’ll feel pressured.

Coming soon – the PTH (Pub Treasure Hunt) is on Thursday. The theme is periods of history. We’re going as Dick Turpin and his gang. Leon’s picking up the costume bits tonight, and then I have to decide whether I need anything else. I’m thinking about making a capelet, if I have enough material.
I did forget to pay our entry fee last week though. We’ll probably lose points for that! They didn’t remind me to pay up though! I have now paid, should be starting at 17:10 – venue yet to be confirmed!

Gainsborough killed my flippin' car*

I am so close to finishing my shrug now! I’m on the arm which is knitted in the round. Basically, as it’s asymmetrical, each sleeve is knitted differently. I’m hoping that the sleeves will be wide enough for my arms though! Haha. I went for the 10-12 size, which is probably a bit smaller than I am. We’ll see though, I'm sure it’ll be okay. It’s quite nice that it’s all knitted in one piece because that means minimal sewing to make it up.

At the weekend we went to Gainsborough. But first, when I arrived home I had a card from the sorting office – a parcel was waiting for me. This was the much anticipated Angel Yarns package. In it were three each of nine colours (the maroon being replaced by black as Sirdar have stopped making it) for my sudoku blanket. I have to knit up nine 10x10cm squares in each of the nine colours. It’ll take a while, but I hope that by winter I will have a nice cosy blanket to snuggle under made from 100% wool Sirdar chunky yarn.

Anyway, we had some dinner and then set off to Gainsborough. We got there at about 9pm, in time for a cuppa and a cake. The following morning we went into town to see what they have been doing since I was last around. We looked at the roundabout at the bottom of the dual carriageway. (yes, that makes one full size roundabout in the town at the bottom of the one dual carriageway – do we fee sorry for the learner drivers yet? No, because I have horrible roundabouts in York) Then we headed into town to see the new Marshall’s Yard complex. It’s still not finished, but it is quite nice. It’s basically a car park with shops around it. There’s quite a variety of shops, ranging from JJB to New Look to Greggs. We had a good wander around, and I managed to convince mum to buy a nice new top from Next. It’s one that can be worn as a dress or a top for the flight out to Florida. Unlike most of the smock tops we saw, this one has a little shape and looked really nice on. I have yet to find my dress/top (it was my idea) to wear over my jeans for the flight. I’m after something similar, although I don’t know what I may end up with. I’ll be checking out the shops regularly.

Anyway, when we got back as we walked past our Escort I could smell petrol. This has happened more than once, so I pointed that out to Leon and Dad. They put the car up on the ramps. It needs a new fuel tank. In fact, there are a few things that would need replacing in order to get it past the MOT in July, so we’re probably going to have to trade it in at a garage. One of these “Guaranteed minimum trade in of £1000” would be nice! We’ll have to talk to the bank too, we might need a loan if we’re going to buy another car.

For some reason I keep having dreams involving hamsters and guinea pigs. Odd, very odd indeed.

The whole weight loss thing is going okay (ish). I’ve got a spreadsheet with a graph. I have what my aim is plotted on the graph as well as how I’m doing against that.
I have a goal weight (always helpful, something to aim for) which is 9st 6lbs. that means that from my start weight of 10st 10lbs (although I was 10st 12 in Jan, I’m not counting that as it unbalances the graph) I need to lose 18lbs in 15 weeks. That’s only 1.2lbs per week, which should be possible without doing anything extreme. So, I planned this out last Friday. I’ll try to keep the info in the bar on the right up to date with how I’m doing.

* not really

It's Friday

I received my knitting related teapot yesterday, or rather; I collected it from the sorting office. It is not especially large, which is good because it fits nicely on the dresser in our living/dining room. It’s shaped like a ball of blue yarn with some chunky knitting needles stuck through it. I’m really pleased with it.

We’re off to visit my parents this weekend. We hadn’t planned to, but mum phoned and suggested it last night. There’s been a lot of regeneration happening in Gainsborough recently, including the renovation of the Britannia Works. They’ve called the resulting leisure complex the Marshall’s Yard. I hope that it is going to be good for the town. Apparently there’s a variety of shops in there, many of which were open for Easter. We’ll have a bit of a wander around anyway, which should be interesting.

I’m driving on Sunday morning, hopefully we’ll do the parallel park again; I’m worried about that one. I’m not bad at left reverse (aka reverse round a corner) and turn in the road, although I must observe more. Of course there’s a bit more to the driving test than just the manoeuvres, so I have to practice those bits too. I practiced not going to B&Q last lesson (anyone who’s taken their test here should understand) and also I practiced not killing cats. I would really like to pass on my first (well, fourth) attempt. Not because I think that will make me a better driver, in fact I suspect the opposite can often be true. No, because it’s so difficult when people ask. That’s one of the reasons I have not put the exact date on here, and one of the reasons that only Leon knows the date of the test. It’s just more pressure that I don’t want. And there are some people (they know who they are) who will gloat and laugh if I don’t pass this time.
They certainly gloated and laughed before.

Anyway, the knitting is going well. I’ve gotten to the point on the shrug that I'm decreasing for the front. I’ve also found a typo in the pattern! Anyway, I was expecting to finish the shrug this weekend, but it may be later than that now that we’re off to Gainsborough; unless I take it with me. It is a bit complicated, but not that bad. As long as I remember to put all the bits I need in my knitting bag. I also need to buy some buttons for it, I was thinking of maybe using toggles (like on duffel coats) although something a bit more girly might be good as it’s a pink and fluffy shrug. I don’t know, really. I am looking forward to it being finished though, since the weather is a bit hit and miss here in the North of England at the moment.
You might also have noticed the iKnit icon on the right there, that’s a link to the knitting podcast I listen to. It’s quite interesting, although you need to be into knitting! I don’t actually knit to this podcast though; I generally listen to it in the bath!

Bank Holiday Fun

I had a really good bank holiday weekend! Normally I feel like these weekends have been a bit of a waste because we spend the whole time at home being lazy.

Not so this weekend just gone! Thanks to Leon being able to drive, we were able to go to Whitby and Helmsley on Friday. We set off early, to beat the traffic. That was successful, so we parked up and went for a wander round. We stopped in “Tea and Tarts” for tea and a teacake in my case. Leon had a bacon and egg sandwich! We headed back up to the beach, but decided that it was too windy for Frisbee. It was pretty chilly with the wind blowing in off the sea. However, we walked the length of the West Beach – down to the pier where the donkeys are. We also looked for crabs, but all we saw were seagulls and some insects. We headed back up the beach to collect our lunch from the car, which turned out to be a bit rancid (despite the cool pack!) so we had our yoghurt and then decided to move on. After a peruse of the map we decided that Helmsley would be nice. We set off out of Whitby with only a small chuckle at the vast number of people heading into Whitby. It didn’t take long to get to Helmsley, and so we parked (eventually) and went to the Walled Gardens. Sadly it was a bit dear to get in to the walled gardens, but we bought a jar of local honey and then went into the café there for a drink and cake. I had some lovely carrot cake. There wasn’t much else to do in Helmsley, but we wandered around the shops and generally meandered about for a while. We bought a book of walks in North Yorkshire which has handy maps. The maps have pubs marked on them! After a non-waffle-shaped waffle cone ice-cream each we got back in the car and headed home. Fabulous day!

So, Saturday came around and we got our gym kit together. Once we’d dropped off Leon’s overdue library books, we headed to the gym for a workout. Having walked around and up more hills than on a normal day on Friday, I found my cardio exercise quite difficult. However, I did almost all of it (must try harder) and then did all of my strength training. We also signed up for Pilates, which should be good. I haven’t been to a class of any sort for a long time, but this should be fine.

Sunday was more of a normal slack day. I did a lot of knitting and some painting. I got a set of “modern art” canvasses for my birthday, which is very cool. I picked three (out of four) of them, and used slightly different colours (we have loads of paints and they came with pink which is very me, but doesn’t match the bathroom!) to make a piece of art which we can put in the bathroom. I intend to turn the middle canvas into a clock – we have the kit needed but I need to make some fancy handles for the time as the ones with the kit are too short.
On the knitting front, I have finished the top border of the needle roll, only about 100 rows to go on the outer part then. On the shrug, I have knitted one arm and I am currently knitting the front and back. It’s asymmetrical, apparently. It’s looking really good, and I should have plenty of yarn to finish it too. Maybe even enough to make something else out of later! We did consider going on one of the walks, but my legs and neck were very sore, so we didn’t.

Monday. I had a driving lesson at 11:30, which went okay. I’m so close to my test date though, I’m terrified! My instructor seems confident though. I managed to do a left reverse and a parallel park without tears.
In the afternoon, after finishing the paintings and hanging out some washing (and the new wool my parents brought, which smells much nicer now) we headed off to the outlet to see if we could find Leon some Daniel Craig swimming shorts. We were not successful. We did manage to buy Sims 2 for me, and three DVDs. (strapped for cash? Me?) Sims 2 is as addictive as the Sims – Bustin out was, but with a more fluid structure to it. There are still goals and stuff, which is good. The game play is better too.

And that was my bank holiday. We watched one of the DVDs, Layer Cake, too. I’m looking forwards to the next bank holiday now so that we can go on one of the walks from our book. One that doesn’t involve “a small scramble”! At least I have walking boots now. I don’t have any sensible shorts though, so if the weather keeps improving that could be interesting.

Needlessly so...

I was a bit nervous.

But needlessly so, as I passed my theory test!

I only got one question wrong on the multiple choice section, and I scored 60 of a possible 75 on the hazard perception test. Woo!

I am a happy bunny!

Nervous? Moi?

How nervous am I?

Boring yet exciting weekend!

I didn’t do much this weekend.

We had a pleasant (and rather cheap) meal at an Italian (that I forget the name of again) on Friday evening. Friday evening was otherwise notable for being the evening of the same day that I was forced to leave work at 4pm due to desk moves and so went into town and bought some more nice wool and a pair of cable needles.

On Saturday I had intended to go into town, but as I had bought the things I needed on Friday, I instead had a much more laid back Saturday. I have almost finished the bag I’ve been making; it just needs lining.

Sunday was slightly more eventful, if not particularly thrilling. Firstly I was driving at the ungodly hour of 9:30am! This was fine, though, and my driving was generally okay. I did stop on a zebra crossing, though, which is very naughty. I will soon be booking/taking my theory test.
Anyway, I had cunningly arranged to meet L at the gym, so I thought. This would therefore save me the time of driving to the gym. On arrival at the gym I could not see our car, but I just thought that L was running a little late. Not so. After half an hour I asked at reception in the gym if I could use their phone (there being no phonebox and my mobile being in my gym bag at home) to see whether L had set off. He hadn’t, he was still waiting for me at home. Whoops! He’d misunderstood me, and thought that I was going to get dropped off at home and that we’d go directly to the gym, not that he was meant to meet me there. I must remember to be clearer and SPEAK….SLOWLY….AND….CLEARLY…. in future. But really, other than wasting a whole hour, no harm done. And L did cook dinner last night and make lunch for today. So I let him off. I’ll still make him a scarf.

Then, while I was in the toilets of the gym my parents called to let me know that they had a price for our upcoming holiday. It was a good price, so I said I was happy for them to book. Which they did, so we’re off to Florida! Woo! We do still have to work out what we’re doing car wise and save up a bit more money, but we’re sooooo close now! I’m very excited about it already, so goodness knows what I’ll be like by August!
This does also give me a timescale for when I have to be not fat by. 4 months and 14 days, and counting! I only want to lose another stone, which should be okay except for that I haven’t lost ANY weight at all going to the gym so far. Maybe I’m not exercising hard enough. I’m not sure what I'm going to do during the 6 weeks that L can’t lift weights, although hopefully he’ll be able to do some cardio.
He also can’t drive for a fortnight, which is a bigger pain. The odds of me passing my theory, getting a practical test and passing it within the next fortnight are a bit slim!

I've been driving again

Driving last night went okay. I wore heels, which wasn’t such a good idea, but it didn’t affect my driving too much. I am concerned about my vision though, I may have to go take an eye test. It’s been three years now, and I’m meant to go back every two years, and I always seem to need a stronger pair of glasses when I go. It’s so expensive though. I’m also expecting to have to wear them all the time, which is a bit of a bind. Still, I’d rather have to buy new specs than hurt someone on the roads.

Yet More Driving

You'll all be glad to hear that I went driving again.
I went on the A64 this time.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

And the car is no longer a Corsa, it's a mini.
That is all.

Another Day Another Drive

Sunday morning, more driving. Pretty much just driving around (though I did Reverse round a corner) trying to improve my forward planning. Basically my new instructor wants me to anticipate things happening, like approaching lights which are red slowly in second gear in case they change to green. How exciting. It’s a good way of doing it though, and should make me a better driver when I finally get it through my thick skull!

Work is being its usual self. I still don’t have a job description. I do know that I’ll get some management practice one day, but when? Who knows.

General-ness

Driving Lesson No. 8
I had another driving lesson on Sunday - my first one during daylight. The sun was in my eyes some of the time which I didn't enjoy. However the lesson went better than the previous one, and I got on better with the new instructor.
We did parallel park and bay park with new techniques to those I have been taught. Still, they did seem easier to remember.

New Phone
Yes, I finally got a new phone. I was worried, after all the faffing about previously, that it would be an issue again. However, I happily walked away from the Orange Shop with my shiny new Sony Ericsson Z610i and a whole new contract package which is actually cheaper than the one I was on, but with more minutes and texts. Woo!

Snow
Snow. I'm not impressed - I dislike most sorts of weather. Leon claimed that the only sort of weather I like is when there isn't any. I argue that it's not possible not to have any weather. Either way, I prefer it when it is not windy and it is very hot and sunny. Not snow. Ice too, is pretty horrible. It could be worse though, as the snow has stopped and the sun has come out.

Rediscovery
While at university, I was introduced by a fellow geek to The Daily Static at User Friendly which is a comic along the lines of Dilbert but based in a slightly different environment - more geeky, and with Linux references. I read the back issues from about mid-2005 though I think the last time I read was probably 2003 at the latest! I was quite pleased to be able to remember the url.

Driving too fast?

I had another driving lesson today. Woo.
I also met my new instructor. No, before you say it, I didn't scare away the last one.
His name is Tony. He has a Corsa too, which is good. I haven't decided whether I like him yet, but he seemed to know what he was talking about. Well, you'd hope so, being a driving instructor.
I was being overconfident this time. Which is pants. The trouble is that I was being too cautious last week (so I was told) and now I'm being the opposite. I dunno, but I've recently been getting flashbacks to some of the horrible and scary moments in past tests.
I'm doing my best to stay positive, and the guy did say that my driving was reasonable.
Ho hum. I'm trying anyway - I'd love to be able to drive when we go to America.

More Driving

I did some more bay-parking today. It took a bit of getting used to, but I managed 5 sucessful bay-parks out of 5. (I had to do some pretty major corrections though!)
I did find out today, though, that my instructor (who has been very good, and patient!) is going off travelling round America. Starting in 6 days. For three months. I wish her lots of luck and fun - I'd love to do that! Trouble is having the whole job thing is a drag. And not much money - except for my savings which are taking Leon and I to Florida for my Dad's 50th.

So, I'll be waiting to hear from another instructor, and in the meantime getting put onto the insurance for the Escort - volunteers to be taken to Tesco or for random weekend driving welcome. Though I suspect that the volunteers will be fewer than for Leon, people assume that I'll be equally scary behind the wheel (and I might be - who am I to know?) and also Leon's a nicer person to be stuck in a small metal box for hours driving around York. :) I know my limits and I'm not a glass-half-full kind of person. If I expect the worst then I'm rarely dissapointed but often pleasantly surprised.

Anyway, it's late. Leon's playing GTA San Andreas (my game...but he's enjoying himself so much) and I'm off to bed so that I can try not to be any more grumpy about work.

Chip will be glad to hear that his "replacement" has sent me some rubbish to look at that I'm not sure is any more wrong than usual, just they've noticed it now. Fab. :) Though it was suggested I could stay at work until the evening in order to call Chip in his new office...