The start of Autumn

This week has had its up and downs but on Saturday I had a lovely trip into my favourite deli in the sunshine.  The deli is on Bold Street not far from Central station.  I had to go in to do some work so it was a 2 for 1 trip - work and deli. The trouble with where we live is that we don't have specialist food suppliers and the variety of world food in the local shops you can write on a postage stamp.

Our Cherry tree flashing a lovely
colour before dropping its leaves.

As a result of the supply run we are now stocked up on some of the essentials of life in our house, spring roll wrappers, a couple of tins of Milo, couscous, polenta, Thai fish sauce, and lots of herbs and spices that we go through at a great rate of knots.  Dinner last night was a breakout of the new package of spring roll wrappers.

Some of the Thai vegetable spring rolls
made and waiting to be fried.

Today it was another nice day of business in the sunshine. I now have another of post graduate TESOL students and this takes some of the pressure off with work and the cash finances but I will still be looking for a more permanent solution to the hourly job contracts. Came home from to town to the gorgeous smell of a crock pot full of French Onion Soup welcoming me in as I opened the front door.  

Old pic of duck socks but now at repeat 4
of 2 at time duckie socks

I seem to be back into the swing of knitting. Knitting wise for the last couple of 7 weeks or so has been a complete disaster. I have had my 15 minutes of fame but I wish it had not been over such a terrible thing. I have managed to get to the fourth repeat on the duckie socks during my trips to and from Liverpool Central on the train over this weekend. So things are looking up knitting wise. Thank goodness as I have a baby pattern test knit to finish and some time constraints for new baby items. One of the babies is scheduled to arrive this Thursday so I need to be knitting like the clappers. Nothing like a tight time frame.

Last of the summer wine

Salad, Wine and alfresco dining

Yes the weather is changing and this week has been what I think is the last of the summer and the start of the fall. The weather this week as been getting cooler and cooler and the night is starting to draw in.  Autumn is on its way.  There is that bite in the wind the suggest that the colder weather is coming.

Tomorrow the boyo, Rh, starts school. Great day to start school on a Friday but that is what happens when you have a public holiday followed by 2 inset days,  year 7s and yr 11s induction day. All you have left if Friday for the rest of the larrikins oops sorry high school children.

At the moment I am going a good impression of this duck, gliding across the chaos while moving my feet like the clappers. The PhD students have made me work my little socks off and I appear serene and calm.  I am battling at the moment trying to get organised for the start of semester not helped by heads of departments who don't seem to realise I can not drop things and adapt my schedule to suit their needs.  I work at three universities and study at two other campuses from my workplaces talk about a tangle web to put food on the table and improve by skills so time tabling for me is a bit of a balancing act.  I am currently battling 5 different constantly changing university schedules to work out where the schmick I am supposed to be at any set time.  I just might open another bottle of that Rose that I have stuffed in the fridge.  Chin Chin...Slainté.....Prost..

Travelling Woman Number 3

Well I had got so far but I think the last pattern return of Block A of this shawl pattern has been ripped back about three times so far. I keep running out of yarn. Found a snippet added it on and still did not get far enough to cast off on the border.

I ended up have to dye a matching skein so that I get this shawl finished. So here we go tinking back the rows and lets just say I am tinking tinking and still tinking back. After another week of interruptions that have affected my ability to finish this project I still have not managed to finish it.

Last Sunday afternoon I had a little dyefest and managed a reasonable amount of dyeing. I managed to get some really lovely teals and a batch of autumn leaf colours.

During the week at the most boring inservice between sessions I managed to cast on a Möbius scarf for Motorcycle girl's girl friend. The last Möbius has been repeatedly borrowed by the girlfriend that Motorcycle girl has placed a request so that the GF has her own.

Action plan this week:

• Finish off the Travelling Woman No 3
• Finish off Möbius No 2
• Get another BSJ done for yet another sprog
• Start on Birthday gift for Kayleigh

The First day of September

Well the First day of September has arrived and if I was the other side of the equator I would be celebrating the first days of spring but unfortunately it is the first days of Autumn here. The Arctic winds have kicked in and we have had rain and no sun now for almost three weeks now. There has been a distinctive chill in the air in the morning which tells me Winter is on its way.

It is the last week of the school holidays so I have made it a priority to finish off some UFO's and outstanding chores over the next week. Between work I hope to have a couple of chores knocked off as soon as possible.

As this month is my birthday I have been leaving hints with the family that I would like them to actually remember it for once. I am still peeved about no present last year and I have a feeling that it will be missed yet again.

The Third Travelling Woman shawl has been cast on and I am looking forward to getting it a little longer than the earlier ones. I have also cast on a Möbius for a student of mine who has just brought herself a scooter to travel in and out of university. I also have to start thinking about what preezies I have to make for Christmas and some birthdays that are coming up.

Auntie knitting is getting so far behind that I am getting to the point were it is no use panicking as I have not got time to do it.

Chris for SnB thinks I must have smoke on my needles for the last week but it really a case of my job list is getting taller and taller.