August 30th

Noro Kochoran

Sorry that I have not written for the last few days.  It is a holiday weekend here in the UK and so I have been having a bit of a rest.

On Saturday we went to a new Chinese restaurant. It was authentic style chinese food and I enjoyed it especially the spicy soft shell crab! Tomorrow we are going shopping in Cambridge as John needs new sandals for Jamaica.  I have contacted the resort and requested that our room does NOT overlook the Au Natural beach! It is very disconcerting to sit on the balcony and see nude people below you!  I had a reply and they said they would do their best.  I cannot really believe we are going. I don’t like leaving Jackson and just hope he won’t get sick. I am taking his food. I know that cattery owners would rather feed dry food as it means there are no messy bowls to wash up.  I shall offer to pay more for Jackson’s washing up as I don’t want him eating dry food and getting a bad throat again. When it actually comes time to go away, I never want to go but once I get in the plane I will be OK.

I have managed to put the new Kochoran in my shop and will take photos of each skein tomorrow.  I am expecting the new Kim Hargreaves book any day now – and also the Rowan Drift and new shades of Cocoon.

Now I am going to watch a new Miss Marple on TV and have a glass of wine!  Back tomorrow

August 27th

Rowan Winter Kids

This is a sneak peak of Rowan Winter Kids which is due on October 1st and contains 20 designs for 3 – 12 year olds.

Today has not been good! John asked me if I would go with him to collect some pheasant food from a mill at Saxmundham which is about an hour away.  We set off at 8.30am so as to be home in good time to pack parcels before the postman arrives.  The roads were very busy as it is a holiday weekend and the road to Saxmundham is a road to the sea. There were  caravans and cars packed with people going away for the weekend.  We got to Saxmundham – no sign of the mill!  John telephoned them only to be told that we should have been at Saxlingham, not Saxmundham. Saxlingham was further north and we had to do a de-tour of some sixty miles to get to it!  John had somehow muddled the two names up.  Eventually we found it and got the bags of food.  Terrible traffic on the way home – we did not get back until 3.0pm and the postman comes at 4.0. So it was a mad dash to get everything packed.  I just managed it – and the postman was early!!

I have chilblains coming on my toes – it is because John insisted on blowing cold air through the Land Rover whilst we were driving today and I had bare feet in sandals.  The slightest cold will make the chilblains come. My toes are itching like crazy!

Jackson was somewhat miffed at being left alone for so long – he seems much better and had some trout tonight and was not sick.  Now I am going to have a rest – I shall be glad when today is over!

August 25th

Free Rowan Patterns

The patterns shown above will be available as free downloads from Rowan from October 1st. They all use either British Sheep Breeds Chunky, DK or Boucle.

The Noro Kochoran and World of Nature #28 just arrived – John is out fishing and so I have smuggled them in!  The Kochoran is lovely – I shall put it in my store tomorrow.

It is very wet here today and I am minding Slip as John has gone boat fishing and she is a nuisance in a boat as she continually plunges over the side and frightens the fish.  John had a scare last night. He went to the wood with the aim of hiding in one of the high seats that the deer stalkers use.  These are like wooden boxes built on tall legs – they are big enough for two people to sit in and have slats along one side to shoot through. You climb up the ladder and the floor of the box is a trapdoor which you open to get into the box!  They are about 12 feet high.  John thought he could hide in one and watch for foxes. He got up the ladder and let the trapdoor down and climbed in and bolted the door in place again.  He felt something on his arm and brushed it off thinking it was a moth….it was getting dark.  Then something else was on his coat collar and then he heard a very loud buzzing coming from above his head.  When he looked up he saw it was a hornet’s nest and they were coming out of the nest in droves.  He managed to unbolt the trapdoor and climb down the ladder with the hornets in pursuit.  Luckily the Land Rover was near and he got into it without being stung!

Jackson is nearly back to normal. He does have a very wild streak to his nature. He suddenly gets a look in his eyes and attacks! He sits in ambush behind things and leaps out and bites as you go buy. Or else he waits until Slip is not looking and rushes up to her and jumps on her back with  his claws out.  Then he will change back and be sweet and loving again. Slip is starting to be afraid of him which is not good as she was so nice to him when he was tiny.  The vet did tell me that most Bengals rule dogs – I am starting to believe her!

Now I must go and make a cheese and potato pie for dinner!!  Back tomorrow.

August 23

Rowan Studio 21

Today I have a sneak peak of Rowan Studio #21 for you – it won’t be available until October.  The designs use either Rowan Cashsoft 4 ply or DK.

I am in a rush tonight as one of our friend’s mother died yesterday and we are going to visit.  I will be back tomorrow and write more.

August 22

FIlatura di Crosa Cincilla

Sorry I have not written for the last 2 days. I have been busy and felt tired.
The Filatura di Crosa rep came on Friday and I ordered some Superior, Zarina and a new yarn call Cincilla. It is rather like fur and is very soft and knits on big needles.

Last night we went out for a meal at Coho with Steve and Lyn.  I had prawn and crab mousse with a raspberry dressing to start with and mussels in white wine and coconut sauce for the main course.  My only complaint would be that I did not get any bread with the mussels!  Stave had Lobster Bisque to start with and then a steak, John had jumbo prawns to start with and then steak also and Lyn had scallops and bacon to start with and then fillet of sea bass.  All vegetables are extra which I think is a bit of a rip off!!  $5 for a portion of peas?!!!

Today I am cooking a chicken curry from scratch – pounding spices and dicing chillies.  We went blackberry picking this morning and so I am making pancakes stuffed with blackberries and ice cream for pudding.

Jackson is almost back to his old self – being naughty and demanding.  I have discovered what was causing the drool on his face each morning!  I noticed that his face was OK when I took him his breakfast but once he had eaten it , one side of his face and the top of his head were wet.  I feed him in his indoor pen so that Slip does not steal the food.  I fed as normal yesterday morning and left him to it. Then I went back in the room to get John a banana.  There was Slip with her tongue through the mesh of the cage trying to lick Jackson’s breakfast up. Jackson’s face was over the bowl and so her tongue was also licking him – hence the wet face!!  This morning I shut her out whilst he was eating – no wet face!! She is a bad dog!

Now I must dash and make the accompaniments for the curry.  Back tomorrow.