Coming down in stair-rods - again

In other words, yet more rain. Wonderful.

A nice day today. The DSM had a hospital appointment around 9.30 this morning, so we had to be moving promptly - by which I mean I did as he always is. Just a routine thing, but all is well. They are happy still to wait on him feeling able to go ahead with another cardioversion, which he will do just in case it sticks this time. Because then he could have the exercise stress test which would give him his parameters for what he can do. Although, the bugger did ask about running again, and they have told him that he can if he wants to! Starting off very gently, increasing only slowly, yada yada. He knows what my opinion is, and I know that if I said "don't" he wouldn't. But he knows that I won't do that......so around and around we go. Blergh.

Saturday was a family day. We went to York to see mama, who was on very good form, yay for modern pharmacology. Then in the evening, we went to a local restaurant for my niece's birthday gathering. A disparate bunch. A, my sister, her ex, A's father, but also the father of M, A's half-sister (well, and my nephew's too, they are around the same age, go figure) M's partner and their one child each (all three delightful), M2, A's partner, his parents, who either don't reckon me or don't know what to make of me, and C, A's best friend.

The restaurant, which used to be great, no longer is, but the company and the talk were well worth the time.

C, like A, is an artist. A beautiful girl, talented and easy to talk to. And like so many young women, totally lacking in confidence. She drew a picture of one of the kids, who reciprocated - I heard C saying to her "Oh, make me look really really skinny." She wasn't joking. Mind you, what she was relating about her parents explained a lot. Makes me wild when I hear of parents who just simply don't appreciate what gems they have just because their kids don't fit into predetermined (by aforementioned parents) little boxes.....but I digress.

C was asking me what I did with wool. She has done a number of installations using yarn to define spaces that relate to how women are forced to ...I want to say conform, but that isn't quite right...interact with social and built environments? Very interesting anyway, and very cool that young women still get this. The only sad note is that apparently, she uses acrylic yarn! I need to get together with her again and suggest a collaboration with me spinning for her, maybe.

do I envy these young women? I envy the opportunities that they have now that were not there for me, but on balance, no. And hey, I can always take Grandma Moses - or May Wesley - as a role model.

I should be the end of this evening have an FO. The hat/scarf is nearly finished. It is going to be toasty warm. I can't decide whether to leave it its natural colour, or to dye it. I have some red yarn I can whip up a pair of mittens from, so it might be cool dyed red - or would the underlying camel make it look grungy? I might have a strand or two to test, hopefully.