An age-related post.

We were in York on Saturday, visiting the mater and doing a little more shopping. Actually, quite a lot of shopping in some ways, as we finally took the decision that as the spare room is used only very rarely as such, it would be much more use to change the primary focus to additional workroom that could be very nice to sleep in. So we have on order what seems to be a very comfortable futon, and some matching shelving with a nifty bureau insert.

Although that is all rather by the by.

We walked down as far as Stonegate looking for somewhere to have lunch, and I found a cat shop. And inside the cat shop, I found a wonderful toy, at least, I thought it was, although the DSM was extremely sniffy about it. I bought it - and he has had to eat his words.

This was intended, of course, for the young cats. And indeed, they have been having fun with it. Ruby most ingeniously toppled it over and proceeded to drag as much of it as possible through various holes in the box it was packed in. We are not quite sure how she managed it, but she had a lot of fum in the process.



The favourite tunnel is also used in the great game.

But the big surprise was that Neelix, all of twelve years old, has been absolutely fascinated by the thing (it is battery driven to whisk around fairly randomly) and will spend as long as we will let him playing with it. And the kids defer to him, too.



So, after York, we went to Leeds where we had tickets for the opera. Time to kill, so we went in to Borders. I found a Spin Off on the news stand, which I was convinced that I hadn't seen, but as it is the Spring one, I must have done. Seen briefly and then lost. And lo, it is full of articles about spindle spinning and top and bottom whorls. Which I had completely forgotten - duh. I am now feeling both elderly and foolish, I would have referred to it in my last post if my brain had been functioning. Ah, well.

The opera - Don Carlos - was lovely, musically, but a terrible staging, dark and full of odd walls and channels and things. I could see what the designer was getting at, but I didn't feel that it worked, and that is always distracting. Posa and Carlos - especially the former - were lovely, likewise Eboli, but Elizabeth, although possessed of a good voice mostly didn't cut it for me, except when her lady in waiting was dismissed. Then, she created an atmosphere of dignity and emotion that worked well.

But I never see Don Carlos without viewing it as the story of Posa's unrequited love for Carlos, rather than Carlos's for Elizabeth. Works much better that way for me! And then of course, there are all the flights of fancy about a prince, Charles, with a father, Philip, who doesn't really rate him, and a mother, Elizabeth, who....but there I tend to get stuck!

I have been running some of the quick and easy dye baths for the Woolfest talk, with reasonable success, mostly. I'll do a proper post when it is all finished. I'm going to spend the rest of this chilly Bank Holiday with a crochet scarf I am trialling, and some spinning of silk. Wrapped up in a shalw and with the heating on!

May? May-be!