Inspiration/lack of inspiration

Sometimes it is easy. A project is started, or completed; a technique has been fascinating you; you have been somewhere, or met someone, interesting.

Sometimes, not so. You may have been jogging away at some pleasing stuff, but it isn't yet, or may never be blogworthy. There's nothing wrong with life, your mojo, or anything else. It is all just....mundane.

And then just sometimes, something gets in the way - maybe only "life" (or the ironing); maybe something a little bit more demanding of one's focus.

When I started this blog, I was asked by someone if I was doing the revealing the innermost thoughts thing. Well, nope. OK, maybe just occasionally. What you get, hopefully, is some of the things I have been doing that I regard as share-worthy; a record of my work and teaching; thoughts about fibrecrafts - and as I freely admit, ramblings about other stuff that I enjoy. But not, I devoutly hope, a Dear Diary, my BFF was mean to me. Yeah, well, I verge, sometimes!

Recently, mainly the not-so of late. I am doing stuff, principally lots of spindle spinning and knitting with spindle spun yarn, as we have a lot of workshops coming up. Other prepwork for those classes. Doing some writing, and I'm not going to blog about that if it is going to be published elsewhere.

But here, I am going to verge a bit. I've been distracted by some health issues, apparently nothing too serious, just uncomfortable, when all of a sudden my GP goes in to panic mode and fast tracks me in to the hospital appointment system. Now, that is enough to distract anyone from blogging, if not of the letting it all hang out persuasion!

Two appointments later, one of which was my first ever endoscopy, such fun, and it seems as if all is going to be well. Apparently, I take after both my parents - courtesy of the mater I have a hiatus hernia, and thanks to my father, I have a gastric ulcer. And, resulting from both these things no doubt, oesophagitis to boot. (OK, so it could all be coincidence, but I am a great believer in heredity!)

Well, that explains a lot!

I'm going back to my spindle spinning now. I should have more interesting blog-fodder soon, we have a couple of theatre trips upcoming and one or two projects coming to a climax. I'm feeling pretty positive in the main, and all we need is the sun back in big enough chunks for me to sit out in it and I shall be a new woman, I tell you.

I'm even beginning to get used to having the DSM around all the time. Partly because I am heartily amused by his addiction to the internet, after all these years of teasing me. Ravelry in particular - he is hardly ever off it, as I am sure that many of you will have noticed. I feel that I need to post a disclaimer that I do not necessarily share the opinions of my spouse. On the other hand, as he is doing such a great job of making me real rice pudding (thereby disproving his family's adage of "poorly sick and can't eat rice pudding") perhaps I should just leave the poor guy alone.

For once.....

The day we went to Durdle Door and came back home by Wool

Of which more later.

We are returned, after a lovely stay away in the far south west, where to our complete and utter amazement, the weather stayed largely fine and warm. There was even paddling done (not quite balmy enough for total immersion in the waves.....)

DMIL was very well, in fine form, and happily amused by our idiocy. We had a lovely couple of days with her in Cornwall before transporting ourselves to Lyme Regis. From there, we visited DAIL (the DSM's aunt) who was pretty good too. We went on her 90th birthday to her care home, and three members of staff brought us tea and a pretty cake with candles; we all sang to her as best we could, which actually sounded ok. I think the care home staff must have had good voices.

I can't hope to play catch-up on all of this. Although we had good internet access on my dongle in Cornwall, we most certainly did not in Lyme, without climbing mountains or swinging from lamp-posts or something. The DSM would do this - he can't bear to be without his Ravelry fix these days - but I decided against.

We were out and about quite a bit. We need to return again and again as we have barely scratched the surface of the delights. One trip we did was to Barrington Court, a National Trust property famous for its gardens and using the kitchen garden produce in the restaurant. So we lunched on fresh asparagus and rhubarb crumble - yum!





Even the former calf pens were enchanting!



Our other trip of note was to Lulworth Cove and its environs. A longish drive, but well worth it, not least because in the bright and warm spring that we have enjoyed, all the plants are positively burgeoning, and many are very early. So everywhere you go, the lanes, hedges and gardens are festooned with swathes of hawthorn, chestnut candles, cow parsley, bluebells, campion, buttercups and then lilac, ceanothus, clematis, wisteria and masses of roses. Quite amazing.

Anyway, the cove.





And on.......





.....to Durdle Door.

Now, I think the name sounds unimpressive. And I thought that Wool (a village on the way home) seemed that it could maybe bid to be the most picturesque of all the gorgeous thatch-encrusted &etc villages that we had been passing through all week. Not a bit of it. Durdle Door is gorgeous, and well worth the climb back up to the car park that would probably be improved with ropes and pitons; Wool was...well, rather grim. Not a charming cottage in sight. Sprawling and modern, with no Allinghamesque touches whatsoever. Still, as practically everywhere else positively oozed quaint charm, who dares complain? Certainly not me.

We did spin and knit, just to return to basics. Not as much as we had intended - does one ever? - but I finished and washed the spindle spun yarn for der tea cosy, and finished the cormo shawlette, except that I have to spin silk for the edging.

So now back once more to reality. All that washing, for instance. Other stuff.

Other stuff. Of which, again more later.

The flowers that bloom in the spring, tra la!

Lovely day out yesterday, to the Lancs and Lakes Guild exhibition. I've been to one or two of theirs before, and knew to expect some lovely work. We were not disappointed.

However, it is not photos from the exhibition that I am about to show you. The event was being held in a garden centre (an absolutely massive and impressive one, with a huge and splendid cafe full of gooey delights and all sorts of good stuff. But otherwise, east your eyes on these beauties........









Any guesses as to what these might be? Well, let me tell the tale. Like good boys and girls (Magrat was with us) we all duly trotted off to avail ourselves of the facilities before setting off home. When we emerged, the DSM was waiting eagerly for us (well, why not, eh?) but apparently bursting with something we did take to be excitement.

"You must" he said "look in here!!" and dragged us into the Gents (he did check it was empty first!)

Those lovelies above are.....the urinals.

Could I resist blogging them? No, demonstrably, I could not.

I will restore the tone a little bit - there have been no cat pics for ages, so here is Madam Ruby enjoying the latest and as yet undeconstructed cube. Even with all the fine weather and outdoors-going, she still loves them. Amazingly, there is No Hunting as yet - don't understand it, they were fiends last year.



We are off on our travels again tomorrow, first Cornwall and then Lyme Regis for a few days. So, the weather is about to break. I'm taking several spindles (new silk projects on two, two wool ones already on the go and more lining up.) The cormo shawlette is coming along nicely. I shall use all the wool for the shawl and some of the silk is for the picot edging. With my bag also packed wih iPod, Kindle and notebook, I am good for any eventuality!