It's been excellent staying-inside weather, and I've made a concerted effort to finish those knitting and crochet WIPs in my basket. I FINALLY finished A's baby blanket (only *cough* two and half years later), and I've cast on the back piece of the dreaded Sauvie vest. It should be ready for next winter.
I'm also working on some clothes for the girls' dolls in the hope that they might stop raiding their own drawers for doll clothes. Anyone else's kids do this? It drives me berserk!!
Speaking of those little girls, it's been a real joy and a BIG relief for me to see them start to get along and play cooperatively at last. Basically since A has been able to express herself she and J have fought. I mean they really go to town. It never occurred to me in having two kids close together that they would fight so much. Recently they seem to have found a groove together though.
Maybe because A can participate in imaginative play a bit better now, or maybe because J is a bit older and more understanding, or probably a combination of a million factors, but it's been a delight and, like I said, a huge relief. They might not end up on the Jeremy Kyle show after all!
Other than playing nicely with her sister, J is suddenly consumed with writing. She doesn't really draw and has never shown much interest in writing, other than her adorable pretend writing which looks like the scratchings of a serial killer. When I've offered to teach her how to write her name she couldn't be less interested. If it's not important to her, it's not important to me.
Until now! It's fascinating to watch, to see it click in her mind, and her excitement that all those shapes can be arranged to mean something. The first recognisable thing she wrote was B's name and I think I almost saw a tear in his eye when she showed him.
With all this sun and rain the vegetable garden is going off its head. Remember what it looked like a month ago? Here let me remind you:
And here it is today:
I cannot keep on top of the weeds. I weeded it a week ago. I give up. I'm now just trying to keep the beds weed-free and let the paths take care of themselves. I do hate how messy it looks but there just is not the time, especially as I also have to mow the grass at least once a week or else it's like trying to cut hay.
One reason I've been trying to get through my craft WIPs is because at this time of year they take up too much time. There's grass to mow, garden beds to weed, plants to plant, water, harvest, stake, and prune. My knitting naturally falls down the list as the days warm up.
Plus, it's much harder to sit on the deck supervising the girls' water play with knitting on my lap than with my ukulele in hand practising my latest song. I have a folder full of tunes to learn and am still really enjoying myself. Can't say I will be dragging it out at parties or anything just yet (singing in public, no thank you) but it's fun for me and the girls have even started making requests which is very gratifying. Although admittedly sometimes I get a couple of bars in and A starts yelling "Mummy no! Mummy 'top. 'TOP IT, MUM".
I hate to do this to you, but just think - a month from today it will be CHRISTMAS!!
