Home Sweet Home!

Peter and I are just back home recently from a trip over to England - it was all a bit of a rush really as we were going over to help look after P's Mum after she had an operation to remove a cataract. I'm happy to say that it all has gone well and her eye-sight is lots better - she can finally see things out in the garden/on the TV etc and has been able to have a look at the crossword in the newspaper again (using a magnifying glass while they are waiting a few weeks for her to have a proper eye test). She's had a few bad days after the operation and we were all a bit apprehensive that it wouldn't 'work' (and she's totally blind in her other eye so it really needed to be a success)

While we were over we fitted in just SO much in to our time there; trips to the cinema, visiting Peter's lovely daughter and her boyfriend in their new house -- they'd moved in six months ago but this was the first time I'd been over to England since the Springtime so it was fab to see their new home together...we also had a day out in Birmingham (which was so over-whelming, I'm not used to crowds and so much noise now!), and finished off our time over there by going down to Portsmouth to visit my sister and her family for a flying visit too.

I also was able to finally get the wools I'd ordered a while ago - the postage was too much to Ireland so I had it sent to my mother in law's house & had to wait (impatiently!!) -- we also went to the wool shop in Kidderminster and then there's one down the road from my sister's house...

It was fab to see everyone and great to catch up but I'm just SO glad to be back home - you really can't beat sleeping in your own bed (with Oscar curled up on the pillow next to my head!)

Today was my first proper day back on the beach since we got home -- yay!! I took my crochet with me -- I'm working on a pair of wrist warmers in Tivoli Celtic Aran (which has been discontinued - nooooo!) The scarf is one I've made for myself with some yarn a friend brought me from America! I utterly adore the colours in it...it's just perfect. There was enough for me to make myself a hat too!!!

This is where I was 'working' this afternoon - the sun even came out! You really can't beat 'home' :)

October...

...and now I'm unemployed! My job on the ferry has finished for yet another year - I can't believe that I've completed my 7th season there; where does the time go? I thought I'd add some photos from the last couple of days at work; they pretty much sum it up really :) I know I'm so lucky to still love my job after so long but oh! I am so grateful for my winter break from it all. I don't really have anything life-changing planned for the winter, but I will keep myself busy with my crochet, beach combing, and tackling clearing one of the local grave yards (a 'job' I started on last winter and which will take years and years to complete)

On Etsy I've just listed my 101st item in my shop -- I had made it to 100 listings earlier this year but since then hadn't been able to make it back up there again -- because of this just being a hobby really, and real-life and work taking over in importance through the summer months. Hopefully things will pick up a bit for the winter over there...but I am intending to take part in more craft fairs to try and get some extra sales - the next one is 24/25th November on Valentia.

I've sold a couple of the wrist cuffs that I'd made for my shop - they really were a bit of an experiment so I'm really pleased that someone bought two pairs! This is a pair I just listed yesterday - the photo doesn't do them justice...they are the deepest most gorgeous shade of purple and are a blend of baby alpaca and mulberry silk - just pure heaven... If these ones don't sell I'll definitely keep them for myself as purple is my all-time favourite colour...


This is something that I'm making for myself - yay!! A lovely friend brought the wool over from America when she was on holiday over here and I'm making the most wonderful scarf with it -- isn't it lovely? I really adore how the stripes are working out properly so that the colour change isn't in the middle of a row - a happy accident! I can't wait til it's finished and I can wear it -- I'm hoping that there will be enough of the wool left over so that I can make a matching hat...I need a new hat.

I'm not really a 'hat' person but I'm recovering from the nastiest flu-y cold and found that wearing a hat outside at work really did help; so it would be good to have a couple to choose from.

 And finally..it wouldn't really be a proper blog update if I didn't post a photo of my 'darling one' -- I'm sure Oscar thinks that's his name really :) He's been so up and down lately; I don't think I've written about it on here but he has colitis which is a long term inflammation of his guts and means that he has good and bad days. On bad days he'll just want to curl up and sleep and won't eat much at all; but on the good days he's just like any other normal cat.

  I took this photo of him on a bad day and it pretty sums it up; he just wants to curl up and sleep til he starts to feel better. I know how he feels really...