You never realise how weird your friends are until you start describing them to someone else

One of the many things the children, particularly Lucy, are having to learn, and I'm trying so hard to teach them, is the important difference between being friendly and having friends.  Now, I'm a bad example, as I am generally unfriendly to people I don't know, kind to people I like and positively rude to people I don't like.  Simon, on the other hand, is generally friendly to everyone, so much so that people don't realise when he doesn't like them.  

Lucy is going to have to learn all these super social skills for herself.  Where will she draw the line?  I've suggested to both girls that people who hurt you physically have no place in your friendship group, and actually you don't need to even be nice to them.  If someone hit me on the head with a heavy object for no reason other than I was standing on the carpet in a funny way, I wouldn't have anything more to do with them and neither should my children.  But what about the girls who don't want to play, who whisper, giggle and point?  Are they just a normal part of growing up, or should we do something about them?

I have no idea.  My instinct is that some people just aren't very kind, but the social reformer in me says that we should try to help these girls to be pleasant individuals.  I don't want Lucy to be sad at school, but equally I don't want to be hovering over her all the time, trying to make sure that she is happy.  I had a terrible time at school, absolutely loathed it, and I don't want her to feel the same way.  We're trying having friends round to tea, which is lovely and brilliant, as the girls run off to Lucy's bedroom and get on with it, and difficult and painful when they both come downstairs in their pants, or isolate poor old Hattie.  I'm going to end up with multiple friends round at this rate.  The wine bill will soar. 

In exciting SENCO course news, I have now read 12 articles on dysgraphia, handwriting readiness and boys learning in the Early Years, and completed my first draft of the literature review.  I've now got to write an outline by the 5th of February, and then I've got to get on with my intervention and the essay.  So not much.  

Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in a forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers.

Solistice.  It's half four, and it's been dark for nearly half an hour now.  Not unusual in the Winter, but after the next few days, the light will start returning, and then the Spring, and hopefully some warmth.  I've got all the candles I can find lit, banishing the dark without turning on the electric light.  We've got the fire going too, so the house is toasty and warm.

I'm looking forward to Christmas this year.  For the first time ever, I'm knitting someone something, and it's looking as if he will be getting it still on the needles.  My fantastic Secret Santa present was a knitting bag, and it's very, very cool.

Definitely coming with me to Cambridge.

The Knit List is unchanged.  *sigh*

• A small jumper for Nicholas - Christmas knitting.  I had a bit of a disaster where I discovered that one sleeve was considerably wider than the other.  You'd think I could read a bloody knitting pattern by now.
• Burton Bear cowl for Hattie.  Brown wool found.  Placed in knitting bag with pattern and needles.  Awaiting cast on fairy.
• Wisteria jumper - located.  I have been working on one of the sleeves, and will continue to do so once the small jumper is finished.

The rest is the same as before.  Deep joy.  Still, I'll get some done in the Christmas holidays.

• The Weather in the Streets - January to June done AND SEWN TOGETHER.  July in progress.
• Owl Obsession for one of my godsons - it's for his second birthday.  I've bought the pattern.
• Hexipuff Quilt (I'm aiming to get 250/500 done by the end of June 2015) Ho hum.
• Lucy Attic24 Ripple Blanket - I've now completed 20 rows.  Yellow row next.
• Nicholas' POP blanket - There are still 9 completed squares.   Needs to be done by April, so not that long to go.  Aargh.
• An Owlet for Hattie - yarn located
• Ringo and Elwood mittens in grey and brown - well, I've bought the yarn.
• Peacock Mitten - one done, started the other.
• Coraline cardigan - moved to be finished by February; this is Britain, it will still be cold then
• Petrie top - I have some rather fine Peacock coloured yarn to make this with, but it is a spring weight top, so it is on hold until January 2015.
• Knitted Coco - got the yarn, printed out a pattern, just got to start.  Also, see above.
• Socks for me - meh
• Rainbow jumper - I have accepted that I won't find the bag, so I have bought some replacement wool.  *sob*
• A Little Birds jumper with no steeks - still planning
• Reknit an unwearably large jumper for Simon - not proving as popular an idea as I thought it would be.

Done:
Myrna Cardigan
Hattie's cardigan.
A pair of simple socks for the children
Garter Yoke Cardigan
An Owlet for Lucy
Lucy's Cowl
Hattie's Cowl
A Burton Bear Cowl for Lucy
Simon's socks
Boreal

It's our Nine Lessons and Carols tonight; the church will be full of candles and peace and should be delightful.  We're looking forward to it, especially because we're abandoning the children with a babysitter, and just going together.  Church this morning was about Mary; fourth Sunday in Advent, and she finally gets a look in.  Our vicar talked about her acceptance of Scripture, and that she must have been a very religious person in order to go against her culture, and the expectations of her family and upbringing.  The Bible is written in its time; the words need to be interpreted by each culture as they come to it. and bits like St Paul talking about the need for women to be veiled in church and that women should keep silent are clearly a load of old rubbish.  Let's smash that stained glass ceiling.  

My Mascara Runs Faster Than I Can

When I started running after Easter, I never in a billion years dreamed I would find it addictive.  Yet I've been out in the freezing cold, in the pouring rain, and this morning with a funny feeling across my left ankle, which I walked and ran off.  It's fine now.  Stupid thing.  I'm learning all about Ealing, learning where there are hills, where there are nice fast flat bits, and that running around Walpole and Lammas parks is pretty boring, and not a patch on running on the pavement around the nice houses.  Odd that.

[I tried to put a picture of my route here, but it doesn't work.  Imagine a red faced idiot in leggings running past traditional Victorian/Edwardian houses, and you'll get the idea.]

I've been running home from dropping the children a couple of days a week; I make sure I get off the bus route, and just go.  This morning I tired of Lammas Park, and ran around the back streets between Northfields and Boston Manor Road, which was delightful.  The ankle niggle meant that I ran for about 15 mins, walked until it didn't hurt, then ran until I couldn't bear it any more.  I stopped for a chat with a friend, and that cured it pretty well, so I was able to run almost all the way home, with a detour to make it up to 5km.  The goal at the moment is the WINTER RUN, a 10 kilometre slog around Central London, in about 2 months time.  I can now easily run 5km, and ran 6 on Friday, and 5.86 today, so basically 6.  Just another 4 to go, and it shouldn't be that hard really.  The plan is to do it in under an hour and a half and then go to the pub.  That might mean I have to speed up a bit.

I've definitely changed shape from all the running - I still have my hourglass figure with the extra sand, but there is less sand than there was before.  I'm planning on doing the dreaded Shred next month, and seeing how that goes.  I do not like it much, but it undeniably works, dammit.  It should complement the running, and hopefully get rid of the post c-section tummy overhang; it's been 4 years, I really should do SOMETHING.

No sewing at the moment, I just don't seem to have the energy.

This is what I do. I drop "truth bombs."

The Sunday night knitting klaxon is going off again.

I've not made a huge amount of progress since my last update; which isn't that surprising considering that I only did an update on the 8th, and I have yet to master sleep knitting.  Still, since July, I have made bags of progress, and that's a GREAT feeling.

• Boreal.  Done and done and worn twice.  I love it.  

• A small jumper for Nicholas - Christmas knitting.  It is really quite, well, large.  Simon, sarcastic tease that he is, suggests I compare it to my gauge swatch.  
• Burton Bear cowl for Hattie.  Brown wool found.  Placed in knitting bag with pattern and needles.  Awaiting cast on fairy.
• Wisteria jumper - located.  I have been working on one of the sleeves, and will continue to do so once the small jumper is finished.

The rest is the same as before.  Deep joy.  Still, I'll get some done in the Christmas holidays.

• The Weather in the Streets - January to June done AND SEWN TOGETHER.  July in progress.
• Owl Obsession for one of my godsons - it's for his second birthday.  I've bought the pattern.
• Hexipuff Quilt (I'm aiming to get 250/500 done by the end of June 2015) Ho hum.
• Lucy Attic24 Ripple Blanket - I've now completed 20 rows.  Yellow row next.
• Nicholas' POP blanket - There are still 9 completed squares.   Needs to be done by April, so not that long to go.  Aargh.
• An Owlet for Hattie - yarn located
• Ringo and Elwood mittens in grey and brown - well, I've bought the yarn.
• Peacock Mitten - one done, started the other.
• Coraline cardigan - moved to be finished by February; this is Britain, it will still be cold then
• Petrie top - I have some rather fine Peacock coloured yarn to make this with, but it is a spring weight top, so it is on hold until January 2015.
• Knitted Coco - got the yarn, printed out a pattern, just got to start.  Also, see above.
• Socks for me - meh
• Rainbow jumper - disaster has struck.  I have misplaced the bag with it in.  I don't know where it is, I think it is in the pub, but they deny all knowledge.  Aargh.
• A Little Birds jumper with no steeks - still planning
• Reknit an unwearably large jumper for Simon - not proving as popular an idea as I thought it would be.

Done:
Myrna Cardigan
Hattie's cardigan.
A pair of simple socks for the children
Garter Yoke Cardigan
An Owlet for Lucy
Lucy's Cowl
Hattie's Cowl
A Burton Bear Cowl for Lucy
Simon's socks

You're not autistic, you're neurotic and lack social skills

I have caught "old" from someone, probably my considerably older than me husband.  It's jolly cold here at the moment, and I'm tucked up on the sofa with my blanket, computer on my lap, watching Grantchester; I'm thinking of making myself a pair of fingerless gloves and a proper old man Steptoe hat.  I'm even having soup for my dinner; it's bacon and borlotti with chilli oil in it - it's not great, too thin and needs seasoning, but it'll do for tonight and for lunch at the weekend.

It's Christmas lunch at school tomorrow, so brace yourselves for beautiful, slightly out of focus pictures of my Elsa jumper - like the Snow Queen needs a jumper, but maybe Sven knitted Anna one as a Midwinter gift, and like everyone else in the world, she wants to look like Elsa.  It's a bit big, but the colour is fabulous, and it fits me well enough.  I think it's meant to have a bit of positive ease, and it was such a bugger to knit that I've no desire to try to "fix" it.  Next time I'll make it a bit smaller, and maybe use Cascade; a purple Boreal would look delightful.  Or perhaps I could use that lovely blue that I seem to have lots and lots in stash.

It was the SENCo course today and jolly interesting and relevant for a change.  My essay is coming along nicely; I've sorted the title out - "What is the impact of Write Dance on handwriting skills of boys in Year One?"  As you can imagine, it will be a fascinating read, and sure to win all the prizes available from the IoE/UCL merged college.  Yet another qualification from a London college; Birkbeck, Goldsmiths and now UCL.  Scintillating stuff.

There's not much else to say.  We're off out tomorrow to watch James Rhodes do his stuff at the Soho Theatre; a novelty for us to be out together, and let's see how long it is before we're talking about the children.  Is it wrong to hope that Benedict Cumberbatch will be there too?

Another voice crying out in the wilderness

It's nearly Christmas, and the round of parties, shows, food shopping and preparation has begun again.  I've made our cake, which is being fed with the finest brandy by my parents; our pudding is maturing in the cupboard; the children's gift mountain is building up, and our church is collecting presents for the families in our local Women's Refuge.

I was a bit stumped this year.  What do you get 12 and 13 year old children?  I have no idea, so they are getting clothes.  There's also a baby on the way, to another woman running away, and they are getting a gift card and a baby gro.  Children in the middle are getting Hello Kitty gloves and Spiderman socks.  I've also got some lovely smellies for the mums, and some boxes of chocolate to share around.  It involved shopping at Primark, which I rarely do, but they have some nice stuff that will do very well for everyone. 

The food bank also needs support, so I buy something everytime I'm in Tesco, and actually, because I don't really go to Tesco either, I go there on purpose.  Yesterday I bought two packets of tea, a jar of instant and some hot chocolate for them.  Some weeks, I buy a couple of tins of chilli or bolognaise, some rice or some pasta, or some milk powder or UHT.  

Why am I telling you all of this?  It's not because I want to show you what a good person I am, it's to show that you can do good easily, without going out of your way or by spending a lot of money.  If I had picked up the children in the middle of the night and run, I would want to know that some one out there cared enough to buy them a Christmas present;  Lord knows the poor souls must be going through hell at the moment.  If I was in a low paying job, trying to make both ends meet, being referred to the food bank, I'd want to know that people cared enough to do something, even something as small and seemingly trivial as adding a fiver to their weekly shopping.

I am privileged, I KNOW, and I use my privilege to try to do the right thing.  I don't bang on about it, but I am religious and I feel we should be helping people.  The Archbishop of Canterbury backed a report a few days ago; I don't think it's all down to surplus food being wasted - it is down to low wages.  It's down to benefit cuts.  The women's refuge in Hanwell has had its funding cut and cut and cut again, and now it's basically supported by volunteers and people's second hand goods.  Yet it is busier than ever.  Why is that?

Why aren't people who are in work able to feed their families?  Why aren't we, with our supposedly flourishing economy, able to look after the people in our country?  People pay taxes, why are they not used to support the most vulnerable in society?  Why are people thrown to the wolves?

I can talk to animals! Well, not talk to them. I can take commands from them.

I have ill for absolutely ages.  Yesterday was the first day I've felt even vaguely human, so I went for run, and then sat on the sofa, coughing away like a 40 a day life long smoker.  Lovely.  

Things have been busy at work; Parents' Evening, the joy of my winter - the Nursery Christmas Extravaganza, the need to do some work for my SENCo course building up and other seasonal joys.  If I have to sing "When Santa got stuck up the chimney" again, I'll go a bit funny.

The sewing has suffered, but the knitting is carrying on.  Slight progress made in some areas, not a lot to report though.  

• The Weather in the Streets - January to June done AND SEWN TOGETHER.  July in progress.
• Owl Obsession for one of my godsons - it's for his second birthday.  I've bought the pattern.  
• Hexipuff Quilt (I'm aiming to get 250/500 done by the end of June 2015) Ho hum.
• Lucy Attic24 Ripple Blanket - I've now completed 20 rows.  Yellow row next.
• Nicholas' POP blanket - There are still 9 completed squares. 
• A small jumper for Nicholas - Christmas knitting.  Why am I doing this to myself.
• Burton Bear cowl for Hattie.  Brown wool ordered.
• An Owlet for Hattie - yarn located
• Ringo and Elwood mittens in grey and brown - well, I've bought the yarn
• Boreal - FINISHED AND DONE.
• Wisteria jumper - located.  It JUST needs sleeves.
• Peacock Mitten - one done, started the other.
• Coraline cardigan - moved to be finished by February; this is Britain, it will still be cold then
• Petrie top - I have some rather fine Peacock coloured yarn to make this with, but it is a spring weight top, so it is on hold until January 2015.
• Knitted Coco - got the yarn, printed out a pattern, just got to start.  Also, see above.
• Socks for me - meh
• Rainbow jumper - disaster has struck.  I have misplaced the bag with it in.  I don't know where it is, I think it is in the pub, but they deny all knowledge.  Aargh.
• A Little Birds jumper with no steeks - still planning
• Reknit an unwearably large jumper - not proving as popular an idea as I thought it would be.

Done:
Myrna Cardigan
Hattie's cardigan.
A pair of simple socks for the children
Garter Yoke Cardigan
An Owlet for Lucy
Lucy's Cowl
Hattie's Cowl
A Burton Bear Cowl for Lucy
Simon's socks

It's all really quite exciting.  In a way.  I'm not sure I'll get much more done this year, but who can say.