Time Share Cat

Yesterday I introduced you to Dillon and today it is Oscar my time share cat. I call him the lodger as although technically he belongs to next door he spends a great amount of time with me. He comes in on cold evenings and makes use of the spare bed as you can see. He is a very timid little cat. He will tolerate my stroking him for a very short while and then whoosh he has gone to hide somewhere. Next door considers him to be an outdoors cat and treats him appropriately. He considers himself to be an indoor cat and when she puts him out he comes around to my patio door at the back in the daytime or the porch at the front in the evening. He is a clever cat. He knows which bit of the house I am likely to be in depending on what time it is. Last night when I was drawing my bedroom curtains to go to bed he was on the bonnet of the car across the road staring at my window as if to say hey it's cold out here have you forgotten me? As soon as I went downstairs and opened the front door he ran inside like Linford Christie and gave me a look as if to say - about time too!

I was very good last night. I didn't pick up my crochet hook. I continued to slog on with the aran jacket. I have almost completed the first sleeve now but decided to make the collar next as I might have to shave an inch off the sleeve length. I would rather not complete both sleeves and then not have enough wool for the collar. I could get another ball of wool but that would involve asking my very busy niece to go up to the Yarn Barn in Shaw to get it for me as a trip involves a long journey by tram and bus for me which would take me the best part of a day and I can't afford to lose a day's knitting time. The sleeves look quite long so I am sure that my other niece would not miss an inch if the wool doesn't pan out.

Today I am off to the hospital to get my CPAP machine checked out and the pressure turned up. I have been having problems for a while with this machine and have finally managed to convince them, with the aid of a sleep study, that I was right and the pressure was wrong. It has only taken me 12 months of nagging to get to this point. Maybe now I won't feel so tired and have a headache when I wake up. The machine is supposed to ensure that my oxygen levels are up and my carbon dioxide levels are down whilst I sleep so if it is set wrong then everything goes to pot. I have sleep apnoea which means that I forget to breathe when I am sleeping and so starve my brain of oxygen. Having my brain cells deprived of oxygen is not a good idea at my age as I seem to be losing enough through old age and would like to hang on to the remaining few that I have.

I will take a bit of crochet with me to the hospital in case that I have to wait. I don't usually waith long in this department but I never like to have idle hands. I will just take a hook and some dishcloth cotton. Every few rows counts when I am on the countdown to Christmas. Oscar will have to be rudely awakened before I go out as he hasn't had a toilet break since 1am this morning and I don't want to come home to a smelly house.

Washcloths - or in my case Dishcloths

Not a very exciting post today. All I have to show is 4 washcloths as they call them in the US or dishcloths as we call them in the UK. I suppose I could also use them in the bathroom but as they are this rather revolting colour them somehow I don't think so. I bought this Colorado cotton on a whim in Lidl a couple of years ago and never did much with it so I decided to put it to practical use and make dishcloths as my old ones are getting rather holey. In fairness to the cotton it is lovely and soft despite it's cheapness and had it been a different colour would have made something nicer with it.

The chunky jacket for my niece is still progressing. I have now finished two sleeves, part of the back and most of one front. The reason I am flitting about from piece to piece is that I am trying to gauge the wool as I have my doubts that the pattern states enough wool to make it as described. My niece doesn't mind losing a couple of inches off the length as the jacket is 34" long so I don't want to finish off any of the pieces in case I have to lose a bit of length. I would rather unravel at this armhole stage than after I have finished the pieces off at the shoulders.

The weather has been miserable over the last few days with Manchester living up to it's rainy reputation. The sun is, at the moment, trying to shine after a downpour this morning and I am contemplating walking up to Tesco as I need a Lottery ticket. I will of course be taking my trusty trolley and brolly. I feel like a bag lady pushing it along the pavements but pride takes a backseat when I go shopping as I cannot carry anything heavy and today I need some washing powder.

I don't understand why washing powder has to be in such large boxes as when you open them they are rarely more than two thirds full. I have tried the liquids and the sachets but somehow always come back to the powders. As I am a demon with the green soft soap and a scrubbing brush pre wash then it doesn't seem to matter how cheap/expensive my washing powder is. I never rely on powder alone to get rid of any spills and stains on my clothing. I don't buy those pre wash sprays either as I still find a bit of elbow grease, a scrubbing brush and fairy soap works better.

The last post sounds right

The last post didn't turn out as it should but the essence was there so I left it as it was. I took a quiz that I found on a blog that I read
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-qgW50WM2eq_FTtR.HOXoDro-?cq=1&p=974
She turned out to be merino wool and I turn out to be Dishcloth cotton. Ah well I always knew that I was homely!

I have started the second sock. Nobbut just as they say in Lancashire. That means I have done about 16 rows for the non Lancy folks. Maybe I will take it into the garden if it turns out to be as nice a day as yesterday. I did a bit of crochet in the garden yesterday but it's difficult when I get hot and sticky hands. I shouldn't complain as it's so nice to see the sun for a change. The garden desperately needs a few days spending on it but I have neither the enthusiasm or the back for it so I will just close my eyes and pretend it is wonderful. With my eyes shut I could be anywhere but then I couldn't knit or crochet so I can't win.

My vegetables in pots that I planted last year and then ignored are all overblown and need emptying out. I have asked a few neighbours if they have a compost bin as it seems a shame to just tip them into the dustbin but so far I don't seem to have any green people close by. I don't have any suitable receptacle to make one so the plants just stay there growing so high and blowing in the wind. I will move them one day. meanwhile they are not helping my hay fever any.

No photos today as not much to show. I am off into the jungle (sorry garden) now.