How is my knitting going you ask?

I had my first knitting lesson back on March 12th.  So two months later here is what I have learned:

• I can do a slip knot; albeit looking at instructions on the internet, I just need to do it more often.
• I can cast on
• I can cast off
• I can do both the knit and purl stitches
• I can follow a very simple pattern
• I can "knit in the round."
• I know how to "k2tog," which means knit two stitches together.

All of the above I feel confident in doing.

I have even finished knitting two items that are wearable:

These are toddler knitted hats, using this pattern.  I knit this hat first:

Then this hat on Tuesday/Wednesday, I am finding it a lot looser knit for some reason?

My baby blanket is a work in progress but I am in no hurry to finish it.  I do want to make another toddler hat, so that I have one for each of the grands.  I still have a LOT to learn with this knitting.  I would like to knit a pair of mittens next, but even the simplest mittens knitting pattern confuses me still.

Overall I am pleased with my progress and even if all I ever learn to knit is hats and blankets, both are useful things.  I still go to the knit and sit session on a Tuesday and I thoroughly enjoy myself and the advise they give me is super.  

Remembering........

When I was visiting blogs, Randomosity had a youtube video of The Proclaimers.  Do you remember The Proclaimers?  I think their most famous song is this one:



I love their music and I think I know all the words to 500 miles.  The Proclaimers are Scottish and I am English; our accents are completely different despite what a lot of people think.  However when I sing along to this song I develop a pretty good Scottish accent I think, which I think is very funny.

As for remembering, back in 1988 The Proclaimers were performing a gig at a place reasonably close to where we lived in England, called Kendal.  However we had booked to come over to Canada for a week for dh to find a job and to double check we wanted to come and live over here.  Although bummed because I couldn't go and see The Proclaimers, no regrets at making that trip to Canada, as it was the first step in coming over here to live.

Then this will make more sense to the Canadians out there.  The government has finally caught up with me!!  I still have the red and white health card. Got a letter in the mail a couple of weeks ago to go and get one of the new ones.  As it has your photo on, it has taken this long for me to feel and look human again.  So off I went on Tuesday to get it done; so I am guessing every five years I have to get it redone?  I liked the red and white ones as they had no expiry dates on them.

Was in and out the office in under five minutes and at least half of the time was spent talking about our Ford Fiesta's both the lady in the office and I own!!  Got to love small town living.

I went to knitting also on Tuesday and left early as I was so tired.  So due to that fact I did not get an opportunity to catch up on everyone's blogs sorry.

For Shelley here is a link to the fish cake recipe.

So what did I do on Monday?

As I am feeling a lot better, I decided to get some jobs done around the house.  Started off with cleaning the bathrooms, which is a typical Monday and Friday morning job.  Threw in a load of laundry.  Our laundry room is in our powder room behind two large doors, on the main floor.

I decided to do some cooking and made fishcakes, fish in parsley sauce with peas and, cauliflower and cheese sauce.  There was enough fish cakes for one meal for Monday nights supper and one meal to put in the freezer:

Prepared some fruit to put into dh's lunches and for our dessert:

Made out our menu plan.  I see I spelled parsley wrong on the menu, just couldn't be bothered to take another photo.

I posted three book reviews here of the books below in the photo.

Along with tidying up parts of the house along the way, by the time I got to the book reviews I was getting tired.  So after posting the book reviews I didn't do much.  There's always tomorrow.

Did you have a busy Monday?

Porta Potties on the move.

Went up to Barrie on Sunday, and when we got onto the highway we saw these in front of us:

Managed to get a bit closer, as they were travelling at 120 km, so obviously they were all empty:

Finally caught up with them when they slowed down to turn off the highway:

My dad used to drive a truck delivering brick and stone to building sites, where there is always a porta potty.  Have to say he had some really funny stories about porta potties and building sites.  They were forever being knocked over or backed into!!  The porta potties I see the most of tend to be blue or green so orange was a new one for me.

Poor Little Munchkin and I was just so fashionable!!

I was well enough to go down to dd house with dh on Saturday.  Got there and went with dd and Our Little Munchkin to the walk-in clinic as she is not well again.

The doctor she saw had an x-ray fetish, as I am quite sure half his patients ended up going for x-rays and then coming back.  Our Little Munchkin was one of them.  Luckily I was there, as dd held her arms and I held her legs, to keep her still.  The doctor wanted to make sure she had something going on in her chest.

Hello, you could hear her wheezing when she is sat on your knee.  Over three hours later we get her home and straight to bed, where she slept for FOUR hours.  She has a chest infection and is on antibiotics AGAIN.  This is the third time in three months.  Dd takes her for her 18 month check up this month and will have a talk with the doctor to see what on earth is going on.  As every time she gets a cold, it turns into a chest infection and/or an ear infection.

She was breast fed right until she was a year old, so you would think that would help.  Daycare is the issue, as it's one child after another that is sick.   Pink Eye is going around, Our Little Munchkin is fine, just this chest infection.

Poor Little Munchkin, she always looks so sorrowful when she is sick.  As for me, I am getting there, but it's flipping slow going {{{SIGH}}}

Congratulations to Prince William, Kate and Prince George on the birth of their daughter/sister.

Oh, and for the fashionable bit, my feet were cold on the way home from dd, so I put a pair of socks on; I was wearing slip on sandals.  We then called in at Timmie's (coffee shop) and I left my socks on!!  I know socks and sandal's...where were the fashion police!!!  I decided I wouldn't bore you with a photo.  I am so going to get ANOTHER lecture from dd about wearing socks and sandals!

A bit of a short post..........

Taking Peptobismol and Advil for my stomach, as per the pharmacist and it is helping me a lot.    My stomach although upset doesn't have me doubled over.  I am feeling a little better bronchitis wise, but still very tired.

Hope you have a good weekend.

Home of the week and other things.

This week's "Home of the Week," is not bad, but of course pricey at $1.8 million.  For that you get baseboard heaters, which means electric heat, which means EXPENSIVE!!!  At least they haven't taken all the charm out of the house, like last week's and it does have a decent size front and back yard.  Backs onto the Don Valley Parkway, so could be noisy; I'll pass.

I actually like the look of this week's "Condo of the Week."  At $740,000 with monthly maintenance fees of $355 it's not crazy priced like some.  Love the kitchen and the balcony/terrace.  Would make the den a second bedroom.  I would never buy the place, but do like the look of it.

The horse pills I was prescribed are doing a number on my stomach, but will persevere as I am breathing a bit better, and that means a lot; and yes I feel as though I am taking the larger pills!

(image credit)

Another new month is upon us.  Lets hope the weather continues to get better.  We have enjoyed temperatures in the high teens, low 20's centigrade, so very happy with that.  The heating went off yesterday, and here's hoping it doesn't come back on until at least October.  As I have mentioned before our bills in this house are a fraction of what they were in the farmhouse.  Our hydro bill was under $130 for the past two months, and remember I use the dryer now to dry the laundry as we can't hang it out.  Our heating bill for this past month was just over $80, which was a little more than normal?  Not sure why there, but still good.  I will continue to pay $75 a month year round on the gas bill as I find that way I can have a credit for winter months when the heating bill will be higher.

We still haven't had a house/property tax bill, as we have not been assessed yet.  I did see an MPAC car knocking about the neighbourhood last week, so am guessing they have or will be assessing us shortly.  Now some people have been in their houses up to three years and have not been assessed, so they will have a bloody big tax bill.  We will have been in a year in June, so we will owe a years money plus whatever we owe to get up to date.  I have been putting money away weekly so have more than enough money to pay for the year, plus what we owe to bring us up to date.

I wonder if everyone else has had enough common sense to do that?  The people who haven't paid in say three years, will owe at least $10,000 if not more for the three years, that's a lot of money to come up with.

Sorry if I didn't get to comment on your blog yesterday I was really tired all day, not helped by the coughing and the trips to the bathroom everytime I had something to eat..TMI?  (too much information!)