FOOD FOR THOUGHT and a bit of yarn..........

 Good evening all! Hope you have all enjoyed some beautiful October sunshine, wherever you happen to be. It's been fabulously glorious here in East Anglia. Can't you just tell how much I love, adore, need, the sunshine. It's been just the best thing this weekend. A weekend that precedes a busy week of parent consultation evenings on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the regular Monday and Tuesday 'after school' meetings that take place every week. Oh, how I wish I could win the lottery and give it all up, in favour of a woolly paradise. Now that really is wishful thinking, but it helps to ease the pressure ;).

Knitting has been a necessary evening 'de-stress' this week and Rowan's 'Gayle' by Marie Wallin is coming on a treat. Although there are plenty of cables to contend with, the fabric does grow quickly with the chunky yarn and size 7 needles.  The 'Purelife' undyed pure wool is so beautifully soft; it's a real pleasure to knit with.

I'm up to the armholes on the back!

I need to keep pressing on with this big knit, so that I don't loose the momentum. The youngest Miss Snoopydog would be none too pleased!!!!

I've waited avidly all week for the next installment of the 'Through the Loops' KAL, secret sock pattern. Who would have dreamed, that the anticipation of PART, not even the WHOLE, of a pattern could have caused me so much happiness and excitement ;-) All day on Friday, I thought of arriving home, doing my housey jobs and then settling down to start the leg of my sock. I have to say, I am really liking the pattern so far. There is just enough patterning to keep me interested, but not so much that I have to fire up every single brain cell in my weary brain, in order to avert mistakes. It's looking great so far.........

Last week the rib was completed. This week, the leg has taken shape, Firstly, there is a couple of inches of 'Little Boxes' pattern', which is followed by 'Tiny Trowels'. They really do look tiny garden trowels. I'm loving it!

I've been busy pottering, in the kitchen this weekend too. I don't think I could ever truly admit to being 'busy' in the kitchen. I have my little whims, when I fancy cooking or preserving something, but I'm definitely NOT an avid cook. We've pickled the last of the allotment beetroot  and harvested another couple of kilos of tomatoes. These are now slowly coming to an end, leaving us with plenty of green ones for chutney making.
 I also made a 'Lemon Trickle Cake'. I used to make this years ago, when the children were younger. My son and his close friend always took one back to Uni with them at the start of each term. Then .....shock....  horror..  the 'special' recipe disappeared!  Oh no, I hear you cry. Fear not, the story has a happy ending. Whilst browsing through my 'favourite of the moment' cookbook......

.......I found....the EXACT recipe! Amidst squeals of childish delight, I declared I had to cook one that very afternoon (yesterday). It's delicious!! I think it needed 5 mins less in the oven, but never mind.

Don't ask about the tiny missing 'bite'. Just suffice it to say, I couldn't wait to cut my piece (this was for Miss Snoopydog).

As last Sunday, we are enjoying some roasted vegetables ( red onions, whole garlic cloves, sweet potato, celery, white carrot, butternut squash, swede, with some maple syrup and a little sunflower oil, salt and pepper) with our chicken this evening. I just had to show you as it looked so ....autumny!

Last, but definitely not least, an update on Oscar. The orthopaedic specialist is fairly certain the operation on his shoulder has been successful. He thinkes there may be a similar probelem in his elbow, which is why he is still limping. This seemed like 'good news' as the operation had been successful. He has to go back tomorrow for a CAT scan on his elbow. A scan produces better results for elbow problems, as the joint is more complex than the shoulder. So, once again, I'm hoping everyone will cross fingers and paws, in the hope that the news will be positive and a that a successful outcome can eventually be achieved for him. He has been spending some time mooching about in the garden  this week, which has definitely put a spring back in his step, as he is still on a very restricted exercise programme. It's a good job that he adores playing with all kinds of dog toys, as by doing so, he has been very good at keeping himself amused, at times when one of his humans is busy and isn't there to amuse him! Please wish him well. Have a great week everyone!