one good apple

Christmas was great.  It would have been perfect if it wasn’t for a stupid head cold that started on Christmas eve in the pub and lasted until a couple of days ago.  I begged - begged - my step dad to take it off me but he wouldn’t.  In the end my sister did the honours, just in time for New Year.  And to think I’ve called her selfish in the past…

Christmas also brought a new addition to our family - Enid the lop.  Donald is officially in love.  She isn’t quite as enthusiastic about him but I’m sure in time his chat-up lines will improve and she’ll begin to see his good points.  I’d forgotten how skittish new rabbits are - my arms are covered in scratches and she flees at the smallest sound.  But slowly and surely, she is settling in, helped greatly by the fact that I have introduced her to rabbit kryptonite - parsley.  Wave a spring of the green stuff in front of her nose and she is putty in my hands.

I got some amazing presents as well as the girl.  You know how when you get older you’re meant to get less presents?  I look at what my step-sisters get and I think, is that it?  Not so in our house - I, dear reader, was spoilt rotten.  The boy got me, among other things, some lino cutting equipment which I’ve already done some stuff with and will post pics of when they’re finished.  He also got me Tribe by Bruce Parry - I would love to be this man, so many adventures…  My mum got me some yarn and lots of lovely crafty books including Bazaar Bizarre and Knitted Idols and some great embroidery patterns.  See?  Spoilt.  And that’s not even the half of it.

 I’ve also decided to participate in another swap running from January to March.  It’s called UK Swap and it’s - obviously for knitters in the UK.  I had such a great time in SP11 and thought this would be a nice way to keep the swapping goodness going.  Go check the site out, it looks like good fun and sign ups close on January 7th.

Right, I’m off for a night of Trivial Pursuit at the boy’s parent’s house.  Hope your New Year is as rock ‘n’ roll as mine *^_^* xx

You know when there’s something you have to do?  I mean really have to, very important, no excuses?  Only, the thing is, because you have to, you don’t want to any more?  By the end of today I have to finish my nephew’s scarf because by the end of today I have to block it, let it dry and wrap it ready for Christmas.  I don’t even have till Christmas eve to do it because I’m going home to see my mum tomorrow and won’t see this side of the family until the 27th.  Consequently, I have made Quant from the new issue of Knitty,

using some of the yarn gifted to me by my secret pal, have finished the body on the Best Friend Cardigan - the only reason it isn’t finished is because I’m waiting for the rest of the yarn - and done various other silly little things that I don’t really need to do like make hot chocolate,

and play on Guitar Hero demos on the xbox.  I mean, that shows the height of my determination to avoid this stupid scarf as I hate the xbox and get bored even thinking about it. 

We also went to get Donald a wife yesterday after much thought and advise seeking.  She’s a brown lop, very clam, very sociable and hopefully a suitable wife to Donny’s husband.  We don’t pick her up till after Christmas what with flitting about from one place to the other but we played with her a little yesterday and so far, so good.  In fact, I think Donald must have smelt her on us when we got home as he was the happiest I’ve seen him in a long time - bunny jumps all over the place, constant grooming of us and himself, demands of the boy for piggy back rides and almost no attempts to chew at the wallpaper, a regular Christmas miracle…

So tomorrow I will be back in Yorkshire reading the Night Before Christmas and drinking Bucks Fizz until the bubbles go to my head.  So all that’s left to say for now is - in the words of a famous man -  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night x

This time next week I will be beginning a two week break and getting ready to travel to my parent’s for Christmas.  I can’t wait. 

In all the time the boy and I have been together, we have never spent all of Christmas day in the same place; we’re both too stubborn to go anywhere other than home for the big day. 

A couple of years ago we spent Christmas morning at his mum’s then I drove over to Yorkshire for lunch.  That did not go well.  I arrived two hours late, having got hopelessly lost, to find my mum stood on the door step full of something in no way resembling Christmas cheer.  And that was when I vowed never again. 

Now I drive up well in advance with directions pinned to my dashboard that I still have to refer to despite travelling this same road at least every couple of months.  And that’s what I’ll be doing again in a week.  Christmas is bacon sarnies made by the old man, going to see the Christmas lights at the dairy near our old house, drinks with old friends on Christmas eve and getting picked up by my mum like I was 18 again, swapping presents with my sister, Auntie Eileen’s Christmas pudding, my Snoopy stocking filled and left on the end of my bed in the morning, watching cartoons and The Great Escape, leaving some part of dinner in the oven by accident and discovering it too late, crisp walks down the village where people say hello to you when you walk past and getting tipsy with my mum. 

This year Christmas will include a new bunny to take home with master Donald but also a goodbye to Rebus who died last Saturday.  He is now at rest in the boy’s parent’s back garden with various other family pets.  He isn’t at rest of course, he’s up there somewhere stealing biscuits that have been left of the side and rolling his ball into another rabbit’s head and standing up on his back legs to say hello with his front paws hanging down in front of him  like some kind of camp pantomime baddie.  He is already missed.

I got my final Secret Pal parcel last week and boy was it a good one!  I got some beautiful Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK

Peaches and Creme, think these will end up being some fingerless gloves,

and that’s just for starters!  I also got an advent calender, chocolate coins, a magnetic shopping list, some gorgeous soap.  But best of all these,

Two amazing facecloths!  Far too good to be used, I think I might get these framed and give them pride of place somewhere in the living room!  Mandy has been the most amazing secret pal a girl could ask for, check out her blog to see her in all her crafty glory!  Thanks Mandy, you’re the best *^_^*

I put the Christmas tree up this week, Donald has found in particularly interesting, think he’s getting back to his roots. 

We’re thinking about getting him a friend at the moment, we’re both out of the house for a lot of the day and it would be nice for him to have some rabbit company.   He’s such a loving and friendly thing I think he deserves a mate to hang out with.  And speaking of rabbits, I made this young man last night,

with some fabric that my sister brought me back from Japan.  He was so easy to make that I think he’s going to be a stocking filler feature this year.  Time to finish off that Christmas scarf x