upgrading

Well, it finally happened. The laptop bit it. On Thursday night it did it's last formal act - watching an episode of Grand Designs, as it happens, which is pretty all right as last acts go - and then Friday morning it wouldn't wake up. This laptop's been clearly terminal for quite a while now, but it was still sad... and a bit of a financial shock to realise that actually we needed to replace it right away, or our family system was going to combust. Madness.

So we went out a-questing on Saturday and came home victorious -with a Proper Computer nonetheless, and I set it up in under 30 minutes nonetheless, only to realise that it needed a wireless adaptor, duh, so we got up the next morning and a-questing found a usb adaptor, got home, plugged it in, and realised that it needed speakers, duh....

you get the picture.

Laptops do spoil you for the all-in-one-package deal, and it's a slow learning curve realising that pc's aren't quite so simple...

but Damn, it's fast.

I think I'm in love. Even in its current speakerless state, it's still a beautiful thing.

Grown-up Furniture

On Saturday, as part of our Mother's Day festivities, we bought a bookshelf.

A real one.

Partner and I tend towards buying furniture that's been previously loved, which is just about how I like it, but the downside of this trend is that we own a lot of stuff that's one degree away from falling apart. That, or it's all things which have been given to us by friends/family who look around our somewhat sparse possessions and then say 'Here, have this table.' with a slightly pitying expression. Maybe it's because we've both moved so much over the last decade, but we seem to have an aversion to buying Grown-Up Furniture, like matching sofa sets, etc.

That said, on Saturday, we both gladly and immediately agreed we needed this reclaimed pine bookshelf that we found in a hole-in-the-wall furniture place in Totnes...

it called to us.

And now, it's holding all the PhD books and kayaking binders which have been lying around the house for several months, as we lacked the shelving space for it all. And it makes me happy, especially in the sunshine.

Also,

I made a dress.

Out of an old top of mine. Refashioning. As ever, no before picture, because I always forget in my whim-spontaneous-let's-just-do-it surge which leads to any crafty output.

But doesn't she look sweet in it? I love the double layer skirt. I want one.

snug sleeves

I'm knitting, still.

I've had a moment of crisis, where I've started the sleeves twice over, each time deciding that they're too tight to possibly fit my 15-month old, and even now on the 3rd go, they're still too tight. I think the instructions in the book for an adult jumper don't translate exactly to baby proportions. Oh well. I'm sure there'll be someone with a 3-month old I can gift this to, and start a bit wiser next time. It's still exciting to knit without a pattern, I'm enjoying the spontanaeity and freedom of it.

It's glorious, sparkly, sunny here. Mothering Sunday weekend. I got a big bouquet of flowers and some chocolates and a lovely lazy Saturday at home with my partner, which was just what I would have asked for... now I'm going to try to convince said party that we should go shopping for the bookshelf we desperately need to hold all his kayaking binders and my PhD papers. Recycling centre, here we come! I love buying furniture second hand - touching worn wood from well-built pieces is such a great joy, and knowing that you're giving something a second life feels so much more right. (I swear this isn't the same woman who was on the Ikea website this morning, contemplating flat pack. Back to my old sane self, begone lazy thoughts!)

The photos are from coffeecake I baked last week - from my old 'Joy of Cooking' cookbook which is filled with notes in the margins. Everytime I cook something from it, I write the date, the location and what I'm doing that day. Little snippets of life. Then, when I go back to bake something again, I can check in with myself. It's quite worn now, and some of the notes have smudged or faded or had to scrawl onto the next page. But one of the things I love is how I've started making different things over the years. (And certain things: chocolate chip cookies, plain white bread, beer and cheese bread, tortilla soup - over and over and over. Old friends.) But now my cookbook has little notes by Yorkshire Puddings and Beef Stew and carrot fritters. All part of how life changes you and versa vice. Progress, or so it feels.

Anyway, the coffeecake was made in two variations: blueberry with streusal topping and cinnamon/sugar/almond. Both tasty. Both long gone now. Lovely spongy texture. Not too sweet.

Kinda like today. Just right.

elizabeth zimmerman & no naps

am knitting my first jumper without a pattern - following the old 1970's copy of Elizabeth Zimmerman's 'Knitting Without Tears' that I found in my mother's knitting basket and stole away the last time I was in the states. I'm addicted to it now - her prosaic, matter-of-fact, comforting tone, but especially the fact that she gives instructions in percentages, which helps my math-phobic brain understand, and allows for spontaneous expression and changing my mind, which I love. Yes yes yes.

I'm also watching two babies today...

and it's 1 PM...

and neither of them have napped.

Mine fell asleep at lunch, but woke up again about 2 minutes later, afraid she'd missed something. This could be a long afternoon.

At least I've got some knitting to keep me company.