365 Project Week 39.

[curiouswombat]

It's been quite a busy week - and the weather has had its moments...



Monday, as always, I spent much of my time at the hospital - in the morning at a talk by the Minister for Health on the effect on our services of the UK government's unilateral decision to 'renegotiate' the common purse agreement on tax (for which read 'The Westminster government is in dire need and so we will no longer stick to our agreement of two years ago sharing the VAT your islanders pay to UK firms for goods in the same way, but are going to keep more of it...')

Our government cannot borrow to make up any shortfall (and this decision by the UK treasury is not an 'in the future' thing - it is a 'this year' thing). Our government cannot borrow because under Manx law the budget MUST balance; it is illegal for them to borrow. So we have to decide what we can do without, where we can be more careful, and so on. Pity a few other governments didn't work the same way!

Anyway, after the meeting with the minister I had a clinic to do - and as usual these days, by the time I got out it was dark. So I tried to take a picture of something I see every week, and love - the etched glass screen between the hospital reception desk and and the office behind it. Not the best of pictures but, hopefully, you will be able to make out that it is etched with swooping sea birds, waves and spray.



The wind was coming up on Monday evening when I left the hospital - by Tuesday we were in a severe gale, force 9, again. So bad that the boat didn't sail and, as you'll tell from the pictures I posted yesterday, that has to be bad!

It was actually too wet and windy to easily take any pictures. So I took this one when I went shopping on the way home - I just love the way that they are irrepressibly cheerful looking even on such a dark gloomy day that they made me smile -



By Wednesday the wind had eased enough for me to get out of the car up at Port Jack to take a picture of the bay whilst I was at the post office there. Pity about the wire fencing, but they are repairing storm damage to the footpath down...



I was at the post office posting a couple of boxes off to the USA - one had had to be repacked - if it weighs more than 2kg the cost of postage goes up to about $90!! £56.50. That is just ridiculous! So, anyway - that one had been to the post office on Monday, but I'd gone "meep!" and taken it home and redone it so that it weighed LESS than 2kg! Two parcels which together weighed 3-5kg still cost a lot less than one parcel of 2kg - go figure!

Thursday was a calmer day. I stopped for a few minutes up on the road from the Cooil to Foxdale and, instead of taking a picture of the view, I focused instead on the gate post to one of the fields, just because I liked the picture it made, and because it is actually fairly typical -



It is a slab of stone used as a gatepost; complete with a few strands of barbed wire attached to it. And it is not at all dissimilar in shape to a lot of those carved rune stones and crosses... I didn't notice any carving on the back, but you can see why those historic stones often have some damage, or a note attached saying 'found in a gateway on such and such a farm...'

Friday was bright and sunny as I made my way to Ramsey. I stopped where I took the picture of Glen Elfin a couple of weeks ago, but looked down towards the town instead - it is surprising how much green there still is, even in late November after a fortnight of stormy weather.



Yesterday I wrote, put off knitting, didn't finish two small Christmas cakes for a cake stall next week, cleaned the kitchen (a bit), went shopping, did some on-line shopping, went out the back to rip ivy off the wall and went into Church to set up the Advent Ring - using the aforementioned ivy. Some members of the household were even less productive...



He actually does move sometimes - honestly!

That Advent Ring - or crown, or wreath, whatever you call it where you live - well I went into Church this morning to take a picture before the service started, so that all the candles would match. In the end I decided to just use the real ivy and the fake silver stuff, no red stuff, or holly or anything - and got a number of compliments on how nice it looked. I am rather pleased with it.



And I have been out to lunch - with about half the rest of the congregation, to celebrate St Andrew's Day. I had thought of going to do some of my Christmas shopping, but it is dark, damp and windy...again. And I am very full of nice dinner (Paté; roast ham, roasties, veg; cheesecake; coffee... yum!) - so I am sitting reading, posting, and not doing my knitting again...


I really must get on with making my Christmas cards this evening - although there is always the knitting...

Comments

[quinara]

Pretty! I love the birds! And the carrots.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Those birds always draw my eye whenever I go in and out of the hospital, but I wasn't sure if they'd photograph at all. I'm sure it could have been better, but at least you can work out what they are.

And the carrots just make me want to smile - they are just so forcefully, cheerfully, orange.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Those carrots do look very cheerful while the water looks very rough and cold.

[keswindhover.livejournal.com]

I like the gatepost - very practical.

Oh - and I made some peanut butter cookies to your recipe. They came out looking like mutant macaroons but they taste nice...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

There is something about carrots en mass that is unrelentingly cheerful!

The water was very cold and rough - it was about three or four hours after those pictures I posted yesterday of the Ben-my-Chree going out were taken.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The gate post is not unique by any means - and then I realise that it is probably not something you see down your way.

I find to get the cookies flat you need to press them down in the middle with a fork before you put them into the oven - but they are always tasty no matter how they look.

[melegyrn.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm...peanut butter cookies!

Your pictures are all delightful. The screen in you first picture is quite lovely.

I just love your cat--and his white paws! He's got the best idea, it sounds like, considering all the rough weather you've been having.

Your advent wreath turned out very well. Much nicer than what we ended up with at my church, believe me, and therein hangs a tale for another day.

And we definitely don't get waves like that on Puget Sound--only when it really blows here.

Thank you!

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

That bird picture is really neat!

I love your advent wreath. I wouldn't have thought of ivy, but it really works! I think "red stuff" would have been too much, but this looks great!

[evilawyer.livejournal.com]

I'd love to say I got stuff done this weekend, but I fear I looked like your cat most of the time. Those carrots are bright!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The peanut butter cookies are the world's easiest recipe - and have the advantage, especially for Kes, that they are gluten free.

That etched screen is lovely, isn't it? I'm glad that you can make the birds out.

Our cat sometimes seems to have so many paws in that heap that we think perhaps his feet time travel - there will be a day next week when he will only have three...

The Advent wreath is rather pretty, even if I say so myself - you must tell about yours sometime!

We do do waves in a big way.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Mmm - but I really must get on with my knitting!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I always think of ivy as seasonal - I guess it's from the carol 'The holly and the ivy'! I had some red bits to add - but I am really glad that I didn't.

The bird picture is great, because it lets the light from the entrance hall into the telephonists and other office people, but it so beautiful.

Hmm - must make an icon from this year's advent wreath, the current advent icon is last year's.

Edited - new icon done!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The car has the right idea, really.

I didn't do anything to that carrot picture - just took my camera out of the bag and clicked - they were such a stunningly bright spot on a grey day.

[gillo]

The birds screen is beautiful!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

It is, isn't it? And actually quite practical.

[inzilbeth-liz.livejournal.com]

The birds are great and i love the gate post!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

In view of the current economic situation, as they say, if they were building the hospital now there would just be a bit of frosted glass there - good job they finished it five or six years ago really!

The gate posts are quite practical - but I bet it was originally standing in the field somewhere with some significance to one of our ancient fore-fathers.

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

That etched glass is incredible! And I adore lazy kitty feet.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The glass is wonderful - I am so glad that the photo does at least give a reasonable impression of it.

Lazy kitty has roused himself enough to be actually washing the feet at the moment - but if I get the camera out he will immediately curl up again!

This picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/voirreys_pics/3604400216/) proves that he does occasionally leave the settee - but is not all that energetic even then...

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Those are rough seas, indeed! Lovely photos, all, and the advent wreath is very pretty. I think the candles provide all the red it needs.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

We get seas like that on odd days throughout the winter - or occasionally on odd weeks.

I had some sprigs of (artificial) holly to add to the advent wreath - but decided that the red from the candles was enough - and I am really glad that I did, as everyone seems to agree with me that anything else would have been a bit OTT.

[wildecate.livejournal.com]

Very pretty advent ring. I struggled my way through our Advent hymns today, not really looking forward to another 3 weeks of this.

BTW don't suppose you pass Lezayre church on your travels?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I like some of our Advent hymns - especially 'O Come O Come Emmanuel' which is one of my very favourites.

I don't pass Lezayre church all that often, but I do sometimes - why?

[momflower.livejournal.com]

I love the carrots! I think I'll photograph some to make a nice print for my kitchen.

[hesadevil.livejournal.com]

The wire fence makes that sea-scape photo IMO. It's a reminder of how dangerous the sea can be. Next to peas, carrots are my favourite veg, and, as you say, they are so unfailingly cheerful.

I haven't made an advent candle crown this year, I'm lighting a different candle on the windowledge each Sunday in Advent. Yours is lovely, with its trailing ivy.

Re-knitting. I found a wonderful (http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/10/12/one_row_handspun_scarf.html) that is so easy to knit while watching TV. It takes one skein of aran weight.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

They are remarkably photogenic and cheerful when you look at them properly, aren't they?

[wildecate.livejournal.com]

We had Come Thou Long Expected Jesus and Lo He Comes with Clouds.....both of which were a bugger to play.

I LOVE O Come O Come Emmanuel

*smiles* I had my wedding pictures taken there.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

The ivy grows on the wall between our house and next door. Allan, the neighbour, tried to kill it, and I was all 'Noooo - just kill your side...!'

What a nice pattern - but why does she need to tell you to knit into the back of the stitch? I would normally knit into the back; knit into the back, purl into the front. Currently I am doing something in stocking stitch, so pretty much the only task is to count the rows carefully, it is just getting around to picking it up and getting on with it.

[hesadevil.livejournal.com]

Plain knit is into the front of the stitch, although it feels as though it's into the back because the active needle is behind the resting one. If you knit into the back of the stitch, it puts a twist into it.

It's a really lovely pattern. I have 3 scarves in aran already to wrap for Christmas and another in sock weight yarn that is half-finished.

Are you a member of (http://www.ravelry.com/) It's a fabulous (free) site for knitters with a huge database of patterns (many free) and yarns, as well as groups who are so helpful with knitting problems or just general chit chat. I use it to keep track of all my projects and also keep my WIPs under control. I'm hesadevil there too.

I have a tally counter for when I have to keep track of the number of rows.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

No - I actually do, always, knit into the back of the stitch when doing stocking stitch as it is the 'loose' side and is so much easier than trying to knit into the 'tight' front. As long as the needle points to the back it will come out as a plain, just as it is a purl if the needle points to the front of the work.

When doing garter stitch I will knit into the front. I've never really understood why people knit into the 'tight' side of the stitch at all - maybe it is to do with being left or right-handed.

I use a tally counter when I'm doing aran at least until it is obvious where the pattern is going, and then I do it by sight, but at the moment it is things like 72 rows each 10 stitches wide - and I forget to turn it when the rows are so short!

I've not joined Ravelry, even though I have so many friends who are members - I spend too much of my spare time writing these days to do much knitting and I really ought to finish a couple of things I have half done before I am tempted to start anything else! Somewhere there is an aran jacket that was going to be done for D-d to go to university...

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Ah - yes - I knew you'd had your pictures taken there, you told me at Coventry - but I thought perhaps you wanted me to check something out for you, or send you another pic, or something.

Next time I'm that way on a nice day I shall try to find time to stop for a few minutes and do one of my 'churchyard' posts.

[handrejka.livejournal.com]

Hi.
How are you? I was wondering if you could help me. I'm going to me on my own for Christmas this year and I'd like to volunteer somewhere. Is your church looking for anyone to help at all, I'm free any time after 12.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Hi! I'm fine. Our church isn't doing anything for Christmas but I know exactly who to ask! My colleague, who is a health visitor working with vulnerable adults, volunteers with Graih - the homeless charity, and will know of any charities needing a hand over Christmas. I'll ask her tomorrow and be back in touch with you.

[handrejka.livejournal.com]

That would be fantastic. Thank you

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

The stone post with barbed wire is a familiar sight here.



I've read Kansas has 40,000 miles of limestone post fences.

I love the shot at Port Jack. What a picturesque view.

I commend Isle of Man's insistence on balancing the budget. If only all governments would do the same (with rare exceptions for dire circumstances). Our government keeps saying that we must spend to get out of the recession. In my personal life, I've never seen how spending more when I'm struggling financially has been a helpful solution! Nincompoops.

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Ah - yes - a very similar system. I'm not sure what sort of stone that one in my picture is - slate, maybe?

Port Jack is the bottom end of our village - it runs down from about 300+ feet above sea level to that close to sea-level - so almost everywhere in the village is on a hill!

We may have problems balancing the budget this year - but every year for as long as I can remember at least a little has been put into reserve, so hopefully a little can be drawn out of that to help so that we don't have to cut services. But insisting on a balanced budget seems sensible to me, too.

[lindahoyland.livejournal.com]

As always ,I loved seeing your photos. You make your own Christmas cards? you are very clever!

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The card making started when my daughter was in her early teens - but I kept on after she gave up. The theme for this year is definitely simplicity though!

[ningloreth.livejournal.com]

I love the carrots! And the etched glass. And I've saved the gatepost and Glen Elfin.

This has been a wonderful project. Do you think you will keep doing it, or will you be relieved when it's over?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Carrots turn out to be remarkably photogenic - who'd have thought?

I have really enjoyed doing the picture posts - but once it's over I may become slightly irregular, but post more than one picture for some days, if you see what I mean.