Ready for Easter

The Easter holidays are here. For the past week, every time people asked me what I have planned, I say: "Nothing." I just want to be at home. Relax, sleep late, cook simple meals, walk around town, get some occassional caramel lattés, celebrate my niece's first birthday, crochet and spend lots and lots of time in the garden, hopefully enjoying cups of tea in the sunshine, the singing birds and happily transferring some of my baby plants from indoors to outdoors.

During my last time in Prague I managed to buy some powder food colouring designed for clouring eggs and because I want to keep them for years to come, I started blowing them whenever we have a meal that requires eggs. We buy cartons of eggs of all sizes and they fascinate me. The various colours - some speckled, some not - and shapes and sizes - big, small, round, long, pointy... They all just show how amazing nature is. We might even have to have some eggy bread for diner, just to have a couple more eggshells :)

Reusing the Leftovers

I got an nteresting e-mail today. One of the bloggers I follow, Laura Howard who writes a blog called Bugs and Fishes, has published a post about how she uses leftover pieces of yarn in her new "scrappy cross stitch project". By the end she asks us what we do with our scraps and leftovers. So this is my response to her question.

I save all of my yarn clippings and once in a while I cut them up into tiny little pieces which I then mix into the polyester toy stuffing that I stuff my toys with.

It makes me happy to see all the colours that I used over time all nicely chopped up and mixed together as well as knowing that those little bits of material will not be wasted and lying in a landfill site somewhere or filling our atmosphere once they are burned or swimming in the ocean or whatever else could be happening to them after they were thrown away.

I do the same with bits of felt that I made decorations out of.

So - do you do anything with your scrap bits of material?

New Yarns

Longer days are coming and I know that soon I will not need to sleep as much as I do now. My inner mammal will wake up with the arrival of spring and there will be more time to crochet and read and do some studying (for the new job - hahaaa!!). 

In a happy moment I visited Woking Hobbycraft and treated myself to a really useful box of yarn in various colours that go really well together. The little ones are balls of "Woolly" merino wool and the three medium and two huge balls are "Women's Institute" 100% acrylic yarn.

I have been in a little slow place with crochet since I bought these, but I have a couple of little projects in my mind that are slowly coming to life.There are more toy balls and octohugs to be made and maybe... and this is a little secret... maybe some other creatures, too. ;-)

A New Job and New Peace of Mind

So, here I am again. Only two weeks after the refusal from one job, I participated in another job interview... this time successfully :)

Sowing seeds in the utility room

At first I was too tired to be fully happy about it, being tired from getting up at five in the morning to do last preparations for the interview and the lesson I was about to teach... But the following day - I was dancing around. Lots of pats on the back, "well-done"s and high fives from colleagues and friends and a completely new peace of mind came to me.

I know where my life is going and it is all right. I know where I will be and what I will be doing for the next year or so and I know it is good. Hard work, but good. Well done me! And now it is finally time for some gardening and playing computer games. And of course - cakes! ;-)

How I Didn't Get the Job of My Dreams and What I Made While I Waited

I spent most of the past working week in anticipation of an e-mail regarding my job interview. It was really the job of my dreams, the person specification fit me perfectly, I dare say I was wonderful, the interview was very pleasant and even fun, I felt completely in my own element. It was zoology and teaching combined, I was qualified and charming...

Well, after checking my e-mail five times a week and slightly obsessing about what might be going on, I finally got a negative response. I guess someone was more charming and qualified (and what more - EXPERIENCED!) than me. Having waited for it so long, I was half expecting it and am still completely emotionless about it, wondering whether the big wave of sorrow will arrive or completely pass me by but it seems I am strangely ok with it.

Anyway, while I waited, I needed something simple to take my mind off things, so I crocheted. A lot. The top octohug took me only 24 hours from start to end (with breaks, of course!:) ) and you can look forward to seeing it on my fiance's website hamiltonpianos.com, posing on newly rebuilt pianos soon :)
The pink lady octohug was just finished last night and will be available on Etsy as soon as I take some good pictures of her.

Close Encounter with a Robin

Robins. I see them almost every day. I hear them every time I do something in the garden. They are frequent visitors of the birdfeeder when it is full. They are jolly little creatures, cute and fast. They never stand long enough for me to take a picture. Except for this one.

I was on my way home from work today and I walk past this birdie. I spotted it a bit too late, walked back past it, took out my camera and took a short video, then cut out this picture at home. Is it not the most beautiful little bird with its feathers blowing in the wind looking like a little beard?

Sundays

I love them. Even more so after I quit my part-time weekend job. This weekend was exceptionally pretty, with walks in the park and fooling around, lots of crochet and also hard work in the garden followed by a nice rest and cup of tea on the terrace with the view of mini irises and snowdrops flowering in the pots.

My graduation bouquet is making its first appearance. After completely missing it last year because I wasn't here, I am making sure that I watch it closely to catch every single detail.

I also dug a new patch in a place that was originally full of weeds. It was difficult because of all the roots, but it was definitely worth it. Now all there is left to do is to wait for warmer weather so that I can finally sew and plant some things out. I am not sure what I will be growing on this piece of land, but my choices include Red Duke of York potatoes, courgette Soleil, peas, carrots and leafy salads.