Warning: this may take awhile, pic heavy post!!

Finally!!! after a few days of frustration and fiddling around I have managed to get some of the pic loaded.

I am now using my laptop having brought a small computer desk for the back bedroom cum office. Ok, ok it is in front of the wardrode, only available space but at least it is easier to move than the bookshelf on wheels which was there before. [ Now in the passage awaiting a new home. Hmm perhaps over 32 bookshelves in even a 4 bedroom house is a little much.]

I think, after some playing around that XP may be more Blogger friendly than Win98 hence trying the laptop. Which by the way still needs reloading but seems to be running better after a clean up and removing some games, eg Age of empires, Civilisation, Cluedo etc.

Again life has been somewhat full. We are still upgrading at work and this will take some weeks yet. We are also short staffed and I have been trying to do 3 jobs this week.

Anyway on with the pics promised last post. First up remember our weekend trip?

Well it was rather dark in the hall to take many pics but here is the lake we had our lunch next to. It is in a large park with adventure playground, train rides, boat rides and funny enough a large cemetry in the middle with graves of early setters to New Zealand.






But it is spring and the gardens were beautiful. Masterton always has a lovely show at this time of year, here is a magnificant Magnolia tree in full bloom.




Next up is DGS and his 5th birthday celebration at Kindergarten. They are currently on holiday for two weeks and he starts school next term. On their leaving day they get to have their face painted [ he's spiderman] and to ring the bell to bring in all the kids for a special birthday mat time. It is so hard to realise he is 5 already.



Here is one of the reasons I have been busy... another train cake. James this time as he is #5.





I must admit I kind of hope he is into something easier next year.!!

While at his leaving day I managed to get this nice shot of DS with "his kids" at work. He is so enjoying his new job at the kindy. There was a program on the news the other day saying how few men work in a preschool situation. They are frightened they will get wrongly accused of child abuse. There is such a need for men to take part to make it more "balanced" for the children. So sad these days that the best get put off by a few.





Anyway this is meant to be a knitting blog so here are my two entries in our area exhibition. It is the one on the right which was given a merit award.



I will have to go back tomorrow for some closer shots as it closes on Sunday. Oh and remember the socks knitted 2 at a time on 2 circulars? Well just to prove I haven't been sitting around here they are finished. It was good to finish both at once but if I repeat this will try to get some shoter circs, the ends nearly drove me nuts.



Oh I have been trying, vainly to catch up on some gardening as well...look what I found under the plum tree at the bottom of the garden. There is one more spike in bud as well.



Anyway considering the lateness on the hour I am away to bed. Gillian I did make my Tangelo marmalade as well. Came out lovely although not as tart as I like it. But not everyone likes it that way. My DP thinks it is great. Now to try the ginger one...

Cheers all, knit on

Yes I am still alive!! [ and kicking ]

Contary to popular opinion I have neither been blown up, dropped off the face of the earth or , more likely carted off by men in white coats.

I have however been keeping up with reading my fav sites. I need something to keep me sane.

No pic this post that will have to wait to come with the details. However I can fill you in quickly with the reasons I have been so slack about this writing business.

Now where did I leave off...hmm let me see.....

Oh yes we had recovered from the big birthday bash and had headed over the Waiarapa [sp. will need to check this one] to a spin-in. Well the trip was great if somewhat delayed due to having to attend a car accident just outside of kindy when I dropped off my grandson on Friday morning. I have the dubious pleasure of been the first aider at my place of work. My employer pays to have this updated regularly. [I have had to use it occasionly have even preformed CPR once.] So when I heard the squeal and following crunch knew I had to go see if all were OK. Thank goodness for car seats. The 2 year old was Ok other than a cut tongue, from her teeth and her nanny's seat belt saved her. A truck had crossed the centre line and written off the drivers side of the car. They were very fortunate they were travelling fairly slow at the time.

So after that slow start we set off and had a lovely time window shopping on a lovely sunny day. So nice to feel the warmth of the sun again. Heh remember this when I complain about a hot summer. I managed to time our trip with the last day a yarn shop was closing in the Hutt so managed to get some last bargains. Mostly some small needles as in short circs. Good for sock knitting.

We also did something I have never done stopped for lunch in the summit cafe. Now this I can recommend. We had a yummy soup and roll. In fact the bowl was so large we couldn't eat the cake to follow.

Then on to Masterton and and a nice Motel and stroll around the centre and shops.

The next day was just as warm and fine. Had a lovely morning catching up with friends and a little stash enhancement. Didn't manage to get the brown yarn I wanted tho so will have to go back to the drawing board on the design I was planning. Hmm did get some ideas tho.

We have now had two week-ends without the childern. It feels so strange. We almost don't know what to do with ourselves. Note almost...!!!

It has also been my DGS's 5th birthday and we have had cake and Kindy parties etc. So have been somewhat busy again in the kitchen. Another train cake this time James as he is #5 in the series of Thomas the tank engine. Here's hoping that this is the last train cake I will make for a while.

On the work front , well it has been rather frantic. What with restructing, short staffed and interviews etc for new staff it has been busy. I have been given more responsilbility , which of course means more work. So have been somewhat busy trying to keep up. I am starting to see the woods for the trees now tho. On the down side we have a major systems upgrade happening. Altho the boss of course says only minor changes. Yeah right pull the other one. The section I work on as in borrower records goes from 3 pages of data to over 10. I can see that throwing some. Anyway as from tomorrow I am having training on this so this busyness is not going to go away in the near future.

This of course means I get home in front of the TV at night and either doze off or can't be bothered facing another computer screen. So sorry about the blogless state...

Oh what's that you say...??? Knitting?? Oh yes I have been doing some of that. The world would have to stop to make me put down the needles. But even here I have been busy. The Wellington area has it's exhibiton on at the moment. This meant finishing my last entry and getting all four ready to send , plus the form filling etc. I managed to get two items in and oh I sort of managed to pick up a merit award for my brown domino wrap. The selector loved it apparantely. So we had the award presentation and opening last Sunday. So that kept me out of trouble.

I have also just attended a workshop taught by Anne Field a well known weaver and author. She was treaching weavers the devore techinque which she had spent some months working on with Ann Sutton in England. A group of knitters, 4 of us from our club convinced her to let us attend and try the method on knitting. Most interesting. I will show pics of samples later. However this meant having to knit 3 fine samples on small needles in time to take. This proved to be quite some knitting...!!! Anyway Anne is going to write a book about it and will now include knitting.

So that is about all. I must admit to being glad that things have quieten down.. I can now plod away on next year entrys and some "normal" knitting. Perhaps even get some WIP into FO. Oh and also more blogging... with pics next time. And a meme I have been tagged with.

Knit on all I am off to bed.