Range II

Back home with a bump last night, Dublin is freezing! I walked to and from work today and my bones are still frozen solid. My liver isn't feeling the Mae West. The floor is littered with gaping suitcases and unwashed clothes, and I can hardly hear the tv over the washing machine taking off.

But I am determined to get some writing done...

Honest...

Range

I'm home, home on the range tomorrow until Monday. Scarves will be winging their way to the winners next week, promise!

Feeling much, much better and looking forward to plenty of relaxing, good food and tasty drink. W00T!

Winners

Thanks for the brilliantly embarrasing stories! They all gave me a good laugh. But I can only choose six winners, so here they are:

Debs
Tallulahbloom
Pat
Catherine
Lane
Maddie

Please email your address to hellojed[at]mailcan[dot]com and I'll send you those scarves pronto.

Feeling much better today. I went to the doctor on Friday and he gave me a good talking too for not going earlier. I was sent on my way with antibiotics and new asthma inhalers.

We saw the inlaws off earlier, after a packed weekend of steaks at Le Bon Crubeen, beers at the IFSC Oktoberfest, afternoon tea at the Gresham Hotel and Hedda Gabler at the Gate Theatre. The latter was my favourite part of the weekend - the acting, casting, set design was wonderful and I was completely enthralled from beginning to end. It's a new version by Brian Friel but it still maintains that amazing tension.

So after all that I'm fit for nothing but lying on the sofa watching tv.

Competition Time

Arrghh, I am still sick! I have dropped many hints (going to bed early, eating only healthy food, taking vitamins and wrapping up) but this virus is determined to overstay its welcome. The inlaws are arriving tomorrow and the place needs a clean...

But I have found time between work and bed to crochet...five scarves done and one to go! Two red, two brown, one green and one red (in progress). They are thinner than the one I made before (I actually followed the pattern correctly this time) but much longer, so you can wind it around your neck a few times and still have plenty left to show off.

So if you're interested in getting your hands on one of these bad boys...I want to hear your most embarrassing stories! You don't have to be the centre of the tale either - feel free to shop your friends and families humiliation for some free stuff. The scarfs go to the six stories that made me cringe and cackle at the same time!

And at the very least you'll be putting a smile on a poorly girl's face...

Fret

I'm feeling much better today which is a relief. Thank you all for your get well soon comments and especially the orders to stop worrying about not writing - I was surprised by how much I fretted about my novel and not being able to walk home from work each day. What creatures of habit we are.

I finish at five o'clock on the dot each day, ideal for getting lots of writing done, but all I could manage last week was to go straight to bed. If I felt up to it I'd do a bit of crochet so I already have a few scarves. For the eventual giveaway The Ours reckons I should ask for your most embarrassing stories (they can be about other people to save your blushes) because they're a good laugh and I can nick the best ones for my novel! Win-win!

I still have a few to do so I'll be posting the giveaway very soon. Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Yukky

The new job is going very well, everyone is very friendly and they've arranged a long handover so I'm not floundering in the deep end. I was exhausted yesterday afternoon but as any job comes with a steep learning curve I just thought my brain was short-circuiting. Unfortunately when I got home I collapsed into bed with a nasty sore throat and tight chest.

As calling in sick on during your first week at work is tantamount to career suicide, I doped myself up this morning and dragged my sorry state in. Luckily everyone was very sympathetic and I was able to leave work a little earlier today.

Needless to say I haven't done any writing yet this week as I've been too busy lying in bed while whinging to The Ours about how sick I am. I love a good moan.

Crochet is Crack

I finished my scarf. W00T!

Yesterday I found out that I'm starting work on Monday, so I decided to be the girl-about-town that my friends think I am (instead of the pj wearing hermit that writers really are) and 'did lunch' at Juice with a copy of Brideshead Revisited. So far I'm really enjoying it. Later I cleared Hickeys out of yarn and bought some crochet books. Needless to say I am completely addicted - Michelle calls crochet and ravelry 'crack' and she's absolutely right.

So the next stage of my writing career starts Monday. Luckily I only live thirty minutes walk away from the office so I'll have plenty of time to write in the evenings. I'm a little nervous that it will backfire and I'll stop writing, but I don't think that will happen. I'm in too deep at this stage.

No plans this weekend, we're just going to relax and potter around. Have a wonderful one wherever you are.

Good News

I've been having a great week so far. Yesterday I landed a temp job; it sounds like an interesting one too and walking distance from my flat. I'm hoping to find out the start date today.

Then I went to my first Stitch n' Bitch, Michelle showing great patience and restraint while I fumbled through my first pass at crochet. As evidence to her great teaching skills I was immediately "hooked" (groan!) and had to have the beginnings of my project wrestled from me way past midnight. As soon as I awoke this morning my fingers were a blur of hook and yarn, like I would freeze to death if I went another day without my scarf. (To my defence there is a definite chill in the air - winter is nearly upon us.)

I begrudgingly put down my hook to start the rewrite and was pleasantly surprised to finish my eighth story. It's a little shorter than I'd have liked but the story wants what it wants. I'm quite proud of it actually, its premise was more challenging than others but I think it works. I'm a little sad to be letting go of the character...

Anyway back to it, the scarf won't crochet itself!