Furkid Friday: walkies, etc

Hi humans, it's Kero here.

Well, Gwydion had one of those birthday things, which I was really jealous about, so the humans gave me a treat too, and then I felt much better. There are some birthday photos for him, but I have a couple of my own photos to post, so he can post them himself next week.

I was meant to have an appointment with my groomer at the start of this week, but it got moved to this coming Monday. I planned to post the photos of me nicely groomed today - because there are always photos of me after my grooming sessions - but I guess I wont be doing that now. Don't worry though, there are still photos to post today. My humans and I have had lots of walkies, and Mami took the camera during our Tuesday morning walkies this week and took some photos. There were a couple of me among them, so I decided I would grab them to put in today's post. I don't know when she will post the other photos from the walkies, but here are mine, anyway:

First, just me walking down the path. I always get to be in front... It means I sometimes get hit with that stick thing Mami has, but it's worth it to be first to places that could be nice to sniff or pee on. Besides, I have to be in front to protect the humans.



And here I am having a good sniff about in the grass... Just checking to see who - or what - has been here recently. A dog needs to know these things, after all!



We've had loads of walkies! Mami and I have been taking a couple of walkies every day, and sometimes Dadi comes too! But the best walkies I've had this week happened yesterday... Mamgu came to fetch Mami and me, and then we went to Mamgu's house and picked up Willow. I wasn't sure where we were going, but Willow seemed excited about the route we were taking, so I figured it had to be somewhere fun. It was! We went walkies along the path we used to use before we lived here... The one that runs along beside the river by the really big park! I was really tired after it - because it's been a while since Mami and I have done a walkies that long - but it was worth it for all the outside time!

I think I heard Mami and Mamgu saying we were going to do that walkies again soon... I hope so... I was exhausted afterwards, but it was great!

Anyway, that's about it for this week. Like I said, Gwydion will be posting his birthday photos for you next week. Before I end this though, I want to thank my pal Iggy for helping Mami, Gwydion and I sort out our photos! Wag tails and doggy kisses to you for doing that for us again! You're a real pal!

Licks and sniffs,
Kero

Gynaecologist grumbles (FD, PTMI, R/WP)

I had planned on posting this sooner, but other things got posted instead, and then things happened... Well, you know how it is. Anyway, before I can tell those of you curious about what others get up to what I've actually been up to, I need to get this posted. Partly because I want it out of the way, and partly because the events of this past week need to be posted after this post. Confused yet? Don't worry, you soon wont be!

Back in October when I went to the Gynaecologist I was given some tablets and a possible cause for my continued failure in my attempts to become pregnant. I was also given a promise of a definate appointment in January to review the success - or lack of, whatever the case may be - of the tablets. Well, January came and went with no appointment, so I phoned them to ask for one. They told me they'd send me one, but - knowing their lack of success in keeping to that in the past - I insisted on having one made for me, refusing to have my demands ignored. Eventually the receptionist gave in, and an appointment was made over the phone there and then. The appointment was for last Thursday (exactly a week ago today).

To cut a long story short... And avoid going in to too much detail... The tablet trial seems to have achieved very little, and they're back to blaming my weight again, and insisting that if I lose x amount of weight then I will immediately find myself with no issues.


Now, I completely agree that I need to lose weight. In fact, I'll be the first to admit that - whether I'm planning on trying to get pregnant or not - I need to lose quite a bit of weight. My issue isn't with them telling me I need to lose weight. No. My issue is that: Plenty of people heavier than me get pregnant without any trouble at all, so it isn't fair to completely blame my weight for the lack of success. Also, lastt time they said they may have another possible cause - meaning the thin womb lining - which may explain my lack of success with becoming pregnant thus far, so why all of a sudden is it back to just being my weight that's causing the problems for me? I feel like they're just plucking at straws, but they haven't a clue, and my weight being far more than it should be is just a perfect excuse for them, which everyone accepts without them having to spend money checking for anything else, or paying for treatments. That's what my issue is really. Well, that and the fact that I felt like I was being ganged up on by everyone on the matter. Everyone was acting like I didn't notice - or care about - my weight, and they seemed to be under the impression that I needed a full blown lecture on the matter in order to persuade me that I needed to lose weight. This isn't the case though. I mean, I've been saying on and off on here about my weight... Mentioning how badly I need to get the weight off, trying different things to achieve it, etc. I know I need the weight off... And I want the extra weight off... So why do people seem to think I don't care? I do care... I'd love to be the weight they want me to be rather than the weight I am! But while I was sat there I felt like I was under attack. I felt like I was being accused of something awful. And, most of all, I felt like a worthless, fat lump!

What people don't seem to think about is that the more you hastle someone about how they're too fat and need to lose weight, the more it bothers them, and the more it makes them want to just crawl in to a dark corner with a huge bar of chocolate to eat it while they cry about what a horrible, fat, ugly lump they are. And that's what I felt like doing after that appointment. I didn't do it, but it was what I wanted to do more than anything else in the world at that moment in time, because I felt so depressed about it all.

I'm not saying my weight isn't at least partly responsible for my lack of success at getting pregnant. In fact, I wouldn't be all that surprised to find out that it was the whole cause. My point is that the more people are hastling me on the subject, the more depressed I'm becoming about it all, and the more weight I'm actually ending up putting on.

Anyway, I do intend doing something about my weight... I'd already said recently on here that I really need to do something about it... I just needed to have this rant, and point out to people that I need to do this in my own way, and I need to do it by finding a healthier way of eating and doing more activity, and not by having diets and gym memberships thrown at me from every angle. For one thing, if I don't do it my way, I'll never stick to it, for another thing... I don't do diets, because I don't do well with being told I can't have this or that when I want it. And I don't do gyms, because I can't use the equipment properly, plus I refuse to pay a gym membership just to be a side show for those other gym members who are too damn rude to realise that just because I'm blind doesn't mean that I'm there for their viewing pleasure (and just because I can't see them staring, doesn't mean I don't know that they are, because I'm only blind, not stupid!)

The Gynaecologist said I'll get another appointment in three months and need to have lost at least close to 2 stone (28lbs) before then, or I shouldn't bother turning up, and should reschedule the appointment for a few months later. Apparently this is to give me a goal date to give me insentive to hurry up and lose the weight, but it actually feels more like extra pressure that I could do without, because we're only a week in to the time, and I'm already stressing over whether or not I can lose enough weight by then!

The Witches

"A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse."

"A young boy, recently orphaned, is taken to England by his grandmother. At a hotel in which they are staying, a group of witches have gathered to prepare a plot to rid the world of all children."

(Above taken from here).

I enjoy watching this movie every time I see it. I've seen it so many times in the past I've lost track of how often and when I've seen it. I don't remember ever reviewing it on here though, hence doing it now. Anyway, it's a really good movie, and if you haven't seen it then you should. Better yet... Read the book! And, while you're at it, read the rest of Roald Dahl's books too!

Pancake day 2011

Today is pancake day... Are you having pancakes?

Gwydion's 1st birthday

To be totally honest, this is just an estimated birthday, but it's the best we have, and since we make a habbit of celebrating furkid birthdays... Well, he has to have some kind of birthday. I know it's some time around this date, so, it's today we've chosen to celebrate his birthday. From now on, March 8th will be Gwydion's official birthday. At most we're only out by a couple of days anyway! OK, I'll stop rambling and get on with it... So, today is Gwydion's first birthday! It seems like only yesterday we were bringing home a roughly three month old guinea pig. Now he's a pudgy little 1 year old!

I haven't taken any photos of the boys in the past couple of weeks, so I don't have a new photo to post of him. I'm sure there will be one soon though... I mean, I'll probably take one today, since I usually do a birthday photo for my furkids. Anyway, that means no photo in this post... Sorry! Still, I want to wish my little squeaker a happy birthday, and point out that - despite his attitude, and obvious annoyance at the lack of willingness on my part to feed him on demand - I'm glad he's a part of our family, and hope he's with us for a few years yet!

Happy birthday Gwydion!

Happy birthday Bethan

Today is the 12th birthday of the daughter of a family friend. I would be very surprised if she reads my blog, since I don't think even her mother does, but I'm going to say happy birthday to her anyway, so... Happy birthday, Bethan! I hope your day is a wonderful one!

Spring sunshine and apples

It's a little chilly here, but the sun is shining. I have a couple of Windows open to let a bit of air in. Not because it's warm, but because we've had to keep the windows closed for so long that I thought it would be nice to let a bit of air find its way in. Kero's enjoying it. He's right now sitting on my bed with his nose pointed directly at the open window. I think Spring has arrived here in Wales! And, I would have taken my camera with me to grab some Spring photos for those of you still buried in snow... Just to show you it really will arrive eventually... But I forgot the camera, and only registered that I'd forgotten it when I went to grab it from my jacket pocket when we were on the path, and realized I hadn't actually put it in there (it was sitting on my chest of drawers in my bedroom, where I'd put it down to look for my mobile phone). Oops! Well, better luck next time!

Today would be one of those blissful days where all seems right with the world... Had I not tried to cut the tip of my thumb off. Well, actually, I didn't "try" to do it, but I very nearly did do it. What happened was that I was eating an apple, and Gwydion - noticing that I was hanging around in the kitchen - started weaking at me. Knowing what he wanted (because he always wants food) I figured I'd share my apple with him. Now, I hadn't bothered to peel and slice the apple, figuring I'd just eat it as it was, and stop when I got to the core, but I obviously needed to cut some off of it if I was going to give Gwydion some. So, I picked up a knife and went to cut a slice out of the apple to give to Gwydion. Unfortunately, I cut a slice out of my finger instead. I thought I'd barely caught it, since it wasn't really hurting that much at first, but I'm thinking now that the reason it didn't hurt much at first was that I numbed it with the cold water I immediately shoved my hand under. Why do I think this? Well, because it started to hurt a LOT after my hand warmed back up, and it definately hurts now! Also, Kelly had a look at it, and he says I've cut a little chunk out of my thumb near the tip. Still... I managed to avoid getting any blood on the apple - I'm assuming I put the apple down quick enough that it was out of harm's way - and Gwydion and I both really enjoyed the apple! Just looking on the bright side... Finding the positive in the situation and all that! ;)

Walking in to Spring

The wind snatched at her hair as it passed, whispering of remembered Winter days... Trying to encourage her to join it in its dance. She ignored it though, tilting her head up to the sun, which was trying hard to shine... Hinting at the warmth that Summer would bring when it arrived. A faint smile played upon her lips as she walked on, feeling the sun warming her cheeks where the wind's icy fingers had brushed against them only moments before. The wind still whipped about her, but she neither noticed it nor cared, for there was the sun, and here was Spring, and the Spring promised new life. And the promise of new life gave her hope.

~~~

Just a little proof for you all that sometimes my mind can stray in a good direction! :)

The Princess and the Frog

"A modern day retelling of the classic story The Frog Prince. The Princess and the Frog finds the lives of arrogant, carefree Prince Naveen and hardworking waitress Tiana crossing paths. Prince Naveen is transformed into a frog by a conniving voodoo magician and Tiana, following suit, upon kissing the amphibian royalty. With the help of a trumpet-playing alligator, a Cajun firefly, and an old blind lady who lives in a boat in a tree, Naveen and Tiana must race to break the spell and fulfill their dreams."

(Above taken from this page).

I thought this was a sweet little movie, and really enjoyed it!

Furkid Friday: More guinea pig grumbles (FD)

Hi humans, it's Gwydion here again.

Well, these humans of mine are not behaving correctly! They still refuse point blank to give in to my demands for more veggies! The Mami human even went as far as to point out that I had a big fat tummy, which would only get bigger if I was fed on demand! How rude! Then she put me down on the floor and tried to persuade me to run around a bit. She's done it regularly, but I keep being too scared to move more than a few steps. When I once again refused to run around, she picked me back up and said, "if you'd run around a bit more, then I wouldn't be so mean and refuse you extra veggies." See! She even knows she's being mean! Who does she think she is? I tell you, this kind of service just isn't good enough! Kero tells me I should think about how good we have it, and think about the fact I get all the things I do get. He says I should be happy with my bowl of dried food, bowl of veggies, handful of treats, and unlimited supply of hay each day. Apparently not all guinea pigs even get that much. He says he heard the humans talking about some rabbits, for example, who just get a bowl of dried food between them each day, and veggies as treats a couple of times a week. I told him I thought he was just making it up to get me to quit... That he's obviously just siding with the humans. He insists hhe isn't though. Don't get me wrong, I do love these humans. They give great cuddles, supply me with a clean, warm cage and toys, brush me regularly, feed me every day without fail, change my water bottle regularly, etc. I just wish someone would teach them that I am the one in charge, and they should bow down to my demands. Those demands being an unlimited supply of fresh veggies as and when I weak for them, and all the treats I can eat!

Squeak soon,
Gwydion

What's on TV for me?

Since I've been reviewing things, I figured I would tell you about some of my favourite TV shows. I mentioned Rugrats not long ago, so now I figured I'd tell you about some of the other shows I like to watch:

I've watched the Duggar family grow from 14 children to 19 children. I enjoy watching them, because I think they're a wonderful family. I would love a big family who are close like that. Probably not one that big... I think 6 children would be enough... But I can see why they just keep on having children, and think their children are very well behaved, and seem to be very happy.

I'm also a big fan of Supernanny and watch it all the time. I'm hoping to pick up a few tips for when - or if - I have my own children.

I enjoy Charmed and Friends so much that even though they finished years ago I still watch the episodes whenever I'm not doing anything and I know they're on TV. I've seen every episode - especially the Friends episodes - several times, but they just don't seem to become boring to me!

Another favourite of mine is CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which I haven't seen all the episodes of, since I've missed several in various points throughout the various series, but one day - perhaps - I'll finally get to see the ones I've missed.

Then, of course, there's The Simpsons. I love that family of yellow idiots!

There are several other things I enjoy watching, but those are my favourites.

Time, workmen, McDonalds, Emma-Jane, scarves and blogs (FD)

Can you believe we're already in to the second day of March? What happened? Where did the time go? Did someone set the clock on fast forward again? Own up... Who did it? Was it you? Seriously though... It hasn't been nearly as noisy here the past couple of days. It's been noisy enough that you can be left in no doubt that the workmen are out there, but quiet enough that I can hear what I'm trying to hear, so actually have the option to do whatever I want rather than being forced to just do what can be done without being able to hear, if you know what I mean. I'm told that the workmen are almost done with the work they're doing out there. I hope so! I also hope they don't need to come back for a very, very long time! I spent the day with Mam and Emma-Jane yesterday. We went to run an errand that Mam needed to run, then went to McDonalds, where Emma-Jane enjoyed a chicken nugget happy meal, Mam had some other chicken meal, and I had a veggie burger with chips/fries (the only vegetarian option they do as a meal once breakfasts stop). And after that we went and spent the afternoon at Mam's place with Wayne and Willow. Emma-Jane is getting really big, and really smart. She can walk properly - though she keeps falling due to attempting to run and not getting it quite right - and she already says loads of things. Like how she will say, "star," is you start singing, "twinkle, twinkle, little..." then stop for her to complete the line (she also does the last word of each of the other lines in the song). She can't string more than two words together yet, but I think she's doing fantastically for a baby of her age (she's about 11 and a half months old now). I mean, she can manage to string together two word sentences, like, "good girl," and "what's that?" which is good for a baby of her age, I think. I also love how if you pick her up - or bend down to her - and say, "love you," she'll give you a kiss, then give you a hug while saying, "awwww!" (often adding another kiss afterwards). I did get a photo yesterday... Mam took it on her mobile phone and sent it to mine via bluetooth, then I e-mailed it to myself so as to get it on to my laptop... But I haven't had a chance to ask someone to sort it out for me yet, so I'll post it on here another time. Anyway... After I got home I basically just walked Kero, had some food, watched some TV for a bit, then went to bed. Yep... Still sleeping at night (at the moment). As of yesterday I've added another project to my to do list... Louise (Emma-Jane's Mother) spotted a scarf I'd made my Mam when she was fetching Emma-Jane yesterday, and she asked if I'd make her one, so I said I would. Scarves knit up pretty quickly anyway. I just have to grab the right colours, because I'm out of the two pinks I used in it, and she wants it the same colours as Mam's one was knitted in. I also used a couple of different stitches to make a bit of a pattern with it, so I'll have to borrow the scarf off my Mam to see what I did. I meant to bring it home with me yesterday, actually, but I completely forgot about it until it was too late and I was at home. I'm seeing Mam tomorrow though, so maybe she can bring it with her then? If not, then there's plenty of time for her to get it to me before I'm ready to do it, since I need to finish Mam's throw(s) first anyway. I can't promise it will be 100% the same, but I'll do my best to make it as close as I possibly can to Mam's one for her. Anyway... As for today... Well, today I've just been alternating between working on my knitting projects, and catching up on the blog posts I didn't get a chance to read yesterday. I'm terrible for getting at least a day or so behind on blog posts lately... Sorry about that! So, that has basically been what's happened the past couple of days. Well, other than boring things like housework, which I'm sure you don't really want to hear about.

St David's Day 2011

Happy St David's Day!

Tori, Kero and Gwydion

Of photos, projects, and everything in between

I hope you enjoyed the photos over the past couple of days. I didn't want to bother Iggy - who usually sorts my photos for me - since I knew about his shoulder, so I had to try and talk Kelly through doing what I knew how to do myself - and used to do myself before - but can't do now, for obvious reasons. I hope he did a good job with the photos. *** In between doing chores and stuff yesterday I spent a lot of time reading the posts on A Joyful Chaos. The blog was recommended by Deanna for anyone interested in the Amish way of life. Now, I'm not one of those people who have a fascination for the Amish as such, but I am a nosy person who likes to have a peek in to the lives of others, so I went to have a look. As I said, I spent most of yesterday reading the blog posts. I read every single post (yeah, I know, I need a life) and found them to be very interesting. I'm saying about it mainly to tell those who - like me - are nosy, both what I was up to, and that it's worth reading. *** The workmen are still here. A little quieter today though, so at least I can come on here when I want to be on here. They were meant to be done by now, I think, but even with coming on Saturdays too they still aren't done. I hope they're done soon, because I'm getting fed up of not being able to go out for my walks with Kero at the times I want to. There was a broken pipe we had to have someone come out for the other day (we think the workmen broke it, but have no evidence, and they weren't paying much attention). When the plumber came out we mentioned the water that sometimes comes in and makes it rain in our kitchen, and he thinks the reason the other plumber couldn't find a problem was because it's caused by the rain getting in through the gaps in the walls (old building and all that) and that the work the workmen are doing will stop it, because what they're doing - apparently - is closing up the cracks and putting some kind of weather proofing stuff on the walls. I hope the plumber is right, because if he is then it wont rain in our kitchen any more once the workmen are done. That doesn't make me like them being here any more than I did before we had that conversation with the plumber, but I'll be pleased if it doesn't rain indoors again, that's for sure! I mean... Who wouldn't be? *** I've had a few more nights of sleeping at night and getting a decent sleep. I wake on and off - though usually only long enough to turn over, then I go back to sleep - but I end up getting a good six hours sleep in the end. That seems to be plenty for me though, since I'm actually waking up feeling like I can face the day, rather than the, "is it time to get up already?" feeling I usually had when morning arrived. It's also a lot easier to deal with the noise of the workmen when I've had a good night sleep. I hope it continues! *** It looks like that could be it for our Winter. We still keep having cold winds and a lott of rain, but we're also having days where it's mostly sunny. The sun isn't warming things up that much, but it gives hope that some time soon things will start to warm up. *** I'm quite a way through the throw thing for my Mam now. When it's done, I'll be making matching ones for the armchairs. They wont take me long to do though, since each one will only be about half the size of the sofa one. Well, actually, slightly smaller than that, but not by too much. If I continue at the rate I've been knitting things recently then I'll be done with all three before the end of March, and be starting my next project! I swear my knitting is getting faster... Which, I would think, is a good thing! I have a few other projects lined up to do once I'm done with the throws, and by the time I've done them it's probably going to be time to start working on Christmas presents. Too early to think about Christmas right now though, so I'm just thinking about the other things. *** OK, I think that's just about all I have to say for today. Besides, this blog post has already taken longer to write than it should have (I kept getting side-tracked). So... Stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy whatever's left of your day! :)

My red and blue blanket

As promised, here is the blanket I made for myself. There are two photos because one is the top half, the other is the bottom half.

Valentine's card and teddy 2011 - photo

Here is the promised photo of my teddy and card from Valentine's Day this year:

Furkid Friday: furkid fun

Hi humans, it's Kero here.

Gwydion and I are really hating those noisy humans being here. We're getting really frustrated with all the noise. We are trying to get on with naps, play times, etc though. Like how I was trying to get Gwydion to play with me when he was out of his cage the other day...




... And how I was playing with my rattle teddy that I got when Gwydion got his new cage, and Mami was calling me a nutter, because I was playing by myself and kept throwing it up in the air and trying to catch it. Or how Gwydion's figured out that if he doesn't completely empty out his bowl when having his, "give me some more greens," tantrums he can amuse himself by rolling the dish around on its side so that the bits of food still in it make a rattly noise (which is fun for him, until the dish falls and lands upside down, and he can't even pick it up to use it to get the humans to come to him... But it's OK, because he just squeaks loudly for them instead). It just goes to show... Even when life is frustrating, strangers are upsetting your routine - and much too close to your family - and the weather isn't nice, you can still have fun!

Licks and sniffs,
Kero

February 2011 birthdays

As far as I'm aware, the only birthdays I need to mention for February are Barefoot Gardener's daughter ("Big Sprout")'s birthday, which was February 20th, and my nephew, Devin's birthday, which is tomorrow (February 25th). I doubt either of them read my blog, but I'm sending out a wish for a very happy belated birthday to "Big Sprout" and an early happy birthday to Devin. Anywayy! If I've missed any other birthdays this month though, then a very happy birthday to whoever else had their birthday as well this month!

Thursday - 4:45 AM (LBE and FD)

OK, so I didn't know what to put as a title... LOL! Anyway... I finished my post yesterday with the words, "back later..." because I had planned on coming back online yesterday evening while Kelly was at a roleplaying session with my Dad and some of the guys from the gaming club. Some time around 7:45 PM I even turned the laptop on to come on here. But then I decided I just didn't feel like it. It was probably because I was tired, since a little over an hour later I fell asleep. Kero then woke me a little after 10:00 PM by standing on his back legs beside the bed, putting his front paws up on the bed, and making the, "arf, arf," noise he makes when he has to go out (I swear it sounds like he's saying, "out, out," when he does that noise). After I took him out I thought that would be it... I'd been woken now, and that was it for the night, right? Wrong! I climbed back in bed... "just in case... And was asleep within a few minutes! I did wake enough to acknowledge it was just Kelly coming home when he got home, then enough to know he'd gotten in to bed when he came to bed, but other than that - and the usual wake up, turn over, go back to sleep moments that happen all the time - I slept until a little after 3:30 AM. So, that's two good nights of sleep in a row! I can't help but wonder though... How long will it last this time? Anyway... There is one benifit to the workmen being here... I'm already quarter of the way through knitting the throw type thing for my Mam. Mind you, it's not a project that will take too long, really. I mean, I had Max's blanket knitted in under a month, and wasn't well for a lot of that month, so made slow progress with knitting it at first. Let's see... I think it was about a week ago I started Mam's throw? So, if I continue at the pace I have been, it will be done in another three weeks. Then it will be time for the next project (which I will tell you about when I decide which thing to do next). Speaking of knitting... There's a new magazine out called "The Art Of Knitting" which looks good. First issue is 99p (roughly $2) and comes with a DVD, some needles, a ball of wool, and a magazine filled with knitting tips and patterns. The second issue is £1.99 (roughly $4) and comes with more wool, another magazine, and something else I can't remember. And every issue after that is £2.99 (roughly $6) and they all come with wool and other stuff, plus the magazine itself (obviously). I thought it sounded good, and pretty reasonably priced. My only issue was... It's in print. Kelly has agreed to find a way to make it so I can read the patterns and such though. He's either going to scan the pages and save them as pdfs (which I can then convert to text files to make them easier to use when attempting to follow the patterns), or - if he can't figure out how to do that - sit and type the stuff out for me. I warned him that it appears to have about 120 issues, but he says that's OK. So, I've subscribed to it, because if you subscribe then you can be sure to get all the issues... Plus, they give extra free gifts if you subscribe, and even more still if you pay via a credit/debit card or direct debit. Do people use other methods of payment these days then? I mean, I thought all transactions that weren't one-offs were paid via a credit or debit card, or direct debit these days? *Shrugs* Anyway, I have a debit card so I used that and should now get the extra free gifts. The first issue should come in the next couple of weeks, then Kelly can get to work on making it so I can read the patterns and such. That way when I've finished the projects I currently have lined up, I can work on some of the projects in the magazine. I don't know all of what will be there... It just says something about "things to knit for your home and family" (or something like that). I do, however, know there will be a large throw to work on, since they give you a ball of wool and tips on different stitches each time so you can, "knit your throw, square by square," (I assume as a way to try out the new stitches?) I've not done anything other than knit, purl or rib intentionally yet, so I'm looking forward to getting tips on how to do other stitches. And - now that I've had plenty of practice with things like blankets, scarves, hats, and simple baby toys - maybe I can tackle something a bit more complicated? I'd like to be able to make Kelly and myself knitted jumpers (sweaters) for example. I do have a knitted cardigan that's new, but I didn't make it... My Nan did. She made it a bit big for herself, so - knowing I prefer things big - she offered it to me, and I accepted it. She made it with a wool that changes colour from white to green then to yellow (possibly not in that order) and back again, so it's in stripes of green, yellow and white. Anyway, I'd like to get to a point where I can make knitted cardigans and such... So that - for example - as long as I can get hold of wool, I can make some kind of clothing for myself and my family. Perhaps not the best sort for warm days, but definately good for cold days. And also an option for if all else fails. I can sew enough to make rough items of clothing, fix holes in things, and sew together parts of knitted items to make the whole thing, so that could prove useful too. I like being able to do something useful like that. And I obviously don't do too bad of a job - with the knitting especially - since people are now requesting items. My sewing can't be too bad either. I fixed a hole in Kelly's robe more than a year ago, and it's still holding, so it can't be too badly done, can it? OK, enough of that... The plan I had for making sure to have plenty of small bottles, cartons and cans of stuff on hand to grrab quickly seems to be working well. I'm drinking a lot better, which is good news. I'm also getting a drink when I go to get one, rather than grabbing a snack instead, so I'm snaccking less too, which is also a good thing. I'm also happily munching on the healthier snack options. I'm not going to even pretend that means no cakes, chocolates or crisps (potato chips). But there are definately more fruit based snacks happening. I've learned I quite like apple crisps and banana chips, and there's a "strawberry oaty chewy bar" that I'm quite fond of too. I've always liked having raisins, but tend to be put off by huge bags... "If I open the bag, I have to eat it within x amount of days, and what if I don't want to?"... So I've got all sorts of snack sized packs of raisins... Plain raisins, yogurt covered raisins, cherry infused raisins, strawberry infused raisins, raisins mixed with other fruits, raisins mixed with nuts, raisins mixed with both nuts and other fruits, and even raisins mixed with other fruits and nuts with a few chocolate drops thrown in there (great for keeping the snack relatively healthy while at the same time giving in to that chocolate craving)... I figure they're good options for snacks, but also useful for helping to keep my iron level up, since raisins are good for iron boosts, apparently. It doesn't seem to have done much to help with my weight as yet, but that could be at least partly due to the fact Kero and I aren't able to get out for our walks properly right now. I'm hoping that once the scaffolding is gone and we can get out for our walks properly, the combination of things will start to slowly take the weight off me. I do know I need the weight off, but I don't want to do it with diets or anything like that. Partly because I struggle to keep to them anyway, and partly because otherwise the second I go off the diet I know the weight will pile back on. But if I can do it with gradual changes to my eating, drinking and exercising habbits... Healthier snack and drink options (while still allowing myself any "treats" I want), more - and sometimes longer - walks with Kero, and that sort of thing... Then it will become habbit rather than something I'm only doing for the weight loss, and - in theory - any weight I get off "should" stay off (at least for the most part). And there wont be a question of what will happen when I go off the diet, because it wont be one, so there wont be a diet for me to stop. It also illiminates the feelings of guilt when I have those "treats" because there's no rule about not having them or only having them on set days or whatever. Stopping yourself having things you want to be eating only leads to a vicious cycle happening in which you eat the item, feel guilty about it, then end up eating something else you aren't "meant to" be eating to make yourself feel better. But, if you have no reason to be feeling guilty, then you wont end up in that vicious cycle. The intention is there, but now I have to get myself to a point where I do it for long enough to make it become a habbit. They say that things become habbit if you do them every day for a month, but I'm pretty good at coming up with excuses not to do things, so getting me keeping things up as I intend to for over a month is the big hurdle I need to climb. I'd also like to have some kind of rough routine, but with my sleep so irregular I'm not sure how that would work out. I'd like to try though. Not one of those where you "have to" have this done at 9:00 AM on the dot and can't be late with it or it will put you behind and you'll get stressed over it. Just a rough routine with some flexibility, yet some basic guidelines for getting things done by a certain time. Like... I'd like to be at least getting up by 8:00 AM (if I'm not up already) so I can have plenty of time to get dressed, have breakfast, wash breakfast dishes, etc, and be able to walk Kero by about 10:00 AM (ish), then have some time to do whatever needs doing around the house in the morning (when I tend to have more energy). But, if I'm done earlier than planned, why not take Kero out sooner? Then chores will get done sooner, and I can have some me time for a bit before lunch. But, also, if I don't take Kero out until a bit later because there was a phone call, or because I decided to sort the household chores first, or whatever, then that's OK too. The point is to make sure that the things that need doing in the morning get done in the morning. That way Kero can get another walk later in the day, because I'll have plenty of free time, since all of the household chores will have been done already. I used to - even when I had three dogs to walk at once - walk them all about mid to late morning, then again in the evening. But then two things happened to make me start making excuses. One is that I lost my sight, and the other is that we moved. The walk here is shorter, so in theory I should be walking it more if anything, but I make excuses not to go, and I need to change that. I mean, with it just being quite a short walk - especially compared to the walk we used to have - there's no reason why I can't fit in a morning walk, an afternoon walk, and an evening walk... Especially on nice days. I'm sure Kero would love that, and I know it would do both of us good. I also used to walk the dogs in any kind of weather. Now, I can't do snow any more, because I can't follow the path with my cane in the snow, but there's no valid reason for other weathers being used as an excuse. That's why I know it's just lame excuses I'm making not to do things. And why, what it all boils down to, is that I've allowed myself to develop some really bad habbits over the past couple of years, and I need to break them. OK, this will do for now. I have a birthday themed post coming up later today though. I hope you have a good day... Stay warm and safe! :)

Sleep themed ramblings

Well... The good thing is, I got a decent sleep last night. The bad thing is, the sleep ended a little before 3:00 AM. Still, having about 6 hours sleep - despite waking for a few minutes every hour or so - is really good, even if it doesn't happen exactly when I'd like it to. And, hey, it did basically happen at night, so I suppose I can't complain really!

So... Now it's a little after 5:00 AM, I'm wide awake and ready to start my day, but everyone else is snoring happily (and will probably stay that way for at least another 3 hours... Likely longer). I've caught up on blog posts and comments, so now I think I'm going to see about some breakfast. Maybe if I have it now I can enjoy my breakfast and a nice cup of herbal tea before the workmen come and start being all noisy again?

The workmen are usually here by 8:30 AM. That will wake Kero - if I don't wake him before that so as to take him for a pee before they arrive, which I probably will - but it wont wake Kelly. He's one of those lucky people who falls asleep as soon as he tries to, gets back to sleep easily if he wakes for any reason, and sleeps through just about anything... Workmen, Kero barking, Emma-Jane crying... Lucky buggar!

Back later...

Hey Arnold! - The Movie

"A fourth grader and his best friend set out to stop an industrialist from bulldozing their town."

"When a powerful developer named Mr. Scheck wants to knock down all the stores and houses in Arnold's neighborhood to build a huge "mall-plex", it looks likes the neighborhood is doomed to disappear. But with the help of a superhero and a mysterious deep-voiced stranger, Arnold and Gerald will need to recover a crucial document in order to save their beloved neighborhood."

(Above taken from this page).

I always enjoyed the Nickelodeon show, "Hey Arnold!"... I enjoyed the movie just as much as I'd enjoyed the show in the past!