Books · Life

Beginings and Endings….

Beginings – a new man as detailed yesterday. So, there has been a name change and Ghillie will now and forever be known as Mungo. Not Jerry (although the joke has already been made) but St Mungo – the patron of Glasgow and animal lover – the Scottish St Francis! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mungo)

In the category of Endings I finished another book – Buried by Prof Alice Roberts. This was an interesting read, archaeology and anthroplogy and the story of a millennium through burials – the skeletons and grave goods left behind. I do like her writings but my one complaint is a personal one – I know she is a humanist – she is clear about that on twitter and in her writing. I respect her beliefs – I just wish it felt a little more like she respected mine. Calling Christianity a successful Levantine cult leaves me a little heart sore.

This was a good read – you just need to clue into her style. I will read the prequel to this – Ancestors – on my kindle (this one was in hardback) and hopefully being in a pre-Christian setting I’ll feel it less pointed.

Life

My new man….

Meet Gillie (at the moment – names may change).

My thanks to Mum for coming to Reading with me to meet him – and help me bring him home. He’s a Patterdale Terrier, just over a year old and playing and sniffing everything at the moment.

Meeting the vet soon for a check-up but seems fine and walked well with me.

More soon….

Knitting · Life

Keeping safe…

This is what I am currently knitting (along with a little jumper – obviously). Dualaich by Liz Cooke (https://www.lizcorke.com/product/dualaich/). I am knitting it with a present to myself – King Cole pure merino in the colourway Lapis. Whenever I lose 10 kilo I buy a prize – the last two were yarn I admit!!

Although I love this shawl – what I wanted to write about are the strings of embroidery cotton threaded through the kniting – my lifelines.

I learned to lifeline with the very first lace knitting I ever attempted – quite a while ago now. A lifeline is a thread of narrower cotton or wool threated through all the stitches at regular intervals as you knit – in Dualaich that’s every 12 rows which makes up a repeat. If everything goes wrong, you miscount, drop stitches or just lose the plot entirely you can take the knitting off the needles and ‘frog*’ back to the stitches you have kept safe.

(*Frogging is where you take your knitting apart and ripit ripit)

As I threaded the most recent of these I pondered my reading today in Daily Bread – Luke 15:11-32. The prodigal thought he had cast everything aside but his lifeline was still there… may we all be as fortunate.

I have a close and loving relationship with my family, they are always there for me… in prayer and in aid. I also have friends and the women of my church’s WhatsApp group if I need them. My lifelines are present and strong.

If you ever need them there is a webpage of resources here:

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/helplines-listening-services/

For anyone who knows me…. text / call / contact if you need … passing on what I have been given!

Life

Me, myself and I…

My left hand.

I wasn’t certain what to write about today but I took a snap of my hand and it sparked! The Bloganuary question today was ‘What brings you joy’ and my hand is a part of that.

I have small hands (I am small so no big shock there) and I can use them both – not ambidexterous but crafty! I crochet and knit, write and cook, play musical instruments and play with my niece. I find joy in making things, in crafting and cooking, writing long hand and typing. When I was a teenager my left hand was trapped in a piano lid while I was playing, school wasn’t fun, and I had to have physio to help the healing. Being a hand down still worries me sometimes, I fear losing what I do for relaxation – even reading uses both hands!

For Christmas 2020 my parents bought me a UV lamp and the initial pieces needed to do gel nails – only on myself and mum, no beautician need worry. I pretty much always have my nails painted now, ‘chocolate delight’ by Mylee at the moment as shown above.

When I was at my heaviest I felt disconnected from my body in a way, out of step with how I wanted to see myself. I could however have pretty hands, even if I did not like what I saw in the mirror and ran away from photographers, only rarely caught in the lens.

This is a disjointed splurge of words but I invite you to think on two things; your hands and how you can spark joy (without wanting to throw out all your belongings – no offense meant).

Life

That time of year….

I don’t do Halloween but this time of year means two other things to me…

Number one is that Nanowrimo starts tomorrow!  For those who are not aware (or have not heard me go on about it) Nano is the National Write a Novel in a Month challenge.  Write 50,000 words in November, or 1667 words per day, and you have the base of a novel…. I’ve only won the once but generally take part.  This year however a change, not fan-fiction but original fiction, a murder mystery set in 1847.  A feisty Scottish governess in a closed environment of death…. here goes!

 

Number two for me is the white dog in my blog title.  The black dog I borrowed from Churchill, my mental health issues, but the white dog I adopted seven years ago today.

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Honestly, I’m not sure why I put him in there either!

 

This is Conall, it means strong wolf in gaelic and it made me giggle.  He is my heart and my little baby.

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When he needs a haircut he looks like a womble – a name he now responds to!

 

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I promise this is the same dog.

 

So, happy seventh anniversary and half birthday….. my little man.