These Islands

It's strange watching people give a potted history of 'these islands', the names of kingdoms, areas and getting 70% of it right, and then the rest becomes rather mangled and garbled.

Here's my attempt at setting the record straight  - and whilst we're talking about getting things straight, I'd be so happy if this image was set on a north/south axis. This titled map was used on the weather reports when I was a child. It wasn't until Google Maps happened across my computer screen I realised most of Scotland is further west than most of England.

The Norman Invasion of Ireland (1169-71) is the time where I'm starting. This saw the end of Celtic rule, and the office of High King of Ireland. The island was declared a fief of the Holy See under the Lordship of the King of England. The reality was Ireland was carved up, and power given to Ango-Norman nobles.

In 1541, the Parliament of Ireland conferred the crown of Ireland upon Henry VIII of England. The Catholic monarchs of Europe  did not recognise this as Ireland had previously been decreed a fief of the Holy See, and as Henry had been excommunicated (1538) he could not possibly be king. When Henry's daughter, Mary became Queen of England, the Pope (Paul IV) issued a papal bull  recognising  Mary, and her husband, Phillip II of Spain as Queen and King of Ireland together with her heirs and successors.

Between 1277 and 1283, the English (under the rule of Edward I) attacked and subjugated Wales. The Statute of Rhuddlan (1284) formally declared the end of the independence of the Principality of Wales, and annexed it to the crown of England. Later, in 1535 and 1542, under Henry VIII, Wales was legally incorporated into the Kingdom of England.

By 1555, Mary was Queen of England (including Wales) and separately of Ireland. Three years later, on her death, her half sister, Elizabeth inherited the crowns.

On Elizabeth's death in 1603, her second cousin, James VI, King of Scots,  became king in Ireland, and also England (inc. Wales).

Then in 1707, with the Union of Parliament, James became king of the Kingdom of Great Britain. (Great Britain also refers to the largest island, as well as the name of the kingdom.) This incorporated Scotland, England and Wales. Ireland was still a separate country, albeit with the same monarch.

In 1801, Ireland was added into the mix. The new country was called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1921, Ireland was partitioned into two provinces. Six of the nine counties of Ulster formed Northern Ireland, and the rest of the island was to be Southern Ireland.. The UK government intended them to be self-governing, but remain with in the UK. This was accepted by Northern Ireland, but the people of the south refused and in 1922, the Republic of Ireland was formed. The name of the UK changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Isle of Man has never been a part of the UK. It is a crown dependency, and the monarch of the UK is the Lord of Mann.

Missing from the image above, are the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey. They are also crown dependencies, and not part of the UK.

There are many people, especially in the Republic of Ireland, and on the Isle of Man, that using the term 'British Isles' for these islands is woefully outdated, and colonial. In joint governmental papers (UK and Ireland), the term used is 'these islands'. Other names are the  'Anglo-Celtic Isles' and the 'Atlantic Archipelago'. 

Shark Attack!

"Hello, Mrs Dixon?  It's Oakwood Primary School."

"I'm afraid there's been a little incident in school today. Maria was bitten. The skin hasn't been broken, but there will be bruising. She is tearful, but okay."

"No, no. she says she'll be fine and she doesn't need you to come to school to pick her up. Currently she is comforting the child who bit her. We just wanted to let you know what's happened."

That's pretty much how the conversation with the school administrator went. The conversation with Maria was a little different.

"Yes, I'm fine," said in a confused tone, after all the biting incident was a whole 90 minutes ago. 

"Oh!  That!  Last week were visited the Sea Life Centre, and decided to play  'Shark Attack! It was fun. We were swimming out beyond the Great Barrier Reef, and Julie attacked me. She grabbed my fin (holds up arm), and bit! Hard!  I cried, and Julie cried. She didn't realise she'd bitten me so hard. She was so sad I gave her cuddles and told her it was okay. Next time we play she is going to be a Basking shark, and not a Great White."

Mum's The Word

Up until a week ago, the front garden was a riot of colour. The foxgloves and aquilegia have gone over, and the giant daisies won't be far behind them.

I had been thinking about cutting them back to allow new flowers to be planted, and new colour to be added. Unfortunately, when coming home of Friday I saw at least ten sparrows fly out of the stems and greenery. They were having a feast on the seeds from the plants. A garden shouldn't just be for the pollinators, but also to feed as much of the ecosystem as possible.

However, the plant in one of the big pots has died. It was definitely time for it to go. The Beloved pruned it right back, and I have planted chrysanthemums, lavender, and a cutting of some fruit bush.

The rain last week has caused a number of weeds to sprout, and these need to be cleared. The second big pot can be cleared and planted with something interesting. And then, hopefully, I can attack the central bed, and add summer/autumn bedding.

Chocolate Cheesepots

 

Ingredients

Chocolate layer

2 Tsp Nutella

2 Tsp butter

Biscuit base

80g Oaties (gluten-free, vegan, oat biscuits)

30g butter

Cheesecake layer

280ml double cream

250g vegan cream cheese

2 heaped Tsp icing sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Method

Heat the Nutella and butter in a microwave. Stir to ensure it is well mixed, free from lumps. Set to one side 

Crush the biscuits. Add the butter to a saucepan and heat. Pour the crushed biscuits into the butter, and also the chopped, toasted hazelnuts. Mix well. Split the crumbly biscuit base between four wine glasses. 

Blend the cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla essence and icing sugar. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to stiff peaks. Fold the cream cheese into the cream. Carefully spoon into the wine glasses. Smooth over the top.

Add the chocolate layer to the top. Add some chocolate curls, and place in the fridge until needed. 

Notes

This is the dairy-rich version of the vegan Raspberry Cheesepots The verdict was the raspberry version was good, but this is better. 

Dog Days

In Homer's Iliad (circa 8 BCE) he wrote:

Priam saw him first, with his old man's eyes,

A single point of light on Troy's dusty plain.

Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky

On summer nights, star of stars,

Orion's Dog they call it, brightest

Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat

And fevers to suffering humanity.

Achilles' bronze gleamed like this as he ran.

Orion's Dog... bringing heat. This is one of the earliest written references. It was in 7 BCE, Greek poet Hesiod, in 'Work and Days', used the phrase to mean  “searing” or “scorching”.

The dog days of summer is the period when it is so hot you want to so little but sit in a cool breeze, sip and iced drink, and dream of future times.

The phrase 'dog days' entered English in the 1500s. It is a direct translation from the Latin term 'caniculares dies', which refers to this specific seasonal phenomenon and is modelled after the same term in Greek.

Hans Island

One of my favourite YouTubers is The Tim Traveller. The lovely Tim travels to interesting places, and tells us interesting facts. Often it's about strange borders,, train lines, or even abandoned buildings.

One of the places mentioned was Hans Island. It is right in the middle of the Kennedy Channel of Nares Strait. When Canada and Denmark  (Greenland is one of the constituent countries of the Kingdom of Denmark) were drawing up their maritime borders, they agree to the border being equidistant from both land masses. However, Hans Island lies right in the middle of the Nares Strait. Both countries have claimed this little bit of barren rock. 

From time to time, Canada would visit, hoist their flag, and leave a bottle of Canadian whisky. Later, Denmark would do the same, but leave a Danish equivalents. This has been been dubbed the Whisky War. No shots have been fired, only drunk.

On the 14th of June 2022, an agreement was signed to divide Hans Island roughly in half, along a rift. I haven't heard that it has yet been ratified, but once done, it will be the most northerly international land border, and will become the world's third shortest international border at 1,300m. It will also give Canada and Denmark two international land borders (Canada currently has the USA, and Denmark, Germany).

Driving Without Due Care And Attention

"Mr Anderson, how do you plead to the charge of 'Driving without due care and attention?" 

"Not guilty." 

The trial started and PC Robertson took to the stand. Flipping open his daybook, he read out his notes: 22.04, 18th of June 1991, approx. 200m from Junction 10 on the northbound M9, Charles Anderson recorded travelling at 114mph. Confirmed by PC Wilson, and Mr Anderson himself.

Charles Anderson nodded along, visually confirming everything the young police constable had said. Then, he took the stand.

Charles' lawyer spoke to his client. "As PC Robertson was reading out the details you appeared to be agreeing with the facts. Is this correct?" 

"Yes, I agree that on the 18th of June, I was driving towards Stirling at 114mph."

"Mr Anderson, you agree with the officer, but yet you pleaded 'not guilty'. Can you please explain this apparent discrepancy?"

"Certainly. Careless driving is an offence under the Scottish Road Traffic Act 1988 section 3. It is driving a "motor vehicle on a road in a manner that falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful driver” or driving  "without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road". To be  convicted of driving without due care and attention  it must be shown that the driver departed from 'the standard of a reasonably prudent and competent driver in all the circumstances of the case'."

"Mr Anderson, were you driving below the standards of a 'competent and careful driver'?"

"No, I was not. The weather was dry, visibility excellent. Whilst it was after 10pm, the light levels were very good, and the road was empty, apart from PC Robertson's police car."

"Please comment on the speed at which you were driving."

"I freely admit I was driving to the conditions, not the speed limit. However, I have not been charged with speeding, but with driving without due care and attention. I maintain I was driving safely, and within my capabilities."

"Mr Anderson, can you please explain to the court how do you know your capabilities?"

"I am an advanced driving instructor, and I train the Police in high speed driving and pursuit. I also teach officers how to drive in adverse weather conditions. As part of my job, I am required to undergo regular testing to ensure I can drive at speed safely, and with due care and attention."

The Justice of the Peace scowled slight, then cleared her throat. "I think we have heard enough. Mr Anderson, you are free to go. It is clear you are innocent of the charge brought against you. However, I'd like to have a quiet word with PC Robertson about charging a person with right bloody crime!

----

Many years ago, a colleague gave me a lift to Stirling each day, and she told me, with great glee of a recent case her husband had defended. The names, times and places have been changed. But there was indeed a man who was charged with driving without due care and attention. He did indeed train police offices in how to drive safely at speed, and the Justice of the Peace was not at all impressed.

I Eat Stress For Breakfast

“I eat stress for breakfast, and operate best when I am a half step from disaster.”

A youtube short form video started with these words, and it felt like a very accurate description of my life. I’d ask ‘Why am I like this?’, but I already know! It’s ADHD.

 My brain as an inability to focus on some tasks, and it’s only when there’s stress, a serious time deadline, and the fate of the western world resting on my shoulders that action will happen.

----

In other news, a friend is coming to visit this evening. Therefore, the sitting room is looking fantastic. It has been decluttered, cleaned and tidied.

Vegetable Curry

Ingredients

olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 Tsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

900g diced vegetables

240ml natural yogurt
1 Tsp lemon juice

2 Tsp medium curry powder

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

200g diced tomatoes, canned 

120ml coconut cream

2 Tsp gluten-free flour

Method

Prepare the vegetables. 

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion until translucent. Add in garlic, ginger, and cinnamon. Continue to cook until onions are browned, stirring frequently. Transfer to a dish.

Add a bit more oil and gently fry  the vegetables. 

Add in the onions.

Mix the yogurt, lemon juice, curry powder, turmeric and cumin. Add to the vegetables, along with the can of diced tomatoes. Cooking for about 10 minutes. 

Add in the chicken with the yogurt marinade into the pan. Cook 5 minutes. Pour in stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Then lower the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the coconut cream. Mix well.

Mix the gluten-free flour with a little water, and use to thicken the sauce. Season to taste.

Notes

Serves 6.

Serve with rice, mango chutney, and a side salad.

This recipe is based on the one for Butter Chicken, but without the butter, and without the chicken.

Raspberry Cheesepots

Ingredients

Raspberry layer

250g raspberries

1 heaped Tsp  icing sugar

Biscuit base

80g Oaties (gluten-free, vegan, oat biscuits)

30g vegan butter substitute

Cheesecake layer

340g silken tofu

200g vegan cream cheese

2 heaped Tsp icing sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla essence

Method

Place 2/3 of the raspberries in a bowl, and sprinkle over the icing sugar. Set to one side, and leave for 20 minutes. 

Crush the biscuits. Add the vegan butter substitute to a saucepan and heat. Pour the crushed biscuits into the 'butter', and also the chopped, toasted hazelnuts. Mix well. Split the crumbly biscuit base to wine glasses. 

Blend the silken tofu, cream cheese, lemon juice, vanilla essence and icing sugar. When smooth, carefully spoon into the wine glasses. Smooth over the top.

Return to the raspberries. Use a wooden spoon and crush the raspberries. Mix well. Spoon on top of the cheesepot, and then add the uncrushed raspberries on top.

Notes

I was all set up to make some dairy-filled cheesecake, and instead went the vegan route. The recipes I saw had too many ingredient I didn't have, so I improvised, and it's tasting rather nice. Hence, I am writing out the recipe.

Rude Words!

A few years back, in the spring, we were driving in the countryside. By the road were glorious daffodils; a "thousand saw I at a glance, tossing their heads in sprightly dance."

And, I burst out laughing, then said, "Oooh, that was naughty, wasn't it." The others in the car looked over and asked for more information.

This is when I explained that I wanted to plant lots and lots of daffodil bulbs, enough bulbs to spell out rude words. A look of consternation crossed the Beloved's face, and he asked, "Which rude words?" Grinning, I explained I wanted to spell "rude words - R U D E  W O R D S".

They all laughed, and agreed that it was indeed naughty.

Each spring, whilst others might think wistfully of longer days, more light, and cherry blossom, I think of 'Rude Words'. 

Mary Shelley by Frankenstein

Ah, the classics! ''Great Expectations' by Dickens, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' by  Twain, 'Mary Shelley' by Frankenstein, .... yeah, something a little off there!

But.... what if it wasn't? Why would Dr Frankenstein make of the story of Mary Shelley? Would this unconventional scientist view this outsider as a heroine, as a tragic figure, or would he look down on her for flouting so many of the societal conventions of the day?

I think I need to find out.  It's time to delve into the life of Mary Shelley, her husband, parents, family, her life choices, and also to learn of Dr Frankenstein.  

Half Year Round Up of Crafting Projects

So far this year, I have made:

Two large gift bags

Five crocheted dishcloths

Two twiddle muffs and a fidget mitt

Two knitted facecloths

Two crocheted sun hats

A crocheted bag

A crocheted cardigan

A pair of knitted socks

That's 17 projects.

Rhododendron Cardi (Second Attempt)

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft Crush DK

Composition: 100% Cotton
Pattern: my own design 
Hook: 4.5mm
Colour: Rhododendron

Amount used:  

Started: 29th June 2023

Finished:  

Yes!  Crochet is the way to go with this project.

Make a magic loop.  The squares start off with a standard Granny Square construction, four sets of three trebles separated by a couple of chains.

In the second, third and fourth rounds, the corners are two trebles, two chains, two trebles, and for the rest, work a treble into the space between the trebles of the previous rounds.

Four rounds in total for each square. These will later be joined using violet yarn.

Easter Bunnies Bark

Ingredients

3 bars of white chocolate

3 bars of milk chocolate

small white marshmallows

large white marshmallow

pink sugar

pink icing

brown icing (or chocolate)

pastel sprinkles

Method

On a parchment-lined baking sheet place the chocolate side by size. The colours of the chocolate should be alternating. Place in an oven pre-heated to 120C. Melt the chocolate and swirl it together to marble it.

Cut the large marshmallows into slices, and place on the melted chocolate. Cut the small marshmallows in half, and dip into pink sugar and arrange to make the ears of the bunny. 

Add sprinkles. Then pipe eyes and a nose. 

Leave to cool.  Break into pieces.

In One Fowl Swoop

The Two Ronnies were the mainstay of my Saturday evening viewing when I was a child. These comedians had such a way with language. Their wordplay tickled my brain in all the right ways.

Puns, mondegreens and malapropisms can be used so creatively. Today was the day I learned of another category of such wordplay, 'eggcorns'. They tend to happen when people aren't familiar with a word in a phrase, and substitute a different word that almost makes sense. A person might mishear Alzheimer's Disease as 'Old Timers Disease'. The image above shows 'one fowl swoop'. The original phrase is 'in one fell swoop', but people unfamiliar with 'fell' (unsparing, grim, fierce, ruthless) have replaced with with 'foul', which makes a great deal of sense, and 'fowl', which doesn't.

Professor Mark Liberman was discussing the example of a woman who used 'egg corn' instead of 'acorn'. He noted this specific type of substitution lacked a name. A fellow linguist suggested using 'egg corn' itself as a label. Over time this morphed into 'eggcorn'.

Of all of the examples given, there was only one that I have used, 'to the manor born'. The correct term is 'to the manner born', a line from Hamlet. In my defense, I have not read Hamlet, and there was a television program in the early 1980s called 'To the Manor Born'.

The one I plan on using is 'in one fowl swoop', but it will involve  a chicken doing something rather foul. If I can make the chicken evil enough, it might even be 'fell'.

A Christmas Tomte Quilt

Ah, it's going to be one of Those Days (tm)!

I started off getting the shop ready to open, and managed to complete that simple task. Next, a delivery of new Christmas fabrics arrived. Nice.

Therefore, it is time to get the new fabrics priced up, tickets written and out on display. I even made it back to the office to start on that, but the new fabrics called. The siren song was "You'll need to use some of the fabric to make a display item." My response, "Better get on to designing something. Oh, an simple single bed Christmas quilt would be good."

Two of the fabrics have lovely little Nordic Tomte. Some Norwegian Christmas music would be good to set the right mood. A design starts to come into my brain.

That's when Kenneth McKeller brings it much closer to home with a song about The Midges. It's a song I have known for a long time, and I want to learn the words, so I start writing down what I remember of the lyrics.

And this is where I pause. I'm now singing of piranhas and bananas. The fabrics haven't been priced. The quilt is only half designed, and it really is the limit.

(a few hours later)

Tis done. The quilt has been designed. And, it is absolutely, beautifully simple. The central panel will be the above fabric. It's 7 squares wide, and I need 11 squares for length. Then there's fabric designated as 'table runner', but I'm going to chop it in half to make each panel into borders for the quilt. I'll need 3 panels, 1 for each side, and the third will be used for the top and bottom. This will leave 4 corner squares, and I have the perfect fabric in my stash. The batting will be a cotton/bamboo fusible. The back will be blue, and the binding red.

The quilting will be incredibly simple. I'll use the walking foot, and a sinusoidal wave. It will be white machine embroidery thread on the top, and white polycotton on the bottom. 

Rhododendron Cardi

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft Crush DK

Composition: 100% Cotton
Colour: Rhododendron
Pattern: my own design 
Hook: 4.5mm
Needles: 4mm

Amount used:  

Started: 25th June 2023
Finished:  Abandoned: 28th June 2023

I've rather fallen in love with CottonSoft. It's a beautiful yarn to work with, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with the colourway 'Aqua'. Now, it's the turn of Rhododendron.

This cardigan is made by creating pinwheel octagons in Rhododendron, bordering them in Violet. The Violet is also used to create the squares between the octagons.

The stitches at the centre of the octagons are created by using the magic ring crochet technique. Make a magic ring, and work a single crochet into the ring. From there work a double crochet, but instead of finishing it, leave it so there's an extra loop on the hook. Keep working partially complete double crochets until there are 8 loops left on the hook. Then transfer them over to a circular knitting needle.

1. (K, yo) x 8

2. K

3. (K2, yo) x 8

4. K

5. (K3, yo) x 8

6. K

Continue in this way until (K9, yo) x 8, and finish with a further round of knit.

------

Scrap all of the above!  It's not working out. I'm not enjoying the making, and it's just now happening.

70 Days So Far

Seventy days into the challenge caused me to pause and reflect. 

One realisation is I am a storyteller, not a writer. For me, writing is simply a way to record, of preserving the stories. 

Many of the stories I have written in the last 70 days have been retellings of real, or slightly fictional events. Very few have been created from my own imagination. I spent a while wondering if this was good, or bad. People like the Grimm Brothers came to mind, they collected folk tales from the oral tradition, polished them, and presented these updated stories to a much wider audience. Who knows whether these fold tales would have survived into the modern, industrial age if they hadn't been collected, published, and preserved on paper.

Next I thought of HC Andersen, and the beautiful stories he brought into being. His stories can be viewed on a number of different levels, and bring a social commentary to his time.

Perhaps, for the rest of this challenge, I'll try to write more original stories rather than retelling old ones.

B Kinematic

Looking back, I've no idea why we didn't spot it earlier, but as they say, "hindsight is 20/20". We can view events in the past with such clarity, but when living through events it can be such a muddle.

When my husband became ill, and was unable to work. Money was incredibly tight, and we were scrimping and saving almost every penny. We had been so worried about our first Christmas. How would we be able to celebrate if we could barely afford to buy the basics? 

This was the first time we received a package from 'B Kinematic'. We'd never heard of the company before, and we certainly hadn't ordered from them. However, the order had our name and address. The contents were for us. Oh, and those contents! There were all sorts of Christmas goodies, from cranberry sauce to stollen, little boxes of delicious chocolate truffles, gifts, and some practical things too.  Looking back, the total value of the gift box wasn't huge, but... let me rephrase, the total cost of the gift wasn't huge, but the value was immense.

Over the years, we received a number of gifts from 'B Kinematic'. There was never a return address, nor contact details, no email address, and no telephone number. There seemed to be no rhythm to the arrival of these gifts, apart from we received them when we needed help. Sometimes, we even received the help before we knew we needed it. 

When we were in our 50s, we read an article about how so many people in their early years of adulthood struggled with funds, but by the time they are in their 50s-80s, money is a great deal freer. This certainly matched our experience.

It wasn't until I hit 60, and started doing a lot of crosswords that I realised 'B Kinematic' was an anagram of 'back in time'. That's when we started learning all we could about time travel. We kept hitting brick wall after brick wall. People were convinced we were totally loopy, and at last we had become the mad scientists we were destined to be. 

One day, we were on the verge of packing it all in, and admitting defeat. That was the day we received a card from 'B Kinematic'. Inside was little letter outlining the history of the company, our company! We were listed as the founders, but it was our grandchildren who were the ones who cracked the secret of time travel. How this all works is literally a mystery to me. We've no idea how the time travel paradoxes will be avoided. Thankfully, that for our grandchildren to figure out.

Pandas - the Vegan Carnivores

"Pandas are NOT bears!" This a phrase I heard throughout my childhood, and also my children's.  However, in 2009, it was established pandas are indeed bears. A panda's genome was sequenced, and the information unlocked firmly places pandas in the family Ursidae and the order Carnivora. 

They produce amylase, cellulase and maltase, all necessary enzymes to digest meat. They do not create enzymes for digesting bamboo, and bamboo is a huge part of a giant panda's diet. It is thought the panda's gut bacteria is responsible for the breakdown of bamboo.

Pandas have a mutation in the T1R1 gene. This is an umami detector, and allows us to find pleasure in meats, cheese, and other protein-rich food. Bamboo, and bamboo shoots especially, are very high in protein. They have some carbohydrates, lots of minerals, and are low in fat. 

Essentially pandas are vegan carnivores. They have found a fake meat, and love it.

The Capybaras' Revenge

In 1999, a gated community was constructed in Benavidez, Buenos Aires, Brazil. It was created in a wetlands area, and it is a beautiful housing estate with rivers, and pools, shady areas, parks and golf courses. 

The area this development was built on was a traditional capybara breeding ground. Naturally, the human encroachment resulted in a huge decline in the population. Over time, the capybaras learned to keep to the waterside, in the tree line, and to the roads.

However, during the lockdowns of Covid, the capybaras experienced freedom, freedom from quite so many humans, and also so many cars. Their numbers rose by 16% in a single year. 

The next summer, there was a drought, and these rodents of unusual size became emboldened as they sought food. Particularly attractive was the grass on the golf courses, and also rose bushes - those were wonderful! Gardens became the capybaras' larder, and they enjoyed themselves fully.

As people started returning to the outside world, the capybaras largely ignored them. Now, the people are shouting about the 'rodent invasion', and how 'something must be done'. And those outside the gated communities are replying with comments about the 'human invasion' of the capybaras' lands, and the 'something' is the gated-people need to learn to live with their neighbours.

The Swing Set

When the Elder Offspring was 8, and the little one, just 6, we bought a swing set for the garden. The children were delighted. And we noticed how thoughtful and considerate the Elder Offspring had become.

It was a hot summer's day when we were erecting it, and the EO kept us topped up with cool drinks. These drinks were so very much appreciated. Then just before noon, they came out with a tray of sandwiches, crisps and cake. We were utterly delighted by their thoughtfulness!

It wasn't until about 20 years later we heard their version of the story. "I want Mam and Dad to finish putting the swing set together. If I keep giving them drinks, and make lunch they will keep working, and the swing set will be ready quickly." 

I don't know whether to be delighted with their logic, or a bit miffed that we were 'played'.

Manannan's Cloak

Manannán mac Lir (son of the Sea) is the Celtic Sea god. He loved the Isle of Man, or Manannan's Isle, and wanted to protect it. When danger approached, Manannan would rise from the sea and stretch out his cloak, (it was made from sea mist) and wrap this little island in his protection.

This can be a little bit of a problem when the humans can't see the dangers approaching, but Manannan has stretched out his cloak to hide us. "Ah, a wee bit of mist, what's the problem?"  It's not just a 'wee bit' of mist. It's mist so thick you can't see the houses across the other side of the street. It's mist so thick that visibility is down to 5m on the mountain. Ship and aircraft have often turned back because it is not safe to dock or land in the sea mist. 

After all the heat and sunshine during TT, it's strange being cool again, wrapped in the soft embrace of Manannan. 

Another Crocheted Hat

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft 

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: French Navy

Pattern: Crocheted Sun Hat

Hook: 4.5mm

Amount used: 100g

My new hat is complete. The depth of the crown in a little bit smaller, but that's what I was able to achieve using just the one ball of yarn. I might need to use a hat pin. But we'll see.

The sun hat was finished yesterday, whilst the sky was grey and the heavens were crying!  Hopefully there will be clear days ahead when a sun hat will be able to be used.

And that's another project finished for my Me-Made 100 Days.

No!

There comes a point in most children's lives when they learn the power of the word, 'no'. For my elder child, they really didn't start using this word until they were around two and a half.

We had tried very hard to give as many age-appropriate choices as we could to allow them to have control over their own world. In the morning, I'd choose two outfits that would be appropriate for that day's activities, and ask them which one they would prefer to wear. At breakfast, I'd offer 'Toast or cereal', and they could choose. These choices made no difference to my life, but make a huge difference to their life.

One day, after lunch, held out a little chocolate bar. "Would you like a Freddo?" I asked, and a cheerful, "No." was the response. A very puzzled look crossed my face. "Are you sure? I asked. "Would you like some chocolate?" Normally the answer would be an emphatic, "Yes.", but today there was another cheerful, "No."

At this point I realised they were experimenting with a new word, and a new power. I wanted to ensure this little one learned the importance of saying, 'no', and that their 'no' should mean 'no'. 

Looking down at my child, I smiled and said, "Okay. You are saying you don't want this chocolate bar." There was a shocked look on that little face, but I continued, "That's fine. You don't have to eat it just now. What I'll do is put it here on the table. If you change your mind and decide you do want chocolate you can come and get the Freddo. It's your chocolate and you can choose when you want to eat it." I was about to finish with an "Okay?" but thankfully realised this would be met with a 'No.'

The chocolate bar was placed on the edge of the table, right where a chocolate loving two year old could reach. I turned my back to tidy away things in the kitchen, and when I turned back the chocolate had disappeared.  I smiled and continued about my day. 

Hey! You're Supposed To Be Working!

Years ago, the Elder Offspring had a blind boyfriend. He had a beautiful Guide Dog. We, as a family, were trained in how to act around Guide Dogs. The secret is whilst when they are in harness, they are working, and should be ignored. When they are out of harness, they can be treated as family pets.

One time I was out in WHSmith, looking at stationery. A wet nose materialised in my hand, and automatically, I started stroking the dog. Then my brain kicked in, dogs don't normally come into stationery shops. Without thinking, I corrected the dog, "Hey, stop that, you are meant to be working, not mootching around for cuddles." The dog's handler sighed, and apologised. I explained I would be very happy to cuddle her dog all afternoon, but I know that would be the wrong thing to do as this is a working dog. She laughed and asked if I might be able to try to get it into this dog's 'thick head'.

Just Don't Pee In The Corner, Again

Whilst telling the Offspring about the weird blog post, 'Just Don't Pee In The Corner', they burst out laughing. It turns out they remember the story perfectly!  

A while back, a woman poked her head into the shop and asked if she could bring her dog inside. I saw a service vest on the dog and replied, 'Service animals are always welcome.' She entered and explain this was a puppy in training, not a fully qualified animal. 'Yes, of course the puppy can come in. How will they learn how to cope in different settings if they are not exposed to them?' I grinned at the handler and followed up with 'Just don't pee in the corner', meaning the human, not the animal.  The human laughed. We went on to have a great chat about the the tasks this particular dog was being trained for.

A little while later, and small child (maybe 6 years old) came into the shop, shouted 'Puppy!' and made a bee line for the dog. I interposed myself between the child and the puppy, and explained this puppy was very busy. It was learning how to help people who couldn't see, and it was very important not to distract the puppy whilst it was learning. I suggested the child wave at the person training the puppy, and let them know they liked their puppy. The child complied and waved. After the child had gone, the puppy trainer expressed their thanks and mentioned how often children run up to puppies and distract them.

Just Don't Pee In The Corner

This is a really weird one.

There have been times during this challenge when I have had lots and lots of ideas, and other times when there's been absolutely nothing sparking in my little brain. 

To try to even things out a little, I hit on the brilliant idea of noting down the extra ideas. That way, when there was a dearth of imagination I could look in the 'big box of ideas' and dust off a little something from a previous spark, give a little substance, a little polish, and bring it to life.

However, with this one, I had a title 'Service Dogs' and a description of 'just don't pee in the corner'. This meant absolutely nothing to me.What was I thinking? What could possibly have prompted this thought? And why would I think this had the potential to make an interesting little story?

No idea, absolutely no idea. There's only a desert landscape and a few tumbleweeds blowing through the place in my brain where there should be a lush valley of imagination. I even tried Googling the phrase 'just don't pee in the corner', and still nothing.

But, a pretty little picture popped up from the phrase when entered into an AI image generator. So, I decided to be a bit meta and write about the problem of writing when you have no idea what you are writing about.

Face Cloths

Yarn: King Cole CottonSoft 

Composition: 100% Cotton

Colour: Honey

Pattern: Spa Day Facecloth

Needles: 4mm

Amount used: 50g

When I made the dishcloths for Cat, the Offspring mentioned using them as facecloths. I discouraged this as the yarn, and the stitch I used were great for dishcloths, but a bit too rough for the face. 

I said I'd make some facecloths. Cat explained that if they were made in white cotton she would be unable to used, to sully them with makeup. A compromise was reached, and foundation-coloured facecloths were made.

After the knitting was done, they at in my sitting room, only needing the ends weaving in. They sat there far too long, all for 4 ends. Eventually, they were finished and handed over.

Motorbike Leathers

Way, way bac during lockdown, I had an idea for a story set at Honey Hill Farm. Every so often, but not often enough, I do a little thinking, a little research  for this novel. When we were in Laxey at the weekend, I spied a group of three bikers sunning themselves on Laxey Prom, and I asked a few questions. 

The information from that conversation is:

• Motorbike leathers are fantastic for protecting the skin when you come off your bike. If you don't wear leathers (or an equivalent) then you don't care about your skin. 
• Wearing leathers on a hot sunny day is fine, as long as your are in motion. When you stop at traffic lights, or in a queue they quickly become incredibly hot. 
• The leathers can deflect a bit of light rain. However, they are NOT waterproof. To keep dry in the rain, wear a rain cover over the top of the leathers. 
• If you are caught in the rain, the leathers will soak up huge amounts of water, and become very heavy, and also cold. They can take quite some time to dry out.

You've Got to Try This, It's Amazing

A number of years ago, I was sitting on the sofa, knitting, and listening to an audiobook. A strange noise could be heard coming from the kitchen. It took me a moment to understand the strangeness. There was a lapping sound, but no 'ting'.

Ava had a metal dog tag on her collar. When she was drinking water from her bowl there would be a few 'tings' - the metal of the dog tag gently striking the metal of her bowl. But this particular day, there was no 'ting'.

I got up and went to investigate. 

In the kitchen, there was fully grown Northern Inuit standing on her hind legs, lapping away at the lasagna I'd just finished preparing. All of the white sauce, and cheese had been licked off the surface. 

Ava turned, looked at me, and the message in her eyes was, "You've got to try this! It's amazing."