Wet.

Grey and wet all day long. Another downside to being under low pressure is that it gives me a nagging headache which I could do without.

Peter went into town this morning to brave the supermarket while I stayed in, did some housework, played the piano and knitted. One goal for this year is to check my knitting technique. I've been able to knit since a child but I was mainly self-taught with some input from my mother who knitted in the continental style (holding the wool in the left hand) while I hold it in my right. Although I knit confidently and can follow complex stitches somewhere along the line I'm doing something wrong. Firstly my tension is always loose and I have to use a size smaller needles to match the tension of a pattern, secondly my stitches aren't square so if I follow a graph style pattern the finished result is distorted and thirdly any ribbed stitches look wonky. I suspect I'm winding the wool the wrong way around the needle at some point. That might be hard to correct after so many years but I'll give it a go.

Seeing as it's the last day of the year I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the things I'm thankful for -

Firstly I'm thankful that our sons and their partners are happy, in good health (apart from the odd bout of Covid which hardly counts these days) and have comfortable homes and secure jobs. Is that not what any parent wishes for their family?

For us I'm grateful that we are in reasonable health for our ages and that healthcare is available, eventually, without charge. (One thing I'm not grateful for is the Conservative government who over the last 11 years have worked to grind down the NHS to the point where it seems the only solution is to move in private companies whose only interest is making a profit. The sooner voters realise how they been lied to the better.) Okay, rant over. I'm also grateful that we have what is nearly, and hopefully soon, a comfortable warm home where we eat our meals or relax on the sofa enjoying sea views. And finally I'm grateful that we've come to live in a friendly village and that we are both finding plenty to do in the local area.

And now I thought I'd cheer things up with a few things that amused me over the year. Enjoy.

 

PS. It's only just after 6.00 and we've had the first lot of large fireworks set off from the beach. Maybe somebody with children decided it wasn't worth waiting in the rain until midnight? Looking forward to seeing more fireworks later on.