Last night I spent two hours watching shows about 9/11. I obviously was not in the US when the disaster struck but I still get very patriotic about my birth place and got very teary-eyed at some points. 9/11 seemed to bring out the best in many Americans: their courage under attack, their help to fellows in distress, their dogged persistence in rescue and the resolve it gave the country that we were not going to become a nation of victims. I certainly don't agree that the logical future involved invading Iraq and I doubt there's a chance of truly battling radical terrorists with an army anywhere, but we tried. The efforts of Homeland Security to make air travel safe are completely over the top and Timothy McVeigh proved that home-grown radicals can wreak havoc, so the solution can't be simply to put armed guards everywhere. I was so upset to listen to radical Muslim clerics declare that the US would not rest until every Muslim was dead. Our whole nation is built on exactly the opposite of that and only Muslims declaring jihad on America has changed our feelings about religious freedom. I am still very much American and I miss my homeland very much sometimes. I think Americans get a bad reputation overseas because in some cases we are frightened of foreigners since we can be insular. Our country is so big and has such diversity that going overseas is not the rite of passage as it is many other places (like Australia). I was terrified on my own even here because I knew I was in a different culture and didn't want to be thought ignorant or foolish when I opened me mouth. Maybe we talk too loud because we all talk at once at home and are not used to other cultures. Whatever; I've gotten off track. I felt such kinship and shared pain for the people who suffered through the attacks of 9/11 and it's that feeling of kinship that pulls me home even when I know I can't live there again.

Swans news: They won their elimination final against St Kilda! The played really well for most of the game and really bottled up the Saints. Ryan O'Keefe kicked 4 goals and I usually wince when he's kicking for goal because he can be inaccurate. But as the coach said, when a player is hot, he can do miracles. Goodesy was hot as well and the young bunch played very well. We play Hawthorn on Friday night (I hate Friday night matches) and their star forward is injured so we have a chance to get a little closer to the Big One.

I've been reading like mad. I finished the first three volumes of the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell and I am debating whether to buy the last three. Book prices being what they are, I could buy the last three on Amazon for half what they cost me here. But they are just military sci-fi about space battles and I think I'll go on to something new. I've started The Soul of a Chef which is about the Culinary Institute of America and I'm somewhat disappointed to find how focused they are on French cuisine. These days it pays (here at least) to know as much about Thai, Chinese, and Italian cuisine as French. Some of the course is very pedantic, but I guess knowing how to make a perfect stock is critical. I don't make veal stock because I don't cook classic French anything. Pasta and stir fries are more my speed and desserts my passion. I am reading The Man from Beijing by Henning Mankell. He is the author of the Kurt Wallender mysteries but this is not in that series. I am finding it very suspenseful, similar to the feeling in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but with less violence (at least so far). My BBBB was The Crack at the Edge of the World by Simon Winchester, which is about the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Over half the book is about the geology of America and for that I recommend John McPhee, who can make geology interesting. I was a bit deflated by this book, because John McPhee is better at geology and the chapter on the earthquake itself was a dry recital of facts. I'm now reading The Orchid Thief, since I love orchids.

In the middle of the last paragraph the nurse came to dress my wound and this one said it was almost healed over with just a few pin head holes. This is the first concrete assessment I've had. Every nurse says it's looking better but nobody has told me it was healed over before. This surely means surgery on Oct 17th is a go and I will walk again!

My gardener worked all weekend and has cleaned out almost all of the veggie beds. We have run out of room to get rid of the weeds and you can't compost most of these because they wouldn't get killed in a household compost bin. He also cleaned out the fish pond and cleared out ivy at the front. He may bankrupt me with his work ethic, but he will shortly have weeded everything that needed weeding and will have a break to let the weeds grow back!

No, there's nothing new around here. Surgery is still scheduled for Oct. 17 and I think I might make this one. The wound is looking a lot better and is small so I have hopes it will heal by then.

Swans news: we made into the finals and will play St Kilda in Melbourne Saturday night. It is an elimination final and, while in theory they could win, I am expecting an early exit. I am pleased they did as well as this given the number of new players. It proves we can bring up new talent and win without Roos. Our first Irish import Tadgh has announced his retirement. I've watched his entire career and it's been a great one. I have to admit there are names in the records list I don't know, because I don't watch the matches because I get overly excited. This can be dangerous for someone in my condition.

My great news is that I've hired a gardener. Actually I am paying a foreign student from the ANU to work in my garden doing what I can't. He worked most of the weekend and not only got my peas and greens (lettuce, spinach, swiss chard) planted, but he completely remodeled my overgrown pear tree, bring it back to reasonable size. He has an orchard of 300 fruit trees at home so I trusted him to know what to do and he did exactly what I wanted. He also cleaned out the ivy and vinca underneath it and cleaned out the vinca smothering my hellebores under the wisteria. He will be back next week to continue the cleaning out of the veggie beds. He thought it was safe to plant the hot season crops like pumpkin, but we're still having frosts and it isn't safe for another month or two. He's also said he will clean out my fish pond and get it running which is something I have never gotten my lawn mowing person to do. My plum tree is in full bloom and I have narcissus in bloom. Unfortunately the last people to weed my garden eliminated some of the daffodils planted in the herb bed.

I have made a little progress in my genealogy, getting death certificates for my father's parents. I was hoping to find where my grandfather was born but all I got was "New York". I think it's Albany but New York didn't begin registering births until 6 years after my grandfather was born, so I'm out of luck there. I will have to rely on census data unless the city of Albany has records. I'm adding siblings where I can, hoping to make more connections.

I have had my adoration of Stephen Fry rekindled by watching his live performance in Sydney on cable. There are heaps of video clips on YouTube of hysterical sketches with Hugh Laurie and I've put the DVDs of their BBC shows up on my queue on Quickflix. I need a dose of silliness until there's more Big Bang Theory to watch.

Latest socks for your viewing, the red ones for D, my chauffeur, friend, and the one who keeps me sane. She may have become so fond of my socks that she will take up sock knitting for her own feet.

Greetings from the currently horizontal viewpoint of Swanknitter. Some days I see no good reason t get out of bed and subject my non-knee to clumping around on the frame. I've been poking around on my genealogical pursuits, watching TV, and reading. Also refreshing my musical preferences. The Google doodle for Les Paul's birthday sparked an online outpouring of music, one of which was "Hey, Jude" performed by the lead singer of After Edmund. So I spent time watching their videos on YouTube and ended up buying their EPs. Listen to their "Dance like you're from the future" and try not to wiggle. I am a collector of little-known alternative bands. They can join the likes of the Caesars and Sunny Day Real Estate on my iPod. Having said that, I mostly listen to podcasts on my iPod. I recently acquired an inexpensive iPod dock so I can listen to podcasts in bed.

TV ranges from documentaries on the African rainforest to detective shows. Just finished watching a short series of a British show called Second Sight about a detective who is losing his sight. Aside from it starring Clive Owen (heart-throb), I can deeply sympathize. When I do stay in bed, I usually don't put my contacts in, and therefore my eyesight is way off from 20/20. My vision cannot be corrected by glasses, so wearing them at least lets me find my way around the house and read (barely) but contacts are yet still imperfect. Commercial TV is Masterchef, Hawaii 5-0, the end of the season of House and Glee.

Swans news: Somehow they are 5th on the ladder. J and I enjoyed pizza while watching them demolish Brisbane 2 weekends ago. They were playing inspired footy, which we all know they can do but frequently can't produce. It doesn't look like I'll make it to a match this year unless they make the finals and get a home final, which is the only time I'm willing to Homebush.

Book reports: Finished Pegasus Descending by James Lee Burke. His novels are all very dark and end messily, but I want to find out how they turn out as much as I enjoy his writing. Trying to start Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. One of the Bear's leftovers that sounds interesting enough to try. My BBBB on colonial Massachusetts is almost done and I have my eye on a book about the Mayflower as next in line.

There has been little to report because I have been unable to do much the past couple of weeks. My knee has still been very swollen and painful and
I have been unable to sit at a table or desk for any significant time. The doctor now does not know what is causing the problem. There is quite a bit of discolouration (not bruising) on the knee. It is gradually getting better. I was thinking last week that I might make it back to work this week but I didn't think I could sit at a desk for 5 hours. It feels pretty good today, but the test will be how it feels tomorrow. I have had some mystifying blood test results so I am due to see the doctor again this Weds.

My photographic contributions to the blog today are the latest pair of socks finished, which are not very interesting but some times we just need socks. The floral arrangement is from the back yard: daffs, hellebores, and Earlicheer narcissus. Fortunately I no longer have a flower eating cat so I can enjoy having flowers inside.

The garden needs attention desperately. We've had lots of rain and there is a lot of weeding and probably a lawn mowing needed but I am not yet up to that vigorous work. I picked one stalk of asparagus today!

Swan news: We won our elimination final in spite of ourselves. As is often the case, they fell asleep in the third quarter and almost had the game snatched away from them. We had stunning exhibitions of players running into each other, passing the ball to the opposition, hitting the goalpost, and other unpleasant tactics. However, I am very pleased with how well the new boys are stepping up and making a real contribution. Losing Kirk (as well as the god-like Roos) will be tough but things don't look as dim as I thought they would be at the start of the season. Our next match is against the Bulldogs, whom we beat 2 weeks ago so in theory we should be able to progress in the finals.

Well, it's not a bone ripped lose. The piece of bone seems to have been there all along and I've just manged a soft tissue injury to my knee. I can already feel it on the mend and I intend to live the last week of my working life at work. I can sit now without undue pain and walking is pretty OK but I get stiff in whatever position I leave the knee in for any substantial period. Today I worked a little while on the berries and all my leg joints from ankle upward are complaining about the balancing act I have to do to prune and tie them up. I will spend a quiet day with the laundry basket tomorrow making dent in ironing.

Swans news: Despite my doom staying they played an impressive last two matches and are in the finals with a chance. Since the young players are stepping up and playing as the were part of the machine, I'm trying my to get too excited. I'd still love to go but have no companion and should go buy tickets on Monday.

I've been spending my evening sorting through black alpaca, removing the short cuts and VM and putting the mostly clean stuff in a bag to wash. This the end of the black alpaca and I have a few ideas floating around to for turning it into something useful.
In the meantime I've been reading Pushing Ice by Alasair Reynolds, the beginning of which is more accessible to new readers of his work, but it gets plenty weird toward the end. I've also been pushing my family histories back to them all arriving in Massachusetts around 1630. I guess it was inevitable they all married each other.

Knews of the knee: It's amazing how your horizon shrinks when you're injured. I was planning and thinking years ahead last week and now my life is aimed at Thursday when I see my surgeon. He has always been speedy in scheduling procedures so I hope this agony has an end. From my Internet research I think I have torn my ACL while putting on shoes and don't know if it's because the knee replacement isn't totally healed. So It's the RICE routine (rest, ice, compression, elevation) and judicious use of painkillers. I have a TV with DVDs (Dexter, Weeds), my Macbook with videos (Grey's Anatomy, Torchwood). I guess voting next Saturday will be an adventure.

It seems that I neglected to post that my battle with Wooly Knob Fiber Mill ended when they delivered the fleeces they had processed to BFLB's place the day before I left. I had brought vacuum bags and we managed to squeeze the fleeces into my luggage. There are 4 Shetland fleeces and a BFL and are beautiful: soft and lovely to spin. I have just finished spinning the merino/bamboo blen, so I might take on one of the Shetlands next. Some shades of fawn, blank and white.

I've enjoyed the benefits of our HD sports channel to watch baseball two mornings in a row. I miss baseball so watching any team is fun. Remembering the cadence, the language, the overwhelming statistics, remembering my childhood being linked to baseball (it was the only sport my father watched). My first husband taught me how to boxscore baseball and took me to my only major league games and frequent college games in the Chapel Hill. There a relaxed atmosphere of baseball that is different from cricket. It took me several years to stop comparing the two sports. The memories flood back but I won't bore you. 50+ years of watching it.

Swans news: somehow they managed to win yesterday and despite themselves remain in the eight. They don't have a hope I think of winning against the top of the ladder teams so they won't last the finals. I hope J and I make it to more matches next year.

Book report: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, who wrote The Kite Runner. It is the story of two women in Afghanistan from the time of the Soviet invasion to the rule of the Taliban. We women of the affluent west with our TVs and dishwashers and comfortable, independent lives with law and culture supporting us have no idea what our sisters under the rule of Islamic fundamentalism endure. No doubt there are women in the west who live with brutal violent husbands but the law, in theory, is on the victim's side. In Kabul, women have no rights and women get their freedom only by turning the violence against their oppressors and then paying the ultimate price. The book is an agonizing and often depressing read, but one that reminds us perhaps of why we are fighting in this country against these brutes who believe they have divine right to abuse women. Men who demand artists to paint pants on the legs of flamingos because that much bare leg, even on a bird, is a sin.

Ok, then, the high-knit-content post. To the right we have what I have been spinning for the last few weeks. It's wool, I can't remember where I bought it, but I think somewhere on one of the jaunts with BFLB on my last trip to the states. I've spun and plied a full big bobbin and am on my way to doing it again so I should have enough of it to make something like a vest. The yarn is rustier red than it appears on my monitor but you know the drill about monitors & colours. It's really nice to spin and easy to do if I pre-draft it because it was pretty compressed.

At left are my first hand spun socks. I posted the photo of the sock wool a while back and they are now socks (as yet un-worn). I cleverly placed the socks for the photo so the foot of one is covered. I was unsure of the yardage on my spun wool so the first sock got feet made from leftover wool from commercial sock yarn, but I did have enough to knit the entire sock for its match. Not much left over. I should be careful to spin more finely in the future to squeeze the 400 yds out of 4 oz of wool. I bought some pretty SW BFL in purples and plums for socks (I can't seem to find enough purple socks in my drawer) and I have some SW merino, bamboo and nylon to spin as well. That's in green and brown and blue.

I was going to post a photo of one of my mother's sweaters that I am reluctantly going to discard but the light wasn't catching the details in the cables. The sweater is about 35 years old. I learned to knit late in life because my mother always kept me supplied in knitted clothes (no socks, tho). The sweater in question is a rose red and is covered in cables with rib sleeves. It is knit in acrylic because at the time it was knit I was living in North Carolina and had little use for heavy knitware. I've worn it regularly over the past 35 years but it is developing holes and I can't easily match yarn. Now that I know how to knit I can see all the mistakes, especially the cables that went in the wrong direction. I wore the sweater happily for 15 years without knowing there were mistakes in it which should prove something. Now I need room for new products of my own needles, so I will bid it good bye. It owes me nothing in wear, and I have a much more substantial example of my mother's knitting that is of the same vintage, so it is not the last product of her needles. I only learned how to knit and purl as a young person, and could knit scarves, but that was it. Knitting patterns were entirely in a foreign language and I got easily scared by the dire warnings from the yarn manufacturers about what would happen if you didn't use their yarn. Now I'll knit anything but lace and hope I'll conquer that someday. I used to think socks were impossible and now they are mindless.

Swans news: They lost again to Hawthorn but won a gusty match at the SCG against Essendon last week in similar conditions to the match J & I attended, i.e., rain. They fought back from behind and really played hard to grab the game away. This weekend they play Port in Adelaide at night and I am uncertain whether they can manage this. Let's hope they don't listen to my uncertainty and gloom and rise above.

Swans news: yesterday J and I went to Sydney for the day to watch the Swannies play. Before details of the day I will explain how we managed this. When the Swans first sent out membership materials for Canberra members, they told us they were changing the package, due for the most part to the ACT government no longer forking over a share of the money to hold the match at an ACT venue. This had reduced the number of matches being held in the ACT. The Swans instead offered us a package of one match in Canberra (last weekend's match vs the Bulldogs which I missed due to illness), one in Sydney at the SCG and one in Melbourne. Both J and I thought that a decent bargain and paid our membership. When the actual sign-up package arrived, the match in Sydney was at ANZ Stadium, which is the huge arena built for the Olympics. You have to walk miles from public transport or even from the entrance to your seat. I called the membership office and reminded them that they had promised us SCG tickets. After much rustling of papers on their end, they acknowledged that yes, they would honor the SCG promise. So, we signed up. When the final membership package arrived, the materials all said ANZ stadium. I got nowhere with trying to contact the membership office online but J took the matter further, partially because she was already angry at them holding a night match during Earth Hour. Somehow she managed to wangle us 2 member's tickets to a match of our choice at the SCG. I feel sorry for those Canberra members who didn't get this opportunity, but I was very satisfied.

So yesterday we did a one day excursion to Sydney, which started off on the wrong foot when my alarm didn't go off and I had to throw myself together in a hurry. Fortunately, due to some precognition, I had gotten everything ready the night before, down to socks and underwear laid out, so I was only a little late. We stopped in Marulan for game snacks (don't ever buy them at the venue) and discovered that the BP in Marulan was selling Krispy Kremes. Thus fortified, we continued and actually made it to the park & ride site (UNSW carpark) without getting lost. The Bear, who knew Sydney intimately, always drove in Sydney and I never paid much attention to details, and they've built new roads since we used to go to Swans matches. We took our bus to the SCG, went to the members office, retrieved our tickets and discovered we had the option of sitting in the Ladies Pavilion.

When I was hoping to get match seats in the SCG, sitting in the Ladies Stand was my dream, built in 1896, it epitomizes to me the charm of the old SCG. This was also our first view of the new SCG since construction was competed. The Victor Trumper Stand (named after a legendary cricket player) had completely absorbed the area formerly known as The Hill. which used to be simply grass and where the unwashed masses watched events and where the loudest commentary on any match's proceedings emanated from. It is all very spiffy, which is why I wanted to sit in the old part of the stands. We got 2 of the last remaining seats undercover (the skies were threatening) and settled in.

Somewhere along the line I had overlooked the fact the the Fremantle Dockers were no longer the walkover they used to be. It looked like cocaine was not the only drug of choice among the WA player community, because these guys were seriously large. They dwarfed our lads and won most contests where mere muscle ruled the day. The umpires didn't help either. We also were missing several key players. Craig Bolton is injured. Mumford is on suspension. Keneally left early, and Jude Bolton and LRT were cycled on and off the field. Henry Playfair did well and kicked his first goal. Official match summary here. In the third quarter the heavens opened and it rained almost the entire rest of the match. I have never before had the luxury of under cover seating so I was very glad we had manged to sit in comfort. Got the bus back to the car and drove home, stopping in Marulan for burgers. I was safely home by 9.30.

The outing only confirmed and refreshed in my mind how lovely going to Swans matches at home in the SCG is. And why tickets to ANZ Stadium are to be avoided (except for finals). There was a decent turnout (about 70% capacity I'd guess). The crowd was lively until the downpour (and it really rained). Nobody in our area was drunk or obnoxious. I think next year J and I might opt for a 3 game SCG membership and buy our Canberra tickets because there are times J can't go to matches here and I don't like going by myself.

I spent the beginning of the week sick with some sort of lurgie (bug) that sapped what strength I had and gave me a sore throat instead. I slept a lot, read a lot, made the Imp infinitely satisfied with me being held captive. My best book of the week was Marion Halligans's The Apricot Colonel. She usually writes about Canberra, so it was nice to read with an idea on my mind's eye of where she was. It would be lovely to have Tilly's as your local drop in spot. The Fog Garden was the first novel of hers that caught my attention, and since it was about a woman whose husband had just died, it planted a subconscious thought in my brain. Never assume that life will always proceed in the fashion your are planning.

Work on Thursday really tired me out, so I am not going to push with anything today so work tomorrow will be bearable. I finally got the brush fencing that screens the front entrance to the house repaired. One more step in renovations. Now I can get at the front garden more seriously.. I noticed that the fencing guy had tromped thoroughly on my iris, so I might sacrifice them rather that trying to figure out how to incorporate them into the landscape. If you don't know and love iris, they don't do well and look scruffy.

It's sort of been back to work altho I miss a day here and there. I get very tired easily and forget about that problem till I hit a wall. I still am not stable enough to do much yard work and winter has arrived in Canberra. We've had several below zero mornings and frost everywhere. The garden really only needs a tidy and put to bed for the winter so I'm not stressed about that.

This link was passed on thru one of the lists I'm on as a way to get rid of your stash. If I didn't already have a washing machine on its last legs, I'd be tempted to try. All that alpaca would make a spectacular rug. I'd have to do some deep thinking to figure out how raw filthy fibre could end up as a flat shape of any design.

I continue to work on getting the house ready to go on the market, which involves everything from painters to new light fixtures. So far I'm not getting very far since we all know tradesmen don't answer their messages or don't actually submit quotes after they have been to see you. I hope to move into a smaller house with minimal garden, but still have room for my crafts, etc. I have a new mantra: I need a skip.

Book report: I finished Neal Asher's The Line of Polity which was a rip-roaring space opera full of androids and space ships and all that stuff. The sci-fi equivalent of popcorn. I'll probably read more of his; I found a box of book I had packed while moving things out of the Bear's room and found another of his. I also found several books I had forgotten I'd bought so saved me buying them twice! I am now reading Sheri Teppers' Raising the Stones. Her novels are frequently about relations between the sexes but set in some far off imagined space, and told with great sublty, like a flower slowly opening. Her best, Grass and The Gate to Women's Country, are, to me at least, classics. My BBBB continues to be Eleanor and Franklin and I gound a biography of FDR in the box of books.

I must thank S for introducing me to Eat Your Books, a site which has indexed hundreds of cookbooks. You can now have access to all the recipes in your own cookbooks without trying to remember where you saw a recipe, or having a new (or old) ingredient and need a recipe for it. I am waiting for a promised load of a lot of out-of-print books since a lot of my cookbooks date from the '70's and '80's when I cooked a lot more and gave frequent dinner parties. One of the problems I'm having in looking at new houses is my Danish oak dining table which will sit 10 with the leaves out. I haven't given many dinner parties since I got here, but I would like to again so I don't want to sacrifice the table. Besides, I made needlepoint seat covers for the 4 chairs, and have a china cabinet full of bone china and crystal that goes with it.

Tomorrow J and I go to see the Swannies play at Manuka Oval (i.e., in Canberra). The team has already been hit by injuries so our stellar start to the season has stuttered. But we'll be there to cheer them on. Bradshaw has been outstanding and was an inspired trade. In an after-match interview a couple of weeks back, he admitted he hadn't learned all the words to the team song. For you non-Aussies, an AFL team returns to the locker room after a win and gathers in a circle to sing the team song, and all the fans in the stands sing it at the end of a win as well. Strangely, many AFL songs are American in origin with the words changed. Ours is the Notre Dame football song with the words altered.

I attempted to return to work last week, and while the work experience wasn't a disaster, I managed to have it all catch up to me when I pretended that I was back to full functionality. You know, like when I forget I'm sick and do way more than I should. I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that I cannot work and simultaneously do any work myself on prepping the house for sale. It's work and let somebody else do it, or not work and do things myself. So for the time being I'm hiring people to do things like paint the exterior, do some garden maintenance, etc. I'll take some time off and work at cleaning out and boxing up things for that scaled down minimalist look that seems to matter for house sales. I also have been having trouble getting to sleep. The little twinges of pain that I can ignore when I'm moving around come out to play at night and I still can't sleep on my side.

Today D and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went out looking at display homes, just out of curiosity and for ideas about decorating (although I don't think I'll take the idea of attaching an entire animal hide to a wall as art). We saw houses that were too small, houses that were too big (and way too expensive), and at least one that was just about right. What I would give for a new kitchen done the modern way. I don't think I'm in danger of redecorating my house so I don't want to leave, because there's a lot of garden that needs to be maintained and I'm just not up to it any more. It did hit home to D today that my downsizing would mean an end to berry jam, but my fans will have to resort to the shops or gourmet food provenders and pay a lot more than they have been paying me.

Swans are currently #2 on the ladder having defeating Brisbane tonight. I did not watch because I also managed to fall today (simple vertigo) and am feeling rather battered. Knowing my body, I'll be sore tomorrow but the bruises will take a few days to appear. I decided instead of raising my blood pressure watching footy I'd coddle myself with British crime dramas.

Book report: Raced through Edge of Evil by J.A. Jance, which was recommended by X2 and it was a ripping read. I'm back at fat sci fi with The Line of Polity by Neal Asher, who is another of the new wave of British space opera producers. I think I have read another of his altho I can't remember which one. I've managed to read 150 pages of this in 2 days so I think that means I like it. This is the second in the Ian Cormac series but I don't think I've read the first. Since he's horribly prolific, I imagine I'll work my way through them. I wish I read quickly enough to get books out of the library, but with the exception of quick shots like the Jance novel, it usually takes me far longer then the library borrowing period to read a book.

Somehow I managed to forget to take my evening meds TWICE this week, resulting in me missing two mornings, one work and one today (Sunday). I really don't like this. I feel like the time has been ripped from my hands and time is something I cherish. Time when I feel strong enough to get out and about, to actually do some things I had planned, to go to the Old Bus Depot markets which had their wool day today. Not that I need more wool, but they also sometimes have other bits & pieces that I like to collect like antique needlework tools or old pattern books. I also wanted to pick up some carpet pieces to repair the Imp's scratching post which is in sorry shape. She uses it, but then she uses other things as well, from the carpet in the lounge room to the tapestry chair.

Instead, when the headache had retreated to annoying rather than skull-splitting, I got up and made some progress on moving all files of use from the Big Computer to my new MacBook. (It needs a name, doesn't it? I'll have to ponder for a good apple name. Winesap? Here in Oz, Macintosh is an heirloom variety which seems odd to me.) I deleted a lot of files from the old computer, printed out a lot of knitting patterns that had been languishing, copied files to the MacBook, downloaded some freeware book-keeping software to replace Quicken, but I haven't trying the export and import of Quicken files to a new platform. As far as I am concerned, once that's done, I am no longer tied to the Big Computer for anything and it can go to computer heaven or hell. I only had to reboot it twice and once I had to unplug it in order to restart it. Think it's past its use-by date? No doubt the Bear could have patched and supported it but I am just not up to it.

I've plied the Wendy Dennis Polwarth and I managed to get some very long colour changes that actually matched up in plying so there will be stripes! I am more than halfway down the foot on the first of a pair of Opal socks for my boss. I had no idea from the ball of wool what would come out as a pattern, but I get several inches of a caramel-ish brown, then a blue stripe, a red stripe and a yellow stripe and then back to brown. Nothing that the ball announced. No doubt if I'd looked up the colour number I'd have known, but I just let her pick from about 6 different yarns.

Swans news (yes I now I haven't posted anything in ages) They won last night! Beat the Weagles by 5 Points! And I didn't watch! As a matter of fact I was already feeling unwell enough to go to bed at 9PM. If Essendon loses today, we'll be in the 8! I don't believe that this will be a tremendous season, just one to trial a lot of young players and give them more match experience. We can't rely on Goodesy forever. The membership department had to rely on Expresspost to get Canberra members their membership package and gave us our caps for free along with a min-scarf with suction cups, which is now in the back window of my car. If I clean the thing off well enough I will put the new season Swans bumper sticker on, as well as the Carolina one I picked up in Chapel Hill.

How about I skip the apologies and just blog? I took last week off from work with the idea I would get caught up with things around the house, like cleaning and such and that didn't happen. I was flat out all week but it wasn't much doing things around the house. After the doctor's verdict, I attended a joint replacement information session and I have lots of people to contact about things like rehab and pain management. I also have found someone who will loan me all the equipment (crutches et al.) that I will need after hospital. I don't relish giving myself injections of anti-clotting agent, but I guess I'll have to. I have tried doing some of the exercises suggested by the surgeon to strengthen my leg muscles and ended up with muscles so sore I could barely get out of bed. This is going to be dicey because my leg muscles are so sore already that any efforts to strengthen them only makes them more sore. I understand the principle but it's hard to figure out how to actually do it. The fibro makes me stiff already but once I get going I can walk OK. In addition to that meeting, I had blood drawn for my routine tests, had a mammogram, waited 2 hours to see my GP, and got a new power of attorney form since hospitals are dangerous places.

J and I went to the NAB cup match between the Swannies and Port. Small crowd probably because there aren't that many Port supporters (but they were all at the match) and it was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Swans played like their usual early season selves, kicking directly to members of the opposing team, failure to complete when the ball got down into scoring position, etc. Rhyce Shaw pictured left is a new recruit from Collingwood and showed promise as a speedy little man and we haven't had many of those lately. The biggest shock was that Brett Kirk had cut his famous locks. Why? His shaggy head was distinctive in a sea of either no hair (see left) or blonde, and we have a LOT of blondes. Our new Canadian recruit played a little but if he wants to play ruck he'll have to jump better.

I also had to take some time to recovery from my 2 falls which have left some lovely bruises. Another reason I am stiff and sore.

I have finished the front and back of CAW and joined them at the shoulder with 3 needle bind off. I have cast on for a sleeve and am almost finished the cuff. I held the finished bits up and I think the neck opening comes down too low, but it's a turtle neck so I guess it doesn't matter. I am glad I shortened it because It now is the length of a normal jumper and I am sure it will grow (that is, stretch downwards).

Book report: The Fruit hunters by Adam Leith Gollner. This was another not really BBBB. Since I am a self proclaimed fruit-bat I was intrigued with all the new and mysterious fruits he tracked down, but there were not so gripping but well presented chapters on getting fruit to market, the rise of organic and heritage fruits, and a rhapsody on durians. They sell durians in my local supermarket, but since I've never eaten one and the odor of a ripe one is supposed to be horrible even while it tastes luscious, I'll give it a miss. I'm thrilled when my local market gets big fat beautiful fresh figs in an I pay too much for a couple because I love them. I always have bowls of ripening fruit on my kitchen counter and I eat about 5 pieces of fruit a day on average.

I confess I am also an addict of So You Think You Can Dance and am glued to the TV Sunday and Monday nights. This season I haven't found a favourite to champion like last year (dear Henry) but the choreography gets harder and harder.

Swan not-news: They lost to the Bulldogs but then they play a lot dirtier than we do. There were an awful lot of high tackles and other misdemeanors which the umps didn't see, and we couldn't kick straight to save out lives. So I don't have to think about footy until I get back. We will be going through rebuilding for several more seasons as our older players retire, so matches in the future may be painful to watch.

One of the things that I always forget about FMS is how badly stress impacts on my body. The trip planning and both excitement and anxiety over its actually happening, a disagreement with a friend, worrying about the super fund issue, etc. and I end up not necessarily in pain but exhausted. I couldn't pry myself out of bed after three busy days and slept most of Thursday. Friday I went to see my GP and to get in first I have to be there before 6.30. I came home, slept a bit more, and then wrestled the prunings of 2 weeks ago into the now empty trash pack. I then pulled up ivy in the first phase of getting the entry way tidied up. Then I slept some more. This morning I slept even more. I feel like I could sleep for a week and not get caught up. It's a bone deep fatigue and not just being sleepy (no more Neurontin to blame that on).

It's finally gotten spring-time warm and my fruit trees are blooming. Except for the newly planted apples which are budding. I have asparagus to eat and lots of spinach. Unfortunately one of our last storms combined rain with high winds which means we get a dose of mud on everything. The veranda and fence and even the daffodils have a dusting of red-brown dirt on them.

The CAW jumper has its back finished. I left off two repeats of cables because it was very long. Just started the front. Knitted socks in the doctor's office. Stopped spinning the targhee when I guestimated I'd done half. Went back to spinning the purple Bendigo wool.

The issue with the super fund and my step-daughter's complaint is now out of my hands completely. I am not a party in the complaint so they will do the conciliation (If possible) with her, and I don't have to be involved. Considering their previous rulings on similar cases, I am not worried; I just want it over.

Finally. It's put together thanks for the work of M, my weaving teacher, and the faithful J. Obviously it is not fully tied up but one of the main reasons I wanted it put together was to see how much of the floor it took up. It is now evident that some furniture rearrangement is called for. M suggested turning the loom around so my back was to the wall and the light would fall on the weaving in process. Whatever I do there isn't enough room at the side of the loom to get past easily. I'm not going to do it before the trip, but I will have to do some re-adjustment, perhaps moving some things into the spare bedroom (like bags of fibre) or even back into the computer room. I have a book somewhere that describes the tie-up of countermarch looms so that adventure also lies in the future.

Everything that could possibly go wrong with booking my trip has, but I think everything is now done. There were too many cases of not being able to make connections in the times allotted, airline screwups, hotel rates jumping 300% over a period of days. My sister's situation has changed at the last minute which required some inner debate as well.

Swans news: They won the elimination final! J and I got together with takeaway and a bottle of wine and were about ready to call it a night after a dismal first quarter, but they managed to pull their socks up (figuratively if not literally) and win by 35 points. Much screaming and yelling and singing the team song at Chateau Swanknitter. Roosy was bagging (in jest) those who preferred to stay home next to the heater with a cup of chicken soup, but I really would have liked to have gone but I just couldn't afford the expense or the time (not could J). I don't mind sitting in the rain watching my Swannies win, but I do NOT like the Homebush stadium and had the match been at the SCG I might have gone. This weekend they play the Bulldogs who beat us so badly here in Canberra a few months ago. But Goodes is on song, and maybe Mick will be back and some of the youngsters are growing confidence. Much has been made of Kieran Jack who is the son of a rugby league legend, and his father was ecstatic when young Jack kicked 3 goals.

Book report: I finished Measuring America and it was well worth the read although the real underlying theme was the rise of uniform measurements worldwide, culminating in metric. So it was very interesting both from the standpoint of how America got laid out in a grid, right up to its refusal to adopt metric measurement today. I live in a metric world and I rarely convert from one measurement to another, but a box of cereal is a box of cereal whether it's metric or oz. I am now reading Out of Mao's Shadow, the struggle for the soul of a new China by Philip Pan. He was a writer for the Washington Post and while I've read several books about post-Mao China, this one writes it from the inside, what the people actually think, not what has changed to Western eyes. We know about the Cultural Revolution but there is a generation of young Chinese who have never been taught about it. We know about the hot new industrial climate in southern China, but not the unemployed steel workers in the north who, in the land of worker's paradise, cannot even form a union or protest when their pension funds are embezzled. It's a weird feeling when the evil West knows more about China's past than the Chinese do. We know about sweat shops and pollution and shoddy products, but not about the horrific rate of deaths in coal mines and the careful cover-ups done by the one party system. Protesters at the Olympics should have been asking about the unemployed and starving ordinary Chinese who have no public spokesperson to shine a light on their plight. I recommend this book highly to those who are interested in what goes on behind the red curtain.

I think genetics is very unfair and practically impossible to argue with. My dear MIL has discovered that her family carries one of the breast cancer genes and therefore she has an 80% of getting breast cancer. You can understand why women remove them rather than living a life with that kind of shadow over it. My genetics, at least what I am railing about tonight, is body shape. One look at the female line of my family and one sees the heavy hips, thighs and belly that probably made us highly desirable in Paleolithic times, but are not the fashion in the 21st century. I need to stay on a 1500 calorie diet all the time if I want to approach my "ideal" weight. I can't. I love to cook, I love to eat. I enjoy a glass of wine now and then. I like to bake, make bread, have a nice piece of cheese. All of these make me gain weight. I have eaten a diet of fish and vegetables for so long, and lost 35 kgs, but I am sooooo tired of it. A piece of red meat? a potato? Everything is forbidden and when I do indulge (I am not that strong-willed) I feel guilty. It is so unfair that some people seem to eat anything and stay slim and other of us always tip the scale over that "ideal" weight. Sometimes you can't fight genetics. And I refuse to be on a diet for the rest of my life. Bring on the cinnamon rolls, the aged Jarlsberg, the chardonnay, and all the fruit I can eat. Check out this site.

My main exercise (since walking per se is not permitted with my knees) is my garden work. I love getting my hands dirty and making things grow. I do not believe there is such a thing as a "no work" garden, unless one can start with an completely blank slate and no weeds drift in on the wind. I find new weeds every year that I have never seen before and they must come from somewhere. I also have a yard planted in every noxious viney plant known to live in this climate. The entire back yard is ringed in vinca and ivy and they are both extremely hard to get rid of, especially when they creep under the fence from neighbors' yards. I was filling up the trash pack with debris today and fell, tipped over a hose, and landed hard on my right side on paving. I think I will be very sore and bruised tomorrow, but I just got up (not quickly) and got on with it. Nobody here to kiss it and make it better. Did I mention how lonely I am and how much I miss him?

Swans news: They lost to Geelong last week and are in the process of losing to Collingwood as I write. If St Kilda wins this week I think we drop out of the 8 and no finals for us. Not that we would have lasted long in the finals. Keep repeating: rebuilding year.

Swans news: They Won! I watched a DVD and checked the score now and then (after last week's debacle I didn't dare hope they could beat even Fremantle). And they almost didn't. Trailing into the final minutes of the final quarter and Goodesy did some magic with the footy (as one of the commentators narrated the replay it was "show it to them in this hand, show it in the other, then kick a goal") and a win!. It does show how pathetic they can be without their stars and I hope they are cooking up another batch to fill in Mick's & Goodes' shoes. We have a few promising ones up front and some half decent backs but there's nobody in the middle with the skill and tenacity of Kirk and Bolton. But then I never thought they could play well without Kell, and they managed. Tonight it's Geelong and I don't expect miracles

I had a long day yesterday: GP at 7AM (to join the queue not actually see him) where we have to plan how I can get enough of my meds when I take The Trip, to the markets, to the hardware store to buy a new drip hose, to the chemist, out to lunch with J, home to work on the rose bush and I finally got the potatoes planted. Bintjes, 8 little darlings. The soil in that corner could use some breaking up below the top 8" so they better do their job. As expected I was sore all over and very tired the AM, especially because I couldn't to sleep for all the aches, until I had a glass of sherry at 1AM. So I slept in and then went to the grocery store. No need to buy cat food anymore since The Imp actively rejects wet food. She did like the roo I gave her and even did a bit of play with it--tossing it up in the air, etc. She has gotten very vocal since she became ruler of all she surveys. Greets me every time I come home with a tone that has a deep note of "why did you go off and leave me all alone? Pet me NOW!" There was a very noisy cat fight some time in the night so she has taken over the role of seeing off strange cats. At one point she was sleeping right up in my face and I could feel her breath. And her whiskers.

I think I'll give my body the rest of the day to heal and work on indoor projects. Move curtain rods. Take a nap. I started the pattern part of CAW and misread the instructions so had to frog the first row and I was too tired to concentrate on a second go. Now that we are getting the US So You Think You Can Dance 3 nights a week, I can't watch dancing and knit complicated cables at the same time, but there are plenty of commercials to knit in. We are approaching a local election and the ads have started. I found out from the guy handing out leaflets at the supermarket that it's while I'm away so that's another thing to do before I leave.

The hit counter has broken 10,000 so it seems like you missed me.

This self-censoring has taken all the fun out of the blog. I hope it will be over soon, but it may be just as I go overseas and then who knows what I will be able to do. In preparation I have been drafting a new will which will go to the Public Trustee since I wouldn't want to burden anyone I know now with estate business. I also now know how important having a will is.

I have planted both apple trees. I attempted to divide the rhubarb but it was so entangled that trying to separate it broke off big pieces of root. I will have to replane as that rhubarb has been underperforming for years anyway.

Lyrica does wonders for pain but nothing for fatigue. I am totally exhausted and come home and take a nap most days. That's what I get for not resting when I can.

Swans news: they played absolutely horrible football and lost to the Bulldogs by 16 points. They shot off to a great start and then apparently sent in the evil twins or the reserves of the evil twins because after that they didn't know what to do with this funny ball that occasionally came their way. Drop it, mostly. It was disgusting to watch and the lack of Goodes and Mick showed how bad they can be. Yes, Roosy, I know they are young but still... J and I even left the match in the beginning of the 4th quarter as it was so painful to watch.

I am going to try and get gauge for Cables after Whiskey as soon as I finish J's bed socks which are 3/4 complete

I am afraid I am going to have to censor my blog even more than I had done, by never naming names, etc. It turns out that random comments in blog have been taken out of context and are being used as evidence against me in dispute resolution regarding Brian's superannuation funds. I will not go into details or name names, although I'd love to drag the whole sorry mess into the open. From now on it's knitting/spinning/weaving, Swans news and not much daily life kind of stuff because that stuff has been twisted and used against me. I was wondering who was reading my blog, well now I know one person has been hanging on every word.

Swans news: After a long string of wins, they lost badly to the Magpies on the weekend. Very low scoring game (I couldn't bear to watch). However, Barry Hall did it again and took a swing against a Collingwood player. This happened 2 matches after he returned from a 7 week suspension for a similar action before. The Swans management, not just the tribunal, is very tired of this behaviour and has suspended him internally and are not giving dates when he will return. He's supposedly getting counseling on anger management. This is not meant to defend his actions, which are simply wrong, but he does get targeted by the opposite team, winding him up till his temper blows, but if he can't control his fists in those situations, he shouldn't be playing footy. Simple as that.

We've had heavy rain and it was fortunate because I had just bedded down the berry plants, all tidied up, top dressed with cow manure and mulched with lots of leaves. My spinach seedlings and silver beet are doing well. The rain is not good for my arthritis and I ache all over. Lyrica does an outstanding job on the major pain, but, as my GP has said, I'll never be pain free. The arthritis is in the joints and the fibromyalgia in my muscles. My knees especially don't like wet weather. I am still trying to avoid surgery but a day like today makes me think twice. Since I can't afford a surgeon, I'll make do. No mountain hiking in my future. Lyrica also does nothing for fatigue and as I reach hump day I can feel it creeping up on me. By Thursday I'm exhausted and really have to pry myself out of bed on Fridays if I want to go to the markets for fish & fruit & veg or even do those routines we all have like vacuuming or other sorts of cleaning. I do wish I had a self cleaning oven like I had in the states but they are rare here.

On the knitting front I found a quantity of bulkier weight hand spun in a darker grey. Unfortunately I wound it off in a mess so I have to untangle a very large mass of grey spaghetti before I have balls I can knit with. I think it would look very good in a zip front jacket. Doing this while having 2 cats on your lap is not easy.

I know, again. I have been trying to run at full speed for the past week or so, trying to crank up my metabolism and burn some calories. I don't know whether that part's working but I am doing a lot. I bought an apple tree with 3 different varieties grafted to the one tree. So I had to dig a hole to put it in. This would have been a Bear task but I had to try and do it myself. I got it planted although I don't think I dug deep enough. There is a limit to how far I can dig. I chose one of those annoying jogs in the back paved area (These people never made anything straight when they could add an angle) and eliminated some lawn as well. I also bought a grafted citrus with lemon and orange but I haven't potted it out yet (it's in a pot but the apple was bare rooted) because I'd like to put it in a half barrel. I've killed a lot of lemon trees so fingers crossed. The little darling has already produced a good sized lemon. Speaking of lemons, I got a shopping bag full of lemons from a work friend and have made 2 batches of honey-lemon jelly. It takes almost a kg of honey to make a batch of jelly, which is 3 small jars. I shall have to try and see if one can stir it directly into tea when you have a cold. Since it only has honey, lemon juice and pectin in it I would think so. I am going to have to learn about preventing fruit fly because apples, citrus and pears are all targets.

I have been knitting furiously on the Komi hat in an attempt to finish it before the Swans match in Canberra this weekend but I don't think I'll make it. The Swannies are playing quite well (altho kicking accuracy is still a problem) and are in the top 4 at the moment.

That little venture into family history has become an obsession. I've added great chunks to my mother's side of the family about which I knew little. I've traced various branches back to Germany and Ulster in Northern Ireland. It's fascinating to think that these people were the pioneers in the US, going out to settle in Indian land in the 1700's and 1800's. Also the trend in migration from the east coast into the middle frontier of Pennsylvania and then on to Michigan and Wisconsin. My grandfather's family all came from Elgin County, Canada and are represented in the cemetery there. Goodness, I'm one quarter Canadian, altho my grandfather told the census takers he was German despite being born in Canada. I have to keep myself from doing more searches now that there are so many sources, like cemetery records, online.

It's also soup weather and I made (very) roasted pumpkin soup, which unfortunately took my last pumpkins. Then they were selling huge cauliflowers at the markets for $1.50, so I had to make another pot of curried cauliflower soup. I coaxed the bread machine to produce a loaf of dark rye but it's not as good as its white breads. I may have to replace the bread machine when I can afford it.

I vowed I was going to start weaving today and I did. So many threading errors of the silly type (2 threads right next to each other) which don't show up when you just check for a clean shed. My sett is Way too loose so it won't be very sturdy. It did give me that foolish idea of weaving drapery cloth again but I need to weave something before I go off to school in October. I know all the principles; but executing them down to the finest detail is difficult especially when your errors don't show up until everything is tied on. Perhaps I should try heavier weft.

This is one of four books that arrived from Amazon yesterday and I think I am madly in love with it. If you have trouble reading tiny type it is The Yarn Lover's Guide to Hand Dyeing by Linda La Belle and I have no link because it's available from everybody. Not only does it show all the techniques to get all those wonderful colours you covet when looking at hand-dyed yarns, not only does it take you step by step through (I think) 9 different dyes from Kool-Aid to Kiton, not only does she use many different fibres so it's a good cross section of materials, but there are interviews and behind-the-scenes photos of some of the best hand dyers we all know from Treenway Silks to Koigu. I happen to have 3 4 oz skeins of white wool sitting on my kitchen table: hand-spun BFL, handspun one ply merino one ply mohair, and commercially spun wool and cashmere. I think to the stash and think of all the white wool waiting to be dyed. And lets not forget overdyeing while we're talking about dyeing, because Sally Melville's Styles opened my eyes to the possibilities of changing the yarn into something completely different. One of the techniques I liked in this book is the dyeing of a already knitted hat. It's an idea I've toyed with when thinking about knitting socks and then dyeing them. I have so many ideas coming out of merely paging through this book. It inspired me to think about retiring our tired microwave to solely dying purposes and my MIL told me she has a single burner hot plate I could have which would move the dyeing out of the kitchen. When the door is installed as my work space, there will be lots of room to spread things out. Weaving with hand-dyed yarn! Where will this end? How will I ever have time to blog?

My excuse this week is I got a cold a week ago and spent several days feeling like sludge so I went easy for several days. I was lying in bed actually sleeping while my bathroom was being demolished and rebuilt. It's close to being finished, needing installation of the vanity and toilet (out of the dining room after more than a year!) and some minor electrical work completed. And painting. Why does my world revolve around painting? I hope to go back at the guest bedroom this weekend. This morning I worked in the garden; another skirmish in the war against couch.

For those who know what I refer to, be glad that my financial dramas are almost over. The cliche that people go feral when money is at stake is all so very true and you cannot trust anybody.

Rounds 1-3: I have not watched any but snippets of the Swans this season but they have lost one and won two and the few times I managed to be in the room when they were actually playing and not having a commercial break, they looked good. Mick seems to be in good form as does Bazza. I so rarely have time to sit down and watch during the day on weekends and I didn't grow up to listening to footy on the radio so I have a hard time visualizing the match simply from play by play commentary. And of course, I always want to share with The Bear and he's not here.

I've added another charity link to my page. Plant a Billion Trees is an initiative of the Nature Conservancy to reforest parts of the Brazilian rainforest. I've been a member of the NC for many years and the Australian Bush Heritage folks do similar work to what the NC does. Buy up land and try and rehabilitate it. Bush Heritage is on a plan to buy up land to form a wildlife corridor from the mountains to the coast. In case you haven't caught on, I really care a lot about the environment and people less fortunate than I and I try to donate regularly if not in large chunks. I try to live as green as I am physically able, have a 99% organic garden, use water wisely, and consumer moderately (except for fibre and books). I find it frustrating when somebody publishes something about tips for saving energy or water or whatever and I've already been doing all of them for years. Re-use, repair, recycle.