A quick, useless post with no pictures, which it desperately needs but I haven't got them off the camera yet. I know, that's a dreadful excuse. Rubbish.

Our stove went in on Friday (finally) - yay! It's been an interesting process with some new DIY skills picked up on route (mostly by GG) and at some point I will do some picture-heavy progression shots. Gotta be said, I love burning stuff. Oh yeah. 

I've performed some minor surgery on my Trek 1000. I've been struggling since they took my desk away at work. My Kona needs me to wear my cycling shoes and carry a change of trousers (no mudguards) and shoes. My Brompton is geared too high for the hills, and I'm not quite sure where I want to lock it up. Mostly taking it all the way to work is just added hassle, unless I have good reason. And the Trek? Needed cycling shoes, was too high geared, and the handlebars were all wrong for comfortable braking. So, I've added a rack (so I can use panniers), changed the pedals for some platforms with toeclips, and subjected the bars to a flip and chop job. I'm trying to change the gearing too, but I'm having to wait for the parts. Rode it this morning, and it felt... Well, dreadful if I'm honest. Don't get me wrong, the bike felt good. It was my legs that didn't. It's been a while, I'm badly out of shape, and it showed. Now I have no excuses on which bike to select though, so hopefully I'll get right back on it.

The garden is continuing to continue. The batch of seedlings I planted before Easter are dying and getting munched in the coldframe. I think it got a little too cold for the tomatos. The verbena St George I planted has been eaten - I think the snails have found it. I'll have to keep an eye on my beans and peas. Still, it's all trial and error, right? The aubretia I grew from seed last year is now flowering, and it goes really nicely with the flowering current out front, so some things work well.

And in knitting news I have completed the yoke of my Spicy Jack jumper (which I know I still haven't posted anything proper about - sorry), and started on both sleeves. The colour work is looking better than my first attempt. It's all good.

Well, I got the 'gentle rain' I wanted. Persistent, fine, nasty rain. At least the seeds will like it I guess. Although it may still be a little cold.

And today being GG's birthday, she opened her presents. I think she liked them. In fact, she's emailed me to say she likes the white cotton thermal I bought for her so much she'd like another one in navy. She's wearing it in the office today, because apparently the boys she works with like to keep it cold, and for the first time in ages apparently she's warm enough. So yes. A success. Of course, I actually meant it for cricket. We'll see how well it performs at the start of the season, on April 20th. Yes, that's early and it'll either be rained off or extremely chilly I anticipate. I am not anticipating playing!

It's nearly the weekend. I've been back in work for 2 short days (only 6 hours each) and already I can't wait. Need a new job, pronto! Anyone? Anyone got a development job in Brighton they'd just love to offer to me? Didn't think so. Back to the job sites it is then...  

The last two days of my holiday are nearly gone, and I've spent them both in the garden. Woohoo!

Yesterday was spent predominantely out front, moving some of the plants that were over-wintering (read: I didn't know what to do with them) in an empty quarter of the veg patch. And weeding a little. And planting some sweet peas, and a small plant that jumped into my hand in Homebase when we were up in Cambridge. Some sort of Convolvulus - I'll find the label and check back. The rest of the sweet peas  went in along the back fence, to grow up around the honeysuckle and over the pyracantha. I grew some of the red and white 'America' version I had last year, and some deep blue ones. They didn't germinate so well, which was disappointing. Hopefully the four plants I did manage to get (compared to about 9 of the red and white) will survive. I've planted out about 5 of the red hot pokers I grew from seed too. I'm hoping I might get some flowers from them this year...

Today I've been sowing seeds. I have sown flower seeds in situ - poached egg plants along the edge of my onion quarter; cornflowers, californian poppies and love-in-a-mist in the front left; poppies, alyssum, godetia, love-in-a-mist and blue angel in the teardrop bed out back; more cornflower and poached eggs in the scooter bed. I also sowed quite a lot in modules: peas, mange tout, beans, two types of tomato (sub-arctic plenty and gartenperle), sweet pepper (lipstick), chilli pepper (anaheim), basil, leeks and a salad mix.

It's such a hopeful time of year. I hope everything I've planted does well and I've got it in the right place. I hope the slugs aren't as bad as last year. I hope we'll have a lovely sunny summer and I'll have time to sit and enjoy, and I hope we have just enough gentle rain in the next few weeks so I don't have to remember to water everything!

And on another hopeful note, I'm off into town now. It's GG's birthday on Friday, and I don't have a clue what to get for her. Well, some clues, but it's going to depend what I can find. I hope I get it right!!

It's snowing. Honestly.

It's not sticking or anything, but still. I'm back at home, and I wanted to get out in the garden and plant some stuff up. Given that we had days in February that were nice enough to dry washing quickly outdoors, this is not what I was looking for.

Guess it'll have to be the cleaning instead...

Happy Easter everyone! 

I'm nearly back, still on holiday at the moment, but hopefully be back soon. Yes.

In the meantime, here's a couple of interesting fibre-related things to have a look at.

Rachel Beth Egenhoefer - http://www.rachelbeth.net/work.html - has some interesting intersections between textile, candy and art. I'm not sure her knit negotiation sweater will catch on but it's one way to keep your hands warm while you type! She's also doing a talk in Brighton (next week. Thursday, at the Lighthouse. http://www.lighthouse.org.uk/whatson/rachel_beth_digiville.htm for more info.)

And then there's some crochet. I've not done crochet, but this might make me want to start. Yes. This project is about creating complex mathematical shapes in crochet. I do love it when several strands (I'm sorry) of my interests come together, and this definitely counts.