porthesia

I shall be looking for Lindsay Davies on my next trip to the library. I'm struggling to get into anything at the moment. All the books I keep to re-read are just not enticing me at the moment, they crook their fingers and say come along, follow the road with me, but I'm just not feeling the pull. I have some books which I have never read and still can't get into them - picked up a Winter's Tale as they've just produced the film and I still can't get into it, I bought this decades ago and periodically give it a try. I have the same trouble with a Nicholai Tolstoy book and also a William Morris - perhaps I'm never destined to finish these books. Has anybody else got some books which they just can't get into? Perhaps we could swap? Do we call these UFR's (unfinished reads)? Unfinished cross stitch is referred to as a "UFO" which is an acronym I love, but perhaps someone could come up with a better acronym for those books we just can't finish.

Sorry, Fiz, I missed your post as well - hope you are better soon. I used the joining method where you are using the two strands of wool, the old and new bits and this is where it looked wrong. I did unpick stitch by stitch until I got to the knotty mess and just couldn't sort it out so did the dreaded taking off the needles. My mother was an expert knitter, but unfortunately I don't follow in her footsteps. I've knotted one jumper with a cable which took me over 18 years, one matinee jacket and the aforementioned two scarves. Thanks for all the advice Anjuli, I actually count as I'm knitting, couldn't risk counting at the end of the row! Once I'm sure it's all back on the needles correctly I will give it another go - I will finish it but after that I think I will stick to my cross stitch - have enough kits and patterns to keep me quiet. edited to try and make sense!!

Tissues are an absolute must and not only for the sad ending. The part where the Mermaid and the Prince are alone on stage before the end of the first act is extremely beautiful and I cried. Sarah Mortimer was the Mermaid and she was wonderful, showing lots of vulnerability and emotion. Again, beautiful costumes, extremely innovative in set design (the ship is quite brilliant) and as ever beautifully danced by the whole cast. hfbrew I've pm'd re the ship

Knitting. I have been trying to knit this white fluffy scarf for many years. I can't see stitches when I drop them and have undone it so many times. Well I decided recently that it had just got to be finished and I had done really well until today, when i needed to join the next ball of wall on. Horrible mess, ended up undoing loads that I had knitted, but I think I've managed to pick all the stitches up again. Sending it to HobbyCraft with non-dd tomorrow so one of the knitters can check I've got all the stitches back on the needle. What really gets me is that I've already made a dark red and light brown scarf in the same type of wool. Why can't I finish this white one off??!!

Only 28. Not the Thomas Hardy that I have read; Return of the Native, The Woodlanders and the Mayor of Casterbridge. My memory goes and I can't remember if I've read Great Expectations or just seen it on TV, same with Jude the Obscure, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy so I've not added these. Obviously I read too much Science Fiction/Fantasy - and I did notice a distinct lack of Asimov. No I've not read Ulysses but I had to study Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man and that put me off James Joyce completely, although having to study Return of the Native did give me a love for Hardy!

That's wonderful news pictures. Plenty of time to decide if it's the right school. Well done to him.

I think it may be biology teachers. DD had the same attitude when she was taking A levels. Her History teachers were far more sympathetic. I have since been informed that biology is a very difficult subject at A level and I think this is why the teachers are so full on, but that is no excuse. Hope you get it all sorted and hugs sent.

I have tickets for tomorrow at the Assembly Rooms in Tunbridge Wells. I'm really intrigued by "the ship". They were extremely clever with Alice getting taller and smaller and their costumes for the Mad Hatters Tea Party were very innovative too. I wasn't really sure what to expect and hadn't considered there would be a ship so looking forward to the performance even more.

Hmm, I'm Ptolemy

Wishing your younger dd well and hoping your elder dd enjoyed her day

Just sending hugs to you and wishing you luck x

But then there is the ad with the kittens coming out of a packet of (I think) chocolate digestive biscuits and there is also an ad with an unspecified creature coming out of a packet of Jaffa Cakes - I wants it! The creature not the Jaffa cakes (still on a diet).

Well 2 weeks since the MRI scan and no letter from the hospital. Non-dd phoned up the consultants' secretary as she is desperate to get this over with and the consultant is on holiday for 2 weeks! Ahh well, just the way it goes, but she is bitterly disappointed.

Size 3A Jenetex leotard with attached skirt and cap sleeves. Not sure if this would be of any use to a ballet school as it's an ex show costume. As long as postage is covered it's yours.

Thanks to loveclassics recommendations I'm reading Sharon Penman's Lionheart. Enjoying it very much and will be looking out for more.

I'm not sure how much the GCSE entails. Is there any sports psychology included. I found this to be particularly fascinating.

Anjuli: One of my old bosses used to refer to us as "peeps", so it would be "gather round peeps" when he wanted to address us all - I'm still not sure about being a peep!

Good luck with the LAMBDA exam. I hope he enjoys it - both dd and non-dd have taken some of these - I believe the higher grades can give UCAS points, but it may have changed. Also wish him a Happy Birthday, double figures eh, thats a big deal

Sorry to hear about the crutches for both you and your dd. Hope you are both off them soon x

2dancersmom, thank you so much for the advice on the oats. She tried it last night and got a lot of relief, mainly whilst in the bath so she was in there for over two hours! She has scratched herself in her sleep and has quite a few nasty sores. Roll on op day!

Having a bath helps with the pain, will try the oats. I've had to fetch her home early from work today as she is in pain She's been okay for a little while and had stopped taking the Tramadol and Naproxen but is back on them both today.

Wind here has been terrible, and we lost power, but only for an hour. I honestly do not know how the people in Somerset are coping, my heart goes out to them and anyone else who is flooded or without power.

She was told by gp to take anti-histamine but Piritese does say you should take alternate days if you have problems with your liver so she's stopped taking those completely as she feels her liver has enough to cope with at the moment. She puts Sudocream on which makes it harder for her to scratch. I'm now stalking the postman, shades of when dd was awaiting audition results!! At least the cat is completely healed - whoops that was in 101.

As does Ballet West x

Hi Jane, thank you for asking. The MRI went well. She does suffer from claustrophobia and had opened her eyes and saw just how close everything is but she managed to hang on - must have been the longest 20 minutes ever! We have to wait 2 weeks for the results. On this particular day her skin was not as yellow has it has been - we had hoped this might have precipitated an earlier op but she was nowhere near her normal yellow colour! Its a case of waiting now. She's still scratching which is driving me mad!