The healing power of yarn...

When you can't sleep or concentrate on studying, there is always yarn to keep your mind focused and stop you going insane. Over the last couple of weeks my hands have been busy.

There has been a cushion finished for No2's bedroom. You may recall the granny squares being started for another project.

I fancied a stripey back and I am so pleased with it - I think I prefer it to the front!

Just add some big, chunky buttons and you're done.

There have been an assortment of hats made - both knitted and crocheted...

There is a crochet cushion WIP for my garden, inspired by this one and to coordinate with these.

On the needles right now is a scarf that is perfect for the spring, that I spotted here.

Of course, knitting with the cutest needles always helps...

This is the thing...

So, things have been difficult and I am faced with a dilemma. Do I blog about it or do I keep schtum and pretend I live in a flower-filled utopia?

Tiny, tiny tete-a-tete narcissi (of droplet fame)

How much detail do I want out there? Is anyone interested? Is this blog real or fake?

Muscari

I do know that in the past, when I've spilled out here, it has been healing and the support I have received has helped hugely. I have friends out there whose words have made me smile and feel understood.

Purisima tulip

How about I list the stuff that's BAD and has had me feeling rock bottom, interspersed with some photos of the stuff that has kept me sane? A good compromise, methinks.

Blue sky

:: Deep Breath ::

The Main Issue - No2 has gone off the rails a bit, in what I can only hope is a temporary blip. His behaviour at school over the last few weeks has resulted in him being excluded for over 2 weeks, the last 3 days of which he had to spend in a special 'unit' for excluded children. I won't go in to all the gory details because I want to forget it and hopefully, in years to come, maybe even laugh about it. A positive note that has come of it is that he has agreed to have some bereavement counselling at Helen House (where I go to my parent's group). He has met with the sibling support worker and it seems that he has found something there worth going back for. We are going back to Oxford on Friday. They have a wonderful support team there and a club for siblings, both bereaved and those living with a life-limited brother or sister. The club is called The Elephant Club because 'an elephant never forgets'. Inspired. Another photo required - quick:

White hyacinth

Needless to say, the stress of all of this has nearly killed me and I have felt so low and out of control. I simply didn't know what I could do for him. Things haven't been great with him for the last 6 months or so, but I just put it down to pre-teen behaviour. I am so aware that I can't be everything to him and I have never felt that moreso than in the last few weeks. My course has suffered hugely because I haven't been able to concentrate and I've felt so exhausted. I'm not even sure I want to teach anymore. I have loved learning, but teaching is a whole different ball game.

Anyway, my tutors have been wonderful and I have been given an extension to finish this terms work by July, at home, apart from a group presentation which I have been working on together with some friends on the course, which we will do next Tuesday. I don't have to do the second half of my placement - that was really bothering me because it meant I wouldn't be in til 6pm each night and I wasn't happy leaving No2 home alone for a month after school. Goodness knows what he'd get up to... I will get the written work done and then decide if the the course really is for me. If not, who knows?

Meanwhile, a trip to my GP reveals that I am seriously anaemic, which explains the tiredness, and so, with iron on board, hopefully I shall begin to feel more energised.

One thing I have been doing (in copious amounts) is making things with yarn! Oh yes, the healing power of yarn. I will show off my efforts in another post. I know I'm out of sorts because I have more than one project on the go. Very unlike me - I'm usually quite disciplined. Usually.

More blue sky

So there you have it. In a nutshell; the bare bones of the trouble. A day at a time, I guess. I should know that by now.

The First Day of Spring...

Have you seen this today? How fabulous is that?

Normal service will resume soon, spirits are being lifted...slowly.

A love affair...

My love affair is a long-standing one.

(thanks, Lucy, for the reason to have a cupboard full of jam jars, knowing one day I would find a use for them x)

I'm not fussy about the colour... the more the merrier.

At this time of year, I can indulge myself completely.

I have to have them surrounding me.

Even when they are dying, they still fill me with joy.

The ones in my garden are growing fast, ready for their fanfare of colour to lift my spirits.

My spirits are in desperate need of lifting.

Just because...

** Three things that have made me happy today **

** Tiny narcissi buds with perfect raindrops **

** Pale daffodils on my kitchen windowsill **

** The consistant cheeriness of winter pansies **

Let's make it five...

** Pippin looking particularly handsome **

(before he got himself in disgrace, stealing doritos from the chickens)

** Tiny, tiny violets braving it behind the eglu **

Forces...

There have been lots of things on my course that have surprised me. Lots.

Also, there have been a couple of things that have scared me. Two, actually.

Maths and physics.

I won't go into the maths bit now. It's kinda under my belt until next year again now, with a B1 for my written assignment, although my subject knowledge remains a bit iffy...

Physics was never a strong point for me either and I dropped the subject before 'O' level, in the days when science was still a 3-part subject, carrying on with both biology and chemistry.

Our follow-on task for our forces lecture was to make a marble run. I did a bit of research (read, looked at some toys) on the internet and working in a group of 4, we came up with this:

It's amazing what you can do with a bit of foamboard, some sticky pads, elastic bands and other bits salvaged from broken toys.

The Bounce at the end caused a HUGE amount of excitement, let me tell you. HUGE! That marble just BOUNCED into the pot every time!

Forces? Gravity? Friction? Resistance? Velocity? Acceleration? Deceleration?

Done!