I have no mobile phone and my computer switches off

My mobile is away being repaired. This has resulted in this amazing feeling of achievement. Somehow without any effort I have got a lot more done. I really feel that structured screen time is a powerful tool towards a fulfilling life. I check my emails daily, Ravelry and my knitting design course weekly. I do a Sunday internet roam and apart from that the computer is generally off. If I need to do anything else I do so and then turn it off again. As a result we eat well, I am keeping to my exercise programme, my knitting design course and business progress well and I am up to the arm pit in the horror that is the men's grey v neck 4ply jumper.

Never ever underestimate the power of the off button.

4 ply grey knitting

9 rows per inch.

It is knitted in the round

15 1/2 inches to the arm.

8 1/2 inches done

So if I can do 9 rows per day I will be at the arm hole by next weekend.

This will mean significant progress.

I can do this

I will not start anything else until I have completed this.

If he does not wear it with monotonous regularity I will be very cross.

What is love and the joys of a rearrange.

Above is my current knitting-a 4 ply V neck jumper for the husband. Knitting this my dear readers is an act of love. Especially when...
This cushion cover is what I was knitting. I used cones of wool I got for a pound and sock yarn. This was great fun and the joy of this log cabin knitting is the fact that you pick up stitches rather than sewing pieces together. Note the colour no grey
Also I wanted to write about the complete and utter joy of a rearrange. I had half my clothes in my daughter's old room and half in our bedroom. Everything is now in Hannah's old room. Trust me as a really bad morning person this makes my life seriously easier. I also re-arrranged furniture a little. Small changes that make the room so much easier to work in. Trust me on this one rearrange a room and life your life. Even better pay me to help you do it.

Knitting 2010

18 pairs of socks of which 8 pairs were grey army socks for Hannah

1 bathmat made on giant needles

3 blankets

2 sleeveless vests

1 sideways cardigan

2 yoga mat covers

2 cushion covers

8 hats

2 scarves

2 dish cloths

2 octopi

That is 43 items of which 22 were gifts

Not so bad

Making my daughter's old room mine

How do you make your child's old room your own? This is my guide. These are all things that I treasure that cost next to nothing. This circular needle holder was made in a spinning workshop one year on Skipnorth. I didn't do the workshop but scored this. It reminds me of fabulous times
One of my 4 beloved digital radios all tuned to Radio 4. The Archers, Women's Hour The Plays Comedy such bliss. Knitting and Radio 4 is the perfect combination.
Knitting needles in a Portmerion container what could be more perfect.
This notice board is all really positive things I have been given including the poem Clive wrote for me when we had been married 20 years. How gorgeous is that?
Anne's Mum in America found a Moses rubber ducky and sent it to me. I found this an amazingly kind thing to do
These have no value but they no longer sell thread on wooden reels and I love them. Especially the big ones of linen thread.
The Aaron Margolis tea pot of charity-all my 1, 2 and 5p pieces go in this and Aaron gets to empty it when he comes home from Uni
Post at least 3 viewings of all 7 series of the West Wing I find American politics fascinating. This is my American President Tea towel. I also have a White House Mug-how cool is that.

Winter wonderland and IT frustration

I make a habit of going into the West End every December to see the Christmas decorations. I figure that even though it is not my festival I might as well enjoy the transformation of the West end. After all the windows and decorations must cost a fortune and it is free to enjoy. Anyway I always end my Winterwonderland Tour at Trafalgar Square. Every year the people of Norway donate a Christmas tree in honour of the role the British military played in WW2. I think this is quite lovely and when I got there Lubavitch of Hendon had a Channukah Menorah in the Square-how cool.

Summary of decorations

Harrods- Wonderful I still can't work out how to place my pictures in the middle of the text but it is above. All based on Peter Pan

Fortnum and Mason-Sort of 3 d famous painting reproductions -may as well buy a tacky chocolate box and be domne with it.

Liberties-Big black and red thing with flowers too sylish and somewhat boring

Selfridges-Bit tacky-Katie Price as Christmas decorations

The street lights were great

This not being able to place my photos in the middle of my blog is not my only challenge, I tried to upload photos from my new phone and could not do it? Anyone know how to get photos from an HTC Smart to a computer-all hints gratefully accepted

Israel

I spent 10 days at Kibbutz Degana Aleph on the outskirts of Tiberius where my daughter now lives. (She is now based at the Army Base in Tiberius.) Tiberius is 200 m below sea level and is extremely hot. Yesterday to the relief of everyone it finally rained. There is a green hue for about 3 metres from the shoreline of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). This is the area that was under water last year. Water conservation is a real issue in Israel. As a knitter it was amazing the bright light somewhat softened by the shorter days and the dryness of the environment .

The above photos were taken in and around the kibbutz and to me say knitting design.

It was an amazing trip Hannah was in a car at 5.30am to get to work on time from Baram and it is now a 15 minute bus ride. She is living in a old apartment building where all the tenants are young people. They all eat salad for breakfast and seem to have more of a lust for life than is the norm in England.