We call 'em dungarees

If you pop over to the Bibfessor you can read all about International Overalls Day, which is today. Now I have been a long term fan of dungarees, as we call them here in the UK. I got my first (grown up) pair at Browns of Chester when I was about 11, I think. I remember them well as I sewed a particularly fetching 'I love you' heart shaped patch on the back pocket and they were my favourite piece of clothing for some years. Then in my teenage years I had a cream coloured pair (I hope is it not blasphemous to have non denim ones) which I proceeded to dye pink. Since then I went on and off wearing them. My current collection consists of some lovely stripy multicoloured ones made in Nepal, some patchwork pink/purple ones from Bishopston Trading Company (both pretty old and well worn now) and this pair that came from ebay. I think they appeal to the ageing hippy in me who has a tendency to resist looking 'smart'.

Work progressed

So if I decide to sit around the bedroom and wear my shawl I will be beautifully co-ordinated with the paintwork. It has been a long knit and am very pleased with the outcome. I decided not to block it as I like the lovely textured crinkly effect. It is soft as butter and I am so going to enjoy wearing it. Feeling distinctly un-photogenic with a cold sore coming on so have tried to capture the look without me.

books

So we had a mad dash around the charity shops today after M decided that she wasn't well read enough to get into Yale. Her reading list now includes:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (labelled as a first edition but we have established it is not)

The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike

War and Peace by Leon Tolstoy (that's the cool dude in the photo) (she started Anna Karenina last week, nobody tell me she doesn't set herself challenges)

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (the whole trilogy)

(total spend about £17)

Plus a video of Sense and Sensibility, though I had to tell her we were not adding to the Disney collection with either Lion King 2 or Lady and the Tramp 2.

I got a couple of things for myself:

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier (lovely hardback for £1.49). I just loved Cold Mountain so thought this one would be a good read too.

The Inheritors by William Golding

The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker, subtitled 'Language as a window into human nature'. I read The Language Instinct some years ago and found his writing to be very intelligent and challenging but also readable for a non scientist.

Tish bought new boots and The Clangers on video, but then she has enough to be going on with as I acquired a pile of academic ecology journals from someone on Freecycle. I think Oryx and The Journal of Ecology are going to keep her occupied, in between writing her personal statement for the UCAS application.

more cute baby and all that

The cutest baby enjoying the benefits of the most lovely

baby blanket:-)

And the strangest bunch of kids. I keep wondering why mine didn't turn out at cute as Julie's. Tish in her very goth stage, Lewis when he still wore a bandana (which he did constantly, and I mean constantly, for several years), Jacob without the hair, and M hasn't changed much, except height-wise, she still hates having her photo taken.

Dad sent me this photo yesterday though it is several years old.

Work in progress

Am stranded at home due to minor medical incident (the baby socks were knitted during extended wait in hospital) and since it may be at least another week I thought I would start something more substantial. This fabulous lace weight merino/silk blend was a birthday gift from Julie and I confess the thought of knitting with something so fine was a little daunting, however I did find this lovely simple pattern on Ravelry that I used to make a birthday scarf for my sister from my home-spun and decided to use it again. Lots of knitting bloggers seem to add 'work in progress' pictures so I thought it might encourage me to keep going if I admitted to having started it, then I would feel duty bound to post again and prove it has been finished. We are having a Gilmore Girls marathon to accompany the knitting, though M is going to make a start on her Italian, having returned from holiday there with a new-found enthusiasm for languages.

Indoor bonfire

We decided to stay indoors for Bonfire Night but we still wanted to play with fire ... so I came up with the idea of a Bonfire Cake. The 'Guy' is made from ready-roll icing and then we just had lots of candles for flame, with mini sparklers for added effect (they were a bit disappointing however lasting mere seconds before burning out), then we toasted mini marshmallows on cocktail sticks over the candles. We probably have to wait for Saturday for the fireworks though, the Fire College always runs a big display that we can watch from the bedroom window.

what have we been up to recently

In celebration of her freedom to do so M finally got round to dyeing her hair pink. She was waiting until after the Youth Musical Theatre group did their performance so that she didn't look too outrageous on stage. She doesn't relish being photographed but luckily for me she does still relish the occasional cuddle. It's only semi-permanent and she's thinking of turquoise next.

Having had a lull for nearly a year now on the knitting of socks (I did a pair for each member of my family for last Christmas and regretted the decision as the weeks flashed by and the last posting day arrived leaving me mere hours to get them in the post!) so I finally got out the last ball that Julie bought me as a Christmas present, just fabulous colours from Violet Green, and here they are. There was this little ball remaining so now baby has a pair to match too.

They look a funny shape there as I made the leg tightly ribbed so they grip properly, and they fit just perfect.