Knitting for stress relief

I guess I could have done "sanding woodwork for stress relief" or "protecting wrought iron with the special cream I bought for stress relief" or "anything basically USEFUL for stress relief", but I've been feeling so anxious about this potential work situation that real, hard-core procrastination was the only thing that would do. So I took a trip to one of my favourite places in all Paris - the Marché Saint-Pierre (the website is worth visiting for the translation alone) - and went yarn shopping.

And then stayed up until 2am this morning trying to work out how to do seed stitch. And yeah, I know it's dead straightforward once you've sussed out that you need to change from knit to purl and back by pulling the yarn through the gap BETWEEN the needles, but that is something NONE of the knitting sites tell you. And by the time you have a durrr moment and work it out for yourself, it's already 11 the next morning and you've probably unpicked everything about, oooh, three times. Sheesh.

Anyway, my wedding washclothes are now ticking along nicely and should help keep me busy when I'm home in Scotland for a couple of weeks from Sunday next (assuming my needles don't get confiscated by the meanies at CDG). I'm also dreaming of granny squares and ripple blankets, because another procrastination project over which I can then procrastinate is probably just exactly what I need at the moment...

Hope and hard work

The hope refers to a big ol' fingers crossed about work and the hope that I'll be able to spill the beans in the next week or so.

The hard work refers to my kitchen window. Yep, I finally did it: all stripped. I was starting to wonder whether I'd ever get there - it's such ferociously hard work and takes so LONG and I hate wearing rubber gloves, especially when they get wet and sweaty and my hands smell of rubber for 24 hours after I finish. Other than that, great fun.

Anyway, still a few little bits of scraping left but I'll do that dry, without any paint-stripper. The important thing is that the windows are washed and ready for sanding and oiling, even if it took me a good part of my long weekend. I did a big session on Saturday afternoon then spent another seven or so hours this afternoon.

It was a glorious 14th of July outside, so shame I was inside fuming it up, but at least it'll be another "memorable" Bastille Day. My first 14th July, I went to the Firemen's Ball in the 6th and the fireworks on the Champs de Mars with Georgina, the second I was painting my then-new flat at Bastille and almost fell off my ladder when the jets and helicopters flew past after the military parade, the third I was up in Granville and met J for the first time, the fourth I was in Rouen with D and had a fairly massive post-break-up fight with J on the phone (oh yeah), and last year, I went to the fireworks on the Champs de Mars with... good ol' J. Heh.

Catch-up.

No posting for a couple of weeks due to a mix of good times and bad.

Good times: S&R arrived back from Spain (with dulce de leche :) ) and stayed for a few days before heading back to Canada. As always, I really enjoyed having them around and it was a great excuse to hold my first proper dinner at the flat. We managed to get eight round the table and managed to feed them all too, thanks to S taking care of pudding and an inspired decision to plug in the oven in the bedroom and leave the kitchen free for plates and other gubbins. Not the best picture ever, and I've no idea what exciting story was being told, but I think it kind of captures the atmosphere:

More good times last weekend, down in Cannes with another friend and her cute-as-all-heck 10-month old. Three days lazing on the beach and spending the evenings sipping rosé on the balcony was just what the doctor ordered... yep, work is hideous at the moment. Resignations a-go-go and one of the new recruits is giving me real headaches by behaving like a jerk with clients and then getting aggro when I try to coax/steer him back on to the right track. Very unhappy state of affairs which isn't leaving me with much energy for anything else.

In the circumstances, not much has moved with the flat. I finally sorted out my bedroom curtains yesterday, and I'm going to do more paint-stripping in the kitchen tomorrow night. At least my flowers are still looking nice. :)