Wibbo's Words

July's entertainment

Colder Than the Grave (DCI Logan, Book 12) [Unabridged Audiobook] [Audible] by J. D. Kirk, narrated by Angus King

A Dance to the Music of Time, First Movement [Unabridged Audiobook] [Audible] by Anthony Powell, narrated by Simon Vance

The Borgia Portrait (A Venetian Mystery, Book 2) [Unabridged Audiobook] [Audible] by David Hewson, narrated by Richard Armitage

Judas 62 (Box 88, Book 2) [Unabridged Audiobook] [BorrowBox] [Re-listen] by Charles Cumming, narrated by Nicholas Boulton

The Boy who Followed Ripley (Ripley, Book 4) [Kindle Edition] by Patricia Highsmith

Outside Looking In (DCI Matilda Darke, Book 2) [Kindle Edition] by Michael Wood

Morgan is My Name (Morgan le Fay, Book 1) [Kindle Edition] by Sophie Keetch

Prophet [Kindle Edition]  by Helen Macdonald and Sin Blache

The Paper Palace [Kindle Edition]  by Miranda Cowley Heller

The Last Sister (Columbia River, Book 1) [Kindle Edition] by Kendra Elliot

The Silence (Columbia River, Book 2) [Kindle Edition] by Kendra Elliot

In the Pines (Columbia River, Book 3) [Kindle Edition] by Kendra Elliot

 

Seaside and architecture

It's lovely seaside weather at the moment, warm but feeling comfortable because of a strongish breeze.

Hove seafront looking west towards Worthing.

One thing I love about Hove is the wonderful jumble of domestic architectural styles. This is St Catherine's Terrace, a stretch of houses along the main coast road.

Shadows

Jubilee Library, Brighton, 28 January 2020.

Now, where was I?

I seem to remember saying something about blogging more often....so here I am.

Hove has been looking lovely lately although today's weather is typical for a bank holiday - grey. Photos were taken last week- top one is Adelaide Crescent from Hove Lawns; bottom one is Hove beach.

I've started sewing again with a new machine. After 30 or so years of using a secondhand Pfaff machine I've found the switch to a Bernina a little challenging. My hands automatically try and thread the new machine Pfaff-wise but I'm getting there. Slowly.

So far, I've finished a Mandy Boat Tee (photo shows sleeve before hem was turned; fabric has a black background) - it's a free downloadable pattern from here and I'm happy with it. I adjusted the pattern to make the sleeves wider and longer and the body slightly shorter. I plan on making several of these in the future as the shape is comfy to wear.

And I found a spot to hang this which hasn't been out of its storage box since last century. It's a very old Indian door hanging (toran) with dozens of tiny shisha mirrors surrounded by silk embroidery.

Sunday weather

It won't last but hey, let's make the most of it while it does!

Just like 2009

Scaffolding is going up along the Hove Street side of the building just as we're getting to the warmest months of the year. It's covering one living room window as well as those in the kitchen and bedroom; no netting as yet but I expect to be back in the Mole Hole shortly!

Bank holiday...

...and it's a sunny one for a change!

I have socks to knit, a new pattern to crochet and a pile of audiobooks from the library to keep me happy.

I also have a living room to tidy and stuff to put away but they can wait....

Flossie's soaking up the rays and making a cat-shaped shadow.

There's bread in the breadmaker and butternut squash soup on the hob. Hope you're all having a lovely day whatever you're doing!

It came back

The cold, that is. I felt better for about four days then the sore throat started again. And the rest. I'm bored now but starting to feel better. Spring has sprung and we're hurtling towards when the clocks go forward so life's not all bad.

The shawl is now finished and blocked as is this crochet one, made for and modelled by my knitting friend Valerie (she loves orange).

As ever when the right weather occasion arises, Flossie is on the carpet roasting her ribs in a patch of sunlight.

 

Hove seafront

This morning I walked along the seafront towards the lagoon. Hove's colourful beach huts have taken a battering in the recent storms.

Catching up

Well, we're storm-battered here on the south coast but luckily there's no flooding where I live. I can't imagine how awful the flooding must be in other parts of the country. Today (just for a change) it's sunny, dry and the sky is blue.

What have I been up to this month? Not a lot really - I seem to have been skulking indoors knitting and reading or drying out coats and gloves for most of February. One highlight was yesterday when I met up with fellow Brighton & Hove blogger Sarina for a lovely lunch in town. Sarina's blog is here: Sarina's Allsorts.

I seem to be frogging more metres that knitting them these days. I cast off a stripey garter stitch shawl  (see previous post for pic) this morning and the more I look at it, the more I think I'll frog it. I tried it on, looked in the mirror and the word that came to mind was 'frilly' which was not good...

In other news, I'm listening to The Leopard by Jo Nesbo read by the wonderful Sean Barrett, and reading Raising Steam by the even-more-wonderful Terry Pratchett (real book) and Flappers by Judith Mackrell (Kindle book).

Flossie is being her usual charming annoying self and refuses to pose for any more of 'those candid photos' ;o)

Rain, rain, rain...

...and more rain.

Flossie in sunshine

A bit of a nothing week

Tax return done - tick; socks washed - tick; knitting - tick; reading - tick.

Er, can't think what else. I've been busy all week but haven't got much to show for it. The weather's been very curate's egg lately.

The amaryllis has two more flowers almost out...

...and suddenly it's Friday.  Heigh ho...

Fairly wild

The weather's still fairly wild here although it stopped raining for a few hours today which meant I could get out and take some photographs.

There's usually a shingle beach this close to the promenade - most of the large shingle has been thrown landwards by the storms. I'm posting photographs of the seafront on Hove Daily Photo for the rest of the week, starting today.

Drippety, drippety, drip

Hideous weather - you'd never believe that yesterday was sunny with not a cloud in the sky for most of the day. My front window is like a sieve when rain comes from the south-westerly direction (note strategic placement of soak-up cloths). The dark shape (bottom right) is Flossie clamped to the radiator. Sensible girl...

Storm, socks, shawl

That was the worst storm I've experienced since moving to the seaside in 2007. Apart from the noises which kept me awake into the small hours and several litres of water drip drip dripping through the front windows, the only things that got damaged were the bird spikes round my balcony. Weird, eh?

I disentangled three lengths from the rosemary bushes this morning; they'd peeled away from the top balcony rail. Must buy more outdoor sticky fixers...

In other news, I have enough clean hand-knitted socks to last me into February...

 ...and I've blocked my Refraction Shawlette.

Curate's egg

The good: food shopping done early morning and home before the rain started; full fridge and freezer; spelt bread smelling good in the bread machine.

The bad: the UK is having appalling weather; heavy rain battering my big bay window which is leaking (thank goodness for Lakeland's soak-up cloths); lift still not fixed. 

Apart from that, I'm fine. I don't need to go out until Friday and as well as food, I have a stack of library audio books and plenty of yarn.

This, that and the weather

Lovely weather, eh? I don't mind rain too much but when it's coupled with strong winds (we get a lot of those at the seaside) I'm staying put at Wibbo Towers.

I'm soaking my Reflections Shawlette ready for blocking; the washing machine's on with a load of hand knitted socks; there's football on the radio and food in the fridge. Sorted!

Me & my shadow

Look at the colour of that sky!

Taken this morning about 9.45; bright blue sky, warm sunshine and no wind.