Thursday, November 02, 2017

A better day, in some respects. I started out this morning by making a simple list – I wrote it down – of three things to get done today. And I did them. I will try to continue the practice. One of them was to apply to Virgin East Coast for a refund of some or all of my fare for the strenuous journey north on Monday. To Mr. Branson’s credit, there were frequent announcements telling us that one was due, and how to apply.

Knitting progresses, but I haven’t yet finished another band in Miss Rachel’s Yoke. I am somewhat distressed at how little I seem to manage these days. Would it be wiser to choose a humble Shetland hap for the next great-grandchild, rather than trying to replicate Mrs Hunter of Unst’s somewhat more complicated pattern?

Stella, thank you, thank you (comment yesterday) for reminding me of the yarn in which I knit Mrs Hunter’s shawl for Orla. You have saved me valuable time. I incline in that direction. I keep feeling that any moment now I will recover a tremendous amount of oomph and knit for three hours a day. I think the answer really is that when my husband was alive, I sat with him for several hours a day watching television and, of course, knitting. Now I slump about doing nothing much.

I continue to stalk poor Susan Crawford. Her tweets suggest that she is feeling well, and getting things done, now that her cancer treatment is finished. Unfortunately, from my point of view, the things she seems to be getting done are not connected with the Vintage Shetland Project.

This month, November, is the second anniversary of the originally-promised publication date. There is a recent note from her on Ravelry to say that there will be an “update” in 2-3 weeks’ time with news of yet another publication date – we’ve had several, since November 2015.

Sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti
in vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua.


Sorry. It means, I’ll believe it when I see it.

7 comments:

  1. It takes time. I was the primary(only) caregiver for my mother. It was a year before I felt really on track again. It won't take you so long; I have trouble letting go.

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  2. Anonymous7:50 AM

    Dear Jean, are you following Wovember this year? It is about using wool/knitting therapeutically and there are interesting links to websites which help with many situations, including grief. This is a major transition for you, and you have already taken a step by noticing your knitting time was linked to accompanying your husband on his journey. You will find another way to access that state, but give yourself plenty of time to get there—patience and gentleness from you to yourself as it were. My thoughts are with you as you travel this path—there are waymarkers. CarolG

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  3. Anonymous10:29 AM

    Thank you for the moment to exercise my increasingly rusty Latin skills this morning!
    As you note, you spend less time sitting around chatting, watching TV, keeping company so you have less knitting time. What about listening to audiobooks while knitting? Two birds, one stone. (It somewhat works for me - not as effectively as I always imagine it will, nor am I so expedient. But then that is my recurring refrain, too.)
    cheers,
    CKP

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  4. Anonymous10:36 AM

    Slump all you want, Jean. You've earned it. CarolG is so right. Chloe

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  5. Agree with all the previous posters. Hang in there Take it slowly and treat yourself well. Those were rough final years for you. No need to feel you must accomplish massses of things each day.

    Like the idea of the knitting to books or podcasts.

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  6. Well Sr. Elizabeth my Latin teach would laugh at me puzzling through the quote, then using Google. Catullus before breakfast. I have been reading about about sleep, with particular interest in sleep as we age. "Why We Sleep" by Matthew Walker. I've bought a light therapy lamp with a small footprint and begun using it twice a day with great success for energy and not falling asleep so early. Not a cure-all but in the darkening days it might be worth looking at.

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  7. My high school Latin teacher taught Greek also. Those were the days - imagine today's whiz kid high schoolers studying Latin and Greek. And knitting at the same time.

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