Runner-up for Queen of the UFO's

One of my least favourite things.  We have two service appointments today, the first is to replace the water meter and we have a window on that from 12 noon to 4:00 pm.  The second is a semi-annual home inspection with a window from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm.  Fun times. Not. At least we get it all over and done with in one day. And we have a clean house out of it. Not that we let this place get really dirty, but it's rare for us to do a deep clean *everywhere* at the same time.  Okay, we didn't get to the garage, but hey, it's a garage!

It does mean I'm left hanging around this afternoon, don't want to get too far into any project, just in case. So I'm reading fanfic and knitting on the garter-stitch border for the blanket I'm making.


Question of The Day:

November 5. Monopoly went on sale for the first time on this day in 1935. Have you ever played it? Yes, many, many times.  Not for ages though now.  All our board games got water damaged while in storage after a move.


Catching up:

November 1. In the UK, the 5th of November is Guy Fawkes night, which is celebrated with fireworks. The firework displays and parties usually start this weekend and may continue for several days of November. When was the last time you attended a firework display? It's been ages.  Not since the kids were quite young, so maybe 25 years ago?

November 2. Do you have anything you love so much on TV that you record all the episodes? No, it's been a decade or so since we've actually had a TV connection.  And I never did really record anything.

November 3. What’s the weather like today?  It was cooler (high of just 8C / 46.4F) and mostly cloudy. Fairly windy too.

November 4. Have you ever received a birthday present that was just perfect for you? What was it?
I've had many great gifts over the years, but to be perfectly honest, nothing really jumps out right now.  My family always seemed to do better at Christmas.

Zed

P.S. High today will only be 6C / 42.8F and it's completely overcast.  Think we may even have had a tiny bit of snow this morning. 

P.P.S.  I may have jinxed Halloween for our town.  Weather was pretty decent early evening, but not long after dark the wind picked up and we had rain! None of which was in the forecast at all. Sorry about that.
 

23. What was your favourite toy when you were growing up? A very well loved stuffed toy poodle.  I still have it!

24. Have you ever been skiing? Yes, many times.  It's been decades though and I wouldn't even try now.

25. The Venice Carnival runs from February 22nd to March 4th.  Wearing a fancy mask is a feature of the carnival – when was the last time you wore a mask? Fancy decorated mask?  Probably Uni.  Medical style? Last time I left the house, so Wednesday, when we ran errands and picked up more empty liquor boxes (they're best for packing books).

26. Are you a fan of opera? Nope.

27. Do you regularly snack? What’s your snack of choice? With a hot beverage, or just on its own? Not regularly, but when the urge (need?) strikes, I usually reach for something salty.  Chips, nuts (peanuts usually-sometimes even a spoonful of just peanut butter) pretzels or even snack crackers.  Beverage is usually cold.  Often water, but sometimes a beer or even a cocktail (today it was Piña Coladas).

Completely random questions from January and February:

January 6.  When was the last time you cleaned/polished your shoes? I honestly can't remember. Probably cleaned a few sandals before putting them away this fall. Don't really have the type of shoes that need polishing. 

January 11. How good are you at creating routines for housework? Do you have specific days for doing household tasks?  Utter crap and no.  ADD/ADHD for the win! Not!

January 16. How often do you eat out at restaurants or cafés? Pretty much never these days. We had to get food while traveling last week and settled for Dairy Queen, which we ate in the car.

January 19. How many pairs of socks do you own?  A ridiculous number. I have about 2 dozen hand knit ones in the drawer (and about another 1/2 dozen waiting to be finished), probably twice as many purchased "trouser socks" (thin cotton nylon things) and probably a dozen fleecy socks that I wear with my slippers. Can I just say I hate having cold feet!

January 28. Most countries have at least one example of a long-running soap on TV.  Do you watch soaps (have you in the past)?  In the past yes, don't watch any TV these days.

February 3. Have you changed your hairstyle much over the years? Have you ever had a disastrous hairstyle?  Yes, quite a lot. From pixie cuts (as a kid) to a mullet (it was the '80's) to wild perms and interesting dye jobs to now when I just leave it to grow (currently mid-thigh length after a bit of a trim) and put it up or braid it.  Disastrous? See mullet and wild perms and interesting dye jobs (generally self inflicted).

February 7. The Portland Vase, thought to date to the 1st century BC was shattered into more than 80 pieces by a drunken visitor to the British Museum in 1845 (oops!).  What was the last thing you accidentally dropped?  A roll of tape. Before that a Sharpie and before that a box.  We're packing, I'm tired and stressed and that makes me extra clumsy.

February 16. National TimTam Day is today. This day is all about celebrating one of Australia’s most loved snacks, the TimTam biscuit, which first hit the shelves in 1964. Have you ever had a TimTam? Yes, a few times. Several of the grocery stores here stock them regularly. They're fine, for a mass produced cookie.

February 21. Are you worried about climate change? Have there been noticeable changes to the weather where you live over recent years?  Yes, yes I am.  And I think one has to be a bit of an idiot not to be.  Changes are noticeable.  Our summers are hotter and dryer (and the resulting forest fires are devastating!) and the frequency and intensity of storms is increasing. 

Zed

P.S. Fairly warm today +11 C (51.8 F) and not nearly as windy as yesterday.

Hope all my fellow Canadians had a good long weekend.

We’re postponing the family celebration until later this month when the middle sibling will be up from L.A.

That said, we did get a pumpkin pie in our food box and a few other treats, so Thing Two and I will have a nicer meal today. Salmon not turkey, but that’s okay. So, I wrote this in the am, before it was decided that neither of us was actually up to doing/eating a more involved meal, but hey, we have tomorrow’s diner set!

Last post I was listing my projects for the summer, but I’ve since realized I rather shortchanged myself on that. I forgot the 1/2 dozen mock-ups, including the one for a new trouser pattern that I turned into a pair of wearable shorts. Unfortunately there were several hard nos in the batch, but at least now I know.

I also forgot a 3^rd pair of socks and the five UFO’s that worked on. I did finish two of those and got the other three much closer to finishing. In fact I’ve since finished one more of them (seriously, it only needed buttons!?!??!) and I’ve add three more to the list of projects I’m poking away at. Yes, yes I do have a lot of UFO’s and WIP’s.

Question Of The Day:

October, 14 - It's Thanksgiving Day in Canada today - reflecting on your childhood, what were you thankful for?

Opportunities! The chance to try different activities & hobbies, to travel, to experience wonders ~ both man-made and natural and to eat a whole lot of really good food. And books. Can’t forget books. From teaching me to read, to weekly trips to the library and many, many purchases my parents indulged my obsession with reading completely.

Zed

P.S. Weather continues to be unseasonably warm. High today was 26 C (78.8 F) and still no snow at all! The rest of the week should be a bit cooler, but still warm. And dry. So weird.

Again. I was inspired to write something today and when I opened my file I discovered a post for April 12^th (!) that I never posted. Since I made the effort, I figure I’ll just post that one along with what ever I babble about today.

Question of The Day:

May 8 - It's World Red Cross Day - have you ever learned how to resusitate someone?
Many, many, many years ago. I wouldn’t trust myself to remember how now.

I don’t know if I’ll catch up on all the Questions I’ve missed, I might add some randomly as the spirit moves me, but I think I’ll at least get caught up on May’s questions, a few at a time.

May 1 - In various countries there is a holiday today (Labor Day in the US, Early May Bank Holiday in the UK). It is also May Day, an ancient pagan festival of spring, rebirth and fertility in many European countries. What are your plans today?
Not a holiday or special day here. We didn’t do anything interesting, it was not a great day to go out as it snowed on and off pretty much the whole day.

May 2 - Today is a day to celebrate tuna fish. Do you eat fresh or canned/tinned tuna. If it's in a can, do you buy it in oil, brine or water.
None of the above. Tuna is a no go for me.

May 3 - James Brown was born today in 1933. Known as the Godfather of Soul - can you name one of his songs?
Of course. “I Feel Good” or the full title “I Got You (I Feel Good)”. I recognize others, but I’m terrible at remembering actual titles.

What I should have posted Friday April 12^th-

Question of The Day:

April 12 - Created in 1996 - The Day of Silence was created to support LGBTQ youth who were consistently silenced and ignored by parents and administrators. Yearly, millions participate by staying silent for the duration of their day - communicating only with the written word, representing the silencing of LGBTQ students. Have you ever participated in this?
No I have not. Honestly, I only become aware of The Day of Silence in the last few years.

thefridayfive 

Should probably preface this one with a note that the ex was(is?) an amateur astronomer and I got dragged out to look at the sky a lot (usually in the winter – burrrrr!)

1. Have you seen a solar eclipse? Total, Partial, Annular? When and where?

Annular, May 30, 1984. Campus of University of Saskatchewan. I missed seeing Total eclipse of February, 1979 as my Mom freaked out about possible eye damage and sequestered us in the house with all the curtains drawn.

2. Have you seen a lunar eclipse? Full? Partial? When and where?

Several, no longer remember specifics though.


3. Have you seen a comet? Which one? When and where?

Halley’s – 1986 on some random back road as far away from the city (Montreal) as we could get with a baby in tow. And Hale-Bopp – 1997 again on some random back road as far away from the city (Calgary) as we could get with two kids up past their bedtime along for the ride.


4. Have you seen a nova or supernova? When and where?

Only in pictures.


5. Have you seen a meteor shower? Which one, when and where?

Again several different ones and more than once. Different places, different times. My favourite was always the Perseids (because summer!).

Zed

P.S. Weather was somewhat better today, high of 13C / 55.4 F and no rain (or snow!).

And expensive. Emergency vet visit with Piggie today. She wasn’t eating and that is so not good in a cat. Over an hour and several hundred dollars later, we were back home with a grumpy cat, great results from the blood work, no obvious problems and an anti-nausea medication that costs $12 per pill!

Thank goodness she’s such a teeny tiny thing she only needs 1/4 of a pill per day. Fingers crossed that this was all just the result of her eating something she shouldn’t have.

Question of The Day:

April 10 - World Homeopathy Day - a day to raise awareness of Homeopathy. Do you believe it has a place in modern medicine?

I’m not that familiar with Homeopathy, but do think we need to pay attention to alternate methodologies and what they can offer. Western Medicine has a tendency to pathologize everything which is not great and neither is the compartmentalization.

Question Catch Up:

April 4 - It's all about walking today - do you often walk either for leisure or to get from one place to another rather than taking a car/public transport/bike? Do you live in an area with trails where you can go walking?

I rarely walk at all anymore, which is too bad as there are plenty of trails nearby, but it’s not fun when it hurts to the point of tears.

April 3 - International Children's Book Day - do you have fond memories of a particular book you read as a child?

Books in general were a huge part of my childhood and I have fond memories of many of them. Anne of Green Gables; The Boxcar Children; A Wrinkle in Time; all of the Nancy Drew, The Bobbsey Twins and Trixie Belden I could get my hands on; Little House on The Prairie; The Oz series and so many more.

April 2 - National Ferret Day - ferrets are often kept as pets, do you know anyone who has one? Would you keep a ferret?

No and no.

April 1 - Debbie Reynolds was born on this day in 1932 - have you ever seen any of her movies or TV shows? Do you have a favourite?

Possibly I’ve seen some of her TV work, but nothing specific comes to mind.


Zed
P.S. A high of 10C / 50F today but it felt warmer as it was bright and sunny.  Very little snow left now.

And sore for no real reason today. Got less done than I might have hoped as a result. Some progress has been made on both the petticoat and the new lining for the pinafore dress though. And I found an alternative fabric for my bias binding. Here’s hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Question of The Day:

March 28 - It's National Weed Appreciation Day - allowing a small portion of land (either in a garden, yard or in agricultural land), is being encouraged to help the insects to thrive. Do you take part in this, or are there areas where you live that have been allowed to be 'wild'?

We’re very limited in what we can do regarding the outside of our building, so no. However, the park area behind us has a “pond” (part of the storm drainage system) and the banks are completely wild on the side opposite to us and mostly wild this side.

Zed

P.S. Grey and colder today. High of 4C / 39.2F but a wind from the North made it feel a lot colder. It started snowing again late this afternoon.

Out yesterday. Woke up this morning to white, nothing but white. Combination of low lying clouds and a light snowfall (maybe some ice fog?) reduced visibility drastically. A very good day to stay home.

Puttered about doing random chores this morning. This afternoon was spent in the studio. The first hour or so was spent sorting, putting away and general tidying. A discussion with Thing Two the other day made me realize I’m going to have to turn over the studio to them for a day or two fairly soon. They need to prepare and cut the fabric for their quilt before they can start sewing. It doesn’t make sense to drag all the needed tools out of the studio and set up elsewhere just for them. So, sharing the studio it is. Which means cleaning and tidying as it’s not fair to make them work in my mess.

I do plan to finish up my current projects first though. The vest is now all constructed and the topstitching is done. All that’s needed is buttons and buttonholes. And once again I can’t find what I need/want in my button stash. Why? I have a large stash, but some how I never have the right kind/size/number for my projects.

I think the pinafore dress has hung long enough that any bias edges that were going to drop have done so. I need to make some bias tape (nothing I have pre-made is right) for that and I have figured out a solution to the skirt lining issue. The lining that didn’t fit will be turned into a general use slip/petticoat/underskirt and I found enough lining fabric in a matching colour to cut out an entirely new skirt lining. All of that will be a few hours work.

I can’t decide if I will try to finish the trousers or if those should wait. Guess I’ll decide once I see how long it takes to finish everything else. Thing Two is okay with waiting but they shouldn’t have to wait for ever!

Question of The Day:

March 26 - In 1881 Guccio Gucci, the Italian founder of the Gucci fashion house was born on this day. Do you own any designer items (or is there something you'd love to have from a fashion house if money were no object?)
I do not. There’s nothing modern I’d want from any fashion house, but if there was some way to get a Dior New Look (1947) suit in my size, I wouldn’t turn it down.

Zed

P.S. High today was -4 C / 24.8F and instead of rain or snow this afternoon, we got sun! Not for long, but hey, sun. Oh and the icicles outside the studio are now kinda scary. One fell and it made a huge racket, good thing it fell onto the garage roof and not all the way down to the front walk.

Good, not fantastic, but hey, we’ll take it. So we’re sort of celebrating today. And maybe playing hermit as it’s still snowing and the roads look horrible.

In the morning, I mucked about online and did a few household adminy things. Then I spent the afternoon in the studio (mostly-Thing Two needed some help). Note to self – faux suede/microfibre is not suited to involved patterns with lots of points/darts/shaping. Pressing that stuff is a nightmare.

Thing Two set us up for a celebratory dinner by making tortillas and then spent a whole lot of time cleaning and testing the sewing machine we borrowed from my sibling. We picked it up when we were in the city earlier this week. It’s been sitting collecting dust (and cat hair) since about 2013, so it needed a lot of cleaning! It looks like it’s in decent working order, so Thing Two can now get to work on the quilt they designed. Ahem, I have not volunteered my beloved Bernina for this endeavour. I don’t share well ;D

Oh, and dinner was tacos, yummy.  Also, we opened the bottle of wine we’d been saving. Usually we’d have beer with tacos, but eh, we had wine and no inclination to go out to get said beer.

Question of The Day:

March 22 - World Water Day - a day to remember that not everyone has access to clean, safe water. Has the water to your home ever been cut off?
Yep, multiple times. Plumbing issues are a PITA. So are renovations. But those were situations where we had (some) control over when and how long. One summer, due to water main replacement/repairs, we did have the city shut off the water to our entire street but we were warned ahead of time and it was only for one day. My parents lived in an older area and similar work went on for weeks. At one point they were trucking water into the neighbourhood.

March 21 - National French Bread Day - the BBC Maestro website identifies 10 types of French bread - which one is your favourite?
Huh, I don’t recognize most of those types. Here we get baguettes and “french” bread which doesn’t really resemble anything described in that list. Generally, we opt for baguettes.

Zed

P.S. More snow today and -6C / 21.2F for the high. Snow is to continue through the weekend. Gonna stay home!