Saturday, January 09, 2010

2010

Despite the fact that I was quite happy saying "nineteen-whatever" for the first twenty years of my existence, I am having trouble thinking that this year is "twenty-ten". I'm sticking with "two thousand'n ten" for now, although I hear that most people seem to be quite happy saying "the twenty-twelve Olympics".

I'm hoping that this decade will have a good last year. I will finish my thesis. Maybe we will move house (though I'm sticking with "maybe").

Just now, our own house seems quite big and commodious since the Christmas tree went back in the loft. We have to move the sofa to accommodate it, so we lose a bit of floor in the living room; strange how much difference it makes.

During December, the guinea pigs' living space underwent some renovations:

The run gets a makeover

They're now on a fleece blanket (over newspaper) instead of wood shavings. The wood shavings get kicked on to the carpet, and they also create huge amounts of dust, which was annoying for us and possibly not that healthy for the piggies. The room's been much less dusty since we swapped, and the pigs seem to like the fleece.

They also now have a play-pen in the spare room (which folds away when we need the room), which is what we were making in my last post. I tried to get some pictures and video of them trotting about in it, without much success yet - it's been too dark.

O Christmas tree

We have not been as badly affected by the snow as... well, as most people we know. Our street is very snowy, but it's not on a slope and we don't have a car, so it could be worse. The main roads are clear, the buses haven't stopped running and the supermarket is within walking distance. It could be a lot worse.

The beasties, of course, are not hugely disadvantaged by the snow (though it would come over their ears if they went out in it). They do seem to think it's hibernation season, though:

Hibernation

It seems like the weather for knitting.

Pigs in ska hats

No, I haven't gone completely nuts - these are the toes of socks which I'm making for a "travelling knitalong" (the sock gets passed around a group of five people, each of whom knit a section and finally get their original socks back again). Should be fun. They make good guinea pig hats, don't they?

I cast on a non-travelling sock on the bus when I went to meet up with Loth and Mum on Monday. Mum said she was disappointed by my lack of progress a couple of hours later. I dunno - I don't knit particularly fast, and I thought this was quite good for one day's knitting...

Sock toe

This was rather a rambly post, wasn't it?

In other news, my sister and I are signing up to do a yoga class this year, so as to be calm and serene. "And to have thighs the size of pencils" - sister. Wish us luck with that one.

9 comments:

Rachel said...

I hate to be a bearer of bad news but after nearly 20 years of yoga my thighs are still good and solid, more like treestumps than pencils....

However, you will feel wonderful :D

Happy New Year x

Thimbleanna said...

Oooh, a yoga class -- that sounds fun. If I were there, I'd want to go with you -- I've been trying to talk my friend into joining a yoga class for a few years but our schedules don't seem to match up.

Cute little piggies hibernating! Sounds like you're good and busy. And I think that looks like great sock progress -- especially if you were busy visiting. I'm a slow knitter too.

Pam said...

Oh, I don't think I would like your thighs to be like pencils! However, I won't panic yet, going on what Rachel says.

Loth said...

SB says he likes the guinea pigs in hats and would like more posts like that, please.

I would just like to say that I already have thighs the size of pencils. They are just very, very large pencils. And squashy. Large and squashy pencils.

Mildawg said...

The piggies are so cute!

Rosemary Riveter said...

The fleece blanket of newspaper is genius! I wish something like that would work for cats. I am considering an attempt at training T & M to use the people-toilet once I finish university.

I love yoga, but my thighs are only like pencils if you are referring to giant novelty leg-shaped pencils.

Alan Thew said...

Two thousand and ten? That doesn't make any sense. You wouldn't say one thousand and sixty-six.

Pam said...

No, dear SIL and K's husband, but we did all say two thousand and nine. And you frequently say things that don't make sense, such as "I hate boring clothes. You might as well wear nothing." Yes you did. Say it, I mean. Not wear nothing.

molly said...

I see you too have been the [glad ?]recipient of a Chinese comment! What's that all about I wonder? Your piggies look so cute in their "hats!" When I get my sewing addiction under control I'm going to knit me some thick, woolly socks, preferably two at the same time, on circular needles, because, if I knit them one at a time, one would , inevitably, be longer than the other....