A puddle of cats... slightly milo flavoured...

Jack decided to get very involved with my sandels while they were still on. This got a little disturbing, so I took then off and he went into raptures over them for a while before cuddling up to one and falling asleep. Curious cat, but kinda cute.

Less cute was him doing the usually cute chin butt while on my lap just as I was raising the mug of milo to my mouth. Didn't get any on him, so he stayed put and purred while I muttered slightly and let my lap and chest dry in the sunlight. I'm still smelling slightly of milo.

Feeling restless, especially given Z is off at work and will come home and want to collapse at the end of the day. Tomorrow will have a bit of variety, but the past 2 days have been a bit... blah. Not bad, just bored. Spent some time looking up blackwork stuff to conclude that, no, no Elizabethan blackworked sweet bags documentable (despite that being a popular blackworking shape and pattern NOW). Then dug out the hankie sampler and finished one of the bits on that. And dug out the chemise for getting on with - it would be more useful to finish the started projects then start new ones and I shouldn't really turn into distractobunny*.

Bad enough I am thinking about (and have the fabric for) either a white linen woman's basic undertunic (with sleeves that are the right length rather than the anglo-saxon get in the way too long ones - just bad for camping) or a basic (camping) outfit for me of male early period garb (either Viking or Anglo-Saxon passible) - undertunic, tunic and trousers. Not certain if the trouser pattern I use for Z (more migration eraish) works well around a female arse/hips/waist though. And Z has 1st bags on a tunic from the natural linen, so I would have to cut out a tunic for him before doing one for me, to make sure there was enough fabric. Can't remember which of his tunics is favourite for fitting off.

At least I have one more naalbinded sock done. This brings the collection finished to 3 (someday I will get around to making a post on the sock progression). This appears to be the most wearable one (and it looks most like the Coppergate sock), so now I need to make another one for the right foot. There is already 1/4 of a toe started.

Rambling too much now, need to start dinner.

*As opposed to Jill, who has occasionally been referred to as Destructokitty due to her habit of knocking things off benches and an unfortunate incident with a printer.

(no subject)

House sitting for parents while they are off up north geologising.
This mainly involves cat sitting and plant sitting.

The cat sitting is relatively easy: remember to feed them and see how their focus on you changes now you are the one providing the food - far more insistent in the late afternoon/early evening when they get fed for the night.

The plant sitting is more entertaining...
Luckily this just entails remembering to water them once for this trip. 3 rooms worth - the random kitchen/lounge assortment, the conservatory, and the glasshouse.* The kitchen/lounge and conservatory were done this evening (wont really be around tomorrow) and the glasshouse will be done late tomorrow or early Thurs.

Dad goes for cacti and orchids. Think leaves, occasional flowers and LOTS of spikes. The sorts of plants that they used to use on Star Trek to imply exotic climates/planets etc only more so. The TV ones always seemed slightly less exotic when you have one of them sitting on the TV... and another on the fridge... and 1/3 of the lounge was taken up with more of them. Some of the spiked tentacles, balls and things are straight out of Lovecraft's worst nightmare but you do find the most delightful flowers in the oddest of places.

What this mainly means is not much water on each, but great fun in trying to get the water to the right plant - there is this aiming for a mass of greenery (or brownery for the more dodgy ones) and hoping there is a pot underneath such that you aren't watering the floor. There are plant pots on plant pots with other plants in sideways. There are prickly things to the left, right, center and behind such that as you bend down to water the ones in front, the spiky one behind impacts nastily to nether regions (and it was only some sort of palm??). Beware what you brush against while attempting to get the back ones - there can even be spikes hidden by leaves. And the occasional pot that looks like it is only soil and rocks, but you really can't tell for certain. And some ones where ferns are taking over and you are not certain if there was something else there to begin with.

But there is a HUGE Jade plant, and massive elephants foot (spiky leaves in a ball the diameter of my outstretched arms), and some of those multi-coloured spliced cacti, and others attempting to cover the ceiling and escape through the roof, and the most gorgeous red trumpet flower about the size of my hand...

Ok, so I may have slight weakness for the occasional plant, especially given the types of cacti that can thrive on benevolent neglect. Not quite on the same scale though...

*There is an entire cacti lineup round the balcony, but they are outside and hence get to fend for themselves. Ditto on the ones in the semi-glasshouse under the kitchen... and the orchids intimately entangled with various trees and tree ferns around the place.