I know...

two in one day. I'm spoiling you. This is a 100g of Tussah Silk and brown Alpaca.

Navajo plied. It is gorgeous and is destined for someone else. I hope they like it.

Naughty boy! I wondered where he was....on one of my posh cushions.

Oh yes!

Lord Lucas a Tory peer gets Home-ed more than any of the younger Labour idiots appear to. This speech is wonderful. It made me hope (a little).

At last some common sense.

Read it here - http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldtoday/22.htm

Please help

The UK Govt is trying to bring in a law that will give them the ability to 'big brother' how we parent our children's development. It is against human rights.

Please help. Google 'The Badman Review' this will not just effect home educators it gives them a platform to bring this in against all families.

This will fundamentally change the role of the state in UK family life and will put a size 13 foot in the door to having compulsory CRB checks and monitoring of parents.

Please sign our petition - http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Home-ed-families/


Thank you.

And after

I am not forgiven for this.

It is brilliant. Lucy is a genius. No more tangles.....for now.

Before the barbers!

He's there now - hopefully not barking too much!

Phew

Tiny looks fine. This moult was a really slow one and as he is on a high shelf I had to wait till M was home from work before I could be sure he/it/she was OK. I was worried if I'd clambered up to see, that I might have caused a vibration which could effect the moulting process. He looks a lot bigger and very, very hairy, he's dark brown to black with salmon pink flecks, he is still plumping up so can't say for sure how big he is now. No obvious sign of sex though, so I assume he'll have further moults....unless we are lucky and he is a she, only time will tell. I'll attempt pictures once he's fully back to normal but as he is a pretty fierce dude it isn't easy. When we open the hatch he automatically thinks it's feeding time and charges the front of his tank so he needs handling with care as I think a bite from him would be very painful.

Fergus is now 6 months old and is off for his first visit to the barbers tomorrow. His coat is so dense and woolly - he gets mats even though I groom him every day. I'm wondering what Lucy will make of him as he likes to bark when he's away from us (the vets couldn't wait for us to collect him when he went in to be neutered). Still whatever she does will be an improvement on his current woolly Gorilla suit. Lottie isn't going to the hairdressers as M and I got a DVD and learnt how to strip her coat ourselves - she is all tidy and looking very cute.

I'll take before and after photos of Fungus tomorrow. He looks so much like a Scottie that I'm wondering if he'll come home with a Scottie coat tomorrow - all beard and eyebrows.....hmmmm sounds like someone else who lives here and no I don't mean my Mother.

So now I wait

Waiting is not something I'm very good at but when a spider needs to moult then there is no choice but to wait. There is nothing you can do. It (touch wood) has always turned out OK, there can be problems, but if there is then you are helpless really.

A little while back Marmite moulted, we found it on its back on a web when we got up already part way there. Marmite is beautiful with renewed glossy black hair. He/she/it is a small spider, about 3 inches across and the moult seemed over in a blink. Then you wait whilst they pump themselves up again - which can take a few days - when it's completed you finally get to see that all eight legs are there and intact.

Today we awoke to find Tiny, our biggest tarantula, on its back waiting to moult. Three hours later he's still there. We can only be quiet near the tank, make sure we do not bang, crash and thump about near the bookcase where his tank is and wait.

I am hoping that this moult will answer what sex Tiny is but as he isn't full size yet he could have more to go. I get excited to see what happens - will there be changes in colour density or size? Will we see male tibial spurs or it will it still be a game of wait and see?

I know spiders aren't every ones cup of tea, and I know a few friends that actually abhor them and will probably not read my blog for a while in case I post pictures, but I find them fascinating. I'm not into the OMG factor of owning them, what floats my boat is the fact that they are so separate from us and so alien. I can watch them for hours, how they move, hunt and groom is so weird it's compelling.

And relax

Fergus yesterday after being groomed.

Eighteen years

It still hurts and I still miss you.

River Rapid socks - take 2.

r-rapid 026
Originally uploaded by loobles2002

It's been all about getting stuff finished and off the needles. At this moment in time, for the first time in years, I don't have any socks on the needles!.......Wait I feel faint. I am down to 3 knitted WIP's and 1 in crochet, and the crochet one is squares and a very long term doohickey.

I will have socks on the needles by the end of today - I'm sure of it.

Last pair of these I made for Ma. I so liked the pattern I decided to make some for myself.

Pattern - River Rapid Socks by Sockbug - available for free on Ravelry.

Needles - 2.75mm circs.

Yarn - Lorna's Laces Shepherd & Sock in Bittersweet - these took about 1.25 skeins.