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From day one (last Tuesday) I have been fully back in the rut, of course. Like me, both students and colleagues are displaying signs of end-of-year fatigue, not helped by the glorious weather we’ve had up ’till Friday last. This weekend I’m spending mostly on planning, prepping and writing, although I saw a chance to sow some very late broad beans (tuinbonen) this morning. They’re one of my favourite kinds of beans; the Ex used to refer to them as “old biddy’s toes”. Not surprising I didn’t get to eat a lot of them at the time. I love beans.
Last Sunday the BF, Marion and me went to the biannual ceramics market in Swalmen, Limburg. I bought a salt-glazed casserole made by Netty Janssens shaped somewhat like a knor, and a couple of rustic goblets and bowls made by Erik du Chatenier that were on sale. Marion got some nice stuff too. She also wrote lots more about the Whitsun Viking market in Eindhoven we visited, after stopping for a few kilos of asparagus and some strawberries on the way.

I got some cheap, undyed, coarse wool (3€ /100 grams) from Bjorn there; perfect for nalebinding bags, felting and such.

I’m going through my new sweater project like hot needles thru butter; already halfway there! I got some pink-&-purple Manos del Uruguay wool at Egg Mercantile for the contrast band, as soon as I got back from Ribe.

Right. back to work. Seeyis when I’ve done me next paper, I hope. Also check out Gerrit’s PussyCam next week: I’ll be taking care of the little darlings for the next two weeks.

.. from Ribe, where I spent an outrageous amount (totalling around 100 euros) on scrumptuous Scandinavian yarn…

The stuff on the left is meant for a pattern that won’t be translated from Danish before August (!). Justification: nobody in the Netherlands (that I know of) sells this stuff, and with the gorgeous colour nuances this brand offers and the prices they charge for the bigger hanks I just don’t want to risk getting the wrong kind when I buy online. The hanks on the right I got from a stand at the Viking Market; it’s probably Merino. It’s been dyed with logwood / Blauholz; not Authentic but then I intend to knit something completely non-Viking out of it (in fact, I’ve started already, got the right needle and achieved gauge yesterday), because I just fell in love with the colour. Somehow, with this warm weather,I seem to be knitting primarily pullovers; I’ve got three of them on the needles right now…

We were very lucky with the weather: it was sunny skies and around 20C for the entire weekend. Kees hadn’t gotten the results from his bloodtest back yet, so he was only allowed the occasional taste of other people’s ice creams…

The sunlight was so bright that it gave me a headache on Sun(!)day, so after the visitors had gone I had to sit down with some white beer, comfort food, Kees’ sunglasses and my knitting (the BF’s socks are now finished, yay!)

During visitors’ hours I’ve also been working on a nalebinded Thermos-cozy for events (forgot to take a pic, I’ll make one when it’s finished); it looks like a giant green-and-yellow coarse woollen condom (a.k.a. “old reliable”).

On the way back we (including Torsten VS) stopped at Haithabu, because Marion and Janneke hadn’t been to the museum yet. We also saw the village they’re reconstructing there, which had a small pallissade that made it look like the invincible Gauls’ village from the Asterix albums.

I took this pic of a small red bug that was exploring one of the new log cabins; there were also a few houses that were made with wattle-and-daub.

After dropping everybody off at or near their homes, I finally made it back home by 20.45, just in time to prevent the BF from going to the car-rental company to pick me up. Apparently he hadn’t understood that I had to bring back the car the next morning. When we had done so and were back relaxing with a cup of tea in the garden, I noticed that the warm spell had helped Marion’s flax seeds to germinate.

Something new to spin soon , perhaps?

Finally some news from the studies front: I passed my “literature and culture of the 20th century” test, if only just (a 6, but at least it’s off my back), but I still have a lot of writing to do on my POP (personal development plan), and new tests are already looming on the horizon…

The night before New Years’ Eve, as I was getting ready to leave for the Sunday session at Mulligans, I managed to break the ten-litre fermenting bottle that housed my first serious attempt at mead. I had a few minutes to spare (I always leave at specific times in order to catch one of the ferries to the centre) so I had decided to take the old papers to the paper bank (or whatever you call the paper-equivalent of a bottle bank). I pulled out the bag with the papers from behind the dining table, which knocked over a wine bottle, which subsequently knocked a hole into the fermenting bottle. Before I knew it, at least three litres of precious Viking booze were spilling onto my living room floor, aargh! I emptied out my almost-full washing machine and mopped it all up with anything that would absorb; t-shirts, towels, etc. Then I left for the pub. When I got back home I filled two wine bottles with mead, re-mopped the now very sticky floor, and turned on the washing machine. Fortunately the mead was virtually ready; it only fizzed slightly when I bottled it.

 

On New Years’ Eve morning the honey smell seemed a bit less, or maybe I was getting used to it. I cleaned and disinfected a bunch of Grolsch-(swing-top)bottles that I keep for fizzy drinks like cider, and salvaged the rest of the mead into those. I’ll bring them to the upcoming Viking winter banquet, so at least some good will come of this in the end. Sometimes it’s hard to see the purpose of recycling. 

 Off the needle: my winter banquet Viking socks. I started a new pair for Kees on Boxing Day (or St Stephen’s Day, according to the Irish SO), which I may not finish in time for the banquet because I have tests coming up…    

 Poignant picture: the poor wee mouse I had to euthanise two weeks ago because Cutie had broken its back. I put it outside in the jar so it would freeze to death; it seemed the most humane thing to do. It was already dead when I went to have a look after half an hour.

Many have already blogged on their NYE celebrations, so all I will add is: mine was good. I got to see the DB (not: Dear Brother) pissed, but he was still very sweet and charming; I also got a blister because these boots (Doc Martens) weren’t really made for walking quite a distance after the trams had stopped going. On NYD the DB got to meet the family and reeled them in hook, line & sinker, and we cooked our first supper together: a fish pie from Delia’s Complete Cookery Course. Good times.

Have a happy, healthy and fortunate 2008!