Knitting & reading

Knitting: 
still working on the sweater, didn’t make a lot of progress yesterday. I am thinking about knitting a lot though. I miss knitting hats and think I’d like to challenge myself to knit 20 before 2020 (next week there are 20 weeks left in the year). I probably won’t make it, but it’s fun to try.

Reading: 
finished the book I told you about last week and moved on to another book by Maria Schneider. I love this one too. Under Witch Moon is a paranormal mystery. The main character is a witch, there are were wolfs, vampires and shapeshifters and a few murders that need to be solved. Good fun. I also like that the magic is thought through really well. Not the cliche ‘everything is possible with magic’ way to make the impossible happen and solve the problems in the story, but digging deeper in how spells could work and what is needed to use a magical talent.

Linking up with Kat’s Unraveled Wednesday

Sweater progress

I’ve been knitting a lot in the past few days. And watching youtube videos… Ahem. I don’t think that’s really the best thing to do, the perfection of those girls I’m watching starts out inspiring, but is always getting me down in the end. It’s great for knitting endless stockinette though. (I know… audiobooks. I really need to look into that)
I tried on my sweater on Sunday morning, but I added quite a bit of length after that. I love that it fits perfectly, while I just winged the measurements.
It’s long enough to be a sweater now, but I still have enough yarn to make a tunic. I’m not sure though. I do like it as a sweater, but I think I will wear it more often when it’s longer (covering my hips and my butt). Since this is real wool, I’ll only wear it when we visit the Netherlands anyway. But I’m going to use the basics of this pattern and cotton yarn to make tops and maybe even dresses that I can wear here.
Anyway, I’m enjoying the simple mindless knitting, so I don’t mind making it longer.

Linking up with Nicole’s Crafting on

A relaxing weekend

We had the most relaxing weekend we’ve had since ages. It was so good.
We spent most of our Saturday on the beach with some friends and on Sunday we just stayed at the apartment, hanging out, doing nothing. I ‘ve been reading and watched a bit of youtube (well, actually quite a lot) while I was knitting. And then we went to beach bar to watch the sunset.

I wish I could say I feel up to the coming week, but to be honest, I don’t. Still a bit tired, still struggling with anxiety and stress. But I’m going to take it one day at a time. Today will still be nice and easy. Just a lot of grocery shopping to do and a bit of cleaning. I’m also experimenting with Instagram stories, so maybe I’ll take you along with me while I do that (if I feel up to it, I have to keep telling myself it’s supposed to be fun).

Wishing you all a great start to your week!

Snapshot

Oh, those birds… I’ll have to learn not to leave my food out in the kitchen unattended. Not that I usually do (I’m very aware that it will also attract cockroaches and ants). There wasn’t any food to be found when I took this picture but they’re constantly coming in to check.

Three on Thursday – kitchen progress

Last week we added three things to the kitchen in the new house:

1. a stove.
Still to be connected to a gas bottle that we haven’t bought yet. Baby steps…

2. our dining room table.
One of the two pieces of furniture we moved with us from The Netherlands. It used to be my parents’ and though I try to keep myself from attaching emotional meaning to inanimate objects, it makes me so happy to see it here.

3. a kitchen cupboard.
We were browsing furniture, not really planning on buying something yet, but we both fell in love with this cupboard. It was marked down to under half it’s original price, so we decided to buy it immediately. I love how the tone of the wood and the style matches our table perfectly.

Bonus list:
Three things still on the need-to-buy list for the kitchen: chairs for the table, fridge, a ceiling.

Linking up with Carole’s Three on Thursday

Knitting & reading

Knitting: well, there isn’t much more to share since yesterday. Did a few rows, but nothing much. Wish I could be knitting and reading at the same time, but somehow I can’t manage that right now.

Reading: not as much as I’d like to, but I found a new funny author to binge read and luckily my e-book subscription is cooperating again. Maria Schneider writes cozy novels in chicklit style. Love those (remember the Matchmaker’s Mysteries I told you about last year?). The first two books by Maria Schneider I read were Executive Lunch and Executive Retention, about Sedona, who works as a tester for an IT-company, but gets involved in undercover work. They were fun, but the one I’m readking now (One good Eclair) is way better. Ivy is a nutritionist, but also from a mafia family, so she gets into trouble a lot. It sounds weird, but it’s really a great read.

Linking up with Kat’s Unraveled Wednesday

A tiny bit of knitting

I haven’t been knitting much lately. You’d think I would have, because I do believe it helps calm my nerves, but I just couldn’t get to it. It’s a shame airlines don’t allow knitting, otherwise, I would have finished my top by now and probably the scarf too. But I couldn’t even bring my knitting since I traveled with hand luggage only. When I ran into a few stores to buy my mother some nightgowns, I thought about picking up some yarn (they sell that in the same -cheap textile- stores) but they didn’t have the right needles. Oh well.
So it’s been a few rows here and there, and some more rows yesterday evening when we finally had a few hours to relax and to listen to some music.
It’s a lot of mindless stockinette, but that’s just what I need right now.

Linking up with Nicole’s Crafting On

Right now

Right now I am…

:: listening to the birds singing
:: a bit sleepy because we had to rise early to be in the new house in time for the loader that will straighten out the holes that had to be made to build the cess pit
:: trying to focus on the house and finishing it far enough to be able to move in (still waiting for Aqualectra though – we have water, but we need electricity too)
:: looking forward to our stove arriving this afternoon and a kitchen cupboard tomorrow
:: feeling weird because the first days since I arrived back here my mother was doing very well, but I had a hard time being happy about it. I kept thinking that could not last, since she was so very ill before. I hate to be right. She now has an other infection and we were told that could cause another crisis. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next
:: still trying to focus on the house and my normal life
:: smiling a bit cynical, because I haven’t had a normal life since we first came back to the island in January 2018.
:: but determined to keep going on the few things I have. Like blogging. And taking pictures of sunsets.
:: hoping to finish cleaning the kitchen today and maybe do some knitting
:: wishing you all a great week

Back

Thank you for the reactions on my last post. It’s heartwarming when people connect like this through a basically very silly thing like blogging. It makes me feel even more then before like I’m talking to some really dear friends here. So I thought it was only fair to give you an update.

I’m back on Curaçao after one hell of a week. I spent most of my time in the hospital.
The good news is that my mother survived this crisis. Barely, but she did.
The bad news is that treatments are not an option anymore. She has only a few months to go, maybe more if her body restores really well (but I doubt it will). So I will be flying back again soon, I guess. She says she will make it to Christmas, when we were supposed to visit, but that’s five months…

Meanwhile my father, who was already chronically ill (but his prognosis was still a few years) is trying to cope with it all, but his health is also deteriorating fast now.

Right now I’m trying to rest and to let things sink in, but I’m on edge and I’m constantly expecting an alarming message. I also  feel a bit torn between wanting to be there for my parents and being here for T., who also needs me (as most of you know, his health isn’t that great too).
I want to start regular blogging (and maybe instagram too) again, because putting my life on hold for months is not a good idea, but I guess it will be a bit on and off for a while.We’ll see how it goes…

I will be offline a little bit longer. This afternoon I’m flying to the Netherlands. My mother is not doing well and I’m going to see her before… well, let’s hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid we’re losing her.