Halloween decorations

 

I'm not really a big fan of Halloween, however the village organised a Halloween walk.  Rather than knocking on doors doing trick or treat, children could go round the village with their parents and when they spotted some decorations their parents could give them some sweets.

I wanted to join in a little, so painted myself a pumpkin and some squashes to stick in our window.  Not as impressive as some of the displays, but with a low enviromental impact and still fun.

Virtual Running - Part 5

 

This year I signed up to a virtual challenge to run 1000 miles over the course of the year.  This was before coronavirus was a thing, just because I wanted to challenge myself.

The challenge I signed up for split it into 4 distances with a medal at the end of each. Today I completed the last distance of 291 miles ‘along’ the Cambrian Way, taking my total to 1002 miles in all.

 

I can’t believe I’ve completed this challenge by mid October, when I was fully expecting it to take me to December and that I might even have to add some of my dog walks to make up the distance!

 

It’s been great to have a challenge to work towards, especially in these interesting times, but I’m not sure I’d do any more.  While it has been great to have a challenge to work to, it feels weird to finish a ‘race’ with no finish line or crowds, and I don’t really feel like I deserve the medals I’ve been sent.  For instance I ran 5 miles today and finished my challenge about half way through, but there was no acknowledgement of this, no fan fair, no finish line to run over, I just kept running till I got home.

I’m not a big racer, but I am looking forward to being able to sign up for races again and running with crowds and other runners.

 

For now I’m going to have a week off then see how far I can get in the next 2 ½ months.

Mystical Lanterns Crochet Scarf

In January, looking back at last year, I realised that I hadn't done any crochet at all!  And with no cash to spend on crafting, I had a look through what I already had to decide on my next big project.

My eye was caught by a kit I was given a couple of years ago for a crochet scarf from Janie Crow, and off I went.
Except I didn't as it was supplied with Coop Knits 'Sock Yeah!' wool which, while very nice, comes in hanks and had to be turned into balls first.  My first couple of attempts turned into tangled messes before I read how draping the wool on the back of a chair makes this easier. 

(The tangled messes came on my daily commute on the train, to be untangled while I listened to podcasts.)
So after a week of evening winding I finally was ready to start.

Except I'd forgotten how to crochet, so had to watch a YouTube video to remind me.  Then I really was finally ready to start.
I had to make 94 lanterns, joining them into strings, that were then attached to each other before a fringe was attached to each end. 

It's a pretty scarf and I'm pleased with how it came out, but to be honest it was a bit of a tedious project, from winding the wool, to the repetitive nature of the lanterns, to stitching them all together and adding the fringe.  That's probably why it had been sitting on my shelf for so long.
But it's done now (March) and was supposed to make a great Mother's Day gift - a light scarf perfect for indecisive spring weather.  However I didn't get to meet with my mum for Mothers Day and so I have saved it for her birthday in October.   

She was very happy with it and loved the range of colours included, meaning she'll be able to wear it with many different outfits.