This Weekend…

Hello you… and you… and you…

…

Goodness… It’s so awkward to sound like an outgoing person. Let’s just skip that bit. How’s your weekend?

I started a new WIP, a jacket for my husband. Or cardigan. I honestly can’t really see the difference. Do you know the difference between jacket and cardigan for men. My husband likes to call it jacket because it probably sounds more manly for him.

Whatever works, Bro…

I am using the green wool I bought from iceyarn long time ago. I had it when it was on sale, and I only had for skeins of green. That’s why I combine it with blue for the ribbing bits. Hopefully it would be enough. Husband chose the colour combo, and I though it works alright. Let’s see…

We also went for another cream tea day. Now we had one in Ludham.

The tea room is called Alfresco Tea Room. Tea is wonderful. Food is exceptional. Husband bought Norfolk Pasties for himself, and thoroughly enjoyed his meal with a glass of latte. We love it. Better yet, the food and drink are very affordable. That is surprising because they’re using high quality local produce.

Recommended. Obviously.

So… there. We had a great weekend, too bad that all good things come to an end… Hope you had a great one too.

x ❤ x

WIP Weekend, and A Some Extra Bit of Something

I always like knitting, and yarn shopping… I mean, really… who doesn’t like yarn shopping? Even my husband does… He could grump and moan, and act like he doesn’t enjoy the whole squealing and whimpering when finding a really nice fluffy wool on offer. He could say otherwise, but I believe that deep down… he loves yarn shopping.

Everybody loves yarn shopping… 

But, not until I have known, and read blogs of a lot of wonderful knitter on this blogging universe that I start paying attention to the beloved LYS. Local Yarn Shop. I believe that you can measure how awesome a town/city/village is from their LYS.

In Norwich, you could find more than plenty. If you happen to come to visit Norwich (Norfolk, United Kingdom that is), you would realise that even though online and big shops offer cheaper options of wool, our LYS are surviving. The easier one to find are in the city — one in the market, one in Pottergate called Norfolk Yarn, and one in St Giles called Crafty Ewe. If you are going further in Magdalen Street, there’s another one which I walked pass a lot but never notice the name.

When I went to Bury St. Edmunds, though… I did have to look really hard to find them. But I did find two of them. They’re smaller than one we have in Norwich, but I think it’ll do for a quick fix to satisfy your yarn high. So, if you are visiting Bury… and you accidentally left your WIP at home. You know you can get a little something-something to keep you going for awhile.

Talking about WIP, though… I think I am on a finishing stage now 😀 Woohoo!

I am trying hard to balance out knitting and sleeping. It is easy to lose track of time when you are sitting and knitting while watching Law and Order omnibus. Anyway… do you watch L&O? Which L&O is your favourite one? I mean, I do like SVU, but I would choose Lennie Briscoe anytime.

Gosh… I am rambling, aren’t I? I better finish it now before I start mentioning other crime drama series that I like.

Until then… have a great weekend, Everyone 🙂

x ❤ x

A Day Out…

So my DH took me to Stoke Holy Cross. I had to wiki it because I had no idea what kind of place it is. He told me that the place we are going to visit is called Caistor St Edmund — which at that time meant nothing to me. So… reluctantly, put the knitting down for a little while and probably enjoy a bit of sunlight.

Now… what is Caistor St. Edmunds? I heard you ask. I wouldn’t blame you if you haven’t heard about it. It is the first time for me myself. Apparently, it is a huge grassy field.

BUT, not just an ordinary grassy field. In this field, there used to be a Roman market town of a tribe called Iceni. Now I got a bit excited, as there were some ruins of their walls. We do love our ruins…

The day was beautiful, although a bit breezy. Caistor was quiet, only a few interested visitor was in view. But, one thing that excite DH the most is that whoever managed this place has now improved the place and has implemented an Augmented Reality experience in this place.

So, in some spots where you could see and read the information panel in the area, DH could just point his beloved mobile phone and start to enjoy the techie bits. Actually, it was quite cool. All he needed to do is to download the apps — everything can be done with an apps nowadays.

On Sundays, the church — St Edmund Church — not to be confused with St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St. Edmund, served cream tea. I never had cream tea before. It was basically a scone, served with cream and jam, and a generous pot of tea. They only do sultana scones, unfortunately, so I have to pick them out 😦 I can handle a couple, but not too much.

However, it was a wonderful afternoon. I wished I have had my knitting with me, that would have made me feel very British…

x ❤ x

Anniversary?!

It’s a what?

I didn’t realise that I have missed this blog’s second year anniversary! I just found out that my first post was on the 7 July five minutes ago, and thought… Oh bugger…. I should have done something to congratulate myself. It’s something worth celebrating! Maybe one or two skeins of nice fluffy wool…

One of the very first amigurumi I made

But I have to restrain myself now, really. Although it was totally and utterly worth every single poundsterling, the last holiday almost cleared me out completely. I need to go back to Indonesia to sort this out, and luckily I have already got the ticket and a departure date.

What do you do to celebrate your blog anniversary, though? Some people don’t take their blog as personally as I do, but I know that for some people their blog is very important. It is kind of a lifeline, the only thing that connects them to the world outside their own. Like me…

How about a walk in the fine city of Norwich?

I’ve been living in Norwich for years now, but staying at home and being a little bit more than slightly introvert makes me no friends. I do have friends I made when I was studying in UEA, but they’re not in Norwich anymore, and it is not the same… really. I have my wonderful sister in law, but of course not only that she works, she also has her own life and social circle to go to, so an occasional visit is probably a stretch for her too.

Oh, anyway… anniversary is not the time for whinging. I might find something nice to do at the end of the day to spoil myself cheaply. Maybe a new pattern from ravelry… considering my current WIP is in the finishing step. Who knows?

x ❤ x

A Surprising Museum Visit

I haven’t gone to museum for a while, and I have to say I kind of miss it. So, when my husband offered to take us to this Norwich City Aviation Museum, I didn’t think twice to say yes. And I am glad I went with him because the museum is unexpectedly interesting.

I am not a huge fan of aeroplanes. And, I have this nagging suspicion that my husband who happens to like aeroplanes might have an ulterior motive when he asked me if I wanted to go to this museum. But really… going a museum is probably as amusing as seeing your husband turning into a schoolboy version of himself when he saw these iron birds…

You know what? I don’t usually promote something like this, but IF you are interested in aviation, and you happen to be in Norwich, I think it might worth it to go and see this place. It is run and managed by volunteers, but it was done incredibly well and very professional. The entrance ticket is cheap and unlike a lot of museums, you are actually allowed to take as many photos as you like and you can even touch some of the articles in display.

If you are in luck, you can even get an extra guided tour for a fee to enter one of the historical planes outdoor. Sorry I cannot remember the name of the plane — like I said, I am not a huge fan of aeroplanes — I might remember stuff a bit better if it is a yarn museum and we’re talking about wool and spindles.

Talking about wool and yarn and other nice things… My WIP is actually progressing well. I have to say that I do really enjoy this project much more than the previous one, and I am now about to sew it up together and finishing a project. What a happy news!

Having a next project in my head now… Hope this knitting bug doesn’t leave anytime soon…

x ❤ x

Summer Intermezzo

It is still summer, but I think the heatwave is almost gone. The weather is getting milder, and the temperature dropped a little. It is getting more and more comfortable to work outside in the garden, and have a little walkabout in the city. So, my sister in law (my husband’s sister) asked me if I wanted to go to Wroxham to have a walk.

I went to Wroxham before with my husband, and it was actually a nice place to spend a day — especially during summertime. So, I agreed and she picked me up. Our plan was: we’re going to go to have a cuppa and have a nice natter.

We did pick a little cafe there, I don’t need to tell you the name of the cafe because I didn’t have a nice service there. I ordered a cake — it said vanilla cake with white chocolate something. I misread it and told the lady on the till that I want the white chocolate cake.

After I paid, the lady on the till asked the other girl to get me the “white chocolate cake” while laughing. The other girl on the counter asked, “what white chocolate cake?” and laughed with the lady on the till.

I mean.. come on. There’s only one cake with white chocolate in there. Okay, I misread, but they didn’t have to act like that in front of a paying customer. And by the way, the cake didn’t taste that nice. It was too sweet for me and I didn’t even finish it.

Anyway, the walk near the river was much much better. It was a beautiful place and I wouldn’t let the stupid cake and shopkeepers ruin my day.

x ❤ x

Norwich Pride 2016

Norwich Pride is one of my favourite things to expect in the summer. It was always colourful, full of music, and packed with excitement. I love Norwich even more when I join these people marching.

rain… rain… go away…

This year is a little bit different. Instead of starting the parade from Chapelfield garden to the Forum, we started from the Forum to Chapelfield garden. And we have a slightly longer route. I am not sure whether I like the new route better or not, but I think it is a good idea to finish the parade in the garden.

We had a bit of drizzle too. Last year it was scorching hot, and this year it was nicer because it was cooler. I was a bit worried that it will rain and melt my make up, but it didn’t — and my make up was intact when I arrived home.

My husband started to enjoy this thing. Last year he wasn’t planning on marching, but accidentally trapped in the middle of moving people. This year, he was prepared for this. We didn’t get free whistles like what we had last year though, and I even had to buy wristbands and flags — not that I mind contributing some money for the cause, but I am just mentioning the difference between this year and last year.

But like last year… I LOVE THE POLICE OFFICERS!!

Not only because they look incredibly awesome in the uniform (yes I have a thing for people in uniform) — decorated with pride themed accessories, but they were also totally wonderful. They even turned the siren on while welcoming us on the finish line — and cheered and clapped for us too. I think Norfolk constabulary is one of the best!

Are you going to join me next year?

x ❤ x

 

Let’s Have A Walk In The City

I’ve been going out a lot lately. Blame it on the sunny spells, and warm temperature outside. It was great to get a lot of fresh air while walking around the city. But, you know what I love the most about walking around Norwich is?

The city itself.

Norwich is not a metropolitan city, but it is a city indeed — and a well balanced one. It is busy and bustling in the centre — the open market, the forum, the malls. It is green and relaxing too — the riverside walk, county forest, the park. It is academic — two big universities — UEA and NUA. And it is historical too — the castle, stranger’s hall, the two cathedrals.

One corner you are a part of the busy shopping centre, and next time you know it, you are in Elm Hill’s cobblestone’s little alley enjoying a quiet walk. Or, one minute you and your friends were having a nice cuppa in a hip café in St. Benedicts, and on your way home you found this little hidden gem of the city.

People say that Norwich is small. But as my husband put it, it is a wonderland. You don’t realise it, but once you’re there, you don’t think you want to leave. You don’t know if you can find anywhere as fine, as Norwich — the fine city 😀

Sounds like a review of some sort isn’t it? It is not. I was out and suddenly reminded of why and how I ended up here after studying in UEA 4 years ago. 4 years! Time does fly, doesn’t it?

x ❤ x

Just When You See The Spring is Back…

I mean, I have always been warned that in England especially you cannot always expect that Spring would be like… Spring. It wouldn’t always be sun and light breeze with occasional shower that water your garden gently. No. It is not like that here. It is summery hot in one day and then the temperature would bungee jump to one digit.

My mama says that the weather in England is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re gonna get. Unless you read the back of the box which tells you what it is — or in this case you listen to the weatherman or weatherwoman on telly.

Look how patchy it is?

Anyway the Spring is back for a moment after a few days of gloomy days — when it rains a lot so I didn’t check my garden to water it. So when the sun was out, I checked my lettuce, tomatoes, pak choy and… What the hell?!!? SOME of my young plants are gone.

THE CULPRIT!!!

It is not so difficult to know who the culprit was as that little bastard left a fresh trail of evidence. SNAILS! Apparently when it was dark and rainy, they made a salad party in my backyard! If they’re not too small or too few, I might just catch them, clean them up and cook them — maybe they would taste like my tomato — that that ate. Grr…

Norwich in Pink

 

But oh well. You cannot be grumpy for too long when it was sunny, could you? I mean really…. I took a walk and everything was pretty and colourful. You cannot really radiate any negativity from yourself, can you? It seems like everything looks extremely beautiful you just want to be a part of it.

Don’t you?

x ❤ x

This Little Piggy Went On A Parade

 

Many knitters might have experienced this in the past. Although it seems like it is a sedentary and safe activity, knitting and stitching is actually a very dangerous hobby. I wasn’t sure — Am not sure whether it was a proper word for it, but my wrist started to feel tingly and knuckles began to feel sore. I decided to take a day off.

My husband lent me his wrist support. I am not sure that it even fits him, but it supported my wrist perfectly

As it happened, we actually had a plan to go to Norwich Pride 2015. We missed the last two prides, and I was not happy about it. So after we (I) dressed up, we go to Chapelfield garden to join the parade. Hubby wasn’t sure, but I — using the mind controlling superpower only wives have — dragged him to the parade without him even knowing what was happening.

I am not tall enough to get a better view of how packed the garden was

The parade went well. Some protesters were seen but ignored accordingly. We have dancers and Nando’s chicken to add to the festivities.

Nandos chicken was tirelessly greeting friendly people of Norwich that showed up

Samba band and dancers made everybody want to join in the groove

Even our police officers were quite happy joining the celebrations — waving their rainbow version of Norfolk Constabulary flag.

What a day… Of course we went home with a little bit more than just sore feet. Friends from Royal College of Nursing gave us rainbow bracelet and whistle.

YAY!