Strangely...

...there is a lot going on at the moment and I realise that I have been keeping it off my blog. Let's see if this post can help resolve that. Apologies, a lot of text and no pictures.

Okay, at the moment it feels that, although I am not working and should have 8 hours per day to do everything, the weeks are flying by with me trailing behind them, barely hanging onto their shirt tails.

1. My university course is now every other weekend. I have my final exam and project simulation coming up on February 22-23rd. I should be revising. However, the manual is so full of turgid jargon, split infinitives and sentences containing multiple repeats of the words 'Project Management' that it is almost impossible to read.

I know that my grammar is not perfect but this manual puts my faults firmly in the shade. I have to read each sentence twice to remove excess words, correct grammar and rearrange phrases to make the language simple and direct. Once I have done that, I sigh, "Oh, that's what they are getting at - why didn't they just say so?" It is headache inducing so I am avoiding the manual like it is something smeared with canine processed dog food.

2. I am four weeks into my photography course. I love it and learning loads but it is taking more time up than I expected - this is eating into revision time.

3. Studio set up is still in progress. I have not shared any photos yet as I would like to show you the set up from start to finish, after it is up and running properly. I am really excited about how it is coming along though!

4. I plan to elope with the Fella at some point in the next two months. Once we are married, we plan to have a small dinner with the Fella's family in Vancouver to mark the occasion. Then we'll have a blessing and have a small celebration with my own family, in the UK, in the summer. Despite the intention for this entire thing to be simple, no fuss and low key, a lot of my time is being swallowed up by the things that have to be organised in advance.

So far, the two things that I have learnt about getting married is that looking for a bog standard set of plain gold wedding rings is like setting out on a quest for the Holy Grail. We met couples in jewellery shops who had been looking (in vain) for over a year to find the perfect rings.

Connected to this learning point, it seems that while I would have been happy with wedding rings from Argos/Walmart (for me it is what the rings symbolise, not the rings themselves that is important) the Fella felt very strongly that he wanted to make eye contact with the person making the rings for us. So we have rings on order from a local, artisan goldsmith. On reflection, I agree with him - it does feel good to know that our rings will be cast from the same batch of metal and that they are being made by someone that we have met.

The second learning point came yesterday when I went looking for something to wear. I discovered that I seem to have sprouted hams for upper arms. So um, I need to find (or make) a suitable cardigan to cover up my bingo wings.

A shawl or a scarf simply will not do - this is about my own, personal comfort level. I only trust real sleeves to do the correct, cover up job! I have a pattern and yarn in the cupboard that I can use so I think that I am set.

Connected to this learning point, I realise that I am not over my wretched fear of clothes shopping. I walked into a shop yesterday, felt completely intimidated and walked straight back out again. So I hyperventilated over a coffee and texted Lara (a fab lady I met through a local knitting group) who just happens to work across the road from the mall I was in. She was good enough to come over, march me back into the shop and get me to try things on.

I tried to leave again, in a panic, after I had tried on the first dress I was offered. She suggested very quietly that I stay put. So I did and after trying on 4-5 dresses, I bought the 3rd one I tried on - so that nightmare is now firmly out of the way.

We do not plan to elope before my sister is married in February or before the end of my course.

So, owch - not only do I need to cast on for my sister's Eloping garter, I need to cast on one for myself?! Luckily the pattern doesn't take much yarn and Zephyr Wool-Silk has good yardage so I should be able to get both out of the same ball..!

5. I do have my first finished objects of 2009 but I cannot show them to you yet as they need to be blocked and posted to the UK. This is the first time that I have had an opportunity to use my DPN Knit Pick Harmonies which Granny Purple (thank you!) brought over to the UK for me last year. They are absolutely lovely to work with. While I am not a fan of working with DPNs, the combination of these needles and the gorgeous yarn that I was working with made the project quite a treat to do. Pictures at a later date!