Monday, April 23, 2018


If any of us are ever tempted to doubt the management of the universe by a beneficent providence, we have but to contemplate the fact that English asparagus and Jersey Royal potatoes come into season at precisely the same moment.

I didn’t feel terribly well today, sort of nauseous, although no actual vomiting. Well enough to totter to the supermarket this morning, and to lunch as indicated in the paragraph above. And I have now finished with those dreadful antibiotic capsules, and confidently expect to feel better tomorrow.

KD’s “Highland Way” book has arrived, and is as wonderful as expected. I am still keen to knit the Stronachlachar vest – Buachaille; simple; three twisted-stitch panels up front and back. I am going to have to light some sort of fire under myself.

I think the answer is going to be to get back into the habit of an hour or so of television in the evening. Lately, I have been crawling into bed at 8, post-blog. I have a royal-wedding programme to look forward to tonight, recorded previously; and one about Camilla (the duchess, not the great-granddaughter) for tomorrow. My husband wasn’t all that keen on royal-family programmes, just as he was not about cookery.

As for today’s knitting, I have made a bit of progress with the ribbing for the Kirigami. The bottom edge is very neat. I am glad that its excessive size has forced me to start again with the Calcutta Cup vest. When I get back to that, shall I use German Crossed for the entire cast-on, or alternate with long-tail two-by-two again?

And I must, of course, work out a system for advancing simultaneously with CC vest and Kirigami. Not to mention the socks which Rachel says she wants for her now-immanent 60th birthday. A fire is needed, indeed.

Non-knit

Joe must have survived the marathon yesterday. He covered the course in 3 hours and 55 minutes, which sounds good to me, but is not quite as good as his father’s time 20 years ago, or whenever. Here he is with his parents, presumably not long after the finish:



And here, before the off:



9 comments:

  1. Congrats to Joe! You'll get back into the knitting rhythm, and I think the hour of TV is a great idea.
    As far as nausea and the antibiotics, some antibiotics themselves are hard on the stomach, and all of them are hard on the digestive bacteria we need. Maybe add some yogurt or a probiotic (I'd check with the doc on a probiotic just to be sure, but greek yogurt or kefir or something along those lines should be fine). Oh, and DO NOT take ginger pills if you feel at all likely to vomit. Seriously, they burn like a mofo coming up. (I found that out the hard way). Coke is my family's ancestral remedy and it is very close in pH to the acid in your stomach so is easier for it to handle than water, but ginger ale's good too (or so I'm told, I can't stand the stuff).
    If there's a chance that the nausea's due to acid overproduction (my problem), try a Tums (their new smooth chewables are the same texture as a soft caramel but less sticky) or milk of magnesia. Avoid acidic drinks (loads of fruit juices are in this catagory, thanks Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid)). Looks like hard cider runs in the 3.2-3.8 ph level (as do apples and a bunch of other fruits), so that should be avoided (again, only if your trouble's too much acid, and in my experience I'm generally okay to have a beer or maybe two but more will require Tums or lead to nausea misery).

    Hopefully I've not just overloaded you with more info than you ever wanted, I kinda tend to do that since I love learning stuff (and also have been dealing with occasionally debilitating nausea for years now and it's nice to share my unpleasantly won wisdom).

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    1. Oh, and neutral pH is 7, anything below that's acidic, the lower the number the stronger the acid. Above is basic and will react to cancel out acid, like the baking soda (base) and vinegar (acetic acid) volcanoes.

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  2. I used to drink ginger ale 50/50 with water in my antenatal days, it was very good for nausea and biliousness.

    Another thought: if I recall from previous years, you often feel lower in the darker months, is that something you've already allowed for?

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  4. Anonymous12:40 PM

    So glad you have a large family, Jean. Given that you have been cleared of any serious illness medically, all the rest may eventually work its way out of your physical and psychological system after the long intense experience of your husband's illness. After all we don't bounce back like we did in our twenties, alas. In the meantime the support of your family and friends Is really vital, as it is for all of us. We all want to add our support even if it's just a few virtual sentences a week. Chloe

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  5. Anonymous12:53 PM

    Plus, you are FUN, Jean! Chloe

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  6. Wishing that you will feel better soon. Al that knitting sounds divine. I can’t wat

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    1. To get my new apartment sorted enough that I can find my knitting and have time to sit and do it. Moving and unpacking and sorting while working all week is a royal pain. Ah well this to will pass.onward

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  7. Movies TV Audio books - I would be hard pressed to do any of them without knitting. I'm going to have to look at the ribbing instructions for the Kirigami and experiment with alternating the two. A student came with a project last night that requires 'rotated long tail cast-on' - I had never heard of it an promised to learn before next week!

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