That Good Old Chook Pen

Sorry about this photo. I forgot to add it in my original post and I added it late, which makes it come up as the first photo, and now it's mucked up the continuity of my story. Anyway, this is Jimmy being a pest with my knitting needles and skewering a banana with them. (Stacey, that's not a poo on the couch, it's some goldy-brown wool. But check out the man's dribble!) So, to begin....

Our chooks have been absolutely worth their weight in gold: wonderful layers, patient pets and engrossing entertainment for little ones. I'm so glad that Jimmy has reached an important milestone: he is brave enough to go pottering about in the chook pen by himself. This is excellent news for me because now I can lock him in there and get on with some important work....

Knitting. I do enjoy knitting because it is relaxing, it keeps me "in the moment" (I have to concentrate so hard) and it keeps my hands warm. However I am very slow at knitting. A more mature lady who once helped me said, "Here, give it to me, I can't stand watching you; it's like watching paint dry!"

This is the project that's on my needles right now. It's going to be (I hope - fingers crossed) a sort of elf hat for Kees. The trouble with this project is that I have a strong sense of futility and foreboding while I'm making it; I bet he will try it on once, say, "It's too scratchy/hot/tight", throw it on the ground and run away, never to wear it again. Then I'll try it on Jimmy and he won't bother saying anything, he'll just throw in on the ground and run away. And if it's that bad, I won't even be able to give it away as a gift, and then countless hours (and hours and hours, I'm slow, remember) will have been wasted. Therefore, I am trying to just enjoy the process, moment by moment. Can you tell I'm reading my second fill of "Buddhism for Mothers"? What a wonderful series of books. xx