A less than cherry Christmas

Because I couldn't eat this Christmas (a cruel twist of fate for someone who loves food as much as me), I had to take in the simple pleasures of Christmas day - in between lying very still on various beds in great heat.

I did manage some jelly tonight though so it wasn't all bad. And it made me think of all the people a lot worse off than me on Christmas day and other days. I hope people in hospitals and hospices and nursing homes and just alone found something to enjoy today.

All of the things. ALL OF THEM.

And now, Christmas is two sleeps away. And I am in bed sick. Good times.

Because it would take far too long to properly recap on the last month, here is a collection of photos with some context.

Lots has been going on at work - first of all, Ed designed this amazing Christmas poster.

Pip moved out. It was sad. But she made us an incredible goodbye dinner featuring pulled pork, spicy coleslaw, and lemon meringue pie.

My letter to the editor was published in the North & South, which confirms my future as an angry letter writing old lady.

I went to Auckland and ate like a Queen, saw the musical Little Shop of Horrors which was a really fun time, and saw 'Who Shot Rock & Roll' at the Auckland Art Gallery.

I went to Toast Martinborough for the third year in a row, this time with Ed, Nick and Little Claire. This is a chicken and quince pie by Ruth Pretty at Ata Rangi. Sadly there was no creme brulee this year which was honestly one of the reasons I wanted to go to Toast. I think I'll have a break from it next year, it was a good day but I need a rest from it.

We stayed at my family's house in Masterton after Toast and went for a walk to Rathkeale to walk off all the food we'd eaten.

We put on a Christmas sing-along show and I went to Auckland. Again.

To help market the show the cast and a couple of others (actually just Kate the Stage Manager and I), went and sang at the Christmas markets in Frank Kitts Park. It was really cute and some old people loved it.

We had a party under the dome in the Grand Hall upstairs at 1 Kent Tce to say Bon Voyage to BATS while we temporarily relocate to the corner of Cuba and Dixon Streets for 2013. My last week at work was spent in a makeshift office upstairs with a 12 metre drill below.

I got to go to carols at Longwood again this year, it was lovely as per usual.

Then I had a roast dinner two nights in a row, at the second one we had amazing bread pudding with chocolate, pears, and sugar syrup.

On Friday night there was some South Island road trip planning and a visit to the Telecom Christmas Tree. Then yesterday a visit to Alex for her birthday where there were some beautiful flowers and a beautiful baby. He is so cute.

Now, I'm really looking forward to feeling better (please let it be soon). I was meant to be in the Wairarapa already but I felt too sick to drive over. So I'm hanging out in bed watching first the clouds and then the fog roll in and magically disappear the harbour. It hasn't really felt like Christmas much yet, I haven't decorated a tree, didn't get time to make Christmas cards, I haven't done all my Christmas shopping, and I've only listened to A Very Cherry Christmas a couple of times. But my first 10 weeks of work have been crazy and we made a Christmas show, so that probably has something to do with it.

On the 28th I'm going down South for a little drive around (although, not so little really, one day involves five hours of driving...) as I've never been south of Christchurch. I'm excited. Let's hope Boy Alex (my Mum insists I stop calling him that, 'It makes him sound like Boy George' - but I've got too many Alexs around, I need to differentiate them somehow) and I don't get too sick of each other. I plan to take lot's of photos, so stay tuned.

Knitting. Finally.

Well, that was an unintended month long hiatus. I've mostly been working I think, and swimming, and going to Auckland, and singing along with our Christmas show that closed last night after 13 performances. And, most importantly, knitting. The knitting deserves its own post so I'll save a general update/photographic essay of the last month for next time.

The arrival of the baby for whom the Pebble vest was intended gave me a helpful push to get it finished (push, oh the comedy). So...

Voila! It was so easy to knit and I got to sew buttons onto knitting for the first time and once it was washed and blocked it looked all even and beautiful. I still love the colour and Theodore looks so cute wearing it (I haven't seen it on him in real life yet but Alex sent me a heaps cute photo). 

The buttons aren't quite what I'd have chosen if there was more choice, but I was in a hurry to get it finished so that he wouldn't outgrow it before he even got it, and Knit World in town didn't have a very big selection. They're fine though, purpley, kind of shiny and almost Paua shell patterned.

But, what's made me feel like an actual knitter is the booties. I knew when I finished them a few months ago that the bind off was quite tight, and sure enough, when Cam tried to put them on Teddy's feet it didn't seem like it was going to work. So I took them home and decided to try to unpick the bind off and bind them off more loosely. Then, I had the idea to knit a couple of rows in rib, because rib is much stretchier. And it worked! 

You can't really see the rib rows very clearly in this artful foliage photo, but they were tested this afternoon and are a success. It's like I know what I'm doing or something.