Small successes and tiny twinges: 5 things 8.5.2017

1. Last Tuesday was a glorious, glorious day. The stars aligned for me to sign both kids up for seven solid hours of childcare. Which which I did a full day’s paid work, got my desk sorted, even had a pleasant little lunch break, and after it all, I still had energy to play with kids. More like this please?

1. Speaking of playing with kids. Little Dude has become a bit obsessed with Munchkin Quest, which is seriously not a game to play with 4yo, mostly because it’s way too complicated (I still haven’t managed to understand all the rules; I mean it’s really hard grasping the finer nuances when you have kids literally climbing all over you as you try to read the manual) and a little bit inappropriate. But he can’t let go. So I’ve ordered the junior version (Treasure Hunt), adapted largely by removing the stab-your-buddies angle; let’s see how that goes. (I’ve also ordered the original card game, although I do wonder who I’ll play it with. It needs more than two players. It’s not really for kids. Our game-loving neighbours are German. It’s all so complicated.)

2. Speaking of childcare. I have woken up to the possibilities offered by the community centre on Wednesday afternoons, viz, Kreativwerkstatt! Fr10 per kid for 3 hours of drop-in childcare! And it’s not just childcare, it’s activities! (Elf is particularly keen on the woodwork class.) I can most definitely see this happening more often.

3. I haven’t been doing much knitting at all and one tiny reason is that I have a tiny twinge in my right hand. It’s very very tiny but it does make me feel a bit less inclined to pick up the needles (not that I have actually had time, which is the main reason, but normally even when I don’t have time, I manage a little). It’s not going away though, despite the rest. If it’s the beginnings of arthritis, I should probably consider giving up sugar at least. My grandmother beat arthritis quite soundly just through diet. Totally worth it. But I don’t want to be there yet, you know?

4. The main reason though is that none of my knitting – besides hexipuffs – is actually ready for me. My Thielenbruch is on time-out until I figure out what I can use for a third yarn that doesn’t make me enjoy the red and purple rather less than I do on their own. My next design projects need a whole bunch of planning and that means computer time and that has not been available at all. (Big deadline coming up in my day job.) There’s a bamboo T-shirt that’s been patiently waiting for me for about two years now. I wanted to adapt it to have a draped neck, but since I’ve never knit that before, I don’t want to just wing it (time’s way too precious to risk frogging). I think I’m giving in to the inevitable, though: forget the fancy neckline. Just finish the damn thing as written. I’ll be glad to have that box to tick.

No 19 of #52recipes: Candy’s cheesecake (with coconut and mandarin) from this murder mystery that just happens to have recipes too. Tannie Maria is everything. You must read Tannie Maria.