I remembered!

The pattern for the string bag is the Elisa Nest tote bag which is a free pattern from here.
Think I need brain training!!

Back To Reality!

With a bump! A huge laundry shaped bump at that!

I love holidays. All that relaxation, sunshine, eating good food cooked by someone else, the odd glass of wine................fantastic!

But then you come home, empty the suitcases, and the laundering marathon begins.

I wouldn't have thought that so many loads of washing could fit into two suitcases! My carbon footprint went up a few sizes as I ploughed through it all.

And then just as I thought the end was in sight, dear daughter decided to clean her room and hey presto, the washing basket was overflowing again. Nice to be home!

We had a fab holiday in Zakynthos. It was lovely to go away as a family again after a few years just me and Ian. I would like to think they came because they wanted to spend some time with their parents, but I strongly suspect that the offer of a free holiday was the motivation!

We stayed in a quiet resort called Alikanas on the East of the island. Our hotel was beautiful, right on the beach but not too far to the restaurants and tavernas.

Apart from stuffing our faces, we had some lovely walks on the beach and even ventured into the sea for some snorkelling. Some of the fish were amazing, and I was surprised how big some of them were so close to the shore.

I took loads of photos, which I won't bore you with, but at one end of the bay was a small harbour and when we walked there, I saw this old deckchair under a rusting parasol that was covered in netting and I couldn't resist taking a picture.

I could just imagine an old fisherman sitting here, after the days catch had been brought ashore.

On holiday,I really enjoyed watching Tom and Kate in the pool, relaxed and laughing and just enjoying themselves generally.

Kate took a shine to an inflatable turtle, and was determined to sit on it. The resulting 20 mins was hilarious, she wouldn't give in and finally succeeded!

I managed to read a few books while I was there, some were from the Richard and Judy Book club list, which I enjoy trying, just to read books by authors I wouldn't otherwise choose. Some were better than others, but it was nice to read a book in big chunks rather than just a few pages at bedtime!

I did take some knitting on holiday, but didn't do too much. I'm knitting one of those string type bags, hopefully to reduce the number of plastic carrier bags I use. The name of the pattern escapes me but it's a simple 4 line pattern. I'm using some DK cotton from the stash that I'd forgotton about.

Since getting back, I've also done a bit more spinning of the Gotland I bought at Woolfest. It's the first longer stapled fleece I've spun and I'm enjoying the challenge! I'm still tending to spin too finely and seem to have to really concentrate to make a thicker yarn. But it's nice to get back to the wheel!

I'm also looking forward to catching up on everyones blogs! Is it just me who feels that the days are just too short? So much to do, too little time! Back to reality!!