R.I.P. Smudge

There has been knitting going on

If you're lucky you might even get some pictures in a few days. Ellie's second cardigan is almost finished, just needs a bit of sewing up and the buttons attaching. The pink sweater for her is nearly finished too, half a sleeve and then just assembling it. I think it might be a bit big for her yet though.

I've also started a cardigan for myself, somehow I think this one may take me a while to knit unless I dramatically shrink. It's an advance in the world of knitting for me as there's a pattern! We won't mention how I twice started knitting the back and managed to somehow mess it up in the same way each time. Damn you, pattern repeats! In the end I abandoned the back and started on a sleeve - same pattern, less repeats, looks like it's supposed to.

I'm planning on trying a new knitting technique - double pointed needles. I bought a sock kit. This may be the slippery slope of addiction. I'm being very good though and I'm not starting it until I've finished at least one other project. Honest.

Wouldn't expect anything else.

Well, today was our "Community Visits" day at college. The assignment for our Community Practice module is to write a 3,500 word report analysing a community/voluntary service and it's value to occupational therapy. We've split up into small groups each of which have chosen a service to research, and today was the timetabled free slot to visit them.
We'd chosen to look at a local advocacy service and when we contacted them, it turned out that today was their AGM and they invited us along. This proved to be really good in a number of ways,

1. Their annual report has loads of incredibly useful information in it, for example a breakdown of their referrals by age, ethnicity and presenting issue
2. As it was the AGM all the paid specialist advocates and some of the volunteers had attended so we had lots of people to get information from. We tried not to scare them too much. (I'm not sure if we achieved that though)
3. They provided lunch! Hotpot or Butter Pie (for those not from that area, butter pie is mashed potato, butter, salt and pepper in a pastry crust, and allegedly was developed by the Roman Catholics in the area to eat on Fridays)
4. Lunch included pudding! Apple pie, lemon meringue pie or Manchester Tart (again an explanation for those not familiar with the regional dishes - a pastry shell with a layer of jam covered by a set custard filling, there's a bit of debate as to whether that's it or if it should be topped by a layer of coconut or almond slivers)

We monopolised the staff for about an hour after everyone else had left and they did their best to answer all our questions, gave us tips about useful websites and contacts in other services who may be able to help us. The manager even said she'd stay late in the office on Friday to put together a pack of further information about the service for us. In short they were really nice helpful people - or as Karen remarked as we were signing out from the building, "You wouldn't expect anything else what with them being advocates."

I've been playing...

Notice any difference?

There's no guarantee it will stay like this, it all depends if I can remember which bits I tweaked and how to restore them. It has gone a tad more purple than it was though.

Naughty Blogger.

What do you mean you never got to read parts three and four of the Discworld Convention? That naughty blogger must have eaten them.

*Tries to look innocent*

*Fails*

Oh okay then, I lost the "read me" from the convention which said when all the events took place and would have reminded me what to write about. Then I thought, "I can't write what's happening now without finishing off the convention stuff", and here we are seven years later...

So a quick update on the current life situation. I'm back at college. Seems very odd having not been there for the best part of a year. New buildings seem to have appeared. The library has changed its online reservation system and it's ruddy complicated. (See I'm good - I'm looking for library books now and the assignments aren't due in until January.)

Err that's about it for now - it's past my bedtime and it's a college day tomorrow. Mondays are currently Mental Health module days. Tomorrow morning we have the theory side of anxiety and in the afternoon we have group work and workshops about it. I however am skiving off the afternoon session and instead am going straight for the anxiety practical - a trip to the dentist to have a temporary dressing he did a few weeks ago replaced with a filling now the tooth has settled down.