Life

So, I'm officially 40 now.
Doesn't feel different than 39 so far ;-) And as long as no one expects me to grow up I'm fine with that.

I don't really know if it related to this magical number (why is 40 so special? 18 was special, 21 was special, but 40?), but quite a few things have changed and are changing in my life.

I quit my job after seven years.
I will start a new job in a completely different environment. Until the contract is actually signed I will keep quiet about what it is and why I love it already ;-)

We celebrated the day itself by answering phone calls from all my loved ones!
We had a double appointment at my (or is it "our" now?) hair dresser for cut&colour for two (nothing wrong with a man colouring his hair!).
Before that we had coffee and cake (lime pie for him, nut cake for her) at the best cake and cookie place I know of: Koekela
You have to have cake on your birthday - and 11:30 am is a perfect time for that.
We also got an assortiment of brownies to go and share with the family.
We had a linner (too late for lunch, too early for dinner) at our favourite joint Kiem Foei

I got myself my first ever tattoo:


A Pictish crescent and v-rod as inspiration, design by yours truly.
I have a thing for many things Celtic, Pictish, Scottish, Viking, Saxon...and neolithic. I get bored with Roman and Greek, I love Mesopotamian finds, Egypt is so-so - but anything early medieaval or earlier, especially Northern Europe, makes my heart beat faster.
After having seen Pictish Stones in Edinburgh
and finds from Skara Brae
I knew that my first ever tattoo would be something like this. Celtic spirals have been done to death and it's challenging up to difficult to find something unique.
I wanted clear lines, no shading - one of the things I like about these old designs is the simplicity.

I'm planning the next designs already. Small symbols to add to my crescent and a piece on my upper arm. I see more spirals in my future ;-)


I finished Raspberry Latte:

Yarn: handspun on a top whorle drop spindle

Pattern Storm Cloud Shawlette on Ravelry

Needles: 8mm

I really like the pattern, it's easy to follow and due to the semi-circle it produces the ways of wearing it are endless. Here I'm wearing it like I would wear it underneath a coat.

I have crocheted a centipede:


That was fun! And it's gigantic and lives around my neck sometimes!

And I treated myself to more yarn:
2 hanks of supersoft and cuddly Royal Alpaca in curry They will become an Oscilloscope Shawl
3 balls of Mochi Plus They will become a modified version of Knitty's Tychus

Since I resigned, I find myself more inspired - I have my lust for knitting, reading and cooking back. And I'm actually getting stuff finished and done - even more long overdue Merino tunica is all oversudden growing and loved again.

40 - not bad at all.

Still here...sometimes

I'm still spending far too much time working and too little time reading or knitting.

Though I managed to break in my hairpin lace loom and create a frilly colourful scarf out of a single ball I had floating around here. Pictures to follow. I call it Centipede...for obvious reasons ;-)

I have also managed to transform some pencil roving and merino batts into a ball of single-ply to knit a Kink

I started reading Emma Bull's "War for the Oaks" and am totally enthralled!
My train travel lecture is "And another think" by Eoin Colfer - for all you Douglas Adams fans out there, it's a great follow-up. Too little tea, though ;-)

I managed to get my hair cut and coloured and feel human again.



I managed to see my family to celebrate my Mom's 65th birthday! That was a great and hot and fun weekend!

I managed to find this little gem and get all dreamy and wanting....the colours are just wonderful!



For someone, who won't have any vacation this year this is a dream. I'd like to grab one of these above and go visit the Goblin Market, the Wall Market, the Floating Market and get inspiration.
Travelling by starlight, eating exotic food, reading scripts in ancient glyphs....