Amanda and a New Start

Back after the weekend and now trying to catch my breath.
Friday and Saturday I managed to concentrate on my stitching for a few extended periods and the Amanda SAL has seen the benefit of that. Here's where I got up to by Saturday evening: It's a little bit fiddlier than I expected, so it seems to be taking a bit longer to grow than I'd hoped. Got to get it done though, as Part 2 of Memories is already waiting and Part 2 of the Ozark SAL is due out any time soon.

DH didn't mind me stitching on Saturday as we decided to stay in so he could get on with fitting an exterior expansion tank for the central heating boiler. Not sure quite how this works but it goes up in the loft, plumbed in next to the other water tanks, and replaces the internal expansion bag that isn't working. Currently if the boiler pressure drops below a certain amount it cuts out and we freeze our butts off until someone tweaks a small tap next to the boiler to increase the pressure again. Fixing it this way was the cheaper option - those internal expansion bags for condensing boilers cost an arm and a leg and don't seem to last long at all. DH seemed to spend an awful lot of time searching for bits he needed for fitting it and not much time actually working - don't think he fancied being up in the rather cold loft, as we've had so many hard frosts lately it makes you glad you're not a brass monkey! Wish I knew a plumber - I'd have him in while DH is at work, get it all sorted in an hour or two and save a lot of hassle from yet another long drawn out DIY job!

I also had a new start over the weekend. Well, I had to test out the No-Sew Clip frame, didn't I? Can you guess what it is? No, I guess not - even I can't from that little bit LOL.
It's Night Watchman, the beautiful owl kit from Heritage Stitchcraft that I got in a sale earlier this year - it's been calling loudly to me ever since I got it and I couldn't ignore it any more. I swapped the Aida in the kit for some 28ct cream Brittany I had in my stash - those weird fractionals Heritage love are definitely best done on evenweave.

Sunday we went to my DSis's for the day, as she needed help moving a huge wardrobe so she could continue painting the box room. I did a little stitching on NW whilst there but had to drop it when we had an unexpected trip to casualty. DSis had a fight with a corned beef tin, lost and got a nasty deep gash across her right thumb pad - haven't seen that much blood in a long time! Several pieces of kitchen roll and lots of compression later and the bleeding had slowed down a little but would start again as soon as she moved it. Off to DRI to be told there was a three to four hour wait (too many people using it as a Doctor's surgery and not as an A&E, methinks!). Luckily the nice woman we spoke to told us there was a Small Injuries Unit at a small hospital in Mexborough, so a 25-30 minutes journey later we were there and DSis was seen and treated in under 35 minutes. She had it butterfly stripped and bandaged and had an anti-tetanus shot. Back at hers and I told her we were lucky: she hadn't bled on the corned beef, so we could still have it for tea. LOL Her reply is unrepeatable in polite company but at least it brought back some colour to her cheeks and got her laughing again. When she realised it would get her out of doing pot washing and cashing up at work she was definitely in a happier frame of mind. LOL

It's half term here, so Alex hasn't been for her usual Monday natter, but I did my regular jobs anyway and a few extras. I'm now feeling quite the virtuous housewife (doesn't happen often) and shall reward myself with a quiet evening of stitching in front of the TV. ;0) It looks like DH will have to work late, so I'll get to watch whatever I want as well - and there's a Most Haunted on. WhoooHoo! :0)

Hope you've all had a good weekend and that the week has got off to a good start for you. :0)