Gifts from friends -

First, congratulations are in order for an intrepid knitter who has done good work this day.

A gift for the third drawer down in the kitchen:


















And this, I hope, will soon be a gift for friends. It is a little too big for their son yet, but kids grow, I've seen them doing it, it is a little freaky.














At the moment I am so so stressed and deliriously happy. Perhaps time for bed?

Tomtem -

Half a day of professional development at work at the start of the week saw the body of the tomten done. The other half of the day I was presenting the PD. I thought I was going to die from terror, but it turned out to be okay.


















It did make for a veeery long week, though. I've been sleeping badly and feeling a lot like this in the mornings:














I've been finding these chaps all over the place.














I hope that the weekend will bring restfulness.

Bugs -

Long long ago, when I first got a camera, I took a picture of an interesting bug. It turned out to be a juvenile mantis. I have always liked praying mantises, and it looks like this one in the lemon grass is all growed up now.



















If it is the same one, it didn't run away like when it was really little. But its little black eye does look a little worried. It has water on its head because I had thought it was an old leaf and had tried to wash it off (never garden without your glasses on).

I went to the Yarraville stitch and bitch last week and was inspired by one of the girls there to cast on a Tomten. It has kept me good company through a nervous few days.














I have to admit that it looks suspiciously like the disastrous ribwarmer at this stage.