Sorry about my non-appearance of late, I did leave you all saying 'see you next week', and I didn't.  So let's catch up on nearly 2 weeks worth of events,  and I am sure you will soon understand why there has been an absence.
Me and Mr Cooper don't go out a great deal, apart from to our local watering hole, so we decided to take the plunge and venture into Chichester one evening.  We booked to dine at 'Amelie and Friends', for an early-bird deal, on a Wednesday. http://amelieandfriends.com/  So with that in the diary to look forward to, we carried on with our normal lives; packing, sorting, working, swimming, painting.... and Mr Cooper watched TV and went to the gym.
 Then something amazing happened, which will change our lives forever.  Mr Cooper's eldest beautiful daughter, Rachael, went into labour all as planned, going into hospital on Sunday night,
 the night before her baby was due.
But babies and planning don't go together, they have their own agenda!

 So Rachael and partner Ben went into hospital, then out, then back in, and ended up having their baby delivered by emergency Cesarean section.  Henry was delivered safely, on Wednesday afternoon.  Here they all are, suddenly a family!

 We are so looking forward to seeing them all in a couple of weeks, when Ben returns to work.
Our intention is to be very helpful, and to do what needs to be done, which must involve cuddling Henry a great deal!











 So there we were, just setting off for our night out, with Mr Cooper suddenly having become a Grandad, and me a Granny Sue, or a Sue Granny, or something like that.  A planned night out, but now with something very important to celebrate!

If you ever want a good night out in Chichester on a Wednesday, take the train and arrive there at 5 o'clock, have a quick one in the refurbished 'Foundry' next to the station (most impressed) http://www.foundrychichester.co.uk/index then another one on in 'The Cross Keys' and then over the road and into Amelies for a truly delicious 3 course meal.  Each course was superlative, and the desserts were exceptional. We were out by 7.30, then back on the train to Nutbourne, calling into 'The Travs' for a quick couple on our way home
 (only a couple, as we know we have responsibilities!)

 Then up at 6 the next morning, ready for an 11 hour session in a hot kitchen.  I showed Juliette the photos of Henry..... the chefs didn't seem too interested, but Juliette was.  In fact, looking at them was the highlight of a very long, hung-over day.

New belongings also arrive, and older things are put away.  I realised that I have been keeping my first ever pair of Dr Martens in the bottom of a wardrobe, all broken and dusty, because I loved them so much.  And now they have to go at 27 years old.

  Along with my also much-loved cheap boots, which have been steadily falling apart since I bought them, 3 years ago.  It is a long time since I could wear them in wet weather, and now I can't even wear them in dry (the uppers are no longer connected to the sole.)

On a more positive note, there is a hole in my life to be filled in the future, by a pair of shiny red boots.

Mr Cooper and I went on a mission to buy some wool, to knit something for Henry.
 Here is the new book I have been reading a lot lately.

When I finished the first garment, from above,  I decided to knit another to go with it,  and found a pattern in a much-loved book, one I used a great deal when my boys were small.

I thought of my Granny Beba as I sat knitting.  She had 9 grandchildren, and would often knit in the afternoons.  When she had finished the garment, usually a jumper, she would line us all up to see which one of us it would fit best.
Anyway, I found a pattern that would suit the type of wool I had left over, and started to knit.  A little intricate, bobbles were involved, and a few raised stripes.  After a while, I realised that my knitting did not look like the photo in the book, and, horror of horrors, that this was because I had not read the page numbers properly, and was knitting a completely different pattern!  Not too different from Granny Beba after all.
 Looking at my results so far, I think you could say that there will be 'room for growth'

Packing and sorting continues, as does wallpaper stripping, and hole filling.  It is not always easy to choose what to keep, or discard, and on a Saturday morning, ten days ago, whilst lifting crates of books in haste, I twisted suddenly and my back became agony. It then became a very painful weekend, producing meals being a major achievement, whilst surrounded by all the work that needed to be done, that I couldn't do!  And then, after a trip to the osteopath, clad in sensible knickers and a sports bra, I found that I wasn't able to go to work that week, either. ( I did wear outdoor clothes for the trip to and from Mr Butterworth, in case you have a disturbing image in your head of me limping round Southsea in my underwear.....) http://osteopathicsolutions.com/

And sadly, no work for me means no money,  double sorrow.
 It also meant being under 'house arrest', triple sorrow!
But now, the clouds are lifting.  I am able to dress myself once again, and work is beckoning.
Here is the windowsill art from the last time I was at work, nearly 2 weeks ago.

A crouchy, sniffy be-ribboned animal.  Hints of a cat in there somewhere?
I think a glimpse of the plunger provides a 'grounding' element to the composition.


One the plus side, Mr Cooper and I have caught up on a whole lot of recorded TV....... and I have re-discovered how lovely it is to knit in the evenings.  And also how amazing it is to find out the next morning that you have 63 instead of 65 stitches on the needle, and the pattern is a little awry........perhaps best not to knit, and watch a complicated film, and drink Shiraz.

And just before I depart, to catch up with a little more knitting, here is a painting that would like a good home.

  You will have seen the early stages of it in past blogs.  Here is a memory jogger of it in the planning stages.

 Would suit a cheery kitchen!

Which reminds me, I must hasten towards my own cheery kitchen to transform a bag of kale into a delicious, nutritious feast, for when Mr Cooper returns from yoga.
I hope you have a week ahead of delicious feasts and treats, and I hope to be with you all again in around a week's time.
Till then, have fun, but avoid lifting and twisting at the same time. I wish I had.............