Craft - a new project bag

Oh dear.  I seem to have made plans to start another blanket - the Stylecraft Lily Pond crochet-a-long. In the helpful 'getting ready' instructions we're told that we really must have a project bag to keep everything in - so it was very lucky that I saw this beauty when I was shopping today.

I love these Orla Keily bags from Tesco (and I must have bought around 15 of them over several years and they're all still in good condition and in use). They are cheap (around £4) sturdy, a brilliant size for shopping / carting around sports stuff / beach use / craft projects, and most importantly of all they are very beautiful. My lovely bag is now getting slowly filled with the yarn I'll be using (Stylecraft Special)  - the CAL starts in a couple of weeks and I already have most of the colours, but I may need to do a spot of yarn buying ...

Read - Elizabeth is missing (#4/52)

The best description I've seen of Elizabeth is missing by Emma Healey is 'unsettling'. Not because of the mystery surrounding the missing Elizabeth, or the mystery of the disappearance of Sukey, sister of Maud (the main character), but because of the way the author imagines how it is to live with dementia and have fluctuating memory capacity. Maud is an extremely sympathetic character but at the same time is infuriating, spiteful and tiresome, especially for her loving but long-suffering daughter. Dementia as depicted in this novel - and who knows how realistic it is - is a truly terrible illness.

I think this is definitely a book worth reading and it would be good for a book group (although it's not on either of my book club lists currently - I need to crack on with books I'm actually supposed to be reading).

Cook - roasted cauliflower soup

Cooking! Haven't done anything apart from day-to-day sustenance for a while and excitement has been sadly lacking.  Today I decided to do something with a cauliflower which has been sitting in my fridge for some time.

I roasted it with a splash of garlic oil for about half an hour. Then I softened an onion in butter on the hob, chopped up a parsnip and a couple of small potatoes and stirred those in.  After letting it all sweat gently for 10 minutes or so I added the cauliflower and enough stock to cover (I used chicken, vegetable would be fine).  Simmered for about 20 minutes until everything was soft, then blended and added seasoning and milk to get the right consistency and flavour.  Simple and tasty - lunch is sorted for the next few days.

Run - last long run

21 miles done! The last long run of my marathon plan is out the way - now it's just a gentle taper till the 12th April.

We ran along the canal again - this is the midway point, looking deceptively cloudy although the majority of the run took place in lovely sunny (but not too hot) weather.  Really relieved to have got this done - just hoping taper madness doesn't strike too hard over the next 3 weeks.

Craft - listed wallpaper

A sneaky night away with some good friends mainly involved eating too much, chatting a lot and doing little else. The hotel was an oddity, tucked away in the middle of a housing estate in Surrey (presumably built on the former grounds of the house). This website has more details about the history of the hotel than the official website, including a mention of the amazing bonkers wallpaper, which is apparently listed,  covering all of entrance hall and gallery.

I love it - another inspirational pattern to add to the collection.

Run - second day of spring

Another day, another run. 9 miles in the morning, reasonable weather, ok pace. Just counting down the days now really (with one very big run to go - hopefully on Monday).

Spring isn't really springing quite yet in the local countryside, although a bit further on there was a lot more greenery.  I do love these browns - the browns of spring feel fresher than those in autumn, maybe it's the different light? Or maybe the earth is ploughed differently? Whatever the reason, pondering this sort of thing is a great distraction while running.

Run - first day of spring

I had high hopes for a lovely medium-long run this afternoon, in the countryside with the sun shining.  Instead I got to squeeze in a short run round the roads in the dark. Oh well - at least I still managed to see a few daffodils.