Blog post Draft Two, because the Stoic Spouse read Draft One and pronounced it inadequate. He also objected to the fact that I abbreviated him to SS in my hand-scrawled jottings for this post, which is fair enough because he really isn’t a Nazi.
But surely I’m allowed the occasional abbreviation? And I’m less extreme than the teen twinnage* who send me messages littered with NVM and TYSM and PLZ.** Sometimes I ask them what they do with all the free time they gain by not typing any vowels whatsoever, but they don’t really have an answer. I’m thinking of starting a Vowel Movement in protest. That said, my ageing brain benefits from working out these abbreviations and initialisms and acronyms, and I kinda enjoy the challenge.
Also I don’t want to be the sort of parent who disparages what young people do these days without even trying to understand or appreciate it, because I’m sure today’s kids are no less intelligent and creative than we were an embarrassment of decades ago. And boy do I feel like a hypocrite for trying to persuade the twinnage to do their homework on time, wear a coat during winter’s extremes, and generally behave themselves because, well, um…
This post could also be titled Draught Too, as we endure the eleventy-seventh day of January cold in this old converted brewery home. Prior to this chill, the rain was relentless, and by chance we found ourselves back in the nearby village where we used to live, contemplating the floods and worrying about whether our old riverside home might have been inundated. Update: actually I’ve spent so long writing this post that we’re now back to wind and torrential rain again. But yeah, we were in our old village and saw sights like this:-
Actually whilst I’m mentioning that old house, may I just show you a photo from our bedroom window from circa 2009, because HOW awesome were the icicles and the snow? But the house backed right on to the River Thames and by 2011 we had nearly-walking toddlers, so the fears were real and we had to move.
With all the rain, the cellar in our current house has probably flooded yet again, but in recent years we’ve taken a don’t-even-want-to-know approach to that particular issue, ever since I persuaded the SS (sorry, DEFINITELY-NON-NAZI STOIC SPOUSE) to go downstairs and check during a rainstorm and heard step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, step, SPLASH, AAAAARGH! These days, we prefer not to find out what’s happening down there. It’s easier that way.
As you can see, I’m hooking as fast as possible in order to bring you the crochet version of the Four Seasons Cowl. That said, the rate of hooking (and food-growing, and running, and staying on top of the laundry to any meaningful extent) has been hampered by the fact that I’m temporarily working double my usual hours in the day job (clinical psychologist) in order to try and get our waiting list down to less shameful proportions and my bank balance up to less shameful proportions. If only the two could be miraculously reversed.
So time at home with family and cats and knitting/crochet and a glass of wine beside the fire feels even more precious than usual. Oh, did I mention the cats? They’re goofy and adorable. And the mutual love between twinnage and cats melts my heart on a daily basis. Jack watches the world go by with wide-eyed confusion, and Hunter attempted to kill a spider by sitting on it. By the way, Jack and Hunter are the cats not the twinnage – just in case there’s any confusion about what I just wrote. Hunter didn’t succeed in his murderous effort, but the spider must have had the mother of all headaches as it scuttled off to hide behind my great grandfather’s sea-chest. Now there’s a sentence I never anticipated writing.
Life with cats: always nonsensical. Actually life without cats was fairly nonsensical, too. Oh dear, I fear I’m the common factor here…
.* Oh how very recently I was calling them the Toddler Twinnage. Far too soon they’ll be the Twenty-Something Twinnage, then the Teetering-On-The-Edge-Of-Midlife Twinnage.
** Translations: Never mind. Thank you so much. Please. Gosh, now I think about it, maybe my sons do have some manners after all, albeit abbreviated ones. That last sentence was a reflection, by the way, not another acronym.
Kim Miller says
You’re the funniest. I also have a cellar I try to avoid in heavy rain. I try to keep up, then give up and go to bed and don’t want to open the door the next morning.
The Twisted Yarn says
Yeah, I’m completely with you on the cellar-avoidance. But may the rest of your home remain blissfully dry. And thank you for your sweet comment.
Tineke says
Terrible, is it, the flooding? I live in the bathtub opposite your country. It is high water for over a month now, I am on a dyke, and the water in the cellar is 20 cm deep now. My neighbours down are in a much dire situation. Believe in your twinnage, my boys turned out fine, and the circumstances involved in their growing up were far different from what I preferred. Life can be different than expected, yet I love being their mom. If it weren’t for the floof running around my home I would lost my sanity, without SS involved.
The Twisted Yarn says
Hi Tineke, and thank you so much for such encouraging words. But yikes to the flooding that you’re experiencing too. Thank goodness, as you say, for floof.
Sharon says
There’s a village in Hampshire, Hambledon, where all the older houses have ‘cellars’.
The ‘cellars’ are for seasonal storage. When it rains on the Downs in the winter, the waters percolate through, down into Hambledon, where they rise into the temporary storage provided by the ‘cellars’ in the older houses.
Incomers only store stuff in their ‘cellars’ for the first early winter. Though with Climate Change due to Global Warming, maybe the ‘cellars’ will become summer storage too!
The Twisted Yarn says
Yikes, that’s not a mistake you’d make twice! But yes, sadly climate change may yet change things. Sigh…
Carolyn wood says
Gosh bad flooding! Hope you are all ok. Meanwhile we are sweltering in 32 degrees in nz!
The Twisted Yarn says
Gosh, extremes everywhere! Please try not to melt in that heat.
Janice says
TYSM for the chuckles !! I must read your posts immediately, regardless of my schedule.
The Twisted Yarn says
Aww, thank you. I want to write YVW (you’re very welcome), but I don’t think that’s a recognised acronym.
Mary says
Stay dry! Love the cats, especially since they’re black. Was 11f in Atlanta, Ga , US the other morning. That’s considered very South. 11f is like 12C. Cold!
Take care.
From not so warm Jacksonville, Fl.
Joanne says
Thanks for this. Made me smile on a damp, gloomy day in the Interior of British Columbia. Love the cats!!
The Twisted Yarn says
You’re welcome, but there was me assuming that in BC you’d be enjoying beautiful snowy days! (I love the cats too.)
Dawn says
One of my twins is severely dyslexic. As a teenager keen to do the whole text speak thing, plus no idea of spelling plus reversed letters it stimulated my aged brain. Fortunately for my even more aged brain (they’re now in their 30s – and yes it happens all too quickly) predictive text has improved things somewhat.
The Twisted Yarn says
Yikes, that’s possibly even more stimulation than my ol’ brain could cope with!
Barbara Stafford says
I’m always delighted to see an email announcing a new blog post from you. You have a fascinating life and are admirably accomplished, keeping so many balls in the air at once. Also, I learned something about the weather in England that had not been reported here Florida—epic flooding! But don’t picture Florida with the stereotypical sunny skies lately. We’ve had an unseasonable amount of chilly, gloomy weather too. But at least it’s not freezing or flooding. Oh, and your cats are gorgeous. BTW, (by the way) my son just sent me pictures of his cats lounging imperially in the potted plants. Apparently a favorite spot for cats.
The Twisted Yarn says
You’ve over-estimated me by a country mile but THANK YOU for your kind words. Yeah, it’s soggy here, properly soggy. I dream of snow but instead we have rain. But what’s this madness of which you speak: chilly and gloomy in Florida?! It cannot be! You’re challenging all my narrow preconceptions!
(Might be biased but yup, I think my cats are gorgeous, too. Very glad you’ve raised a cat-lover and that he sends you evidence to prove it.)
Teresa in Michigan says
Draft 2 is a reflective and goofy as ever. Our knee deep snow ( it’s easier than trying to convert 12 inches to centimeters) will turn to ice for several days and then melt into a soggy, mud caked mess for an eternity. I guess it beats the recent blizzard and unending days of snow. Somehow my recent yarn order from the UK didn’t take any longer to arrive than a recent one from 2 states over. Puzzle that one out.
I’m afraid our teens are going to forget vowels, sentence structure and handwriting. I shudder to think of what they will use that extra time for. Sadly I’m afraid it will be filled with worthless, boring selfies with views of open nostrils and partial faces.
Anxiously waiting for spring and gardening. Please keep hooking and making us smile.
The Twisted Yarn says
As is the case every single time, I love your comment. Thank you. If the snow is starting to annoy you – and I take your point about it descending into muddy slush – please feel free to parcel up a large portion of the stuff and send it to me here in the UK. I do miss snow.
And you’re right, handwriting is another thing that’s fallen by the wayside. The pace of change is so fast and the effects of the pandemic haven’t helped our young people. Who’d want to be a teen right now?
May both spring and the opportunity to garden arrive in Michigan sooner than expected.
Teresa says
I can’t convince Fed-Ex that they need to ship it overnight for free.
Maria says
Weather like we’ve had recently makes me realise that there are advantages to living in a second floor flat in a building on a hill. It has its drawbacks too though, as I learned in February 2022 when Storm Eunice blew off part of my roof. I had seven weeks in temporary accommodation and eighteen months living with scaffolding before it was finally repaired.
The Twisted Yarn says
Oh my goodness, YIKES to the unanticipated roof removal! That sounds pretty grim. But yes, you’re reassuringly safe from the risk of flooding at least. Small mercies…
Booplebum says
I think I may have overdone it on TikTok, I read this and automatically looked for the ‘like’ button! 😁
I love your fire cats, that would make a lovely picture (not so keen on your uncanny firedog!). There certainly is a lot of everything around for the time of year – too much of the stuff. Each dog walk is becoming more & more of an assault course, my pup is enjoying the challenge though!
The Twisted Yarn says
Yeah, I can well imagine that pup loves it whilst you’re trying not to be blown all over the place by the elements. And you’re right: there’s a lot of everything, too much of everything in fact. Please can we have some meteorological boredom??
Glenda says
Love your posts. Love the knitted cowl, don’t need the crochet pattern but perhaps I should challenge my senior brain (68 yrs) & do more than use the crochet hook for a provisional cast on! The cats are beauties even though a couple of different little black cats have made my big Calico’s life miserable over the last year. My cat Zulu was dominated by one & dominated the other. We’re in BC, Canada now & building our retirement small home. With crazy building regulations here we’re house less for far longer than we expected!
The Twisted Yarn says
Well thank you, seriously. And whilst I’m not trying to bully you into using my own pattern, please never stop challenging your brain, ever. Oh yikes to your kitty bullies. May things settle down soon. And may your home be completed pronto. (Having once travelled through BC, I’m of the opinion that you live in heaven.)
Glenda says
I wish I still lived in England so we could meet for a cuppa (Joe, for me). So sorry you’re having to deal with the British weather. Here in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California, the higher elevations are dealing with another Snowmageddon, while the lower elevations are dealing with flooding and mudslides. On the bright side, can’t wait to see the crochet version of your cowl!
The Twisted Yarn says
Aww, that’d be lovely (the meet-up). Pity about the several thousand mile distance…
Not sure whether you’re living in the higher or the lower elevations, but I can’t help hoping that you’re high enough to enjoy the beauty of snowmageddon, but that you don’t need to urgently drive anywhere soon.
Nicola Newington says
You weren’t kidding about the excess of water. Here in my little corner of Canada, we’ve had Temps down to -29 and a boatload of snow. It was a short dip and now we are back up around zero and getting some melting, at least on the roads. I’m sure you’re safe from the Canada geese. I’ve lived here for 30 years now and have never been attacked by one!!! I am getting an inkling of what you have been through the last couple of years as dh was diagnosed with throat cancer just before Christmas and has started 7 weeks of nastiness in the form of chemo and radiation. Stressful times, for sure. xx
The Twisted Yarn says
Oh gosh Nicola, I’m SO sorry that your husband (and of course you) are dealing with that. I hope that he’s getting the very very very best medical care and that his prognosis is good. Always happy to chatter if you need to. It’s not an easy process. May he not suffer too much from the brutalities of treatment. Stupid bloody cancer…
But goodness, you Canadians really know how to do temperature! I hope that you (and of course your husband) are at least able to get to where you need to go. I loved Canada when I worked there for three months because it’s awesome and beautiful and interesting and you have PROPER seasons, but maybe you’re not enjoying those proper seasons right now.
Please stay warm. And safe. And please may your husband be fine long-term. And please continue making YouTube videos.
Elizabeth says
Always nice to find you in my in-box — I know I’m in for a delightful wee treat. Heavy rain snd flooding here in SoCal too — though nothing like what your pictures show you’re getting. Still, for us, it’s a pretty big deal. My first thought when I saw that first picture of your two kitties was of the Siamese cats from Lady & The Tramp. Now I have a Peggy Lee earworm looping around in my brain. Drats! Your cowls are just beautiful, coming along very nicely indeed. The colors are lovely. Being a parent is such a state of push me-pull you. Hurry up and grow up, and why can’t they stay little forever. Sometimes I look at my daughter (who refers to me as “the maternal unit” BTW — the cheek) and wonder how all those years flew by so very fast. I am grateful for her, and the grace and light she brings to my life. But I miss those little toddler feet and hands. They were so gosh-darn cute! Best wishes to you, the indominable SS, and the delightful Twinage (or should that be the other way around?).
Lindsey says
My daughter used to refer to us as ‘the rents’ instead of parents.
The Twisted Yarn says
Oh Lindsey, I couldn’t help but smile! I’m sure my sons would do the same if they thought of it.
The Twisted Yarn says
Hi Elizabeth. You have no idea how much I smiled at every word of your comment. Thank you. “Maternal unit”?! Pesky blighters, our kids… It’s a good thing we love them.
I hope the rain in SoCal isn’t anything too madly crazy. And may your family bring you nothing but joy.
DM says
Lovely bright colours.
The Twisted Yarn says
Thank you.