Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Holmfirth, Rowan and not being able to sleep

Hello sweet bloggers. It is 1am here and I cannot get to sleep. So I have come downstairs to spend some quality time in Blogland. This post might be a little all over the place due to me being half zombified. I am not so well and I went to bed early to try and sleep it off but little man woke up coughing and so that was the end of my sweet dreams. I am not very good at the sleep thing. I am a very light sleeper and then once I get woken up I find it very difficult to get back off again. This might be a bit of a wordy post which is unusual for me as I'm not so good at wordy posts. I much prefer to let the picture tell the tale but I haven't got many to show so I am going to have to rely on my ever decreasing, since having babies, vocabulary.

Yes so I am a light sleeper. I think perhaps a glass of red wine might do the trick but I'm not allowed it. You see, since many moons ago I have been on an eating plan called Slimming World. I can't knock this plan. It is one of the most flexible eating plans I know. Unlimited food, healthy extras and then some more treats like chocolate, cake, wine or whatever is calling to you. 4 years ago I lost over 3 stone on it in 7 months. However, recently, the weight seems to not want to move and has been shifting but ever so slowly. In the last 10 weeks I have lost 8lbs which is very slow - just under a pound a week. I am figuring that my body is so used to this plan that it is no shock to my system and is taking a helluva time to go away. However, I HAVE to remain positive. It is going, albeit slowly, in the right direction and I just have to stick with it. A little bit of excercise wouldn't go amiss either :-( not so good at that one. So, hence the reason I can't have that extra glass of wine to send me sweetly to sleep. Perhaps I should do a proper post of all the lovely food I get to eat on this plan. I have spent a long time adapting recipes and really there is nothing I miss. I get to eat chips and pizza, chilli, rice, pasta and bolognaise. I even have a recipe for ice cream. Now I am speaking UNLIMITED here. Yes I think I should do a foodie post. Not now though. I have other news to tell.

Today, well, yesterday now, I met up with the lovely Lisa in Holmfirth. Now stupid eejit that I am took my camera but didn't take any photographs! So I guess that means I will have to take another trip over just to show you all some lovely pics of this gorgeously sweet little town. Oh what a hardship. You knwo I can't believe I have left it so long to take my self there as it is only 25 (if that) mins away. So I will do my best to give you a little decription of my journey. The journey takes you through the hilly areas of the High Peak in the Peak District in Derbyshire. It is very rural, rugged and beautifully stunning. There are farm animals dotted from field to field and reserviors starting to finally fill up again. After 25 mins of this scenic driving, you come into a quaint little town called Holmfirth. Yes, please click on the link then you will get to see some pictures. Pictures really do speak a thousand words don't they? So, I finally arrived and eventually found the Rowan shop and Lisa was waiting inside for me. The shop is fantastic and I will have to go back as there is so much in there to see. The lady was extremely helpful as well. It was great to meet another stitching blogger and after I took ages choosing the yarn for my next project, we had a short mooch around the cute shops and then went for a coffee, or in my case it was a camomile tea as my tum was feeling slightly off. We had our own little show and tell and I was wowed by Lisa's newest finish which was stitched on 40ct. Her Lizzie Kate Christmas ABC. You really need to go check it out. Her HAED was stunning too. I loved the bright colours. Lisa then surprised me by gifting me with this chart off my wishlist!

rak from Lisa

I taught her a little bit of crochet and showed her how to hold the yarn which she said REALLY helped. Hmmmm... maybe another crochet convert?? I'm holding out for you hun!

After that we headed off home where I got to drool over my yarn purchase. So would you like the see what I got??

Rown pure wool dk

I wanted to go for the Autumn look to go with the warm, red living room. Do you think it will work?? Well, I started some circles in squares and I did a few tonight before I started to get very, very uncomfortable.

new circles in squares

I have come down with a really sore, stiff neck and a sore throat. Lisa, I hope you are okay and haven't come down with anything. So that was when I decided an early night was in order and I headed off uptairs with a hot choc and some inspirational, Joyce Meyer words. Off I drifted. Ever so slowly. Then...... cough cough cough. Little man wakes up and here I am wide awake.

There. I think I have got it all out of my system now and perhaps, just maybe, I'll trot off upstairs and go stright to dreamyland.

Or should I do just one more row of my ripple???

Thanks for listening to my ramblings dear friends. xxx

26 comments:

Margaret said...

I'm exactly the same way sleepwise, so I sympathize enormously. Hope you get/got to sleep eventually. Such a bummer! Love your yarn purchase! Oh Rowan is such a temptation for me all the time! Nice that you got to get together with Lisa too! Hope you and the little man are both feeling better soon!

Gillie said...

It's 9:30 pm here and I am off to bed, do hope you got to sleep, and feel better. Since the WT has been away (ten days) I have slept so badly so you have my sympathy, Hazel! Gorgeous wool and sounds like a lovely day out!

Unknown said...

You sound like me. Last night I couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning all night. Then I got a sinus headache that made me sick to my stomach. UGH...

I'm tired now. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep tonight after I do some stitching.

<3

Lesleyanne said...

I hope you feel better soon. Sounds like you had a lovely day with Lisa.

Annemarie said...

Oh dearie, I do feel sorry for you and I hope you went straight back to bed and to sleep!
Your yarn is deeeeelish! I just discovered a *great* yarn shop and it's only ten minutes away and they sell Rowan too (doesn't happen much here). I got the Purelife Revive. Yum!

That's quite a diet you're following, although... I don't think I could hold out as long as you. I would most definitely had that glass of wine and maybe another one :o)

Now I'm going back to your post and click all the links you provided. Your place of the world sounds like absolute heaven to me.

Take care Hazel and a great big cyber hug to you.

Cristina said...

I wish you both getting better very soon and I love the colours you chose.

Chris said...

Hi Hazel
I wake at 5 every day and get up and mooch and surf and cross stitch!
Love the yarn hope your day is a good one!
Blessings

Chris x

rockinloubylou said...

Poor you. sounds like you are coming down with something yucky. Your yarn is wonderful. There's a rowan stockist a nice scenic drive away from here and I am seriously considering a visit...
PS the diet I find works miracles is Zoe Harcombe. You don't eat fat and carbs together (or within 4 hours of each other) and fat means anything with a face (meat/fish) or from anything with a face (eggs) so have fat meals or carb meals with salad/veggies. you really don't feel hungry. I have to embark on it again now as went off it for months but it works wonders, and works quickly, and you don't feel hungry. And i'm not on commission!

Christine said...

Hope you managed to get back to sleep OK.
Love the colours of your new wool

sylviesgarden said...

I hope that you feel much, much better soon. I'm a terrible sleeper too so I know how you feel.
The wool looks lovely, fab colours.
x

Lindsay said...

Love the Rowan shop there and have been myself a few times. Did you know that the Knitting and Crochet guild are also based in Holmfirth and you can visit them as well??

Shari said...

praying you were able to get right back to sleep Hazel...I know exactly what you mean about being a light sleeper. I think once a mom, that is the case for most of us.
Your new yarns are beautiful! Hey, you can come & re teach me how to crochet!!! I can do it, but it has been years!!!!

Siobhán said...

Blergh. I can SO relate to the sleeping problems! I am the exact same way. I woke up at 4 am this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I've tried blog commenting when I was up in the middle of the night but could never have managed a blog post!

It sounds like you had a fantastic time with Lisa! Love your yarn purchases.

cathymk said...

Love your wool purchase Hazel! Lovely colours - you are inspiring a trip down to my local yarn store on my next day off!

Julie said...

Super colours for the new throw

Sorry to read you are not feeling so good, hope you woke this morning feeling much brighter and little man is soon over his cough too.

manda's challenges :) said...

Oooh my sister in law attends Slimming world and she has done extremely well, off course she too has the odd mishap and she too has got into a state of her believing her body is now used to it, your trip sounds delightful and rowen wool ay very fancy drool ..... hope you feel better soon i've got the dreaded autumn cold too boo hoo :(

Catherine said...

I do hope that you were able to get some sleep and are feeling better too!

Sounds like a lovely time with your friend and those yarns are beautiful!!

Unknown said...

I so understand your sleep issues, like you I'm a light sleeper and even when you are poorly it's hard to get the sleep you need. I hope you've managed to catch up a bit. Your tales of Holmfirth took me back. I used to live there in 1980 I bought my first home there, a stone cottage up behind the church, wish i still owned it....perfect little holiday home, but I didn't have the finances and I needed to move back here to Wiltshire.Must make another trip sometime. Do take care, hope you are feeling better.

Anonymous said...

I hope you managed to get a bit more sleep after posting this. My sleep patterns have been a bit disturbed lately so I feel your pain - it's horrible not to get a decent night's sleep!

Love your new yarn, pretty colours!

Jackie's Stitches said...

I hope you feel better soon. I generally sleep very well but sometimes have periods of time where I wake up and can't go back to sleep. Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often.

Love the Rowan yarn!

Just-Do said...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, sleeping problems. Usually I am lying awake thinking of all the projects I could start, all the things I want to make and all the money problems I would have if I actually got to do all those things! So happy thoughts followed by some less happier ones. Hope you will sleep and feel better.
I looooove the yarn you bought. Those colours have a really autumn feeling about them, just gorgeous.

Berit said...

Your yarn haul is jaw-droppipngly lovely! :o

Ah, such a week we're having--amassing a great pile of yarn and nesting on the couch with it and turning it into a blanket--maybe that's what I need. How could it be better? Well, maybe if we had a fireplace. :)

Mylene said...

Lovely colours of your new yarns. Hope you managed to get back to sleep just after your post.
I garee...for me, red wine does help in going to sleep especially when hubby is away!

Julia said...

Hazel you poor thing, I hope you're feeling a tad better when you read this! So glad you enjoyed Holmfirth, and what beautiful shades of wool you came away with! Sure it will work wonderfully with your new red room and cant wait to see what you end up making with it.
I must admit, Im most intrigued by your Slimming World info, I too have found it hard to shift the pounds these last few months and seem not to budge no matter how hard I try to cut down. Please, please do a foodie post, I for one would be delighted to learn more!

Sending get well wishes, lots of love
Julia x x x

Louise said...

I love your new yarn Hazel! I hope you feel better soon.
I love Joyce Meyers too :)

xxLouise

Bev said...

i live in Holmfirth, and i have never been in the Rowan shop,think i will take a look in when i go to the drs on thursday, you dont see whats around you when you live in it