Non-knitting post

This is a non-knitting post, but please don't run away! I thought I'd better fulfil what I put in my blog subtitle (ie, include some history and books!) quick as it's been very knitting-heavy lately. Not that that's a problem really as knitting is LOVELY, but let's have something else. This week has been named the "Week of WIPs" and by the weekend I aim to have finished all my WIPs off! So at the moment they're all in progress so there will be a knitting post by the weekend.

In the meantime look at some cross stitch:



This is Hadrian's Wall from Heritage Stitchcraft which I made last year whilst recovering from depression. It's very good for that as it's relatively quick/easy to complete each little picture that makes up the whole, giving a good sense of achievement at regular intervals! Hadrian's Wall is one of my favourite places, one that featured largely in my A Levels and first degree and which one day I plan to walk along. I like the idea of walking between two coasts and the Coast to Coast path is a little long for a first proper long-distance path walk. I've done 60 mile walks before, but nothing longer. Hadrian's Wall is 84 miles which seems do-able. Being a wimp I wouldn't do it camping again as I hate lugging enormous rucksacks up hills, but I quite fancy B & Bing or youth hostelling.

What made me think of all this was a programme I saw on BBC2 on Sunday night - about the history of the Ordnance Survey. Does anybody else find maps absolutely fascinating? I love the way you can see the contours of the land on a map and the amount of work that went into the original surveying is incredible. You can also join in a competition to find the most boring grid square on a map.

And now onto books. Except there haven't been many recently as I've been too busy working! I have read, enjoyed and lent to Hazel, Zen and the art of knitting, which I highly recommend! Hazel's written a lot more about it on her blog and I don't think I could have put it better (and also can't talk about it here as this is a non-knitting post!). I finished Malorie Blackman's Knife Edge, which I didn't think was a as good as the first in the trilogy. Not quite as nail-biting and I didn't get into the characters as much. I'm awaiting the last part from the libray. At the moment I'm reading Hugh Massingberd's Daydream Believer, which was recommended to me by someone at one of last month's conferences. Quite entertaining but I'm not far enough into it to really comment yet!

Thanks to everyone who asked about the Dr yesterday! I can report that I do indeed have tonsillitis and was told to take paracetamol (!) and also some antibiotics! The waiting room was stuffed full of people, the receptionist was too busy talking to someone to even notice me arrive and I wasn't offered a cup of tea - therefore proving that Doctors is nothing like real life!

Now if I'm going to get these WIPs done by the weekend I'd better go and get on with them...