Swine and dine

A while ago I went to jewellery school and I made a friend there. We decided that we needed to set up a crafting group as so few of our day to day acquaintances were into crafting and we wanted to have a monthly get together so we'd be inspired and bounce around ideas. I'd not long fallen into the world of blogging and I was desperate to have some buddies to craft with. We decided to set up our own group called Swine Club as we intended to sew and drink wine. SEWine Club

The inaugural Swine Club was at my house and was a huge success, there were about 15 of us and no one got anything done as we were all so excited to see what everyone else was doing. The numbers quickly dropped to six as is the norm with any new group but we were rather pleased as we realised that we had a special thing going on and we didn't want to mess with it nor dilute it nor change the dynamic. The monthly gatherings became fortnightly and we frequently have an interim Swine if one of us can't make it but feels they need a Swine session. It's very special. It does me good.

I had the Swine Girls over last night. It was fun as usual, we laughed a lot and had a lovely time. I cooked a fish pie and we sank a bottle of prosecco that Princess brought with her as it was one of the girl's birthday.  I feel a bit shabby today that's for sure.

I'm just going to have a little think about what nicknames I'll give the Swine Girls. Ok, thought of a few, now I can introduce you to Pookamook which was her nick name already, she is the friend I made at jewellery school. Jasmine, as she looks like the heroine from Disney's Aladdin. Bubble, because she's as funny and scatty yet intelligent like the Absolutely Fabulous character. Bambi because she is doe eyed with the most gorgeous laugh, she's going to hate that nick name. Last but not least, Princess, who you have already met.

So the girls came over last night and it reminded me I hadn't shared the photographs I took at our last Swine Club gathering before Christmas. I'm quite pleased that I am sharing this with you today in the middle of January as I am still missing Christmas to the point that I have put up three more sets of fairy lights in my kitchen to try to bring back some of the magic I felt this year.

Pookamook, Bubble and Jasmine

Princess, Bambi, Pookamook

Swine dog, Bea

The only photo of me!

Thai prawn curry from Nigella Express

Christmas Swine was wonderful. I enjoyed cooking a Thai prawn curry, I enjoyed making my secret Santa gift, I loved jazzing up the dining room and digging out my gold rimmed glasses that I bought for a song at the local auction room. I had fun tinkering about to make things lovely. 

I'm still a bit odd in the head if I'm honest, still not quite found my way back to normal yet. The anti depressants are working well and I feel pretty good but I can't cope with crowds at all, I'm spooked by strangers at gatherings, I'm scared of going out somewhere unfamiliar with out Mr C. I went to WI last Tuesday and I forced myself to enter alone even though I could feel the tears prickling behind my eyes. I'm not quite myself so I am getting much more comfort out of my home than ever before. I loved entertaining my Swine Girls as we are like therapy for each other. There's a wonderful dynamic amongst us. The girls have all led such diverse and amazing lives, there's probably very little that life can throw at a person that one of us hasn't experienced from the good to the most awful. One of us left home aged 16 and put themselves through law school whilst living at the YMCA. One of us is a young widow.  One of us built up a business and sold it on and doesn't really need to earn a lot now, two of us are foster carers, two of us are  career girls, one of us made the hats for the drama series House of Elliot, one of us longs for a baby but the baby wont come, one of us is very poorly, one of us has a brother with the same condition Big has (such a comfort to hear great stories about him), two of us can speak several languages....I'll stop there as I've noticed that most of these revelations are not about me as I have lived a wholly unremarkable life......! A valuable life, but little to report, which could be seen as a good thing.

We all gave each other hand made secret Santa gifts that were totally appropriate for the recipient. We were all thrilled to bits with our gifts.

Jasmine received this amazing bag from Bubble

I received this stupendous bag made by Jasmine who has only just learnt to sew

Princess received an oil cloth peg bag and fudge from Bambi

Bambi received a crochet hook roll from Pookamook

I gave Pookamook the jar cosies I showed you the other day.
Don't you think Pooks looks like Adele the singer?

Princess gave Bubble a knitted dahlia corsage, hard to see here as it's a
gorgeous aubergine colour

In other news, my pink hair washed out far too quickly so I didn't get any decent photographs. These iPhone pics will have to do.

Been mucking about with my iPhone apps

I had my skull x ray on Tuesday evening. They were so efficient I didn't even have time to get my knitting out. I parked up at 6.25pm and was back in my car by 6.37pm. I didn't owe anything for parking as you get the first 15 minutes for free. Never known such efficiency in the NHS. I know we all moan about our health service but it is flipping good really, over all it's amazing that we get such a high level of care for free (more or less). Anyway, I have gone off on one of my tangents. I asked the Xray technician if I could have a good look at my Xray. I'm a bit weird in that I love anything like that, I even have my long deceased cats Xrays from when she was knocked over by a car. I should have been in the medical profession properly. I used to be a medical rep in days of old and I loved the clinical side of it all. I was obsessed by clinical papers and trials to do with the drugs I was peddling. I was so interested in all the patient case studies these Doctors were trialling my drug in, I used to get really involved, they never divulged personal details but they'd tell me what they though was going on with patient x. I loved that side of it. There was a time when I really felt I should work out a way of retraining to become a Doctor. I would have loved to have been an orthopaedic surgeon. But several things stopped me. I was a bit too old to embark on a 15 year retraining program and I had a mortgage and, this is key, I didn't quite have the brain power to do it either. Maybe next time!! Ha! Oh gosh, gone off piste again.....

.....so I had a good stare at the Xray of my skull, I wish I'd taken a photo of it now. It was amazing. All the stuff you can see! I have HOOOOOOGE sinus cavities. That explains my neolithic brow (there's a story behind that description I'll share one day, quite insulting and hilarious at the same time). Pearl earrings show up very well. My chin isn't just a fleshy architectural feature but has a big old bone in it. My brain didn't really show up, it looked like a big vacuous space to me. (No silly jokes thank you very much Mr C, I know you are reading this). There is an obvious mass in my skull bone. It sort of looks like a fried egg attached to and growing out of the skull where my lump is. It's a white coloured mass and I *think* that's a good thing. I've googled bone tumours and they appear as dark grey so I'm hoping this is a nice bump to have. I think we should name my bump. What shall I name it? Actually, lets have a laugh with this and leave your name suggestion below and I'll do that random number generator thing.

Right it's late and I haven't done half the things I was planning this evening as Bubble arrived unexpectedly and stayed for supper. It was really really lovely. I hardly ever have friends just drop by unexpectedly as we live out in the sticks up a spooky country lane.

Night night,

xxx

ps. Am silently laughing so that I don't wake up the sleeping beauties of the house but spell check wants to change Pookamook to pock mark and it's tickled me! I must be tired.