Not drowning, waving? No, not reading, knitting.
My Aged Care Cert III course involves an awful lot of reading, of course. Online, mainly, but we also have a massive and technical manual called Long Term Caring. What I mean is, at present I’m not reading for pleasure or relaxation or to keep up with the latest in literature. Now that the library is open for borrowing again (click and collect!) I am going through their knitting collection like the proverbial dose of salts. Look at this monster tome!
And since I mainly knit mindless stocking stitch, I often divert myself by looking at a screen. Lately, it’s been Midsomer Murders, Deadwood, Glitch (it was filmed in my home town, how come I never watched it before?), The Barchester Chronicles plus my weekday addictions, Mastermind and Antiques Roadshow. Knit, purl, knit, purl…
I also like to watch cooking shows, especially baking. Anna Olsen is my favourite because she is (1) so wonderfully deft that I think she could make a croquembouche in her sleep (2) Canadian and (3) has drawers (!) for her sugar and flour. Yes. The recipe calls for sugar and she just glides a drawer open and shovels it out. Sometimes I watch her with the sound off, for maximum soothing effect. I bet at those times my blood pressure is sublime.
As well, there are all sorts things my husband brings up on YouTube. Comedy shorts (I love Michael McIntyre), trains (ranging from the dramatic and life-endangering epic of a young man illegally riding freight trains across Mexico to a locomotive scooting along the Broadmeadows line in Melbourne), card games of many varieties and all sorts of random and interesting stuff from the whole wide world.
Which somehow brings me back to reading. I suppose I will start reading again because after all, I’ve been an avid reader for most of my life. But at present, there are fewer prompts. Now that I no longer work at a book shop, I’m not constantly exposed to the new and the tempting and the must-have. I don’t feel compelled to keep up with my well-read colleagues. My Monday night group of friends is not meeting and book group is in recess.
I guess I’m having a fallow patch. I’m just (gasp!) not interested.
And it’s OK.
I wish I was a better knitter. I have been working on a jumper for about a year (I’m up to sewing up the sleeves, so I’m nearly there). I THINK it will fit me — just. But my new project will be a blanket so I don’t need to keep track of increases and decreases, aargh.
I find knitting calms my nerves when I’m watching football, too.
Knitting is my sanity saver but as I’ve found out just recently, there’s a good thing, and then there’s too much of a good thing…
Sadly, I have overdone the sitting in the recliner and knitting away madly. As well, returning to study and not doing enough exercise have proved not the best for my back. We do have these bodies, and they do need to be looked after!