Excuse Me Darling..I Never Promised You A Herb Garden

94.Create a herb garden (inside or out)..COMPLETED.

I'm at odds as to whether this task is actually completed or not. The herb pack was purchased and the seeds have been planted. So, now I'm just waiting for them to sprout. I guess my part of the task is completed, I've just got to wait for nature to do it's bit. Looking forward to tufts of coriander, basil and chives appearing although as an uneducated foodie I'm not sure what to do with them thereafter..ah well!

Give A Toss!

58. Make pancakes on Pancake Day...COMPLETED
Tuesday the 5th of Februaury was 'Shrove Tuesday', the name of which comes from the shriving (confessing) that Anglo-Saxon Christians were expected to do prior to receiving absolution immediately before Lent. We, of course more commonly know this day as 'Pancake Day'. The reason that pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent is that the 40 days of Lent form a period of liturgical fasting, during which only the plainest foodstuffs may be eaten. Therefore, rich ingredients such as eggs, milk, and sugar are disposed of immediately prior to the onset of the fast. Pancakes and doughnuts were seen as an efficient way of using up these perishable goods, besides providing a minor celebratory feast prior to the fast itself .

So, the other half and I made some pancakes but didn't commit to the Lent idea..we like our food too much!!

Sock It To 'Em

76. Knit 20 pairs of socks...IN PROGRESS 3/20

I only began knitting socks a few months ago and knitted myself a few pairs. Thinking once I had mastered my DPN's I would then abandon this method of knitting then forget it totally I have vowed to knit at least 20 pairs in the 1001 days to keep my hand in (or should that be 'keep my toes in'?). I am still only knitting the basic sock pattern but using the self patterning 4ply Opal wool makes the finished item more interesting and people are often misled into thinking I have mastered the art of Fair Isle. I do correct them but at the mention of self patterning wool non-knitters seem to think I'm joking..ahh well let them continue to think I'm gifted..why argue?

After many kind comments on my hand knit socks I have toyed with the idea of selling them and have been playing around with my own label...Littlelou Knits.

Nobody Puts Baby In The Corner

95. Send 3 people a gift for no reason...COMPLETED
(When I state 'for no reason', I mean other than Birthday/Christmas or anniversaries)
For Christmas I got a talking keychain called "Dirty Dancing In My Pocket" which upon the push of a button gave out memorable quotes from my favourite chick flick of all time. The mere sound of "Nobody put's baby in the corner" sent me back to memories of me as a 12 year old swooning over Patrick Swayze's butt. My friend and former flatmate Fiona is also a dedicated DD fan and I was desperate for her to wow at my keychain with me but she lives in Hampshire and we only see each other about once a year these days. Anyway..my desperation for Fiona to share in this devices brillance led me to buy another and send it to her. SHE LOVED IT!

My next gift was to a friend Kim in North Carolina who expressed awe at my sock knitting and said she must try. I gave her no excuse to back out of this statement and sent her a fab book with all sorts of sock patterns.

Finally to my new penpal Elizabeth from Indiana I sent a Scotland calendar with lots of beautiful scenic views for throughout the year.

Television :Drug Of A Nation

15. 48 hrs without TV, ouch...COMPLETED If you know me you will no this is no mean feat. I am a self-confessed telly addict watching at least 8 hours of the 'goggle-box' a day. My addiction probably stemmed from long periods off school convalescing after back surgery or reoccurring chest infections. TV kept me company as my mum busied herself around the house during the day and at night when insomnia set in. Television is a social thing too, childhood memories of the family all sitting to watch 'The Muppet Show' or 'Gladiators' is warming. The current reality show trend with the likes of 'X-Factor', 'I'm A Celebrity..' and 'Big Brother are the shows we all love to hate but all seem to talk about.I studied TV Production for a while at college and earned pocket money as a TV extra..even my dream last night was of Mr John Logie-Baird's invention.Anyhoo, I went without TV for 48 hours...gotta go Coronation Street's starting...

99.Have 10 items done in 6 months..COMPLETED
Nice one..now that makes 11 completed items..only 90 to go.

Words On Words

20.Read & list 50 books.... IN PROGRESS 5/50
'The Friday Night Knitting Club' by Kate Jacobs is one of the many books I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. As a single mum in her late 30s, Georgia Walker has her hands full juggling the demands of running the Walker & Daughter knitting store with the challenges of raising her lively teen daughter, Dakota. Georgia’s regular customers gather once a week to work on their latest projects and chat – and occasionally clash – about love, life, and everything else. The members of the Friday Night Knitting Club are as varied as the skeins of yarn. And when the unthinkable happens, all of Georgia’s customers are forced to realize they’ve created not just a knitting club, but a sisterhood. Yes..its a chick book, very Americanised (is that a word?) and my enthusiasm for the characters hit peaks and troughs but not a bad read all in all. Think 'Steel Magnolias' in a knitting shop and only read if that's your kinda thing. I still prefer factual books to novels these days though.

Which leads me on to the second book...Between the Lines/My Story Uncut By Jason Donovan. His biography is a brave effort I feel not just because it is self penned (let's just say he is perhaps not a natural author) but because it does come across as very honest and heartfelt. Rather than just blah blahing on about his career as many of these C list celeb bios do, he has given the reader not just the behind the scenes view but a candid account of his innermost feelings at the various stages of his life. He makes no apology for his cocaine addicted days but nor does he condone it but merely explains it as it was at that time. It was a quick read but I did enjoy it having been a 12 yr old at the height of the 'Charlene & Scott' popularity he shared with his then real-life girlfriend Kylie Minogue.

4.Get a cheesy celeb autograph...COMPLETED
Although I did not get receive this from Jason Donovan in the flesh...my other half ordered me the signed copy of the aforementioned biography so I am counting this item as done!!

New Recruit

98.Recruit a new lister to 101 ...COMPLETED
My new fellow 101 lister is an online friend and New Zealand resident David Paterson. We have kept in touch via email for over a year now after I read of his ambition to walk from London to Ediburgh to raise money and awareness for the British Heart Foundation. David is a 66yr old native Scot who a few years back underwent a heart bypass and has since been trying to make his 'Walk of Hope' plans come true. Please take the time to look over David's blog.

Another online aquaintance is fellow knitter Andy B. He intially expressed some enthusiasm in making his own 101 list. I hope he still goes on to do so as his blog is beautifully written with warm words and often comical observations of his new homeland Amsterdam.