Wednesday 18 July 2018

Housekeeping: in the Home and on the Blog

Mid-July.
Winter.
School holidays.
Tour de France on TV.
(Is anyone participating in the 'Tour de Fleece' activity? Not me.)

I am sitting in a house full of boxes and being subjected to paint fumes while my home is being painted inside and out for the first time since it was built 21 years ago.
Happy 21st Birthday home!



Yes, another excuse for too long between blog posts but the job needed to be done. The winter school holiday break is the time to do it when I have extra hands at home and it is not too hot. 

I used to love the summer and one would expect summer to be the time for getting paint dry quickly but I cannot tolerate physical exertion in the hot summer months any more. The metabolism protests. (Annoying autoimmune problems!)

Housekeeping in the Home

We managed the painting job by packing up half the house and shifting as much as possible into the other half. When the first half was painted we reversed it so it has been an exhausting business of packing and unpacking. Like moving house without going anywhere.  The planning, organising and coordination of all the family members while maintaining a functioning household was mentally exhausting too.

Inevitably my health has suffered (and is still suffering) but the main thing is we survived without any ambulance calls or hospital trips despite having the boundaries of my physical capacity severely tested.  It has taken some weeks to be well enough to concentrate on anything and the family room is still a stack of boxes as I take my time to unpack.

It's the opportunity to do a proper cleaning and sorting job. Nothing goes back unless it is clean and worth keeping.  21 years: a long time for a family to accumulate 'stuff' and needs change in that time.  All of the packing has motivated the rest of the family (at last) to become enthusiastic all at once about having a super clean-up at long last.

Housekeeping on the Blog

Meanwhile at Lupey Loops, Blogger has made changes to its platform in the light of new data privacy laws in the European Union.  

It is my understanding that Lupey Loops readers in the European Union should be informed with a dialog box on screen that Blogger uses 'cookies'.  I think Blogger will do that automatically. I don't see a dialog box in Australia. If you are in the EU, please let me know whether you have come across such messages when accessing Lupey Loops. 

As for your data, I am all for privacy. I will never share or sell anyone else's information without consent.  Blogger only shares with me data that you have consented to share. So far the only data I have had access to are email and/or blog addresses linked to comments which enables me to reply to your comments and find your blogs or Blogger profiles.

Another result of Blogger's changes is that it reset its default settings and stopped sending me notifications of when people leave comments on Lupey Loops. If you have left a comment anywhere on Lupey Loops in the past month or two and I haven't responded, it could be that I am unaware of your comment being posted, especially if it was posted on an older blog entry. 

It has taken me a while to work out how to fix the notification problem but it should be fixed now.

I apologise if I have missed anyone's comments and do let me know if you are still waiting to receive a response.  

Remember you can always contact me in other ways too:

Email: jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com
Ravelry: Jodiebodie
Instagram: jodiebodiecrochets
Twitter: Jodiebodie2

I have not been using Pinterest because it is too deep a rabbit hole right now so although I still maintain a Pinterest account, consider Pinterest an absolute last resort.

Winter Wheelspin

Meanwhile, the Tour de France is on television. A perfect excuse to join the 'couch peloton' with crochet hook in hand to appreciate elite cycling against the picturesque backdrop of the French countryside and Alps.

If you are a spinner, you may wish to participate in Ravelry's Tour de Fleece spin-along inspired by the Tour de France bicycle race. Details here: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/tour-de-fleece

Whether with hooks, needles, a spindle or wheel(s),
I bid you happy crafting!  

"Allez! Allez!"








P.S. More Blog Housekeeping 23 July 2018
A new question appeared on an older blog entry about my 'Baby Blue Cardigan with Lacy Edging' so I just want to make a note here that the question has been answered and can be found in the comments here: https://lupeyloops.blogspot.com/2014/11/oh-no.html  or on my Ravelry project page: https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Jodiebodie/cardigan-with-lacy-edging

8 comments:

  1. I started with tour de fleece but I am teachng this week and by the time I get home from school after a 12 hour day I am tooooo tired to spin.
    So happy to read your blog and hear about your comings and goings and doings.

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    1. It's nice to know that you are happy despite tiredness. I didn't realise you were still teaching. I know you won't be able to stay away from your spinning for too long so no drama! The Tour de France goes for 3 weeks so there's plenty of time. (I'm watching a replay of Stage 15 right now - talk about tiredness, I fell asleep before the end of the live broadcast because that doesn't finish until 1:00-2:00 a.m. here.)

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  2. Thank you for your visit to my blog and advice regarding the wooden handmade button. I must admit I hadn't given any thought to washing it. Glad you are able to potter and get some unpacking done, take your time.

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    1. I hope your wooden embellishments are hardier than mine. My shop-bought button was not that sturdy however one of the woodcraft artisans at my local gallery provides a supply of hand-crafted buttons and toggles. They are wonderfully tactile and attractive and I hope they will be more robust as well. Meanwhile, the unpacking continues...

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  3. You've not blogged in a while, dear Jodie, and thought I'd see how you were. I hope you are well and enjoying the Tour of Spain.
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. Dearest Amalia! So lovely to see your message. How have you been? I enjoyed your French photographs so much.

      Thank you for your kindness in messaging today. Coincidentally, today is the first day I've contemplated blogging since July. It has been an extremely demanding and hectic time and I needed to take a step back from blogging to take care of other priorities like health, family, household and community issues. Energy that would otherwise be spent on blogging has been temporarily redirected into disability advocacy and campaigning to save access to public transport. Just to complicate matters, life throws unpredictable and unavoidable matters into the mix, always when it is least convenient.

      I am grateful to be well enough nowadays to have a voice and be able to use it. I've been working hard keeping everything together without neglecting self-care. I have plenty of blog stories to share and am currently drafting them with the aim to post them up soon, including some finished crochet projects.

      There have been fewer opportunities to sit at the computer which makes it hard to leave blog comments but I have been trying to follow everyone on my phone nevertheless.

      My health has been horrid during August but I seem to be over the worst of it now and am feeling a bit better. The garden has burst into blossom and I hope the new burst of spring energy will rub off on me!

      I haven't had much of an opportunity to watch any of the Vuelta - it is not broadcast here except for highlights in cycling reports but I try to keep across the basic news. I'm looking forward to Tour Down Under and thrilled that the remarkable Peter Sagan has decided to return for another year to mix it with some of our local riders.

      You are so lucky to have been in France during the summer. I'm a little bit envious! Thank you for sharing your happy snaps.

      Take care, Amalia. Hugs, Jodie xx

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  4. Hello my dear blogger friend!

    Thank you so much for your kind visit and sweet words on my blog!

    I am from Asian country Pakistan.

    I found your place so genuine and beautifully charming with simple sharing straight from heart!

    Ah health seems world problem now days .almost each house has cabinet devoted to medicine .same is with me I daily take three types of medication for various health issues.

    I pray and wish May you feel better and stay healthy to enjoy your beautiful life and crochet:)

    Yes any kind of creativity help us to feel serene and mentally at peace!

    Happy painting:)

    I am sure new fresh look of the house must have taken away all your exhaustation!

    Hugs!

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  5. Hi Baili,
    Thank you for taking time to read Lupey Loops and leave your thoughts.

    The painting job did not run smoothly - dramas with subcontractors - so I would rather not look at the paintwork or I start feeling cross! Anyway, it's done for now and that's another job to strike off the list.

    Thank you for your hugs.
    I can really use them after all of the hassle.

    I'm sorry to read tgat you need to take daily medication. I hope it improves your quality of life but I think you can use some hugs too.
    Hugs to you in return Baili xx

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