The Mundane

Believe it or not, I have a lot of time on my hands...in a strange way.  Often I'm occupying or watching the children while James and Dave have studies in the house.  At those times I can't really get into anything or get anything done...except knitting or crocheting.  So, I've been doing a lot of that.  Then in the evenings the kids are all in bed and the dishes are all done and what is a mom to do?  Knit.  

This is what I am working on right now:

Supposedly it will turn into this.  And yes, if I manage to pull it off then I will take a picture of me jumping like that.  Maybe.  Probably.  We'll see.  

Another fun thing that we've been doing is collecting books and rocks.  At the local book store they have a section of books and magazines with extras that are published every week or two.  I've started collecting Agatha Christie books.  Mine come out every 2 weeks.  The girls are collecting a National Geographic series on rocks.  So far they have gold, rose quartz, and amethyst.  Theirs comes out weekly and makes for a fun Monday outing.  We didn't get the chance to go today so tomorrow morning we'll head to CNA (the book store) and check to see if our new books/rocks came in.  

Both of these hobbies actually highlight things that I miss.  It's not so much the country as our location in the country that restricts the availability of products.  Louis Trichardt (or Makhado) is a smallish town in the far north of South Africa.  Like any small town, there just isn't as much here.  We can get everything we need and many things that we enjoy, though.  However, books are not as available- I think Rosie has read through every book for sale in her age range in this town.  We haven't been to the library yet, so that's a possibility.  Still, I am SO glad the kids have kindles!  

The other thing that I miss is nice yarn.  Not expensive or overly fancy yarn, just the ability to choose and get natural fibers.  Even though more people here seem to knit and crochet there is less selection on yarn.  Nearly all of it is acrylic and some cotton thread.  I'd love to get my hands on some soft wool to knit up some cozy sweaters for those chilly African mornings.  That is probably something I'll be ordering online and begging one of my friends to ship to me.  Tweed.  I feel the need for tweed.