O Solio mio!

We're enjoying a long weekend of sunny, glorious days (so far, fingers crossed!) Which means that the Solio charger I bought a few months ago is finally coming into its own. This little beauty sits in our south-west facing window all day, soaking up the rays and charging its battery. What a life! It comes with an array of connections that mean it can be used to charge my phone or my ipod - all for free (excepting the initial £50 capital outlay, of course). It's great for taking on overseas trips - to boost the phone or ipod while I'm away without having to carry x number of different chargers. You can also charge it from mains, or in the car, which is a good thing because in the short winter days it never seems to become fully charged.

Of course the cynic in me suspects that the energy required to create the Solio and all its accoutrements, not to mention breaking it back down at the end of its life, could never be outweighed by the energy savings I've made by using it. Great gadget though!


The Patricia sock is nearly done - I'm still loving the subtle colours of the yarn, and I've realised that the fact that it's quite considerably lighter than 100% wool means that I will probably get a pair of socks out of just one, 50g ball! Wahey!

News of the Curse's jumper: the end is nigh, I mean in sight! I've reached the top of the shoulders, now working along the (stocking stitch) collar before I move onto the (stocking stitch) front bands and finish off with the (stocking stitch) lower band. And it fits too - we had the first official trying on last night. I fear the Curse was underwhelmed, probably because the arm seams still need sewing. Don't worry, he'll learn to show his gratitude in due course....

And finally, decorating news. Good Friday was spent incarcerated in the bedroom, stripping away as if our lives depended on it. The last of the lurid blue wallpaper has now gone, and we are onto the next stage: tidying up the leftovers of the plasterboard, filling holes etc, before applying the Smoothover (for textured wallpaper) that is going to hopefully mean that we don't have to employ a plasterer. Today is officially a day of rest - football for the Curse and walking for me - and tomorrow we'll move onto stage two. Sigh.