London, bronchitis, sinusitis, -- ugh

I have an excuse for the long silence.  I've been sick since about April 4.  Almost better, but still lingering effects.  Ugh.

Ok, I'll start with my finishes and almost finishes.  I started this before we left for London (more on that later), and finished it while in London.  It's the Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West, but what makes it beautiful is the yarn, a self striping yarn by Caterpillar Green Yarn specifically designed to stripe correctly for shawls like this!  It still has to be blocked.)

I almost finished the Double Basket Weave Cowl by Karen Templer, but I lost at yarn chicken, so I have yet to finish the bind off.  Sigh.

And finally, just yesterday, I finished the Leftie Shawl by Martina Behm.  Love this one!  It's not as big as the one pictured on the designer's page.  But it's plenty big enough for me!  I used  a yarn (17 Year Cicada) by Cephalopod Yarns and a Plucky Knitter yarn whose name and base I can't remember (the beige color).

Since the Father type has to go to Dublin for work every year now, it seems we have the chance to go to London again!  So we did!  We arrived and I got sick with a bad cold the very next day.  Sigh.  So I have a feeling I was in a fog the whole time we were there, and wasn't taking care of myself like I should have.

But we did see things!  Despite the fact that it was school holidays for everyone there and there were tons of people and their children and school tours everywhere.  Yikes!

We were there for a week, then I got home while Father type traveled on to Dublin -- and I promptly got sicker.  Ended up with bronchitis and sinusitis, which I'm still feeling the tail ends of.

So I might not show as many pictures as I might if I were totally healthy!

So yeah.  First day we went to -- OMG!!!  Wimbledon!!!!!

This is the pub in town that we went to after -- the Hand & Racquet!

On Tuesday, we decided to take the commuter type boats down/up the Thames to see the sights.  Such fun!

We stopped by the Globe Theater, walked through that area and had lunch, then ended up back on the boat all the way down to Greenwich!

Wednesday we had tea at Fortnum and Mason.  Yum!

Followed by a stop at Liberty London.

Thursday we went to Loop London.  Yay!!

Followed by a quick stop at the British Museum to see this amazing space.

Friday was deemed a day to walk by the Thames.  But first we stopped here.

We crossed Westminster Bridge and walked along the Victoria Embankment down to Blackfriars Bridge.

It was wonderful, and beautiful.

Saturday, we went to a play!  We went to the Queen's Theater to see Les Miserables.  it was wonderful!

(Can you tell I was feeling sick?  lol!)

Anyway, Sunday I flew home while Father type flew to Dublin.  And we both got sick.  lol!  Me with bronchitis and sinusitis, him with the cold I probably started out with.  By the time Father type got home a week after me, he was still sick.  It took another week for him to go to the doctor and get diagnosed with an ear infection.  As of today, his ear is still stuffed up.  Sigh.

All in all it was still a fun trip, despite the being ill and continuing to be ill.  I love London!

And btw, here's what the street looked like where we stayed.  (We stayed in another Airbnb flat.)

And here is a typical meal -- we ate at lots of pubs, and I tended to go for the pies -- and once for the fish and chips.  Yum!

And now, the anticipation is building.  Soon a certain young man will be graduating from a certain music college!  So exciting!!!!

Mia, of course, couldn't care less about that.

This is what happens when I go for a nice cup of soothing tea.  Yup, that's my knitting she's sleeping on.

Thanks as always for stopping by and saying hi.  Sorry for the long absence -- and the long post!

Going home -- and London stash

Sunday the 14th was travel day for the father type and I.  Father type flew on to Dublin for business, while I flew home.

There were so many duty free shops at Heathrow!  Pretty amazing!

This was the fancy schmancy part -- with Burberrys and Harrods and other fine stores.

Goodbye, London.

I missed International Knitting in Public Day by a day.  Does knitting on a plane count?

Eastern tip of Long Island??

And now pictures of my purchases in London.  Not tooooo many.  :D

An old Elizabeth II tin, a Buckingham Palace ornament, and a piece of Liberty Tana Lawn I've had trouble tracking down (in this colorway at least).  I love how everything matches!

A needlepoint kit from Liberty London.  I've drooled over this for ages.

And a sweater's worth (there's more in the bag) of Eden Cottage Yarn Bowland DK from Loop London.  I had to try some British wool!  Yes, I have a pattern picked out, but I don't want to jinx myself so I won't say which one.  (The bag isn't a purchase.  It was used as my bag for my purchases -- which I love!)

I also picked up this Banksy t-shirt.  Don't you love it?

The father type has his own souvenirs (much less than me, of course), and we also picked up some souvenirs for the kids.  But that's it!  I toted a suitcase to London that was empty on one side.  That side was pretty full on the way home!

I have started both the Kiss kit (which turns out to be in cross stitch -- hooray!) and started my sweater.

The father type also brought back a scarf from the Book of Kells Exhibit at Trinity College in Dublin for me.

I hope you've enjoyed my posts about our London trip.  It was a wonderful trip for us, to a place I've always wanted to visit.  I was in London only once before, as a small child, and I was sick most of the time and didn't care a bit for the place back then.  What a treat for me now though!  I loved how different London is from the US, with beautiful old buildings, cool chimneypots, and of course the ever present double decker buses, phone boxes, mail boxes, and London cabs.  I hope we get to go back someday.  I would love to visit London again, plus other parts of the UK.

Thank you, father type, for a lovely anniversary present.  I will never forget our special time in London.