Weekly Rundown: Dunoon Day Out

You'll all be pleased to know that my left kidney is feeling much better this week. I'm pleased about it too.

I was also very pleased to feel well enough to go to Dunoon yesterday. It's a trip which we've been planning for a little while, not having been for a couple of years now. I always love going there. It's so like Rothesay in some ways (like the fact that all the shops are pretty much clustered around one street) and completely unlike it in others.

And as you may have noticed before. I do love a bit of charity shopping, and Dunoon has some lovely ones.

Unfortunately our friend who was supposed to come with us wasn't up to coming. But Mr Click and I had been up early and figured we might as well go anyway. The forecast had been for rain and showers but it stayed bright and sunny for the whole day and we only saw one little shower (well, we drove through it) on the way home.

Mr Click thoroughly spoiled me as well. It's always nice when you're treated to a day out and then get treats as well.

I'm currently on a bit of a weight-loss kick. A group of us at work have set ourselves a challenge. As is evidenced by the picture above, I'm not doing so well at this! It was a lovely cupcake thought.

And I did turn on the pedometer on my phone and I hit my activity goal for the day, so hopefully I burnt at least some of those calories off!

Of course, by the time we got home I was so tired I didn't actually take any photos of the things I'd bought because I was feeling lazy. I'd set myself a mission to get a new cardigan (since I inadvertently scorched one of the ones I usually wear for work and have not been successful in getting rid of the burn mark), a Jean Greenhowe/toy knitting pattern/any other knitting pattern book that appealed to me, any book that I've been looking for or really wanting to read, and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (because I'm reading the book at the moment and now really want to see the film).

We found the cardigan in the second shop we went into. Mr Click also found a wonderfully Christmassy-looking jumper there as well. Some of the shops have moved around since we were last there and this one has moved into what was formerly a card shop. It was massive and they had so much stuff in there. I got totally distracted by a massive tub of buttons!

In the next shop I found the first of three Kathy Reichs books which I got. It's been a while since I last read the ones I have so I've gotten a bit behind in the latest ones to be published. I'm not sure when I'll dig out the series and read them all again, or if I'll just pick up from where I left off and continue the series that way, but at least I've got them in my book cupboard for when I'm ready.

Another good find for the day was a campervan blanket pattern in one of the craft shops. I took Mr Click in to show him and he bought it for me. I'm going to have to save up before I attempt it though (and also get good at intarsia); it calls for eighteen balls of one colour alone for the double bed version!

Then it was lunchtime. We went to a little fish and chip shop and Mr Click had me get a massive plate of chicken and chips. I was expecting a few bits of chicken, instead I got about six giant pieces of battered chicken breast. Mr Click had to ask for a doggy bag to bring most of them home with me!

The last stop before we left was another craft shop where I bagged four balls of wool. I've been trying not to buy any more yarn for my Nativity, but there are a few colours I was kind of in need of, for example, I have a lovely light blue and a lovely dark blue, but no perfect mid-blue for Mary. The purple I've been using for my latest Wize Man is probably about the same age as me and is fast running out; I was fairly certain that it wouldn't last me for the full hat (the only bit I have left to do). So I found a wonderful rich purple colour. Plus a dark grey and a dark brown (both slightly tweedy) which are exactly what I need for my shepherds, Joseph and the donkey.

Now I solemnly swear I will not buy any more wool.

Apart from when I go to Wales. If I see anything nice there I may have to buy it.

But that doesn't count because that would be a souvenir.

Anyway, I'll wrap this up here so I can get on with knitting Caspar's hat, sewing it up and onto his head, and getting his gift done. Then I'll cast on for Melchior.