I’m glad this week is nearly over. It’s been a little stressful. My workroom was invaded by a television crew and I’ve been feeling a little under the weather. The weather itself continues to be unseasonably warm and depressingly wet with the sun struggling to appear mid-morning – I took this at 11am today

and occasionally burning off the clouds in the afternoon.

However, the workroom has never been, and will probably never be again, as tidy and clean (?) as it is now.

The reason for this is that RTE, the Irish broadcasting company, wanted to interview me for a piece about Cattapilla Designs. Originally I thought this would entail a trip to a TV studio in Cork but no, they wanted me ‘in situ’, working away. Panic! I looked at the room through a lense and it was not good, 4 years worth of dust, stuff, magazines, etc. etc. had to be cleared and or chucked. It’s so tidy now I’m not sure where some things are.

On Tuesday morning the interviewer and camera man turned up. It was of course raining. But no matter, they wanted me ‘working away’. I think you all know by now that we are powered by a wind turbine and solar panels and not connected to the grid which means the power sometimes goes off but as there was a stiff breeze so I thought we’d be OK. I hadn’t bargained for the very bright flood lights being used. Two of them. So there I was chatting, sewing, wishing I’d had a manicure for the sewing hands close ups, and hoping I didn’t have traces of the morning porridge in my teeth, when – darkness! The interviewer looked horrified, even though I’d warned her. So my microphone had to be unhooked, I had to weave my way through the tripods and cables and make my way outside to switch on the generator. This happened I think three times so by the end of the filming heaven knows what I looked like – they didn’t bring anyone from the make-up department!

By the time I’d been filmed making the soup, walking outside, inspecting the broccoli and gazing out to sea in the windy drizzle, all the while muttering to myself ‘free publicity, free publicity’, I was cold and tired. After they left I collapsed onto the sofa, having removed the carefully positioned cushions first, from which I didn’t move until bed time.
I’ve had a gentler time since, finishing a cricket jumper for grandson’s third birthday.

I usually love knitting for Joe, a sleeve takes no time at his size, but I’d forgotten how slow I am at cabling so this took longer than normal. It’s altogether in one piece now but as it’s not his birthday yet I’ll show the finished piece later.

Next it’s a blanket for the new baby.

These two, of course, have been blissfully ignorant of anything although Hercules did try and muscle in on the filming. He was told in no uncertain terms to ‘butt out’!
Have a good weekend.