Sunday, June 04, 2006

summer on the Cam


So what do you do with a Sunday when you're meeting a friend, the sun is shining, you're craving fields and rivers but you are totally exhausted, hayfever is making you sneeze and you have twisted your ankle? Oh, and you don't want to waste a moment's knitting/crocheting time? You pretend that you're a tourist, fork out £12, and take your seat on a punt for a leisurely 45 minute trip along the River Cam. The route is short (Mill Pond to Magdalene Quay and back) but the scenery is superb. Plus there's plenty of legroom for that pesky ankle.

So, all comfy and relaxed I reached into my bag for my essentials (sun hat, crochet hook, yarn, bottle of water) and then realised that before I could do anything else I needed to cut my yarn. Had I remembered my scissors? Had I heck. Ah well, there was nothing for it but to soak up the sun and admire the view: college buildings ancient and modern, hidden gardens, fields with cows grazing down at the water's edge, ducks, geese, dragonflies, cow parsley (well on the way to fading now). Really reminded me what a beautiful place I live in. And seeing students revising really reminded me why I'm so glad to have left behind the competetiveness of academia!

Once back on terra firma, Tamy and I decided that we wanted to eat by the water's edge, so we headed to the Granta pub which is a bit of a dive, but has the most amazing balcony that just out over the mill pond. So we sat there, ignoring the intrusive music, and watching the fish gliding through the shallows. Eventually we tore ourselves away and I headed home planning to get plenty of crocheting done. But I'd forgotten one of life's immutable equations: Tiredness+sunshine+gin+tonic(yes, even only one)=an afternoon asleep...

Now I've woken up again, I'd better find the scissors and make the next flower of my skinny scarf. The scarf wasn't going to be skinny, but in the end I was defeated by trying to crochet with boucle yarn and just grabbed the nearest yarn to hand: marble (DK weight) in blues. The end product is, shall we say, interesting. I've certainly not mastered the instructions for crocheting one flower to another. And note the trademark ends swirling out in every direction. I *do* stitch my ends in neatly, honest, but it never looks like it from the scans on this blog, does it?

2 comments:

Mary deB said...

And who held the punt pole??

gourdongirl said...

I love your skinny scarf. I did a trip up the Cam a few years ago, but not in a punt, hubby isn't THAT romantic and we had the kids with us!!!!!!!!

Shona