THE ANNUAL DEFORESTATION PROJECT...

has started ! At least Oliver's cold has been short lived. He has been quite perky today, despite a bit of residual cough and bunged up nose.
I still feel like c**p ! My cold is combined with a stomach bug which, I'm told, is also going round school [a.k.a. the petri dish !]. So, not much e-mailing, blogging or knitting has been taking place. A lot of flopping about on the bed attempting to entertain the chick, whilst groaning. We [ha ! More like me, myself and I] have been training his Nintendog. A very dim Golden Retriever that he's named Dexter [?!]. We're never getting a puppy !

I finished something ! I really like these socks. The main stitch pattern is, as Deb [I haven't posted your package yet ! Sorry.] suggested, becoming my default pattern for handpainted yarn. It adds a nice tweediness to the colours, mixing them up a bit. It also has a nice rythmn to the knitting of it.
You will notice my two 4'' squares. I may knit more, but am wary of overloading Michaela too soon ! A slow trickle is, I think, called for ! I am so grateful for her extremely generous fund raising efforts. Every square sent, and raffle ticket bought, is very much appreciated. Details are in the side bar of Michaela's blog, where you can read her original entry about this great idea. I'm not involved in any way. Well, apart from knitting squares and putting the money raised to very good use.
Many, many thanks to Michaela and everyone who contributes in some way.
We got the quote for the new manual wheelchair. A lot less than we expected, mainly because we decided to a go with a very firm but adjustable back, rather than a rigid one. That saved, unbelieveably, about £1,000 ! Anyway, it will be £1,450. Oliver looked so much better, more comfortable and in a better position, in the chair he tried. Although not the most important thing [that would be posture, posture and posture !], he really appreciates the great colour choices. He's gone for a colour called flip flop blue. From one angle it's a deep, rich. cobalt blue. From another it's a lovely deep green. Fab ! As are the aliens in space ships spoke guards. Being a stylish chap, and eight, these things matter. If you have to use a wheelchair it should, in some way, be cool. Don't you think ?

The car seat,however, is another matter all together. I, at last, got to speak to someone at the company. Apparently it is Eu, and thus U.K., law that no car seat should carry in excess of 36 kilos. Some pen pushing plonker forgot about disabled children, and how one should transport them. The car seat, in size, would take a small adult, and definately a child up to 11 or 12, as long as ther weren't really tall. 36 kilos is within the acceptable centile range for an 8 year old.
So, the man told me that he was not able, in any way, advise me that the chairs were crash tested to more than 25% above that weight. Nor could he advise me that the company are currently lobbying for a change in the law to allow disabled children up to 45 kilos to travel in said car seat. He di not, in any way, imply that he would choose to transport his own child in said chair, it being a safer option for a child with Oliver's level of disability than no chair.
So, we have a year to sort out the funding and aquisition of an adapted vehicle, with a lift/ramp, able to take Oliver sitting in his electric wheelchair. That, and have enough room for me too !
I've run out of steam so won't now go into the complexities of the Motability scheme.

Fancy knitting a square, or two ? Please do ! Easy way to a perfect 4'' square = cast on 1 st. Knit into fron and back of first stitch of each gater stitch row until edge is 4'' long. Then k2tog at the beginning of each row until 1 stitch remains. Any yarn, any needles, and always the right size square !

The raffle tickets are £1.00 or $2.00 US. See Michaela's blog for details.

Thank you.