emily at beSottied.com

Hurrrr! I’ve just got in from the stables and am nippy, nippy noodles! I rode Gingey and worked on trying to get her to bend her neck on a 10-metre circle. We were also making plans for the hunt ball we’re going to at the end of November - I need to make me a big ol’ satin BOW!

I’m typing this quick update while enjoying a nice warming cup of tea and the last of mine and Mutti’s joint birthday cake, crafted by Helen at the weekend. It’s chocolate with a moussey middle, and, basically, huge.

I’m going to stay away from the computer and my knitting tonight and give myself a good sorting out! I want to do my nails and pluck my eyebrows and all those types of thrilling activities. I’m also going to do one of my favourite things - writing lists! I just feel like a bit of a disorganised mess at the moment - I need to tidy myself up, get some new work clothes (I’m still in my between-sizes limbo, so am struggling to buy trousers and skirts) and write down all of the things I’m trying to get done. Hopefully that will make me feel like I’m getting things done, and less like I’m just running around talking about trying to get things done!

Hmmm well for a change, I didn’t do as I said I would, and jaunted off to the Metro Centre with Mutti and Helen yesterday, instead of writing a post about my weekend avec Arron.

I’m actually in the university library at the moment, just waiting until it’s time for me to make my way to the last lecture of the day. I’ve just been on a lunchtime yarn-and-needles binge, so hopefully I’ll have the time and the inclination to write a proper post when I get home tonight, instead of browsing around Get Knitted plotting my purchases.

I’ve just remembered that I had to scrape ice off Muriel’s windows this morning before I made my way to the train station. Yes, scraping ice off the car at 6.50 am, in October. It shouldn’t be icy already!

Oh and, I didn’t sew the sleeves into my silk shrug last weekend like I said I would. I’m all about broken promises at the moment! I guess that means I’m vulnerable to a public whipping - best keep my wits about me =)

I’m just going to tap out a quick post, though I should really be packing my case for my meet-Arron’s-family(!) weekend in London.

(By the way, if any knitters happen to be casually browsing my website and would like to help me out with my university work, please visit The Sweater Curse Project and complete my online survey. Thanks!)

I’ve just had a really, really exciting email about The Sweater Curse Project, which I will share with you shortly =)

I finally moved back into my refurbished office this week! It’s lovely to have luxuries such as space, storage, and a window! With blinds! Leigh (my manager) and I are just settling back in, still looking for mousemats that have gone AWOL, and anticipating the arrival of our new officemates, the Tall Ships 2010 team.

University was good this week, and York was beautiful, as ever. Cue gratuitous shot of the River Ouse:

My years-old Gap jeans finally bit the dust on Monday, so I decided to do a quick dash to the shops before catching my train home on Tuesday night. I was, as usual, between sizes - the 12s a bit tight and the 14s hanging off me - which is why I’m now sat here typing, shoehorned into the size 12s, eyeballing a jumbo bag of M&Ms with longing! They were definitely the right choice, though. They’ll give a little bit soon, and if I’d plumped for the 14s I would be spending half my time hitching them up under my armpits like Simon Cowell!

And so, dear reader…s? I must bid you farewell and really, really go and pack my case! My train is at one o’clock and I should be meeting Arron in King’s Cross by 4 pm. I’ve booked myself into the Quiet Coach, since I’m such a miseryguts and have a very low tolerance for people jabbering away into their mobiles. I get back home on Sunday night, and I’m off work on Monday (my birthday) so will post a lovely, jolly blog entry then =)

I did it! I managed to spend a whole long weekend with Arron without giving him reason to realise think that I’m an absolute lunatic, and run for the hills.

Despite meticulous planning and list-making, I got out of work late on Friday (I was meant to finish at 12) and proceeded to have a fiasco of an afternoon. On the plus side, I was IDd when I made a trip to the supermarket for supplies of an alcoholic nature. Since I’m almost 23, this cheered me up somewhat.

Muriel and I barreled along to the train station to collect Arron and mercifully arrived just in time, with me trotting onto the platform as the East Coast mainline train rolled to a stop. Score one point for being a punctual (har har) girlfriend.

After a brief detour - I most certainly did not get lost - around Darlington town centre, I eventually made it onto the A66 back towards home.

We had a great weekend touring the sights of the Tees Valley, though Arron let me down by getting sausage and chips from Verrill’s on Hartlepool’s headland.

Verrill’s does amazing fish and chips. It’s the type of place that’s so successful, it only needs to be open for about one hour every third Tuesday, but only if there’s a full moon and a cat on the fencepost (not really, it’s open 5 days a week but only for a couple of hours). People queue up for ages outside the shop, which is a stone’s throw from the North Sea, and Arron goes and orders a sausage! Honestly, these Londoners! So obsessed with pie and mash, jellied eels and pearly queens, they can’t think straight =)

It was a very sad Emily that delivered Arron back at the train station on Monday evening. Happily, though, I’m off to London a week today to stay with Arron and Meet The Family. By ‘eck, I’d best get rid of my pie and mash/jellied eel/pearly queen remark, hadn’t I?

On the knitting front, I haven’t been up to all that much. I spent last week’s knitting time defying the Sweater Curse by making a loooovely blue beanie-hat-with-pom-pom for Arron. It was sort of a joke but I was very impressed by the end result - I think I’ll make myself one in a complementary shade of pink.

(Relax, Arron, I’m kidding! Or maybe I’m not…)

I really do have to get my silk shrug finished off. I only need to sew in the sleeves, then I’m done. That can be this weekend’s task and if I don’t get it done, the general public has my permission to give me a bit of a whipping!

University is going well and, for the moment at least, I’m having an excellent time making neat little notes and buying stationery. I’m currently being very impressively organised on the Uni front and have employed a six-pack of highlighters in order to establish a mouthwateringly jolly colour-co-ordinated approach to my learning.

Be sure to come back in six weeks’ time to see how much of a mess I’m in!