Weeknote: 29/12

Knitting:
Knitting on the Westbourne has been going very speedily. I was daunted by another 4-ply jumper, since the last one took me so long, but then decided if I could get to the colour changes then I would find it going quite quickly, and this has been the case. As of now, today, I have completed the yoke and divided for the armholes, and completed the first two colour stripes of the sequence - 13 more to go. I have adjusted a little and made the colours 3 rows to 5 rows of charcoal, when the pattern stipulates a 6-2 split, and the first couple of colours really pop. I'm thrilled with how it is turning out. Much too thrilled considering it is my own work.

Going to:
It's been a busy travelling week. Christmas Eve was, delightfully, spent entirely in pyjamas, knitting and watching TV; on Christmas Day we ventured as far as Sib Z's for the Christmas dinner extravaganza. On Boxing Day we got up well before dawn and drove the Heathrow, flew to LA and drove to Vegas. It was a painful flight for my sinuses and I attempted to spend as much of it asleep as possible - the usual Christmas cold finally arrived on the 22nd and I really don't recommend flying with a cold. Thankfully the flight was half empty so Mr Z had a row to ourselves and I slept away most of it.

On arrival, therefore, we felt chipper enough to rent a car rather than look for an onward flight. I was suspicious of this lack of plan beforehand but went with it, resulting in a rather eye-watering spend for a rental car. Then Mr Z developed a worsening stomach ache that prevented him from doing much driving and the traffic was awful almost the whole way, resulting in a drive that lasted 7 hours instead of four and a half, and some heavy-duty keeping-awake tactics at the end. I am never doing it this way again. Please let this be a strong reminder to me. It is not, not, not worth it. I must just bite the bullet and pay the extra to fly here directly.

So, day 1 was spent recovering from the journey but yesterday we made it out of the house to play Twilight Zone blacklight mini golf at Bally's (who wanted to charge $20 flat rate for parking! I don't know what has happened to this place. Luckily a woman with a player's card was hovering by the pay terminal and offered to cover our parking. Being very British Mr Z and I both primly told her no thank you but she persisted, as it's free for her with that card. Very kind) and then went on to Cheesecake Factory for Mr Z's favourite burger and a fat piece of cheesecake.

Not sure what we'll do next. Mr Z has picked up my cold so I am persona non grata. Lady Gaga tomorrow though, woohoo!

Entertained by:
The usual Christmas ghost stories and specials, along with The Crown (I have almost finished season 2) and The IT Crowd (I have seen the first two series). I feel that this is very good Christmassing on my part.

I finished the Outcasts of Time which was readable and interesting but not setting the world on fire. Good ending, though. I've now picked up one of my new Michelle Obama-inspired books, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward. It's set in Mississippi and it's very readable so far.

Feeling:
Rested. Relaxed. My neck ache is almost gone. It's nice to be in the cold desert for a change.