As I’m feeling knackered today I’m going to cop out of writing a regular blog, and instead regale you with one of my favourite jokes. It’s an old joke, and you’ve probably heard it before, but every time I think of it I can’t help but smile.
Before we get to the joke, though, I’d better explain the general beknackeredness. You see, I spent a large chunk of Saturday at Berriedale Church down the coast from Wick, beautifully situated on cliffs high above the ocean; I took some old maps and documents along for the church open day, and by the time I’d carted all those heavy boxes up and down the fire escape at work I was about ready to be put down myself (the original meaning of the word “knackered”, of course). As a result today I feel every bit of the aged and decrepit 55 year-old I truly am, instead of the sprightly and nimble 54 year-old I believe myself to be inside.
The Back
In gansey news, I have finished the back. As you can see from the photos the yarn and the pattern make a splendid combination, though you won’t see it in all its glory until it’s properly washed and blocked. (It’s only just struck me that this is a close variant of Matt Camnish’s gansey pattern.) I almost used up an entire 500g cone of yarn in finishing the back, and have started a second cone with the front.
Cromarty Firth
Well, and so here’s the joke. I’ve copied it out from Daniel Wallace’s wonderful novel Big Fish. Just don’t blame me if you’ve heard it before…
And another thing . . .
One day Jesus was minding the pearly gates for St Peter when an old man walks shuffling up the path to Heaven.
“What have you done to enter the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus asks him.
And the man says, “Well, not much really. I’m just a poor carpenter who led a quiet life. The only remarkable thing about my life was my son.”
“Your son?” Jesus asks, getting interested.
“Yes, he was quite a son,” the man says. “He went through a most unusual birth and later a great transformation. He also became quite well known throughout the world and is still loved by many today.”
Jesus looks at the man, then embraces him tightly and says, “Father?”
And the old man hugs him back and says, “Pinocchio?
View from Berriedale Church
Wonderful, both the joke and the gansey! Matt Cammish’s gansey is a favourite of Gladys Thompson, as I am sure you know, and was over forty years old when it appeared in the book so it is looking very good for yours! Am I right to assume it is the movement of the fishing fleets down the East Coast that causes some of the sharing of patterns.
Winter clothes are definitely required down South, the weather is horribly cold and wet and not surprisingly the garden is very quiet. Take care!
Hi Jane, I’m sure there was a lot of pattern sharing round the coast – you can see similarities in some patterns from Thurso to Polperro. I love the subtle differences that vary the patterns, which I like to think is each knitter taking a design and making it their own.
The weather presenters are bouncing up and down with excitement like sock puppets who’ve had too much sugar as they predict high pressure for the rest of the month. Then you read the small print and you see that they mean high pressure for England, while north Scotland gets wind and rain! But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they’re wrong—I mean, a long range forecast that wasn’t accurate: what’re the odds…?
Ok, which movie star wore the same coat in all of his films between the 50s and 70s?
Ha, I want to say Columbo but he was of course later on. I know I’m going to regret this, but I give up…
Lassie 🙂
Sue wins 😉
Gah! Try my hand for the first time at a sampler gansey from Beth Brown-Reinsel’s book. It’s GOT to be easier that what I did to join the welts!
Lisa, I struggled and almost gave up with her way of making the welts. I managed after much struggle (see George in my gallery), but I used Gordon’s method when I knitted a gansey for myself.
I think her method is far too fiddly. However, if you finish her small gansey it will give you a lot of confidence