Same old, same old

 We are in lockdown Mark 3 now, but it really makes very little difference to us.  It's surprising what has stayed open, including the fast-food style cake shop in town.  I saw a couple of customers in there the day after the lockdown was announced, and I felt they each deserved a t-shirt:  "I risked my life for a piece of inferior cake".  On the same day, I got DH to email his parents to say that we did NOT want them to take the risk or expense of posting our Christmas presents (that we were formerly going to drive down to pick up). To which they responded that they would look into posting them. After another 'definitely do NOT do that', they have reluctantly opened them for us and sent us photos which we are perfectly happy with.  It may not be until March or April that they are in our hands, but that's fine of course.

We've also been having an extended cold snap of freezing weather.  DH and I went out to do some tidying up and hacking back in the garden today, and despite being well bundled up, I rapidly lost feeling in my fingertips as they went numb in the cold.  DH swapped me his nice warm gloves which reinstated my circulation.

I finished the second try at the mini knitted rabbit and I am more happy with this one although I still don't feel I've got the face right.  I did the version with knickers instead of tights.

I chose some of the rocks we collected last week for my Japanese dollshouse garden, and of course the two big ones I wanted to use were white.  So I painted them black and dry brushed them with several other colours.  They looked fairly realistic in the end: it's the big one at the back, and the big one on the left.

I've made a start on the dry garden although it is a work in progress.  I used Tetrion filler and an improvised comb to create a  raked gravel type of pattern, then used Mod Podge to apply a light coating of sand on top.  I've painted a first coat of grey over the sandy filler but it needs more work.  I also need to repaint some of the rocks where I unavoidably got grey paint.

I've made a start on the tea pavilion.  I couldn't find a photo of the one I am remembering from Japan, which was a small affair in a samurai house garden, that you climbed up stairs to enter.  The space is quite small so I have sketched out something that is a cross between a tea house and a waiting pavilion, and I've started to cobble it together from stir sticks and foamcore board.

I'm kind of making the garden up as I go along, not sure how I am going to do the 'earth' and planting yet.  And I think I need to do the driveway first, otherwise the plants will be totally in the way.  I'm waiting on some plastic beads I ordered online to arrive, which I am hoping will be the raw material for driveway edging stones.  I've tried my hand at making miniature gardens before, it is very difficult to achieve a realistic result, but hopefully it will be alright.

I've started knitting some wrist warmers, using the leftover Jamiesons Spindrift yarn from the Scalloway Tam that I knit a couple of years ago.  I'm using the same chart that I used for the hat and I think I might try the steeked thumbhole that I used on DH's xmas gloves (which he really likes by the way and is wearing a lot).

After Christmas, Facebook pimped me a cut-price offer on the Bag of the Month Club, for a three month subscription.  You receive one bag pattern each month, supported by video tuition and a Facebook group.  The first pattern is for a saddle-bag type handbag which I might have a go at.  I've ordered the hardware and interfacing which has now arrived.  I have some nice cat fabric I bought in Japan which I thought would make a cute bag when I bought it. I'm just finishing up the plaid dress first.

I hope you are staying warm and safe.