Sofa, Sheep and Noro

There are random things in life that with  the passage of time can become significant. These contingent things could be also described as a Murphy's law; just when you think that things can not get any worse they can.

We bought a new sofa last  August; waited for its delivery for 8 weeks and in the excitement of getting a new one, were very happy to get rid of our old uncomfortable settee a bit too early. Therefore we practiced lying on the floor and sitting on rather decorative little and low bedroom chairs for two weeks before the New Arrival. It was very good indeed  that we practiced to manage without the sofa because in a split second our New Arrival was proven to be faulty  and was due to go. "To Go" took  almost two months and it compliments our story of misery not been able to sit properly on the broken settee getting more and more annoyed with manufacturer,  retailer and delivery company...

So our sofa saga started in August 2012 and now in January 2013 we are happy owners of a new sofa that hasn't been born yet. You see, we need to wait for  8 more weeks  it to arrive not only to the world but to us as well. (If we are lucky and not fall out with a new delivery company that can organize evening or weekend slots only within four weeks timetable).  Getting a sofa is like getting  a baby; your back starts to hurt. And  it starts to hurt a lot. It is impossible to find a comfortable position and peace of mind; The Waiting of the Latest Arrival is long, boring and bloody painful. 

I haven't done lots of exercise during the Autumn. Actually to be honest I have visited the gym monthly meaning roughly once per month - or perhaps every second...   The time I have had because of not going to the gym or having a walk or whatever healthy, I have spent, perhaps rather surprisingly, on knitting and not so surprisingly working too late. 

I have found my inner knitter. I'm loving it. My Ravelry account has got quite a few finished projects. (In Particular I am happy with the little jumper that got a name "5 Years Later".) My inner knitter has taken a bit over though.  You see, that not only did I pack for the 10 hour flight from London Heathrow to Vancouver the usual accessories e.g. iPods and  iPads loaded with new videos, music and books but also my bamboo knitting needles,  Bluefaced Leicester yarn and pattern for a little toy sheep. Toy Sheep! I hate the idea of knitted cupcakes and carrots but got ever so excited of a cute little sheep. Well, I can not recommend knitting 10 hours on the plane. It is not only your back that is aching (because of  the sofa saga)  but you will have rock hard shoulders for rest of your Christmas holidays.

Right, the icing on the cake is of course that the Noro virus that has landed in  the UK. No comments. Apart from that it proves that you can get aching tummy muscles also by vomiting violently for  8 hours.

Sofa, Sheep and Noro have inspired or even forced me to realize that if I do not want to become as stiff as my knitting needle I'd better do something. And this is  what I haven't tried before on my colorful and curley path of healthy choices: DAILY STRETCHES. I have dedicated every morning 5 minutes for a little stretching programme that  will according to Petri Kokko "change your life": TASSAPA AAMU OHJELMANI  I'm  completing this 5 minutes programme whilst waiting for the peculator to complete its task. 

So far so good. If Petri is right, this little step might change my life on its own, but I feel I might need a bit more of a push. 

Therefore I have challenged myself during January to do a 15 minutes daily Pilates programme.  I know that this is a bit ambiguous. However I know that inside me lives not only a little knitter but also a little competitor. 

 Can I beat myself and keep this daily routine or not? Time will tell - I will keep you posted.

And if anyone wants to be my friend in Ravelry I'm "mertuuli".