I’m sitting in Cairns airport waiting to board a flight to Brisbane. There I will meet up with a group of students and lecturers from CQUni and travel to Nepal, via Bangkok. In Nepal we will be based in Pokhara for three weeks and spend time at a local hospital, an eye hospital, maternity hospital, children’s home, nursing home and assisting at health clinics in remote villages. To say I am excited is an understatement! I am fortunate to have received a New Colombo Scholarship from the Aussie government and been able to add the cost of the rest of my trip to my HELP debt. Picking up a few extra shifts at work means I will have some spending money, but not a lot. MIML™ and Mr 15 are home alone and Miss18 will return from uni in Melbourne whilst I am away. I know they will be fine without me, but you know- guilt and all.

Over the next three weeks I will be chronicling the trip here on my long lost blog. There will probably be mention of knitting projects (I packed 3) and no doubt photos of food! So sit back and enjoy the ride- I know I will!

So it appears I have been MIA on this blog for a while. Life has been good. Actually it’s been great! My mental health has been fairly stable, I have been excelling at uni still and now I am working as an AIN at the hospital which I just love. I get to sit with high acuity patients who need someone with them to ensure their safety. One of the joys of this is I get to knit (or spindle spin) when I am on shift so I can kill two proverbial birds…

I set some craftolusions last December and thought I should check in on them…

Finish or frog 10 current WIPs

Hmmm… I believe I am sitting at 8- 4 frogged and 4 finished. I hope to finish two more before the end of the year!

Have a negative stash balance at the end of 2016 (more used than purchased!)

I started a spreadsheet for this and I think I am in front. Well I like to tell myself I am, but I think I would be lying! I have not spun a lot so my fibre stash is really in the black, and yarn is probably about 60/40…

Spin and knit some 3 ply socks for me

Not even started… This may be a 2017 craftolusion, but never say never!

12 self-striping projects completed (can include current WIPs)

I am at 9. Need to cast on and finish some socks this month!

Knit a Baa-ble hat

Done! It even took out second prize at the Cairns Show!

Knit 6 projects out of handspun

That is sitting at two. I want to cast on a couple more…

1 washcloth a month for Women’s Shelter (ABC Christmas appeal)

This hasn’t gotten off the ground. I still want to knit some…

Podcast every fortnight

I thought long and hard about this one. I don’t have the time or energy to do this. There are plenty of amazing podcasts out there and I don’t think I will be adding to them.

So with 2 and a bit months to go I should reach a goal or two… And to be honest, I am not worried that I have not met all these goals and probably won’t. That to me is a huge change of mindset!