Freedom tastes so good!

Finally, after 6 weeks and one day, I am off Jury Service. I appreciate that people need to do it, and that we need a cross section, rather than those for whom it may be convenient, and that everyone charged has the right to a fair trial, but sometimes, you wonder who is on trial. I have had 6 weeks at right angles to my life, with things going on as normal, but where I have been sitting with different priorities. Without going into details, the trial has been complex, and we can't forget that this is not a logic puzzle; that the people accused, giving evidence, and referred to are all real people, and all have a lot hanging on what the Jury eventually decides. It's taught me a lot about myself - I thought until very recently that I was quite good at dealing with things, that I could divorce myself from what was happening, but that has proved impossible. I became emotionally involved, and have really felt under a strain. I have spent a lot of the afternoon crying, which came as a surprise to me.

Now I am finished, I need to pick up my life and put the pieces back into place. It's going to be hard to click back in. It's as if I have to forget about this, and let go of the last 6 weeks of my life, where I have eaten, slept and breathed nothing but this trial, shared with 11 other people who I became close to, but will now probably not see again. It's Jon's birthday tonight, so we will be celebrating quietly, free of this hanging over us, which is good. The support I have had from Jon, my family and my friends (both "real world" and "online" has got me through this - so thank you - if you are reading this, you probably count in one of those categories).

So - I can let all the detailled data ooze out of my mind, and get on with making honey and lime glazed chicken for Jon's Birthday Tea!

Confessions - from right at the bottom of a rabbit hole...

Oh dear. Please will someone stop me, tie my hands, hide my purse, anything to stop me from buying even more yarn? After a quick enable from a couple of members of the North East Yarn Fiends on Ravelry, I visited Woolaballoo in Crawcrook. It is amazing - they have beautiful yarn. They are lovely people. They have Colinette, Noro, Regia (including the new Galaxy yarn), Artesano, Ranco. They are good value. The displays are lovely - I can see what things look like, and feel the luscious yumminess of the yarn. They are sitated 5 minutes in the car from my house. They are too near...

5 Skeins of yarn, 2 circulars and a book later, I am at home, and I am torn. I have a Local Yarn Shop which is local, and beautiful. I also need to discipline myself, else I may as well ask for my wages to be paid to Woolaballoo each month, and I can then just go and pick up my goodies! I shall be back, and I shall be buying. Again. What a lovely shop!