In the Zone!

Blah blah blah!!

2012-01-23T14:26:00.000Z

Ha ha! So its 2012, has been for a while now, so I am not going even start apologising for my absence and lack of blogging etc etc - its pointless!
You all know I haven't been here for a while and that's just because I have been busy living, not scrapping, and therefore although I have had lots to share you don't want to read a load of waffle without any pretty pics do you?

So - onwards and upwards. Christmas came and went - at work - all funds for the USA pot!!
I'm going back there in June - for a BIG celebration - because I am turning........................forty (yikes!!) in a few weeks.

I plan a grown up dinner party here to mark the occasion, but really am celebrating by going for a mega three week trip to the place where my heart belongs!! Sadly, I will have to return as Visa difficulties mean I can't stay there indefinitely unless I find myself a hot yank who wants to marry me??? :(

The decorating is almost finished and love love love my new look lounge. Its all grown up and suitable for socialising - not like the play room it resembled before?

I worked another set of night duties and took the opportunity to wander round my home town in the wee small hours taking pics.............love this city!

Have managed after several weeks off to get my asre back on my bike and start cycling to work again - need to shift the lbs before I hit the beach in the US!!!

Have worked and played and laughed very hard!!

Had a lovely late Crimbo at Grannywens and had a lovely crafty day with her making cards - I will share here as soon as the gloom lifts and I can photograph them properly. In the meantime, here is a bloomin' awful picture of a card I made for a girl at work who is escaping to have a baby! Excuse the crappy phone pic.

I've had loads of ideas of things to make and paint in my head but none of them have materialised into anything tangible yet - however, the arrival of my new Gogo kit this morning may well change all that?
See you all soon - promise
xxxx

Its beginning to feel a lot like....................

2011-12-10T18:49:00.000Z

........2011 is running out fast!!Seriously where has this year gone?This time last year I was at the French Market in Lille and uber excited at going to be going to the USA on Monday!!In comparison, this week this year I have gotten very drunk on mulled wine at the bavarian Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, and spent the most amazing 24 hours with my USA Marshall on his flying trip to London!
I have put up my little tree and hung some decs up around the flat and am sat snuggled on my sofa with yummy candles burning looking forward to the Strictly semi final!Sadly no crafting for months!!Life has been pretty busy and hectic but sooo much fun. Burning the candle at both ends for weeks and for once its not all work work work although of course that has featured too :)On Thursday night I even spent an hour directing traffic in the pouring rain as there had been an accident in my road and there was no-one to help. Barney, who has had the sniffles, and I were on our way back from the vet. Poor little dude, sat in my car surrounded by flashy lights while mummy got soaked to the skin, he didn't really understand what was going on!!

Yesterday I spent the day as tourist guide and thoroughly enjoying the city, showing my US friend around. We had a lovely day and finished it off with a visit to the ballet. The tickets have been booked for months and I was going with the girls, but one dropped out last minute so my guy was able to come along. Matthew Bourne is a fantastic choreographer, quite modern and this version of the Nutcracker was fabulous as always. Not the usual choice for my rufty tufty American hunkster, but he is into music and the arts too and so thoroughly enjoyed himself!!

Bless him though, he wasn't quite prepared for the cold despite me telling him to pack a warm coat, and spend the day clutching at hot chocs and me for warmth!! Obviously I wasn't complaining :)

Sadly crafting has fallen by the wayside. I am soooo behind with scrapping and getting my photos sorted its not funny!! Maybe that will be my New Year resolution to get back into it and stop forgetting my blog!!??? I am sure that come cold January that will all change as I sit snuggly indoors and look for things to do?
Promise I won't be away so long next time :)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

At last some craft!!!

2011-11-07T18:53:00.001Z

Ha ha, I've been absent again after all my good intentions :(
I really don't know where the time has gone ??

I have been busy nesting and sorting out my flat - will share some pics when I am next home and able to photograph the 'after' ones!

I have been getting fed up with my poppy crumpling up on my coat this week so decided to emboss it with different pink red and gold utee this evening!!
Am quite pleased with the result, What do you think??

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Still catching up!!

2011-10-28T13:02:00.000+01:00

Hi All, still trying to catch up with sorting and organising my photos to share my recent adventures with you. I just don't know where this year has flown too - it's Halloween already this weekend and I am still back in the summer in my head!!!

Another couple of art journal pages to share with you in the meantime. I went off the page a little and used some fab artwork I found which I added to my backgrounds and then journalled on.

For some reason I found making the backgrounds the most enjoyable, as I can be expressive with colour and shape. I'm not so good when it comes to writing down my thoughts and feelings, but then I guess I'm like that in real life too??

You can't really see in this one but it is full of texture too as I found some fab granular stuff and micro bead gesso in an art shop in Clapham!!

So, what am I up to at the moment??

As if I don't have enough to do I find myself in a nesting mood and have just started to reorganise and decorate my lounge! It must be something about the time of year, I feel the need to make my home comfy and cosy, and if I'm honest, as much as I love my craft area it has taken over somewhat and I need to tidy it all away and spend time in a grown-ups lounge not a play room!!!

I have taken some before photos and will share when the transformation is over, although with all the crafty stash to sort through it may take me all weekend!!!

Happy Halloween!

xxx

Seriously? How long???

2011-10-23T22:55:00.000+01:00

I am a terrible blogger!!

I am a terrible scrapper!

I am a terrible artist!!

I have not indulged in any of the things I love doing for absolute eons, and that's because I have just been so damn busy!!!

I have done loads and photographed loads and not even started to upload my pics let alone sort them out to share with you or send them off to be printed, and now there are sooooo many I don't know where to start!!

Life is good - don't let my art journal page make you think otherwise, although I did have a minor blip and it did rain. For a while.

But now the sun is out and Autumn is here with cosy woollies and comfort food and Merlin and Strictly on the tv, well at least when I am home long enough to watch them!!

Will organise myself and share my adventures soon.

xxx

Bad blogger!

2011-10-11T21:42:00.000+01:00

Thats me!!!

Haven't been around for ages since my trip and have been so busy busy with both work and play but just haven't had time to stop and photograph and blog anything along the way!

I know, I know, shocking and not like me at all!!

To make amends I will share two more of my art journal pages.

I haven't even had a chance to make any more of these either for a while and I am beginning to feel like I left my mojo in the USA!!???

There was certainly lots of inspiration whilst there, but now I have to order some photos to scrap and of course find the time to actually do some scrapping!!

That's assuming I can shift these post holiday blues.................

Back to reality (part two)

2011-09-27T21:21:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to part two of my adventure, we're still at the Yankees game in NYC!

Before the game started some of the players meet n greet the fans. We ran down to see this guy, Mariano Rivera, and got soooo close, spoke to him but didn't get his autograph as he had to go get ready for the game. Remember this guy - he is very important!!

We watched the big screen and saw all the players and instantly fell in love with A-Rod!! I think he and Cameron Diaz have broken up now and he can give me a call anytime!!

The big screen was great when something happened and did lots of crowd scanning - sadly we didn't make it into any of the shots! Those Americans sure know how to celebrate stuff and with all the music it was like being at a giant fair!

Annoyingly I didn't take my zoom lens with me that day!! Doh!!

At half time they came and swept the field for the players, all in time to YMCA which the whole stadium got up and were dancing too - awesome and very very funny!!!

And then history was made!!!

Now I don't really get this part, but the guy we didn't quite meet - remember him? Well he won the game for the Yankees and it was a really BIG deal!!! Had we managed to actually get his autograph on our tickets it would be worth a fortune now!!!

Never mind the game was fantastic and Sue and I are now avid fans!! (We both wore our souvenir t-shirts at home yesterday, feeling sad and reminiscing about our holiday!!)

After the game we headed back into the city and made our way to Little Italy where the San Genaro festival was on. Obviously we stopped and made friends along the way :)

We watched the parade and walked round the streets checking out the fair and the stalls.

Then sat down for a meal in one of the many Italian street restaurants and watched the world go by. The food was delicious!!

Every year they have a freak show and this year was - The Headless Woman. Now at $1 to get in we knew it was going to be a scam, but we still couldn't resist checking out how this woman had survived without her head for all this time.

We paid our money and were told we had to wait while she had her daiper (nappy) changed. Eventually we were allowed up the stairs to view her and just as we got there all the power went out and we were in darkness!!

Ha Ha - they didn't count on Andrea having a torch in her bag and we burst out laughing as the torch light shone on the headless women and she waved us away in the dark!! "How can you see, you have no head???" we shrieked, and she continued to wave at us!! It was so funny but I guess you had to be there

Without giving too much away, this was pretty much how she looked (although obviously this is me), sat in her wheelchair with a neck brace on! We giggled for about half an hour at this!!

Still laughing we headed off to catch the last ferry home.

Tuesday saw a change in the weather and as Sue and I got up early again to make our way back to NYC, we were gutted to find it grey and rainy!

It is sooooo very hard to balance an umbrella, a camera and dodge all the people in the city, so yet again I didn't take too many pictures - oh well will just have to go back!!

I had a couple of things on my checklist for NYC that day - Central Park and Liberty. As we made our way to the park we took a few more pics as the weather brightened and dried up a bit.

We met a typically grumpy and rude New York cabbie but at least it ticked off 'ride in a NY cab' from my list!!!

and we made some more friends,

This was where I wanted to visit - Belvedere castle. Its not really a castle but a nature observatory. It looked so pretty and the views from the top were lovely!

Took some great shots of Sue but sadly the ones taken of me were a bit blurry :(

Then after some more subway travel and lots of walking we headed past the financial district, Empire State building and Rockefeller plaza. Obama was in town too that day and there was lots of security about.

we made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge and walked all the way across

and back. The views of the city were stunning!

We quickly ran out of time and didn't make it as far as the Staten island ferry to visit Liberty this trip - it was time to head back to Andrea's and our last night out!

On our last day we popped into her work and said goodbye to the guys, did some last minute shopping for a present for Andrea and visited a shooting gallery to try our hands! Not something I'd done before but the cops there are obsessed by the fact that we don't carry guns - we didn't want to let the side down so very nervously at first Sue and I had a go!! It was an interesting experience but as you will see when I scrap the targets we did really well and no-one could believe we hadn't done it before!!

We ended the trip with a photo shoot of us - Charlie's Angels!!

It was an amazing action packed trip - yet again the guys were so hospitable and friendly and we are already planning a return visit next year!! Both Sue and I want to move there permanently!!

Now of course it is back to reality, work and British weather. It already seems like a lifetime ago that we were in the US. Just have to get on with scrapping it all now and the other million things I have to do.

Toodlepip!

xxx

The one where I return to reality!! (part one)

2011-09-24T18:54:00.003+01:00

Ok so you may have noticed that I've been absent for awhile, and I did say a few weeks ago that I had another adventure looming, so it's only fair that I share it with you now that I am home!!

This a picture heavy post - you know how many photos I take when I go away, so it will be a post in two parts!! Grab yourself a cuppa and enjoy the ride.......

Since I went for work in Dec '10, I have been saying that I wanted to go back to New Jersey. I kept putting it off co's of the work thing, but eventually after not much persuasion from my NJ friends, I booked a kinda last minute trip and dragged my chum Sue (from the Nice adventure) to come along with me. The day of the trip came came round very quickly and soon we were there - enjoying the Jersey Shore at Belmar!!

After a long flight and a few beers on the back porch at our host Andrea's house, we drove along the coast for the view and a relaxing walk.

The next day was spent shopping for great deals at the Mall and an evening at the bar catching up with old chums from my last trip.

On Friday we made a road trip to Atlantic City!

As we drove down on the freeway we had the top on the jeep down and we sang and laughed as the wind blew through our hair.

We played our favourite songs which will now relate to great memories forever! Katie Perry's "Last Friday night" has a special place in our hearts!!

Andrea had some great songs on her Ipod and I now am addicted to a group called Finger Eleven - another great trip anthem!

Soon we were there and checked into our hotel. After a walk along the boardwalk and some time getting prettied up we went for a great dinner and then partied the night away! It was an awesome night!!!

The next day after a solemn and hungover drive home, we stopped by to meet ma and pa then loafed at Andrea's, played with her gorgeous kittycats and then had a siesta before heading out to a local bar with a live band that night!

Sunday we visited Red Bank, the town I stayed in last trip. There was a food fair in town and it was very different to the snow covered visit I made in December.

We met some interesting people

and enjoyed the stalls and food on display at the fair.

Later on we visited another seaside town, Pier Village and after a look round some cute shops stopped by the beach for a cocktail or two?

Monday we were up and out early to head up into New York.

We had tickets for the Yankees game as they were playing at home.

After some fun navigating the subway,

we headed to the Bronx and the Yankees Stadium. It was HUGE!!

Again there were some strange and interesting people on the way

and inside the stadium we weren't disappointed!

We had great seats and settled down with a hotdog and a beer waiting for the game to start, taking a few pictures while we waited.

Charlie's Angels on tour!!!

Andrea spent a long time explaining the game to me - I kinda picked it up by the end - it only took about four hours!!!

Right, thats enough for now, pop back and I will post part two soon!

xxx

Apparently I am 'out of date'!!

2011-09-07T15:27:00.000+01:00

So day three of my hols and so far I've not done very much!! Although today I have finally managed to unload all the camping equipment from the back of the car and sort it all and squeeze it away into the hall cupboard - yes I know - finally! But judging by the weather we are now having it doesn't look likely that I will get away again in it again anytime soon!!?

Yesterday was COMPLETELY wasted!! I was waiting for the gas man to appear to complete my overdue gas safety check - he was late of course and I managed to shut my fingers in the door which left me swearing and howling for some time and one handed for the rest of the day - ouch!!

My new Iphone arrived so after much one handed bumbling I tried to set it up only to find that my Itunes programme was out of date!!! ( I didn't know it could be??) I promptly downloaded the newer version to find I couldn't install it because my mac software was out of date too - seriously?? You are kidding right?

I spent several hours on the not-particularly-helpful apple help site to try to work out if I was a lion, a leopard or just a wally, and in the end had to phone up to ask someone and ended up bawling like a baby down the phone at him when he said he would send me some new software but it might take 5 -6 weeks!!

So I sat, the old sim card now disconnected, the new one useless without the new software and without a mobile phone to text anyone I might fancy texting or even just fancy? Aaarrrgghhhh!!!!!

Eventually, one handedly and with the aid of some magic tape I managed to fashion the new sim card to fit the old phone so am now contactable again but also have a spangly new phone just sat in its box - uselessly staring at me!

Really, I might not be down with the kids anymore, but I really didn't think I was that 'out of it'?? I have a Mac and an Iphone - surely I am hip and with it??

Later, a charming young knight in armour helped me see that I am not quite so 'out of date' as I had previously thought?

Things are looking up!

The Art Journal one

2011-09-05T17:50:00.000+01:00

Seriously? How did it get to be September already??

I have absolutely no new LO's to share and am just not sure where all the days have gone???

It's certainly turned very Autumnal here all of a sudden too and the hot days of summer feel like a distant memory!!

So, my new foray into the land of art journals has so far been very enjoyable. I found this fabulous book in TKMAX the other day, its A4 size with a lovely touchy feely leathery cover and I just HAD to buy it! It's meant for music as the pages are all lined ready for notes but some layers of gesso soon hide that and I have been busy filling them up.

Not being the most patient of people I have also made some pages on loose water colour papers whilst waiting for my layers to dry, and I have stuck these in my journal with matching painted backgrounds. So far I am enjoying the experience even if some of the results don't end up how I planned - but then that's the point isn't it? I am enjoying the spraying and inking and using up some old rub-ons and stickers along the way - its very theraputic!

This page has been altered since I photographed it and stuck it in the journal - I tried to paint the writing but decided it looked too messy. I have since painted over the top and hand written it instead!

Well that's all for now folks, am off to plan some more of my upcoming adventure.

I bet you are dying to know what I'm up to???

The opportunity!

2011-08-31T11:45:00.000+01:00

So, not much news from the Zone so far this week.

I spent the weekend getting very inky and painty and had a thoroughly lovely time immersed in raspberry vodka and mojo magic!!

I watched girly movies whilst I sprayed and splodged and cried at all the slushy parts and ended up wiping ink across my face and looking like a painted warrior - it was a good job no-one came to the door!!!

I popped out to the shops and bought some discounted arty stuff and a new jumper in a sale, and got thoroughly soaked in the rain.

I played with my neighbours new kitten who has discovered I am good for cuddles and have a good lap for sleeping on, and I soothed my broken heart and tortured soul the best way I know how - alone, with just me!

There were no photo opportunities to be had, but that didn't matter. New opportunities for adventure have presented themselves, and as they say - as one door closes another one opens. No buses or trains involved but there might just be a plane............?

xxx

The Bank Holiday one!

2011-08-28T10:19:00.000+01:00

Hello all, apologies about the last post but it needed to be done! NOT that is has made any difference mind you - the sad individual it was aimed at still seems to be lurking about, checking up on me and noseying about my life!

It's really quite pathetic and I have no idea quite why the need to do it? Is your own life so sad and dull that two years on you still want to know what I am doing?

Anyway, in the meantime I have been very busy with my life although am now limited to what I will share here - shame really!

There has been a lot of work and I survived my 22 day run - obviously, but it has meant a severe lack of scrapping!! Due to the not-so-great BH weather this weekend I am in the process of rectifying that now but have also discovered a new love of Art journals. I blame Kirsty Wiseman and her fab two classes Feel and MIMM. She has a new one out by the way - looks awesome but I really need to finish the others before I sign up to anything new!!

So the last of the LO's from Devon camping. It feels such a long time ago now! I was meant to be going on leave again now, but life/things got in the way and I have postponed things for a couple of weeks - but fear not readers, its all good - I have a truly AWESOME adventure heading my way very soon!!

Right - off to make stuff!!

xxx

We interrupt this broadcast.....

2011-08-23T00:42:00.001+01:00

For a public service announcement!!!!

You, yes YOU, the one in Horley looking at this on your Iphone!!

You know who you are!

Seriously? You STILL hanging about like a bad smell, desperate to know what I am doing with my life??

Seriously???? - FOXTROT OSCAR!!!!

In the Midnight Hour!

2011-08-21T20:04:00.006+01:00

Strange things have been going on in my head this week! It has been spectacularly quiet on nights and my daft old brain has taken itself off in flights of fancy and day(night)dreams!!

In the absence of the possibility of being whisked away by a lover to Zanzibar I have consoled myself with a celebrity crush instead!!

Swoon!
How hot is he?
To accompany my romanticisms I also revived some eighties/nineties music classics and could be heard humming to both Fleetwood Mac and Savage Garden with an earphone wedged in my left ear! The tunes I remembered from my teen years reminded me of youthful wishful dreams of a love yet to come and made me feel all warm and tingly, although I have to say did interfere with me trying to sleep the next morning!!!
:)

I spent many hours spending imaginary money on craft supplies, which did materialise into the real thing on a couple of occasions and now have some new inks and journals winging their way to me! Why is it I always get the urge to be creative at the most innapropriate times, and then when I have free time can't seem to find my mojo ?

I also scoured t'internet looking for a good deal to be had for a holiday next week while the twins stay at Grannywens. I long to go to Corsica but don't have quite enough holiday tokens to manage it - it's always so expensive when travelling by oneself! The flights to New York are ridiculous at the moment although have a place to stay on arrival, and even new fave Nice seems to be just out of my reach!
Oh what to do?

I think also because I have been spoiled for company on my last few trips, both at home and abroad that I am now also a little reluctant to travel by myself? I enjoyed the fun and banter of my companions as well as the opportunity to have real live people in my photographs.
I do have itchy feet though and need to make the most of my week while the boys are being looked after.

Maybe I will take the advice of Anonymous and find myself a train? Surely a train would be fulfilling, fun and adventurous all in one, giving me just what I need??? As for getting off a bus too early. Well I never actually managed to board the one I wanted! Not sure it has left the depot yet and I can't seem to get any response when trying to contact the bus company!!!

Buses!

2011-08-18T07:41:00.000+01:00

So, not much to report so far this week.

1. Apart from my death defying cycle in to work where more people tried to run me off the road in half an hour than they have in all the last two years put together!! Made my life flash in front of my eyes on more than one occasion I can tell you!!!

2. A drive to Luton and back in the wee hours................for nothing!!!!

3. Nothing to report on the hottie front other than to say men really are like buses aren't they?

My only problem seems to be the one I really want to get on hasn't arrived yet, another that I used to want to get on is always full and another one is going in the completely wrong direction so deffo wont be getting on it!!
What's a girl to do?
Stay on her bike I say, although see point 1. - not always safer!!!

It all seems to have gone rather quiet but I guess that is due to me working the twilight hours!! Although I am excited to report that a very old friend from my past is coming up to town next month and wants to get drunk with me!! Always a good sign, although I think in bus terms its possibly a substitute driver situation!!?

My near death experiences made me ponder life in general and my severe lack of love life as I trundled up the M1! I came to no great conclusions other than that it sucks! Having spent a long time carefully putting my poor fractured heart and soul back together I thinks its about time someone came and swept me off my feet before I really do need to get a bus pass!!!
And yes, the cute guy in the van this morning, who winked and smiled at me even though I look a complete wally in my cycle kit, will mean I go to bed with a smile on my face!!
xx

Parlez Man-glais???

2011-08-14T23:37:00.001+01:00

Understand/speak men that is!

I don't. Never have. Not sure I ever will!

They really do speak a different language to us girls don't they!!!!

While it has been a very strange long hard week for some I have basked in the gloriously delicious saucy flirtations of the hottie in a little bubble all of my own. Well, actually I thought we were in it together which was rather nice! It has been really rather intense and awesome and has made me feel things that I probably haven't felt for a year or two now! I swear that yesterday I was getting to the stage that if he had leant over me or brushed against me once more then I was actually going to lick him!!!

So why is it I now feel slightly deflated after he left this evening?

Aside from the fact that I won't get to see him for a while due to my night shifts next week, the last text he sent me was in a quite different tone to the those of this week and he apologised for being "Off colour"!

What????

Apart from a little blue, as in blue movie, I thought he was in spectacularly fine form and anything but off!!??? Maybe I had missed something? But there we have it you see. Apart from the obvious possible misinterpretations of tone from a text message, and my typical woman's prerogative of reading far too much into absolutely everything, men really do seem to be on a different planet!

I don't know? I think I'm just going to have another beer!!!

xxx

Food for thought!

2011-08-12T13:02:00.000+01:00

Hello Campers, its been a funny old week hasn't it, what with the riots and looting and interesting conversations with people I know, I have had a lot to think about!

Amongst all the hideousness and violence there seems to have also been lots of love and caring.

This has been amongst people I know, colleagues and complete strangers - its been very heartwarming!

I loved how people came together and helped clean up after the looting.

I loved the goodwill messages and keep safe comments from my friends and colleagues on the front line!

Even the hottie at work who was a bit distant for a few weeks seems to have had a tlc injection which he has been sharing with me - love it!!

So, what's next?

About twenty days in a row at work for me - a week of night duty and no days off for a while! It's gonna be a long weary slog and the hottie is going on holiday so no frolics to lighten my day and make me smile either

I will be back with some LO's to share and will try to find some stories along the way - will also share some more of these pics

See you on the other side

xxx

Trees, ponies and snores!!!

2011-08-08T20:59:00.000+01:00

Hello, hope you all had a great weekend and that the weather was kind to you?

We had a great weekend camping in the New Forest, very different to the last adventure but then I was with very different people. We were literally camped under all the trees in the forest, it was a shame there were so many people and the park staff weren't too bothered when our neighbours thought it would be ok to ignore the rules and pitch less than a metre from our tent!

The snoring was like something we had never heard - even worse than mine!!!

The weather was kind to us and we only had a couple of visits from hungry nosey ponies, one who tried to go in the tent but it was all part of the experience. After a hilarious BBQ on Friday night, on Saturday we walked through the New Forest into Lyndhurst. A pub lunch, a mooch round the shops (found a great craft shop) and a stop at a different pub for refreshments on the walk back pretty much filled up the day, before BBQ number 2 and lots more (alcohol) fun!

I met some great new people, and was a little sad when everyone else had to rush away after we packed up on Sunday :(

So as I was so near I decided to pop by and visit Grannywen for the rest of the day rather than head straight home. I took her for a little trip out to Wimborne and I found some bargains in Fat Face which cheered me up no end :)

It was a great weekend - I always LOVE camping although I didn't take as many pics this trip as I intended. I will share the ones I took in a LO soon. Today has been spent at home, washing and putting my kit away 'til the next trip, and trying not to think too much about acorns, planting and clearing weeds and stones from the past. Nice analogy Anonymous, and again I agree, preparing the ground is essential but for that poor little acorn alone in the dark its still a strange place to be.

Perhaps we should meet for coffee and you can impart some more of your wisdom???

xxx

Tie a yellow ribbon round the old...........

2011-08-05T00:24:00.000+01:00

Well I'd prefer pink or red and white polka dots actually but thats by the by.
Why would you want to tie a ribbon round an oak tree in the first place??
I guess you need the oak tree first and talking of oak trees whilst I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment Anonymous (well part of it anyway) surely you have to tend and water the acorn to encourage it to grow strong? You can't expect to just chuck it in a pot or the ground in case it goes rotten or Mr Squirrel runs away with it and stashes it in his winter larder for later?? Surely any good gardener knows that??

Very philosophical though - like it!

It's amazing what you can tell about people by what they say. Everyone has their own outlook on life and this view is conveyed in the comments they make. Take my friend Nat for example........now I know what she does for a living so I know she is a smart cookie, but to say she comes across as a bit of an airhead at times is an understatement!! She makes comments which can be exceptionally dimwitted but that's her and we love her for it! She played a joke on us when we went camping last time and pretended that she had caught the wrong train down to Devon. Now of course we all believed her because that's actually the kind of thing she would do, luckily she hadn't on that occasion!! Her text messages however were quite convincing and very Nat!!

And me? Very honest and open. You can tell by most of the stuff I write here! What you see is what you get and the hopeless romantic in me lets my heart rule my head every time! A bit of a dreamer and always manages to think of the witty retort long after I have replied to something!!?

Nat and I are off camping again this weekend. This time with three other girlies so should be good fun! No men to distract us or do the chores for us this trip! Sadly Nat won't be doing any more drunken Justin Timberlake style dancing either as she is off the pop for a bit while she trains/detoxes to climb Kilimanjaro - I am sure the rest of us will make up for it though so watch out New Forest, here we come!!

xxx

A little less conversation, a little more action!!!?

2011-08-02T17:43:00.001+01:00

So - Sunday was spent with the owners of these fab feet on a photography lesson with the gorgeous Kirsty Wiseman. We had a great day which with any group of creative types/women involved much laughter and rude comments!!! Have made some seriously great new friends - ( hi Fiona, Keilly and Rubina xx)

There was much input on rules of 3rds, radials, asymmetry and depth of field which was all explained very clearly and of course we had lots of practice as we mooched about London's Embankment Gardens.

Many of the shots were quite different to the normal pictures you would see here on my blog but it was a great day nonetheless. We spent a lot of time taking pics of each other, something I don't do very often - PEOPLE in my pics - yep!! And I learnt a lot about how best to do it - now I just need some more willing models to practice on!!

Monday was HUGE shock to the system getting up at 0515 to start back at work and by the end of yesterday I needed to get a bit squiffy on the sofa at home with Mojitos to recover!

The weather has been so nice, but too nice for going to work.

No eye candy yesterday either to cheer me up???

I have also had an anonymous comment made about my "D**E".

I am sure it is meant in the nicest possible way and the "lol" wasn't meant to be as in - you, on a date, you've got to be kidding??? But I thought I would explain about it a little more as I kinda brushed over it in the last post!

Its been a long old while since a seriously hot, well mannered, (did I say he was hot?) man has asked to spend some time with me and I got a little over excited maybe. In my simple world that counts as a date! But to be honest, as I said we did have a lovely evening, cinema drinks and dinner, but I came away a little confused that perhaps it was actually more platonic than I had considered??

Having now been asked "What film are you taking me to next then?", I can only consider that it did actually go quite well and I am not so strange that someone would want to spend quality fun time with me after all. I am still no closer to knowing if this is purely a meeting of like minded chums or the slow beginnings of something a little more meaningful and of course am far to shy to ask!!!

To be honest its quite infuriating but all good things to those who wait I guess, and boy have I waited!!!

So, my dear anonymous commenter - any thoughts???

My LO btw is from our camping trip in Devon a few weeks ago.

Did I mention that it was awesome??

Would have been even more awesome if the seriously hot man had been there too!?

- he'd have fit right in !!

And so, the end is nigh!

2011-07-30T21:46:00.001+01:00

Well the end of my lovely week off anyway.

I have had a lovely week, the weather has been glorious and I have done plenty of loafing in the garden, had a couple of mini adventures, scrapped and got painty for my art journal and been to the cinema a couple of times too!

Yesterday I went to see Bridesmaids. Not many people were there at 3.15 on a Friday afternoon, so I had the cinema to myself! The film was funny, but I actually found it a lot more poignant than I expected so cried as much as I laughed!

Today I have loafed in the garden again, my last chance before returning to work on Monday - boo!

Tomorrow I am spending the day with Kirsty Wiseman on one of her fab photography tutorial days. I have gotten lazy recently with taking shots and want to reconnect with manual mode.

I thought I would have a practise with macro and close ups while I loafed, so after a fairly mediocre shot of this LO I experimented with my flowers.

This isn't one that I grew from scratch, but adds some colour to my patio,

whereas I am thrilled to bits with these - my Gladioli, which I planted as bulbs in Spring!

They are huge - as tall as me, so I had to buy some extra stakes for them and had a gardening day this week too!

And my Asian lily which I thought had died over the Winter is just as huge and is glorious in its splendour!!

Hope you are all having a great weekend?

I had a fright this morning as I hung my washing on the line and I saw a little brown bottom ambling across the lawn! I thought one of the twins (well Barney actually) had escaped, but as I walked over I found a scrawny scruffy little rattie, not one of mine, who boldly stared at me before ambling slowly away into the undergrowth!!

Will be back with some of my shots after my lesson tomorrow!

xxx

A day at the zoo!

2011-07-28T22:12:00.000+01:00

So today I went to London Zoo!

It was a glorious day in London town, makes me proud its my home.

Of course I took hundreds of photos, some of which I had to delete, but there are loads that I am really chuffed with.

Here are some of my faves.....

I got up close and personal with all the animals, gone are the days where I try to get the whole body in a shot, but of course there were some who were by far my favourite.

These little otters were adorable

And the heron at Penguin beach stunning

The tigers are my fave in the whole world but they were too hot and sleepy today and didn't do much apart from half heartedly sniff at the ball

and snooze in the shade!

The walk thru monkey enclosure was a fun experience - lots of my pics were just a blur of yellow and had to be deleted!!

Luckily not all!

Back to the otters for feeding time. The keeper was late and they howled and mewed 'til she arrived, but were still adorable!

and hungry!

A stop for a bee (love this shot!!)

And then time to compare some meerkats.

These little guys were so cute

I wonder which one was Aleksander?

More Big cats, snoozing

apart from a few snaps at the flies and low growls at his mate

Isn't he majestic?

You wouldn't know these were taken through glass would you???

And the wife!

Back to my babies for one last look but it was all too much for them in the heat

And then a stroll by the canal on my way home!

A perfect day!

Oh, and my date went very well thank you.

We had a really enjoyable evening so hopefully will get to do it again soon?

Watch this space

xxx

The one the night before!!

2011-07-25T23:39:00.000+01:00

Having spent the weekend nervously, slowly cooking myself to a golden crisp,

waiting for the phone to ring,

It finally did!

Tomorrow I am going out on the D**E!!

(I dare not say it for fear of jinxing it)

I hope it goes ok?

I hope I can relax and be me, like I can be with this gang?

Will let you know

The one about the date!!

2011-07-23T18:52:00.000+01:00

Well, thats what I think he meant?

Surely if a guy asked you to go to see a film and a photography exhibition that's a date right??

Stupidly I made a comment on FB as I was sooooo excited and it went a bit viral with people I know all round the world commenting on it - that's how rare it is to use the 'd' word in my world!!!

Now of course the same people keep asking me "How did it go?"

I have to ignore them or admit - it hasn't - yet!!

Now I feel a bit of a fool??

I'm sure it will happen, I know he's a bit busy this weekend, I just have to be patient right?

Lets face it, if its meant to be it will happen and I have waited a long long time to be in the right place at the right time. He asked colleagues for my number when I was off work and if he wasn't interested then he wouldn't have bothered right?

Watch this space but I am hoping that...........

!!!!!!!

One year old!!

2011-07-19T20:27:00.000+01:00

It was the twins birthday the other day and of course we celebrated - with peas and sweetcorn - their favourite!!

Our neighbour brought some carrot tops but 'WE' seem to be OFF carrots at the moment???

In the meantime I have flumped and fidgeted my way through the last week with a back problem of unknown origin!!?

Despite the rude comments at work about my age, sex drive, wimpishness of camping etc etc I can honestly say that it was NOT the camping that caused it!! It might have been the repacking of the tent the next day but that's all?

I had five days off work and moped about feeling very sorry for myself and uncomfortable, unable to do very much and then had a scrapping frenzy on Sunday which has whipped my mojo up to a phenominal level - that's the only thing though, my enthusiasm at struggling back into work was NOT phenominal!! Not by a long shot!!!

Oh well, its only a four day week for me and then I am off for a weeks holiday, shame the weather won't be up to doing much but at least I can scrap regardless of what it does?

Work has been eased a little by some sympathy from the office eye candy, but as he wasn't in today I am feeling very poorly again this evening???

Ha ha! Hope you like my double LO? Haven't made one for a while but am pleased with how it turned out. The photos were from a day trip out to Stourhead last Autumn.

Toodlepip

xxx

Oh the joys of a tripod!!

2011-07-15T18:52:00.002+01:00

So this time last week I was sat in a pub in Totnes with this crazy gang!

We had all met up in Dartmouth for a fun camping weekend and it didn't disappoint - we had an awesome time and I haven't laughed so much in ages!!

On Saturday we wandered about in Dartmouth, ate a delicious Devon cream tea, and larked about in general having lots of fun. The weather was warm and fine most of the time too.

Then we headed back up the hill to the campsite for a BBQ and some more fun!

Nat became Lara Croft BBQ lighting guru and then entertained us all with some bizarre dancing

The we took loads of silly photos using the tripod and various food items! It's so nice having people in my photos for a change,

and actually being in some myself - even if I did pull some silly faces.

Hurrah for tripods and timers!!

All too soon it was time to pack up and come home. The end of a great weekend!

What are you up to this weekend?

XXX

Behind again!!

2011-07-13T16:23:00.000+01:00

I seem to have lost another week and fallen behind with my blogging again! To be fair I have been quite busy and for once it has not all been work!! Hurrah!

I went away camping for the weekend and have lots of pics to share - just need five mins to upload them from my camera, and I still also have the fab lunch pics to share from when I took Grannywen out for her birthday, and of course I then need to print them so I can scrap them!

Really I need an extra few hours on each day to complete all the things I want to do???

I will leave you with these pics of the boys, larking about at Grannywens and loking pretty darn cute I think!?

Catch up with you soon xx

My Moleskine pics so far

2011-07-05T20:05:00.000+01:00

So, after a shopping trip to the Range, Hobbycraft and few purchases on Ebay I am up and inking......

This is the first art journal I have made so who better than Kirsty Wiseman to lead us all through it.

The pages are quite personal and will include hidden tags with more meaningful journalling on them,

I haven't made those yet as I am still having fun making my pages

and this is my journey through journal land so far

There are still some things that I will add and amend

but so far I am REALLY enjoying myself

and this creative journey!!

I love it and hope you do too! For more info pop over to Kirsty's blog, I think she still has some kits for sale over there.

xxx

Sunday!

2011-07-03T22:26:00.000+01:00

So, the adventure car is home, the twins are home and I have had a lovely day at home ! The sun was shining, well it was this morning anyway, and I have been a productive little bunny!!

After a nice lie-in I set to in the garden and pruned my hedges and reclaimed about 4 foot back on my little patio!! It took about three hours but I managed to fill three bin bags with rubbish and after a good old sweep and re-arrange I sat down and enjoyed the sun - just in time for it to go in!!!

I did some washing, sorted out some online stuff and have completed three pages of my Me in my Moleskine jounal - pics to follow later.

I did not manage to attack any of the HUGE pile of ironing, but I did put some other washing away and generally had a tidy up round my flat! Of course now, in the midst of my creative inkyness the lounge looks like a bomb has gone off in my Zone - oops!

Oh bugger - is it really Monday again already?

Feelin' blue

2011-06-30T18:09:00.000+01:00

I don't know what's wrong with me at the moment, am feeling decidedly down and don't know why or what to do??? Work is ok, no probs there, the adventure car is back on the road - just have to go and collect it at the weekend, but I am missing the twins and it's lonely here without them!!!

Nothing much to report, am signed up on Queen Kirsty Wiseman's Me in my Moleskin class and although I missed most of the class last night and don't have any yummy spray inks to play with I am looking forward to getting stuck in with it - I do think it will have lots of very personal comments in it and they may make me cry!! I am looking forward to getting messy with paints and techniques though!!?

Odd LO today - never understood why there is a tourist info box at Crown Court - I mean who goes there on a day trip?? Makes me giggle every time I see it!!

Toodlepip xx

Life's laundry!

2011-06-27T12:53:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Grannywen and I went out to lunch. It was a bit of a magical mystery tour as she didn't have a clue as to what or where we were going! To be fair, I only had a half a clue as I needed to drive us there without a map so that she didn't suss it out!

We arrived at the Mill at Gordleton and it was fabulous and magical to say the least, but more of that in another post!

I returned home last night on the train, along with all the great unwashed but am now enjoying some sunshine before heading off into work this afternoon. No washing to hang out today as I didn't get up early enough but this LO shows a regular feature on my patio!

Not sure what my neighbours think when they see this as they don't actually know who lives with me???

Hopefully Grannywen will have managed to convey Barney back to the vet this morning for his second injection, she can't really tell the twins apart. Hopefully it's not Fred who went?? The vet suggested marking him up with nail polish which I grudgingly agreed to, and he was duly splodged with pink, but by the next day it had all come off so watch this space as to who went???? Amazingly, after his first visit on Friday his funny sniffle seemed to disappear so fingers crossed all is well.
xxx

Squirrels on Saturday and other tails

2011-06-25T12:23:00.001+01:00

Hello peeps! How did it get to be Saturday again so soon?

I think this week passed in a blur of work (just for a change) and now here I am at Grannywen's in what is turning into a very expensive weekend!!

Yesterday was Grannywen's birthday so the the twins and I set off very early in the morning so we had time for an M3 Starbucks coffee and a trip to the flower shop. They weren't very impressed being bundled into the car at 0630 I can tell you!

We arrived in good time and then due to recent snuffles from Barney's nose I decided a trip to the vet would be in order. An injection and some scratches later, the twins weekend has just turned into a two week visit with granny for some follow up visits to the vet!!

Then the adventure mobile had to go for her MOT, and this has lead to more ££££'s as she failed on a couple of things and so her weekend has now also turned into a longer stay with granny whilst Papajohn works his mechanic magic!!!

In the meantime I sat in the conservatory and indulged in my favourite FREE pastime - photographing the wildlife! There's plenty to see in the back garden but the little squiggles are by far my favourite.

There were two, a boy and a girl and they were both very agile and determined to eat the birds nuts! Unlike me - agile is not a word I would use to describe myself, but as you can see from todays LO - I am trying!!!

Then after a lovely meal out to celebrate Grannywens birthday it was time for bed!

Toodlepip! xxx

Rain rain go away

2011-06-20T18:57:00.000+01:00

Guess what?

It was sunny all day today, right up the time it came for me to cycle home and then it chucked it down!!

Typical!!

Typical Wimbledon weather wouldn't you say?

So, the weekend was ok, a few bits to do but nothing that led to overtime or late nights thank goodness. This week is busy with appointments for me but at least I finish on Thursday so only a short week - hurrah! Then I am off to Grannywens for the weekend and am hoping for some sunshine and at least one dry day to check out my tent and the pole situation?

Another LO I forgot to share from last Septembers riding trip to Wales, the weather was somewhat similar that weekend too, sun and rain, oh well it didn't spoil my fun!!

xxx

Just popping by to say hullo

2011-06-18T23:40:00.000+01:00

Hello all, how are you this weekend? Is it still raining with you or have you escaped it for a few hours?
Its been a mixed bag of weather here in London, obviously only choosing to pelt it down each time I had to step outdoors, so I decided not to venture out but to sit and watch several hours of CCTV instead!
Fun huh?
No, not really! :(
It's amazing how your eyes begin to boggle when watching it - doesn't happen when I stare at a film for an hour or two - odd that!
I have found a couple of LO's that I seem to have forgotten to share with you, this one about the chums hanging off my camera bag who travel the world with me. There should be a little dog from Hungary but his string fell off so he sits in the Zone and scraps with me instead!!
There are two little chaps hiding under the Zone as we speak, but I can hear ripping and tearing paper so I'd better go and rescue my stash before the twins fashion some special ratty ripped paper embellishments for me???
catch up with you soon
xx

A bit up and down!

2011-06-15T00:01:00.000+01:00

That's how I feel tonight and apparently I am not alone in feeling a bit odd at the moment.

Maybe its the weather, it can't make up its mind what to do and I am sure there is some sort of link from the atmospheric pressure to some people's brains and frame of mind???

I've got no reason to be down, but didn't have any enthusiasm for work today and just wanted to be at home and hide/scrap and do stuff for me.

Maybe it's co's I know I am at work for the next ten days without a break and the weather will probably be great at the weekend when I am in the office - I don't know?

Anyway, this LO is definitely about being up - almost as high as you can go - the top of the Rockefeller Centre in New York! On the downside it's a LO I struggled with, and still don't really like. Not sure if it looks a bit dull and square to me and I don't like the purplish background hue to the photo which made matching papers a nightmare.

Mmmm, maybe I need another adventure to pick me up, or a night out with the girls or to be chatted up by a real man, not sure, will get back to you on that one??

xxx

Sundays are for.................

2011-06-12T08:20:00.000+01:00

Scrapping of course!!

Although Saturday could have fallen into that category quite nicely too as I made two LO's yesterday, or it it three if one of them is a double pager???

Am having a relaxing weekend at home recovering from my nights and yes, I did manage to stay awake all day on Thursday. Was in bed fast asleep by 8pm though!

Normally I am a night owl and DON'T do mornings but this weekend my body clock as gone a bit peculiar and I have been up and shuffling about the net in my pj's by about 7am!! That's unheard of by me usually. I'm only up this early if I have gone somewhere on an adventure or am at work!!!

No adventures this weekend as my car is overdue its MOT, and although it was quite sunny for most of yesterday, the rain looks much more imminent today! Another day in the Zone beckons and there's nothing wrong with that!

So, this LO, a bit tongue in cheek, but then how else do you scrap random pictures of stone frogs in a pond?

Not sure what blogger is up to though - seems to have washed out all the colours again???

The one where I stay awake all day!!

2011-06-09T13:04:00.000+01:00

Well, at least that is my intention today.

Having just finished my nine night shifts, I am determined not to sleep through today but to stay awake til bedtime tonight!!! I have to go back in to work tomorrow but am off for three days after that so thought I would try to reset my bizarre body clock and achieve something with my time?!

I do, on occasion stay up for 24 hours or so on the trot - madness I know but sometimes when I go on my little adventures it is necessary as my shifts always seem to get in the way. One recent time was my little day trip to Paris last month. I travelled through the night to get there, spent the day wandering aimlessly with my camera enjoying the city, and the travelled back through the night again. Tiring but so much fun and I did sleep it all off in the garden the next day!!

Here is my first LO from that day. I intend making a mini book of my trip but am still sorting out my photos and need to get them printed properly. Luckily Grannywen came to the rescue and printed off a couple for me so I could get started.

Please excuse the silly much copied but ever-so-scrappbooky humorous photo - couldn't resist it!

Thanks for stopping by

xxxx

The one where I go all patriotic??

2011-06-04T19:39:00.000+01:00

Hello there bloggers, are you enjoying your weekends?

Do you have gorgeous sunshine or just warm and muggy days? I have no idea what the weather has been like here as I am working nights again, and really do sleep ALL day!! It looks quite nice and sunny this evening, but very windy, and it was very cold and dull when I cycled home this morning so who knows???

It another Royal post for me, this is one I made on my mini scrapathon last weekend too, but it seems apt with lots of Royal events here in London at the moment and Trooping of the Colour next weekend. I know they did the rehersals in the wee hours of this morning and I remember how strange it was too watch in the dark and the quiet when I patrolled it many years ago!

Anyway, my LO!

Despite many protestations that I wanted to get out of London that day, and no interest in the wedding leading up to it, of course on the morning itself when Grannywen woke me up, we all sat glued to the tv to watch the happy event!! It was a lovely day and a major event in history so it was only right that I scrapped it and recorded how I felt at the time.

Ok, off for some breakfast/tea now before I head back into the twilight zone for another night!

Take care , thanks for stopping by

xxx

The one where I actually scrapped!!

2011-06-01T18:52:00.001+01:00

Hello peeps!
Well done if you survived the last mammoth post about all my adventures. Of course I now have a mammoth pile of photos to scrap too - or at least I will have when I finally manage to upload them to Photobox and put in my order! I have been trying all weekend but cant get them to upload at all!! :(

This LO is about another mini adventure I had that I hadn't got round to telling you about yet.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - yes that is HRH Camilla and she is chatting to little old me!!! She is very interested and a supporter of the specialised work that I do, and held an open evening at Clarence House for us back in March to say Thank you! It was fabulous!

I had a starring role in that I had to introduce all my colleagues and remember not to call her Ma'am as in Marm (like we would our bosses at work), but Ma'am as in ham!!! It was a nightmare, but I managed not to fluff my lines and spoke with my bestest telephone voice!!!

Sadly the photos that were taken of us weren't at all good - and we were NOT allowed to take our own. The photographers wanted to charge a royal amount for a 7 x 12, but to be honest, despite the occasion, I wasn't willing to pay that much for such a poor shot! I did email them - twice, asking for a reduced price for more scrapping suitable size prints but they were far too important to even acknowledge my email let alone reply to it!! In the end I cheated, and the hidden journalling explains my frustration at having the said photographers watermark across all the shots! Oh well - its the memory that counts isnt it!!

Speaking of royals, her Scrapping Highness, Queen Kirsty of Wiseman had an online crop the other evening that I sat and watched with the twins. Her subliminal messaging must have worked because this LO has a remarkable resemblance to her sketch - I even used doilies!!! Lush!
XXX

MONSTER catch up!!

2011-05-29T22:19:00.000+01:00

Ok, so I need to explain my prolonged absence from Blogland.

Anyone who is my friend on FB will know that I am safe and well and will have seen what I've been up to, but for the rest of you, grab a large glass of wine or cup of tea and a biscuit and make yourselves comfortable - you may be here for a while!!

Due to the glorious weather we had a few weeks ago, many days were spent in my garden loafing or pottering about with my patio, or indeed photographing my wildlife chums.

I enjoyed a couple of evenings just chilling with a BBQ or sat watching the birds fly by, but then I began to get itchy feet, and you know me - I love an adventure or two.....

Firstly I took myself off for a little day trip to Paris

I got to the city very early and had a great day just wandering about with my camera.

Of course I stopped by all the famous spots, but didn't waste time in the huge queues .

The obligatory scrapping style shot just sorta happened -sorry!

and most of the day was spent hanging out in or near Montmartre, my favourite area of the city. One day I will actually see a show there.

Then lunch was followed by one of these - yummy!

I spent a few hours in the artists quarter, sipping beer and just people watching, but nearly fell off my chair when I got the bill!

I very much wanted to take some art/travel journal style shots which of course there were plenty of.

And no trip to the worlds most romantic city would be complete without visiting the lovers bridge to marvel at all the many love troth padlocks.

A fabulous day was all to soon over and the next adventure was to begin over the bank holiday weekend. Dorset is no stranger to me and I love going home and revisiting all my old haunts - even more fun with a friend in tow.

We went to Hengistbury head and rode the Noddy train down to the seaside

Paddled in the sea, although it was a little too chilly for my chum

and it took a while for our feet to dry off and warm up!!!

I took some more arty farty shots of the beach huts that I love

and then whilst on the boat we caught over to the pub on the quay it started to rain briefly, luckily we had a brolly

After a wander round Christchurch it was time for one of these, there is a theme coming here....

and then off the New Forest so my chum could meet some locals

It was a great weekend but then a few weeks later it was treat time again for me and along with these fab four I had a long weekend in the South of France!!

We stayed in Nice but caught the train to Monaco and gazed in awe at the yachts

Did the tour on the Monte Carlo equivalent of the Noddy train

And found our perfect boat....

I had genuine butterflies the whole time we were there knowing that this was only two weeks away

We even drove the course, although not very fast in the tour bus

the buzz in the air was palpable even though we were trying our best to look very cool and rich!!

Both sides of the harbour were breath taking

and driving the circuit - amazeballs!!!

(I saw this tunnel during the Grand Prix today!!)

I had dreams of finding my 007 and being a Bond girl??

But consoled myself with some chocolat chaud! It was so thick it was like soup!

Yummy!

The next day we popped down to Cannes, and look - paddled in the sea!

(It was much warmer than the last time!!)

We travelled the Noddy Train to get to our place amongst the A listers for the film festival

And chilled out in the Old town.

It was awesome!!

Of course we did visit Nice itself and what a glorious day we picked. It was roasting as we walked along the Promenade des Anglais

and again did out best to look cool and glam!

the old town was so pretty

and the view from the park on the hilltop amazing! The sea really was that blue!!

A view of the harbour....

but again we needed to cool our feet. Oh where was my cossie when I needed it?

We lazed on the beach in the sun for a while to get a South of France tan

And then explored some more.

We were all very sad to leave as it was such an awesome weekend. As usual I took a ton of photos and choosing which ones to share has been a nightmare and has taken an age and made me very nostalgic for the place. I think its my new favourite!! As I sat and watched the Grand Prix today my fingers got itchy for the keyboard of my laptop and travel websites - I think I may have to go back there and very soon!!

So, what now? A ton of photos to scrap if I ever find the time and back to normality!! I have worked ridiculous hours in between all these adventures as normal, and guess what - I am on night shift all next week!! Talk about back to earth with a bump!

To top it all, its another BH weekend and the weather is now pants - it's a good job I have already sorted out my little space in the garden, not that I am going out in it this weekend!?

Roll on July, when I am off on a little camping adventure..... I can't wait!!

If you have made it to the end - well done! I said it was a monster catch up!

Where are you off to?

xxx

Missing in action!!

2011-05-23T02:50:00.000+01:00

Hello there bloggers!
Sorry - I do seem to have neglected you for some time and not updated you on life in The Zone for about a month now. Have loads to tell and pics to share of my many adventures but one slight problem with my Mac being full apparently and needing to find space to actually get the pics off my camera!!
:(
All is well and we have been very busy, but hopefully normal service will be resumed soon.
Thanks for your patience
Hugs
xxx

Another mini adventure

2011-04-20T11:12:00.000+01:00

Hello peeps, hope this finds you well and enjoying this amazing weather we are having?

I survived my night shifts which passed very quietly really and have taken a few days off now as I have to work again at the weekend and didn't want to miss all the sun or fun!!

Yesterday was spent loafing in the garden, and there will be more of the same today. Not very productive but very enjoyable!!

This LO shows some really old photos of me and my super dog Ralph! We headed off to Devon to join Grannywen and Papajohn on a camping holiday and went for a fabulous long walk somewhere, wherever this was! I remember it being a very hot day like today, but there was a river at the bottom of the hill, and we got very muddy as we walked along side it for a ways - Ralph didn't stay so white and fluffy looking I can tell you!

Happy days, walking and camping with Ralph! He absolutely loved it!!

Am off on another of my mini adventures tomorrow, so check back in a day or two to see what I get up to?

Toodlepip! xxx

Nothing much happening .....

2011-04-15T18:14:00.000+01:00

on night shifts this week!!

Half way thru my week tonight, and have not been deployed so far, but with tonight being a Friday and the usual drunken city centre antics in play I am expecting to be busy!!!

The boys are well, although seem to have noticed that their evening rampage round the flat is being cut short by an hour or two. But a handful of Cheerios seems to cheer them up no end :)

And on a positive note, I seem to have made some headway with my quest for the missing tent pole. I don't yet have one in my grubby mitts, but at least I now know what size I need :)

I leave you with a page from my Amsterdam trip last year. Made using one of my Scrapagogo kits, I got stuck in to some serious hand cutting as I thought the little houses on the paper were just like the houses all round the city - cute huh?

The one about the girls!

2011-04-12T19:12:00.000+01:00

I love a good girly chat don't you?

Lots of time at my work is spent in this enjoyable but somewhat unpredictable pastime, especially with a mainly female population, but every now and again I get to meet up with these two lovely ladies and boy we can chatter til the cows come home.

I met these two chums on a training course five years ago, and although our paths have differed hugely in our chosen career we still manage to find plenty to talk about.

One has become a mother since we met and the other is a constant source of amusement as she bounces thru life, and then there is me - kinda in the middle. Three very different girls but who formed a huge bond during those three weeks all that time ago!

On Sunday night we met up for dinner, and although our idea of a pub meal didn't pan out, no-one minded ending up at Pizza Express. We talked work and babies and men and all the usual topics and moaned that we didn't get to see each other often enough and what we would do to change it!

So we have decided to go camping for a girly weekend - I can't wait!! The only problem is that I now have to source the missing/stolen tent pole that the childish ex-bf decided to keep back when he handed the tent over! Excuse me while I swear but what a w***er!

I have spent all afternoon today on the phone and t'internet and can I find what I need - no! I can't even get the measurements for it so that I can get my Dad to knock something up! I am so glad that relationship ended but really didn't need this reminder of why I am so glad!! I just hope good old ebay manages to turn something up soon!??

Stanley's tea party!

2011-04-05T19:48:00.004+01:00

Today we had a tea party at work, with homemade cakes and bunting and everything! Stanley's mum made them all and we raised about £100 for the Blue Cross. We even had little cute Stanley visit us in the office which was a real treat, but I forgot to photograph him as I was too busy stuffing my face!!

The white chocolate and raspberry blondie was devine!

It was nice to do something fun at work for a change too!

So, Spring seems to have disappeared again although I have it on good authority that it will return in time for the weekend, possibly even by tomorrow which is good as I have been getting very soggy on my cycles to work! I will leave you with this little LO - my ma and pa at the wedding last summer -

bless them!

It was a happy day like today!!

xxx

No jokes today!

2011-04-01T20:50:00.000+01:00

Another week has flown by in a whirl of work and play and hurrah - its the weekend again! Looks like it will be a good one too? So what are you up to?

I have a few errands to run that didn't get done today as I have been cowering in a dark room with a migraine, but also fancy a trip out if the weather holds - it was a gorgeously sunny afternoon that I missed today! :(

The last of my USA LO's to share with you, as I have said before, I didn't get to take too many photos, well I was working you know??? I hope to return later this year for a holiday visit so will take many more then I expect, in the meantime in my quest for a new adventure I have booked a little weekender in Nice for next month, and for once I'm not going on my own but with a top group of girls! I can't wait!

Enjoy your weekend

xxx

Some more from the BIG apple!

2011-03-26T23:57:00.004Z

Another quick post as I have just got home and am giving the boys a wee run about before I go to bed!!

Here's another of my USA LO's, this one about one of the Detectives who looked after us during our stay.

Andrea was a top cop! Think Sarah Jessica Parker with a gun!! Awesome! Even her designer handbag had a secret pouch to keep her gun secure - love it!!

Needless to say my colleague whom I travelled with fell instantly in lust with her!! Bless him!

Not much to report today - I am ashamed to be British after watching the appalling behaviour of the anarchists in the city today. A peaceful protest that went remarkably well was ruined by those few mindless morons who think nothing of the consequences of their actions and the cost of repairing the damage!!

Enough said!

The one that flew by!!!

2011-03-26T12:14:00.000Z

Wow! Where did this week go?

Well, actually it flew by in a whizz of evening do's and too much alcohol, so some of it is a bit of a blur!!!! Will share what happened to me another time.

Just a very quick post from me today as I am working this weekend, but wanted to share some of my NY scrapping. I managed to post it on FB so that my NY friends could see it, so thought I'd better share here too.

I haven't made a double page LO for some time, but needed to here as I didn't have many photos from the trip and the ones I did have weren't strong enough to warrant individual LO's!

I'm very pleased with it!

Although the weather has been quite nice recently today it is not, so I hope the sun is shining wherever you are? Have a great weekend.

xxx

Congratulations!

2011-03-20T20:49:00.000Z

I can finally share this as I know it has been received at its destination.

Huge congrats to Polly and Alastair and welcome to their lovely new baby girl.

I can actually say that I am really pleased with how this card turned out - not something I say very often, and all that hand cutting of tiny onesies and nappies was more than worth it!!!

So, the weekend has been and gone, although I am lucky not to have those Sunday night blues as I have tomorrow off aswell - yay!!!

Didn't get up to much, a quick trip to the pet shop cost more than I planned - think the spoiled hamster on the Lloyds TSB advert, and then a five minute visit to a local craft shop turned very expensive when I got a parking ticket despite having a pay n display ticket on my dashboard - cue very stroppy letter to that local council!!

I stopped for a walk in a nearby park to calm down, strolled round with a yummy ice cream ( first of the year), and despite having my camera in my bag managed not to take any pics!!?

I have however scrapped and enjoyed the sunshine and had a most pleasant few days!

xxx

Can you tell me.........?

2011-03-18T16:20:00.000Z

why it is that if I finish my working shift on a late shift (and have booked an extra day off to extend my weekend) that I can guarantee that I will end up finishing in the wee hours of the morning rather than 11pm???

Last night was no exception, so I had to endure the dreadful drunken night bus home too, full of green coloured St Pat's celebrators - not great when you are tired and sober and have not had to buy a bus ticket! Should have just tattooed "TARGET" on my forehead instead!

Apart from that, this week was a good one - I was at court for most of it, and am currently sat hoping/waiting/praying for a guilty verdict.

Next week promises to be equally as good - it doesn't start until Tuesday and I have a Royal, yes Royal engagement to attend too! Will tell you more about it afterwards, but suffice to say I am very excited!!

Today's weather has put me off doing very much, and I am quite tired, so not sure of my plans for the weekend - its meant to improve so may try to head off for a day with my camera. Am desperately trying to keep myself away from Olympia 2 and the crafting delights that my purse can't afford. May just have to stay here and use up old stash for a while longer??

Today's LO is from my pre Xmas USA work trip. We did get a day off and popped up to Manhattan - well you have to don't you, and I got to meet this guy - how cool!!

Have a great weekend!

xxx

Bouncing into spring?

2011-03-13T15:00:00.000Z

Or so I thought yesterday?

Today however I am not so sure, gone has the sun and the grey wetness has returned!!

I got very inspired yesterday, after queuing yet again at the sorting office in the morning I then decided that I couldn't bare to be indoors so spent a few hours pottering on my patio and transformed all the dead pot plants that didn't survive the winter and looked like this.....

into healthy tidy looking pots like this!!

It took ages as I have lots of little stones and glass beads in the tops of my pots and had to fish them all out and wash them.

I even managed a quick trip to Homebase to buy some little bulbs to plant in them! My patio looks much tidier now and I can't wait to watch the bulbs grow.

Today's LO is one using a photo from my pre Crimbo trip to Bruges. I loved the historic town and pretty buildings. It was especially Christmassy with festive music being played through little speakers in most of the streets............right up until they started to play 'Rabbit" by Chas n Dave??? I couldn't believe my ears and looked round to find someone else as shocked as I was - sadly I don't think anyone else noticed! Of course I had to photograph the street and make a LO out it!!

Right off into the Zone now, I need to make a couple of cards for people and I might even manage to scrap too??

xxx

Happiness!

2011-03-11T19:59:00.001Z

Comes in many shapes and forms!

I'm happy that it's Friday!!

I'm happy that I'm not working this weekend!

I'm happy that I get to visit lots of lovely inspiring blogs so that when I get in the Zone tomorrow I am full of ideas and inspiration!

I'm happy that I am sat with a lovely big glass of wine!

I'm happy to have some great friends, life sized and the mini ones!

I'm happy that my friend Polly has given birth to her first beautiful daughter!

I'm happy that the Craft Superstore has a sale on Promarkers!

I'm happy that my friend at work gave me a yummy cupcake today!

I'm happy that I realised that I had forgotten to put up the ratty gate and Barney had only got as far as the hall, embarking on his great adventure, before I caught him!

But mostly I am just happy to be here!

Have a happy weekend everyone!

xxx

All you need is.......

2011-03-09T22:24:00.000Z

........love actually!

Ok so a couple of corny song/film titles involved there but you get my drift!

(Coming up with post titles can be taxing at times!)

It's only Wednesday and I have already had enough this week. Even several pancakes with lashings of maple syrup yesterday haven't livened up this week for me, it seems to be taking forever, and I am longing for the weekend, especially if it is nice and sunny like it has been today?

Love in my world comes in very small form from the twins. They are both fine although have reverted to their former personalities, with Barney being adventurous and Fred acting super timid. They are still going through their teenage angst and the little squeaks from under the tent get quite loud at times - very distracting when trying to scrap!!

xxxx

Seven deadly sins - Sloth!

2011-03-06T20:56:00.000Z

Happy Sunday to you all.

Having stuck my head in around a few blogs it seems that you have all been very busy and productive and have had some great weekends!

I have been a complete lazy arse and done very little!

Part of me is disgusted at myself for wasting three lovely days off, but the rest of me, the bigger part that actually controls my actions has said, no, you obviously needed to rest and so that is what you have done! Stop beating yourself up about it!!!

I completed all my chores on Friday with the view that I could then go out and play if I wanted, but Saturday was spent in cyberspace (the only place I can afford to travel to at the moment), and watching BBC iplayer to catch up on two episodes of Silk (so I could lust over Rupert Penry-Jones)!!

Today has been slightly better, I finished all the ratty bed washing, found some sunlight to photograph previously made LO's, washed the kitchen floor and actually made it into the Zone and have completed four new LO's!! Go me!

I have eaten a very yummy garlic roast chicken, discovered how to make home made sangria and drunk it all and NOT managed to go for a run !

I feel very satisfied in my slothiness :)

Today's LO therefore is one about travel, (well sort of) - something I can daydream over but not actually contemplate at the moment, unless it is down to visit Grannywen, but what with petrol costing what it does at the moment, even that is causing me worry??? Therefore I am smug in the knowledge that my three day weekend cost me absolutely nothing, but I have rested, roasted, loafed and scrapped!

Perfect!!

xxx

The week that flew by!!

2011-03-04T18:06:00.000Z

Gosh!!

Not sure where this week went but it was a good one! And today was the start of my weekend so I have done all my chores already!!

After a slow start, (working the weekend left me feeling quite tired and miserable), I attended a seminar on Tuesday which was very entertaining and informative and led to some afterwork drinks and then dinner which was hugely enjoyable! It's so nice to get out and meet new people sometimes, especially when it was an impromptu affair - fabby!!

My working week itself was quite uneventful - luckily, but I went to the cinema last night with some other chums, which led to nibbles and a quick jug of Sangria afterwards - even more fabby!!

We went to see Black Swan which was enjoyable, but not what I expected. Everyone had said how disturbing its supposed to be, but I'm not sure what it says about me that I didn't think it was the least bit disturbing - you should try an afternoon in my office for that!!!
It was very nice to see Vincent Cassel though - that twinkle in his eye..................tres bien!!!

Anyhow, todays LO is a bit random - no link to anything in particular, just a fun page with a fun picture!
Hope you all have a great weekend.
xxx

The one about the circus

2011-02-27T19:02:00.000Z

So, how was your weekend?
I am pleased to have survived another two shifts of weary tales involving too much alcohol and some rather strange selective memories. It wasn't a quiet weekend but neither was it too griefy, as usual it was a bit of a circus!!!

Of course I would have much rather been doing something fun and scrappy, ideally still at the dining room table with Grannywen by my side, but hey ho - life doesn't go like that does it?

I did manage to make several LO's whilst I was there, but have not seen any daylight since my return so have not been able to photograph them for you yet - will share soon, promise.

Nothing much to report.
Life is pretty dull at the moment, probably a good thing, but I long for some sunny skies and an adventure.
The twins are fine, the break in the country seems to have done them some good, although they are behaving like typical teenage boys at the moment - raucous and full of testosterone!! It's quite amusing but they are so damn quick there are no chances to grab a photo or two, so no scrapping ideas on that horizon! :(
Today's LO is just a random one from my walk on the Heath last summer. I adore those felt circle flower thingies that I got from Anna's Make and Create shop - I don't have the patience to make anything like that, am so glad she puts them in her kits!!
Right off to check out what you have all been up to over the weekend.
Toodlepip!
xxx

A little out of season?

2011-02-23T23:21:00.000Z

Hello all, hope you are well?
Just a quickie post today to let you know I am still here and haven't been sent any death threats for daring to share the last post with you all.....???
It seems that everyone survived the viewing too, which is good!
:)

A bit out of season today, but then am feeling a bit poorly whilst down here playing with Grannywen. Am trying to rest and relax and scrap with her but have been feeling soooo run down. I managed to sleep for about 16 hours yesterday and was in bed for just after 8pm!! Must be all these long shifts catching up with me?

Anyway - this LO was one I made last time I was here. Seems a bit sad now but wanted to share it anyway, and still need to take some photos of the new LO's I have made!

Enjoy, and will catch up with you again when I am back home
xxx

What have I done???? * Health warning ***

2011-02-20T09:00:00.001Z

This post is not for the squeamish or those easily frightened!!!

This LO is one I promised Sheena back in October of last year!

She made some lovely comments about how I looked when we were at the Getaway and despite my protests refused to believe that I didnt wake up looking how I do!!

Bizarrely chums at work have also made the same sort of comments too, so much so that one comedian announced to the office that it was because I wear a wig, apparently there was no way I could cycle in to work every day and have my hair look so perfect every day!!

Of course this lead to all sorts of wild suggestions about me keeping it (my wig) on the end of my bed and being completely bald etc etc, all of which were taken with the humour they were meant!

Enough!

I feel the need to put the record straight, and am well aware that we are a long way off Halloween, so look away now if easily unnerved............................................

Scary huh????

This post is brought to you with laughs on the day after the one that I get yet another year older and scarier!
xxx

Time for a break!

2011-02-18T18:01:00.000Z

Hello everyone, hope you have all had a good week?

As usual work ruled mine to an extent, although we did have a fantastic result with a trial at court - guilty verdicts all round! Hurrah! Us -1 Bad guys - 0

And just for a change, my last shift yesterday finished several hours later than it should have, but hey, cycling home thru the city in the wee hours gives it a wholly different perspective!
I quite like it!

Anyway, back to the Zone, after a good scrappy session last weekend I haven't managed to get back in there this week, although that may change tomorrow. Am off out to the pub with the girls tonight and then am having a relaxing weekend before heading off to visit Grannywen next week for a few days.

I often have a little trip planned this time of year for a treat, but as I want to go back to the States later in the summer, I am holding out and holidaying nearer to home instead. With all the recent stuff I don't want to go off without the twins at the moment anyway - they are still not settled properly. Maybe a visit to the seaside will chill them out too?

Todays LO features little ol' me at my step brothers wedding last year. It was a big deal for me, my first big event after the hideousness of the beginning of the year, and I was beginning to feel ok with myself. Of course looking as good as I was feeling was all about getting the right dress - luckily Monsoon came to rescue about a day before and off I went to the ball!! It was a fabulous day!
Have a great weekend
xx

This time last week?

2011-02-15T16:36:00.000Z

Thank you for all your lovely messages and hugs - it really does mean a lot to me to know there is someone out there who cares!!!

I can't believe that this time last week I was rushing home to whizz poor Harry up to the vet - it seems like a lifetime ago now and I am still not sure that the twins have got used to the idea that he isn't there any more.
I know I miss his nosy little furry whiskers when I come in the door, and there seems to be a very minor battle occurring whilst they decide who is now top rat!!?

I wanted to share these today, the cards I made the other day (before all this sadness) and which I know Lisa will have been waiting to see. They are nothing exciting - my cards never seem to be, not sure why I can't translate my scrapping ideas onto the smaller canvas, but it must also be why, despite my trying I can't get a good mini book going either????

Anyway, I came home to this lovely gift in the post today - its from my lovely friend Eva (who has many talents and is my new found angel, if you are allowed to be an angel when you are a vicar??).
It brought another little tear to my eye as she has even captured Harry's little smile!

Bless her and bless Harry xx

The slightly melancholy one!

2011-02-13T13:46:00.000Z

Two LO's for you today, and without wanting to appear sad and melancholy they are on the same theme - the loss of my two little boys.

It's taken me until now to scrap the photo of little Wills grave, I don't know why, he is happy and safe now and Wilf the gnome looks after him

but it has only been with the very sad loss of Harry this week that I realise what these two little chaps meant to me.

These guys are my family!

They are who I go home to at night after a weird, crazy day at work, and they never complain what time it is.

Don't get me wrong, I have family (parents, who I love very much), but they are not close by and not part of my household as it were. My family consists of small furry people who love me!

These two were such awesome characters with HUGE personalities.

I miss them!

On a grey Sunday like today when photographing LO's is nigh on impossible, I miss the sunshine that their little nibbles and squeaks brought!

xxx

Night night Harry!

2011-02-08T19:03:00.000Z

God bless sweetheart.
If you find Wills up in Heaven don't be mean to him!

Please excuse me while I say a heartbroken farewell to my little furry friend.
The twins and I are feeling a bit lost this evening
;(

Seven days, was all she wrote!

2011-02-05T12:25:00.000Z

So, here we are again, another seven days have flown past without me visiting blogland.
Not sure why really, haven't done much apart from working - yes I know, same old lame excuse, but have just finished my run of ten on the trot, so was pretty tired and have been busy preparing for a trial next week. That and working a 19 hour shift on my last day meant all I did yesterday was sleep and loaf on the sofa!

Not today!

I am determined to get my mojo out of the box along with a few untouched Scrapagogo kits and create stuff! I also have a load of birthday cards to make this month, some imminent, so I need to get my mojo on sharpish!!

Looking out of the window it is fairly dull and gray again and decidedly windy, so no need to venture out - unlike today's LO - back in the summer and Harry had a ball playing in Grannywen's garden. I wonder what the twins will make of it this year???

Have a great weekend everybody!
xx

The one where I waffle a lot!

2011-01-29T16:35:00.000Z

So - what's been happening?
Not much if I'm honest.

Work of course!

A trip to the ballet - which was wonderful . We went to see Cinderella - the Matthew Bourne version and it was as magical as all his other treats I have seen. He is wonderfully modern, and as breathtaking as the ballet itself is, the humour he injects into the choreography is what I enjoy the most.

I have been a good girl and kept up my cycling to work, despite the bad weather we have had. And although the running regime I started at the beginning of Jan hasn't been kept up because of my crazy shift work, I have run when I can and have renewed my sense of enjoyment with it - will be heading up for a run with a certain lady very soon!!

Harry and the twins are all well, cheeky as ever but have caused no recent mischief or carnage that needs reporting apart from the night of adventure they all had when I forgot to close the door to their house and I found them all exhausted on my sofa the following morning!! The flat was covered in tissues and they all looked very guilty as I prised them out from under the cushions!! They continue to give me such joy and make me laugh so much - a BIG feat when you are only three inches off the ground.

I need a new 'thing' to look forward to. Will let you know when I have decided what it will be!
xxx

The one about the spa!

2011-01-26T19:29:00.000Z

Sorry, haven't been around for a while - usual lame excuse about work getting in the way, and going to and returning home in the dark does nothing for providing lighting for photographing LO opportunities!!

So, at the weekend a friend and I went to the spa.
We were on a trial package deal as it has not long been open, so they wanted us to provide feedback about the facilities.
We arrived on Sunday after a fairly lengthy journey as it was in the back of beyond, and thought it looked like we were about to leave our souls and sanity at the door and join a secret sect to be brainwashed and never seen by our families again?? The car park was very full and we were concerned at how busy it was all going to be? The reception area was full of people and it was somewhat chaotic, but eventually we were delivered to our room and provided with our bathrobes and slippers - obligatory wear for the next 24 hours!

We then shuffled around for the next two days, dipping in and out of the pool and sauna, steam rooms and occasionally the whirlpool bath - when it worked. We had facials, mine was lovely - my friend's was somewhat rushed and performed by a man!! And loafed in massage chairs reading whilst we were pummelled into oblivion. We needn't have worried about all the other cars - we hardly saw another soul the whole time we were there - my friend thought they had already been transported away by the aliens!!!

Dinner was somewhat peculiar, dressed in bathrobes, listening to Michael Buble's Christmas CD!!? The food was delicious if not a bit poncy - my Scallops starter consisted of one scallop with a second half a scallop cut up into three and elegantly scattered on the plate, and the Dehydrated Raspberry Pavlova was more appetising than it sounded. All very fine cuisine but we were so hungry we had to order room service and have cheese sandwiches about an hour after!!!

I attempted a class or two - the spin class with Arm bikes sent me running to spectacularly lose my breakfast halfway through, but I tried Zumba and really loved it!! A walk in the grounds was attempted but curtailed when we couldn't walk on the newly laid turf! Checkout was a disaster and left me so cheesed off that I resorted to salvaging some of the signature hand cream from the bathrooms!???

We did eventually escape but to be honest, as lovely as some of the plus points were, I was glad we hadn't paid full price to go there and actually felt more relaxed later that evening in my friends house with her two cute dogs licking my hands and ears!!

I thought this LO was fairly apt - shown here before I added the journalling though - bit too personal for you lot to read :) It was one of the pages I made whilst at Grannywens for our late Christmas, gosh - that seems like months ago now!
xxx

So 2011, what's occuring???

2011-01-07T15:00:00.001Z

So, Christmas is all done, although not quite put away here in the back of beyond as we were a little late with some of it, but what of saying Goodbye to 2010 and Hello to 2011?

Well not much to say about 2010, it started out dreadfully and finished on a much better note, although it did take most of the year for me to get myself back on track. I travelled quite a bit but didn't get enough time to scrap my travels and I embarked on many paths to self improvement!
There was the end of my fab little sports car, and the passing of young Wills - both which hiccupped my road to recovery. But there was a new adventure wagon and the arrival of two new playmates who have brought no end of joy and laughter to my little corner of the world!

Although Christmas was late due to my working the entire festive season, I received some fab gifts and hope that Grannywen and Papajohn enjoyed their gifts which travelled from afar - literally!

So what next?
Well, I plan to continue my wellness path which means getting back on my bike to work next week! restarting my boxercise classes and continuing the running that I began this week. It all helps me feel better about me, which is no bad thing and who knows what that may lead to???
(remind me to tell you the one about my movie styley romantic moment sometime) ???

I want to concentrate on improving my photography skills which have fallen by the wayside quite dramatically and take better photos, which will of course mean some more travels to practise them?

I want to sort out my finances and spend less time in my overdraft. Have splurged quite a lot in 2010 to try to cheer myself up, but now I have what I need, and need to concentrate on curbing my shopping whims - there is just no more room in my flat for anything else!!! (Of course this may not include shoes or stash as they are necessary on my path to wellbeing right?)

Not HUGE goals and nothing difficult, but am looking forward to this year without reflecting too much on the pain of the last. It was quiet and uneventful at the end, but not a bad end, especially the run up to it! I am not sad. I am filled with hope!

Hey look, I have even dusted off my mojo whilst at Grannywens' and have forged ahead and started to make some Crimbo cards for next year already!! Now that's planning and foresight!

I have even made a LO, now just need to get home and sort out some pictures to go on it! (can't keep using Grannywen's printer and photopaper to print them on!!) Oh that reminds me - one more thing to buy - a decent photo printer!!! Ooops!

So, cheerio last year!
Hello to a new year, even if I'm a bit late starting it? Better late than never I say!
:)

Posted from my Iphone!!

The Squeakwell!

2011-01-04T21:13:00.003Z

My little ratties have been away for nearly a month and boy have the twins grown! Barney seems huge, almost as big as Harry!!

When I arrived at Grannywen's yesterday evening I recieved the most excitable furry welcome ever! The boys were in the wonderful playpen that had been built for them.

and were all hiding in the shed (shoebox) until I called them. Barney came running over immediately soon followed by Harry and we had a lovely cuddly kissy moment or three! Fred was a little more restrained and watched me from his igloo deciding if he wanted to join in or not?

Grannywen told me all about their escapades, the night Barney tried to fly and the night that Fred had a mini adventure and disappeared for the evening, only to be found at bedtime hiding in the dining room!!! It certainly seems to have kept the Grandparents busy/entertained/exhausted for a few weeks!!!?

The most amusing part was at bedtime last night when Granny came to take them out of the playpen and back to their house -they all 3 queued up at the door, waiting at the 'bus stop' for the tram (travel cage) to transport them across! It was hilarious!! They knew exactly what to do as they climbed aboard for the short journey into the next room! (Granny can't pick them all up at once like me, and had a few issues with one or more escaping while she tried to pick up one at a time)so decided to wait for them all to get in the travel cage, then park that next to their house with the doors open next to each other so that they could all climb out again! Ingenious!

It made me laugh so much that the boys knew what to do and were so obedient! I had to try to film it tonight as you have to see it to believe it!

YouTube Video
Of course co's I was filming they were playing up a bit and didn't behave nearly so perfectly as the first time I saw it!! Typical!

It seems that I needn't have worried about the extended stay at all, although I think Grannywen will be glad when they go home - she needs a rest!

Xx

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone!!!

A little interlude

2010-12-29T14:52:00.000Z

Hi all.
Hope you have all had a fabulous time over the last few days and have eaten and drunk to your hearts content. Did you get some great crafty pressies?

As I may have mentioned, I was working over Christmas, but don't feel too sorry for me - no new jobs came in so it meant I had to sit in the office and watch TV mainly, oh and eat a few nibbles along the way! No Christmas dinner but a microwave roast dinner for one - mmmm yum!! It was ok. I wasn't sad. I sat and daydreamed about my week in the US for most of it and googled how I could return!

I am working right through the holidays, and to be honest it has just been a normal set of days to me, just a lot quieter. I don't mind. It seems a fitting bookend to close this last year and start the new one with a clean slate and hope for the future?

I am amazed to see that some of you have found time to craft let alone blog over the last few days - that's fantastic! I have so enjoyed your Christmas themed pages and cards and seeing what you all got up to. So I don't neglect my little blog for too long while I try to find some time to craft, here is a card I made for one of the girls at work - we had a baby shower for her mid December, before she went on maternity leave - for once I'm quite pleased with it!

Well my afternoon in the office calls again, have a great New Year and I will see you all the other side.
Enjoy whatever you get up to and be safe!!!
xxx

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T00:21:00.001Z

Merry Christmas to all my lovely blogland friends....

from Sarah, Harry, Fred and Barney

xxxx

Seven days and a Christmas miracle!

2010-12-20T20:29:00.001Z

Hello all!
Yes I know it is a lot longer than seven days since I last posted, but things have been so busy and to be honest my feet haven't touched the ground since my last post! I never got to share my exciting news before it happened so sit down with a cuppa and prepare yourself for a long overdue catch-up!

To start with, last Saturday I went here..............

Lille on a weekend Christmas Market tour.

I have to say it was good fun despite the early start, although I can honestly say I have never seen so many people all in one place - not even on Oxford Street!!!

Lille wasn't really my favourite place, too many shops and not enough character for my liking. I didn't really go for the shopping but more to take some cute Christmas photos,

but sadly I was a bit disappointed here, although the market square had some festive characters in it

The next day, Sunday, I went here...............

cute and chocolate boxy.............

Bruges!

Not somewhere I had ever really thought about going as everyone told me that it was so small you can see it all in a day, but a cute market had to make it ok huh?

Oh my word - I LOVED it!!

I would happily spend a whole winter weekend here it was so cute and festive and will try to do so next year I think ?

It would be so romantic!
I especially enjoyed the mostly festive music that was played through speakers around the streets, but when Chas n Dave's Rabbit played I actually laughed out loud!!!

The market was cute, the shops divine, and all the quaint streets and buildings were just my style.

I enjoyed the gluwein and a Belgian waffle (or two) whilst watching the ice skaters

and felt overwhelmed with Christmas spirit.

Shame we only had a few hours there :(

No sooner had I arrived home on Sunday night then it was a change of suitcase, a few hours sleep and then I set off for Heathrow the following morning.

My BIG exciting news was a week in the USA, courtesy of work (don't ask me how that miracle happened but it did!!)

We stayed in New Jersey - and this is the view from my hotel room, but of course had a trip up to Manhattan to see the sights.

It was cold, really cold, not like here but a pure raw cold that I have never experienced before.

If I wasn't feeling festive before then I certainly was by the time we saw the HUGE tree at Rockefeller Plaza.

We got to meet some famous faces and it was nice to actually be in some photos for a change!

We climbed the Rock which was so very very high, even thought the elevator took moments to ascend!

And the views from the top over Central Park were amazing

The cops we liaised with were super friendly (and v. cute)!

I have never been met with such hospitality and goodwill and it was awesome! The week went far to quickly so I cried when I left, and then the fun started.

The journey home was a nightmare and took about 36 hours, but compared to some we were lucky to have actually got here as some poor people are still asleep at the airport!
I won't bore you with all the details but it went something like: 4 hour flight delay, plane diverted to Manchester, not allowed off said plane for 5 hours, 3 hour wait for a train to London, 3 hour train ride to London, scary slippy car ride home!

Whew - I'm exhausted, how about you?
Each of these trips is worthy of its own post, but with the Big day less than 5 away it would take me too long to catch up - I also now have far too many pictures to scrap and no time to scrap them!!

I bought some cute decs at the Christmas markets and some great stash in the US, but will share those when I get a chance to photograph them. In the meantime it's back to the day job tomorrow..........boo!
xxx

A moment of calm before the frivolity

2010-12-07T19:19:00.000Z

Hello all. Hope you had a great weekend?

Are you all getting ready for Christmas or have you been super prepared and have finished all that already??

I planned to put up some decorations this year but have so far only managed two bits of tinsel and a fairy, so not even going to photograph that just yet!!! I did put the office decs up at the weekend so everyone had a nice surprise yesterday morning, and as I will be spending the entire festive season there I wanted it to be cheerful!

Cards have gone out of the window this year apart from the ones I made the other week and now it seems I have NO spare time between now and the big day. I will certainly miss the last posting days if I tried to make more now unless I decide to get off my butt when I get home from work in the evenings rather than blobbing out in front of the TV!!

It is non-stop here in Ratsville and over the next week I am on a mission to visit as many continents as I possibly can - cue the exciting news........................

............................................no, actually, not just yet, just in case it all goes wrong again tomorrow I will hold fire for now!

I am very excited though as I am off to Lilles and Bruges Christmas markets at the weekend for a little festive photography and the spot of eggnog or mulled wine! It means the boys are off to Grannywen's on Thursday night and will just have to manage for a week without me - not that Harry is talking to me at the mo - I trod on him accidentally yesterday and he STILL has the hump with me!! To make it worse he couldn't even go and sulk in his house as I was cleaning it at the time - oops!

My lips are sealed!

2010-12-02T22:39:00.001Z

Greetings all. Hope this short post finds you well?
Have been out today to my works Christmas do - yes - we have to have it early to be ready to cope with everyone else's in the run up to Christmas!!!
It was great fun - fancy dress, lots of wine and entertainment and I was still home in time to watch I'm a celeb!!! Brilliant! Will find some pics and post my outfit as soon as I can!
In the meantime my exciting news has been postponed for a week which I am very sad about but with the current weather situation it's probably just as well - and it means I get to cuddle my boys for a bit longer too!
Sadly it means that you will have to wait a bit longer too!!!

Sorry................................xx

Boxes, Little Boxes.

2010-11-29T16:58:00.002Z

Fred loves boxes, any sort of boxes!
My crafting stash ones provide a great climbing frame and adventure playground all in one - great til he slides off on a stray piece of 12 x 12!!?
But this weekend we have been fighting over these - tissue boxes, as I nurse a snotty cold and Fred and Barney fight over who gets to steal the box and who gets to climb inside it!!
Harry of course isn't the slightest bit interested in the boys antics, and prefers to watch from under a cushion as he quietly nibbles the sofa!!!

As the rest of the country is slowly getting getting festive with pre Christmas snow, I thought I would share this warming Autumnal LO. It has been cold and grey here today and bloomin' freezing! I am thinking about putting some decorations up, despite the fact that I am not really having Crimbo this year, but not sure which ones I can get away with that my little elves won't munch and ruin for me!

The next few weeks are going to be very busy, and I wont be here much, but I do feel quite full of festive cheer, so will probably make the effort! Still can't share my exciting news, but probably will do so in a couple of days time!! It will more than make up for not having a proper Christmas this year!!
XXX

Go Go Go!

2010-11-26T14:04:00.001Z

Hello all. How are you in this cold / snowy weather?
I have to admit that I am still in my PJ's again!!! Yes I know, lazy moo, but in my defence I didn't finish work until 4am this morning, so have ruined my day off by having to sleep thru most of it!!!
Looking out on my patio it looks very very cold and frosty and I can see some of my lovely potted plants have suffered with the frost. Mr Squirrel is looking for nuts in the grass but I haven't thrown them out yet so he will just have to be patient!!!

So, what's new? Another busy week, which included a baby shower, some very exciting travel news and a panic about some required rat sitting! Next Sunday I have to go away for work. It's a BIG trip and I will tell you about it later but I need to organise a visit to GrannyWen for some long term rat care - not sure how she will feel about that as it will involve more than just talking to my boys thru the cage - she will have to get them out to play or they will go nuts!! I can see the panic in her face now and she frets in case they wee on her carpet!!!
:)
I also need to contact the people I need to visit on my trip and organise where we are going to stay - and plan how to sort myself out as we get back on the Friday and then I go on another little weekend away - Lille and Bruges Christmas markets on the Saturday morning!!
It's all go go go here in the rat house, co's then I am back at work and then back to Grannywens for an early Christmas weekend and then back to work as I am working over Christmas and New Year - oh gosh - I am exhausted just thinking about it all!!!

Harry who?

2010-11-24T11:47:00.001Z

Just a quickie today as I am off to work this afternoon for a late shift! I haven't been up long as I had a really bad nights sleep - my doorbell was rung repeatedly at about 1 am and eventually I had to get up to see who was there - supposedly a pizza delivery guy who got sent away with a HUGE flea in his ear! Seriously - you don't realise how odd this is - my flat is tucked away, off the main road and even my postman usually forgets it there - so how did this delivery man find it?? It was all very odd and my suspicious detective head wonders if it really was a delivery guy - I only heard his voice on the intercom, and he was a bit odd, so I sat up for a bit waiting for him to try to break in the back door!!

on a lighter note........

Here's a quick LO I made on Sunday - couldn't resist with all the current Harry Potter hype about at the moment - sorry!

Have a great day xxx

dot.com.christmas

2010-11-21T22:07:00.001Z

I need to share these with you.
Yes, I know, gasp, I appear to have made some Christmas cards already!!! Bit early for me and not my normal style either, but make them I did!

Several weeks ago (sorry, it's taken me a while to find the time) I was sent some crafting goodies to play with by the dotcomgiftshop. They sent some decoupage shapes, ribbons and 3D toppers all of a Christmas theme, and this was what I came up with yesterday.

I have to say that I am quite pleased with them, and the Basic Grey Eskimo kisses papers were just the right colours to go with the toppers. I used green backing papers out of the Papermania range for the olde world style cards, and some sentiments from craftwork cards.

They also sent this cute set of nesting boxes - had to find a co-ordinating set of papers to cover them with and the Papermania - Secret Garden pack seemed ideal. Now I am going to fill them with craft goodies to tidy up the Zone!

Thanks for stopping by.
Sarah xxx

Pyjamas at lunchtime!

2010-11-20T11:49:00.001Z

Yippee!

It's the weekend again already. Not sure where the week went, it started out being really hard work but all of a sudden here I am, in my PJ's catching up on blogland and heading back into the Zone!

This LO was by far one of my favourites from the Getaway - and there are still more to come............ It was from Lorraine's class, and I thoroughly enjoyed the idea and all the cutting out that it entailed. Making the little stepping stones out of paper clay was inspired, and I think you will agree the finished item is stunning! (Even though the photography isn't - it's so dull and dreary here today!!)

I had a fab night out last night, with my great chum Megan at one of our favourite haunts - Browns, Shad Thames! We consumed many yummy cocktails and enjoyed lots of nibbles including their fab baked Camembert - mmmm yummy! As we walked back to the tube along the Thames it looked so pretty - it was all lit up on a delicious cold misty night, and we thought how lucky we were to live in this city - such a great place and so magical! Sadly we were a little too pickled to photograph it!!
xx

Oh me, oh my!

2010-11-16T22:16:00.000Z

At the GogoGetaway, if you haven't already heard, this super fabby talented lady joined us for fun, frolics and photographs.

BIG Yaaaayyyyyy for Kirsty Wiseman!!!!!

She took some super pics of yours truly and made me look real perdy!!!

I lubs them a whole BIG lot!!

This is me, now, at nearly forty!

Me having had a mostly horrendous 2010 but now recovered and functioning and raring to go.

I likes how I am now and know what I can deal with and cope with and it has made me stronger!!
As I chase Fred and Barney out of mummy's papers for the umpty millionth time and watch them nearly fall off the sofa into my cup of tea, I smile!
I like my little old life, what I do and who I do it with! I like my mini spur of the moment adventures, and my futile attempts to find time to scrap them and the people I have met along the way.
Life is good!
Yesterday I touched a boys knee and I liked it!
Who knows what tomorrow will bring - bring it on.
xxx

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

2010-11-14T14:34:00.000Z

So I am having a cosy idoorsy pyjama Sunday today.
It is cold and grey and wet outdoors and the boys and I are all snuggly and warm, (well they are asleep inside their tent) after a late brunch of toast and soldiers, coffee and fruit juice. And yes, they all had toast corners too!
I've been in the Zone, loafed on the sofa watching rubbish TV and enjoying all the new Christmassy adverts, and have had a great relaxing weekend - just what I needed after the last few weeks activities and before the next few weeks begin - it's scarily not long til Christmas you know, and there is lots going on in my world!

I also thought I would share two LO's today, the top one is from one of Sam Ball's classes at the Getaway which seemed somewhat apt today, being Remembrance Sunday, and the second is another I made whilst there, although not one of the classes. You can't see it but I can tell you the leaves are crackled accented to within an inch of their lives. I can't seem to help myself when it comes to Squirrels, this little chap was in Dulwich Park, but my little chums in my back garden have reappeared too and are busy munching the nuts I threw out for them this morning!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
xxxx

What a difference a

2010-11-12T22:52:00.000Z

........................a day makes!!

A day of not having to get up at sparrow fart, a day where I get to eat at meal times, a day where the phone doesn't ring off the hook - oh today has been wonderful!!!

My germy cold thing is still lingering but I feel oh so much better today and haven't od'd on medication to kill it - just lots of cups of tea, some manuka honey and vitamin c - bliss!

The flat looks considerably tidier, the washing has been done, heck I even cleaned the bathroom and hung the new shower curtain that has been patiently waiting for about 4 months!

Fingers crossed the new Gogo kit will be delivered by a smiling postie tomorrow, and I can spend the rest of my weekend immersed in it and my new crackle accents? Now that would just be perfect!

My LO today is one made using a kit I won at the Getaway. Fabby photo themed papers and embellishments - perfect for someone who loves her camera as much as me. You can only just see it but there is even some acetate type film strip - gorgeous! Just to add to it and with my new found joy at glossy accents I also went round all the edges of the printed film strips on the paper so it looks more real. The photo was taken by Grannywen's friend on our day out in September. I love the way it looks all sepia and dreamy, perfect for this page!
Whatever you are up to, have a great weekend!
xxxx

Lazy Sunday afternoon.......

2010-11-07T18:50:00.001Z

Not for me!!
I have just got back from work and am trying desperately not to be ill and to stay awake til 9pm for Downton Abbey!!
Hope you've all had a great weekend, mine has passed fairly uneventfully for a work one but I just feel really cack! Am trying not to let a raspy sore throat turn into anything worse.

Here is another LO from the Getaway except that I have altered it quite a bit upon returning home as I didn't like the one we made (sorry Sheena). We learnt how to make waterfall cards (useful later for cards) but we used it as a place for hidden journalling on the LO and I just thought it looked too bulky so pulled it off and just used one of the journalling shapes instead. This is now much more my style but will use what I learnt on something else so it wasn't wasted!

The photograph is from my walk on Hampstead Heath (hi Brenda) back in September. Gosh that seems like a long time ago now........... I showed it to Kirsty Wiseman and she didn't believe me that it was a random old man on the heath and not my grandad or someone I knew!! I tried to explain that all my photos are either scenery or ratties but I'm not sure she was convinced!!?

Anyway am off now as I think my lamb casserole is burning in the oven.
Toodlepip!
xx

Not for the feint hearted!!

2010-11-03T00:34:00.000Z

I am not usually one to be concerned over nothing which is why the following tale should not be treated lightly. I also lived in a haunted pub for three and half years and despite the strange happenings going on there was never terrified in the way that I was on Friday night!!!

To set the scene........I was at my first GogoGetaway, thrilled and excited to meet old friends and new and nothing in my head other than layouts and new stash and the hope of winning spare class kits!!!

I went to bed quite late - about 12ish and although I didn't get off to sleep straight away due to the noise from a party and people smoking and chatting in the nearby fire exit, the bed was comfy and I was fine and cosy!

I had a hideous dream, I was in a room and one by one the other occupants disappeared and I knew had been horribly murdered. I couldn't move, I was paralyzed with fear and knew I would be next. As my turn came to be taken away I was aware that I felt suddenly freezing cold and thought about getting an extra blanket from the wardrobe. I then heard, or screamed, or dreamt I screamed a name and woke up instantly.
I was absolutely terrified!! I put the light on and lay in bed with my heart pounding in my chest! I realised that I was no longer freezing cold but a normal temperature. It was about 3.30am. After about ten minutes I had to leave the light on whilst I tried to go back to sleep.

The following morning when I told the other girls they scoffed at me somewhat, and asked me if had known that a Paranormal Group had stayed at the Hotel the previous night?
No!

That night when I went to bed I googled the name that I had heard - Mary Kelly - and was very shocked to find that she had been murdered in a very brutal way in 1888 and was in fact Jack the Rippers last victim!!! I did not know this but it fitted with all that had happened in my dream!! I had never heard this name before though and don't know anything about her.

How spooky is that?

Now I don't know why Mary Kelly would be in Cheshunt of all places - a bit of a long way away from Whitechapel where she met her brutal end, but then I don't know about these things! Maybe the paranormal group were meddling in those other realms and she was inadvertantly caught up in the spiritual summons? Who knows - all I know is that it freaked the hell out of me and I know the bits that I dreamt and the bits I didn't, and I have never been so scared in all my life!!

Theobalds Park where we stayed is well known to Ghost Hunters, and it was nearly Halloween, but I have no idea why this happened. The following day I spooked myself when I went to my car and thought someone was sat in it in the dark as I had left the seat forward when I unloaded the previous day - it was dark and I ran back indoors giggling at myself but spooked nonetheless!!

How was your Hallows Eve???
Night night!
xx

All treats and no trick!!!

2010-11-01T12:41:00.000Z

Hello peeps! Hope you are all well?
Apologies that I've been away for so long but I have been really really busy doing stuff and of course working and so there has been no scrapping time, my internet played up so no blogging either, and of course when you are so busy doing stuff there is no time to stop and tell anyone about it all!!

Until this weekend that is!
I have returned from my first GogoGetaway here

and I have to say it was absolutely fab!!
I met so many lovely people, made some super new scrapbook pages and generally had a scraptacular time! I did have a rather spooky halloween style experience, but I will save that tale until I have scrapped it!

The old part of the hotel was stunning and quite spooky too, and the lovely Kirsty Wiseman did a little photo shoot of me and some of the others in here which I can't wait to see the results of. She also had her own spooky moments in the boardroom with some of the ladies, but nothing to do with Lord Sugar and no-one got fired!!

My LO today is from the Getaway - everyone was given a little treat box full of goodies and also a template for making one yourself. Obviously I have no-one to make a goody box for so I used mine to make this, using a photo I had taken the previous weekend while out and about with Grannywen!

Oh so much to share with you I don't know where to start...............will have a look back over my last few weeks for you over the next few days. It's gotta make a change from moaning about work and rat stories???
xxx

:(

2010-10-20T22:17:00.001+01:00

Sorry I seem to be having Internet problems at the moment!!!

All is well, been busy, just can't get on to post about it. :(

will leave you with a pic of Barney. Fred looks pretty similar but a little darker! They are both settling in fine and getting along with Harry ok I am pleased to report!!!
Catch up with you all soon I hope?

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone!!!

Autumn watch

2010-10-12T20:16:00.023+01:00

Hello peeps!

Sorry, I seem to have been away for longer than planned this week but have just been such a social butterfly and of course manic at work as usual that I haven't had a chance to visit blogland!!!

After a very successful shopping trip last weekend, I paid a visit to Grannywen and along with a school chum of hers we set off into the countryside to explore and appreciate the autumnal colours!

Except that everything was still quite green as Autumn hadn't quite hit yet.
Buttercup enjoyed her trip to see the Cerne Giant, but more about her in another post!
We visited Shaftesbury and Sherborne and the famous "Hovis" hill, and generally had a wonderful day.

The girls!

I vaguely remember visiting here as a child but the hill seemed so much bigger then! Without spoiling it - what you see is what you get, and luckily it doesn't carry on too much further so it wasn't too hard to climb back up.

Larking about with Grannywen!

Work has been very busy as usual, I worked this weekend and I am about to embark on yet another set of night shifts tonight, so I felt the need to get some fresh air and chase the autumn some more. I headed off quite locally to Dulwich Park and had a very pleasant hour or so, mooching about with my camera.

It was still quite green but there were some stunning golds and ambers dotted about here and there.

The lake was very beautiful and the ducks very amusing but I didn't manage to photograph them too well, so resorted to beautiful reflections instead.

The sun was low in the sky and made spooky shadows in amongst the trees.

And apart from a few yummy mummies, the park was empty and mine to explore.

I had a brief chat with this little chap, who seemed very disappointed that I didn't have any food for him. He came right up to me and I am sure he would have taken it out of my hand if I had some.

I hadn't been here before today and it was quite lovely! Afterwards I headed into the village and treated myself to a new top from Whitestuff and fish n chips for tea - yummy!

A lovely day - shame it has to end with a trip into work!!?

I love this photo - I'm not sure why blogger chose to put it here instead of earlier but it was taken in Cerne village, home of the giant and on a path leading down to the well and hermits grotto. There was something magical about the light and atmosphere here and you could almost believe the myths and legends of the area.

I will try not to leave it so long next time but with night shifts you never know.

Toodlepip for now!

xxxx

Busy weekend!

2010-10-03T17:44:00.002+01:00

Well I seem to be on the go go go at the moment. No sooner have I got back to work and it's the weekend already and I had loads to do!! Friday night was a birthday drinking party for one of my girlfriends, am happy to report that we were good and had a lovely meal but didn't disgrace ourselves at any point!

As you can see I have managed to make a good start on my Amsterdam journal. I love love love the cover, made with some magnets that I bought whist there.

The book is the one that I mentioned the other day - from TKMAXX. I am quite pleased with it as a base but with about fifty photos and postcards stuck in it now the spine is not holding up too well and the pages are starting to come out! :( Not good!
Needs to be handled with care but at least I have done it - just need to go back through and add all my journalling!

As usual I have included napkins, tickets and other trivia I collected on the day.

And finally a not too good phone pic of me and the girls - cool cats huh? Some 'bloke' at the bar offered to take our photo, which we agreed to - it would have been a real good one too except that it is so blurrry its not funny!! We had to resort to some arms length self portraits instead!

Speaking of cool cats, is anyone else loving the current Ikea advert at the moment? All those kitty cats running loose in the shop - so cute!!Have had a fab girly shopping day today and off to see Grannywen tomorrow, it's all go go go!!!Toodlepip!xxx

Stroopwafles (travelogue part two)

2010-09-30T17:29:00.000+01:00

Welcome back to part two of my day trip to Amsterdam.

There were only two places that I really wanted to visit whilst there, one was Anne Frank's house and the other the Van Gogh exhibition - I am a fan of his work so to see it in real life in his home country was quite something to me.............I had no real plans for the rest of my trip - I just wanted to explore and see what there was to see. Not far into my wandering I came across this chap and we had a little chat about what to see and do........

he explained where Anne Frank's house was and I took a slow meander there, marvelling at the sights on the way. I took lots of photos but you would be here all day if I uploaded everything........for example this HUGE three storey bike rack...................

......so I just walked and snapped away......... and soon I found it.

Well, this was it - Anne Franks house! It has a museum attached which documents her life, diary and persecution...............unfortunately the queue to get in was enormous and as I only had one day I decided not to join it but went for a coffee and continental breakfast next door instead!

This is only half the queue, it stretches back further than you can see..........!!!

Once refreshed I set off again, snapping things that caught my eye, lots and lots of bicycles...

and then this cutie lying in the pavement begging to be tickled.

Interesting graffitti on odd corners and walls.....

and beautiful canal side streets, lined with houseboats and trees....

more bicycles........everywhere you looked bicycles...........

and then on to the famous flower market.

I was looking forward to seeing some famous tulips in Amsterdam, but alas it was not to be...

lots of stunning flowers and lillies in a variety of colours

but the only tulips I saw were these....................!!!

As I walked further around the city the architecture and adornments were everywhere and the buildings, mostly converted warehouse were stunning and beautifully furnished.

If there weren't bikes in racks or locked to posts they were being ridden, by families, couples, with dogs in baskets and by tourists. I did think about hiring one , but bikes and cameras and busy roads are not a good mix and anyway, I cycle all the time at home!!

Beautiful canal side homes..............

and finally after a few hours, my second on the list.

Obviously there were no photos allowed inside but to sit and absorb the Sunflowers in real life and see the use of brush and colour by the master himself - magical!!

After a good hour in the museum I headed to a nearby park for a change of scene....

and met more friends along the way............

Another hour passed interrupted only by a few short heavy rainfalls, which happened on and off all day and then back into the city where I stumbled across a garden filled with stone lizards and this outsized outdoor chess game in full swing.

As the heavens opened again I headed into a pancake house for some stroopwafles and a coffee. I needed the sugar rush as I was beginning to flag and still had a few more hours to fill.....

Of course as much as I wanted to avoid it, (busmans holiday and all that) you cannot visit Amsterdam without going to the famous red light district.

I have to say that it was a lot more tame than I expected and the groups of men/boys giggling amongst themselves began to get on my nerves. Have they never seen an ugly-ish woman in her undies in a shop window before???

The Moulin Rouge wasn't even a windmill for heaven's sake - at least they got that right in Paris!!

looking at it from the bridge here you would never guess what was going on behind those closed, sometimes open doors.....................

With an hour and half to go before making my way back to the coach I mooched round the shops, but have to say I didnt stop to buy very much! By now I had a real headache from all the cannabis that was being smoked throughout the city and was also pretty tired.

I stopped for a quick beer and just wished I was at home already!

Aside from the awful journey to get there and back, I am glad I went to Amsterdam. As a city it is an awesome mix of architecture and styles, and an artists delight, but the hype that goes along with it is far over rated and really not my cup of tea!! I think that for this adventure it is a case of been there, done that, don't really need to go back!!!

It didn't cost much to go thankfully and I would have spent far more if I'd gone to Ally Pally instead, just wouldn't have such great photos!!

Right, off to surf the web to see where to go next................??

xxx

All good things come to an end!

2010-09-28T14:10:00.000+01:00

Well, today is the last day of my holiday and I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed myself!!
There has been just the right amount of adventure balanced with equal amounts of loafing at home, bonding with the babies and completing chores and settling down for the coming Winter months!

Last night I discovered my local picture house - what a joy, and I kept my date with Julia and watched her in Eat Pray Love. I know there have been mixed reviews about this film, but I have to say that I loved loved loved it! I laughed and cried all the way through!!
I found it to be really relevant to me this year, and although my adventures aren't quite on the same scale as Liz's, (I sadly can't afford to pack up and take time out for a whole year!!) they have taught me the same sort of things that she learnt on her journey. There is nothing wrong with being a little self indulgence to learn to balance yourself and become a better person for it!!

I have had my haircut this morning in preparation for going back to work tomorrow and I am feeling calm and ready to face whatever crap they throw at me when I get there!!

Sadly the only area to suffer in all this balancing is my scrapping! I was determined to produce loads of works of art and as previously mentioned only managed two! I did however find a fab little journal book in TKMAX, which might possibly mean that the Venice album might finally take shape?? If not it will become home to several mini adventures in one book.
The LO above is it - not entirely happy with it and it hasn't photographed at all well, but it does include real life shells from the beach that I happily beach -combed in the rain that day!

Ok I promise the next post will be part two of Amsterdam, am off now to pack my schoolbag!
xxx

Remember the Loreal advert !!!! (travelogue part one)

2010-09-26T20:48:00.001+01:00

I have always been able to sleep on a washing line, or a sixpence or whatever the saying is. I am a doormouse, and usually, if I'm not driving will be found asleep ten minutes into any journey longer than an hour!!

It is with nearly forty years of this knowledge that I booked by lastest mini adventure, and it will be the last similar styley mistake I ever make!!!!

In an effort to go as far as possible for as little as possible, and avoid the grey weather we have had the last few days I booked a coach trip to visit................................Amsterdam! ( I was going to go to Paris but they had the same crap weather forecast that we did, and I've already been there!!)
It involved travelling overnight, to wake up (having slept the whole way as per usual) refreshed and ready to explore the city for the day, then sleep again on the return journey home.
Perfect! And all for less than it would cost to fill up my car!

Oh boy! Did I say sleep? I didn't get a wink!!!
From the uncomfortable seats, ( I even took a blanket and travel pillow) to the noisy fellow passengers who clearly thought it was 'cool' to try to big up their experiences with drugs, or were shipping their whole family abroad for the cost of a tank of petrol. Some of the type of people who travel this way are not the usual types I would ever associate with, unless in the line of duty if you catch my drift?? And ok, maybe I'm a snob but - I will never do this again. Whatever the cost for a flight and/or overnight hotel - IT IS WORTH IT!! (co's of course - I am worth it!!)

Tired, stiff and ever so slightly crabby we arrived in...............the middle of nowhere. No map, no guidebook (remember this was a lastminute trip), and any attempt to converse with the locals proved fairly tricky. Eventually though I managed to purchase a travel card and made my way by metro (tube) to the centre of the city.

Aaaahhhh! This was more like it...........

I tried to banish any preconceived ideas about the place, and as usual wanted to explore the city thru the eye of my lens, which for me, means lots of walking and not really doing the tourist thing. The weather was perfect, sunny with a slight chill but not too cold and I started out with a canal boat ride to get my bearings and see what the city had in store for me...................................

For a water lover like me (Aquarius!!) it was paradise. Bridges and locks over and under the freshwater canals.

Abandoned bicycles and typical Dutch warehouse style houses, so far so good......................

The boat trip only lasted an hour and I couldn't wait to see more on foot, but you'll have to come back another day to see those photos and hear what I really thought of Amsterdam!
Am now off to relax with a glass of wine and my little squeekers!
xxx

In the Zone!

Blah blah blah!!

Its beginning to feel a lot like....................

At last some craft!!!

Still catching up!!

Seriously? How long???

Bad blogger!

Back to reality (part two)

The one where I return to reality!! (part one)

Apparently I am 'out of date'!!

The Art Journal one

The opportunity!

The Bank Holiday one!

We interrupt this broadcast.....

In the Midnight Hour!

Buses!

Parlez Man-glais???

Food for thought!

Trees, ponies and snores!!!

Tie a yellow ribbon round the old...........

A little less conversation, a little more action!!!?

And so, the end is nigh!

A day at the zoo!

The one the night before!!

The one about the date!!

One year old!!

Oh the joys of a tripod!!

Behind again!!

My Moleskine pics so far

Sunday!

Feelin' blue

Life's laundry!

Squirrels on Saturday and other tails

Rain rain go away

Just popping by to say hullo

A bit up and down!

Sundays are for.................

The one where I stay awake all day!!

The one where I go all patriotic??

The one where I actually scrapped!!

MONSTER catch up!!

Missing in action!!

Another mini adventure

Nothing much happening .....

The one about the girls!

Stanley's tea party!

No jokes today!

Some more from the BIG apple!

The one that flew by!!!

Congratulations!

Can you tell me.........?

Bouncing into spring?

Happiness!

All you need is.......

Seven deadly sins - Sloth!

The week that flew by!!

The one about the circus

A little out of season?

What have I done???? *** Health warning *****

Time for a break!

This time last week?

The slightly melancholy one!

Night night Harry!

Seven days, was all she wrote!

The one where I waffle a lot!

The one about the spa!

So 2011, what's occuring???

The Squeakwell!

A little interlude

Merry Christmas

Seven days and a Christmas miracle!

A moment of calm before the frivolity

My lips are sealed!

Boxes, Little Boxes.

Go Go Go!

Harry who?

dot.com.christmas

Pyjamas at lunchtime!

Oh me, oh my!

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

What have I done???? * Health warning ***