I don't believe it!

Back in June I had to go buy a new iron, the old one had done well, it was ten years old. So you can imagine how blue the air was when I plugged in my nearly new iron and... nowt, not one teensy bit of steam... cold as a dodo. I wouldn't have minded but I'd just taken down summer curtains, and needed to iron the heavy curtains... so had to go all way up to Curry's! But didn't get any hassle, just had to choose new iron, then off back home to finish off curtains. Of course the unforseen car trip delayed me, and didn't have time to make toad in the hole, so it was sausage and mash. But 3 months for an iron? And it was a good make as well. Chap in Currys made me laugh, he helped me search for the replacment, and pointed to the only Tefal they had, £89! He had to be kidding.... that much on an iron... I don't think so. Had to pay a bit more for the replacement.

Did end up buying a kit from QVC, the kanban kit, must have the kanban bug. I spotted it, but wanted to see the demo, so put it in my 'shopping cart' just as Dawn started to demo it, good thing as it had sold out by time she'd finished. Luckily mine was safe. Just be nice if it would get here before the weekend? Then today I picked up the papercraft Xmas issue, I'm a sucker for kits with magazines... this one has pots of glitter, some nice papers and die cuts. But QVC were wrong, one shop did have the slice for a lot less than QVC! Think what I'd like to see from the manufacterers is a cutting machine, electronic, but which you can plug in a usb, and download designs from a site to the usb... for a smallish fee. The robo may as well go, I'm simply not using it, too much faffing with the darn thing.

Pic: scrapbooking. For this I used a plastic template for the LO, it needed a beach theme type paper, so used some pale coral card for the mats, used the leftovers to make the frames round the peel offs, which I coloured, die cuts were from an old LMC issue, pics are of Santa Monica, the beach and the shopping precinct.

Thanks for stopping by

Got motivated!

Was determined not to be a couch potato today, so sorted out shoes... not sure why I need so many! In the end I managed to let go of 3 pairs... one pair were trainers, which I bought in America, but they were really a bit too small. Next up was the garden, well my pots, time to get rid of the dying busy lizzies, and pansies... plus two other bags of garden rubbish. Then discovered that one of my planters is falling apart, the frame is fine, it is the flimsy plyboard that is rotting. Forgot to measure it, so couldn't pick up any wood to repair it!

Still headed off to municipal tip, nice man helped me unload garden waste. Drove round to other bit to recycle shoes only to find that they don't recycle shoes there any more! Rats. Had to traipse to supermarket to get rid of the unwanted footwear. Got some winter pansies, which are still in car boot... must remember that I left them there. Now to declutter stuff on top of wardrobe, got 3 boxes on top of wardrobe all crammed full of stuff that is never used, so that will be recycled, or given to charity shops.

Watch the mini craft day on and off, liked the TSV, but couldn't see me making much use of the kit, well the stamps. Got some D&D stamps, think I'll just stick with them. Did like the penguins she'd designed, and did have a bash at the comp. Not that I win anything. Did end up buying the Kanban kit, the last one shown on the 7pm slot, love kanban, stuck it in my shopping cart as soon as it was shown! Good job as it sold out PDQ. So something to look forward to.

Got curtain hanging to look forward to tomorrow... ! Nights are drawing in, and there is a definite chill in the air.

Pic: birthday card, used my cat stamp on with a clear versamark pad, gold powder onto brown card, doesn't really show up well on scan. Matted and layered on cream and gold card, rounded corners off for a neater finish, and added some ribbon.

Mister blue sky.....

Yay, at last a bit of blue sky and some sun. Wondered what to do and got out some photos, did a lucky dip, ended up with 3 photos... and then sat in a happy scrapping mess.... all afternoon.

This is one of my efforts, found the lovely teale card, just seemed to go with the photo of the Santa Monica Pier sign, which I took as dusk fell. Behind it is some posh restaurant, which only had a fish menu.... :-( Not that keen on fish. Me and my two friends all wanted to go eat there, but none of us could find anything we liked on the menu. Pity cost it overlooked the pacific ocean and the pier. I at long last found some use for my flip flop brads, bought them on a whim two years ago and they've been gathering dust ever since. Rest of the page was left overs from other stuff, except for the light blue card, I used a tearing ruler to get the wavy effect. Very satisfying.

Felt more upbeat today, but it is a struggle to get there. Think it is because I'm in limbo land, still technically employed, but know I won't go back to my old job, and the future is er, blank, at the moment. Something will turn up, it usually does and I'm not in any hurry. Should be able to organise a course or two this week, that bug I had seems to have moved on. Knee is a bit worrying, have a very painful lump in it, and a nasty dent where there should be a dent... this knee thing has one last sting in its tail I just know it.

Also time to start sorting out wedding outfit, no I ain't going to any great expense, seen a trouser suit in M&S that will do nicely. And no hat, I am not a hat person, yeah, you can see how keen (not) I am to attend this wedding... could pass me by and I wouldn't care. Mind you barclays have just given me a ten pound voucher for debenhams... mmmm, may go look there.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend, enjoy the week to come.

Where'd that week go?

Woke up this morning and had to think what day it was - yikes it is Saturday! How'd I get here so fast? Was also in a odd mood, not sure what I wanted to do, or where I wanted to be. Anywhere but here was the overwhelming feeling. Had thoughts of heading to a craft shop, but no idea what for, or just any type of retail therapy... ended up taking a walk to the high street for a few essentials.

Knee is feeling odd, can't explain it, there is one very, very, very sore spot, and it feels like there is something lumpy, which hurts like hell. It was also very swollen and painful by time I got back home. I keep on hoping it will all be okay, but I know I'm kidding myself, this is what the surgeon said would be the best scenario.

Need to do some crafting tomorrow. Get my mind off all the negative stuff, which always happens when the family have been around. A bit of sunshine would help, it may be dry and mild, but boy is it grim and grey...

And a good friend has just left a craft group, I'll miss her. Sick of all these downs, high time life went on the up.

Not a good day...

And it started out so promising. Washed hair and for once it decided to cooperate, so I looked quite decent, hair wise. If I had my way I'd now want my hair to stop growing, just stay at this length... but it won't! So good start, even made an enjoyable cup of coffee, my coffee making can be very hit and miss. More of a cup of tea girl. Chomped on the last of my green and blacks choc... must get more! And waited, for sis to turn up. She said she'd be here in time for us to go to lunch, she turns up at 1pm, so by time we've had a natter, coffee it is nearly 1.30, don't get to pub till 2pm... and so it kept on going down hill. We went to pub we have been to before, food is usually lovely. I opted for the pie of the day, it was awful, and who knows what they'd cooked the veg in, as they had a horrible aftertaste. The pie was just swimming in gravy... mash was okayish, but I left most of it. And unusually for me, I had a pud, don't usually feel hungry enough for a pud, but did today. It took 25 minutes for them to get our puddings... it wasn't like the place was busy either, it was pretty empty. Very unamused, and it got worse as I got let down by sister... wanted to reach over and throttle her. Then she tries to lecture me about not wanting to go see my sil, so sue me, I ain't being a hypocrite anymore. She takes mum off to supermarket, I ask if they could pick up a bit of shopping, for me and mum, and I'm being lectured again, sis is in a hurry... wanted to ask her why she'd not turned up till nearly 1pm, if she had arrived earlier we'd not now have to rush. And what was her hurry? Nothing to hurry home for, hubby at home anyway, now retired, he's in charge of kitchen, so she has no reason to hurry off. Grrrrr.... then for some odd reason I end up at garden centre buying her a pressie, birthday pressie, a nice plant... it kind of stunned her... I just wish to be treated like a normal human being, those who have feelings etc... fed up with her and rest of family. Would like to be a very, very long way away from them all. And the cheek of it, who bloody well supplied her with very nice card for sil's birthday - me! Yep, obviously I have mug tattooed on forehead.

Have a lovely weekend all.

Tum, tee, tum, tee

Tum! Here is the second of my W&G cards, cut the W&G bit out of the stripey paper (used that on another card), and used the star chipboard in the centre... how easy was that! Got more ideas for cards, would like to attempt some pop up ones as well.

Funny old day, was having odd dreams, very odd, but can't remember any of them. Woke up with the munchies at 5 a.m., and in an odd way it was nice to feel hungry, haven't felt like that for 3 weeks. Even my hair cooperated by allowing me to put it into a decent looking hairstyle. I watch my hairdresser carefully, but can I do what he does... can I heck. Need 3 hands. Didn't have to do much in the morning, good thing as energy ran out at 11 a.m. Then toddled off for meeting with boss and someone from HR. Made me laugh, they were both extremely anxious to make me feel relaxed, that this was just a meeting, had to tell them both that I'd been thru the medical retirement process before and not to worry. So it was me putting them at ease. But each time I visit my old workplace I am reminded of why I don't want to be there anymore, not that I am 'up' to being there, the customers, the daftness of the management... silly projects that some twit somewhere dreams up. And all the shysters, having joined library many, many times, and are all owing a huge amount in fines, but because no id is required, they can keep on joining, keep on taking books, CDs, DVDS, and never return them... and we wonder why local government finances are in trouble! I am relieved in some ways that I am not able to go back, I do miss my workmates, they are very good bunch of people who deserve to be treated better.

Then I hobbled off to get some supplies, first time for me to have a longish walk... and guess what, knee is same as it was when it had the wires in! Well the surgeon did say I may only gain a bit of comfort, and he has been right, it it is more comfortable not having a knee full of wire. But the pain is still there, but at least i know what pain it is. Was thinking tho, this time last year I had a wrist in plaster and my knee in a brace... ! The wrist has recovered nicely, once I got rid of the stiffness, found that crafting was the best thing for it, the knee, well it is just one unhappy knee, as described by my surgeon's houseman! Made me laugh, he was such a nice young man, staring at my knee, saying: it is a very unhappy knee. We were both giggling when my surgeon walked in! That young doctor will go far, he had a great bedside manner.

Well best get back to my writing... hopefully will be producing more W&G stuff of my own soon.

Bit of W & G

After a very early wake up, 3.30 a.m., drifted back to the land of nod around 6 a.m., and came to at 10.30 a.m. This tiredness just won't leave me, glands were still very swollen and sore, made for a very uncomfortable sleep. And for some reason, maybe it felt left out, but my knee also decided to join in the party by letting me know that it still isn't terribly happy.

So it was another lazy day, but I did make an effort to get out the craft stuff. Glad I did, made a start on the W&G stuff, this is my take of Gromit in his kennel! Made 3 other cards, but then decided I want to make a W&G exploding box, then I'll carry on with the cards. Really would have liked LMC to provide more white cards, in fact, they could just provide white cardstock, I'd be very happy. Not keen at all on the colours they choose, all, to me, are far too strident in colour terms. Well you only have to look in a card shop, what colour at the cards - yep, white! But enjoyed myself for a couple of hours, also finished off my blonde moments kit from QVC. Have also started to 'gut' the mirri mats, far too expensive to waste so much behind other card. Was using my paper cutter to do it, worked very well, just took a bit of care.

This is why I am going for a clean look with my cards, I've found they are more appealing to buyers. Folk don't mind receiving hand made cards using coloured card stock, but it is hard tempting them to buy coloured cards.

Do feel a bit more 'up' today, had a tasty tomato and basil soup for tea, my appetite seems to have disappeared. I feel hungry, do get pangs for something delicious, but when confronted with it, I just feel ill. Like yesterday, made some lasagne, it looked good, smelled fab, but nope, stomach simply said - NO! So I had cheese on toast.

Hope you all had a good weekend.

crawling out from under the duvet

Think I got hit by a brick wall sometime last week, got kyboshed by a bug... so took to my bed and stayed there. Think I pretty much slept for about 48 hours. Did go to see doctor, and later wondered why I'd dragged myself out of bed... I explained all my symptoms, throat felt like it was coated with sandpaper, aching everywhere and swollen glands... oh and a raging temperature. Did he take my temp, nope, check glands, nope, he leaned over his desk to look down my throat... so crawled home and tucked myself up in bed...

Problem with being ill is well, you don't want to do anything, alls I wanted to do was sleep. So not a spot of crafting done all week. Hoping some energy will kick in soon, been living on porridge, couldn't face anything else. So good start to a diet I never intended starting. But thrown me backwards on the knee rehab, but getting the feeling that my surgeon was right, removing the wires would make like more comfy, but not do much more.

Managed to get my new LMC, wallace and gromit! Can't wait to make the cards, love W&G, even got a Gromit mug and a friend bought me a huge plush Gromit!

Now best go lay down for an hour...

9/11 eight years on

I well remember the date 9.11.01, one I and I suspect others will never forget. I had an odd day at work, was spending morning in one library and afternoon in another. During the morning I felt edgy, really snappy, I went home for lunch, and cos I had travelling time, didn't arrive at second library till nearly 2pm. As I parked my car I remember hearing the news, and couldn't believe it, at that point it seemed like a tragic accident. In work we got a call from an old colleague who said turn on the TV, so we did, and we all watched in total disbelief. It looked like armaggedon. The world seemed to go into slow motion, we could see people passing, obviously aware of what was happening in America. We had people coming in, worried, asking what was happening. I well remember my drive home that evening, no-one was hurrying anywhere, you knew that everyone was tuned in to the radio, I got home to find my mum in shock, with the TV on. We spent the rest of the night watching, unable to take in what we'd seen.

It was a day that would be imprinted on all our minds. So guess what the US coast guard decided to do today, of all days... hold an hijack exercise! You just couldn't make it up. What planet do these wallies live on? I do hope a few heads will roll.

Now to be boring, trotted off in search of some new clothes, saw some nice stuff in M&S, a bit pricey tho. So headed off to a well known supermarket, beginning with first letter of alphabet, to go look at their clothes, which I keep getting told are fab. Er, not were I was, what a load of tat. Cheap and piled high, creased, shabby looking, drab colours, far rather spend the extra elsewhere for better quality. And can we just have classics? I don't want 3 quarter length sleeves, or nipped in waists, just want nice clothes that will not age. Okay! Notice how they never mess with blokes clothes the way they do with women's!

Got home, to cook dinner, well couldn't be bothered, as for 3 days my dear mother has been late, she has a mobile, yet never thinks to tell me when she will arrive home! So feeling fed up, and in a 'I can't be bothered' mode, I gave up on dinner. By some miracle mum remembered to call me, guess who got a big surprise? Yep, she did, being told that I wasn't cooking dinner. It was a case of 'get it yourself'. I settled for a sausage butty. Oh we have eaten very well rest of week, all fresh stuff, plenty of veg, but tonight, yep, it was junk, and who cares!

Have a good weekend all.

Where did it go?

Came as a shock to realise it is September, keep wondering where this year has gone! Much of it has been spent attending hospital appointments, physio, or having operations. Feel like I am in limbo, until knee frees up a bit more I'm kinda stuck! Going to see if I can manage to drive tomorrow, if so then I'll go enrol on a course.

I said last year that I couldn't wait to see the back of 08, I feel the same with 09, it hasn't been a whole lot better. For every step I've taken in a forward direction, I feel as tho I've been dragged back two. On the upside am now back in touch with two old friends, and we have a much healthier friendship. I've not been stressed at work, cos I ain't been at work! The few times I have called in have only served to remind me that I really do need to move on and leave that job behind. The job itself is lovely, as are all my colleagues, it is management wot have ruined it. When will managers learn that if they treat their staff well, listen to them, take on board their ideas, then the staff will respond. But it has all become about targets, and we're talking about a library, which should be about borrowing books, not having to justify a book display, or any other project. Everything has to have an outcome... grrrrr. And it is mostly run by people who have no experience of library work... a few weeks spent at the coal face so to speak would be beneficial to them.


I kinda want to make a leap into the dark, go try something totally new. I beleive that things happen for a reason, so there is a reason behind my accident, I think it was to take stock and to figure out what it is I really want to do. I enjoy crafting, anything creative, and I'm back writing. But there are other things I want to explore, time I think to stop procrastinating and get on with it.

A productive two days craft wise, made up the new stuff, so have 3 lovely nativity cards, and two cute children's Xmas cards, and today finally got round to making a scrap page challenge. Just need to finish off the journalling.

Weather is set to turn fair this week, hope so, really would like to see some sun and get out.

Hope you all had a good weekend... and FAO Cazzy, can't seem to be able to leave comments on your blog! The new system has bamboozled me.

Blooming heck it ain't arf windy!

Woke up at 3.45 this morning, heard the rain lashing down. With all that water well, the usual happened, so had a night time bathroom break, and as I headed back to my warm bed realised that the wind was whistling in from somewhere! Mum's room, she had her window open! The noise of the wind and rain also woke her up, but not before her curtains had got a good soaking. Thanks mum, just what I needed, more washing!

Morning broke to, more rain and wind, and a bit chilly, in fact I put the heating on, just on low. So no summer, well there was that week back in June.... and here we are in Autumn.

Feel a bit cabin feverish as well, will try to get out tomorrow. Knee is still very sore, okay if I don't disturb it, but when I do it moans like crazy. Didn't sleep well last night, all due to knee, couldn't get comfy. Hoping it will all ease off soon.

Had a good laugh at my own expense. I was using my paper cutter yesterday, and decided that I really did need to get some new blades for it. So last night did a bit of shopping, found a nice site, bought the blades, and a scorer, and got a few other essential bits. Then today I log on to my other e-mail account and find that I've already ordered two blades from Amazon! DOH! Mind you they did say it would be a 3 week wait for them, in fact they'll be with me very shortly. Hey ho....

Did make more of my box cards today, but will need to get some bigger cellophane bags, rats, could have ordered them last night! Very chuffed with them, was thinking of trying a card shop, to see if I can flog them there... we'll see.

All for now folks, thanks for stopping by.

Hooray

My parcel of goodies arrived, precisely one week later... by courier. I felt sure it would be the courier, stuff that comes with postie is far quicker, think courier waits till she has a full load to deliver. But she is a nice lady, she brought the parcel up the stairs to save me going to collect it. I quickly opened it and was delighted with it, in fact could hardly wait to get stuck in! But first had to wait for Mr Tesco to drop off groceries, no point in starting, as i used kitchen to craft...

Think had it not been the need to stop and make dinner I'd still be making cards! I made 5 straight off the bat, okay they are kit cards, but they do have a bit of oomph about them. Mum liked them, she said they were very stylish, I am adding a few bits to them. Tho made faux pas with first, made it the wrong way round! Well two of the folds refused to go what i assumed was the right way, but bent very easily the 'wrong' way, not that it makes much difference as they are 'box' cards, so they have a stand. But very happy with kit. Glad I didn't go for the TSV. Actually I thought they were being cheeky offering two, that of course went together, so why not offer an option, buy the two for one postage rate, or an easy pay offer?

Still feeling a bit yucky from op, still have sore throat and not feeling hundred per cent. Knee is calming down, slowly, but it still very hot to touch. Was on a 'knee' site last night, one person made me laugh by saying they'd had a multiple fracture of the kneecap, six places... well I can beat that.. 20 pieces and then they stopped counting. Mind you feel fortunate to be in the UK, there was one American who said he was stuck with the k wire as he couldn't afford the op to remove it, and it was really uncomfortable. At least we don't have that problem here. If you do have probs with your knees, then try the Kneeguru... a very good site packed with good info.

Can't post pics of latest goodies, they'll need photographing, which I'll do tomorrow.