Thursday, June 30, 2005

No Eyes and a Blank Face

The Queen Mermaid now has both hands and a face.



Well she's sort of got a face, but at the moment she of reminds me of those faceless rubber shop window dummies from that recent episode of Dr Who. I can't do her eyes because the chart doesn't say what colour I should be stitching beneath her lashes. How dumb is that? I posted a query this morning on The Mirabilia Ezboard. There's loads of people on there who have finished her so hopefully someone should be able to help.

This is a problem I'm finding with this chart. There's quite a bit of backstitch on it, but the chart designers just missed out the symbol underneath. When I'm stitching, I'm sort of guessing at the symbol that should be underneath the backstitch, but I can't do this for her eyes, are they blue, are they brown? Looking at some of the other finished Queen Mermaids I'm guessing that they are brown, but it should say so on the chart!

I also don't like the way that they've left all those gaps for the treasures either, I just hope the treasures are big enough to fill the gaps so that you can't see the fabric underneath.
Jade and Tickle: they don't usually sit this close.

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week: Where do you Start?

When starting a new project, do you start in the middle? If you do, once you’ve worked down to the bottom, do you turn your chart and fabric around so that you are stitching the top section downwards again or do you just stitch upwards from the middle?

I usually start in the middle of the fabric with whatever colour is in the middle of the fabric and depending on the colour blocks usually work my way up. Then when I reach the top, I pick up stitching in the middle again and head on down. This is precisely the way that I'm currently stitching the Queen Mermaid.

Designs that I've stitched differently have been the Sheila Hudson horseshoe shaped designs. With Mt Fuji I started at the top, at the top of the curve only started with 12 stitches and worked my way down. With Amalfi coast I did start on the tree in the middle because it was so distinctive, but with Venice I started from the bottom and worked up.

I started Paradise Island by stitching the line of beach first - then have continued working my way around the design in pattern blocks. I've almost finished my latest pattern block. I think I've only got about 2 or 3 blocks to go now.

Stitching Updates

Stitching updates on Paradise Island and the Queen Mermaid. The Mermaid is growing, she's now "armed", lol.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

What Naughty My Little Pony Are You?

Found at Cheryl's blog.

You Are Opium!

You like to have fun and enjoy life. Reeeeeally enjoy life. If it isn't fast, loud, or extreme forget it. You value friendship and are loyal and will not hesiste to go off if someone crosses you.

What Naughty My Little Pony Are You?

Monday, June 27, 2005

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week: Designs you won't stitch?

Are there any types of designs that you won't stitch?



I have a real adversion to Winnie the Pooh cover kits - I've got nothing against the design itself, but the magazines just keep deluging us in them. I don't like the "Bang on the Door" range of designs either. They just look childlike and pathetic. I'm not really that keen on floral designs either. They seem as if they would be very long, boring stitches.

Mazey's Eve Prize Collection

Well, here's my little collection of prizes from the fun fair that is down on the Promenade for Penzance's Mazey Day. Well.... apart from that chair leg... that came from a bar Called the Blue Snapper and well.... I was just sitting, chatting... and the next thing I know the chair has just collapsed and I'm sitting there pissing myself laughing on the floor in front of my boss and all of his friends! So I walked out of the bar and took the chair leg with me as a souvenier. I do these things when I'm drunk, it always seems like a good idea at the time!


Friday evening started off to be quite civilised with Hayley and me going for a meal in my bosses restaurant. He was supposed to be working there as a waiter - so we went there to give him grief and do the old "garcon, there's a fly in my soup" line. But the only "work" he did was to take our order, then got a pint for himself and sat down and joined us. After we'd eaten, his brother joined us and we started on a few cocktails and all intention of work just went out of his head! Even though the cheeky twat owns the place he still made us pay for our meals! Git!

We left the restaurant at about 9:30 and Hayley drove us up into town, the P brothers giving Hayley loads of grief about her bubble like 4x4. Hayley left us outside the Blue Snapper to drive back to Camborne and my boss introduces me to his mates as "my secretary who drinks pints"! Jees thanks mate! This was followed by the aforementioned collapsing chair incident.

We then went down Chappell Street to join the revellers outside the fair and the Navy Inn and watch the fireworks display. The Twat disappeared en route. When he turned up I asked him where he'd been and he said he'd been on the dodgems. But I walked through the fair (sober) the next day, and there was no dodgems to speak of.... was he so pissed that he was sitting on a kiddy ride believing it to be the dodgems? If only I'd got a pic of that! LOL

After the fireworks had finished we climbed over a wall to get into the back of the fair. Well the other's climbed - I sort of had to get a shove from my boss in the ass to be able to get completely over the wall, remember I'd had the quite a few cocktails and pints by this point!! Over the wall, we faced a row of portaloos "Andyloos" they were called and as this is my bosses name too - I said "well I've got to go have a pee in there, haven't I?" to his face as well. Ooops.

My boss, his brother and a mate of his then got really competitive playing games involving arrows, balls, and guns... I didn't play but I ended up with all the prizes that they won. Hence the picture above. The last prize that the twat won was one of those giant blow up hammers. He immediately used it to hit his brother with it as hard as he could and popped the bloody thing. I lost the P brothers when I went for a ride on the Carosel, and my last sight of any of them was my boss walking through the fair still carrying his deflated hammer, I called to him from the Carosel, but he didn't hear me and he was gone by the next pass, so I ended up going home on my own.

Yes, you can picture me, sitting on the Carosel riding around and around and up and down (being the only rider on the whole thing) at 12:30 am with a stupid green dinosaur hanging out of my bag because it was stuck on the zip and I was too pissed to unhook it. Embarrassment? I don't care - I had fun! - But just what do I now do with the bloody chair leg?

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Which Dysfunctional Faerie are You?

You scored as A Too Depressed Faerie.

There's no doubt about it your not a very cheerful faerie exactly. Maybe your feeling absence or are just depressed with life or world events currently. You may be upset but that doesn't necessarily mean your unhappy, there are some faeries who enjoy sadness. But if your not one of them, look up and smile, if its so bad, it can only get better.


Which Dysfunctional Faerie are You?
created with QuizFarm.com

The Sheepish Twat

As I walked to work this morning I passed my boss in the alleyway that I usually walk through. I asked him where he was going and he said he was going to pick up his car as he'd been out on the p*** the night before and stayed over in Penzance in a hotel. He was just going home to get changed...... He never did actually make it into the office today. I guess there are some advantages to not having a BOSS!

Alfresco Dining Experience

I had a nice afternoon off yesterday - I had to wait in all afternoon for some repair people to come and adjust one of the screen modes of my tv as it's developed a fault. While I waited, I sunbathed in the garden. About 4:30 I went inside to phone them and find out if they were still coming, instead I got a message left on my phone saying they couldn't find the house! Well, they couldn't have looked very hard because no one walked up the alleyway peering into the houses that I could see. I'm quite annoyed because this is the second time that I've waited in all afternoon. The first time they went to completely the wrong address!

I didn't want to go inside, but to continue to enjoy the sun. So I went down to the Promenade and bagged an outside table at the Lugger Hotel. I had a couple of long slow drinks while I stitched on the Mermaid Queen, then I ordered sliced pork loin in a creamy mushroom and mustard sauce, served with chips and salad. The complete "Alfresco" dining experience as I enjoyed the cooling sea breeze along the prom.

Sometimes I think that when the weather is nice down here it's the best place on earth!

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week: Specific Designers?

Do you feel the need to stitch a design from a specific designer just to say that you've experienced stitching one of their designs?

I think the only designer I'd answer "yes" to was Teresa Wentlzer, but since I've already stitched two of her dragons I can't use her as another example. Can't think of any other designers that I'm yearning to stitch.

Stitching Blogger's Round Robin

I am going to be taking part in a Stitching Bloggers Round Robin, and I'm going to use these "Cats in Floral Hats" designs by Pam Kellog as my theme. I already have her freebie Cats in Hats which you used to be able to get off her Kitty and Me website framed and on my wall. I love them so much that these have to be stitched too, so what better way than in taking part in a Round Robin?


The other Bloggers who are taking part are:

Tigger Bookmark

I finished this last night, whilst watching the last episode in the series of Dr Who.

What City Do You Belong In?

I found this on Petra's new blog.



You Belong in Paris
Stylish and a little sassy, you were meant for Paris.

The art, the fashion, the wine, the men!

Whether you're enjoying the cafe life or a beautiful park...

You'll love living in the most chic place on earth


What City Do You Belong in? Take This Quiz :-)


Saturday, June 18, 2005

Planes Trains and Automobiles (and boats)

I guess everyone must have seen the movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" with Steve Martin and John Candy. My journey home seemed like a reinactment of that!

A wonderful holiday came to an end and things started going wrong as soon as I left the transfer coach at the airport and there was a rumor of a two hour flight delay, as I got through airport security in the departure lounge I learned that the rumour was true. I decided to wait out the two hours by sitting in an outside cafe, enjoying a coke and watching the other planes take off and land. I was a bit concerned because if the delay was any longer than two hours I would have wasted the booking I'd made at a Travel Inn to stay at Gatwick before starting the long journey home to Cornwall the next day. As it was now 6:30 pm in the evening, it was far too late to cancel the reservation, even if I had had the telephone number - which I didn't - so they were going to charge me anyway.

Then there was an announcement over the intercom system of a flight back to Bristol - I suddenly had an idea, why not try switching my flight to this one? I headed back inside to see if I could find a Thomas Cook rep and suggest this to them - ok if I would have had to pay a supplement, but it would have been worth it if I could have gotten back home this evening and avoided the long haul back on the train from Gatwick. As I went back inside to search for a rep - I met up with Jayne.

Jayne was trying to make a phone call to let her husband know that the flight was going to be delayed because he was supposed to be picking her up at 12:30 at Gatwick. She couldn't get through to him at first and kept missing him and the airport payphone swallowing euros didn't help. In the end we got chatting. Jayne was worried about her husband not getting any sleep that evening because she lived in Southampton, a two hour drive away from the airport which meant that he probably wouldn't get home until about 5:30 and had to be up for work at 6:30 the next day - so I suggested that she stay in the Travel Inn room with me and get a bus or train home the next day. We got on the phone to her husband and he thought this was a sensible idea too. We still had time to kill at the airport so we had a burger king and then the airline finally gave us a boarding gate number. So everyone queued up and queued up and we ended up standing there for like half an hour. We gave up standing in the end and went and sat down and eventually they started letting people on the plane. Jayne and me weren't sitting together, I was quite fortunate to have three seats to myself so I pushed up the arm rests and tried to stretch out and have a nap.

I'm not sure if I actually got off to sleep, which was interrupted by the serving of the very unappetising in-flight meal. I had one bite, not good! so I put it to one side in disgust! I still don't know if I slept properly as I was a bit cold and there were no pillows on the aircraft!

Finally got off the plane at 2:45 am. I don't do this early hour and I was really bad tempered. Found the coach station and phoned the Travel Inn to send their courtesy bus. But the guy on the phone spoke very bad English and couldn't even spell my name right and claimed that he couldn't find my reservation. I said "well have you got rooms?" he said yes, so I said, "well send the bloody bus then"!

When we got to the Travel Inn (and it's getting on for 3:30 am by now) he still can't find the reservation - but a colleage - an english girl checked my credit card details and says, you are booked in at another Travel Lodge and have already been charged to stay there. I asked if we could just stay where we were for the night but they said that that wasn't possible either, and offered to order us a taxi to the other Lodge, so I said, hold on a minute, I've just had to pay £5 to use your so called "courtesy" bus to get here, why should I have to pay a taxi as well? In the end the bus driver agreed to drop us off at the other lodge - so we got our cases back on the bus again!

The driver dropped us off on the road at the other lodge and there was me and Jayne, dragging our cases across the grass in the dawn light at 4:00 am. We just cracked up laughing at this point. We checked into the room and basically just crashed out for a few hours. Before we went to sleep, I joked to Jayne that this was turning into "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", and told her that I didn't want to find her pants in the bathroom sink the next morning.

We both set our alarm clocks for 8:45 and went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of dragging cases, and some woman screaming at her idiot child. I checked the clock, it was about 8:35, so I got up to use the bathroom before Jayne woke up. It was lucky that I had woken up on my own accord because neither of our alarms went off. Mine was a brand new travel clock and I don't know if I had set it correctly in my dog-tired state, and Jayne's old fasioned ticking alarm clock had just stopped.

When I came out of the bathroom, I woke Jayne up and went through to Reception to see about getting a taxi back to Gatwick so we could both get our public transport connections. I had to rush Jayne to hurry up in the end so we could get back to the airport as my train was leaving for Reading at 10:03 and I didn't know where I was going to find the station when I got to the airport.

Jayne and I swapped contact details in the back of the taxi on the way to the airport, she seemed very grateful for me to have taken her in last night. We said our goodbyes and I headed off to find the station. After a few false starts I was on the platform waiting for the train.

The journey to Reading passed without incident. I had about a 50 minute wait for the Penzance train, so I went to Subways and got a footlong sandwich (it's a long way to Penzance), there was this guy on the platform who kept staring at me, he had the most amazing pale blue eyes, and I guess he was interested in me, but after seeing me scoffing the footlong he kinda disappeared. I guess my eating habits would put anyone off! lol

Then this Israeli sat down on the bench next to me and tried to chat me up. For Chris Sakes - piss off! I sort of tried to ignore him, but the train was late. Over 20 minutes late. It eventually arrived about 12:30, and I had to walk up the platform quite a way on the guards recommendation to miss the first class section, the train arrives, and then there is the Israeli helping me put my case on the train. I guess they can't all be gun-wielding maniacs.

Once on the train the journey home should have been plain sailing, for usually once you are on the train to Penzance you are coasting all the way home, no matter how many hours it takes. BUT! The train made three unscheduled stops. The first to swap engines to the backup because the first wasn't working very well. The second time was because there was an electrical fault and the third time was at Newton Abbot Rail Depot to swap the faulty engine. They swapped the engines over... but then we are still sitting there... and finally the driver gets on the intercom and says we aren't going anywhere at the moment because the brake is stuck. At this point the entire trainful of passengers have reached the advanced stages of crack up and everyone burst out laughing!

The train eventually limped into Plymouth where it sat, and sat, until they finally decided to cancel the train completely. This very kind copper called "Bob" who was sitting opposite me for most of the journey helped me take my heavy suitcase up and down the stairs to platform 4 to catch the next train which was due in very shortly as this train was running nearly TWO HOURS LATE by this stage. Then the stationmaster put on the intercom that the next train is going to arrive at platform 6, so it's back into the lifts down to the underground tunnel between platforms and back up to platform 5 and 6 where I'd just left only to find when I got up there that that last announcement had been a mistake and it was coming in at platform 4 where I'd just been, so it was back into the lifts and the tunnel again. What a song and dance chirade this was turning out to be.

The first Penzance train that came in got deluged by people trying to get on it, so much so that it got delayed at the station for at least 20 minutes while the guards moaned at everyone for crowding. In the end it left and me and Bob managed to find a spot for my case in the hallway outside the buffet car.

Bob got off at Par (heading for Newquay) and eventually I got a seat in the quiet carriage. The good thing is that I should get my money back or some of it at the very least on the ticket price because the train was so late it qualified for compensation. In the end I arrived home at 7:30, 26 hours and fifteen minutes after I had left my hotel in Lanzarote!

What a journey home!
Progress I made on the Tigger Bookmark during the long trip home. Designer Stitches [PREDICTABLY] didn't include enough orange for Tigger so I had to leave him footless until I can find some more DS orange from another free kit at home.

S.E.X. with a Mermaid

I haven't been able to post about this until today, as part of the S.E.X. experience involved a friend who's birthday was last week while I was away in Lanzarote, so I didn't want to spoil her surprise!

I know there are several non-stitchers who read this blog, or even newbie stitchers who have not yet come across the acronym. Maybe I should actually define what S.E.X. stands for before I go any further and they automatically start thinking Splash and Darryl Hannah!

S. E. X. stands for Stash Enhancement Experience.

The need to buy stash and the pleasure derived from it is something that non-stitcher's probably can't appreciate. We love cross stitching, but we also love buying new cross stitching things. It starts like this:

  • You buy your first project - this is usually a kit - or maybe a magazine freebie, you start to stitch it (usually making a few mistakes along the way), and then.... whilst your finishing off your first project, something new catches your eye.
  • You are immediately thrust into a quandary: do you finish what you started - or buy the new project and promise yourself that it will sit there until you've finished the first?
  • This is the start of the downward slope.
  • Of course you buy the new project.... but then it sits there... and you know that you can't start it until you've finished the first, but it starts to call to you.... to lure you.... do you have the strength of resolve to ignore it?
  • I guess this all depends on how much resolve you have and how far away you are from finishing the first project. People with little resolve (and this includes the majority of stitchers) cave in at this point and start stitching on their new project. What usually happens at this point is that project no. 1 is abandoned in favour of project no. 2 and then becomes [shame] a U. F. O. an UnFinished Object.
  • Invariably the above scenario happens again with project no.3 and project no.4. Yes you do get pleasure from finishing pieces, but the need to shop for new things gives you pleasure as well.
  • The pleasure that you receive from shopping for cross stitching materials increases immensley when you start buying specialist fabrics and materials. You end up getting a small stash of charts and then start pre-planning by buying this piece of material to stitch project A on, this metallic thread for project B and these beads and embelishments for project C.
  • What do you with all these "to be stitched" items? You "STASH" them away, in drawers, in cupboards, in storage boxes, in the back of your wardrobe. Hence the word: Stash.
  • Beware: you are on the slippery slope to stash addiction at this point.
  • Large amounts of stash usually mean large amounts of UFOs too. I've encountered online stitchers with over 30 UFOs.
  • I guess I should confess at this point that I've got quite a few UFOs myself - but I taunt myself by displaying them all here in public (in the side bar on the right) as a reminder that I really must get around to finishing them.

So my latest Stash Enhancing Experience was:

I've now bought the new Enchanted Mermaid chart! I actually ordered two copies, the first for Dawn, my Stash Buddy from the Stitching and Stash Group. Dawn stitched Miriabilia's Shimmering Mermaid chart last year so I hope she will enjoy the experience of stitching this one up too... and whilst I was buying I got another copy of it for myself.

Maybe we can stitch it together? Stitch-a-longs are fun and a great motivating factor for finishing a project.

Lanzarote Holiday Snaps

I'm back from Lanzarote. Here's a picture of me on a camel in the Timanfiya National Park.
Another holiday snap. I've uploaded the rest of my photos onto my webshots account here.

Friday, June 17, 2005

Legolas I Ain't

Before leaving the hotel on Thursday afternoon, I decided to kill time by having a go at the archery contest that was going on. This bruise was the result.


It looks far worse than it is - believe me. It stung a bit at the time, but that was it, I'm amazed at the size of the bruise.

I did it on my first attempt with the bow and twanged the bowstring against my arm before letting fly with the arrow, which missed! Actually in 9 attempts I hit the target only 4 times, but still scored 150 points.

Out of the 5 women having a go at the archery, three of them, myself included injured themselves in this way. Apparently women have got an extra bone in their elbow which makes archery very difficult and you have to angle your arm slightly differently to avoid hitting the soft flesh, if only I'd known. lol.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

I Wish I was.... Snowy

Snowy is a little cat that is living in the grounds of the Papagayo Arena Hotel that I stayed at. Every day she begs at the lunch tables outside the Snack Grill for pieces of hamburger and hotdog and of course she gets them. She seems really friendly too. I don't know if it is good for her, but I have seen her lapping water from the hotel pools.



Snowy is also pregnant. I don't know how long it will be until she has her kittens, but she's getting a bit big now. After I discovered her, I asked for a lunch bag every day - whether I wanted to eat the contents or not - just to get the tin of tuna that was inside it to feed to Snowy. Once I even saved her some roast chicken from the restaurant - you are not supposed to take food outside - and she enjoyed that immensely!

The hotel, as I've mentioned before on this blog is All Inclusive - so there's food a-plenty going to spare. I guess this illustrates one of the most adaptive features of the feline species - where else to raise your offspring but next to an abundant food source! When I left that wonderful hotel - I sorely envied that little resident cat. I didn't want to leave.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Saturday, June 11, 2005

On The Tharsis Bulge

For those of you not familiar with Mars, the Tharsis region is the main volcanic region on the planet. There are three long dorman supervolcanoes there, including the largest volcano in the solar System Olympus Mons...

When I stepped off the plane and sat on the transfer coach, I thought I was on Mars. There are volcano cones and calderas everywhere. I thought Lanzarote only had a few volcanoes in the Volcano National Park, not so, they are bloody everywhere. There´s got to be at least 20 - 30 separate cones that I´ve seen at least. There´s one just outside the hotel even! I may go for a hike and see how far I can get up it.

The hotel is wonderful and has exceeded my expectations and coming from a cynical person like me, that´s really saying something. Going all inclusive was a good idea - had a good night last night watching the hotel´s entertainment, and this morning, when I checked my purse - I still had money in it. Something that does not happen after a good night out in Cornwall!!!

I seem to be a bit ill fated with Sangria though. My first was swept away by the wind. The second got taken by the staff after I left the swimming pool area for 10 minutes to book an Excursion with the Holiday Rep. I´ll call him "Big Bob" and when I post a pic of him when I get back, you´ll see why! My third Sangria I actually managed to drink, and later on in the Canary Bar my fourth was tipped over by a toddler. Ho hum, but at least I´m not paying for the refills!

Better keep this brief as its a Euro for every ten minutes I´m using this machine.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Queen Mermaid WIP 4

The Queen Mermaid by Mirabilia. This is my forth WIP shot. I'm off on holiday tomorrow and I'm going to take her (and Paradise Island too) with me to stitch by the pool.

I finished stitching the main part of her bodice last night. I've really enjoyed this section it's done in a Kreinik Metallic Braid, it looks lovely and shiny - if you click the enlarged picture you can see the detail in the thread.

Holiday Prep and Sexy New Stash

I fly out to Lanzarote tomorrow, so today I've got the day off work - packing, buying a couple of last minute things and trying to leave things here as tidy as I can before I go.

My new purchases consist of:

Tote Bag
I've been looking out for a stitching/beach tote bag for a few months now - I'm sick of my Tesco's "Bag for Life" lol. And would you believe it, the day before I'm due to go on holiday I find the exact one I want - with sequins too.
Strawberry Flipflops

Karen commented a while ago that she liked my pink flipflops with the flower on. I bet she loves these ones too, and yes they are packed to go with me.

I've not got a bad tan already if I do say myself. Thanks to the Cornish Sunshine!

I also bought:

Battery Charger for my Ipod Shuttle
Golden Sun for my Gameboy Advance
Gameboy Advance holder
Blank Video Tapes (soap addiction must be fulfilled while I'm away)
Travel Alarm Clock (complete with temperature gauge)
I came home from shopping to find a delivery from Jaynes Attic, consisting of two items:

My new chart holder

It's just the bottom attachment that allows me to anchor the magnetic chart board (which I already had) to the lowery stand.
And finally.....
Sexy Cheetah Scissors

These are Gingher Designer Scissors. I've already got a pair of the floral ones that I got as a special stash pressie during my stitching getaway in March. I've been really impressed by these scissors, they are very precise and sharp, and because they are so special they never leave the house. After I saw this Limited Edition Cheetah design at the weekend I knew I just had to have them too. Before you all jump up and down and want a pair, Jayne only had 3 pairs left last week, make that 2 now! AND THEY ARE EXPENSIVE!

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

What Mythological Creature are You?

You scored as Dragon. Dragon: Now talk about a legend. These magnificent creatures are of many species. Some can be as large as the Earth itself, while others are as small as a mouse. One image that comes to everyone's mind is the large, fire breathing Dragons that loathed humans and loved to sleep on massive piles of gold. Not all dragons have a bad reputation. Most dragons are very wise, caring, and protective. It would make a person very lucky indeed to meet a dragon. Especially if they walked away untouched. I admire your wisdom, for you are the Ancient Dragon.


What Mythological Creature are you? (Cool Pics!)
created with QuizFarm.com

The Star Wars Cinema Line...

This is so cool:

http://www.jeffiscool.com/films12/Triumph_StarWarsGeeks.wmv



Ok, this is a few years old now at it's the Cinema Line for Attack of the Clones - very big download, but utterly hilarious.... and how many times does that dog drop his cigar? I guess the highlight has to be when he "leg humps" Darth Vader and then asks what button on his chest box he needs to press to call his parents. lol

Monday, June 06, 2005

How Normal Are You?





You Are 55% Normal

(Somewhat Normal)









While some of your behavior is quite normal...

Other things you do are downright strange

You've got a little of your freak going on

But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself


Sunday, June 05, 2005

Venice is Finished!

Crimped Head

I went out for lunch today and let Jade out to play in the garden (it had stopped raining then), this is what state he got himself in in the rain before I returned.

Jade's Playground

This is the garden of the house where I live. As you can see, my landlady is a keen gardener. It makes a wonderful playground for Jade.

Dark Purple Fushia

Hasn't this got lovely flowers on it? The blooms are absolutely huge too!

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Earth to Geek: Get a Life

You've gotta just LOL at this:

http://www.jeffiscool.com/numanuma.html

I guess the really sad thing is that he's doing it in front of his webcam and not in a nightclub!

Friday, June 03, 2005

Stitching Blogger's Question of the Week: What do you like least about cross stitching?

What do you like least about cross stitching?

Not having any dedicated stitching time.

I used to... before I started working full time. I used to regularly stitch for 2-3 hours a day before I went to work in the afternoon. Wednesdays and sometimes Thursday mornings too, I used to visit my Aunt and as she was a stitcher too it was great to have something to do while we chatted over coffee and cakes. I always remember her cherry bakewells and fairy cakes! It was the only time I'd ever eat cake, she used to make a wonderful cup of coffee too.

Now, since my life changed I only really get snippets of time to stitch. A few stitches grabbed during my lunch hour after I've finished munching on a salad or maybe a stitch or two in the evening if I feel up to stitching following a full and stressful day at work. The sad thing is, stitching de-stresses me, but I'm too busy and stressed to take advantage of it's release. How sad is that?

A good time for me to stitch is first thing in the morning, before work - it puts me in a good frame of mind to start the day, but that's only achieveable when I'm up early.... actually - it's 6:15 am now as I post this, so I may just go and take advantage of this stitching opportunity.

Remaking "The Birds"

So... the latest movie news is that they are remaking the Hitchcock classic "The Birds" "....it's going to be some $180 million blockbuster", is the quote from one of the actors. Why does it need to cost so much money?

It needn't cost anything at all. Just install some surveillance cameras down at St Ives harbour and sit back and watch the seagull attacks as they steal all the Emmet's pasties ;-)

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

I am going on a Summer Holiday...

I'm pleased as punch because after a wasted weekend of trying, I managed to book a holiday to Lanzarote this afternoon, flying out from Gatwick next Thursday. Ok, so Gatwick's a way away, but I booked the same holiday that I wanted to go on this week when they wouldn't let me go at work - but for about a third less!

Only problem, it's all inclusive - and if you so have the desire you can eat and drink for 23 hours + a day. Will I be able to fit through the door when I get back? I'll let you know!

Oh, I'm going here: