Lurching

I seem to be lurching through the days at present. The new job is busy and quite a challenge. I have been having the horrible old crocodile dreams, always a sign that my head is full of stuff and some of it is not easy to process.

My laptop is in the repair shop getting a new keyboard as someone left it open on the kitchen table - just after the cookie theiving incident, and 17 keys were chewed off it.

In two weeks I fly to Australia to see my parents, sister and en route my brother and his family. I think I am a little nervous as well as being excited. Seeing them all is lovely. Leaving them all is very hard, especially as my parents are getting older. They all seem too far away.

Today is a domestic goddess day. Ironing well underway. Gym at lunch time and my little charity crochet project to work on.  Photos of this will be up soon.

It will be good to get my laptop back. Nothing seems quite right without instant access to the world and other people's keyboards don't feel like mine!!



 

Munched Up Hearts and Puppy Farts

Hannah spent hours in the kitchen yesterday making heart shaped cookies, little fluted biscuits and initials, all lovingly and painstakingly piped. In Japan, girls make biscuits and chocs to give away for Valentine's Day and she has done this most years since we got to England. 

Biscuits need to cool and they were duly left to do so in a kitchen empty of PEOPLE. Tragically the kitchen had in it, one OLD CAT and one GREEDY PUPPY. Some time later, Hannah went to box up her biscuits to discover that 16 of them had GONE.

Meanwhile, back on the sofa, the above mentioned puppy was lying motionless, comatose really between her unknowing parents - sad really, I am Mum to the dog... with some rather strange gurgling sounds coming from her very round belly.

Hannah flew into the living room to point her finger and the dog sat bolt upright, a look of absolute innocence on her face.  The movement stimulated something and she produced the most unladylike, very long, whoopie cushion like sound, which actually worried HER. She kept trying to look for the source of the noise. Too much for the rest of the family though. The noise was the least of our problems!! What a smell.

What a blow for Hannah though. And we have all learnt that our little girl really can jump quite high. Time to reconfigure some of the kitchen areas.

A little bit of love

A friend gave me a big bag of tapestry wool and some of the skeins have been cut - which makes crochet tricky in that there are lots of joined bits, but I managed to make this little heart. Lucy at Attic24 had it on her blog, with a link to the designer. I have just had a laugh at how finished and professional Lucy's looks and how beaten up mine is........But beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I was happy to give it away today to a lovely friend in the office. What is more, someone else wants one AND, I have been asked to make some of my little Japanese dollies as well for a charity fund raiser. Woopee.

 

But before I get carried away and abandon family, home and hearth to crochet with a goal, there are other things to be done.

 

At the quilt fair, some of the fabric was very, very appealing. I was so tempted, but the only things that made it home with me were some quilting betweens (needles) with large eyes, so that I can thread them without cursing too much. I have a plan to work on an old project and have pledged NOT to buy more fabric/yarn until some of the WIPs have been dealt with.

 

Off to do some chores....ironing in front of the TV. Miranda is on tonight. Such fun. x

 

It's been a while

as things have not been easy here for some tine now. As the sun streams through the window, spirits have been lifting and with lots of wonderful friends to talk to  and have a laugh with, (you know who you are) and some expert blogger's advice, things are looking a bit brighter!!

What has happened? A friend died young, of cancer. My Dad's cancer is back. Family life has not been running smoothly and much reflection has been necessary. However......

Doggy training continues. 6 visits to the tent of shame yesterday for barking at her classmates! But she is not a barky dog, it was all just so thrilling. Manners still an issue, again, she is little and she is learning. Love her to bits.

Socially very busy. We went to this:

New Brunswick Battle Of The Blues:
Crows Parliament + 3am

The Brunswick, Hove

Friday 25th January 2013 from 7:30pm, until 11:30pm

About this event

Second stage of the The New Brunswick Battle of the Blues to find Britain's best emerging Blues talent, run in conjunction with the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Unsigned UK blues bands, duos and singer/songwriters were invited to enter. Winners will showcase at the world-renowned Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Sept 2013.

 

Big J's friend is in 3am. They did not win, but it was a good night.

 

We went to a friend's 60th and had a great night meeting new folk and catching up with old ones.

 

Off to see quilts at Ardingly today, and have been MADLY exercising....such a good thing to do when one is down....and every muscle aches, but that is good.

 

Have discovered MYFITNESSPAL as well and have been very good about food this last week. With only 51/2 weeks until I return to Australia - it was Australia Day yesterday good people - to see family, this great tool should help me dump a few pounds before getting there.

 

I have a crochet heart to finish for a birthday girl tomorrow and a little doggy coat nearly done....

 

But it is on with the wellies and off to the quilt show now.

 

Ciao x

 

 

 

18 Today

My beautiful Hannah is 18 today.  She is bright, funny, outgoing, driven, thoughtful, creative and kind.  Happy Birthday sweetheart.
 

Groucho Marx

This morning the door bell rang at exactly THE WORST moment. I was towel clad, and was colouring my own eyebrows. There was enough goo on them to make me look like Groucho Marx. There was NO WAY the door was going to be answered, but I did poke half my face out of the window and asked politely if I needed to come down stairs or could he leave his bits of paper in the letter box.....which he did. Phew!


Once restorted to my usual self, Juno and I paid a visit to the vet to be weighed, (just her thank heavens), she is now 3.6kg. We went for a walk after that. She loves her walks, but hates, hates, hates having her lead put on and or her collar touched. She bites very hard. This is something for the puppy class ladies to help us with. We have been doing lots of the training from last night's session and she is tired tonight.

The charity shop got a huge pile of things today as well. I did say it was time to get off my butt and the result was four bags of unwanted items.....

My gym buddy and I had our first lunch time session today and despite the whinging about being there, we had not caught up with each other since before Christmas so we managed to talk and work out for an hour. Boy do bits hurt now. An older gym member said he thought we were going at '45 chats a minute' when we were on the bikes. Very sweet.

Pink Clouds

are in the sky this morning, and there is BLUE SKY. Oh how we need to see the sun. I am pack-lunched up and almost ready to go to work.

It was a big day yesterday. My boss was lovely about my departure, but equally lovely about me being missed. No start date yet, so things continue as normal until then.

Tonight though there is something special. The first Puppy Class, this time for owners only. I will be able to sit and lie down and respond to my name by the end of it!! I just don't want to have to eat kibble and cocktail sausages when I am good.....

Puppy is on my lap - yes, indulged and ruined already - trying to snuggle in for a snooze. Time to shake her up and get on with the day.

Enjoy it everyone.