Ellouise88

Ooops

2012-01-19T10:31:00.000Z

I know, I know; please forgive my apathy. I hate January. Come to think of it I hate February as well, but at least there's a chance of chocolate and flowers around the middle somewhere!

Just thought I would share an email, which I think has been around some time, but it made me smile this morning. I hope it does you too.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

(Hardly seems worth it.)

If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb..

(Now that's more like it!)

The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out of the body to squirt blood 30 feet.

(O.M.G.!)

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes.

(In my next life, I want to be a pig..)

A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.

(Creepy.)

(I'm still not over the pig.)

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour

(Don't try this at home, maybe at work.)

The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.

(Honey, I'm home. What the...?)

The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.

(30 minutes. Lucky pig! Can you imagine?)

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.

(What could be so tasty on the bottom of a pond?)

Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

(I still want to be a pig in my next life...quality over quantity!)

Butterflies taste with their feet.

(Something I always wanted to know.)

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

(Hmmmmmm.....)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.

(If you're ambidextrous, do you split the difference?)

Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump.

(Okay, so that would be a good thing)

A cat's urine glows under a black light..

(I wonder how much the government paid to figure that out. )

An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

(I know some people like that.)

Starfish have no brains

(Youngest daughter's nickname!!)

Polar bears are left-handed.

(If they switch, they'll live a lot longer.)

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

(What about that pig??, Do the dolphins know about the pig?)

Christmas

2011-12-11T23:37:00.002Z

Silent Saturday

2011-12-03T23:31:00.000Z

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas Craft Fair

2011-12-02T23:40:00.000Z

So, Scary did a bit of painting,

I've been doing a bit of sewing,

and finishing a few projects from ages ago,

and we had a little pretend layout in the kitchen (every other surface in the entire house was covered with detritus).

Eventually we were ready.

Everything was finished (well, apart from the Christmas stockings that I intended to make),

a reasonable profit was made

and we still have some things left over to use for Christmas presents!!

I think some major housework will have to be done tomorrow!

Hello December

2011-12-01T08:06:00.002Z

Welcome to Crazy Season!

Two Phews and an Argument with the Traffic Warden

2011-11-24T11:16:00.000Z

Phew No 1

Made £65 profit on the cake stall at the weekend. Not bad considering I didn't have as much time to bake as usual. Worth doing anyway. No photos because Scary forgot to take any! Humph!

We'll skip over the argument with the Traffic Warden, shall we? I always thought you could park on double yellows if you were unloading (which I was)! I didn't get a ticket, thank goodness, so I guess I sort of won that argument, but it did awful things to my blood pressure and sense of humour for the rest of the day.

Phew No 2

I got the date wrong for the craft stall and it is on 2nd December, not this Friday as I originally thought! One more week to get organised. [But what am I doing? I'm messing about on the computer, instead of getting one's ass in gear!]

I will try and take some photos of what I'm making later, when I've finished checking Pinterest for some more inspiration ................

Running on Caffeine

2011-11-18T12:29:00.000Z

My bottom has just hit the chair for five minutes while my chocolate shortbread is baking. Plain shortbread, cherry cupcakes and bakewell tarts already done, thank goodness. Coffee, chocolate and coconut cupcakes and lemon drizzle cakes left to do, along with anything else I can think of!

I just quickly clicked on Selfsewn for a little read and she is summarising her week in three words.

I put "Running on caffeine".

Ooops. Gotta run. Oven beeping!

Preparation is The Key

2011-11-17T11:42:00.001Z

Aaaaahhhhhh!

Why do we take on so much? Correction, why do I take on so much? You're probably all out there in Blogland with your presents handmade and wrapped, with Christmas cards poised for posting and Christmas puddings aromatically maturing in larder cupboards!

I am not.

Nor ever likely to be.

There is no more productive time like 'The Last Minute'.

Anyway, just thought I better drop in and play catch up; at least, prove that I haven't been spending all my time on Pinterest (ahem).

That strange red thing I was making a while ago here was eventually finished, along with a couple of others and they now reside on my bookshelves.

See, it wasn't rude! Unlike this thing I saw [click here], which please don't look at if you are of a nervous disposition. But do you think the Runner would like me to knit him a pair?

The two main things I am in a panic about are a cake stall on Saturday (you know what I will be doing from dawn til dusk and later tomorrow don't you?) and a craft stall the following Friday.

Lots of making projects going on at the moment, most of them half-finished!

Wish me luck!

Rejected Halloween Ideas from Pinterest

2011-11-02T12:25:00.001Z

Mwa-hah-hah-ha

2011-10-31T19:15:00.001Z

Tis Hallowe'en!

Welcome, welcome!

Do come in, My Lovelies!

Trick or Treat?

Happy Haunting People!

Pinch, Punch, First of the Month

2011-10-01T23:26:00.000+01:00

Can You Guess What It Is Yet?

2011-09-29T22:50:00.000+01:00

Silent Sunday

2011-09-25T22:55:00.000+01:00

On Pinterest

2011-09-21T22:06:00.001+01:00

September Round Up

2011-09-21T13:18:00.001+01:00

Well, he's gone back to work at last! Much as I love him, it is so peaceful to have the house back to myself!

I think we are at the end of all the birthdays at last. Mother-in-law's birthday is today and now it is just our anniversary on Saturday. No money left, so I reckon it will have to be a lemon meringue pie again, like Valentines Day last year!

After the marathon bag making session for Scary, I also managed to make a bag for Starfish for her birthday.

The bag was made from a wonderful tutorial found here on Sew4Home which is a site I have found recently and am really impressed with. Of course, I couldn't follow it exactly, I always have to tweak it a little bit (just like with recipes)!

I was so impressed with it, that I made another one for mother-in-law,

but as you can see, I didn't get around to taking a picture of it finished and The Runner had whipped it away and posted it before I thought about it! I hope you can see the general gist of it though. I made the handle out of the floral material on the bottom of the bag and had two more grey buttons and two blue beads for the closing at the top. The material on the right is the lining, with an internal pocket made out of the floral fabric and a little bit of ribbon along the seam line (mainly because I messed up sewing a straight line! I've always said that creativity is mainly about hiding your mistakes!)

Poor Marathon Runner didn't get anything handmade (except his cake!). Well, I did make him a new pair of pants recently! What more does he want?

Well, he is Irish (he eats a lot of potatoes)!!

Happy Birthday Starfish and Runner

2011-09-13T22:36:00.000+01:00

It's definitely birthday season here!

Review of Birthday Goodies

2011-09-08T15:00:00.000+01:00

Just a few lovelies to show you from Scary's birthday presents.

Shall I start with the boring card?

A couple of little tea light holders.

I did try and get her a decorative bird cage but they were all too expensive for my pocket!

A pretty photo frame in her favourite colours. Cheap and cheerful from Store 21.

A cutie umbrella, cos you know what English weather is like!

Scary loves peacocks so she had several things along those lines; including a notebook and a hair clip.

A hair band and tie that I crocheted in her current fave colour.

A cute little box and necklace from a charity shop.

Another little sweet box from another charity shop (good job she doesn't mind) to fit in with existing pots.

And I managed to fill it with charity shop and boot sale finds, running with the butterfly theme.

Yes, she did get a bit of money as well! Along with a guitar; no picture, sorry.

And The Runner gets in on the making act as well. He made this necklace for her.

Many other bits and pieces, too numerous to photograph, but these were my favourites, along with The Bag, of course, which seemed to take so long to make.

No, not that one! The real sized one!

Oh, I almost forgot the slippers I bought for her (she suffers with cold feet, poor baby).

And Starfish gave her something she's been wanting with a passion for some time.

Shame he's not real! Starfish and I went into the shop and said "we want Matt Smith please". "Oh yes", the lady said. "We've got one out the back." Imagine our surprise if she'd come back with a real one!

Well, if you've made it this far, I think you deserve a slice of cake!

Happy Birthday Scary

2011-09-03T23:52:00.001+01:00

Here is The Bag, finished at last!

31 Days

2011-08-31T23:58:00.000+01:00

Woo Hoo! Way Hey! I've done 31 days in a row. Phew! (Look at the time!)

For the Love of Pinterest

2011-08-30T22:14:00.001+01:00

I'm sure I have mentioned Pinterest before. I can waste hours looking at the fantastic images on there.

This picture made me laugh out loud, given the number of times I have threatened my children with painful death if they used my 'cutting out' scissors.

And this one too, so cute, must see if I can get some of these.

And can we all identify with this?

Well, I Never!

2011-08-29T23:24:00.000+01:00

Would you believe it? I have Won a Giveaway!

Dear Claire at My Little Life, thank you so much!

That was definitely the best thing to happen today. Work was so boring, only four customers; had a man round to mend the toilet, dried out the floor around said toilet, tried to do some more of Scary's bag but ran out of pink thread and of course it's Bank Holiday so nowhere is open. Frantic phone call to friend who opens up her shop so that I can get some pink thread! And here I am doing my blog post at gone 11pm AGAIN.

Think bed is calling. I'll just go and have a little chat with the hamster and then I think I might have to make myself a hot water bottle!

See you tomorrow!

Surprise!

2011-08-28T22:25:00.000+01:00

Look at Scary's belly button!

What can I say?

Miniature

2011-08-27T23:14:00.001+01:00

In between making ready for the students today, I have been trying to carry on with my present for Scary. It is a bag that consists of eight panels and each panel is different. I am using old sheets, clothes and any odd bits and pieces that I have lying around.

It's coming on but it's taking rather longer than I anticipated.

I have tried some free embroidery (I think this is what you call it) for the first time and I'm reasonably pleased with the result.

I wasn't sure how the bag went together. I kept reading the instructions and I couldn't visualise it.

So I thought perhaps I needed to make a little practice one before I started putting the big one together.

Does anyone have a Barbie that needs a handbag?

Start of Birthday Celebrations

2011-08-26T23:11:00.002+01:00

We started the birthday celebrations today (after I'd tidied up from yesterday of course). A bit early as the first birthday isn't until 3rd September but we do like to spread it out.

It started with Pizza Hut (the girls' favourite, but not necessarily mine). I got into trouble because I had pasta! I don't think men understand why you would go somewhere you don't especially like, just because everyone else likes it! As usual, we couldn't get through the meal without Scary and the Runner having a highbrow scientific discussion/argument/heated debate. Tonight it was the possibility of travelling at the speed of light and some newly discovered planet and it's composition. May I remind you that this is in Pizza Hut. Not sure what the next table thought about our conversation but they were remarkably quiet! At least I managed to surreptitiously tip the waitress whilst Scary distracted the Runner by asking him about thermo dynamics.

Then we went to see the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Again, not what I would have chosen, but it's only me that fancies Daniel Craig in this house. It wasn't too bad, actually. I thought it was going to be dreadful and took my MP3 just in case I couldn't stand it, but it was very well made and a reasonable story. Scary spent most of the time crying about how they treated the chimps though.

Oh well, back to the grindstone tomorrow. More students arriving tomorrow night and not a bathroom cleaned, nor any beds ready!

Making A Mess

2011-08-25T23:00:00.001+01:00

I have been having a bit of a sort-out.

Sometimes what you want is at the back of the cupboard! And you realise that it really is time things were a bit more organised.

Unfortunately downstairs looks like this

and the dining table looks like this

All to make some birthday presents for Scary!

Can you guess what it is?

What have you been up to today? Hopefully you haven't made as much mess as I did!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T22:20:00.000+01:00

What's Going on in Our House at the Moment

2011-08-23T22:34:00.000+01:00

Spent yesterday afternoon at the beach, sitting on a deck chair, in a hat, knitting warm socks! Consequently children still not speaking to me!

However ...

The Runner is at work so, wey hey, I have the remote control and a new set of True Blood DVDs to watch.

Oh Eric ....

I have a walnut whip, Eric and a brief respite from getting up at the crack of dawn to get students out the door.

Oh heaven!

And The Winner Is ....

2011-08-22T23:02:00.000+01:00

Becca from Fancy Vintage!

Congratulations to Becca!

Many thanks to those who entered: I wish I could send prizes to everyone!

Last Chance for The Tea Time Giveaway!

2011-08-21T20:59:00.000+01:00

This is the final opportunity to enter my giveaway for the 'Time for Tea' sign, two tea related cards and my home-made tea cosy.

Leave a comment here and when I get home from work tomorrow I will pop some names into a pot and we will see who wins.

Good Luck to you all.

Giveaway Make

2011-08-20T23:26:00.000+01:00

Can you guess what it is yet?

I bet you can.

Fancy a nice hot cup of tea?

So along with the sign and cards

I will be offering my homemade tea cosy to one lucky winner on Monday.

Just leave a comment on this post, or the original one here, to be in with a chance!

See you tomorrow.

Baking Again

2011-08-19T21:07:00.001+01:00

A little bit of this:

and a little bit of that:

All add up to rather a lot of cakeage to do another cake stall tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Off to make some more cupcakes (or buns, as The Runner insists on calling them).

See you tomorrow.

Present for Me!

2011-08-18T23:37:00.000+01:00

Aren't they lovely?

I was having a little look around the blogesphere the other day and ended up on e-bay and just couldn't resist these.

I would give you a link but my computer is being exceptionally slow today and doesn't seem to want to open more than one window for me to get the link!! Grrr!

They go from the diddiest little 2.5mm

up to a big fat 10mm and all in such gorgeous colours.

Aren't I a lucky girl?

PS Don't forget to enter my Tea Time giveaway!

Two New Projects and Some Graffiti

2011-08-17T23:45:00.000+01:00

I'm very good at starting projects. I have started two this week. Both for Scary. Poor Starfish - still she did get some nice woolly socks in the height of summer!

Project number one is a nice woolly pair of socks for Scary (hopefully for her birthday but don't hold your breath), using the Crofters pattern but some different wool. Sorry, I can't find the ball band and have no recollection of what it's called.

No, I can't tell you what colour it is. It's ... weird. Sort of a pinky, purply, orangey affair. I didn't choose it so the blame is not at my door; she chose it herself.

The other project is more challenging. In the latest issue of my crochet magazine there was a pattern for this shrug/hoodie thing which I thought Scary would like but I have never crocheted anything to wear before, so dismissed it, even though I secretly wanted to make it.

Well, The Runner took me to Sidmouth today, for a coffee and a nosey round the shops. It was raining but, hey ho, got to seize the opportunity, haven't you?

I went into this funny little shop which sold wool amongst other things and there, right in front of me, was The Most Gorgeous Wool I have ever seen! The colours were just fantastic and just what I had envisaged making this shrug/hoodie with. Well, you cannot resist that amount of fate, can you? I mean, seeing a pattern one day and The Most Perfect Wool on the Very Next Day! I'm afraid I didn't even know if it was the correct ply or anything. I just bought two balls to be going on with. I know I will need more but The Runner was with me and I didn't want to have a domestic in the shop so I will have to work out a way of getting back there soon before they sell out of that batch! Am I wicked? Probably. He doesn't know you can't make a hoodie out of two balls of wool. I do tend to work on a 'need to know' basis with my crafting (and maybe clothes and chocolate). If it's only going to upset him, then why distress him with the information in the first place?

So now I'm into the realms of tension squares and working out what size needle I need. I can feel a bit of swearing coming on with this project.

So anyway, while we were in Sidmouth, The Runner had to visit the Little Boys Room, and found this written on the toilet roll holder:

There's a more middle class tone to the graffiti in Sidmouth, isn't there?

Giveaway Make - Thwarted

2011-08-16T23:10:00.000+01:00

Today I have been thwarted. Every possible person and thing has conspired against me to get anything done.

So here's just a quick peek at some material from my stash:

and hopefully tomorrow it will be made into something to go with my Tea Time Giveaway!

Fingers crossed!

Time for Tea Giveaway

2011-08-15T23:20:00.001+01:00

Well, I'm all confussed and discombobulated!

I could have sworn this was my 200th post and now it's telling me its the 201st!

Oh well, hey ho, we'll do the giveaway anyway, shall we?

My first post started with cake, not a bad way to start in my opinion.

Worryingly, whilst looking back at some of my first posts, there seem to be a lot of projects that are still unfinished.

This blithering owl, for example, is still in my blanket box and is waiting to be made into something resembling a soft toy.

Hmmm.

It's coming on, I think. Not quite satisfied with it yet but I'm getting there I hope.

So if you'd like to leave a comment or become a follower, then I'll put all your names in a little pot, shall we say next Monday 22nd August 3pm British Summer Time?

And in return, for the winner, I will gather together some little tea-related trinkets, which will definitely include these:

and anything I can lay my hands on!

I am happy for post internationally, so please have a go at my Time for Tea Giveaway!

A Typical Sunday

2011-08-14T23:47:00.000+01:00

Well, I managed to get three teenagers out of bed before 9.00am this morning and off we jolly well trotted to our local boot sale.

We were on the hunt for Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs or videos! Starfish has a new obsession and so we went with the students to hunt for them.

We came back with Series One on video and a truckload of Buffy books, so it wasn't a complete waste of time!

I also found a little something for 50p:

which will join all my other 'little somethings' in my current glass obsession.

Unfortunately, our little girl from Taiwan managed to find the High School Musical DVD and so we have had to sit through that as well!! I say 'we' in the loosest sense. I had to cook the tea, thank goodness, so only had to endure a minimal amount!

See you tomorrow for a giveaway as it is my 200th post. Way hey!

Silent Saturday

2011-08-13T23:33:00.000+01:00

All Henna'd Out

2011-08-12T22:35:00.001+01:00

Scary decided she wanted a change of image today. Well, I say today, she has been badgering me for some time but it has failed to 'blow over', as teenage fads often do.

Us girlies did a charity shop trawl this morning but there wasn't much to be had. I think there were too many tourists about.

On the way home, we found some henna and Scary decided that she wanted to give it a try.

Mmm, looks nice, doesn't it? If that wasn't enough to put you off, the smell was! We had the fan on and the back door open and we were still all holding our noses.

It looked a bit like we had rubbed a cow pat into her hair!

So we went from this:

to this:

Shhh, don't tell her father; he doesn't know yet!

Many Happy Returns Claire

2011-08-11T23:08:00.001+01:00

May I take this opportunity to say a big

Happy Birthday

to Claire, my favourite dancing ice cream maker, over at our favourite things.

I'm eating a cake, just in your honour!

PS I'm coming up to a bloggy milestone of 200 posts so perhaps I'll start making something to offer as a giveaway!

Pants!

2011-08-10T22:40:00.000+01:00

Take one pair of old sleeping shorts (the elastic has gone):

make a pattern;

Take one PE shirt that has hardly been worn (!):

cut it up;

patch it back together, a little bit of sewing and,

hey presto

a new pair of pants!

What a Load of Rubbish

2011-08-09T23:21:00.001+01:00

We rented a DVD at the weekend called "Sucker Punch". It was a 12 and Scary said it was about 'girl power'. Both our students are 13 and I am always very careful about only letting them see films within their age limits because although my girls watch older stuff, I know what they can cope with. Scary, for example, is fine with any amount of blood and gore but doesn't like things with spiders in; Starfish is fine with sci fi violence (loves Terminator) but scarpers if there's any sex; the Runner is a complete wuss about anything psychological and I'm OK with anything except Jurassic Park - dunno what it is about those dinosaurs!

Ugh, what a dreadful film! It's one of those that you don't know what is real and what is imaginary. It starts off with some girl getting blamed for killing her sister (even though the step-father did it) and being put in an institution where she is going to be lobotomised. Nice, so far, eh? Then it jumps to a world where she is about to become a prostitute and they are selling her virginity.

Bearing in mind this is a certificate 12!

At this point, I turned it off and we watched Ice Age!

I do love that squirrel!

Monday Madness

2011-08-08T23:33:00.000+01:00

As usual, Monday has been rush, rush, rush!

Work - busy.
Shopping - heavy, and husband couldn't pick me up cos the car wouldn't start!
Kitchen - untidy. Doesn't anybody else SEE the washing up?
Husband - in a dither cos the car wouldn't start and he needed to go to work tonight.
Students - changing their minds about whether they want to go to the disco or not. (In the end, one did and one didn't.)
Youngest daughter - badgering me about World of Warcraft until I finally gave in. Peace at a cost.
Oldest daughter - shut in her bedroom making videos!!! Don't want to go there.
Students - hogging my computer and closing my game of spider solitaire (no longer 100% stats).
Kettle - buggered.
Last week's student - left a load of stuff behind which I will have to send on.
Crafting - foiled.
Student (the one that went to the disco) - ended up in the sea so now needs everything washed.

Can I go to bed now please with a couple of paracetamol?

Maybe I'll dream of Eric ...

Simple Sunday

2011-08-07T23:03:00.000+01:00

A bit of ice cream:

whilst looking at some quirky roofs

Some playfulness in the park

some homemade popcorn and a game of monopoly

and they made the mistake of making the Swiss student the banker!

A little bit of mending

and some crochet

and even Scary and the Tall Boyfriend seemed to have got the gaming bug

even if they were playing for Maltesers!

She's Got Legs!

2011-08-06T23:32:00.000+01:00

Today has been a bit of a blur.

Saturdays are always a bit of a rush with student changeovers. We usually have two at a time but lately we seem to have been out of sync and only changing one each week. This leads to all sorts of problems with lots of things being left behind and disagreements about who should go on the top bunk!

Our Italian left this morning and I hope she managed to get to Gatwick Airport with no problems after all the traffic problems they had yesterday! We still have our little girl from Taiwan and now also a Swiss girl, whose English is very good so no need for so much sign language! It really is lovely getting to know our students but it is always a bit of worry when they first arrive! You never quite know what you're going to get. We did get compensation one year when a Spanish student decided to carve her name into the bannister!

Scary and Starfish are getting quite good at changing the sheets on the bed now but Starfish always has to do the top bunk because Scary and I are so short we have to stand on a chair to reach!

Anyway, that's enough rambling for today. Just a quick picture of Scary in her new skirt that she got at the Sidmouth Festival.

Wouldn't you just kill for that figure?

A Chip Trip

2011-08-05T23:08:00.000+01:00

We went to Lyme Regis this evening to eat fish and chips on the beach. We took the students to give them a typically English experience!

I know I've shown you the beach huts before but I can't resist their cuteness.

The sign reads "Welcome Friends. Relatives by appointment"!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside!

Lily

2011-08-04T23:32:00.001+01:00

Have you noticed the new header? I was reading A Thrifty Mrs and found this really easy to understand tutorial. I thought I'd have a go and it seems to have worked. What do you think of Scary's photo? I reckon I'm going to have a bit of a play with this!!

See you soon.

PS I was at Sidmouth Folk Festival yesterday and it was hot, hot, hot!

Wordless Wednesday - Guess Where I've Been!

2011-08-03T22:29:00.000+01:00

Buttons

2011-08-02T22:30:00.000+01:00

I've been making quite a few of these lately:

and turning them into either hair clips or brooches.

With some of them I like to put a button in the middle, but my buttons were in a bit of a mess and so I had to turn them out of boxes and bags and jars every time I needed one small pink button.

Time for a sort-out I thought.

So now they are all colour co-ordinated in jars to make it easier to find exactly what I want. I even got our foreign students involved in sorting them. They are really good at colours now!

However, now I have no excuses for getting them all made up!

Just as an aside, evidently Antiques Road Trip was in Honiton today. Of course, I didn't see anything interesting; just their cars parked outside the church!

July = Cake

2011-08-01T23:23:00.000+01:00

July seemed to be full of cake. We started with a rather nice tea party.

Cucumber sandwiches:

Some freshly baked scones:

with lashings of clotted cream and jam, then baby Cornish pasties, chocolate oat biscuits, ham sandwiches, seed cake, etc. Choice of normal tea or iced,

and topped off with an M & M Cake:

High Tea. My favourite.

Then we moved on to a Good Luck cake for the Year 6 children at the Primary School Prom. Mine are well away from primary now but a couple of friends have children in their last year and I made it for them.

On the same day, I was also making a three layered chocolate cake, but in the rush to get them finished, I forgot to take a photo!

Then, after all that, we had the Lemonade Stall at our Annual Charter Day in town and of course I couldn't just stop at homemade lemonade; I had to go with some lemony favourites as well:

Phew, what a month!

The Vagaries of English Weather!

2011-07-31T23:26:00.000+01:00

Take a look at the yellow sign on the door of a clothes shop in Honiton:

Which one will we be buying in August, I wonder?

Silent Sunday

2011-07-17T23:19:00.000+01:00

Wedding Photos

2011-07-15T11:14:00.001+01:00

Well, I started uploading these photos on 22nd June and here I am just looking at them now.

Has anyone else been having problems with Blogger? I keep getting an Error 503 message when I try to sign in.

Anyway, back to the original purpose of this post. My friend's wedding.

This was her wedding dress:

Yes, I know about the green!

And her chief bridesmaid (her daughter):

Her hair looked lovely:

and the reception was held in the beautiful village of Gittisham:

All in all, a lovely day was had and it already seems such a long time ago!

We are in the midst of many foreign students staying (Spanish one gone today, French one with us, Swiss one coming tomorrow) and preparing to have a lemonade stall at Charter Day next weekend to raise some more funds for Scary's trip to India.

'They' say the weather is turning nasty later, so I better get down town to buy some sausages. I thought I would do big yorkshire puddings and fill them with onion gravy and sausages tonight. A few new potatoes and yellow courgettes from the garden and I think we're set!

Harry Potter tomorrow! Woo Hoo! We're taking bets on whether Starfish is going to cry!

Ooops I Forgot to Show You ....

2011-06-22T21:54:00.000+01:00

what The Runner made me for tea on the day of the Cake Stall .....

Mmmm, do you fancy it?

Well, no I didn't actually, but it turned out to be really nice (a recipe from Gordon Ramsy I think).

It's not easy being green!

Can I Go To Work Now (For A Rest)?

2011-06-20T07:09:00.001+01:00

A little bit of shortbread,

a few slices of gingerbread,

some 'flower' lollipops,

a fudge tart or two (recipe in the side bar), the odd lemon drizzle cake,

some bakewell tarts,

a brilliant pan and dibber thing borrowed from a friend

to make mini tarts, eg rolo and jam ones,

all came together for a Cake Stall in a very windy and rainy street over the weekend.

Scary has signed up for a trip to India next year to help renovate an orphanage with a charity called World Challenge. It's all very heartwarming and altruistic but the bottom line is that she has to raise over £3,000. Gulp!

When I'd picked myself up off the floor, I figured that I'd better do something to help and baking seemed to be the answer. Cake is always the answer!

Most of the time, we were hanging on to the gayzebra and trying to keep things dry!

Middle of June! It felt more like the depths of winter!

Can I tempt you?

What The Runner Sees on His Way to Work

2011-06-16T23:09:00.001+01:00

This Weekend I Have Mostly Been ...

2011-06-15T22:43:00.000+01:00

doing wedding-y things!

A lovely friend of mine and her long-time partner decided to tie the knot on Saturday, so consequently last week was taken up with frantically trying to finalise outfits for my two girls (no, didn't have time to even think about mine!) and helping out with the food.

So I have been making lemonade for the wedding welcoming non-alcoholic alternative drink ...

making blinis (well, little savoury pancakes, not sure they were bona fide blinis) to be topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon for hors d'oeuvres,

scrubbing the living room carpet because Tall Boyfriend wasted a whole mug of tea on it,

batch baking lasagne for the freezer because I had a job lot of veg that needed using up,

painting nails,

and customising charity shops finds for my girls. Photos to come soon on that last one!

And it's even taken me until Wednesday to get the blog post done!!

Hey Ho!

Back to the Grindstone

2011-06-03T18:10:00.000+01:00

All too soon it has come to an end. The carefree indulgences of paddling in warm turquoise seas, pina colada by the pool, air conditioned siestas and nosy-ing on down to the restaurant to see what's for tea.

Ah well, back to washing and vacuuming and clearing up after teenagers and husbands. Also back to a decent cup of coffee and my own very comfy bed though as well!

You don't realise how much you take for granted how 'green' Devon is.

These are taken from the aeroplane as we came back.

Tis good to be back but I miss the blithe and fanciful wanderings of the mind that you only get when you are absent from your customary routine.

However, socks have been sewn:

and life is returning to normal.

Hopefully this will include a bit more blogging!

If You Are Not Embarrassing Your Children, Then You're Obviously Not Enjoying Yourself!

2011-05-30T18:46:00.000+01:00

Yes, Crofters wool again - this time a pair of socks! Done one and half-way through the second whilst drinking a pina colada and listening to the evening entertainment! It's a wonder they still sit with me, isn't it?

Any Guesses?

2011-05-29T19:41:00.000+01:00

I will give a prize if anyone gets the exact name of the town!

Can Anyone Guess Where I Am?

2011-05-28T20:16:00.000+01:00

We speako the Spanish-io.

A siesta is a must for us English roses!

I've never seen so many fish.

I'll give you some better clues tomorrow!

Glorious Holi-Holiday!

2011-05-27T19:41:00.000+01:00

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!!! (Obviously I'm not in England, then!)

2011-05-26T21:41:00.000+01:00

For Tea Lovers

2011-05-07T00:17:00.000+01:00

OK, I'm a Coffee Person really but Scary and Weird God-Daughter love their tea and quite often try some of the fruit ones. I saw a lovely idea on Pinterest a while ago and saved the link. Well, by the time I got to actually doing it, something had gone wrong with the link so I made up my own version of a 'tea wreath'.

In the meantime, I have found it again and it can be found here on Kojo Designs, which at first sight seems to contain some brilliant inspiration and links. Just on the first page, I think I have found three things that I want to have a go at!

So I hope that I have made it clear that this is really just my 'take' on Kojo Designs' fabulous idea. I have done a couple of things slightly differently, simply because I couldn't find their tutorial when I was doing it, making use of the things that I had to hand and using my own ideas.

It all started with a pizza! Surely that silly plastic base is useful for something, I thought; so I washed it and tucked it away for further cogitation. It seemed to me that it was about the right size for the wreath so I used that instead of cutting out cardboard.

I also used some spotty paper, plastic pegs, bit of ribbon, glue and of course, the tea bags.

I cut out the centre of the pizza base thingy, making the diameter of the doughnut roughly the same as the length of the pegs (does that make sense?). The small circle I marked into 18 (because I was using 18 pegs) which means a line every 20° - easy enough to mark out as long as one of your children hasn't stolen your protractor! Hmmm. I used this later. The marked circle, that is, not the protractor. (I wasted half an hour looking for said protractor.) I also cut out the paper, making it approximately 1cm larger than the doughnut.

Using a glue stick I stuck the paper to the pizza plastic,

overlapping and snipping it on the back.

Adding to the original design, I decided to put a little teapot in the centre. I found a picture of a pretty teapot
on the internet and, with some swearing, managed to print it out along with a mirror image and then stuck them together with a small length of invisible thread between them. They were a bit of a pain to cut out but in the end I found a craft knife that was vaguely sharp. I glued the other end of the invisible thread to the back of the doughnut, along with the two ends of the ribbon to be used for hanging it.

Then I cut out another ring which was exactly the same size as the doughnut (we are talking ring doughnut here, by the way, not cream ones!) and used it to sandwich the ribbon and thread, and cover the back of the wreath.

Now I used the middle bit with the lines on to position the pegs. I think, on reflection, that the pegs fitted quite well and I could have judged it by eye but I didn't know that in the beginning and it certainly helped me with lining up the angle of the pegs.

I did use a glue gun (for the first time ever) to stick the pegs onto the paper.

Ta-da! One birthday present for Weird God-Daughter made!

I think it would probably look really nice with more colourful tea packaging but I had to go with the finest Tesco could offer.

Phew, can I go to bed now?

Anyone for Tea?

2011-05-03T22:31:00.000+01:00

Celebrating May Day

2011-05-02T23:00:00.001+01:00

If you ever get the chance to visit Kingsbury May Festival (in Kingsbury Episcopy near Martock in Somerset) do go because I think it is one of the best May Day celebrations around.

Scary lived up to her name.

Lots of lovely things to see,

and do:

Hope you all had a lovely May Day!

May Fair

2011-05-01T23:26:00.000+01:00

Boxes packed, car jammed full, coffee in flask and lunch in cool bag - off we go!

Starfish was none too pleased having to wake up early for a second morning in a row (yesterday we had to get students to the airport early)!

A little bit blowy, a few raindrops, but the sun peeped out in the end and a profit was made! We remembered how the gayzebra went together (because of the good colour co-ordinated system the Runner has implemented) and we (well, I) didn't spend more than we made!

Yippee!

And Again

2011-04-24T10:42:00.001+01:00

True Love?

2011-04-23T22:35:00.000+01:00

Scary has been working hard, raising money for a trip to India to help build a school, so she's been falling asleep in the evenings! When she woke up in the morning, Tall Boyfriend had left her a little message:

Aw diddums!

Hello

2011-04-07T16:48:00.000+01:00

Been busy.
Not dead.
Panic over.
Back soon.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PS Above words inspired by http://www.pinterest.com/. If you would like an invitation, I still have a few I can send. Leave a comment with your email address and I will send you one.

OK, so where did February go?

2011-02-28T23:09:00.000Z

Scary has been doing a few crafty things; she painted some mirrors in a sort of oriental style

and I had intended to offer one for a Valentine giveaway but events have once again overtaken me and now it is nearly March!!!

So I will be doing a giveaway soon; just watch this space!

Quick Update

2011-01-23T23:18:00.001Z

As it was such a lovely morning, and unusually we had no children, we decided to take a walk.

We went to Branscombe and started at The Masons Arms, where we had the most scrumptious roast beef. I would thoroughly recommend going there if you're ever in East Devon. I wish I'd taken a photo of the meal!

We walked along the beach and gazed longingly at the little beach houses in the cliff.

Then I came home and settled on the ever deepening dent in the corner of the couch to carry on with some of my current projects.

There are some leg warmers for my friend's daughter who has just moved to Edinburgh to study to be A Vet: yes, I am using the Crofters DK again!

And the new Lacy Blanket is coming on, but requires a bit more concentration!

Five motifs done, only 15 to go!

Well, that's all I have time for now. I'll try and pop back soon as I have some plans for a giveaway hopefully to brighten these short days!

50p Well Spent

2011-01-19T16:05:00.001Z

How is it possible that it is WEDNESDAY? It shouldn't even be Wednesday Last Week, let alone the Nineteenth of Flipping January.

I have been a Little Bit Productive though. Just a bit.

I've learnt to play 'We All Stand Together' (with both hands!) on the piano. Woo hoo!

Yes, I know, doesn't exactly get the dinner on the table though, does it? As far as time wasting goes, the piano is nearly as bad as spider solitaire!

I have got the sewing machine out, gasp. Look what I made!

I bought a couple of pieces of material (looked like old curtains with the lining and header tape ripped off) from a charity shop for 50p and used one of the pieces to make this bag. I used some green cotton from my stash to line it and still have some of the flowery left over!

Scary's got her eye on it but it's All Mine.

I am hoping that 2011 is going to be more productive, in a crafty way!

I also managed to find this tin for 50p.

You can't turn down something that that, can you? No matter how many humphs you know you're going to get when they all come home.

Wrist Warmers #2

2011-01-11T19:03:00.000Z

Finished Scary's wrist warmers at last (well, a few days ago actually but have been waiting for them to be modelled).

I really like the Crofters DK wool and it knits up so quickly, I think I might have another go!

See you soon.

What The Runner Saw

2011-01-09T21:07:00.000Z

Isn't it funny what you see in the middle of nowhere sometimes?

Wrist Warmers

2011-01-01T23:33:00.000Z

Just a quick photo of the wrist warmers I made for Starfish. They weren't quite finished for Christmas but she seems to like them.

Now Scary wants some as well!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:01:00.002Z

Wishing all my Bloggy Friends a very Happy and Creative New Year!

Lots of love
Ellouise

S'No Balls!

2010-12-26T21:37:00.001Z

We went to the beach today.

I didn't wear my bikini. Not today.

The temperature was -2.5°C.

Yes, that is The Runner. Today.

Yes, he really is going To Do It! This is Challenge One of Ten.

Ten years (nearly) since I had my life saving heart operation and it seems that The Runner is quite pleased I am still here! He is planning on doing ten challenges in the next eight or nine months.

One down, nine to go.

Mad Bugger!

Ripplelicious!

2010-12-26T17:32:00.000Z

Just about managed to finish this last night! Happy Christmas Scary.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2010-12-22T22:44:00.001Z

Look what we had delivered today!

No, not Starfish! She's been with me for a long time!

We are now the proud owners of an old but trusty piano. It's for Scary really but she's either with tall boyfriend or my weird God-daughter; sometimes I lose track of where she is! Thinking about it, I reckon she's with Weird God-Daughter tonight, back tomorrow with the promise of being home Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Things have been a bit hectic of late; just about got my cards in the post yesterday along with my last ebay sale, battling through the snow to the Post Office and waiting 25 minutes to get served; spending ages on the phone trying to get a taxi to take us half a mile down the road so that Starfish can get to the chiropodist to change the dressing on her toe (she had another operation on Friday); trying to finish all the knitting and crochet for Christmas along with all the other paraphernalia associated with Yuletide.

I did manage to make Scary a badge for Christmas though ....

She usually can. Whether you understand it is another matter!

Merry Midwinter

2010-12-21T23:33:00.000Z

When the days are the shortest, the nights are the coldest,
The frost is the sharpest, the year is the oldest,
The sun is the weakest, the wind is the hardest,
The snow is the deepest, the skies are the darkest,
Then polish your whiskers and tidy your nest,
And dress in your richest and finest and best ...
For Winter has brought you the worst it can bring,
And now it will give you
The promise of Spring!

from The Secret Staircase by Jill Barklem

Snow

2010-12-20T19:43:00.000Z

This is the main A road out of Honiton on the way to Axminster at lunchtime. If you didn't have a 4 x 4 or tractor, you were stuck! Earlier on you couldn't see the road at all but it was still snowing then so didn't fancy going out!

No work today; thank goodness I didn't have to slip slide down the hill!

How's the snow where you are?

Hic!

2010-12-18T19:09:00.000Z

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I'm now off to watch Strictly!

PS The cider's ready!

To Do List

2010-12-08T22:42:00.000Z

I've been a naughty girl. I've started something new. And it needs to be done for Christmas!

Some wrist warmers for Starfish.

The wrist warmers for Scary are half done, ie I've finished one! (Still got the ends to sew in!)

Shhh, I've also bought some more wool to start something after I've finished the ripple.

Not sure whether it's going to be for Scary or for the living room.

The ripple is coming on and I'm on the 80th stripe; only 10 to go (and about a hundred ends to sew in, yuk!)

I don't know how I managed it, but I've landed myself with mending tall boyfriend's shirt. It's lined with fleece so not the easiest thing in the world to mend.

And I've also got these trousers to shorten for Scary. I hate shortening things. They've been hanging around for a while now so I guess I'd better get on with it.

We've also got another Christmas Fair on Saturday, so a few badges need to be organised.

Good sentiments but I am beginning to panic.

Is what I've been saying until recently, but I do seem to have found a little enthusiasm for the season.

Well, maybe not completely, but I am getting there ....

Wordless Thursday

2010-12-02T21:58:00.000Z

Tis December

2010-12-01T23:13:00.000Z

Pinch, punch, first of the month and all that.

Just an update to let you know WE HAVE HOT WATER!!!!!

No heating yet, but hopefully tomorrow ...

Off to wash my face with a Warm Flannel!! Woo Hoo!

AND have had a Very Tasty Apprentice to look at all day!

Not as gorgeous as Eric,

but very nearly. Even Scary thought so too!

Freezing

2010-11-30T22:17:00.000Z

Wow, 30 days in a row! Not much crafting done this month but I have managed to blog every day.

The Runner has just been up to the attic to get down the Advent Calendar, I've found the chocolates (Thorntons) I bought a month ago to put in each individual pocket and Scary says that she wants to fill it this year. I still cannot comprehend how it's December tomorrow!

And, wey hey, The Newly Married Boilerman is due tomorrow!!!! Not sure what time to expect him as we haven't heard anything so I suppose I'd better get up early and tidy the utility room, so that he can actually get in the door! We probably won't have any heat until Thursday or Friday but at least the process has started. Even with the open fire in the living room, I don't think I have EVER been so cold. We have several electric heaters but unless you are actually standing right beside them, they don't seem to make much difference. And certainly, as soon as you turn them off, you are freezing again.

Poor Starfish has moved into the small office on the put-you-up bed because her room is so cold. (It's the biggest bedroom at the front and has three outside walls.)

Oh I am so looking forward to being warm. Having a shower without shivering all the way through. Washing my hands without them freezing. Being able to wear less than 6 layers of clothing. Maybe even having a bit of hanky panky because I can bear to take my clothes off!!!! Shhh don't tell anyone.

And Having A Bath!! Do you think I might persuade Eric to share it with me?

I Love Eric

2010-11-29T22:34:00.000Z

OK, OK, I think I'm obsessed. A while ago, by mistake really, I found this programme on Channel 4 late at night which caught my fancy. True Blood.

My girls go all goo-goo eyed about vampires but they've never really tickled my fancy until Eric (and maybe Bill a little bit to start with).

Please don't watch it if you're at all offended by sex, blood, drugs, devil worship, swearing, gay relationships; well, just about anything really. But it is such a good story.

And Eric is so gorgeous.

I'll grant you he's a bit on the skinny side; nothing a few good pies wouldn't sort out.

I suppose they would have to be blood based. I could do that. I can cook.

The books are a rollicking good read too, although not very much like the tv series.

Give it a go, if you're not easily shocked. I'm sure you'll find someone to fancy on there, even if you don't like My Eric. No more wishy washy vampires. These vampires are dark, evil and sexy as hell.

Sorry, it must be my hormones!

Slowly But Surely

2010-11-28T22:46:00.000Z

The progress is very slow but at least there is progress and I haven't managed to mistakenly unravel it again!

I do hope she likes them!

What's Your Widget?

2010-11-27T23:27:00.000Z

In East Devon we woke up to a very light smattering of snow this morning but the sky has been very snowy all day and the hills surrounding us are white. I intended taking some photos but somehow I just couldn't drag myself away from the fire!

I am surrounded by sniffing wimps! Everyone has a cold (well, man flu in The Runner's case!) except me, so I guess I'll be going out for sudafed and paracetamol tomorrow!

The Runner has a new phone (LG GM360 if that means anything to you). Now, I may have mentioned before how technologically phobic he is. So you can imagine all the questions we have had this afternoon whilst he was trying to work out how to use a modern touch screen phone. 'What's a status bar?' 'What are SN updates?'

Scary has helped him as much as she can bear with a teenager's short attention span. We did both laugh out loud when he said he had an 'idle widget'!

We have put in his old sim card so that he doesn't have to change his number but this means that he cannot access some of his old pictures and files. The one he is most concerned about, however, is a recording of Terry Wogan reading out his poem on Radio Two before he gave up the Breakfast Show.

You can tell we are a certain age, can't you?

Christmas Fair

2010-11-26T23:22:00.001Z

Thank you for all the good wishes for the Fair. It went very well, thank goodness and was certainly worth doing. We made a reasonable profit, which always makes you feel better, and our stall seemed very busy.

I knew I'd forget something and I did. I left behind all the signs and price tags! Duh! So our stall looks a little bare.

Scary and Starfish helped out as well and a good time was had by all!

Now I'm pooped! Night night.

One Month To Go

2010-11-25T22:37:00.000Z

How did we get here so quickly?

The other day I mentioned I was going to try some wrist warmers for Scary from this magazine:

I was doing quite well, then I rushed to answer the phone and realised too late that my foot was wrapped around the wool and some of it had unravelled!

Anyway, here's one motif and the pattern is basically six of these joined together (I think!)

Back to my fire now. I don't stray very far from this at the moment!

Wish me luck at the Fair tomorrow!

Bah Humbug!

2010-11-24T22:56:00.001Z

Well, I suppose I'm going to have to think about Christmas soon. Maybe tomorrow. I guess it will have to be tomorrow because on Friday The Runner and I are doing a Christmas Fair! Ooops, better get going then.

I'm feeling very lazy tonight, having spent the whole day trying to gather together every little scrap of money to pay for our new boiler next week! Finances are so wearing! I've even been trying to sell a few things on ebay for the first time ever, but perhaps I'm doing it wrong because no-one is bidding!

Anyway, tonight I just thought I would mention a lovely little Christmas project I found on a blog called Crafty Helen @ Home. I have been trying to post a picture of the really simple but effective Christmas puddings made out of felt but for some reason, it won't, so you'll just have to go and have a look yourself!

Grrrr; what's the matter with Blogger? It won't link or preview!

Crafty Helen

Hopefully the above link will work!

Humph! I'm in a huff now! Going to bed!

See you all tomorrow. Bah humbug!

'Oh Dear, I seem to have dropped Something on my toe', I said

2010-11-23T22:47:00.000Z

Work was so busy today, I've been trying to catch up with myself all day. I had intended taking a picture of the wrist warmers I have started to crochet for Scary but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.

If you have been reading this blog for a while now, you will know that we have no heating (or hot water) at the moment. Of course, everybody keeps telling me it is going to snow. Thanks a bunch.

We have an open fire in the living room but we live in a cold house and it is chilly in here even when the heating works properly, so you can imagine what it's like at the moment (lovely in a hot summer though). Various electric heaters are spread around the house, so I dread to think what that bill is going to be like!

Whilst I was fetching some logs this evening, I dropped a log on my toe. Hope my neighbour wasn't the other side of the fence because I might have taught him a few swear words. My poor toe is so sore but, even worse, it looks perfectly normal! At least if I am going to go through all this pain, it could at least LOOK as if it's painful! A bruise or a little swelling would be ok; perhaps even a drop or two of blood. Nothing. Humph!

Well, I think I will go and put a few more layers of clothing on and go to bed! Maybe tomorrow I can take some pictures in the daylight.

Also tomorrow, I have to get myself organised for the fair on Friday.

If it wasn't for The Last Minute, I would never get anything done!

Overkill

2010-11-22T23:08:00.001Z

I got a parcel in the post today. That's funny, I thought, nothing I've ordered is as big as that!

Another photo with one of my magazines to show you the scale.

'Not very heavy' says The Runner. What have you ordered? 'Nothing that big', says I.

Doesn't look like there's anything inside.

Oh look, it's a poster! (For Scary, for Christmas)

Fancy putting it in a box that big!!!

Rocky Road Muffins

2010-11-21T21:10:00.000Z

Do you fancy a rocky road muffin?

Yesterday Scary and I were in a coffee shop and had a rocky road muffin; we weren't too greedy, we did share it!

Well, I must admit I missed the nuts in it. To me, rocky road has to have some crunch. They did have some little crunchy balls on top but it wasn't quite enough for me.

So I tried my own today.

DRY INGREDIENTS:

7 oz plain flour (sorry I don't think in grammes!)

1 oz cocoa powder

3 oz castor sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder
4 oz/100g/one packet of white chocolate chips
big handful brazil nuts, chopped
(I also put a few chopped cherries in, but Scary said they didn't 'go')

WET INGREDIENTS:
1 egg (decent sized one)
2 fl oz oil (I used sunflower)
8 fl oz milk

Prepare wet and dry ingredients separately and mix at the last minute very quickly. Don't worry too much about getting it smooth, just make sure there are no major lumps of dry ingredients. Don't overmix and get it into 12 muffin cases as quickly as possible. Cook for 20 minutes at Gas 6.

I made a small amount of chocolate butter cream icing and dolloped it on top and then scattered with mini marshmallows and drizzled over some melted chocolate.

For the buttercream I used approximately 4 oz milk chocolate melted it in the microwave. I cut up 1 oz butter into small cubes and mixed into the chocolate whilst still warm. It didn't melt, just softened and I beat in sifted icing sugar with a wooden spoon until it was the right consistency. Sometimes a little milk helps it come together. Sorry I didn't measure any of these ingredients so this is just a guess!!! (Like most of my cooking!)

Eat up quickly because they are made with oil so won't stay as fresh as cakes made with butter or marg.

See you tomorrow!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like the 'C' Word!

2010-11-20T23:37:00.000Z

Look what it was doing in Exeter today!

Sorry, no, it's not real!

Looked quite pretty though!

After a little light Christmas shopping (rude boxer shorts for tall boyfriend and running gear for The Runner), it was off to Harry Potter. The cinema was packed but nobody tall sat in front of us thank goodness.

I can remember struggling to keep up with the plot in the book, and I did find it a bit long (mainly because I got cramp half way through!) but it was very good and it is rather irritating that we now have to wait until next July for the second part! I think I might need to read the book again in the meantime!

Anyway, better go to my cold bed now. The Runner is away tonight so will have to go and make a hot water bottle!

Looking forward to Harry

2010-11-19T23:45:00.001Z

We've had beautiful weather here in Devon today and it was lovely walking through the town, wandering around the shops trying to get some inspiration for Christmas presents.

I'm not feeling at all Christmassy I'm afraid but I guess when we do the Christmas Craft Fair next week, that should wake me up a bit. I've been making badges this afternoon in a small effort to get ready for next week.

Tomorrow we are going to do a little shopping in Exeter and then we are going to Harry Potter!

See you soon

Crisis Averted

2010-11-18T23:19:00.000Z

He's back! Woo hoo!

I stayed up til way past midnight trying to find Mintoe, the hamster, to no avail, but left his cage open on the floor and this morning he had crawled back in and gone to sleep in his bed! Thank goodness for that. He seems a bit shaken by his ordeal; a bit jumpy and nervous but generally well.

See you all tomorrow!

AWOL

2010-11-17T22:52:00.001Z

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS HAMSTER?

Oh no! Mintoe has escaped! I know I've talked about Flump, our younger hamster, but I don't think I have mentioned our other elder statesman whom we've had for nearly two years.

Unfortunately last night his cage was fastened but as the catch is not very tight, a peg is needed as well, and Starfish got distracted and didn't put the peg back on after feeding him.

Now, we've had hamsters escape before. In most cases, I sit up for hours in the night and catch them again. Unfortunately we never found one, but I must admit I was almost glad about that because I didn't know how I was going to catch her without getting bitten. Notice the 'her'. We have a lot more trouble with the ladies I'm afraid. All the ladies we have had have been quite vicious! We have had loads of boys and all but one have been really friendly.

Earlier on I thought I'd done him a mischief. I was in the kitchen and so cold, I thought I would put the oven on. I've had this habit lately of putting the oven on and leaving the door open a little bit because our house is truly freezing without any proper heating at the moment. I went to answer the phone (maybe ten or fifteen minutes) and came back to a burning smell. Oh hell! I must have left the oven door open and he's crawled in and now I've cooked him! I was envisaging the conversation with Starfish: "The good news is I've found your hamster ...... the bad news ......" I opened the oven door and found The Runner had left a croissant in there!!!

So think of me tonight in our cold, cold house, sitting up waiting for the hamster to appear .........

PS Just thought you'd like to know that the cider is bubbling away nicely in the corner of the kitchen, making lovely farting noises every few seconds!

Stressed

2010-11-16T23:30:00.001Z

Well, I'm feeling a bit of a fraud today as I have really have nothing to say other than all the things that are going wrong at the moment!

I think we've all had times when every electrical/mechanical/inanimate device seems unwilling to co-operate. I asked the Boiler Man the other day if it was possible to hate inanimate objects. 'Oh Yes', he said with feeling! OK, so I hate my boiler (defunct), my dishwasher (doesn't wash anything unless you use the dearest tablets), Scary's laptop (won't work tonight), back door (sticks), front door (has gap underneath that lets in the cold), television (picture disappears when you change channels too quickly and you have to turn it off and on again at the wall), digibox on Starfish's tv (missed the last ten minutes of Kirsty tonight because trying to get it to work so she could watch Vampire Diaries)(didn't succeed), my new laptop (cos it's male and can't do two things at once), Jimmy Carr (I know he's not electrical, mechanical or inanimate but the Runner is watching him on tv and he's very distracting; not in a good way), upstairs toilet seat (wobbly and impossible to mend), downstairs toilet seat (one of these soft close things that the lid won't stay up and whacks you on the bum just as you're sitting down), the cash point that told me I'm overdrawn already this month (I mean it's only the 16th, how can I be overdrawn already?), the electric heater in my bedroom that I keep banging my toe on; I'm building up into a rant so I'll stop now!

ALL STRESSED OUT AND NO-ONE TO CHOKE

DESSERTS IS STRESSED BACKWARDS

THERE ARE ONLY TWO TIMES I FEEL STRESSED: DAY AND NIGHT

I TRY TO TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME, BUT SOMETIMES SEVERAL ATTACK ME AT ONCE

Shall I go on?