Tuesday - 5km in Under an Hour

As it is half-term we can have a much more relaxed regime, so Jamie was up first and I joined him and Mike a little later. We saw Mike for a short while, before he headed to bed, totally bushed. After he has worked his first night, he is always the most tired. Jamie did his own thing for a little while as I got on with some chores. We then headed out on our 5km walk, which we did in 55 minutes, which I am really pleased about, that averages 11 minutes per km, which is not a bad pace to be walking at the moment. The weather was much more conducive to walking today and whilst the sun was out, there was a lovely breeze.

As soon as we got back from our walk, we had to dash out for an appointment, more of which in a few weeks time I hope (well maybe 3 weeks time, if I and you are lucky!). After that we popped into Pets You Can't Have (Pets at Home) to get some treats for Binnie. We stocked up on all of her favourites, so much so that for the rest of the day she was chewing one of the hide bones we had got for her. We had a look at the rabbits which were really cute, and Jamie tried to persuade me that the rat, gerbils and hamsters were cute as well, but as all of them make me shudder he wasn't going to persuade me!

We had a quick look around Hobbycraft and I spotted a couple of bits I could use in flower arranging and some dried flowers which may be handy for a dried display I want to update for the stairs but we didn't find a scrapbook for Jamie's school competition which is what we were really looking for. So we headed off for Jays Crafts, a fairly new craft shop in MK and one which gets better and better each time I go which is really encouraging.

We did find Jamie a lovely scrapbook for him to put his pages into and I just couldn't resist buying a couple of bits too. I bought some glossy accents which I had been thinking abut purchasing for some time. I was also drawn to a couple of bits of Tim Holtz/Ranger stuff as I am a big fan of Tim Holtz products and his style. I bought a couple of alcohol inks and the applicator to have a go with and I also bought some Twinkling H20's which I have been thinking of getting for a long time. I had not really been into rubber stamping but I am getting more into it as time is going on.

When Jamie and I eventually got home we had a late but lovely lunch and then played Snail's Pace Race, a game Jamie has now had for years and years, but one that keeps coming out time and time again, so a winner all round. We had some fun playing that and then Jamie wanted to do some scrapbooking, so I was not going to argue with him on that score. So we did a little bit, and hope to do some more tomorrow. I completed a page I have had outstanding for while and Jamie did a page about our holiday in Kefalonia last year. I am so pleased he is enjoying the scrapbooking!

This layout is called 'FamilyFun' and the photos were taken in 2006 at Beachy Head, when we were on holiday in Hastings. I choose the colours to reflect Jamie's Kerry football shirt and there is of course, for me, the obligatory flower. For the journalling I have used printer safe acetate for the first time and am really pleased with the result and think I will be using that a lot more. It has two main advantages for me, one being I can use a multitude of fonts which are available on my PC or the net and two that you can still see the paper through the acetate.

The second layout are some shots from the Metallica gig at Birmingham NEC in March 2009. A bit of everything on this page, embossing, bling, layering but I was pleased to find a Metallica type font for the journalling.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Bank Holiday Monday - 25th May

Another Bank Holiday already, unfortunately Mike was working so the day was spent in and around home. Although we aren't fans of venturing too far afield on a BH because places tend to be so busy. We prefer to go when they aren't so hectic. Mike had a long lie in to ready himself for his night shifts. Jamie and Jake amused themselves for a good chunk of the day, doing what boys these days seem to enjoy, they went off to the park, had time on the computer and xbox and watched some TV, so I guess it was a mixture of activities.

The weather was very good, in fact it was very warm for May. We all headed out later in the day for a long walk, and hit the 5km mark again, which pleased us, as it turned out to be very hot to walk in. The boys had a bit more playing time when we got back and then it was time to take Jake home and for Mike to head off to work. Jamie was pooped so he was in bed by 8pm on a holiday night, which is unheard of and unprecedented although not unwelcome!

Once he was in bed, I enjoyed a drink sat outside in the cooler evening air and then settled down to watch Ashes to Ashes, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also sent out a reminder about my participation in the Race for Life and hoped to gather a few more sponsors, I am keeping my fingers crossed that I can make the £100 mark that I have set - that is the amount of sponsorship I would like to raise, well fingers crossed. And now it is only 5 days until the event!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Sunday 24th May

Sunday started early as we headed off to Aylesbury to accompany Mike's Mum to church, it was the 5th anniversary of losing Mike's Dad. I always find it interesting attending a Catholic Mass, being a Protestant myself, to see the small but not insignificant differences between the two churches. That aside, Jamie behaved brilliantly in church and as it was quite a long service and sadly the priest had a very strong accent which made him quite difficult to understand at times, he impressed us all.

We had a nice walk back from Church and then had Sunday lunch at Mike's Mum's house. On our way back we collected Jake, Jamie's best friend for a sleepover and the two of them amused themselves quite successfully for the rest of the day. They wanted to watch Britain's Got Talent which they did and then went to bed at about 10 pm and they were pretty good and got to sleep fairly soon after that. We had planned to go out for a walk in the evening, but I was tired out so we gave it a miss.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Backstage Pass and Dark Sunglasses*

On Saturday we were invited to the Here and Now Tour, so got to sit in the VIP area and mingled backstage with the stars! To say it had the wow factor is an understatement, weird, surreal, bizarre and brilliant. A really enjoyable evening so not much chat - just a few photos from the night.

First on stage was Hazel O'Connor looking very well, who sang Decadence Days, Will You and Eighth Day.

Next up was Brother Beyond's Nathan Moore, who was a real surprise, and a great singer too, we were amused to watch Clare Grogan dancing around at the side of the stage to Nathan's set.



Next up were Altered Images, well Clare Grogan, her guitarist had very bright pink tights! Again hitting all the right notes with her choice of songs, I Could Be Happy, Happy Birthday, See Those Eyes, Don't Talk to me About Love etc. Also loved her dress.

Next on was Kid Creole and the Coconuts, who did a brilliant uptempo set, as you would expect, to take us into the interval. During the interval we tried to get a programme, but as it was the last night of the tour they seemed to have sold out, shame, I would have done some serious autograph getting. We also spotted ex-Radio 1 DJ Pat Sharp with a perma-tan!

Kid Creole and the Coconuts in action and below is one for the boys!

Howard Jones was on after the interval, so a very big thank you to David Stopps, Howard's manager who sorted out the tickets for us. I really enjoyed Howard's set too and pleased he did What Is Love, my favourite HJ track, in fact I even went out and bought it - all those years ago!

The crowd were just lapping it up, totally enjoying every minute of it. The promoters have got the here and now franchise running so well, the whole night is just fun, fun, fun from the word go.

Next up was Kim Wilde, and I was totally pleased when she sang Cambodia, my favourite of hers and again she looked fab, and I was pleased to see that she too has those senior moments when she tried to sing a song too early and was told by her backing singer (who is also her niece) that song is later in the set! Big it up for the fortysomething and her senior moment!

Rick Astley we saw from backstage, AARGH, backstage at Wembly - OMG!! Here is the view we had, wow it was brilliant. Then the schmoozing began!

Mike with Clare Grogan - can you see how tight he is holding her! Nathan Moore backstage, what a lovely guy he was, there is a photo of me and him, but not published here to protect the innocent! (he! he!)

Wembley has emptied and the riggers are just about to start taking it all to bits, it was fascinating to watch them, but don't get in their way! The after show party was a bit dry so we headed back to the dressing rooms, Kim Wilde's dressing room was very lively!

Wembley as we were leaving, looking totally deserted! Although at one point we weren't sure we were going to be able to get out!

Our Access All Areas Passes, when we went backstage, we had to do literally that, walk behind the stage! What a brilliant night!

Ciao

Sue

XX

*Do You Love Me - Kiss or Girl.

Friday 22nd May

We had an early start for the first day of half term as we were looking after Kian for the day. We were also joined quite early on by David too, so the boys spent a chunk of the day playing in the park, garden, xbox and a little bit on the computer. They had lunch together and then David left. During the day I had been pottering on distressing a shelf to go in the hallway and am pretty pleased with the result, photo to follow when it's back up on the wall.

We then headed out to the cinema to see Night at the Museum 2, which was very enjoyable. All the characters are there from the first film, but Ben Stiller's character Larry Daley has become a success. When he visits the Museum he finds all his old friends boxed and ready for the trip into the Smithsonian archives and permanent storage, ready for the museum to be updated with all the latest interactive exhibits. So Larry heads off to the Smithsonian to rescue his friends and there comes into contact with Kahmunrah, the evil Pharaoh brother of Ahkmenrah who wants to open the underworld. So Larry with the help of Amelia Earhart puts things right again. Now actually I fell asleep at about this point, not because the movie wasn't good but because I was so tired, so I can't tell you or spoil the ending for you. But what I did see what very enjoyable.

When we got back, I took Kian home and Jamie with him for a sleepover, I don't give them much chance of being in bed and asleep before midnight, but here's hoping for Kian's Mum's sake! Well at least for me I was going to have a quiet night, as Mike was out meeting up with an Aylesbury Friars contact for a curry. I started watching the second series of Rome which I am currently watching and enjoying on DVD.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Thursday 21st May

I've been blogging for a whole half term, as today is the last day of this half term, wow! Just been up to all of the usual stuff today, trying to get some of my jobs out of the way before tomorrow when Jamie being at home means all routines go out of the window.

My Darling Doug Aldrich second from the right

Also today is the start of the Whitesnake tour in Europe, I am not sure if I will get to see them whilst they are over this time, as they are only playing 1 gig on mainland UK, 1 in Dublin and 1 on the Isle of Man. I've checked out the feasibility of all of them and all look pretty unlikely as it stands at the moment, but you never know. I will have to see if I can work anything out!

I still have three scrapbook pages to finish .....maybe tomorrow.

Ciao

Sue

XX

More Scrapbooking At School - Wednesday 20th May

Jamie's Dad'n'Me Page

I was helping out at school again today, doing some more scrapbooking, with another group of children and Jamie. Here I want to say a very big thank-you to the ladies from the crop I attend who were so kind and generous in donating lots of lovely items for the children to use. There are some chocolates heading your way at the next crop from the school! The session was due to run until about 10.00 but the children were having so much fun that we carried on until 11.15.

Baby Jamie

I was so impressed with the creativity of the children and how they all grasped the idea of scrapbooking so quickly and so well. All of them were producing pages which they should be very proud of. They all wanted to have a go with the various bits of kit I had taken in. I can only say that I am more impressed with the school and teaching staff the more contact I have with them. And I also have great admiration of the teachers as I was totally shattered when I got home and needed a good rest and I was only there for a morning!

Snowy Street

Jamie's obsession with Metallica continues!

This is the lovely card I received from school to say thank you, I had a fab time and really enjoyed myself.

And then the rest of the day was all the usual stuff. I just need to find some time to finish the 3 scrapbook pages I need to complete.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Floristry Class - Tuesday 19th May

We all slept in! We all slept in this morning until 8.50 am, sleeping through several alarms, I am blaming the champagne for sending Mike and I into near coma depth sleep! Jamie made it to school, but he was very very late, only the second time in his school career that we have really messed up! After dropping Jamie at school I headed off to my Floristry class, where we were going to do a more traditional arrangement but with a bit of a twist.

Sue, the tutor, is also a fan of lime green and so we were using lime green raffia in this design. The first thing we had to do was make a cage from doh (?) sticks and then weave the raffia around the base to make the cage for a rose. Lovely colour flowers this week too, roses, chrysanthemum, leatherleaf and alchemilla. The rose was sat inside the cage and then it was tied at the top and covered in raffia and embellished with 3 green pearls. The main arrangement was fairly straightforward, with only the alchemilla presenting any problems, it is quite tricky to get into the oasis. The ends of the doh (?) sticks were added and then bright green thin wire added as a final point of interest. I like this one, getting it home was a bit tricky due to its height.

I did a second arrangement later in the day, to use up the leftover flowers from Jeanette's birthday arrangement, and am pretty pleased with it. Quite simple really, I filled a candlestick with green crystals and used two fatsia, two amaranthus, two anthurium and some steel grass. Simple but looks very effective in the window.

I also photographed Jamie's page from scrapbooking at school on Monday and I think he did really well, he has got the idea of what to do and anyway, my philosophy with any type of crafting is to enjoy it first and if you are happy with it then that is all that matters, and if your not well at least you had a go! In the words of the great James Hetfield, 'dare to fail', it is one of the ways I like to live my life now. So what if I get things wrong and mess up sometimes, at least I've had a go, gave it my best shot and I can be happy with that. And actually when you give things a go you usually find you get as much enjoyment from having a go and succeed more often than you fail!

Jamie's friend Jake turned up this evening, so he and Jamie spent a good long time playing and then Jake stayed to tea. We had planned a family mid-week roast, as we had not had one at the weekend so there was plenty to go around. We eventually popped Jake home in the car as it had got a little later than we had planned, but they enjoyed themselves.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Monday 18th May - Scrapbooking At School

We had to be up early today as we were expecting carpet fitters and they too arrived early, which was pleasing. They had the new carpet for the stairs and landing laid in no time which now finishes the decorating off nicely. Only all of our pictures to go back up now and then a little bit of window dressing, a new plant I think. We are very pleased with the results so far, it's always nice to have a fresh coat of paint and the place looking ship shape. As for the border, well I found another batch of borders to test out, but none of them worked. So we are not having a border and when the pictures are back up I think it might work.

Almost Done Decorating

After lunch I headed up to school to help out with Creativity Week. I was going to talk to Jamie's class about scrapbooking, what it is all about and how to do it. Then I was going to take a small group and work with them to make some scrapbook pages. What fun. It was lovely to show the children how to make a page, with some help from Jamie who acted as my glamorous assistant. We then went into the shared area where some of the children from Jamie's class and Jamie then had a great time using all the different bits and pieces I have for scrapbooking. They had a go at using the paper cutter, cuttlebug, crop-a-dile, rubber stamping, heat embossing as well as rub-ons and using a variety of other papers and embellishments too.



I was incredibly impressed with the pages that they produced and two or three really stood out, but most of all they had a real hands on go with lots of materials and had fun whilst they were doing it too. Every time I come away from helping out at school I am always impressed at how hard the teachers have to work and what a brilliant job they do. I am also glad that Jamie is now at a school where parents and not only welcomed but encouraged into school. I can think of a school near Wicken (AWJS) where parents were treated as a nuisance or obstruction, well until the fees were due!

We were soaked to the skin by the time we got home from school as when we left school the heavens opened, Jamie and I had no choice but to change. I then needed to make the flower arrangement for our very dear friend Jeanette's birthday, I won't tell you what number as she may go mad, but it did involve a zero and a five and rhymes with thrifty!! I had found a lovely vase for Jeanette, and got some super flowers so all I needed to do now was put them together. I was aiming to do a contemporary design, with some hints of Ikebana. I was very pleased with the result and Jeanette loved it, which is the most important thing. It took me about 90 minutes all together but I kept tinkering with it towards the end and then had to remind myself of my tutor's advice, which is to know when to walk away!

I used contorted hazel for the backbone of the design, green chrysanthemums were the secondary flowers but give the design it's height,white anthuriums were the focal point and agapanthus took the white through the design. I used a couple of aspidistra leaves, which I folded over, fatsia leaves, which were wired to help them bend and steel grass gave a different foliage texture. I also used amaranthus for the first time and draped it over the edge of the vase, it looked lovely. I'll be using that again.

Jamie's friend David was around playing and stayed for his tea so we dropped him home on our way to Jeanette's where we forced ourselves to have a glass of champagne or two and wished the now 'old' one a happy birthday.

We were pretty shattered after a busy but lovely day and quickly headed off to bed when we got home, tired but very content.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Sunday 17th May

This morning I had a lovely lovely lie in and only surfaced at around 10.00 am. Mike had gone to work and Jamie had been 'chillin out' watching TV and playing xbox, he loves doing that first thing on a morning and tries really hard not to wake me/us so that he can play undisturbed! Cheeky monkey!

I finished my book last night, 'The Village Green Affair' by Rebecca Shaw and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was the first of the Turnham Malpas Series I have read, but will be reading all the others in due course. I enjoy reading books that are written in series and have read quite a few over the years. Currently I am working my way through a Dr Who series, Torchwood, Len Deighton's Bernard Samson and most favourite Sue Grafton's Alphabet series.

This is the 13th novel in the series but I didn't have any trouble picking up what was going on in the village and who was who. It had been discovered that an ancient charter allows a market to be held on the village green, so Titus Bellamy, a local businessman who currently runs several markets has decided to run one in Turham Malpas. This decision does not go down too well with many of the residents and they begin a fight to get rid of the market. At the same time long standing residents Liz and Neville Neale are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary but all is not well in the marriage. When Liz and Titus meet, the attraction is instant and not just the quick passing lust, but a deep and sincere love which overwhelms both of them. The novel has a couple of very disturbing twists and a pretty shocking conclusion. The market brings many unsavoury characters to the village which allows for a humourous sub-plot of Grandma Katherine Charter-Plackett playing the Hetty Wainthrop role and assisting the police investigating the increase in petty crime due to the market.

I found the novel enjoyably readable and the characters so likable, it was a joy. This was a reflection of village life in all its glory and minutiae, sharing the joys and sadness's of normal everyday life. I can't wait for the next one and will enjoy catching up on the history of all of these characters.

Jamie was at the birthday party of one of his school friends today. Now I am normally running to catch up with myself most of the time, but for once had got ahead of myself and arrived at the venue, to find no-one had any idea of a party or even where children's birthday parties were held. When I did find someone I realised I was half and hour early, hooray finally early to something! We filled in the time getting some petrol and arrived back spot on time for the party. Jamie had a thoroughly brilliant time at the golf party and is back there in a couple of weeks so he is eagerly looking forward to that.

Whilst Jamie was at the party I headed off to Frosts at Woburn Sands to choose some flowers for an arrangement I needed to make on Monday. I manged to find what I was looking for. When I am looking for flowers I try not go out with a precise shopping list, as sometimes, you just cannot find what you particularly need. I was pleased as I found pretty much what I needed and knew I would be able to make the arrangement I had in mind. I had already found the perfect vase for the arrangement and knew it would suit the person the gift was for perfectly.

Other than leaving everything ready and waiting for the carpet fitters to arrive, bright and early on Monday morning, well here's hoping, we chilled for the rest of the day and did all of the Sunday evening jobs, such as shower, hair (including head-lice shampoo) and getting bags, uniforms and lunchboxes ready.

Head-lice are a constant battle for parents and schools these days, but (touch wood, big touch wood), Jamie has so far never had them and I swear it is down to the shampoo and conditioner he uses at least once a week. It contains tea-tree oil and seems to do the trick, if you are plagued with them, give that shampoo a go, it has worked for us!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Friday 15th May

Mike is back to work today after working really really hard to complete the hallway etc in as quick a time as possible. Only the usual last bits here and there to go, and carpet to go down, but we are really pleased with it.

Jamie and I headed off to the library this afternoon and that is always good fun, and I got ready for the crop tomorrow, I love going to the crop, it really is me time, and gives Mike and Jamie some time to themselves, boy time, without Mummy about!

Jamie has one more week at school and then we will be into half term, time goes so quickly!

Ciao

Sue

XX

Saturday 16th May - Crop and John Barrowman

Busy old day. I was pleased to be heading off to the crop in the morning, I had planned what I was going to do so only took what was necessary. I was keeping my fingers crossed that some of lovely gals at the crop might have one or two bits for school and they didn't disappoint, in fact they far exceeded anything I was expecting and I had tons of stuff to take into school the following week. A very big thank you to all of them. I wasn't able to stay until the end as I had to head home, get changed and then Mike and I had to collect Jamie on our way to Oxford to see John Barrowman.

We collected Jamie from Mike's Mums and then headed off to Oxford, hoping we would be in time to have a bite to eat before settling down to watch the wonderful Johnny B, as we call him! We managed to get a table in Zizzi's which was less than 2 minutes walk from Oxford New Theatre. So we all enjoyed a lovely meal there, Jamie has pepperoni pizza, I had chicken in a tomato sauce and pasta and Mike had meatballs. It was all totally delicious!

We then headed over the road, to realise there was still a queue waiting to go in so either things were running very late or there was a problem. It turned out that there had been some technical difficulties which meant the start of the show was delayed by 20 minutes. Once in, we headed off to find out seats, and we were not to be disappointed with them. We were about 8 rows from the front and had a walkway in front of our row, so not only did we have fantastic leg room but had an amazing view of the stage.

Jamie and I are (as you know) mad about John Barrowman, he is so fun, enthusiastic and energetic, he just makes me smile and I guess my view on life is to try to do as much of the things that make you smile and I've found it makes the rest of life easier.

We were expecting a good show and we were far from disappointed, smiles, laughter and some tears too. This was John Barrowman showman and he was going to have a great time and he was going to make sure we did too. The audience was pretty full of woman of a certain age, a good few younger ones too and some others around Jamie's age, not so many men, but enough so they didn't feel out of place (it wasn't quite Daniel, Cliff or Barry audience thankfully). Quite a bit of audience chat to him and a fair bit of innuendo from JB too, especially with one of the band!

He bounded onto stage with his dancers (the same ones from his Saturday night show) and his shiny suit (it looked like the same on from his Saturday night show too!!) to Queen's Don't Stop Me Now and no-one in that audience was going to! I said to Mike that he didn't have to come if he didn't want, but despite protestations, he came along (I think there is something of the man protests too much and secretly really likes Barrowbum as we also call him!) The show was cheesy, very cheesy, but it was fun, it made us all smile, laugh and sing along and what more do you want from a show than that!

The songs were a trip through some of JB's own favourites, classics and standards that we all know and love, some of the highlights songwise were Solitaire, Just Help Yourself, Rhinestone Cowboy and of course I Am What I Am (which I am very much looking forward to hearing again when we see him in La Cage Aux Folles on Halloween). And the very best, well his duet with the lovely Daniel Boys - I Know Him So Well, because they can both sing beautifully.

For me I think JB gets away with a lot - because he can sing so well, he is full of charm and fun and he can take the mickey out of himself too. I love him too because a couple of years ago when I lost my boys ( my dogs Mika and Nelson) I spent a lot of time watching Torchwood, hiding from the world and getting through it and along with Mike and Jamie JB's humour, fun and charm got me through it. He did make me cry at this gig too, around the time I lost my dogs, he too lost a couple of his dogs and he sang a song about loss and had some piccies of his dogs, for a few minutes I was a blubbering wreck again, but I am not averse to using events like that for a catharsis and I'm never ashamed for doing it either, we all need to listen to our emotions and let them happen. We spend so much time looking after our physical well being I also think it is so important to look after our psychological well being too - its a lesson it took me a long time to learn, but boy am I glad I did.

It was great to hear a couple of tracks of his album too including the single What About Us and my favourite of the whole show is his version of I Won't Send Roses, which I think he sings to perfection in fact his version is THE best ever. A wonderful evening.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Thursday 14th May

To follow, but if you are lucky and good, I may tell you the story of Mr and Mrs Tinkerbell.

And just to complete my blogs which I needed to catch up on, I had intended to tell you about OL and TB but I just can't be bothered wasting my time with them. People who had our friendship and hospitality over 12 years and who ultimately deserved neither. Immature, selfish, self-centred, stupid, deceitful are words that spring to mind about OL.

TB well I would only say one thing to him, I would think very carefully before you do anything you may regret, take a good look at your future mother in law and the life she has, look at what you have now, because it will never get any better. Selfishness is clearly genetic in that family.

After 12 years of friendship and OL's behaviour in March, and then in May nagging Mike when I haven't replied to an email after 24 hours is beyond impatient and inconsiderate. That is not what Mike and I need from friendship. Oh that and the fact they only ever drove to something twice in 12 years and despite enjoying our hospitality too many times to recall, we NEVER once were invited to their house let alone invited to share a meal with them. Selfish and inconsiderate doesn't even come close.

God help you TB - you're going to need it.


Sue

Wednesday 13th May

I just kept out of Mike's way today as he was getting on with the decorating. We have decided to change the carpet, now we have seen how the old carpet looks with the fresh paint. Sadly in our house the stair carpet takes a bit of a bashing, with children and animals up and down it all the time. I headed off to the carpet shop, had a look around called Mike down, he had a quick look, we had it all agreed and arranged within about 45 minutes, I pretty much knew what would work and we found what we were after so quickly done and dusted, just as I like it! So it has been busy busy busy again today, Mike working and me doing what I can but mostly keeping out of his way.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Tuesday 12th May

Tuesday 12th May

Off to Floristry class again this morning and I am starting to really enjoy these. Today we did what can only be described as a confection (!). Individually they may look a little unusual, but they did look good when there was a whole table of them all in a row. They would probably look good as table decorations at a children's birthday party or at a wedding. Adding crystals may give them an extra zing too. I think the crucial element is to use good quality feathers. I used pink carnations here, but roses would work well too.

This arrangement starts as a glass candlestick, oasis is cut into a round shape and placed very firmly onto the candlestick and then taped in place. This is an arrangement which really benefits from using white oasis, green would not work. The feathers, marabou in this instance are placed all over the oasis, placing them in at a variety of angles. I made sure I varied both the angles of the feathers and kept turning the candlestick to try to ensure an even distribution of feathers and to maintain the round shape of the arrangement. The flowers are added at the end and I like them just peering out of the feathers.

As the arrangement was fairly simple, we finished early and so had some time to practice bow making which is essential to every florist. I was pretty happy with this one and despite the old saying of (blue and green should not be seen), I think these colour work well together. On my shopping list for a visit to the wholesaler will be some ribbon to practice my bow making skills.


Today we have also started the second room which needs painting this year - the hall stairs and landing. Mike did a fantastic job getting the ceilings painted (which on the stairs is never an easy task) and all the prep work done by the time I had got home. He cracked on for the rest of the day and got most of the walls out of the way, but they will need a second coat.

A work in progress

I went on the hunt for a suitable border, which proved difficult last time and this time is proving to be even harder. All the ones I found were quickly discounted and headed to the recycling bin, so I will be heading out again tomorrow to see what else I can find. Although I did find some lovely wallpapers, and brought some samples home with me, not to go on the walls but to be used for scrapbooking!

Mike hard at work

Ciao

Sue

XX

Monday 11th May

Monday 11th May

As Monday was another one of those doing jobs and all the normal stuff days here is a little bit more about me for fun!

Where were you born?:	Middlesbrough
In what year?:	1965
What color is your hair?:	Auburn
What color are your eyes?:	Brown
How tall are you?:	5' 2"
What size are your feet?:	5/6
Are they ticklish?:	No
What's your favorite movie?:	Kill Bill
Whats your favorite TV show?:	CSI
Who's your favorite actor?:	Sean Bean
Actress?:	Audrey Hepburn
Type of music?:	Rock, metal, pop the lot
Artist/band?:	Whitesnake & Doug Aldrich
Color?:	Lime Green
Sport?:	Cricket
Food?:	Sunday Roast
Season:	Summer
School Subject?:	History
Do you have a best friend?:	Of course
Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?:	No - my husband might not like it!
How many close friends do you have?:	A select few
Do you prefer Coke or Pepsi?:	Coke
Dogs or cats?:	Dogs
Desparate Housewives or Gray's Anatomy?:	Neither
Where were you when you first heard about the hijackings on 9/11?:	Just returned home after being out at the shops
Whats the furthest from home you've been?:	Turkey
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?:	Australia
Who was the last person who said hi to you?:	Our neighbour this morning, on the way home from school
Made you mad?:	I don't get mad - it's a waste of my energy
Helped you fix something?:	Hubbie
Drove you somewhere?:	Hubbie
Bought you something?:	Hubbie
You called?:	A friend to ask a favour and yes she can!
You Messaged?:	Neighbour on facebook
Sang to you?:	Jamie
Read to you?:	Mike - we're always reading bits out of the paper, book, magazine to each other!
Have you ever laughed so much milk came out of your nose?:	No
Got gum caught in your hair?:	Yes
Ate dog food?:	No
Kissed a dog?:	Yes all the time - I'm always kissing and cuddling Binnie Boo
Aced a test?:	Sometimes
Stayed up all night?:	Yes - before we went on holiday last year
Gone a day without eating?:	Yes
Gone 2 days without brushing your teeth?:	No, never
Can you pat your stomach and rub your head in a circle at the same time?:	Yes
Stand on your hands?:	No
Wiggle your ears?:	No
Speak another language?:	Kind of
Make a wine glass hum with your fingers?:	Sometimes
Whistle?:	Never have been able to no matter how hard I try.

.

Ciao

Sue

XX

A Sad Day!

Sunday 10th May

Today is a sad day, one of those days you dread coming round. Today is the second anniversary of the day we had to say goodbye to Mika and Nelson and it is a difficult and sad day for all of us, but particularly for me as they were my dogs. We had planned to go to Willen Lake and put a photo and note on the tree, just between the peace pagoda and the Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple.

Jamie and Kian were joined by David and the boys played happily until about 1.30pm when they were sent on their way. Jamie and I then made our pictures and wrote some words to Mika and Nelson, fastened some ribbon to tie them to the tree and set off to Willen. It was a lovely thing for us to do as it allowed us to spend a few quiet minutes in peaceful surroundings, thinking about them. It was sad but cathartic. After we had hung our pictures on the tree a lady came along and read it to her daughter and commented on how touching the note was.

We had a little wander around the Peace Pagoda and saw the memorial to the Rev Gyosei Handa. Whilst a sad thing to do it was also a positive way to express our sadness at their loss.

Mika chilling on the chair and Nelson watching the world go by in the window.

Much loved and much missed - Mika and Nelson.

Ciao

Sue

XX