Jamie Moves Onto Scouts

Jamie moved up from Cubs to Scouts in 2011 and has fitted into the pack well - they are a busy, friendly and boisterous bunch and I should know as I've been involved in one or two things they have done.  As predicted whilst Jamie was in cubs I called it Scouts and now he's in Scouts I call it Cubs (ha ha).  He has a couple of very good friends there, one of whom is a great friend at school too.  He looks fantastic in his uniform too - very proud of him.

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4/20 - currently reading Drop Dead Gorgeous by Jackie Collins (in print) and The picture of Dorian Gray (on Kindle)

Ribbon Storage - May

I decided I needed to improve how my scrapbooking ribbons were stored and had a look around at what was available to buy.  I found the Jumbo Pulleze ribbon which was the size I was after but balked at the £40 price tag.  I knew I could get a plain plastic make-up washbag in Boots and thought I might have a go at making my own version of this style of ribbon storage.

Here is how I had been storing my ribbons - not very successful and not at all easy to use.

I headed into Boots and found a 3 pack of clear plastic make-up/wash-bags for £5 and used the largest for my ribbons.  After a little work with my pokey tool, I made the holes and pushed the  ribbons through and this is what I created.  It turned out that great minds think alike and Ali from the crop had also made exactly the same thing, and now everyone at the crop are making their own versions.

As for the other two - well I now use one to store all of my adhesive and glue, dots, pads etc and the third I keep my glimmer mists so all in all a very good value purchase.  I now use my ribbons a lot more on the layouts I've done and they are so easy to get in and out, and so easy to lay them onto the layout and see if they will work.  Overall I am really pleased, I saved some money, have stored my ribbons well and make much more use of them.

It looks a bit of a mess in the picture but I can assure you it works wonderfully - above is the pull and use side - below is the other side which holds all the ribbon on card, especially my favourite DCWV Rockstar ribbons (a collection I have used over and over again - a real go back to collection)

 Below is the inside view, everything pulls out so easily - really pleased and more of my favourite DCWV.

 Below are some of my favourite ribbons too, a couple from Websters Pages and favourite green and brown - again my go to colours and a plain cream which I colour up with inks to match a project if I haven't got the precise colour I'm after and can be made to look really vintage too.  My aim to use my ribbons a lot more on projects and I think I've managed that really pleased!

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4/20 - currently reading Drop Dead Gorgeous by Jackie Collins (in print) and The picture of Dorian Gray (on Kindle)

Book Review - Katharine - The Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy

Katherine - The Virgin Widow by Jean Plaidy

This is the second book in Plaidy's Tudors Series and tells the story of Katherine of Aragon from the death of her first husband Prince Arthur to her marriage to the new King Henry VIII.  It is quite easy to feel for Katherine in this story as she is little more than a pawn in the political games between Ferdinand of Aragon and miserly Henry VII.  Throughout the whole book there is a long series of death and tragedy for Katherine to bear, which is ultimately the story of her life, but she bear it all with honour and dignity.  As Henry VII draws to the close of his life you begin to wonder what the future might hold for Katherine, but you also wonder whether Henry VIII's decision to marry is out of a desire to anger his father.  Of course we know the end of the story but, and despite the fact that I am a huge fan of Anne Boleyn, I still feel a great sadness for the life this woman led.  An enjoyable read.

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4/20 - currently reading Drop Dead Gorgeous by Jackie Collins (in print) and The picture of Dorian Gray (on Kindle)

A Birthday Flower Arrangement and a Couple of Other Arrangements Too

A catch up!

It was Mike's Mum's 70th Birthday in February 2011 and as part of her present I made her a huge basket arrangement - it was probably not much short of two foot long and just over a foot wide and it weighed a ton!!  Here are a couple of pictures of that arrangement.  The tulips in the arrangement were stunning - the most amazing pink I've seen in tulips ever, cerise carnations, pink bouvardia and lilies to come into flower as the tulips went over.

And here are a couple of pictures of an arrangement I made with some of the leftover flowers.

And then another arrangement I did near the start of last year (can't believe how far behind I am!!) which was much more experimental but worked really well.  A simple linear design with lots of interest going in throughout the whole arrangement, midelino sticks extended the design beyond the flowers and created areas of space within the arrangement, the chrysanthemum anastasia lime were stunning and some wire and bling for good measure too.  There are only 9 flowers in the arrangement as a whole and lots of reusable items which made it quite economical. I was pleased with the overall result and find this tall style of arrangement quite appealing and worked very well on my tall stand.

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4/20 - currently reading Drop Dead Gorgeous by Jackie Collins (in print) and The picture of Dorian Gray (on Kindle)

Book Review - Alan Johnston - Kidnapped and Other Dispatches

Beware Spoilers - well if you know Alan Johnston you may know the outcome of the book!!

A very quick read again - recommended by Mikey Boy (husband Mike's nickname)  an enjoyable interesting read telling of BBC journalist Alan Johnston's time in captivity in Gaza and some of his contributions to the BBC radio programme 'From Our Own Correspondent'.  The book covers his time in Gaza and his captivity, his time in Afghanistan and time spent in Central Asia.  A real stand out in the book for me was his pieces about the Buddhas of Bamiyan one which talked of the fears for these magnificent statues which had stood on the mountains of the Hindu Kush for over 15 centuries and a second reflecting on Bamiyan after the Buddhas had been destroyed by the Taliban.  Another interesting article is his meeting and picnic with one of the most formidable warlords in Afghanistan, General Dostrum.  A really interesting read.

       
http://www.rawa.org/statues.htm                                                     http://wisdomquarterly.blogspot.com/

A before and after picture of the tragic destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4/20- currently reading in print Jackie Collins Drop Dead Beautiful on Kindle Oscar Wilde The Picture of Dorian Gray

Book Review - Doctor Who The Nightmare of Black Island by Mike Tucker

Beware Spoilers



An enjoyable quick read as this whole series of books are and they allow me a fix of David Tenent's Doctor on another adventure with Rose.  The story is set on the Welsh coast in a village where all of the children are plagued by nightmares, monsters are running around during the dark and there have been some vicious and mutilating murders.  This all has coincided with the return of local boy made good Nathanial Morton and the old people's home in his house.  Of course The Doctor and Rose resolve the case when wouldn't they - discovering an alien ship had crashed years before and an evil tyrant Balor was using Morton, the old people and the children of the village to rejuvenate himself.  A fun and enjoyable quick read and a quick fix of my favourite Doctor and assistant.

Jamie and I have also listened to this one as a book on CD and pretty good it is there too, thumbs up all round.

Ciao
Sue
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Reading challenge 4 of 20 currently reading in print Jackie Collins Drop Dead Gorgeous (haven't picked it up for weeks) on Kindle Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray

Mick Karn

A sad anniversary today as its one year since we lost Mick Karn - thoughts and prayers as always with his family and friends.

Sue 

Fallen by Karin Slaughter and The Unremarkable Heart

Finishing two Karin Slaughter books in one day - well not quite!

BEWARE SPOILERS

Fallen, I read in about 3 sittings and thoroughly enjoyed as I have done with all KS books, but I have jumped ahead a couple of books I think here.  Fallen is the fusion of Grant County (Sara Linton) and Atlanta Georgia (GBI's Will Trent) and now leads the way for this series into the future (I hope).  Will's GBI partner Faith Mitchell and her family are in serious trouble - police corruption, kidnapping and murder to begin with.  This was for me the first time I have met some of these characters (Faith, her mother Evelyn Mitchell, GBI Deputy Director Amanda ?? (disadvantage of a Kindle - I can't flick to the page and check the name!!) but am beginning to like them and was anxious for a good outcome for them from this story.  I am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Sara and Will develops too.

It has all of KS great pace and action, the characters are rounded and well developed, interesting, flawed but ultimately you want them to survive and the book grips you and keeps you reading into the night.  In this book KS really has kept the standard high.  Did I miss Jeffrey Tolliver - yes of course I did but if Sara is moving on then so must I!!

The Unremarkable Heart

A Kindle only ebook (or enovella) - very short, very dark, very sad, very depressing - do I need to go on.  Yes the story does draw you in but it is bleak BLEAK - it covers terminal illness, a paedophile husband, a daughter's suicide in about 60 pages and all takes place on a deathbed.  It was well done but I still wish I hadn't read it.

Ciao
Sue
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Currently reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stephenson

Film Review - Sherlock Holmes and Sherlock Holmes A Game of Shadows

We have just caught up on the first of the Sherlock Holmes films, which Jamie and I watched and then on NYE Jamie, Mike and I continued our new tradition of going to the cinema early NYE evening to see the recent release. 

A quick review as both films were highly entertaining and I thought Robert Downey Jnr was exceedingly good in both.  I think these are the first Guy Ritchie films I've seen and have to say I was pretty impressed with the action level, enjoyed the humour and both films moved along at a crackingly good pace.  Jared Harris is scarily like his father and the acting by both him and RD Jnr allowed the relationship between Holmes and Moriaty to develop well.  Enjoyed both films and would recommend both.

Going to the cinema on NYE is quite unusual as it is totally empty and whilst the screen filled up with oh maybe 9 people including us - the cinema and surrounding areas in CMK were empty.  Then it was home for drinks, nibbles, NY fireworks and bed!!

Ciao
Sue
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Currently reading Fallen by Karin Slaughter

Christmas Present - Kindle

I suspect that the Kindle is going to be somewhat like the Hoover, the ipod and the walkman in it becomes the generally used name for the ebook reader.  I had been a little uncertain for some time whether one would suit me but having heard so many great reviews from friends and acquaintances who have one that I decided to take the plunge and ask for one for Christmas.

So, after about a week of use I am liking it - not to replace books totally as there are lots of books it just cannot replace but for the novel it works very well.  The positives

• light and easy to hold when reading, especially in bed,
• the text is easy to increase in size to accommodate my awful eyesight
• the books are simple and quick to download (I've got the wifi version) - no sooner have you pressed buy than it is there ready and waiting,
• lots of free classics are available so lots of reading I can catch up with,
• I love the case with its light so I can read in bed and not disturb anyone, or even read when others are watching TV in minimal lighting,
• long battery life, my initial charge has lasted just over a week,
• its also easy to have a couple of books on the go at once something I've struggled with in paper form,
• and most importantly it does feel like reading a book, I have got just as caught up in the story I'm currently reading as I would with the book.

The negatives - well these are very minor and the Kindle has ways of counteracting - I like to see how far I have to go to the middle or end of the book but it gives you percentage read so you almost know - but its not quite the same as feeling how much you've read and how much is still to go.  I also find the page changes a little annoying because I do it quite a lot as I have the text very large to read.  There is a lack of pictures of course which is why it works so well for the novel - but then it saves shelf space for the books with pictures (the music, floristry, cookery books etc) which we can eventually fill our bookshelves with.

There are several aspects I've still to explore such as bookmarks but the thought of having several hundred books with passages marked will be useful, and using it in teaching too - sadly I can't use it in all of my teaching but I'm sure I'm going to find lots of uses for it where I can use it.

Overall for me it will be a great device to carry around and keep with me when I am doing the taxi jobs for Jamie and spend those minutes productively reading.  My initial review is very positive and I'm enjoying using it.

Ciao
Sue
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Currently reading Fallen by Karin Slaughter (on the Kindle)

Happy New Year

A very quick blog to wish everyone a very very Happy New Year. 

Happy 2012.

There are a lot of blogs missing but I hope that I can now start the year afresh and maybe even catch up with one or two here and there!!

Ciao
Sue
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