And The Rest of the Week

And the rest of the week - Jamie was Will Scarlet in his school play, as you can see in the picture below, school had done this really well and it was a really enjoyable show, well done everyone. It was really clear how much hard work had gone into the production.


Here is the company I have had when I have been doing my homework, she just plonks herself down, makes herself comfy and there she stays - she's a cat so of course, I have to work around her!!

Jamie ready for an adventure with the cubs, I joined him later and helped out in the afternoon, and an enjoyable time it was too, even if I was totally shattered by the end of it. They were on a Knights and Dragons day camp and they were doing lots of adventurous tasks relating to that such as making horses and jousting sticks and then trying to burst balloons whilst using their jousts!! But of course the best fun was the campfire food at the end of the day.

Mike also had a wander this week with his friend Martin, they headed off on the train to Blackpool, not sure why as sadly Blackpool is not the place it once was, but they seemed to have a good time. They also managed to catch up with our friend Chappers at Crewe station, it has been far too long since we have seen her, I hope to catch up with her at some point later in the year.

Some images from Mike and Martin's day in Blackpool.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading Songbird by Josephine Cox

And For The Rest of the Week

The highlight of the week had to be Jamie's Sharing Assembly. Here he is below in his Victorian outfit, school trousers tucked into his socks, grandad shirt, neck tie and baker boy hat. He was a narrator, hence the clipboard. And he did jolly well, I could hear him really well and we were near the back! It was a really enjoyable assembly and we found out a lot about the differences between school in Victorian days and schools now. The children get such a sense of achievement out of it, and so they should.




Here is Jamie reading one of his bits, he had loads to say and had learnt most of his bits. All his class had parts to play and they all did a brilliant job, they should be very proud of themselves and credit to Mr Morris too for whipping them into shape, though not literally I hope - I don't think they took the re-enactment quite that far.

And here is Jamie posing before setting off for school, shame I hadn't been able to get some boots for him to wear, Next had sold out of everything I wanted to get him, not just the waistcoat for the assembly but boots, trainers, t-shirts, jumpers everything in his size was out of stock (aargh!).

And for the rest of the week .......

I have been busy with college assignments. I have two which are due in next week, one on colour and colour harmonies and the other on administrative functions. I have been very busy with the colour one as it is huge, far too huge really and I am currently working my way through colour harmonies such as analagous, tetradic, monochromatic etc. I am using art to highlight how the colour schemes work, so I hope that is a good tack to take, otherwise I may be in the poo!! I suspect by the time I finish this is going to be in the region of about 60 pages.

I have completed my colour wheel, which I have had to paint and will add in here but can't till I have the project finished, back and marked! Below is an example of one I've used as a template. I have really enjoyed the painting, mixing the paints and getting lots of different colours etc and that is going to be fun to continue with the watercolour painting once I have a life again (ha ha!!)

Below is my example for showing, which colours are which and to show I've learnt something the hue is the 'proper' colour in its essence, a tint is the hue with added white - makes it lighter, brighter and more luminescent, a tone is adding grey which can be a variety of tones depending on the grey and shade is adding black and is the darkest and least luminescent. White, black and grey are the achromatic colours, colours which aren't colours and they are not on the colour wheel. We have a test on this in February so I will have to ensure I remember it all for then!!

Here is the shyest member of the family, getting in my way whilst I am trying to work!! She has poorly eyes and needs them cleaning and looking after regularly but they have never hampered her - ever - she is pretty bossy when she is out and about on the street and keeps the young upstart Simba from next door in his place! I am her favourite person in the house and on a night she will snuggle up with me, on my pillow and can quite often be a pain because she wants to play and will paw at me to play with her, which can be a problem when I am asleep as she is doing it and trying to wake me up. She will normally get pushed off the bed, but it doesn't deter her and she is straight back up doing it again!!



Here she is exploring the desk and all of my books and paperwork, from the other assignment I have due in next week, which is about administrative functions - should really be a doddle for me - so fingers crossed. It requires quite a bit of playing around with images, making posters, banners and labels, so hopefully that one should be ok.

Hooray I've finished my book - beware possible spoilers.

Lovers and Players - Jackie Collins

Well what can you say, Jackie Collins is Jackie Collins and this was all the usual stuff. I had it on my reading list, to get it off the shelf and now it's gone. Perhaps good for a sunny beach, but no longer my cup of tea. Now I've finished it I can start on the one for the Reading Group I joined on Facebook, hopefully it will eventually translate into one that runs in this area. I guess I did enjoy this sort of thing once a long time ago, but horrid people, being horrid to each other and nothing really interesting going on and nothing to test the brain, well ok for total relaxation but nothing else.

Ciao

Sue

XX

Reading challenge 10/16 - currently reading The Broken Window by Jeffrey Deaver - for a reading group and not one off my reading challenge list.

Wednesday 17th June

TLC for Binnie and A Bit More Flower Arranging ....

Binnie is looking much more like her normal self this morning, although much slowed down from her normal speed, and she is taking great care when moving about. Fortunately I haven't had to use the buster collar on her yet as she is showing no interest in her stitches. She has to refrain from jumping up and not dash around in her usual Jack Russell style. Below, one of her favourite places to sit, comfort being the least she expects!

For those who don't know JR's are totally tenacious and have no idea that they are small dogs. They are full of spirit, fun, devilment, curiosity, and can be the cutest things going. She has all of those qualities in abundance. She is pretty well behaved and tends only to bark when provoked, by us playing with her, when she sees a cat (and there are quite a few of those in our neighbourhood) or she hears another dog barking. Sadly she doesn't get on with our cat, Twinkle, who is about 11 (she was a rescue, so we don't know for sure) and Twinkle positively hates her! But then whenever Binnie sees her, she chases her so can you be surprised? I will fill in bits about Twinkle another day. Jamie and Binnie in a usual position, she adores Jamie and considers it her job to make sure he is OK at all times, even when he is playing in the park, she sits on the edge of the sofa and watches him out of the window. She whimpers and whines if she sees him, or thinks he has a problem, I know what he is doing just by listening to her!

I did indulge her and spent a lot of the day giving her some serious TLC on the sofa, I watched Hannibal Rising, which was OK, but nothing special, well not for me - none of the sequels, prequels have lived up to Silence of the Lambs for me. That first experience of Hannibal cannot really be beaten and the ending, "I'm having an old friend for dinner" what a shiver, but what humour!

I did manage to produce another couple of flower arrangements today, while Binnie slept. The first was in a vase, in which an oasis round fitted perfectly and I did a fairly simple line arrangement, using gerbera, at the back I used Bells of Ireland. I have wanted to get my hands on Bells of Ireland to have a go with for quite some time and had not managed to find any until Colombia Road. What I hadn't realised is they have a nasty little prickle on them and caught myself a couple of times whilst arranging them! I added carthamus and brought some bright green sisal to the front to take the lime green right through the arrangement. This one works perfectly on the shelf in the hallway!

The second arrangement, was supposed to be more of a challenge for me, but I found it came together very well and very easily. I arranged the foliage in low groups around a circular base of oasis, there is a space in the centre, which could be filled with, well whatever you want, I was putting a candle in mine. I have used a variety of foliage including ivy and conifer. The main height comes from Bells of Ireland again, I've made sure I trimmed the top leaves to give the tops of the flower a clean look. I've then grouped the other flowers around the arrangement, in 3's, 3 white roses, 3 white peony, 3 white alstro and finally 3 pink lillies. I think this one is super and will be using that design again, certainly at Christmas with some candles and lots of red and gold! And I still have tons of flowers left, so 5 arrangements thus far and counting!

Jamie got his second praise postcard at school today, well done Jamie! Here he is displaying his new postcard still covered in chocolate ice-cream around his mouth, boys! Although I do love the way he just doesn't care, his attitude is so what if I'm dirty I'm OK, I'm having fun, stop fussing mother! In that aspect he is so much like his Daddy, whose attitude is I'm clean and don't smell so what else is needed?

Well done Jamie on your praise postcard!

Ciao

Sue

XX
Reading challenge 1/16 - currently reading The Stone Rose by Jacqueline Rayner
SLYMI - 1/52