Bank holiday monday

Monday We decided to take Merlin for a walk up on the downs. We parked up on Steyning bowl and walked a short distance of the South Downs way. It is fantastic when you get into the hills. The weather was absolutely perfect, warm, but fresh, and lots of clouds scudding across the sky making interesting shadows over the undulating fields. The corn fields that have been harvested reflect the light and look like 'fields of gold'. I love that you can see the sea, and the ships waiting to come intoShoreham Harbour. In fact, you can see right from Beachy Head in the East to the Isle of Wight in the west, a great panorama. And we say that living here is boring - I think not!

What is incredible is that I have lived here for over 40 years, and to my shame have not walked on the downs much. I did cycle to Steyning when I was a teenager with my brother, and we went up over Steyning bowl. It seems an awfuly long way to me now!

Texas Bank holiday Sunday

Sunday we went to Arundel Castle for a Texas concert. It turned out to be a fab setting, but at first we were not so sure. There wasn't anywhere to have a picnic, the small piece of grass they allocated was way too small, and extremely crowded! We found a bit by a wall in the end that wasn't too bad. Then the support bands were local bands that had won a competition by the local radio station Spirit FM. The first band, called Sandweaver, and from Worthing wasn't too bad, but the next band, called Shimoto or something were awful!!! Finally, Texas came on, and boy, were they worth waiting for! Charlene Spiteri is fab, fab, fab! Her voice is fantastic. They sound much better live than the CD! (I don't always think that!). I knew every song they sang, and then when I got home, I realised that the CD I've got is their greatest hits album, Durrrrr! Oh I love summer outdoor concerts! Last year we went to Kew (spectacular setting, in front of big greenhouse) to see Claire Teal, who was OK, and Fontwell to see Katy Melua, who was fab.

Bank holiday weekend saturday

After lunch, Maurice and I went to Lewes. What a lovely town! Everything is olde worlde! I tried to take some 'architectural photos, but they didn't turn out the best. I was hoping to do a Lewes page for my scrapbook. Maybe I've got enough here, if I work on them in photoshop.

I made this accordian book at my (very) local scrapbook class. I've just found out that it exisits, and it is literally just round the corner, I walked! http://www.gingerpickles.co.uk/ It was great fun, and I hope to do more of her classes, but maybe not every month, we'll see.

UKStampers CJ entry

These are my pages for Cal's CJ, 'Hopes and Dreams'. I had to think long and hard, I didn't think I had any dreams!! As ever, I have posted these the wrong way round, Hopes is the LHS and Dreams is the RHS!

It took me ages, because I wanted to create a 'dreamy' background. I used direct to paper technique and then stamped dragonflies and butterflies in the same colour ink. I really tried not to be more patient and not to smudge the ink! I hope you like it!

Next posting is Tuesday, so by the middle of next week I'll have the next one. Exciting!!

retail therapy!

I had a bit of a spend up yesterday!! Look at these gorgeous tops! The 2 on the left are from Next and the one on the right is from Monsoon. I love the funky designs on these tops and the colours, so autumny!

I decided I need to take more care when I dress. I end up wearing the dogwalking clothes all day! (Guess what I've got on now!) I went for coffee with my friends last week and felt SO scruffy! So when DD had her hair done yesteray, I went shopping. I went in Monsoon for the sale, but just fell in love with this orangy dress top. I shall wear it with my beige linen trousers. In the afternoon I decided to go to Chichester to go to Staples (for craft storage) and Lakeland (craft). I spent far too much money! I bought some flat box files for my unmounted stamps, another magazine rack, little presents for the kids, pens, etc in Staples. In Lakeland I bought loads of stuff I'm not really sure I want!! (OOOPS!) Bargain load of inks for £9, hope they are OK. I had a little play with them last night, and they seem OK. Some pastel scrapbook papers, £3 for 12 sheets, a little 6 x 6 book of floral papers which will be good for my gardening album. Oh and a whole load of signo pens in Woolworth for £5 (says it's £50 worth on the box!!) Now I can do my journaling in all different colours!!

It's a really gorgeous day here today. Took Merlin for a walk along Ferring beach, and the sun is warm but the air fresh, and a very slight autumn tinge. The sea was a gorgeous shade of blue. Then I had my coffee in the garden and took some more garden photos. I am trying to photograph my fuschias but it's very difficult to get them in focus, too 3d I think! Off to do a CJ entry now, I really MUST get it done!!

Diets

I am always 'dieting'!! LOL. Well actually ROFLOL, becasue i never lose any weight! I have been going to Rosemary Conley classes for about 10 years, on and off, but mostly on. I really enjoy the exercise, it's not too strenous, and I like the people who go. I've made some nice friends over the years. People come and go, but I keep right on in there!

At the beginning of this year, Sue took over the franchise from Anne, and she has built the classes right back up in numbers. I now go to the late Thursday evening slot for 'samba'. It's great fun! I love it.

I have put on a few pounds over the summer, and thought I should try and lose it, but as soon as I think that, I start putting more weight on! I simply eat too much! I do a fair bit of exercise, walking the dog twice most days. Must try harder.

UKS and crops

I have spent far too long on here today. I didn't have to go to my voluntary job this afternoon becasue Lucy was off sick. I did go to Sainsbury's and I did do my Anglo-Italian FHS stuff, but I've also spent far too long on here, and now I can't seem to get off!

I saw a thread about scrapbookers in Kent, so started one on scrapbookers in Sussex. I've had some amazing responses. There is a scrapbook online shop based in Worthing that does classes! I didn't know. I've left a message on their answerphone, becasue it would be good to have a truly local place to go. The only reservation I have is that it might be a bit basic, it sounds like it is for beginners.

I've finally booked on a crop at Jillybean's over in eastbourne, been meaning to go there for ages, especially as it's just round the corner from Cynthia, so I know it's only 1 hour away. Sunday 10th September 10 - 6 I think.

I've also booked on a crop with Cre8tive online in Fareham. Hopefully that will be about 1 hour away too. I had some excellent service from them when I wanted some cardstock, so really looking forward to that. Saturday 30th September

And I'm going to Scrappers Paradise crop in Crawley on Monday 18th September. That is in the evening. I would love to go to their retreat, but maybe I ought to discuss it with DH first!

I just love UKS atm, it's like having a whole crowd of like minded friends to talk/chat /ask advice at any time, and at the drop of a hat! FAB!

I have also today looked at some fabulous blogs, linked from UKStampers. (Must sort out how to link blogs from here) Lots of collagy vintagy cards etc. Very inspirational. In fact, it inspried me to have a go at masking for the first time ever. I'm quite pleased with the results! It's just difficult to design, and decide which stamps to use. I want to do something collagy for the UKStampers CJ I've got. I think i really will go downstairs and have another play, and find some stamps that go with the theme. It needs a background too.

Last bit of news. we got our new laptop today. DS is just setting it up, loading stuff on to it. Hopefully I will be able to commandeer it for the scrap/dining room sometimes!

I've made another star book! I love making these. This one is for my friend's daughter who is 18 today. My friend gave me loads of photos, so I scanned them in and resized, cropped and cut them up. I themed each page, so there is a page of Rose as a little girl, a page of parents and siblings, a page of grandparents and cousins, a page of school and pets, and finally the page you can see is Rose's singing career. She won BBC Choirgirl of the year in 2004, and here are some of the people she met during her year. I gave her the book yesterday, and she was thrilled with it, she even cried!!!

I wonder if I can go into business making minibooks for people?...? Don't suppose it would make much money, but it would give me some extra pocket money for stash.....

Tagged by Kelly

I've been taged by Kelly. Great questions!

Four jobs I have had in my life.
1 accountant
2 research assistant
3 NCT antenatal teacher
4 shop assistant at Woolworths (when I was at school!)

Four Movies I would watch over and over:
1 anything Disney
2 Walk the Line (hired it on DVD recently, and want to watch it again)
3 Sleepless in Seattle
4 ???? (I'm not a great movie buff, but I'd like to be)


Four Places I have lived:
1 Coventry (until I was 4)
2 Sompting (4 until 19)
3 Shoreham (first house as married)
4 Worthing


Four TV shows I love to watch:
1 Gardners World
2 Neighbours (I am ashamed to admit - watch it while I'm cooking tea)
3 Anything about explorers, loving Bruce Parry atm
4 New Tricks (Amanda Redman, Dennis Waterman, etc)


Four places I've been on vacation:
1 Canada - love it!
2 Spain
3 Austria (in summer)
4 Devon Cornwall etc


Four Web sites I visit regularly:
1 UKScrappers
2 Snoopy.com
3 UK Stampers
4 Shoreham Beach Weather


Four of my favourite foods:
1 roast lamb with mint sauce
2 salad, must have beetroot!
3 nuts
4 Indian


Four Places I'd rather be right now:
1 in bed!
2 lying on a beach with the sun beating down on my back
3 scrapping downstairs (not wasting time on here (LOL))
4 on holiday with DH


Four things that make me smile:
1 Merlin - my dog
2 Dad's Army
3 DH's silly jokes
4 DS and DD making silly jokes that are only funny to us!

Watch out, I might be tagging you!

Gorgeous DD!

After posting those lovely pics of DS, I thought i should redress the balance and post these of DD! (They were taken back in the hot days of summer)

She has just come back from meeting latest boyfriend. Dilemma - where should they go? Her bedroom is huge and really nice, and has a settee in it. But will they sit on it? Or lie on her double bed? (I'm sure letting her have MIL's double bed was not a good idea!!) I've told her she has to keep the door open because I know what 16 year old boys and 14 year old girls do!!

The door is half open!!

Garden in August

Just about the only thing in flower (apart from pots) is this lovely blue hibiscus. Even this looks very floppy. The view along my garden path shows just how much my neighbour's passion flower has grown through. I love it!

Just look at the grass though! Will it ever recover? It has been so dry, and every time we get rain forecast, it seems to blow over with just one or two spots to dampen the leaves. It has rained a bit more today (Merlin and I got soaked in a bit of a downpour this morning, first time for ages it's rained while we've been walking). The weather is really horrible atm. I find that it makes me feel really tired. It's quite warm, very humid, and although cloudy it's very bright. You don't know what to wear - wear a t-shirt you're too cold, wear a cardigan too hot! Put on sunglasses, too dark, without them, too bright! I'm secretly longing for that hot weather again, but perhpas it's too late now. Certainly it's beginning to feel autumny, the nights are drawing in too quickly.

A/S level results

Here is my ever so gorgeous, clever son with my ever so gorgeous (not so clever) dog! Nicholas has just got his A/S results, 3 A's 1 B. A's for Maths, Physics and Computing, and B for Geography. He is dropping geography now and carrying on with 3 A levels. I am sooooo proud!!!

some photos from our tip to Sherborne

Mottisfont Abbey near Romsey, Hampshire




















Shaftesbury




















Sherborne Abbey
















The church at West Camel


















The red sports cars at the Haynes Motor Museum

A few days away

Stoneleigh Barn B&B

We have had the most wonderful few days away. As the kids are both away (DD in France, DS at Soul Survivor) and we managed to get Merlin in kennels for 2 nights, we decided to go away on the bike. It's been a very long time since we actually went away on the bike, and quite a few years since we've been away on our own too.

We decided to go to Sherborne, and look for some family history stuff. My G grandfather was born there, and his father and mother lived there. On our way down we stopped at Mottisfont Abbey near Romsey. We had lunch, and a good look round the house, and then a wander round the gardens, sadly not looking their best! The famous bit is the walled garden with it's old-fashioned rose collection, which of course is well over now, but everywhere is so dry! Must make a mental note to go back there next June for the roses. We stopped at Shaftesbury for afternoon tea, and found a wonderful tea shop! Very modern, wonderful tea, and what a beautiful town!

On Thursday morning, we wandered round Sherborne, and visited the Somerset and Dorset FHS Headquarters. We found out that gg grandfather was married in Sherborne Abbey. He worked as a silk throwster in the silk factory, which is still there, and we found out that the silk factory went into decline in the 1880s about the time ggrandfather moved to Birmingham. I also took some photos of the streets where they lived.

We stayed in a fab B&B http://www.stoneleighbarn.com/ Penny and Kevin are fabulous hosts, and have worked very hard to make the B&B very comfortable. Apart from visiting Sherborne (Thursday morning), we motored down to Lulworth Cove, had a cream tea in the rather lovely cafe right on the bay, and then walked over to Durdle Door. I think it's one of our most favourite places in the world! I really struggled with the walk this time, which is very wimpy of me, and I felt very unfit! (I must make my dog walks longer and walk quicker!) On Friday, we went to find the small village of West Camel, which is where my ggrandfather was married, and it was delightful! The church was gorgeous, but there was building work going on, so we couldn't go inside. I took some photos. We saw some signs to Haynes Motor Museum, and Maurice fancied that. It was very nearby. What a fabulous museum! All cars of the 50s, 60s and some 70s! All cars that we had heard of, not a 1911 De Dion Bouton in sight!!! We loved hall no 1, absolutely packed with red sports cars, favourites being the Lancia and the Ferrari. After we left there, we stopped at Stonehenge, very busy with foreign tourists, we didn't go in, just sat on the grass and had a cup of tea. We got home about 5pm, and then dashed to get Merlin, who was very pleased to see us!

Book of Me

LHS
RHS
Oh how I have enjoyed this summer's UKS cybercrop! I decided to join the BOM bus, and what a good job I did, it's been fab! Lots of chat and inspiration beforehand, and daily prompts about what you might put into your bom. (EG signs of me around the house, 10 things you do every day, cars you've owned, clothes you've worn etc)

Here are some of my LOs (I'm afraid the photo quality isn't fab)

Sarah and David's 25th wedding anniversary

We went to Sarah and David's 25th wedding anniversary party on Saturday evening. (Sarah is an old school friend, we've kept in touch over the years even though she has spent most of the last 25 years living abroad, as David is an expat worker for HSBC. We had a fantastic time. It was at a very posh hotel, Baliffscourt at Climping. We were greeted outside with champagne and canapes at first, and talked to Sarah, Lesley, and Sarah's Dad. We were then ushered inside for a fabulous meal in an old medieval looking room. Not very big, only 4 tables of 8. We sat with Sarah, David, David and Christine, and Sarah's brother Tim. It was a fabulous meal, the wine was flowing and the conversation interesting! (As it always is with Sarah and David!)

After we had eaten we watched a wonderful film that David had made (in secret) which was made up from photographs of their wedding, honeymoon, and children growing up. It was fabulous, David had done a really great job. (The music was a bit cheesy, very lovey-dovey for my taste!!!!!) He gave her the most beautiful ring because he said she hadn't wanted an engagement ring so he was giving it to her now. ( I have to confess to wishing my DH was a bit more like that - on our 25th he didn't even give me a card, and I had spent hours scouring the shops for some really nice cufflinks for him!)

We stayed chatting until really late, and got home about midnight. Even DH said he wouldn't mind hosting a party like that. Maybe our 30th!

UKStampers CJ

Oh my god! I am really nervous about this CJ! It is UK Stampers first CJ, and most (if not all!!) of the other participants are much much better at stamping than me! I decided on colours as a theme (thanks ALice from my UK Scrapbooking team). I like muted, but bright colours myself, just like the Basic Grey papers. I happened to have my sewing machine out as well, so decided to 'quilt' the front cover. Letters are stamped in different colours, then cut out and 3d glazed. Inside (not pictured) I've used loads of distress inks (ooh they are so scrummy), on white card, and swooshed them about. MY entry is green! I feel a bit green worrying about this! My final attempt is not too bad - I do like it, and I suppose that's the main thing! I would just love all those really clever stampers to really go to town in my CJ. That would be a real privilage!

Loving the UKscrapbboking cybercrop atm. Off to do Jillybean's class with some scrummy Crate papers.

It's August already!

OMG! It's August already!!! What's happening this week?

DS is away, and has texted to say he's having a great time!

DD has been lovley (mainly becasue she has needed to earn some money!!), and has helped round the house, and been really nice. She came out with me and Mum and Dad yesterday afternoon to a garden centre. WE had a cream tea! It was £10.15!!!! EEK! what a waste of money! Oh well, Mum and Dad enjoyed it.

DH at work. He came home on Monday night and fell asleep on the sofa for a couple of hours. DD was sleeping over, so we were on our own. When he woke up he farted all over the place. How romantic is that?

Me, I'm cybercropping on UKS. Doing a book of me. I have loved the prompts to make me think about my life, etc. Just a bit frustrated because I've had other things to do, and would quite like to just concentrate on my BOM. Yesterday I sorted out a whole load of old photos and DD scanned them in for me, and printed some. Off to do a page on 'Meeting DH'

Weather is much cooler this week, and I've slept much better under the duvet rather than just a sheet.