THE BIG APPLE

We had just the best time in NYC. The city is amazing, no wonder the American's created the word 'AWESOME'! We are absolutely knackered now, from walking absolutely all day every day, swimming a bit (at the hotel), and ice skating in Central park!!! We have hundreds of photos between us, and when I've sorted them out better, I'll show you some more. (These probably are not the best!)

Here are DH, DS and DD outside Ground Zero. There is not much to see, but the photos on the fence are very moving. It's just awesome to imagine how big the twin towers actually were.



















This is the view from my bed! It's not a good photo cos it is through a very dirty window! But I could see the Empire State Building from my bed, and this is how it looks early in the morning with the sun shining on it.



















A couple of photos from the top of the ESB, 86th floor. It is amazing how quick you get there. And I felt Ok with the height, I think becasue it is just so high, and you can't see straight down to the street below very easily.








Outside our hotel, which was right on Times square. Our room was on the 41st floor! We had a corner room, with windows looking south and east. The hotel was very comfortable, fairly roomy, great shower! The only problem was that we had a smoking room, which did smell a bit.







More photos tomorrow!

holidays

I so hate the few days before a holiday, especially if we are flying! I loathe flying, and this time, it's quite a long flight -8 hours. I am feeling very nervous now, and just looking forward to getting back home and it all being over! Isn't that awful!! I keep telling myself that loads of people fly across the Atlantic every day, and it will be fine. And I know that once I'm back on terra firma, I will feel a hug rush of relief, and have a great time in New York. Thank God the children are old enough to look after themselves on the plane now, and I don't have to worry about them. Maybe they can look after me!!

I am looking forward to being there, and seeing the sights and shopping. I just hope it doesn't overwhelm me with the hugeness of the skyscrapers (I'm not very good with heights!) and the business and noise. But hey ho we are only there for 5 nights, and I have always said that it's somewhere I'd like to see. The other thing that always preys on my mind, is what happens if one of us is ill? So far, it's only happened once, before N was born, we went to Minorca and Maurice was in bed for 2 days (out of a 1 week holiday)

I will enjoy it most when I get back, and looking back on the holiday, that's what normally happens. Oh dear, I sound like a right old killjoy! Well, expect loads of photos!

Lazy Sunday!

What a great relaxing weekend I've had!

I've managed to sort out my scrapping stash almost completely. I thought I was going to find loads to sell on eBay, but I'm going to keep most of it! Just some really cutey hallowe'en papers I'm going to try to sell. I've also finished I LO. Yet more motorbikes, this time Phil Read (ANglo)'s MV Agusta (Italian) at Beaulieu.

We went round a couple of fireplace shops to get quotes for our new fireplace in the lounge. Wonder if we can get it done by Christmas? We did see some really nice big fireplaces. Our lounge is big and high ceilings, and the fireplace is in like a bay rather than into the room. No alcoves though.

Watched QI and TOTP2 last night. Bottle of white wine. Lovely!

This morning we went round to some friends for coffee. Their dd is off to high school and is stuck for choice, so they wanted to talk to Lucy about her school. We sat in the garden, lovely sunny day. N is going to hand his notice in at work and go into property developing! WOW! I wish him the best of luck. What a brave decision!

We had lunch really really late, because although I'd put the oven timer on, I forgot to switch the oven on! Nice roast pork though. I watched Stamp Addicts that I'd taped from yesterday mornign C&C. Lots of nice ideas.

WE took Merlin for a walk round the Ilex trees before tea. It was really gorgeous, warm sun, but a slight autumn tinge. Must go back there in the mornings, it's much nearer than Highdown.

Here is my 'fairy' card for the weekly challenge on www.ukstampers.co.uk. It's my fairy name 'Bramble Icedancer'. She is a bone chilling bringer of justice for the vulnerable. She lives in leafy dells and bluebell glades. She is only seen when the crickets chirrup and the bees swarm. She wears bluebell dresses and has ice blue butterfly wings. Not at all like me!

What I'd really like is some feedback. I tried to 'paint' the background with my distress inks to look like a bluebell glade. What I think it needs is something to go over the top of the blue, maybe a bit glittery, pearly or shiny. Something to give more detail perhaps. What do you think?

more random thoughts!

Random is a very cool word at the moment. I wonder what it means? That is in teenage speak, I know what it means to me, LOL. I'm not a great stickler for correct grammer, I bet I don't get it right half the time, especially those little ' that denote something belongs to someone, like someone's book. But I don't like adjectives being used as nouns! Example today, THE REMOTE. Jeremy Vine on R2 was asking are we rulled by our remotes? Remote what?It is a remote controller! Another one I've come across lately is BUILDUP. You get a buildup when you use the same shampoo for ages. Buildup of what?

I've just bought some really cool (hopefully) stamps off eBay. Another Snoopy one!! I'm going to collect Snoopy stamps. When I was a teenager, Snoopy was my favourite. I found the quotes really appropriate, a very memeorable one being, 'I think I'm allergic to morning'. DH bought me a stuffed Snoopy as a gift when I was down once, and I had loads of Snoopy books and cards. I love the Snoopy website, www.snoopy.com. There is a little comic strip each day, and I LOVE them!!!I used to have it as my home page, but forgotten to do that lately. Other stamps, a set of 4 snowflakes, a Sunflower mosaic (might be able to do some clever masking with that one!), and a vintage sewing machine. Bids are still in for a QK set of numbers, and a stamping book. I usually put in my highest bid straight away, then don't look at it until after the auction has finished so I don't get carried away, but I did just have to up my bid for Snoopy, oops! I hope I'm not paying too much for them. It's just a couple of quid here and there.

Off to have a go at Kym's challenge on www.ukstampers.co.uk, something with my fairy name which is Bramble Icedancer!

Here's a picture of Highdown. You park in the car park half way up the hill, where there is the entrance to the Highdown Gardens, famous chalk gardens designed by Sir Frederick Stern, and Highdown Hotel and tea rooms. After walking about 5 mins, you go through this hedge and on up to the top. On the top is a Stone Age ring, which I often walk round, and think about those stone age people. How many are buried under our feet? They are not allowed to archeological digs up there, but it must be very interesting!

I went up here this morning after my cleaning. Boy do I feel knackered!!! I went out last night to the Crawley crop (altered a bingo clip board!), and didn't get to bed as early as I should have. Didn't want to get up at 6am this morning, I can tell you! But once I was there and had a cup of tea, (in fact it's the first sip that does it), I felt OK. I quite like it for several reasons:

I am on my own until about 8.30am. It's lucky really that there is noone to talk to, cos I'm not too talkative first thing!

It's physical. Maybe I'll get fitter, and lose some weight!

Satsifying. Even though the rooms don't look particularly dirty, I still get a sense of satisfaction out of cleaning them, and the rooms still look better when I've finished.

I love the fact I've got daily jobs and weekly jobs and can cross them off my list. I've made a little book to keep my checklists in!

List for today:

Go to Worthing. Bank AIFHS cheques, post CJ and AIFHS new members welcome packs.

Get drain sorted. Yes the kitchen sink has blocked again!

Go to Family Centre for voluntary job. Finish poster on Summer party (done is scrapbooking stylee!!)

Cook tea early for DD (dance) and DS (youth group), and DH (mothers)

Collapse at around 8pm!!

Hairstyles through the years! They are great to look back on aren't they? Thsi DLO is for my BOM. From afro in the 70s to middle parting in the 80s (and blond highlights!), to now. This photo I have just taken in the mirror! (Hence my worried expression LOL). Now I have a fabulous hairdresser, Rita, who costs me an arm and a leg, but does my hair really well. I have a semi-permanenet dye now once every 2 / 3 months to cover the grey. This last time I decided to go darker, becasue I didn't like the way the previous one was fading, it looked a bit sandy. It is quite a bit darker actually, but hardly anyone has said anything! I wonder if really it looks awful?

Orient Yourself CJ

Here's my entry for Sid's CJ 'Orient Yourself'. When I heard that it was an oriental theme, I wasn't sure that I would like doing it, I don't do much oriental. But then the CJ arrived! It is absolutely gorgeous - and everyone I've shown it to agrees, even those who don't 'get' papercrafting, stamping etc! Thanks Sid!

I had been looking at some old photos recently for my BOM, and came across these photos taken in Hong Kong, some 25 years ago. And I decided after not liking my stamping approach very much for the last CJ, that I would go back to scrapbooking - my first love. As luck would have it, someone was selling Paper Artsy Asian stamps on UKScrappers! So a nice combination, scrapping old photos and stamping. I played with the stamps, with distress ink backgrounds (of course) and lots of masking on the LHS stamped tag. In fact, I was so pleased with it that I used my very first attempt! I did have to try several times for the 'emperor' one, that one didn't stamp so well. I played with the photos in photoshop -one to B&W, and the dragon one I took out most of the colour. I aged them with sandpaper and distress inks.

The background paper has a little story too! I posted a request to sponsors on UKscrappers for Asian papers, and I found some gorgeous antique looking papers, with writing and postage stamps. But, I couldn't find anything else on that site I wanted to buy, so it would have been 90p for 2 sheets of paper, + £2.95 P&P!!! So I bought these papers from Crafty pastimes, along with the little chinese coin charms, and some cut'n'dry, which I have after since I used it with Debs in Worthing.

I hope you like it Sid! Judging by the previuous entries, I think you will be really thrilled with your CJ when it gets home.