some recent craft projects

Card for MILs birthday today! I am really pleased with this, one of the best cards I have made! The background is alcolhol,inks (first time I have used mine!) and butterfly background stamp from Tanda Stamps. ( I have some gorgeous stamps from them recently, must get round to using them soon!)







LO completed at Class run by Natalie O'Shea at Crafts-U=Love near crawley, photos from photoshoot done by Natalie at Scrappers Paradise Photography Day back in March.



















Inchies for Inchie Swap on Tanda Stamps forum, theme Nature. (I am afraid I am not so pleased with these as the 'faces; ones.)

Mottisfont Abbey

We went to Mosttisfont Abbey near Romsey yesterday. We had to take M's bike in for fixing the oil leak, up to BMW in Guildford, so we borrowed a bike (a GS Adventurer, will take a pic before it goes back!), and rode down along to Winchester where we stopped for coffee (in Debenhams!) and then onto Mottisfont. It has a wonderful walled garden full of roses, so it's near enough at it's peak atm. It was really gorgeous, and the smell was lovely too. I really love the way NT properties are so neat and tidy, no rubbish about, lawn edges perfect, lawns manicured, and of course looking gorgeously green after all this rain!

New hall, stairs and landing carpet

Well, here it is at long last! We promised ourselves we would have a new carpet when we moved in - 14 and a half years ago! Trouble is, the old carpet was such good quality, and didn't show any dirt, and we got the dog nearly 4 years ago! So we ummed and ahhed a bit, becasue to be frank we are a bit worried about the dog messing it up. He does lie in the hall a lot, and there are always lots of dog hairs, dust, grit and sand from him in the carpet! (not to mention sick and poo!) So we decided to go for brown with flecks, yes dog sick and poo colour!!!

It looks really nice, and it is good quality. It should last us out here. We had to empty the big dresser in the hall, and I looked in DH's whiskey cupboard for the first time ever! Look what I found! These bottles must be a t least 25 years old! It's made us reminisce about Dubonnet and Martini, such sophisticated drinks in the 1970s! I used to love Dubonnet and lemonade.

The bottle of Baileys has I think just 1 drink poured from it. It is now SOLID! DH was sure it would be Ok - the thought of pouring alcohol down the sink fills him with apoplexy! Anyway, only the fairly new bottles of sherry and port have gone back, oh and a couple of bottles of neat alcohol, I mean Polish spirit vodka! YUK! No whiskey left atm, poor DH, he'll have to drink wodka instead.....

Some lovely photos of Merlin waiting for a piece of M's toast!

A few more greay haris!

Well, my week started off bad with not being able to go my crawley crop on Monday, and then Lucy's bag with keys being stolen . On Wednesday morning, we were woken up by the dog at 5am, to a HUGE d**** (don't know how to spell it ) mess on the kitchen floor!! YUK! We cleared it up, and I decided it wasn't worth going back to bed, so I went to work at 5.30am!!! I was working 2x on Wednesday because I had to take Mum and dad to hammersmith for his check up yesterday. I was knackered!!! I went back to work exactly 12 hours later, at 5.30pm!!

DH went on an off-road motorcycling day, and has hurt his foot one of the times he fell off ! Actually, it is quite swollen. But he had a great day, and has realised just what a different sport off-road riding is! So I had to get up early yesterday to take the dog for a walk before going to Hammersmith. In fact, we were woken up at 6.15am by more d**** mess in the kitchen DOUBLE YUK !

When I got round to Mum and dad's to pick them up Dad looked terrible. He is hobbling around with tremendous pain in his leg. Although we had a good journey, we didn't have a good day at Hammersmith, cos Dad's myeloma is almost certainly back . Bit of a shock, cos I didn't know he was getting more pain, and it is only a few months since he finished the last lot of chemo. . They took an x-ray (waited ages!), and prescribed morphine for the pain, and he gets the results of all the blood tests at the end of the month. They are supposed to be going to Cornwall next week with some friends, so I hope he feels well enough to go. He is not going to be able to walk at all though. They've got some difficult decisions coming as to how the myeloma is treated this time. The doctor mentioned another stem cell transplant, which they were adamant they wouldn't want to go through with again last time. Oh dear!

But then we went out for a lovely meal with Robin and janice last night, and had a great time! And today I have nothing planned except a few chores and scrapping.

Teenage troubles

Lucy has had a hard time lately. After injuring her hip, and being ill while away with the volleyball lot, she lost her bag at school yesterday. Unfortunately it has her mobile phone and house keys in it! I hardly slept a wink last night worrying about someone being able to get in. DH hopefully will change the lock. It is such hassle when she loses her phone, and I've had to report this one to the police.

Then she found out that her best friend has been mucking about with a boy she likes lots, behind her back. Lucy and boy have been really good friends for ages, and Lucy would like it to be much more, but boy says she is a bit young, and he values her friendship too much to spoil it! Sounds very sensible doesn't it? Well, a couple of weeks ago, best friend decided she fancied boy too, and they had a bit of an argument, but made up when best friend and boy promised Lucy they wouldn't get together. Of course bf and boy have been doing what they shouldn't have behind Lucy's back, and she was distraught last night! I managed to cheer her up, and we went into town to buy new make up for the stuff she lost with the bag. She is taking it all in her stride - it's all personal growth stuff isn't it? We just have to be there to pick them up from the knocks from time to time. It is important to be that rock and stability for her, and I love being able to do that for her!

I had my appraisal at work today. It is quite fun, just an excuse to write me some new objectives. I think it is really great that they do the appraisal for me, I am only a volunteer! It just makes sure that what I am doing and what I think they expect me to do is what they want me to do! But I am able to pick and choose to a certain extent. I like being able to go in there and just get on with routine stuff. But I suppose I should get a new challenge too! Maybe something along the lines of report writing. I am not sure I want ot get involved directly with the service users, but there is a possibility of doing a bit of craft with them, maybe Christmas cards.

May Bank Holiday weekend

What a weekend it's been here! I had a fab time scrapping on Saturday - did a lovely LO with Natalie (and I've signed up for Scrappers Paradise in October!). Brighton crop was good too. Still a bit small, but we are a nice little group now.

Then I went to London yesterday, and had a good time at the Who Do You Think You Are? exhibition, manning the Anglo-Italian stall, with Kay and Barbara. Met some really interesting people. I've always quite fancied doing fairs and things, and am getting an opportunity to do so atm. I wasn't too keen to go to London, as I get a bit travel sick on the trains, but I took rescue remedy with me and felt OK.

But while I was there Lucy texted from Norwich (where she has gone as a spectator to the volleyball, cos she has injured her hip) to say that she had been really ill in the night, and was trying to sleep at the hotel all on her own!! Luckily, one of the girls was driving home last night, so she brought Lucy home. She didn't get home until 1am, poor girl! She is still asleep now, at 12.30pm, don't want to wake her up. I am so glad to have her back home, horrible to think of her ill away from home! We would have gone to get her today if she hadn't come home, cos they are not expected back until 9pm tonight, and it's school tomorrow.

We slept on this morning until 9am, and didn't go out with Merlin until 11! Lovely to have a relaxing day. The weather has chnged though - it's really windy and grey, a bit of rain, but not enough! It hasn't rained at all in April, so the garden is really dry. We need a few days of proper rain now. I planted some vegetable seeds - I am going to put vegetables in my pots on the patio this year instead of bedding plants. Going to potter a bit, and update my AIFHS stuff, and do a bit of housework.