wagwaan?

Friday

It's Friday and there's a lot to do, but first I'll reply to my sis who commented that she didn't get what the Cath Kidston fuss was all about.  The woman (Cath, not my sister!) has made a fortune bringing out replica vintage fabrics and other paraphernalia. So what IS it about her? I must admit I don't love all her range, but I do have a fondness for chintzy fabrics that I think dates back to my childhood - I loved the fabric on my grandparents' three piece suite. As I remember it, it was a faded rose pattern, and it's just my "Madeleine de Proust" although in this case it's not an aroma but it's visual... I think all this "make do and mend" vintage fashion has come back because of the recession: it's become a crime to spend money on stuff you could make yourself, or to throw out socks instead of darning them. Also, when times are tough people like to hark back to a gentler time, their childhood perhaps.  I'm not sure why, but it sure is a craze right now.  Everyone's knitting and crocheting granny blankets - and there's another thing. I used to HATE crochet blankets but I covet some of the ones on this flickr pool. Not all of them, by any means, but there are some modern, brightly coloured ones that are gorgeous. I am not so keen on the muddy coloured ones that really were made with odd bits of yarn rather than specially purchased skeins!

Right, I'm just waiting for the boyf to get out of the bathroom (I swear that man spends more time in there than me - only this morning he said it took a long time to look "this good" LOL), and then we've got lots of errands to run; then I'm off to have my nails done and this evening I'm having drinks with the girls from my ex-work. 

I hate to do a post without a picture, so here's an old one for you.

Well, after yesterday's post I looked at Claire's pictures and there might be one I'd consider posting here... but I have to upload it first. 

What's the weather like where you are? It's pretty much perfect Autumn weather here: sunny and cool, with brightly coloured leaves all over the ground, and a smell of bonfire smoke in the air. Lovely!  We're gearing up for Halloween on Saturday, but it's just not the same now Claire is grown up. We used to love decorating the house but I don't think we'll bother this year, although I'd still love to carve a pumpkin. Claire has pointed out to me that the "large" pumpkins in our Tesco Express are really not that big at all this year, so I'm not sure where we'll go to get one. 

We've planned a little trip on Saturday to the King's Road, because I want to take a peek at a Cath Kidston shop, and there is also Heal's and Muji along there, as well as a nice market. We'll no doubt stop off at Starbucks and take some pictures of the cute mews houses, and people-watch. Ooh and I might treat myself to some scent at Penhaligon's.  We haven't done this for ages, due to lack of money. It's not quite the same going window shopping when you can't actually buy anything. I know it's called "window shopping" but still, having a few pennies in your purse means that if you spy the one trinket you absolutely MUST have, then you can buy it, right?  I'll give myself a strict budget, and we'll see what happens. At least I'll be able to get some ideas to put on my Christmas List if nothing else. 

I'm really hoping to book tickets to France for Christmas this weekend; I got some passwords from The Times that are supposed to give you two tickets from £90. I'll let you know what transpires!  I really, really miss my family, especially my mum, and I can't wait to see them all again.

Talking of Christmas, as I said previously, I've got some ideas for handmade gifts that involve me buying one of those cute sewing machines from John Lewis. I think I'll plump for a red one - I've been lusting after it for over a year and it's really not expensive at all so I've made up my mind.  Hoping to get presents done for nearly everyone on a very tight budget. The only non-handmade ones will probably be for the OH and Claire, although I might get some little things done for them too. For starters, I can't wait to make the bag out of the material that comes with the Cath Kidston "Sew" book. Considering I haven't sewn anything for years, I need to start with simple projects; ones that only require straight lines and simple stitching!

Yesterday my friend lent me Julie Walters' autobiography. Oh how I'm enjoying it!  I'll leave you with this extract, read by the actress herself. Love her!

Stoked!

This morning was so cool!!! I was feeling slightly apprehensive before we started but when they all started arriving I just went into Positively MAD mode. I had three observers, including an official photographer (DD!) because the OH and a girl who is also doing it with us were there to watch. The kids were boisterous but interested - one small boy's goal, that he kept calling out, was MONEY! I hope we got the message across. Certainly the feedback forms showed that they all thought it was great - fun, informative and interesting - and that they would definitely recommend the course to others. I must admit that those forms gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. I can see I'm going to enjoy this! I'll see how the pictures look before I promise to post any here....

Wish us good luck!

Well I think we're ready.... tomorrow is our first "gig" with the Goal Mapping. We've got the room at the community centre and 7 lucky, lucky kids who are getting to spend 2.5 hours of their half-term holiday doing goal mapping with us.  They are all children of friends and their friends, and their parents haven't given them a choice, heheheh! We've been presenting it to each other till we're blue in the face so it'll be lovely to have a proper audience. I'll let you know how it goes. Meanwhile, I need a bit of a lie down!

Shopping

This week has gone so quickly. I've been busy every day doing stuff for the business, and on Friday the OH and I went out for a breakfast meeting in our new PositivelyMAD polo shirts, which never fail as a conversation starter, or at least they make people smile. We started by popping over the road to the Community Centre to book the room for next week's workshop. One of the ladies there started asking the boyf what our shirts were about while I was doing the booking, and this led to a couple more contacts, which is great news. Then we went over to the hospital because just at the entrance there is a little cafe run by volunteers, so we sat there with our coffee and went over some of the procedures we are setting up. It's important to sometimes go somewhere neutral to do work like this because there are no interruptions and you don't think "oh dear, I didn't do the washing up" half way through the brainstorming...  After lunch we walked into town, with no jackets on by the way (it was that warm), to pick up my medicines at Boots. Right next door, this is what I spied in the window of John Lewis:

 

I knew they did a small red sewing machine, but they evidently now do a pink one; also, I love the "Make do and Mend" book - I must get both!  Next, look!  Cath Kidston goodies!

 

And more sewing machines: 

More colours!  Which sewing machine shall I get? I'm overwhelmed!!

Talking of Cath K, this afternoon we went to Borders and Starbucks with our friends, and look what Claire bought me:

 

There was a big "£3" sticker on it so we thought she'd bagged a bargain. Sadly it actually read "you save £3" lol. Oh well, I love the book and all I need now is a machine (see above lol) and I can start making stuff. It'll be home-made Christmas presents this year then...

Oh, I nearly forgot: I got some gorgeous apples the other day: some big fat cooking apples and a couple of "hearty" red apples the same size. We decided we'd like some stewed apples. I forget where I read this tip, but I now use a melon baller to scoop the core out.

 

I actually usually peel them first (trying to get one long, curly garland of skin), then cut them in half and scoop out the core. It's really easy and quick.  By the way, the end result was so tasty there was no time for a photo before it was eaten up.

Ooh, mustn't forget: have you caught that new TV programme called "Modern Family"?  It's a hoot, and we are picking up lots of new cool quotes. My fave part of the first show was one of the characters, Phil, explaining how he's such a hip and with-it dad: He knows all the text speak "LOL - laugh out loud; OMG - oh my God; WTF - why the face".  I can't stop saying "why the face" every time something annoying happens now!!

I keep meaning to get a good picture of my tatt now it's coloured in, but the light in here tonight is dire, so you'll have to wait a while longer.  So that's me: the tattooed, middle-aged (yikes!) lady who likes vintage and Cath Kidston, soul/r&b, classical music and pop, text speak and her iPhone. And who lives with her toy-boy and 19-year old daughter. The "modern family", who all sit there looking at their iPhones during commercial breaks on the TV* 

*that always makes me laugh, but we do communicate the old fashioned way too, I promise!

Sunday night

I was sooo looking forward to seeing Whitney Houston's return to our screens, so we sat down in front of the X Factor tonight. It was awful :(  So sad to see such a beautiful and talented woman in such a bad way. Some of the bits she sang were great, but she was out of breath, her dress was too long and the back came undone, and she seemed out of it. When she was interviewed at the end by Dermot she really looked high or drunk. Last week it was Robbie Williams who looked spaced out when he performed, also in a come-back. All I could think was "Don't do drugs, people!".   I had had my doubts when I saw Whitney's interview with Oprah last night, but on that show she sang her new single I Look to You so beautifully that the boyf went and downloaded it immediately!  I feel so bad for her and wish her all the best in fighting her demons.

In other news, and to reply to my sis, the tattoo will be completed Tuesday!  I was just thinking people might be wondering, actually, when she posted her comment ;)   At least this time I know what to expect, eh?  The other day when I was at the hospital to see my old colleagues, one of them spotted it through my shoe and told me she was thinking of having one, especially as her daughter is dating a tattoo artist. The other two ladies were slightly less enthusiastic and one of them sniffed "I don't think tattoos look nice at all". Oh well, it's a good job I don't place any value on anything you say then love, I thought.  She's not the nicest of people, but I am always civil to her because "my momma taught me better than that" LOL!

I've just missed House because I was on here doing our grocery shop. I could hear it but didn't follow it very well... but I heard the boyf say "He's BACK" at the end of the episode so I expect it'll be back to normal next week. 

Changing the subject totally, can you believe it's nearly Halloween? Then it'll be Guy Fawkes and it's downhill all the way to Christmas... We still don't really know if we can afford to go to France for Christmas with the family. I really hope we can. Claire's dead excited about Christmas already, and I know she loves seeing the "vitrines" of the Parisian department stores every year. I have potentially signed up for an Advent Sunday swap (rather than an Advent swap that is way more than I'm prepared to commit to this year), and maybe now I decide on my own schedule I will even manage to do a December daily or Christmas countdown scrapbook. I try and do it every year but being in full-time work with a 3 hour daily commute made it hard to find the time. I've just realised, by looking at that link a bit more carefully, that the key to this album is to set it up in advance so that you just have to add to it daily in December. Why did I never realise that before? Doh!

Anyway, it's late, I'm just waiting for the tumble dryer to finish and then I'm off to bed. Nite nite.

Thankful

I do try to remain optimistic in the face of adversity. In fact that's what my koi carp tattoo is all about. Yet still sometimes it's easy to let life's little hassles get in the way of seeing how lucky we really are.  Today, when I was checking my Google reader, I was reminded of sweet little Ava Rosemeyer who died in a tragic accident at age 3 and a bit. Her mother is a photographer in Australia and I remember reading about Ava's passing in February '07. This evening I spent a little while reading the mum's blog and looking at her amazing pictures of her adorable little girl, and I was reminded that while life might not be perfect, I have had the privilege of seeing my little girl grow up into a beautiful 19-year old woman, and I am so thankful for that. All over the world, families are torn apart by the tragic death of a child. So today I'm paying tribute to my nearly-niece Sophie (gone 10 years this month), little Callum (3 years next month), Ava and all the children gone too soon. And I'm hugging my loved ones a little closer as I do so. Make sure you do too.

Flowery!

Forgive me if the blog is a little "flowery" at the moment - I've been experimenting with putting backgrounds on, and I found this link to C Kidston backgrounds that you can get for free. Unfortunately, the pattern I really want, which is in the blog header, isn't on offer, so I am using a different one at the moment. It's just to get an idea, you understand.  I love that woman's stuff, and I only diss her because secretly I'm jealous of how successful she is!

Meanwhile, we're busy, busy, busy here, reading and reciting and typing and basically working towards making our dream a reality. I am very tired and in quite a lot of pain with the arthritis which means I am not as active as I once was and I nearly fell asleep whilst listening to the Goal Mapping presentation on my iPHone this afternoon. At Slimming World tonight the ladies next to us asked Claire if I'd hurt my leg because they saw me limp as I got up from my chair. I don't think about it, really, but it's true that if I've been sitting, if only for 5 minutes, then I limp when I get up from the tight tendon in my heel and the stiffness in my hips. I do feel older than my years, and only the rheumatologist seems to "get it"... I refuse to give in though!

Right, it's way too late here now so I'm off to my bed. Nite nite all. 

Where does the time go?

I can't imagine where the time goes!  Today I didn't get half what I wanted to do done. This morning I was over at the hospital helping out with some admin, and then after lunch Claire wanted me to go with her to the shops. I said yes on condition she buy me a Starbucks skinny caramel latte, and off we went.  We just went to the bank (for Claire) and wandered round John Lewis (I was looking up the specs on laptops as I need one for my coaching), and by the time we got to Starbucks I was absolutely exhausted. I am supposed to "pace myself" on doctor's orders, which is why I couldn't envisage working as a PA in the City any more, and today I really could have done with a bit of a lie down in the afternoon. Oh well, sitting down with a coffee had to suffice. Talking of John Lewis, well, Claire is smitten with the place! I'm sure it has nothing to do with the charming, and very tall, young man who was giving me info on laptops (has it Claire?) but rather to do with all the yummy Christmas goodies already on display. She is especially anxious for December to arrive so that she can get this...

We've never made one, and she's not sure she even likes gingerbread, but the thought is very appealing. Knowing us, we'll buy extra sweeties and the house will be groaning under all the extra decorations, which will be most tastefully done. (tasteful, geddit??)

Ah shopping. Would that I had a few pennies to spend, but alas, today was all window shopping. Oh, except then Claire declared that she HAD to find a denim skirt, and as she had spending money even if I didn't, that's what she bought, from Dotty P.  It's a size 14 too, so she's delighted. She had to point out on her Livejournal that she's talking UK sizes, and told her friends that in the UK, 14 is GOOD lol!  

When we got home, we went online and downloaded the rasterbator, which is a tool that transforms pictures into pages of pdfs that you can print out to make huge wall art. I did one of Claire as a child, and one of Marilyn Monroe (pictures will have to follow), and Claire chose one of her favourite singers, Hailey Williams from Paramore. She chose a cute geeky shot, and adjusted it to be red and funky. It's already up on her wall.... You can cut off the white edges but she liked it like this:

Fun, non?

Anyway, that's it for me. I have to go and learn my "scenario" for tomorrow's exams at the hospital, where I'm a "patient" again. I always do it, to help out my old bosses from the hospital. As I live so close to the place, I'm also on standby all weekend in case anyone else drops out, so I'd better get some shut eye. Nite all :) 

Just a quickie!

This is just to say that Claire has had some very shiny, great quality prints made of a few of her photos, and you'll be able to buy them on her etsy very soon. This one has come out particularly well...