Monday, October 30, 2006
Today started badly but got progressively better. My blog came back to life just as I had to dash out of the house to meet with the new group I'm teaching starting next Monday. Unfortunately I managed to go the the wrong centre first, but made a new friend who helped me locate the nursery where the group will be taught. Once I'd found that centre and had eventually been let in, there were four students there busy filling in forms. One of the 'girls' has 7 children- I've never met someone with 7 before, they're aged 14, 10, 4,3,2,1, and 6 months she did look a bit tired! Left at 12.35pm, arrived 12.50pm at the centre where I teach jewellery, ate my lunch and began my session at 1.00pm. We made earrings and learned how to coil wire, the results were very impressive.
Sunday 29th October
It's now Sunday, the clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and I have bid farewell to Graham for another 11 days. Just for once I can't bear to stay indoors and need some Gardening Therapy. It's over a year since I've been able to do any gardening, when in actual fact that's just what I needed to give me some feel good factor. I managed to clear the runner beans and dig out the worst of the weeds on the allotment, mow front and back lawns at home and trim the overgrown mallow. When I'd finished all that, I stood in the greenhouse and ate some of my grapes which I'm really proud of, but have no one to show. Photo coming soon...
Unfortunately, by evening and an hour into trying to post my blog, my tears of sweat had turned to tears of frustration. Robert was as helpful as he could be over the phone, but enabling cookies and opening the key access proved fruitless. He did make a further suggestion in an late email and as you can see restarting the router was all it needed, grrrrrrrrr
It's now Sunday, the clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and I have bid farewell to Graham for another 11 days. Just for once I can't bear to stay indoors and need some Gardening Therapy. It's over a year since I've been able to do any gardening, when in actual fact that's just what I needed to give me some feel good factor. I managed to clear the runner beans and dig out the worst of the weeds on the allotment, mow front and back lawns at home and trim the overgrown mallow. When I'd finished all that, I stood in the greenhouse and ate some of my grapes which I'm really proud of, but have no one to show. Photo coming soon...
Unfortunately, by evening and an hour into trying to post my blog, my tears of sweat had turned to tears of frustration. Robert was as helpful as he could be over the phone, but enabling cookies and opening the key access proved fruitless. He did make a further suggestion in an late email and as you can see restarting the router was all it needed, grrrrrrrrr
Window on the World
Wednesday 25th October
Today was Thornton's AGM. "How come you have shares in Thorntons" I hear you ask? Thorntons floated on the stock market about the same time as I was giving up work to have Robert, so I thought I'd use my last pay to buy shares in a local firm. They have never made me rich, only fat, no that's not true. This year they've decided to give up making nougat caskets which is a bad move. If you've ever wanted to sample pure indulgent luxury, it has to be a Thornton's nougat casket, just going soft..just thinking about it makes me salivate. Anyway a lady there who bemoaned the passing of the casket turned out to be a nee Thornton and has offered to fill the void of a femaleless board. Why didn't I come up with a similar ploy? The new chairman, it has to be said, was lacking in any kind of dynamism, but it is early days yet and he has reinstated free chocs for attendees of the AGM (an admiral move). Peter Burdon soon stopped that nambie pambie generosity when he took over citing 'chocs mean procs' (nearest I can get 'profits' to rhyme) I shall miss him...but fair exchange as they say... One last comment about Thorntons; if I want to join the board I may need to change my name. The new chairman is John von Spreckelsen and when he started speaking I half expected the rest of the cast of 'Allo, 'Allo' to appear on stage (he did have a slight German accent) When there was a woman on the board her name was Peggy Czyzak-Dannenbaum, which was probably why she didn't last: - no one could pronounce her name!
Wednesday 25th October
Today was Thornton's AGM. "How come you have shares in Thorntons" I hear you ask? Thorntons floated on the stock market about the same time as I was giving up work to have Robert, so I thought I'd use my last pay to buy shares in a local firm. They have never made me rich, only fat, no that's not true. This year they've decided to give up making nougat caskets which is a bad move. If you've ever wanted to sample pure indulgent luxury, it has to be a Thornton's nougat casket, just going soft..just thinking about it makes me salivate. Anyway a lady there who bemoaned the passing of the casket turned out to be a nee Thornton and has offered to fill the void of a femaleless board. Why didn't I come up with a similar ploy? The new chairman, it has to be said, was lacking in any kind of dynamism, but it is early days yet and he has reinstated free chocs for attendees of the AGM (an admiral move). Peter Burdon soon stopped that nambie pambie generosity when he took over citing 'chocs mean procs' (nearest I can get 'profits' to rhyme) I shall miss him...but fair exchange as they say... One last comment about Thorntons; if I want to join the board I may need to change my name. The new chairman is John von Spreckelsen and when he started speaking I half expected the rest of the cast of 'Allo, 'Allo' to appear on stage (he did have a slight German accent) When there was a woman on the board her name was Peggy Czyzak-Dannenbaum, which was probably why she didn't last: - no one could pronounce her name!
Window on the World
Tuesday 24th October
Today Lucy and I went down to see the grand-parents. Luckily it was 'a good day' for my mum and my dad looked as fit as a fiddle. After a lot of encouragement we had persuaded my mum to buy a new piano and I was really looking forward to having a go on it. Disappointingly, it didn't sound much better than the old one as it's in need of a good tune. Sitting it in the corner of, dare a say, a draughty room, it has suffered the same fate- too much expansion and contraction of it vital organs and consequently doesn't sound as it should. Trying to encourage more tlc for the said piano has met with: " But when we light the fire it will be too hot", poor piano. During afternoon nap time Lucy and I made a quick trip to Bourton on the Water. Funny, - you travel 95 miles away from home and pick up just the yarn you were hoping someone in the world might had. I may have paid over the odds, but it is just what I wanted. We managed to avoid buying any nick-nacks, or treating ourselves to some of the beautiful jewellery at the Bourton Perfumary. Back 'home' and after a welcome cup of tea, we had a quick tour of the barn to see my dad's latest project. He's making the kind of water wheel Heath Robinson would be proud of, or would he turn in his grave. I had to leave when I found out that my uncle had asked my dad to turn him a new top for for his pepper mill, don't people in the country know they are allowed to buy new once in a while!!
Tuesday 24th October
Today Lucy and I went down to see the grand-parents. Luckily it was 'a good day' for my mum and my dad looked as fit as a fiddle. After a lot of encouragement we had persuaded my mum to buy a new piano and I was really looking forward to having a go on it. Disappointingly, it didn't sound much better than the old one as it's in need of a good tune. Sitting it in the corner of, dare a say, a draughty room, it has suffered the same fate- too much expansion and contraction of it vital organs and consequently doesn't sound as it should. Trying to encourage more tlc for the said piano has met with: " But when we light the fire it will be too hot", poor piano. During afternoon nap time Lucy and I made a quick trip to Bourton on the Water. Funny, - you travel 95 miles away from home and pick up just the yarn you were hoping someone in the world might had. I may have paid over the odds, but it is just what I wanted. We managed to avoid buying any nick-nacks, or treating ourselves to some of the beautiful jewellery at the Bourton Perfumary. Back 'home' and after a welcome cup of tea, we had a quick tour of the barn to see my dad's latest project. He's making the kind of water wheel Heath Robinson would be proud of, or would he turn in his grave. I had to leave when I found out that my uncle had asked my dad to turn him a new top for for his pepper mill, don't people in the country know they are allowed to buy new once in a while!!
Window on the World
Sunday 22nd October
Today we went down to Cambridge to take Robert his new (reconditioned) computer. Apparently, if you but a new computer you dictate its specifications, but if you buy a reconditioned one then you are told the minimum RAM etc it will have. When we arrived back from having Sunday lunch across the road and all the information had been downloaded from the old computer to the new one, it was clear that Robert had stuck gold (in computer terms) and had three times as much memory and a hard disc the size of Wales. I exaggerate,... it all means nothing to me, but I could tell by the deeper shade of green Graham was turning that there was an element of envy in the air.
Post script: Have been unable to post or access my blog for over a week. All that was needed was to restart the router, easy when you know how, thanks Robert!!
Sunday 22nd October
Today we went down to Cambridge to take Robert his new (reconditioned) computer. Apparently, if you but a new computer you dictate its specifications, but if you buy a reconditioned one then you are told the minimum RAM etc it will have. When we arrived back from having Sunday lunch across the road and all the information had been downloaded from the old computer to the new one, it was clear that Robert had stuck gold (in computer terms) and had three times as much memory and a hard disc the size of Wales. I exaggerate,... it all means nothing to me, but I could tell by the deeper shade of green Graham was turning that there was an element of envy in the air.
Post script: Have been unable to post or access my blog for over a week. All that was needed was to restart the router, easy when you know how, thanks Robert!!
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
I've set up this blog and now I'm not sure where to start. Do I give an introduction of me and my family, say why I'm here or what's happened to me today. I used to keep a diary, but it is languishing in the lounge feeling unloved- I spend so much time on the computer, it seemed more practical keeping a record of events here. I meant to make my first entry on Tuesday when everyone was supposed to write what they'd done that day on a website, to give prosperity a snapshot of life on 17th October 2006, but I never quite got there. I read in the paper that everyone got up tired, went to work and spent the evening infront of the television. I'm sure there must have been some exciting events. I had a marginally better day than usual; spent most of it working on the website I manage http://www.ukhandknitting.com/, but through one of the emails I received, I got my first commissioned project in ages... I was so chuffed, but worried at the same time that I can come 'up with the goods'. I'm not going to say exactly what it is, but it involves knitting (surprise, surprise) and wine, what better combination could you have?
Went tap dancing in the evening, so had some exercise, even managed a triple time step! Home to an empty house (husband Graham in NY and daughter Lucy at boyfriend's)
Wednesday Lucy and I went to De Montford University at Leicester for their open day. We listened to talks on the Footwear course, Retail Buying and Contour Fashion (lingerie and swimwear). Think Retail Buying will suit her best as it involves some fashion design, but also attention to display and accessories- made me wish to have my time all over again. The Footwear course is all hands on, which I'd love. Guess what, though... they only ever make one shoe!
Went tap dancing in the evening, so had some exercise, even managed a triple time step! Home to an empty house (husband Graham in NY and daughter Lucy at boyfriend's)
Wednesday Lucy and I went to De Montford University at Leicester for their open day. We listened to talks on the Footwear course, Retail Buying and Contour Fashion (lingerie and swimwear). Think Retail Buying will suit her best as it involves some fashion design, but also attention to display and accessories- made me wish to have my time all over again. The Footwear course is all hands on, which I'd love. Guess what, though... they only ever make one shoe!
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