Shattered screens

It seems that teachers must be a robust lot as I have only had half a day's supply since the begiining of term and with no decorating to do, and little to do in the garden, I am getting a little bored. Still fun things still come along to make life interesting. We had the pleasure of the boys for a sleep over at the weekend which kept me on my toes, and a trip to B&Q to choose the tiles for the bathroom.

Everything is on track to start that final room at the end of this month. We have now ordered the bath and suite from a local bathroom supplier, the taps and the shower from the internet (a bit of a result there because I completely forgot with the boys visiting to order the shower we had chosen. It was in the sale and I was sure when I woke on Monday morning it would have reverted to its full price now September was over. I was more than pleasantly surprised to discover it had actually been reduced by a further £20). We also chose and ordered our bath screen from a well known catalogue company. On Monday that too arrived ... well a screen didnt arrive but a very bashed box containing a bubble wrap bag of tiny bits of glass arrived. On the phone at once for a return and replacement I waited in all day yesterday for the collection and another half day today for the new one to arrive. It has and I am too scared to open it fully (having peeked enough to check it is a whole screen) in case it collapses on me.

Anyway all this time at home has allowed me to complete another two double layouts and also finally take my hand to attempting to draft up a Lutterloh system sewing pattern.

The pattern is a 1939 top which does have a matching skirt but since the top of me is where I have the most problems with fit I thought I would have a go at that first. I didnt have the special tape measure that should come with the system but I have managed to find one that can be printed off and have afixed it to an ordinary tape. It all seems to have worked quite well, and with only a miniumal full bust adjustment, a tissue fit seems to fit in all the right places. We will see. i hope it does work because I have full pattern books from teh 1930's, '40's, 50's and '70s with a couple of 1960's supplements which could keep me garment making for the rest of my natural!

Its a Craft Room!!!!

Hurray! Finally following the packing into boxes of all my stash, storing it in the attic and returning the craft room to a bedroom to dress the house for the sale, selling, moving and two years plus in renovating the bungalow, last week I finished unpacking the last of my bits and bobs, and moved into my new craft room. Ok its not quite what I envisaged when we moved here as our lovely new addition Beckett came along and the front small bedroom is not big enough for two little grandsons to spend their sleepovers, so I have the smaller room and the boys have nabbed the larger double which was intended for my crafty creations. But hey! Who cares? With a bit of a squeeze and some careful organisation I am in (with the added advantage of a front window looking out on the world).

Already I have completed 2 double layouts and made a name banner for little Beckett. If I can get my laptop to co-operate with the bluetooth software I may even be able to start uploading photos again!

Yesterday was Wayne's birthday, and despite him never wanting much fuss it seems we all had the same thought and supplied him with cake. Not that he is ever one to refuse cake, but 6 cream assorted delights from me, plus a choc gateaux, a cream vicy sponge and a few more cream delights was rather going over the top. A good job we were all there to help him munch them. And we had great fun watching Beckett racing up and down the kitchen in his walker. With only 9 months behind him, the boy has no fear and goes for it hell for leather.

Happy birthday Wayne, hope you had a great day.

Tomorrow Martin is having a rare Saturday off as it is the autumn golf meeting. I hope to get him along to order our new bathroom, booked to be started at the end of October - the last room! Then the plans are to finish off the garden (including the front this time, clad the attic and then..., we will be done!!

Partial eclipse

Looking forward to the partial eclipse of the sun by our moon today but being in the south, heavy cloud may screen our view. Of course since I am teaching a class of Year 3 children for the duration this might not be a bad thing as I am none too sure all of them are going to be careful enough not to look directly at the source.

First Film

It being January and all there has really not been much to blog about as we are all in hibernation mode. I have been busy sewing chair pads (repurposing Ikea cushions) and painting dining room chairs. Sunday I even commandiered one of the nesting coffee tables and tried my hand at a scrapbook pa(unfinished).

Today has been a bit eventful though. Laura and I along with Finley took baby Beckett along to his first cinema experience. Our (not so local) cinema were holding a babe-in-arms screening of Bug Hero 6. When Finley was around the same age we had taken him to a similar event at Canterbury Odean but it had not been that successful as we were not allowed buggies upstairs where the screening was, they had to be first left in a locked room which we had to wait for a member of staff to open. Then we had to carry baby, baby chair and all his associated paraphanalia up 2 flights of stairs. On top of this they also dimmed the lights making it really difficult to either feed or change our babies.

T oday's experience was totally different. The cinema is independently owned in an historic building with a tiny lobby and only 3 screens. The sound was not on full blast so as to protect small ears and the lights were kept up all through so that toddlers were safe to move around if they couldnt manage the entire film time. Finley had a bit of a melt down at the start as he thought it was going to be too loud but he soon settled down and really enjoyed it. Beckett drank his bottle of milk and then was sound asleep for the rest of the film!

I, of course was rather glad to get out of the house for more than one reason. Martin had started the day by drilling through a perfectly good water pipe, flooding and the newly installed plaser board and having to call for a plumber, Of course our bloke would be on holiday wouldnt he, so another had to be found and pretty fast. Srill by the time we drove home through the oncoming snow blizzard, peace and water had been restored and Martin was busy filling in more holes ready for the plastering.

Into the woods

We went to see Into the Woods on Sunday. Neither of us had seen (or to be honest even heard of) the stage production and so did not have any preconcieved ideas of what it might be like. We were pleasantly surprised mainly because we do enjoy a good stage musical. Lots of people coming out after the film could be heard having a little moan and muttering negative comments but I think that many did not realise there would be quite so much singing and that the lyrics would actually need to be listened to in order to follow the plot. Ipanelf you can cope with that though then I highly recommend the film as it has a great plot and the acting is not too shabby!

I finally got some work, two days in a school in Dover and then a day and a half this week in two different schools. We were on our way to buy wood and skirting board to do a bit more on the dining room when I got the half day call so Martin ended up chasing electric plugs down the wall from where they were placed at shoulder height (eh?) and the wood still needs to be bought.

Yesterday Laura and I had a run out to Sandwich to buy yet more Annie Sloan paint. Honestly I think I am on about the 12th pot for this house. so far I have painted:

skirting boards and dado rails in lounge, hall, kitchen, master bedroom and kitchen
15 panel glass doors  x 5 sides
7 sides paneled doors
a computer table
a tall billy bookcase
a mag rack
set of nesting tables
two double pine wardrobes
2 bedside drawer units
2 standard lamps
a 7 drawer chest of drawers
a jug
3 dining room chairs
glass coffee table
a few picture frames
a couple of doorstops

I'm getting quite good at it now lol

January, sick and tired.

Martin and I had a little debate. Seems although I hate January and February with a passion he actually quite likes the two wintery months after Christmas.

Me, I think they drag by with little to look forward to and not much to do. Sunday Martin had to work the second of his two sundays over the Christmas period. Since he has already had to work New Years Day as an extra, and New Years eve as it was his turn, I am getting pretty fed up of being alone. Left to my own devises and completely out of interesting films to watch on Sky Demand I attacked the floor tiles in the 'soon to be dining room'. It is looking a real mess now with no floor, badly plastered walls with umteen holes in it, and a gap in the ceiling. Keeping an image of how I want it to look is spuring me on though.

Yesterday I ventured out to Tesco, not because we needed anything but because schools were back, I had not been called into work, and I simply couldnt face another day staring at the four walls. Laura came over with the boys in the afternoon and we listened to Beckett continually grunting (never known a baby to do this but we couldnt find anything wrong with him and concluded he is just finding his voice) while playing pirate playmobile with Finley.

Strike one for me then, January dragging on with not much to do.

Martin on the other hand insists that January and February are all downhill to summer, showing the end of winter with longer daylight hours. Mmmm, We will see.

Montage

Photo montages of the last 18 months

 

• Putting house on the market
• Looking after Finley two days a week
• Kids move in with us for 10 months
• Building a garden
• Mum and Dad move to bungalow
• Watching Olympic Torch arrive in Canterbury
• Baby Beckett (Finley's brother) is born

 

• Moving in

• Decking removed to start new garden 
• Zoe visits and we take her on Romney Hythe railway
• Sheds removed for new garden
• Weekend in London and a visit to Harrods (as well as to watch Wicked and Spamalot
• Kids living with us
• Holiday to cottage in Norfolk
• Halloween
• Finley's second birthday party at Graham and Di's

Sewing and films

Saturday was not a great day as the tooth/ear ache continued all day, but on the plus side a duvet day allowed me to watch a few movies I had not managed to catch in 2014. 

Noah was an interesting take on the tale in the bible and I loved that it did actually adress some of the questions I had wondered about. On the other hand it did introduce some very strange concepts far outside the original source and I would also suggest that if they are going to film most of the picture inside a dark ark they find some better way of lighting because for half the movie I couldn't actually see what was going on.

The Lego Movie came highly recommended by my eldest but to be honest half the time I didn't really understand what the Lego characters were saying to each other and that made the plot a little hard to follow. I think I will stick with Wreck it Ralph LOL

I finished the day with Frozen. I had watched it on my phone before although the songs had been scrambled in the youtube version I caught so I was pleased when Sky Demand allowed me to watch a full version. The songs are irritating after a while but I dont think its actually too bad a film. 

Yesterday Martin was off (because he has to work today Boo) so Christmas went in the box, a few more tiles came off the walls and then we had a lovely lunch at the local Marsden's eatery with Ollie and Kelly. Great to catch up as we hadnt really seen them since Boxing day. They are busy painting their study so we spent a while swapping DIY experiences. 
We hadnt been home long when Laura and Wayne plus the boys turned up. They had been out to a family do on Waynes side and had turned up for a cuppa to round off their day. Not many jobs got done but we did have a lovely day with both our girlies. xx

As I cant get to my craftie stuff yet (most is still boxed up in the attic even though we have been here nearly 18 months) I am resorting to other crafts. At the moment I have a xstitch on the go, last years christmas present

 and some hooky, a full size blanket done in a vintage fan zigzag.

Hello good old blogger. There you are, still sitting waiting in the background for me to update you.
The trouble is so much has happened over the last two years its impossible to update properly and so I keep ignoring you as the task becomes more and more daunting.

No longer!

Lets just not bother updating and start all over afresh!

So second day of a new year and here I am, sitting awake at an obscure time in the morning, with an  ear-ache, not a particularly good start to the ear.  I  refuse to allow negativity onto this blog though so lets focus on the positive things that have started the year off.

• I started my walking program. So far I covered the day before New Year's eve, tromping rounf the cemetry opposite on a cold breezy morning for 12 mins.  (Yes I know I am so unfit but a start is better than no start), and then New Year's eve a brisker walk with Martin to see if we could discover our nearest BT green box as we were being converted to Infinity Broadband. We didnt find it but keeping up with Martin is a very good workout. 
• New Year's Eve Martin had to work so I spent the day chipping tiles and two layers of painted anaglypta paper off the walls in the "ex kitchen soon to be a dining room" room.  I guess that was in leui of a work-out too as the previous tiler has used a pot of adhesive for every tile.
• Yesterday I spent the day taking christmas down ready to go in the box. It took the whole day as we have 7 (yes 7) whole boxes of decorations including 3 christmas trees and umpteen strings of lights. To be fair I did used to have to decorate a classroom as well as a house which is where many of the decs have come from (including 1 of the trees), and one box is just christmas teddies the girls acumilated over the years. Last year I fell in love with a winter wonderland I saw in the garden centre and so spent for ever making and buying white decorations, only to be told by the family they prefered the mish mash of christmas colours (they didnt actually notice that across the years there had been themes, oh well) so it was back to finding all the red, gold, silver and green. Have you noticed how difficult it is to find traditional green decorations in the shops? oh not the lime/light green that is all the rage but dark Kelly/forest green. Anyway all down and finished with for another year :(.