5 things….

1  I am seriously behind with Shimelle’s Learn Something New Everyday class.  Should I catch up or not?  Last night I looked at my ‘goals’ forum for ideas for each day I’d missed.  YAY!  I think I’ll continue with it

 

2  I have applied to Worthing Museum to be a volunteer in the costume department.  Unfortunately I have no specific expertise, but I am sure willing to learn!

 

3  Lucy is on holiday in Spain, due to fly home today, but her flight may be cancelled due to strikes across Europe!

 

4  Maurice has sold one of his 3 motorbikes and there is another one up for sale here

 

5  We are looking forward to seeing Nicholas in October and will be staying overnight in Oxford. 

The British Museum

I had to go up to London on Saturday for an Anglo-Italian Family History Society committee meeting.  As it started at 2pm, I decided to go earlier and visit the British Museum (I briefly visited it 2 years ago when dad was in UCH, just up the road!).  I downloaded a guide –what to see if you only have 1 hour at the museum.  What a cool idea!  I find a whole museum quite daunting, and am never sure what I should see, so this is right up my alley!

 

 

it is a really lovely building, although it is Victorian like the V&A and Natural History Museum, it feels much more modern and light and airy – not least because of this beautiful courtyard.  This roof was built over a garden and the circular reading room, I love it!

 

The Rosetta Stone must be one of the museums greatest treasures

 

There are treasures from all over the world:

Egypt

   

Rome

 

This is the Mildenhall treasure found in Norfolk.  Not sure whether it is Roman, or English!

Cardinal Colours Retreat part 2

Here’s my lovely gorgeous prize!  I played with it all day yesterday and watched numerous You Tube clips and read lots of forums!  Totally confused now, shall I just get a few cartridges, should I buy the design package that goes with it – or SCAL so that I can use all the fonts on my computer???

 

We all trooped outside along by the bandstand for a group picture.  Jill’s husband Richard took this, but people were leaving so it is not brilliant:(

 

Laura’s bold journaling class, using fabulous Cosmo Cricket DeLovely papers, and using a Sharpie pen to write on the photo!

SJ’s class using Echo Park ‘Walk in the Park’ papers, featuring distressing the paper, gorgeous butterflies (printed out from a font downloaded from www.dafont.com) and of course bunting!

This is another of Laura’s classes, using Sassafras ‘Indie Girl’ papers, featuring loads and loads of layering, and some stitching!

 

The forst class on Saturday morning SJ got us using Echo park ‘Life is Good’ papers and making flowers!

There were loads of challenges throughtout the weekend.  This LO was for the monochrome challenge and is part of my ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ album an online class by www.shimelle.com This Lo features a house we lived in the early 1980s!!

We all had a monogram faom stamp, mine was ‘L’, so I created this LO of the lake at Scarborough

 

 

This was sunday afternoon’s class with Zoe.  We made this uber-cute box with 5 cards to go in it, using Stamping Up products. 

And last but by no means least, the gorgeous make and takes!!  Thanks to all the lovely teachers for such inspiring classes!  I am definately going to use concertina flowers, distressed edges, layering, bright funky colours and sharpie pens on my LOs from now on!

Cardinal Colours seaside retreat

I have spent the weekend at the Cardinal Colours retreat in Eastbourne.  What a fabulous weekend!  By far the best scrapbooking weekend I have spent!!  It was held in a hotel right on the seafront – here’s looking East from my room towards the bandstand:

 

And west towards the pier:

 

Eastbourne is a really lovely town, very gentile, neat and tidy.  I managed to get out for a bit of fresh air on Saturday afternoon, the weather was glorious all weekend.

This is me enjoying myself in SJ’s class – I’ll show you the LOs tomorrow!  That’s Juliet behind me, and I think another Linda right at the back.

 

 

Here are Laura and SJ teaching a class.  That’s Lynne, aka ‘retired nana’ on the left and Chris on the right.  All the classes were superb!  Lovely teachers, gorgeous kits (and loads left over to bring home) and loads of inspiration!  I am sure my scrapbooking will change after this weekend! 

I need to take more photos and show my pages, that I will do tomorrow. 

 

Mustn’t forget to tell you that I WON first prize in the raffle…..guess what, you will all be green with envy!!…it is a CRICUT machine!!!  I have spent most of today playing with it and looking it up on forums and You Tube.  WOOHOO! 

 

Until tomorrow…..

What next?

I left my job last week.  Things just weren’t working out for me in the new setup, so I decided it is time to move on.  I already miss the lovely people I worked with, and just the routine of going to work (even though it was only 1.5 days per week!), let alone the money!!!

 

So what’s next?  I found this wonderful doodle courtesy of Monica’s blog.  Thanks Monica!!  This is just what I need to know and to keep telling myself!!  Watch this space – the sky is the limit!

 

 

http://www.thenotebookdoodles.com

That end of summer feeling…

I picked the last of my tomatoes today.  My summer pots are really near the end of their glory now, so I emptied some and consolidated others.  Now to think of winter pots…

I am thrilled with my tomato harvest though!  I have kept a tally of how much I have picked:

The big tomatoes  9.8kg!!!! That’s from 3 plants.

The tumbler tomato, 1 plant in a hanging basket, giving little juicy toms, just over 4kg!!!

Gardners Delight, another small juicy tomato yielded 1.8kg!! 

Just need to research a nice recipe for green tomato chutney!

I am so pleased with the garden this year.  Mum and I have worked quite hard to tame and replant some wild areas.  I really feel it is under control now, just a few areas need a little bit of work.  Hopefully I can get those done this autumn, and the garden will be ready for Spring!

Moody Blues

Another date-night!  We went to see the Moody Blues at the Brighton Centre last night.  Bit of a blast from the past!!  I was suprised at how many of the songs I remembered (all the words!!) as I have not listened to the Moody Blues for years!  I must have been about 15 when a boyfriend had all the LPs and I got to know all the songs.  Must admit to having a bit of a crush on Justin Hayward too!

The concert was all seated, good job really as they audience were ALL older than us!!!!  I guess 90% of the audience were in their 60s, a few older and a very few younger.  It’s not suprising really as the Moody Blues music is a bit dated now- not timeless like George Benson.  There was no support act, they just came on about 8pm, and I have to say made a very shaky start.  We thought, oh no!  George Benson has spoilt us for any more concerts (he was sooooo good!).  But as they played a few songs, they got better.  They played for about 1 hour then we had an interval (another necessity for all those oldies tee hee!), then back for another hour or so.  We didn’t know some of their newer stuff, but all the old ones - brill! 

 

The absolute highlight was ‘Nights in White Satin’, which they played absolutely brilliantly, such haunting melodies and harmonies.  We did all stand up at the end of that one!  By this time there were a few people standing at the stage!  I decided to go down there for the encore ‘Ride my See-saw’, and managed to get some good photos of Justin Hayward and John Lodge.  I am sure Justin looked at me so I could get a photo!  (He probably wondered what a young girl like me was doing there!!!LOL)

 

     

Graeme Edge, the drummer  (who is 69!) is the only original member left, but John Lodge (65) and Justin  Hayward (63) are long standing members.  These 2 girls played various instruments, the one in the white top played the flute for that ‘haunting’ sound brilliantly!  They had another drummer and a and a another keyboard player too.

Finally, here’s an old version of Nights In White satin for you.  I feel privileged that I have seen such a classic song played live!

LSNED

I am participating in Shimelle’s ‘Learn Something New Everyday’ class again this year.  Last year I blogged the prompts, this year I am completing a small 4x6 album.

 

Day 1

I learned that I can make bread!  It was really yummy!!  Best not bake it too often, because I just want to eat it all.

 

Day 2

I learned how to make a start on my next sewing project!  I just love going to my sewing class every Thursday, we always spend most of the time laughing!

 

Day 3

I learned that all my hard work during the summer in the garden has paid dividends, it is looking great now! (especially after all that rain!)  Thanks for all your help Mum.