The Subversive Elephant

Today I have been mainly -

2007-06-07T22:53:00.000+01:00

preparing for the onslaught. Rather than have BIG posters up in the hall (not allowed anyway) I have decided to use the pencil pots Beth aquired from the now-defunct Woolwich. I've printed out some pikkies of me at age 1, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 and I'm cutting them up to put in the pots. I think they look quite cool! I'll take a photo of the finished item, but here are the photos, converted to B&W, and I've printed them on RED paper - what else??

COUNTDOWN. . .

2007-06-06T23:17:00.000+01:00

to the big day - the birthday I wasn't supposed to reach!! I've actually been feeling a bit down lately, and I think I've worked out that there is a certain amount of anti-climax about the whole thing. For three years now I have been aiming at my 60th birthday - having been told I'd be lucky to see 59 - and now here it is, on the doorstep. Am I going to find I fall apart now? Abigail reached her aim of 16, and died three weeks later. Now I don't for a moment think my timescale is that critcal, but I have been wondering if the determination will kind of seep out of me. Pathetic, I know. It's probably because my joints hurt and I haven't been sleeping well. Isn't it annoying when you can't even do the stuff you WANT to do, let alone normal everyday stuff.? Luckily much of what I WANT to do is sit and read, and that's OK, or do some scrapping, and that's OK, so it'd probably be good if I stopped moaning now
Anyway, Alan has challenged me to make it to our 25th un-anniversary, which is in the summer of 2009, so perhaps that's what I should aim for now!
Meanwhile, I have everything under control (If you believe THAT, you're dafter than you look) Maybe we'll muddle through as usual. I planned a party for about 60 people, invited about 70 and so far there are over 90 coming. Standing room only!! Food, drink and entertainment are organised. Family and friends are coming from miles around, so my small corner of the world will be mayhem for 24 hours - is that unusual???

Inchies!

2007-05-22T16:04:00.001+01:00

Made these for a swap and decided to show you! See - I CAN remember to blog when I put what's left of my mind to it!!

Hello!

2007-05-20T23:28:00.000+01:00

Missing in action again for ages. I actually can't believe its been that long. I'm SURE I wrote more recently than that. . .
Anyway, my best news is that I am still well enough not to have the dreaded drug treatment. I saw my consultant on Thursday and she agreed that I could still postpone starting it. I've been finding out a lot more recently, as there has been some publicity about the NHS refusing to fund new drugs for Renal cancer. The problem is that even these new whizz-bang drugs don't CURE the cancer. What they do is offer more people longer in a stable condition. The aim at the moment seems to be to find some sort of cocktail of medication which will turn RCC from a terminal condition into a chronic one, like they are managing to do with AIDS. You don't get better, but you can live with it for a long time. Currently available drugs can give 15% of patients some time and a very few of them 5 years. The new drugs can give 70% a better chance - doubling the current length of survival. These drugs are currently VERY expensive (£500 a week FOREVER), and there is no long-term survival, which makes it a bad bet for NHS funding.
Now I don't object to the Government deciding that it is too expensive for the country to keep me alive. What I DO object to is that they are too craven to tell me so, leaving it to the local PCTs to decide, so that SOME people DO get NHS funding, and some don't, and it's the poor bloody doctors who are forced to make the decisions, not the elected politicians. It seems to me that there should be centralised funding for drugs like this which are going to be expensive because they are still carrying their research and development costs - and in my case, because I've got a comparitively rare form of cancer, so there will never be real "mass production" of treatment.
I'll get a scan in August and we'll take it from there. Meanwhile I pass two milestones - my 60th birthday (9th June) and the third anniversary of my diagnosis (21st July), niether of which I was expected to reach. That's the bonus for being a stroppy bitch!!
I have actually been doing some crafting, too, and I really will drop by soon and post some pictures. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know - you've heard it all before! I'll show you. . .maybe.

I've been tagged!

2007-05-03T14:02:00.000+01:00

I don't WRITE my blog often, but I don't READ it either. if I did I'd have picked up Linda's tag earlier - sorry Linda. OK , so seven random facts/habits about ME

1. I HAVE to read in bed before I can go to sleep (my granny taught me this a VERY long time ago)
2 I hate wearing shoes, and often have freezing cold feet before I think to put some on!
3 I can't talk on the telephone unless I am wearing my glasses because I can't hear properly
4 I can't bear the small of tomato plants, crysanthemums or pelargoniums
5 I lived in Cyprus for two years as a kid, but learned to swim in the October after we came home in the sea off the south coast of England!
6 I'm not scared of spiders and will cheerfully remove them from the house/garage
7 I AM phobic about slugs and snails - and consequently have NEVER eaten escagots (shudder)

OK, now I have to tag seven people. I think it's going to be hard to find seven who haven't already done this, so I'll be back later. Off to trawl some blogs!!

Whatever happened to April???

2007-05-02T22:21:00.000+01:00

I do kind of remember promising to blog more often. Well, never trust a subversive elephant!! It's not that I have a boring life. I'm just totally lazy.
High points of the month were Beth's 30th birthday. How DARE my baby be 30!!! I remember when she was born, and it isn't THAT long ago - or pehaps it is. . .
Anyway, here she is, bless her!

The other main event of the month was my ex-mother-in-law's 90th birthday. i learned long ago that you never get rid of a mother-in-law, especially if your children are her grandchildren, and you have a conscience! Not quite sure why Alan and I count as "close family" to be invited to her lunch party, but we were, and we went, and most of her family are really pleasant people you could get on with anywhere. She's a bit of a liability, and her elder son is a class-A pratt, but his very sweet Peruvian wife keeps him in check.
This is a picture of the whole bang-shoot of them - minus Alan and myself - who took the photographs. One old bird, plus her two sons, and two step-children,7 of 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren, plus various partners, hangers-on, and dogs!!
Actually, when I look, various people have managed to escape, but it's still quite a heap of people to treat to lunch - thanks to my ex-BIL and his family!!

Oh, and just to prove I haven't stopped crafting, here is my Easter tree, feathers added after seeing Anso's

- and my first layout from the Design Collective, courtesy of the lovely Kirsty Wiseman

Beth's crop is catching up with me, so I must get on with the class layout for that. . .

I shall return - don't know when (two famous wartime quotes in one - lucky you!!)

LOOOOOOOOK!!!! ---> --->

2007-03-31T00:28:00.000+01:00

I've got a Guestbook! That means if you don't have anything to say, there's a special place for you to say it!! Seriously, there are times I'd like to say "Hi" on a blog, but I don't have anything to add to a specific thread. Know what I mean? That's what the guestbook is for. Just pop in and say hello. If you want to tell me where you're from and how you found me that'd be great.
Off to bed now coz I've been out on the razzle and I can't keep my eyes open any longer

More stuff!

2007-03-28T19:02:00.000+01:00

At last! A craft blog with some crafting stuff on it. These are a set of ATCs for a swap entitled "Trees". This is just the way my mind works sometimes. . .

Inchies

2007-03-27T23:52:00.000+01:00

Just popping by to gloat as I have FINISHED my first batch of inchies for a swap. 26 of us are each doing a full alphabet and will get one back with one letter from each participant. I'm glad I'm not organisingTHAT!
Here they are - painted the background with ink, then lettered with a calligraphy pen, hand-drawn flourishes and a bit of gold to finish.

JANUARY MEMORIES

2007-03-23T13:30:00.000Z

Finally got around to my first layout from my memory jar - February under construction!!

I've wound the saturation up a bit as the blue is really a pale ice colour and didn't photo well. One positive memory for each day - some better than others!

Emily's Art Journal Journey 2007

2007-03-22T15:36:00.000Z

I've been doing this since the beginning, but not as consistently as I might. With a bit of a push, I am now up to date, so here are the first eleven weeks!! If you know ANYTHING about me, you know how I love to talk, so it won't surprise you that every card has scads of writing on the back of it - emphasis on the "JOURNAL" bit - specially as my artwork ain't the best in the world!! Here you go, then.

Week One
I am so proud of my Family
I am proud of the way they have coped with tragedy - the loss of their father, the death of their sister and now my illness. Three remarkable children, and a husband in a million
The writing here is a bit wobbly coz I wrote it backwards on the transparency overlay!

Week two
What is powerful to you?
One of the most pwerful things on earth - the human mind. Powerful in imagination, in invention, in ingenuity. If you can harness yours, you'll be invincible!

Week Three
I am - alive!
In June 2004 I was diagnosed with metastatic renal cell carcinoma - kidney cancer - which had spread to my lungs. The realistic expectation was about 18 months to live. I am heading for three years with no appreciable symptoms so far. THAT'S LUCKY!

Week Four
A Symbol I Love

My Subversive Elephant!
I spent several YEARS trying to turn "JAN" into an elephant. At long last I had a brainwave, tried my initials, and the Subversive Elephant was born,

Week Five
Ephemera
Apart from BUS TICKETS, my most frequently aquired piece of ephemera would be receipts from bookshops, WHAT a surprise!!

Week Six
Love Love Love
We lost Giz this week. Nearly 18 years, and 17 on from losing Abigail. There's a small black furry hole in our hearts nothing will fill. I hope he and Abi are together at last. Missing the loudest PURR in the world.

Week Seven
Shoes
On my 40th birthday I decided that I would NEVER have uncomfy shoes again. 20 years spent in flat shoes and trousers, and I'm still happy with my decision. This year I have discovered CROCS, so I now have comfy RED shoes

Week Eight
I Miss -
My lovely mother and my darling daughter.
Mother died in 2000, Abi in 1990. One calm, quiet and hard-working - one loud, fiesty and dynamic, but both strong, both well-loved, and both much missed

Week Nine
Inspiration Found
I've always liked KLIMT paintings and more recently I've found the work of the Austrian Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Look at his wonderful buildings and enjoy!

Week Ten
Note to self
Since I was diagnosed with cancer in 2004 I have tended to ignore my mortality. I am becoming aware that my time is not to be WASTED!

Week Eleven
My initial
I enjoyed my calligraphy classes and I sometimes wish I had persisted with them. Apart from anything else I might have improved my handwriting!!

The UPS and DOWNS of February

2007-03-05T15:53:00.000Z

Good grief. Is it really over a month since I posted?? How dreadful! I did say I'd post more often didn't I?? Some resolution that turned out to be. Anyway, here's February. A good in patches month with some serious UPS and DOWNS.
UP
At the beginning of the month I managed to catch a Dolly bead for Beth, Dom came to spend the night and we went to a great 18th birthday party. We also went to watch Phobe as Dorothy in her drama group presentation of The Wizard of Oz

DOWN 12th
Concern about little cat grew and grew and although he did pick up a bit - the infamous purr returned - in the end we decided enough was enough and we let him go. We'd had him for just under 18 years, so it was a terrific wrench and there is a little black furry hole in our lives. I feel as though I have lost another link with my daughter. She loved him so much: I hope they are together at last - she waited a long time for him to join her. She wanted him buried with her, and 17 years and two days later he joined her. I'm planning to scrap his life. maybe if I can do HIM I can get up courage to do HER. .

DOWN 15th
My trip to the consultant. Things are gradually getting worse, and this time I was asked if I wanted to start treatment. NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! We agreed to give it another three months and monitor things. I've made up MY mind not to start until after my birthday in June - I want to enjoy the party!
UP 15th
Phoebe's 9th birthday tea. We went straight from the hospital, so were a bit shell-shocked for a riot, but the kids had fun and there was cake, and she is BEEEautiful!
DOWN - 16th
My aunt invited me to go to Folkestone with her so she could visit a recently bereaved cousin. I really didn't want to go right then, leaving my poor DH lonely in the house missing Mog and worrying about me, but I felt I had to go. Miserable trip as I don't fit into coach seats, but nice to see places that are writ large in my childhood memories. Aunt did warn me that she snored - but not quite how loud, so I had very little sleep for the two nights we were there!
UP - 17th
Visiting the cousin I hadn't seen for over 40 years and finding another scrapper! Actually she does MASSES of stuff, especially flower-arranging, but she had family photos I'd never seen before and will get copies for me, HOORAY! She's coming this way in April so we will meet again then.
Aunt also visited an old friend - again someone I have known forever, except I didn't know she worked at Bletchley Park during the War and gives talks on the Enigma Machine.
UP 19th - 21st
Home again and off to watch Phoebe dance at the local Festival. She really is good. She danced in 7 classes and got 3 second places and 3 third. One of the seconds was for a tap duet for under 12s - her tap partner is 11 - It was SUCH fun and they were really good together. they looked as though they were having fun.

DOWN
Just feeling so tired after all this that I stayed in bed. That's ridiculous. There's SO much I want to do, and then I just sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep.
UP 24th
Out for a Chinese with friends
UP 26th
Waterlooville Happyscrappers with two new members. The talk was about Beth's Crop on Saturday, and the possibility of moving venue if it's cheaper/ nicer

So that was February 2007. It looks as though March may be going along the same lines. we already have two funerals and two birthdays, plus Mother's Day, a family photo shoot and Phoebe's next show. And I wonder why I am tired. . .
OH, and I did some scrapping. Four layouts for Beth's class here, as well as a lot more ATCs. Now off to do some inchies for a swap. . . WHAT possessed me - INCHIES - how small is that!!

Just coz I can

2007-01-30T13:01:00.000Z

Here are the last two lots of ATCs I have done, one for NPLH and one for the Pad.

EVERYTHING ORIENTAL

BE MINE

Tough Day

2007-01-29T23:48:00.000Z

I had to go for a CT scan this morning. I really hate them, not for the actual scan, which is no problem, but for the barium gloop. Nasty stuff. Everyone hates it, but they don't seem to be able to make it any more palatable. The girl doing the needles was having a bad day - she was having to have several goes at finding a vein -in one case FIVE!! Four people in a row were told they had "bad veins", and she had to have two goes at mine, and I'm not normally difficult. Think she might just have been having an off day.

I certainly was. This is the 17th anniversary of Abigail's death, and, no, I haven't got used to it yet!! I've been talking about Giz lately, so here is a photo from July 1989 of kitten Giz with his Mum, shortly after she was diagnosed.
It's really weird that the kitten lived longer than the daughter; she was 16 and he is now over 17.

Out tonight to our local crop. there were five of us there - we really need six, but i had a good evening and I have now finished my ATC marathon for a few weeks. The next lot aren't due out until April!! I'll scan and post them tomorrow, but right now I'm away to my bed! It's been a looooong and quite emotional day.

Insect days,Moggies and ATCs

2007-01-24T23:06:00.000Z

Dom had an "Insect day" from school on Tuesday. I asked him what he thought the teachers did on insect day. He reckons they all dress up as insects and rush about the place while there are no kids. Then he thought it would be good if they all turned into REAL insects and got eaten so there wouldn't be any more school. Nothing wrong with his imagination!

Little mog has been ill again. He had a serious op last July when large amounts of his liver were removed, but he recovered well at first. Lately the weight has just fallen off him, and he is now just fur and bones. He eats, though. BOY does he eat!! The vet reckons he isn't able to metabolise his food properly, so he eats for England and gets thinner. Hands up who thinks that might be a good disease to have for a while?? Anyway, last week he got much worse. He had a fit, which isn't unusual, but just didn't pick up after it and by Monday we were thinking he was on his way out. He wasn't eating, and his purr had disappeared. I spent most of Monday night in tears, but got him to the vet, who diagnosed a tummy upset, prescribed steroids, enzyme additives and a fat-free diet. Cat has scoffed VAST amounts of chicken and is lying on Alan's lap purring like a jack-hammer!! Maybe he WILL get to be 18!

I've been on an ATC kick this month. mostly because I committed myself to several swaps with the same deadline, and they all caught up with me at once. Anyway I now have only one more set to do this month, and I know what they will be. The last lot were hard for me because I can't draw, and they were a set on God and Godesses. I had intended them to be very abstract, but the ideas just would NOT gel, so I ended up with Gods of the Discworld. Given how awful my drawing is, they are OK. Took a long time to work out how to draw a crocodile full-face!! What do you think? I know FATE, whose eyes are supposed to be pools of utter blackness with the stars and constellations whirling in their depths, just looks as though he is wearing shades, but hey, that's cool for FATE!

Crafting at last!

2007-01-12T19:13:00.000Z

FINALLY getting my act back together. I have made these ATCs for a swap on a US forum. My first swap, and most of them seem to be "artists" - in that they draw and paint - rather than papercrafters, so I hope they are alright. The theme is "Children's Literature" and I'm playing it safe with Winnie-the-Pooh. Used the original EH Shepard illustrations, rather than the Disney ones coz Pooh is a better shape - and no T-shirt!

Memories

2007-01-12T00:52:00.000Z

It's not a new year's resolution, more an obsession, but my theme for this year is going to be creating memories. I MUST do more scrapping, but I also want to organise more family events and write down more of my personal memories. Part of this is obviously because I am aware that I can't go on being lucky with my condition forever; but I am also 60 this year, so the end is nigher than it ever was anyway!!
I'm not altogether sure why I think my family will want loads of information about me and my life when I am gone, but I know how much I'd LOVE to read my mother's or grandmother's diaries - so I intend to give my descendants the option - in spades.

I've made myself a Memory Jar - AND taken a photo of it, but blogger won't let me upload it (not even through photobucket!! :( - I'll try again tomorrow!
Here it is!!

Every day I am going to put one nice memory into the jar, and once a month I am going to scrap them. A combination Diary and memorybook and an incredibly lazy way to document my year. I've even cut up all the slips of paper in advance and put them in a tictac container stuck to the side of the jar - no excuses!!

Two little boys

2007-01-08T16:42:00.000Z

Dominic came to spend the day here on Saturday. Well, that's the theory!! In fact he now comes here so he can play with Ben from next door. Ben is a few weeks younger that Dom and they are the best of mates. All through the Christmas holidays we have had visits from Ben asking if Dom was here, and I just couldn't stand the little sad face any more, so I arranged with Beth that Dom should come here after the panto on Friday. In the event Dom stayed til Sunday lunchtime to give them more time together. On Saturday evening when Ben's dad came to collect him they were sellotaping themselves together so he didn't have to go home. All they did was play Game-Boy, Playstation and online computer games, but then they ARE 7 and it was raining all weekend!

The panto was quite good. Phoebe was splendid, of course, but the principals were OK and the costumes and sets were certainly VERY swish. Lisa Riley was a fun fairy godmother and the comic was excellent (tho Phoebe said he had got bored and cut out a lot of his material, so the show ended earlier than it had at the start of the run!!) Auditions loom for "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang" Touring shows use local kids in their productions, and this is on in Southampton for the summer season. Watch this space!

I am starting to craft again after a long dry spell. Only a couple of ATCs so far, but I have 2 swaps on the go, so I MUST get my act together. Got a couple of CJ pages outstanding, too and have promised them for the weekend. . .

Bl**dy January again!!

2007-01-04T22:52:00.000Z

Please note the above is the title of a Flanders and Swann song , although it does sum up my feelings at the moment.
We had a successful trip north with no real problems in either direction. A very quiet and relaxing time with Nick and Dena and Dena's parents. We didn't really even rouse ourselves to watch the fireworks across the river at Drayton Manor Park - how lazy is that?
We stopped off at our usual pub for lunch on the way home. We have yet to have a poor meal there and would recommend it to anyone. The New Inn, Heckfield, Hampshire. Good food, great atmosphere, excellent service.

Spent Wednesday quietly, mostly catching up on my sleep, but also having a bit of "me-time" for what would have been Abigail's 33rd birthday. That just does NOT seem possible. She's caught in crystal in 1990 for me, and I find it hard to imagine what she might have become. There is a high probability that she would have stuck to her intention of being a nanny in America and marrying an American. If so I guess by now she'd have had several children of her own, and I wouldn't have seen her on her birthday anyway!

Abigail Rachel
3rd January 1974 - 29th January 1990
Love you - always and forever

Tomorrow we are going to the theatre to watch Phoebe in her Panto. Alan is taking me out for a fortifying lunch first AND a trip to the craft centre. HOORAY!

Heading North

2006-12-30T23:30:00.000Z

Not actually NORTH, but considerably norther than here on the southernmost coast of Engerland. We are off to Tamworth for the New Year to see the Son and Heir (well, Son, anyway). I MAY stay awake to see the New Year in, but if I am as tired as I have been these last few days I may well be snoring. PLEASE keep your fingers crossed for an uneventful journey, and I'll be back on Wednesday, hopefully with some pictures. . .

. . . meanwhile a very HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all

Boxing Day - how did that happen?

2006-12-26T17:33:00.000Z

How did so much time pass by without me noticing that I hadn't written anything here?? It isn't as though nothing has happened, and it isn't that I haven't spent FAR TOO MUCH time in front of my PC.
I am going to have to mend my ways though. Apart from anything else, I put my blog address on my Christmas letter this year, so people might actually be dropping by to see if there is any news - MAYBE!
It's been a quiet Christmas. We dropped in to Beth and Dom on Christmas Eve for hot chocolate and mince pies, and on Amanda and family on Christmas afternoon. Apart from that we have been on our own, peaceful and relaxing! I didn't decorate the house, didn't cook a Christmas meal, and we have just chilled out and done our own thing for once.
Gifts have also been low-key, except for my lovely TROLL BEAD bracelet. These are fast becoming THE must have non-craft item in a scrapbookers life, and I feel very lucky to have started a collection of these lush beads. They aren't cheap, but they are just SOOO delicious.
Alan and I both have books and books and books to read. I'm stuck into Terry Pratchett again, re-reading "the Hogfather", which I didn't see on the box as we don't have that channel. I've heard varying reports of it, but would love to know if any died-in-the-wool Discworld fan has an opinion.
Off to the dentist tomorrow. A lump of tooth fell out at 8pm on 23rd - just when it would be the longest time before the dentist was open again. So far not painful enough to disturb him, but he won't be surprised to see me - I seem to do this most years!!

Umm - hello! I am still here. . .

2006-11-12T16:19:00.000Z

I'm not sure why I don't update this more often. It's not that nothing happens, and it certainly isn't coz I don't have anything to say, as anyone who has ever met me will testify! Somehow the days slip by. . . and now it's nearly Christmas, and not a pressy bought! Not likely to be soon, either, as I am at a retreat next weekend and at crops for the following two weekends. . . what cool organisation is that!!

Scrapmanic next weekend, and BOY am I excited. I've only been to one retreat before and that was the Canny Crafts one last January. It was their first, and as it turned out, last, retreat and it had a real "family" feel to it. Most of us knew each other really well from the Canny forum (now The Craft Forum). This is a very different affair. An established retreat with over 50 delegates, more classes and people attending as delegates whose names I recognise. Bit scary!! I am wondering if I shall be able to keep up! Also looking forward to meeting some online friends for the first time - and NOT worrying about keeping up in the gossip and giggle department.

Halloween came and went with the usual prcession of little goblins and witches. Dom and Phoebe made haunted gingerbread houses. This is Phoebe's, complete with plastic cockroach with red goo inside it (Thank you, Auntie Beth!)

Guy Fawkes also came, but has not gone away yet, if the explosions last night are anything to go by. They are SO loud these days - even made me jump, and I LOVE fireworks. Some of my neighbours must spend a frightening amount of money on them.

Next week is DH's 60th birthday (and I'm going to Scrapmanic!) I don't do this often, but I want to say that I am a VERY lucky me to have such a kind man. OK, so he IS a bloke, and they are all annoying on principle, but he has been a rock to me over the past 20+ years and I'd be a worse person without him.

Thanks, Teddy!

I also promised Beth a plug for "No Place Like Home" This was originally set up as a refugee camp when a group of us were thrown out of our usual home by the forum gremlins, but she wants to keep it going as an Altered Art forum. Everyone is welcome, and if you want to play with paint and paper and glitter and bits and pieces, or have ever WANTED to try an ATC and been scared of the big kids, this may be a place to start. VERY small, VERY informal and hopefully, fun! I did once join a UK Altered Art forum, but they cancelled my membership and I still don't know why, coz they wouldn't tell me!??! If you have had this experience try us. We won't treat you like that, honest!!

WHOO-HOO - On a roll here!!!

2006-10-24T16:05:00.000+01:00

Another day, another layout! That's got to be the first time in ages I've done more that one in a week! It's going to be a bit forulaic, but I want these pages, from Shimelle's class, to be an obviouse series. If they were going in their own book it would be different, but they are going in an existing BOM, so they need to be easily identifiable. As an added extra I have customised the blinkie she sent us, and that will go on every page.
Here's Shimelle's version:-

And here's mine:-
Subtle, huh?

The other thing is that the REAL purpose of these layouts is the journalling, so I want people to be able to find it easily when they need to. Anyway, here's "SAD". Lots to write about here, of course.

Heading for "ANGRY" now!!

So you think you know me?

2006-10-22T21:51:00.000+01:00

Like many of my fellow scrappers I am signed up to Shimelle's online class with this title. It has taken me a while to get moving with it, mostly due to lack of photos, but also to the fact that I decided to do it in 12 x12 format. Most of the others are making a special book and going for 5x7 or 6x6, or something else more manageable. NOT ME!! I want to include these pages in my existing "Book of Me", and that means 12 x 12. I've managed a compromise in that the actual twiddly bits of the page are concentrated in a 7 x7 square which is then stuck on the white 12 inch page. I've only stuck three sides so I can add any amount of writing! I think this will become more necessary at a later stage. The prompts are all to do with mood - Happy, sad, scared, relaxed etc, and I think I could write a novel on sad. Hell, I AM writing a novel on sad!! It's not a novel I want to share with everyone who glances through a photo-album; and it may well not be what they want to read there, so a home for hidden writing is a GOOD IDEA!

Here's my first page. You may find that yellow is NOT my best colour, but it is a happy sunshine colour, so I had to work with it. It also seems to have come out an odd bluish colour here. It really is a white background with bright yellow bits!!

Phoebe came to spend the day on Friday so I introduced her to the joys of Club Penguin, of which Dom is already an enthusiastic member. Phoebe loved it, so she now has her own penguin, and is looking forward to spending time with it, and its pet puffle, on Wednesday. On Saturday morning beth was logged in as Dom, and I was logged in as Phoebe and we were playing with the penguins AND talking to each other on the phone. How sad is that??

Here I am again!

2006-10-06T12:44:00.000+01:00

I keep intending to update this blog, and then somehow the days escape me! I can't believe it's so long since my last post.
Anyway, we had a quick trip over to the Isle of Wight to attend the birthday party of Alan's cousin Daph. They are a lovely family, so welcoming and interested in everyone. Makes the idea of moving to the Island permanently seem very attractive. We stayed in a super B&B in Shanklin but when we left on Sunday morning I managed to fall down the steps. I hurt my right knee, and my left ankle. I have discovered it is quite hard to limp on both legs at once. The ankle is all but healed, but the knee, like the left one I injured in February, is taking its time. It is VERY painful at night, which is a bit of a bummer!
It has led me to a thought. Small kids are always falling over, but as an adult, unless you are sporty (which I never have been) you don't fall over much. I can remember slipping on the ice one winter in Cosham, so that must have been in the 80's. Since then I have fallen flat on my face in the middle of the (thankfully empty) main road a couple of years ago, and twice so far this year. Maybe I am entering my second childhood??
Had a great day at Katie's Cre8tive crop at Titchfield on Saturday last. For once I actually finished something - even if only a CJ page. I am also very impressed with myself as I have actually USED the layout sketch Debbie and Sophie gave us for our class. It doesn't have any photos on it yet, but it is all ready!!
Saturday evening saw us at the final performance of Fareham Musical Society's production of "Annie", featuring performances by Phoebe and her Nanny Lynda. These are the pictures I need for the layout and Amanda has bought the CD of stills, so I'll have to wait for them. Phoebe was very good - obviously having a ball and very much at home on the stage. Drama, dance and music festivals in the offing now! I can't keep up with her.

I'm half-listening to the news as I type this. It's full of hype about Jack Straw and the veiled Muslim women. I know modesty is required by Islam, but I don't think the full veil is, so I think he has a point. WE live in a culture which regards hiding the face as a sign of ill-intent. From the conning of Jacob in the Old Testament, through Man in the Iron Mask, to highwaymen and the Wild West, we have been taught that covering your face means you have something to hide. This unconciously learned cultural lesson must colour our relationships with people who veil themselves for another reason. WE may have to respect their culture, but THEY should at least understand the suspicion that these practices generate. The veiled girls at college are referred to as "bandits", which is hardly a positive image for them!

New look

2006-09-20T23:03:00.000+01:00

Beth came up yesterday and swapped me over to the new blogger set-up. It wasn't til she finished that she told me she didn't know how to get rid of the double title effect, so I'm stuck with it until I find out!

I've already had a complaint about the grey background, but hey, what colour do you think elephants are? Even subversive ones! It may change.

As more and more people are starting blogs it's becoming a thing to use blog-prompts. Just an idea to get you started on something. Beth has used one today which invites you to look at your life in terms of a patchwork quilt. What sort of quilt would it be, and what would some of the patches contain? This started me thinking of actually doing a layout on this theme, but with 60 years to cover I think it may be a bit ambitious to fit it in even a double page. I'm pretty certain it would have to be a crazy quilt - no overall pattern, colour or texture, but one or two strong themes! I'll have to think about this!!

Meanwhile I am nearly at the end of the CAT Circle journal I have been doing. Only half-a dozen of us, but I have really enjoyed it. One more page to do, then I'll scan my book and show you the pikkies.

Meanwhile here is one of Alan's pictures of the squirrels on the Isle of Wight. he thought they'd be shy and elusive. In the event one of them came and sat on his knee!!

9/11 Out of the Blue

2006-09-11T14:18:00.000+01:00

I read this poem by Simon Armitage last night. It is being read on Channel 5 (which I can't get) this evening. It is very long, but it is well worth the effort. It is written from the point of view of a man working at the top of the World Trade Centre, living through, and ultimately dying on, 11th September. The last lines speak to us all about the world we now live in.

Five years on

what false alam can be trusted again?
What case or bag can be left unclaimed?
What flight can be sure to steer its course?
What building can claim to own its form?
What column can vow to stand up straigh?
What floor can agree to bear its weight?
What tower can vouch to retain its height?
What peace can be said to be water-tight?
What truth can be said to be bullet-proof?
Can anything swear to be built to last?
Can anything pledge to be hard and fast?
What system can promise to stay in place?
What structure can promise to hold its shape?
What future can promise to keep the faith?

Everything changed. Nothing is safe.

In memory of those who died on 9/11, and of all those innocents in many countries who have died as a result of that day.

Link to poem

F-F-FORTY years on!!

2006-09-10T18:44:00.000+01:00

I can't belieeeeeeve it, but it is true. I was originally married 40 years ago today. I guess the best thing I can say is that it seemed like a good idea at the time!! Actually I had a wonderful day, and subsequent events are not allowed to take that away from me. Glass of champagne and a canape for all those who say I haven't changed a bit!!

Scarily young and VERY scarily virginal!!

Moving right along

2006-09-10T00:12:00.000+01:00

It's been some time since I updated this, but as I think I'm the only person who reads it, it probably doesn't matter much! The Aunt's birthday party went well. It didn't rain on us and there were 20 people there, all related to ME!! Beth and I are putting some pictures in an album for her.

We've also been on holiday, which is the reason for most of the gap. Two weeks on the Isle of Wight, some of the time in the company of cheerful friends. We found some more good restaurants and had a good time despite the howling gale and Alan putting his back out so he couldn't drive!

This is a picture taken out of the bedroom window of the house we stayed in. We thought this cottage was derelict LAST year, but it has even more props this year - including the one which appears to be leaning against the glass! The really SCARY thing about it is that the window I have arrowed shows a light in the evening. Yes, folks, there are people LIVING in this!! When that wall goes the whole roof will fall on their heads. . . There is something to be said for a 1970's "holiday cottage"!!

Not dead yet . . .

2006-08-05T22:16:00.000+01:00

. . .yet again!!
I had geared myself up for bad news from the consultant for her to say, "No change" again. We spent more time talking about holidays than we did anything else. Back in December, so huge sighs of relief all round and another 4 months repreive!!

Beyond that I seem to be in a bit of a trough at the moment. I found the very hot weather particularly trying, and the whole thing culminated in me feeling decidedly unwell this past week. Much better now - I am even eating again, which is a bit annoying coz I could well do with a few months of starvation!

Last weekend was the christening of my friend Beverley's twins, Hannah and Matthew. The babies were beautiful and Lynn and I were both astounded at how much of the service we knew by heart - and that lightning didn't strike either of us! As ever, Bev's Mum was never knowingly undercatered and we had a great day.

Miss Phoebe came to play again this week. As a result of her stage appearance in London she was asked to audition for "The Sound of Music". You know, the production they are looking for a Maria for on the tele!! As it happens she can't do it, as she will be on stage in "Annie" the week they start rehearsals, but they will need more children later, so her name is on the list for next year. Amanda seems to think it would be for Brigitta, the ten-year-old, given how tall Phoebe is. Watch this space. . .

Cat seems to have come through his operation very well. He has NOT got cancer, but will need some steroid treatment later to help him out. Meanwhile he is being spoiled rotten with chicken dinners and will probably never eat cat-food again!! He has already put on some weight!

Gearing up this week for the Great-Aunt's Birthday Picnic next Saturday. I have this great feeling of foreboding coz no-one is talking to me about it, so I am sure they are not going to turn up. Mind you I'm always like this, so I should STOP WORRYING HA flippin' HA HA!!

There's a cybercrop on UKS this weekend, and though I'm not actually doing it I have been looking at the "BOOK OF ME" prompts. I asked Alan if he could list five things which would indicate that it was ME in the house, rather than anyone else. His list reads

Television on and no-one watching
Handbag at the bottom of the stairs
Someone talking on the phone
Coke bottle and glass out
Books everywhere

How well he knows me. Four out of five were the same as mine, the only difference being I left out the phone and left my shoes in the hall!!

That WAS a week, that was!!

2006-07-25T23:03:00.000+01:00

I can't think where the time goes!

Lots has happened. We spent a couple of days helping Beth do up the bathroom in her house. It had a very yukky old carpeted floor and brown plastic accessories, so it now looks a lot better with chrome bits and a vinyl floor - MUCH better for small boys!

Said small boy was abducted and taken over to the Isle of Wight by his uncle and aunt. He has come back very brown and slightly bruised where he fell out of a tree, but he had a wonderful time, most of it spent on the beach. Nick and Dena spent the rest of the week restoring their energy levels!! They spent last Saturday night here, and we went out on the Saturday evening for Nick's birthday. Can I have a son who is now 36?? Apparently I can!

The previous Saturday was Phoebe's end of year presentation at her ballet school so I went with Amanda to watch. I admire Yasmin, who owns the school. She gets every child up on stage, no matter their ability, and they all give their very best. Some of the older girls are very good. It is so strange seeing the contrast between the on-stage poised young dancer, and the off-stage kid having a laugh with her mates.

Phoebe is here overnight as it is my turn to child-mind tomorrow. She is shattered as she has been up since 6am. She was lucky enough to be one of 100 children to participate in a workshop on Saturday to chose 25 to perform at the launch of London Theatre Kids Week. Phoebe was good enough to be one of the 25, so she had to be in London at 9.30 this morning to rehearse, later performing on the stage of the Prince of Wales theatre in the West End with the cast of "Mamma Mia" The launch was broadcast on TV in London, but of course, none of us will ever see it!!

I spent Sunday at a crop in Berkshire. Yes, it is a bit of a long way to go, but it is run by my UKS team leader, MJ, and most of my fellow Scrapettes were there. Anyway, it's not half as far as it is for the lovely Linda, who took me there and back. It takes her an hour to get to me, and another hour to the crop, bless her. I had a fab day, and I actually did a whole layout, which is unheard of for me, coz I am usually too busy gassing.

What else? Oh yes, the cat has had to go to the vet. He has a growth in his stomach which has to be removed. Bit scary as he is 17, which makes him around 82 in cat years. The vet seems sure he can sort him out. Apparently all his blood tests came back showing him to be in remarkable shape for a mog his age. Anyone care to guess how much he is going to cost us THIS time? His sister has also turned up. She has been missing for about six weeks and we had really given her up for lost. She is totally deaf, and totally daft, so we thought a car might have hit her, but there she was, scruffy, grubby, and hungry. She ate everything in sight and disappeared again. She IS a floozie, so she probably has several other homes.

I also had a visit from a friend who now lives in the States. She has been gone 12 years and is one of the few people who never forgets my second daughter. We have exchanged cards and letters over the years and it was really great to see her. She did admit to finding the heat oppressive - and she comes from California!!

So there we are. A week and a bit in the life of someone who never does anything. . .!!

Whale watching in suburbia

2006-07-14T12:08:00.000+01:00

Had my scan yesterday, so today I am sitting here feeling sorry for myself coz I am left with post-scan queasiness. Lasts about two days, and then I'm back to normal - or what passes for normal round here. They have a new scanner. (Just as well really, as the old one is broken!) They are very protective of their new scanner, and don't want to break it, so how much do I weigh?? Now, I don't know. I don't weigh myself on principle, because I think it is far too depressing. I was right! It is depressing. They weighed me. Since August 2004 when I had the nephrectomy I have GAINED over six stone. Now how is that possible? I have cancer, for heavens sake. ADVANCED METASTATIC cancer!! Possibly, no PROBABLY, incurable cancer. Now I KNOW I am a bit of a fraud, because, despite the scary diagnosis, and the VERY scary prognosis, I actually feel fine. HONESTLY. I have had no symptoms of this disease, so it is very easy to ignore it and just get on with life. There really isn't anything brave or praiseworthy about it, coz I really can just push it out of my mind, and it doesn't jump up and bite me on the bum. However, I DO NOT expect to GAIN WEIGHT!!!! There is no jolly justice is there?

I also have my own personal soap-box about the way obesity is being treated. It's an epidemic, we're told. It's a serious problem. And yet, if you ask a health professional for help you get virtually nothing. Because it's your own fault. If you weren't weak-willed and lazy and stuffing your face 24/7 you'd be slim and energetic. OH YEAH! My contention is that eating disorders should be given the same level of funding as alcoholism and drug addiction. I also believe there is ONE fundamental difference between food addicts and other addiction. Hard as it may be, anyone addicted to one substance, or one set of substances, can chose NEVER to use them again. Food addicts still have to eat. EVERY DAY. More than once. What do you imagine the recovery rate for alcoholism would be if every alcoholic in recovery were forced to have one drink a day? Just one, no more, no less. Oh, and to add insult to injury, that drink must be your LEAST FAVOURITE form of alcohol. That's what food addicts have to do. Every day. You HAVE to eat. You HAVE to eat stuff you don't like much. EVERY DAY! FOREVER!! And they wonder why it doesn't work!!

And why, if I really want to buck the odds, and try to lose weight, do I have to PAY to go to Weight Watchers or Slimming World? Why does my local Health Centre (5 practices under one roof) not have an obesity clinic? Can you imagine the outcry if there were organisations preying on alcoholics and drug abusers and turning their rehabilitation into a multi-million dollar "industry"? Yet we fatties are EXPECTED to become part of that exploitation. GRRRRR!

And Jan falls through the top of her soap-box, crushing it to matchwood

TAGGED!

2006-07-11T22:17:00.000+01:00

by MJ

1. How old are you? 59
2. How many kids do you have if any? 4 originally, 3 now plus two grandchildren.
3. Are you married, single, divorced, widow,? Married to second husband, but first love! (aaaaah)
4. What is your occupation? Retired
5. What are your passions? Family, Books, Internet, Scrapping
6. Are you a dreamer or a dream seeker? Dreamer - too lazy to be an dream seeker
7. Are you happy with the way you life has turned out? NO! I am NEVER satisfied with my life, but that is because I am never satisfied with MYSELF
8. Are you a scrapper and if so how many hours a week do you scrap? Yes, but not enough, given that I have no job. Easily distracted by almost anything
9. What do you want to do before you die? LIVE!! I was told I had only 18 months nearly two years ago, so I am just taking each day as it comes!
10. What is your favorite food? Sushi - Chocolate isn't food. It's more important than that!
11. What is the food you hate the most? Tomatoes and olives
12. What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you? Telling my dick-head ex-husband off at our son's wedding - and then catching his wife's eye. I had to apologise to her. Bless her, she agreed with me. She is FAR too good for him.
13. What is the happiest day of your life thus far? Marrying Alan. Second time around for both of us. It was my parents' Golden Wedding Anniversary, and my eldest daughter came back from a year in Costa Rica specially the day before.
14. Are you a neat freak? FAR from it! My father once described my house as "Comfortably scruffy" It must have been DIRE for him to notice!
15. What is the worst thing you have ever done? Left my daughter in hospital overnight when she was ill because I knew there was a chance she would have a heart attack during the night and I couldn't face it. She DIDN'T know, and wanted me to stay with her. 16 years on I still feel bad about it. - Oh, and when I was three I filled my little brother's mouth with stones to stop him crying.

So tell me why I have been TOTALLY HONEST here? And I'm going to put this online so the whole world can see it. . . BLOGGERS ARE NUTS!

Just a few doodles. . .

2006-07-05T15:06:00.000+01:00

Doodling has become something of an obsession in the World of Scrap recently. Kirsty Wiseman issued a challenge to us to scrap ourselves, with doodles! The response was overwhelming, and the doodling was FAB. Since then it has got everywhere. Advertisements, clothes, magazines. have a look and you'll see the "flowers and doodles" theme wherever you go. I did this page for Kirsty's challenge. Bit of a cheat really, as the centres of the flowers LOOK hand-drawn, but are actually cut out of black and white patterned paper.

Recently Elsie Flanigan posted a full page of doodles she did on a recent flight, my DD (Dear Daughter) Beth pinched Elsie's idea and ran with it. Now I've had a play. This is MUCH more structured that the "done in 2 hours" one on Elsie's blog, but I had such fun with it. Anyone spot my trademark Nelliephant??

Oh, and it is a VERY late submission for the WISH dare on "Everyone is Speshal" an inspirational site with some of the UK's bestest talent on it

On another note I have FINALLY got an appointment date for my next CT scan. Until now the paperwork has always arrived almost as soon as I have had the previous consultant's appointment - except for the occasion when they made the booking, but didn't tell me when it was. The psychic school of healthcare! Anyway, no paperwork this time, so I rang them, only to be told they'd let me know "nearer the time" Given that they need 10-14 days to process the results 3rd August is getting quite near. Panic over, I go NEXT Thursday. My stomach is already churning at the thought. The scan itself isn't a problem. The machine is like a giant sqare Polo mint with a hole in the middle and the couch goes back and forward through the hole. The middle bit looks and sounds a bit like a huge washing machine, revolving around you. It isn't claustrophobic, and it isn't hot (only because the COMPUTERS have to be kept cool, the sick people can freeze to death!!) I don't even have any problem with the iodine injection they give you, though I know some people get a hot flush. It's the BARIUM!! Oh YUK. I get a litre of this white gloppy stuff an hour before the scan and I have to sip it slowly over the hour. It is usually cold, white, tasteless and JUST AWFUL. Every time I think "It won't be THAT bad" I take ONE sip and it is. It makes me feel so queasy I get anxious about lying in the machine. Last time i was there the lady next to me got a half-litre to drink. I just said "I'm sicker than you, then!" Stuff can also have a very unfortunate effect on the internal workings (or NOT workings) of Jan, but I'm not sure you want to know that.

AnywaY, I'll get the results at the beginning of August. Last lot threw me a bit, because we had got used to the "stable - no change" verdict and the "a bit worse, but we can't tell how fast it's getting worse til the NEXT scan" was a bit scary. This IS the next scan, so we will find out how fast things are deteriorating. I still don't have any appreciable symptoms, so I'm not writing my will yet. . .

That was the week. . .

2006-06-29T14:26:00.000+01:00

. . .that was! Where did it go, I ask myself. Obviously a sign of old age, specially as I now can't remember anything we did!

Dom came to stay on Saturday so that his Mum could go to a crop in Gosport. Dom spent as much time as he could with Ben from next door and I ended up with two small boys hiding behind cushions on my sofa watching Dr Who. Shoved Dom in the bath and left him to play for a few minutes. He called me into the bathroom and this is what I found:-

Bless his heart - he said he wants to be a grandpa. I think it may be because Grandpa has a train set to play with - Oh, sorry, model railway!!

Sunday we went on a family picnic, organised by Amanda's MIL. Linda is a dynamic force, and England game notwithstanding, all the blokes turned up!! The kids had a whale of a time. At one stage they disappeared into the woods to build a den (with adult help) and were gone for an hour and a half. We shall be going back to Manor Farm in August for my Aunt Rosemary's 80th birthday picnic. I didn't take many photos. This one shows the three kids across the other side of the clearing from where we were picnicking, and gives some idea of the space they have to run riot in!!

Monday night was our monthly crop at Waterlooville. It's nice to sit and chat and scrap, and for once I actually got something done. I finished a CJ entry for the Feline Groovy CJ I am doing. Posting day was yesterday, so I was in plenty of time. WHY is it still not mailed, you ask? Well, that would be the agoraphobia kicking in again. I can go out WITH other people. I was FINE on Sunday in the wide open spaces of the Country park, but ask me to walk to the post-box on my own and I turn to jelly - and those of you who have met me will know that that is a LOT of jelly. Tomorrow I have a commitment to go out, so I will manage that. It's only promises to myself I can't keep.

Another CJ arrived on Tuesday morning and I just did the entry straight off. This is SO not me - Mrs Procrastination-with-bells-on. It is due out tomorrow, so that one will be back on track. I'm pleased with it, but I did know EXACTLY what I was going to do before it turned up, and that doesn't happen often!

There's been yet another victim in the scrapshop massacre that seems to be taking place at the moment. Long-established "bricks and mortar" shops are dropping by the wayside as the pressure from the small online-only operators, and the increasing use of UK distributors by the big American maufacturers, squeezes them from both directions. Cotswold Keepsakes will be greatly missed by many of us.

Now, you see, I've wasted another half-hour of what was SUPPOSED to be crafting time. Mrs Procrastination strikes again. . .

Waiting for. . .

2006-06-19T14:52:00.000+01:00

Well, I'm not sure what. I feel as though I'm living in a Beckett play, specifically "Waiting for Godot" where the main theme is that nothing happens!

It hasn't been an eventful week, but a few interesting things have happened. I posted two reviews on the "Information Britain" website. Interesting that the positive review of the restaurant has appeared, and the negative one of the B&B has not. nor have I had any response to my e-mail asking why it has been binned.

I'm also waiting for a response to an e-mail from an Altered Art forum. I joined ages ago, but I can't access it now, even with the new password they sent me, and Beth tells me my name is no longer on the membership list. The site won't let me re-join, even with another username, so I am in limbo, and I have no idea why! I think I have now e-mailed them four or five times, but no response. Very odd! I know several people who are members of this forum, but I don't really want to involve them.

My crafting is taking a bit of a back seat at the moment. Just don't have the inspiration. Probably because the stash is in such a muddle. So this week I shall concentrate on having a mega sort-out and maybe NEXT week the creative bug will bite again. Phoebe came to stay overnight and made some ATCs*. I wanted to scan them, but she wanted to take them home with her, so here are some of mine instead!

Dom is very into drawing and painting at present. Some time ago he drew me this FABBY picture. I can't remember whether it is a crocodile or a dinosaur, but I think it looks very aboriginal and I intend to frame it for my craft room

Apparently it's a
magic fish!

by
Dominic

* ATC stands for Artist's Trading Card. Originally designed to showcase an artist's work, these little (3.5 x 2.5ins) cards have become a craze in the papercraft world. They cannot be sold, but only traded one for one with other makers. It's fun to collect little bits or original artwork from all over the world. Anyone want to trade??

Dire Warning!!

2006-06-13T16:24:00.000+01:00

Went away for the weekend to celebrate the joint Gemini birthdays of myself and my mate, Lynn. We decided to go to Rye in East Sussex as we are both Mapp and Lucia aficionados and fancied swanning around town with our shopping baskets. Very busy place, Rye, and we had a bit of trouble finding anywhere to stay. In the end Lynn found Simmons of the Mint, which was our big mistake. It LOOKED fine, Four stars/diamonds from the RAC and the tourist board.

There was no indication online that the owners do not live on site. In fact there is no-one on site, and the emergency number we were given went straight to voicemail. We needed to telephone them, because, for some reason, they were running their central heating! We didin't notice this until we came back from dinner at about 10.30pm and the heat inside hit us in the face. Normally one would just turn the radiators off. Normally one would have the knobs on the radiators to allow them to be turned off. Not so!! It got to the pitch that we were going to pack up and find somewhere else to stay when they finally switched off at 11.30pm. On again at 6am though!

It cooled down a bit, but we did have our window wide open. Mistake number two. The MInt. Noisy, rowdy chav pub with yelling, screaming and breaking glass until about 1.30 am. That was Friday night. Saturday late afternoon there was a full-scale brawl in the road with one bloke having his face pushed through the window of a shop just up the road. When we went out to dinner there was blood all over the place. When we came back it was broken glass in our doorway and lads having piggy-back fights outside the pub. Bear in mind the road is only about 10 feet wide and all this sounds as though it is in bed with us!!

Bed and breakfast we paid for. The bedlinen didn't fit, and I had to re-make our bed coz when I turned back the covers it looked as though someone had already slept in it. (It did smell OK!). The tea-tray wasn't good enough - no sugar, not enough milk. No water glasses provided. no towel=rail for damp towels. TV remote didn't work. Bear in mind we are talking FOUR STAR here!! No ensuite, and the shower-room door had recently been replaced, but not painted!

Breakfast was supposed to be served at 9am. We arrived downstairs at 9.05, just as a rather grubby and dishevelled waitress arrived at work. The tables had not been laid. Fresh fruit; tho' the pineapple was on the way out. One small packet of corn-flakes (which was left open on the side from Saturday breakfast to Sunday). One empty jar of marmalade, which was grudgingly refilled, one nearly empty and rather sticky bottle of ketchup. One jug of orange juice. Cutlery in a tray on the floor. Cooked breakfast was as advertised, but arrived at 9.45 Toast flat on a plate and stone cold.

We asked the girl who cooked the breakfast what we could do about the heating. She told us the owners were away for the weekend, and she didn't know what to do. In the end her partner just unplugged the pump, which stopped the radiators getting hot. We know that the owners were made aware of our problems. but they just didn't give a toss. Happy to take our money though. So, be warned Simmons of the Mint, Rye, East Sussex. Don't go there!!

If you DO go to Rye you should definitely go to The Fish Cafe in Tower Street and to Hayden's Coffee Shop in the High Street. Hayden's does accommodation, too!!

Next year I may stay home!

Moving too fast. . .

2006-06-06T22:07:00.000+01:00

The world is moving too fast for me at the moment. My favourite craft shop, Canny Craft, has closed. This has wide-reaching impact as Canny (Anne and James) were the sole sponsors of the PapaercraftsUK Forum, which was my intro to this whole online community thingy. PCUK has been my online home for a couple of years. Beth found it first, and joined, and then I tried, but it just wouldn't let us have two logins from the same IP address. For some months we shared the log-in as Panicmum and PanicGran, with Beth posting in blue and me posting in red.

An update of the forum allowed me my own identity and we have been part of the furniture there ever since. Last January Canny organised a Retreat and many of us travelled to Cwmbran for a weekend of crafting and chatting and laughter and fun. Losing Anne and James is like losing part of the fabric of our lives. Luckily the Forum is to continue, and those of us who need a daily, if not hourly, fix will still be able to get it.

I think it is a particular function of online communties where women are in the majority that the overt purpose of the Forum - a shared interest in papercrafts - has almost become secondary to the support network we form for each other. PCUK seems to function as an extended family for many of its members, and we would all be devastated at its demise. Hooray, then, for "Techy James" who has rescued it from oblivion.

The Glums?

2006-06-04T12:37:00.000+01:00

I was taken to see a local drama group presentation of "Les Miserables" last night. I have seen the London production twice, so I was not expecting a great deal, but I have to say these kids were PHENOMENAL!! There were certainly some excellent voices amongst them and the maturity of performance made it very difficult to believe that they were all under 18. Apart from young Gavroche, that is! Phoebe's cousin Declan in his first speaking/singing role. He is so tiny; he is only weeks younger than Phoebe, but just about comes up to her shoulder. This will be such an asset to him as a child performer as he will always be able to "act down".

Spent a day with Phoebe and Dom on Friday. We ventured down to Gunwharf, where the Volvo Ocean Race was preparing to leave. It was less manic that I had anticipated - we even got a seat in a restaurant without waiting! Took the kids to see Ice Age 2 - coz Dom and I both LOVE Manfred the Mammoth. Lovely to see him with a girl-friend, even if she is ditsy as hell and thinks she's a possum. My kinda mammoth!

Plate smashing optional

2006-05-29T23:30:00.000+01:00

This week, being half-term, my grand-daughter is involved in another dance festival. She is 8 now and has been dancing since she could walk. She just LOVES to dance. Today was the classical Greek section. Alan asked if we needed to provide plates for smashing, but it isn't THAT kind of greek dancing! She was just beautiful. It was her first attempt at the Greek style and she did it very well.

She made me cry, which is a bit unusual, but she was SO lovely, and I feel SO cross that I'm probably not going to see her grow up. Now I've said that, fate will intervene again and make me a liar, but I jolly don't care as long as I can stick around for another 10 years or so.

She has already done her Tap section, which she won, but has Modern, Ballet, Song and Dance and Character to go. I don't know about you, but it exhausts me just THINKING about it! I admire my daughter for her committment to this child. Every dance has its own costume and hairstyle, not to mention the make-up! (she's got more than me) and Amanda has a full-time job. She is mad, of course, but in a completely different way from me! Lucky ONE of us has some energy.

Art and crafts

2006-05-28T23:14:00.000+01:00

Spent yesterday at a crop organised by Katie and Dave from Cre8tive Online. Good fun, good food and good chat, as always. I love listening to Katie and Dave talking to each other whilst they work. They are really funny, but I'm not sure they realise it! Dave is in charge of the shop whilst Katie teaches, and then he dashes off to collect lunch and does a mean pudding! It was good to see people and have a gossip as well as ACTUALLY COMPLETING a layout, which may be a first for me at a crop.

Today I went to help out at our local Art Show. I really only had to collect door money and talk a lot, so that was no hardship. We have a Manor House in our village which was threatened with demolition some years ago. It was bought by a couple of local people who run it as a residential home, and have formed a Trust to care for it. Since then the Trust has bought two other properties and the annual Art Show is part of their fund-raising calendar. I try to buy a picture every year, which hasn't always been easy, but this year there was an exceptionally high standard and I had a hard job chosing. Mind you there were a LOT of pictures of boats!!

I was buttonholed by the Rector, who thought he ought to know who I was. He does now! I find it quite difficult to avoid answering people who ask how I am without telling them!! Given that I have virtually no symptoms, it's a bit hard to say "Still dying" I feel a complete fraud, and yet I KNOW that I am really lucky to be alive. It's so difficult to know what to tell people when I don't really know what is going on myself. Anyway, I'll save the "Living with cancer not dying of cancer" monologue for a day when nothing else has happened! Bet you're all gagging for that one!

Rivetting stuff

2006-05-26T23:04:00.000+01:00

Gosh, it's been a wild couple of days - not! Yesterday I spent with Beth. we have this deal whereby we do each other's housework. Don't ask me why cleaning her bathroom is more interesting than cleaning mine, it just IS, right?
Today was "lunch in the pub with the girlies" day. Great lasagne! One of said girlies, my best mate was having a birthday so she got the odd pressy. I say ODD advisedly. A money-box to save up for new shoes and a fairy dress-up doll - and the obligatory VERY rude card. She claims to be 50 this year. I invite you to disbelieve this. We reckon the picture in the attic must look pretty duff by now.

This photo was taken last year at her wedding, but she hasn't aged in 12 months!! I am working on a clippykits handbag for her birthday, which isn't actually until Monday, thank God. Mind you I haven't finished the wedding album yet. . .

Spent the afternoon with my aunt. She's number four of five sisters, my mother was number two. She has just lent me her photo albums so I have scanned everything in sight. Pictures of my mother at two and of ME at the Coronation. Told you I was old! Many layouts now in my head!

Off to a crop tomorrow. I WILL get a layout done - maybe. I talk too much and scrap too slowly.

So why Subversive Elephant?

2006-05-24T21:40:00.000+01:00

Soon after I started University (at the advanced age of 37) my VERY conventional ex-husband chose to tell me I had turned from a "normal mother" into a "radical Marxist Feminist". I've never been altogether sure he knew the meaning of any of those terms - and I've never been a Marxist! I was telling my mother this story and I declared forcefully, "I'm sure he thinks I'm a subversive elephant!" Given that I am a lady of "traditional build" it seemed appropriate to adopt the malapropism and make it my own. Some 20 years on I am still subverting as much as possible - and I am still VERY fond of elephants.

In the beginning . . .

2006-05-23T22:39:00.000+01:00

. . . there' s me. Minding my own business, doing my own thing. Then blogs arrive. Do I get one? Nah! Who wants to know what I think? Do I even KNOW what I think? Umm - well I'm thinking about that! And while I'm thinking I'm reading other blogs, and finding them fascinating, and helpful, and funny and sad. Bit like my life really.
So here I am. Not dead yet! I guess sharing my life might be cathartic. I'm game to give it a go!