| Crochet Dragon |
[Jun. 23rd, 2008|09:06 am] |
Since I finished my dragon last night, how can I resist sharing it? Purely because it's really cute!
( Read more... ) |
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[Jun. 22nd, 2008|01:49 pm] |
Since I've been off sick on and off for the past few days, I've had the chance to catch up on my crochet projects. I finally finished Yoon's bunny, and decided that I needed to knit it a scarf which turned out well. Here's a wee photo of it; not as clear as it could be since my flash isn't working for some reason.
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I am currently crocheting a dragon because it looks really cool. I just need to crochet the spikes and ears now. After the dragon I'll have to find something else. I'm probably going to crochet another happy poo, but I'm just going to embroider the eyes since I've had a falling out with my plastic eyes.
I've also had more opportunity to go out for walks which has been quite a relief. We're going to go for another walk today if it doesn't decide to rain the minute we leave the house. Well, I'm going to go and continue crocheting my dragon. |
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[Jun. 9th, 2008|06:31 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | snake | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  calm | ] |
We had a rare occasion yesterday where Loki decided to come right out, sit on top of his log and pose for me. Usually I only see him when he's trying and failing to be stealth, or when he decides he desperately needs to escape.
So of course I made the most of him while he tried to intimidate me with his stare of unblinking evil. So here you go if you like stripey scaly things.
( Read more... ) |
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[Jun. 8th, 2008|01:16 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
A really good night was had last night. Barry and I met with Keith, Graeme and Nicola and we had a campfire in the woods. I brought some homemade soup to heat on the fire and there were lots of marshmallows. It was nice to see people and I no longer feel like I'm just Barry's girlfriend which is good. We ended up coming home at 2am, but the others are more hardcore and stayed in the woods.
I think we're going to be seeing more of them which is nice. It also gives me an excuse to cook for more people.
Other than that nothing exciting has been going on. I've decided to give marmalade a try for Dad, so I've got a few oranges in the freezer until I have enough for the recipe. I also decided that a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake would be nice to try, so I'm going to make it for a friend's birthday at work. I finally finished the knitted squares and have sent them off, and am now working on the crocheted rabbit again.
I'm off work again at the end of June for two and a half weeks. My older sister Meagan and my nephew Manny are coming over from America for a few weeks which I'm really looking forward to. |
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[Jun. 4th, 2008|05:56 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | content | ] |
I had a better weekend than usual last weekend. I actually saw some friends and we had the Penicuik parade and gala which was good. The lovely weather also really helped. Afterwards I met up with Emma and we went for food then cocktails in town. I actually felt like I had a social life. Pity it only happens about twice a year.
While Emma and I were in town, Barry and a few of his friends camped in the woods. Barry was awoken by someone desperately trying to put out his sleeping bag which was on fire. Fortunately the fire didn't reach is legs, but there's an impressive hole in his sleeping bag now. Oh well, at least he didn't destroy his ankle this time!
Apart from that life's been pretty uneventful. I've been knitting and cooking, but that's about it. Now we have the rest of my veggie lasagne to eat. |
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[May. 27th, 2008|09:30 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | cooking | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | cheerful | ] |
For some reason I'm feeling even more motivated than usual. Since I've got home, I've made supper which was a vegetable gratin. I have also just finished making some homemade hummus and am just waiting for the last batch of homemade pitta bread to bake. This means that Barry and I will have a lovely lunch of pitta bread with hummus and salad. Can't you tell I'm getting bored of plain cheese sandwiches?
I also got a vegetarian cook book through the post today, so now I have lots more yummy sounding recipes to try out. I'm tempted to try the lentil dhal for supper tomorrow, perhaps with cauliflower, and maybe even courgettes! I think I'd make a great housewife! Pity it's not classed as a proper job. |
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[May. 26th, 2008|07:41 pm] |
Sadly my week off has come to an end, but it has been good. We had Spanky, Alison, Brennus and my sister over for lunch on Saturday, and of course I fed them steak and guiness pie which was approved of. Emma brought over her homemade creme caramel, and although there was the issue of burnt caramel, that was fixed with the help of some maple syrup and sugar so all was well.
Other than that, I've been doing lots of knitting and Barry and I have gone for a few walks in the estate. Having had a week off I miss the time when I could live off what I earned doing illustrations. But it has been nice having lots of spare time, especially with my new found productivity.
I have also decided that I need to improve my health, both physically and mentally. We've been eating more healthily; I've even been eating fruit! On top of that I'm making an effort to be more positive and do something about how easily I get annoyed. So I've been reading a very fluffy book called How To Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay. Although it's very fluffy it's actually very good and I think it's already helping. She's also written a very interesting book called How To Heal Your Body. It's about how physical illnesses and disease are often caused by emotional problems, and it makes a lot of sense. For example, cancer is apparently quite often caused by longstanding resentment.
So I'm having a much more positive outlook on life and I've noticed that I'm a lot less snappy and easily irritated by people. It's all very welcome considering how I've felt over the past few months. So look forward to more positive posts and no more mopey rubbish. |
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[May. 21st, 2008|06:58 pm] |
I have had another experimental cooking success. I must be quite good since these experiments almost always go well. Today it was vegetarian chilli; I used to make vegi chilli with quorn mince, but today I decided I should give it a go without strange fake meats. So instead I used chickpeas, kidney beans and pinto beans. I'm not usually a huge fan of beans but it turned out really well! This was inspired by today's decision to be healthier and eat less meat, so it's a good start. I've also ordered a vegetarian cook book since I have more money than I thought which will give me more inspiration.
I've also knitted my first square for a member of the Downsizer forum. I managed to finish it in less than a day which I was quite happy with. It was also the first time I've knitted with cotton yarn, and I quite like it. There's also the added bonus that knitted cotton doesn't feel like foam for Barry.
Barry and I even left the house for a couple of days which was nice. We went to Montrose to visit our friend Nicola and much fun was had. It's a really nice friendly wee town, and very easy for us to find our way round. They also have a massive saltwater basin which is also a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. So we went for walks on the beach, watched birds and generally had a nice time. And you know what was really cool about Montrose?
( Read more... ) |
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[May. 17th, 2008|11:28 am] |
I'm quite enjoying my newly rediscovered motivation. I've finished crocheting the head and body of Yoon's bunny, so I should easily have it finished in time for her having her baby. I'm also going to knit some squares for someone on a forum I read a lot. I got a message asking if I'd like to knit a few squares to go towards a blanket for a pregnant member of the forum. So I bought the cotton yarn yesterday and will make a start soon. I haven't done any painting yet, but hopefully I'll get the urge. I'm off for the next ten days so I'll have plenty of time.
Barry and I are off to visit Nicola in Montrose tomorrow for a couple of days. I've never been there but I hear that it's great for bird watching, so I'll have to take my bird book with me. I'll also have lots of crochet and knitting to do on the train.
I've decided I'm going to do some baking today. We have eggs for once so I have to make the most of them. Now I just need to decide what kind of cake to make. I have an idea I might try out.
Oh, and if you ever happen to be bored, this site is great; http://icanhascheezburger.com/ |
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[May. 10th, 2008|06:16 pm] |
I realise I haven't posted for a while, mainly because I haven't really had anything positive to say. But since I'm in a good mood today there will be no need to put up with my wingeing.
I've been very impressed with the weather lately; I don't even have to wear a jacket most of the time! I did get quite sunburned last weekend when Barry and I walked from Penicuik to Balerno over the hills. It's still really itchy, but it was worth it. We had planned to go for a walk with Pricey and Emma today, but the minute they got here it poured with rain to the extent that there was a river running down the road. I felt sorry for the runners who would have been as well swimming to the end of the race.
It's also exciting to see all the greenery out, especially the beech trees. It finally looks like Summer. Emma and I went on a lovely walk in the estate yesterday, which was good apart from having to avoid a horde of neds with very large water guns. We got a nice surprise of a couple of geese with 6 or 7 goslings; they were so fuzzy and cute! There was also a row of four ducks walking along the field as if they were from Torchwood. Afterwards Lynsey, Leah, Pricey and Nicola came over. It was nice to socialise for once, even if we didn't go to bed until 2am. This was a struggle since we had been awake for 21 hours.
I think my motivation might be returning, but I don't want to speak too soon. The other day I sat in the garden and did some botanical drawing, and I have a crochet project to work on. I really need to start spinning again, I've completely lacked motivation for too long. Being able to go out for walks may be helping though. I also really need to work on doing more botanical drawings for myself. Once I have enough, I'll be able to put them on a website and see if I can sell them. I have no idea if there will be interest in botanical pen drawings, but I might as well give it a go; it's not something I've seen for sale online much.
There are a number of things to motivate me to try and be successful selling drawings outside work. For a start, working from home means I will have so much more freedom; I will never get used to working full time and I don't want to. It's not just laziness, it prevents me from doing so many things, and by the end of the day I'm too tired to do anything anyway. Working from home also means that not only can we get a dog, we can also think seriously about having kids. Not that I'm broody or anything! And of course I will be fitter again; working full time has stopped me going on as many walks, so I've become scarily unfit.
That's all I can think of to say, as if this post isn't long enough! I might try and be creative this evening, I have the urge to do some painting. |
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[Mar. 26th, 2008|06:16 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | snakes | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | chipper | ] |
Snake lesson No 8462; when they don't want to move, they will make sure that they hold on so tight they are impossible to move. For example when Brock decided that he didn't want to go to bed, so held on to my dressing gown cord for dear life. It took effort to remove him.
( Read more... ) |
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[Mar. 25th, 2008|04:57 pm] |
I am back to the joys of getting up at 5.30am; it's not very nice but it means I can leave work as early as 3.30pm. I usually stay until 4 and save up my hours for Friday, but today I decided to leave early. I was therefore reminded why I'm not keen on the 15 bus. When I leave at 4, I get the 15A which doesn't go through Roslin, but today I took the Roslin bus. There were six very loud tourists on the bus; I don't know why a lot of foreign people insist on speaking so loudly, but they do. There was also someone behind me playing really loud, crap dance music.
On the positive side, while driving through Auchendinny I got the chance to see the house we were tempted by. It seems that there's three in a row for sale, not just the one. We actually decided against it because apparently the only shop in Auchendinny has closed down, and it's very close to a rubbish dump. A pity because it was a lovely old stone house with a private garden. At least it shows that there are a few nice houses in our very low price range.
Having been watching the birds in the tree outside the wondow, I've decided that Long Tailed Tits are one of the cutest birds ever to exist. I'm hoping to see some Goldfinches, but it's probably quite unlikely. |
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[Mar. 20th, 2008|12:43 pm] |
It's been less than two months and already the nasty flu bug has returned. But this time it has brought a sore throat. So once again I have been off work for a week. So too cheer myself up I've been baking and cooking lots of nice food. Last Thursday I finally got round to trying out Jamie Oliver's recipe for steak and guiness pie. I have to say, it was perfect; the meat was as tender as is possible and the sauce was lovely and thick. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good steak pie. The other night I made a roast vegetable lasagne; I've become quite a fan of vegetable lasagnes. On the baking front, I made a lovely if very bubbly looking victoria sponge, and yesterday I decided we needed some brownies.
As soon as I feel better, and if the weather ever improves, I want to go out for lots of walks and gather spring greens. It is after all nettle soup time. I also want to taste some new plants and maybe add them to my bubble and squeaks. It's nice to see that the hawthrons are coming out. It would feel like Spring a bit more if it wasn't for this wind. Apparently we are due heavy snow too. At about 4 in the morning I heard an owl nearby which reminded me of Summer. He's probably been blown away to Glasgow by now.
Since I'm ill I've been reading; and it is a most excellent book too! So if you like historical fiction and a realistic portrayal of Merlin, do read The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart, it is brilliant. |
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[Mar. 8th, 2008|10:20 am] |
I was informed on Wednesday evening that I had to have 4 or 5 paintings ready for next months exhibition to hand in this Saturday. So as you can imagine I was panicking having done nothing. I took two half days off work so that I could get them done in time and hoped for the best. I have one left to finish and have just received an email saying 'I actually meant the 5th April, not this coming Saturday.' She forgot to mention which Saturday, but I am now very relieved! It means I can do a few more paintings and choose from the best. There is one I've completed of Fly Agaric mushrooms which I'm really happy with, so that'll definitely be used.
It has shown me though that when put under pressure I can paint pretty fast and on accasion quite well. If I wasn't so lazy and actually painted more often I would have plenty to sell! |
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| Yet More Wool |
[Feb. 27th, 2008|08:32 pm] |
Since the spinning workshop last weekend I have completed a few more skeins of yarn. They are a bit more interesting since they involve colours other than white. The black and white wool is going to be used to make a scarf, just because it looks cool. I already have an order for some wool from someone at work which is cool. So here is my collection so far;
( Read more... )
I have the next four days off work which will be grand. This time I will get round to playing about with dyes and maybe even washing that fleece.
Due to the promise of more drawings, I was asked to hand in an invoice for £400. You know what this means? http://www.newvoyager.com/sonata.html Oh yes, I may indeed be tempted. |
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| Monster Veg! |
[Feb. 26th, 2008|09:39 pm] |
I came home this evening to our veg delivery which is always exciting. Lots of leeks and avacados today. And oh dear god the parsnip. Usually parsnips are just a little bigger than carrots; but oh no, not this one. At first I didn't know what it was due to the sheer size of it, but a quick sniff revealed that it was indeed a parsnip; weighing over a kilo! I'm probably a really sad person for getting this excited over a parsnip but look!
( Read more... ) |
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[Feb. 23rd, 2008|07:28 pm] |
I finally finished my second skein of wool and it is much nicer than the first attempt. It's much softer and generally an improvement. For those of you who are interested here's a wee photo of the latest skein;
( Read more... )
I went to the spinning workshop today which was good. I was shown how to spin properly which I just can't get the hang of! I might just stick with my own method but it's apparently a lot slower. I did manage to get the hang of another method but I need to practice more. Having completed a small plyed bobbin of wool I was informed by the more experienced that I'm really good. To the extent that I should consider entering into the Highland Show spinning competition in the beginners category. I should practice a bit more!
There was also a felting workshop alongside us, and who would be there but my high school art teacher! So it was nice to say hello to her and tell her that her lessons actually got me a job.
Aside from wool related things, Emma and I went to London for three days. It was good despite the mist and freezing weather. We went to see the Tutankhamun exhibition, and you'd think that since every poster was of the mask that the mask would be the highlight of the exhibition. It wasn't even there. They should maybe have mentioned that. There were a few impressive things but most of the stuff were from completely different pharoes. So a bit of a dissapointment there.
On the positive side Hampden Court was really good and the gardens were impressive; well, what we could see through the fog. We also saw the Tower of London and the British Museum. Oh, and of course a quick look at the Houses Of Parliament on the way to the train station. My friend Jody was great and let us stay at her house which saved us loads of money, so it was quite a cheap trip.
I'm going to go now and find something productive to do. |
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[Feb. 17th, 2008|09:10 pm] |
Since Barry's Mum is great, she's going to let us grow some vegetables in containers in her garden. So of course as soon as we are paid we will be ordering lots of veg and herb seeds. We also want to save the seeds from what we grow so that we don't have to buy future seeds. It'll be great as we won't have to buy a veg box so frequently and therefore save money. And as weetabix_smurf will agree, it'll taste better too :P It'll keep us going until we have our own garden anyway. Oh, and we could really do with the exercise too. |
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[Feb. 17th, 2008|11:12 am] |
Emma came round the other day for roast chicken and to watch It. That film just isn't as good as I remember; it was the first film that really scared me, but then I was only about 10 years old. It also doesn't help that when I think of Tim Curry I see him in suspenders and heels.
Yesterday we went for a nice walk in the woods with Pricey and found some interesting new places in the Estate. Afterwards I made a chicken and leek pie with the leftover chicken for the three of us. My pastry making skills are improving which is always good. I also got round to doing some more spinning and have almost filled the bobbin I've been using. I'm still knitting the other mitten and it's taking ages.
I'm feeling really motivated today, but I'm going to the parents for the afternoon so won't be able to get anything done. It's depressing that the weekeds go so fast, I wish I had more time to do things. |
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[Feb. 16th, 2008|09:50 am] |
Argos didn't have the spinning wheel sized travel bag in stock, so I've decided to miss out on the Guild meeting today. Spinning with a drop spindle just isn't the same anymore. So instead I'm going to go to the woods and collect lichens to use as dyes and do some experimentation with those. If I have time I might actually get round to washing that fleece. I also want to finish the remaining mitten in time for going to London on Tuesday.
I was going to learn to knit socks for the journey, but nowhere seem to have much in the way of sock yarn. It was all one make and it didn't have the right gauge for the pattern I want to use. It's probably best that I wait until pay day anyway. I think I'll just continue crocheting the Salad Fingers doll that I'm making. It's my first attempt at crocheting something without a pattern at it's going pretty well. Apart from a slight issue with colour change.
For now I might spin for a wee while, and maybe knit too. Oh, and browse Ravelry; I need new patterns to play with. |
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