Busy, busy, busy!

Yes, it’s been a busy, busy week or two here in the world of Samsara! This is pretty much what I’ve been doing for the last week or two, or indeed since the last time I spoke to you:

• I finished and handed in one portfolio
• I finished another portfolio to be handed in tomorrow night (1 more to go)
• I finished an assignment to be handed in tomorrow night
• I took on teaching my group for another class because the teacher had resigned!
• I went to bellydance class – the Hafla is not far away now!
• The dishwasher blew a fuse and tripped the house power out several times, but I managed to find a brand new one for free on Freecycle!
• I went to yoga
• I started dieting seriously (as opposed to half-heartedly) and I’ve lost half a stone so far!
• I dyed my hair a black cherry colour on impulse
• I went to see Coraline in 3D with my best mate!
• I went to see the new Star Trek with M – amazing! Yes, I’m a sci-fi fanatic and I’m not ashamed to admit it!
• I knitted more of my Sunkist
• I crocheted more of my garden blanket
• I’ve taken the Uberhound for walks
• I’ve tidied my space endlessly in ‘task avoidance’ jobs
• I’ve played Wii with friends

M blew up the main PC (thank goodness for my trusty little laptop here *kisses keyboard reverently*) and we’re waiting for a new ‘thingy’ which will hopefully sort it out! Luckily I have TESOL stuff backed up here on my laptop, and on several memory sticks, so I’ve been able to manage.

As you can see, the knitting and crocheting has been going swimmingly!

I finished early today because my students had an exam, so the Uberhound and I went for a walk along the canal near my house. 

Everything is blossoming! Very very pretty, although a pain in the arse for those of us who suffer from hayfever!

The sky was a beautiful blue today although there was a cold wind blowing.

I don’t walk this way much in the winter, it gets too boggy, but it’s lovely when the weather’s nice and you get barges travelling along the Gran Union Canal!

Joe often takes a slurp from the canal; I remember when he was a puppy, he was mooching alongside the canal and all of a sudden I heard this ‘plooooop’ sound and he’d disappeared! I saw this panicky little head pop up from the water and splashing as his little paws tried to gain purchase on the bank. In the end, I had to reach in and grab his collar and scoop my arm under his bum and haul him out! I was drenched! I’d never be able to do it now, he’s much too big; I think he weighs almost as much as I do now! I tell him now that if he falls in, he’s on his own! 

Phew! What a busy couple of weeks it’s been! What have you been up to?

First week back

So we're back to school; those words to strike dread into the hearts of teachers and parents alike! This week has been reasonably 'hitch-less', I've been up on time and fairly compos mentis, despite the small layer of snow that covered enough of the ground to make travelling by foot or car a pain in the arse, but not enough to make it a legitimate snow day. Why oh why does it choose to snow on the first day back at work?! For exactly the same reason why I got up this morning to find that the boiler didn't work. On a Saturday. It couldn't do this last week when M was off all week with man flu and would have been able to let a plumber in, nooo, it had to wait until the weekend, when we're going to both be at work for all the weeks after for ages.....And then it did work - hurrah! And then it didn't! And it's working again, but now I don't trust it. There is something not right in the electrickery part of the boiler switch. The thingy that makes the light come on and the time to show up n stuff. I tried my usual handyman fix-all and changed the fuse, which trust me, I didn't want to be doing at 7 o'clock on a Saturday morning. The same Saturday morning that I had to do my first teaching observation for my TESOL course by the way! So, no pressure there. Cold house. No heating. Imminent observation. Bowl of stress anyone? We were being videoed for our obs too. I actually didn't do too badly although I realised when we watched them back (postmortem constructive criticism, great fun - not!!) that I was maybe a little grammatical, so I'll have to remember to simplify things. It was a useful experience even if a tad completely terrifying. The others seemed to think that because I teach anyway, I wouldn't be nervous, but as I tried to explain to them, teaching to your peers is a completely different kettle of fish! I tend to teach teens, 13 years and upwards and alot of what you end up doing is crowd control! Keeping them focused and on task is a big part of the job. Adults just aren't like that, and your peers, well, they know when you've fluffed something, or when you've blanked or heaven forbid, got something completely wrong! After such a nerve wracking day, it was quite nice to come home and play M and Chalky on the Wii. I actually got five strikes in a row! Wow! Can you believe it! I was very proud of myself. This is what I was doing while I waited for my go:

Yes, my 'Go for Baroque' is actually start to look like a garment now, and not  like roadkill! I've just started one sleeve, that funny stumpy thing on the right hand side there! There'll also be a decorative panel along each front side too! I'm getting quite excited about this now! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I've also been working on my BPT Hoodie, but that's very slow progress and it doesn't look very different to the last picture I showed you, so I thought there wasn't much point in showing you it until there was some real obvious progress! I'll probably knit a bit in bed in the morning whilst watching the Hollyoaks omnibus (a guilty pleasure!) and drinking copious amounts of Rose petal tea. You never know, I might even get an extra row in tonight. I'm just reloading my mp4 player with some new audio books. I've listened to all the books on there a couple of times now, so it's time for a change. It holds about 4 gigs of stuff which equates to alot of books! This new batch I'm putting on will be good, there'll be some books on there that I've read, and some that I haven't. Anne Rice, some Phillip Pullman, some of the new Star Wars stuff, a bit of Clive Barker and even some Emberto Eco. Should make for interesting night-time listening for those insomniac nights.  

I have a few ideas in the pipeline. I sometimes compile mood boards when I have an idea in my mind; it helps me clarify my thoughts, or sometimes if it's more 3d, I'll create a mood bowl. It's similar to a mood board except it's kind of a bowl where I collect objects for the next project. This is what I have in my mood bowl at the moment. Any guesses?

I have a ball of thick n thin yarn in a gorgious red and black colourway. There's some vintage embroidered ribbon with flowers on, red silk roses with gold glitter on them and assorted 'bits'. 

Coins, old bits of jewellery and ethnic styled earrings, Indian embellishments...

and some fantastic vintage brass buttons from my Granddads old army uniform. I also have a bag of cowrie shells somewhere....

This is my inspiration.

The yarn will go towards some falls to wear with the headdress. Obviously mine won't be the same as the one shown here, but will have my own individual spin on it. There's a definate colour scheme going on already. The ribbon has lead the way. It was too short to use for much else, and too nice to throw away.

So things are slowly getting back to normal. Yoga class has started again (thank goodness! I neeeed to stretch and relax!), college is in full swing once again, bellydancing will start again next week. I've worn my flowered jeans several times and people have adored them! I could have sold them a dozen times, but will have to settle for inspiring people to become creative. How's your week been?

Last day of Summer

Saturday was a splendidly sunny day here, probably the last sunny day we'll get here for another year *sigh* so M and I decided to take the Uberhound up to Bradlaugh Fields which is one of my towns best kept parks. It used to be the local golf course and then when that moved, the local residents campaigned to keep the area as a green space. It has some nice features like this human sundial at the top of the hill. To use it, you stand in the space that is marked for that month of the year and the sun will throw your shadow onto the dial which will hopefully give you the right time. It does work as well! M and I checked the time and Joe ran around us in circles, rounding us up and wondering why we were staring at the ground excitedly!

There's a stream that runs through the park into a pond alongside a barn which has been converted into a community hall. M and his mates used to call it the haunted house when he was young and dared each other to go in it. The pond always looks this cloudy colour because the area has quite clay-like soil. This park is really near to where M grew up and was still a golf course when he was young, so he points out all the areas where the different holes were and the bunkers and stuff. He always tells me stories of his childhood exploits at the golf course when we go walking up there, like when he and his friends would hide in the rough and when the golfers had taken their shots and were walking to the hole, (at some point they would disappear out of view because it's quite hilly there) the boys would run out, nick the golf balls and hide back in the bushes laughing at the golfers trying to find their errant balls! Yes, he was a handful I think!

 

There's a woodhenge which is getting old and a little rotten now. Some of the 'stones' have fallen over and spoil the circle effect. The photo makes the day look dark, but it was bright sunshine, the sun was in my face though and I think my camera darkened it automatically. M and I have been there to celebrate the Winter Solstice a few times. We took Joe when he was a puppy for a Solstice and he was a terror, he wanted to chase everyone else's dogs and at 5 o'clock in the morning, the last thing you need is to be frowned at for being bad parents. Yep, Joe was a handful too. 

Here's Joe exploring the river bed. He's a bit better behaved now, though he still would like to chase other dogs given the opportunity; he also likes to be chased, but there aren't many dogs who want to take on such a large Shepherd! His favourite hobby is rolling small dogs. He has it down to a fine art, he sticks his nose under their belly and then flips them. Small Dog then squeals in panic and runs in the opposite direction with Big Dog (Joe) hot on his heels. Small Dog's Mummy/Daddy scowls at Big Dog's Mummy who makes futile attempts to recall Big Dog who is having the time of his life. Big Dog eventually returns looking pleased with himself. Big Dogs Mummy slinks off with her hand firmly clamped round Big Dog's collar threatening Big Dog with hours of Solitary Confinement for Showing Her Up. He doesn't do this every time, though, just at random, unpredictable times. I content myself with knowing that at least he will never return home to tell me that he's got his girlfriend pregnant.  

 

It's nice to sit on one of the benches and enjoy the sunshine. The sun was nice and it was peaceful, all you could hear was the birds singing. Ah, bliss! 

 

 

I loved the colour of these rosehips. Don't they shout of autumn! I love the reds and oranges. Knowing England, the autumn and winter will probably be sunnier than the summer! Not warm though. It's never ever warm here. Humid, yes. Warm, no. My purple tootsies are testament to that!

Since Saturday the weather has been rubbish! We woke up on Sunday to thick thick fog, and yesterday we had a thunder and lightening storm, and enough rain to make Noah start panic buying at B&Q! I went to my yoga class last night and during the meditation period at the end, I could hear the rain drumming on the roof so hard it made it difficult to get to that happy place where I like to go when I meditate, where the sun shines and the sand is warm, and the waves are gently crashing on the beach. Since I was flooded ten years ago, I find it hard to be relaxed and meditationally blissed out in heavy rainfall *lol* Still, if we do have a massive flood, I have a pile of good books to read and I had an email this morning to tell me that I've won a book which hasn't been published yet! Well, it's being published shortly and they want me to review it! Hurray! A sneak preview!

Teasers revealed

Lynda (Aka the Holistic Knitter)  and I did a personal swap recently and as she has now received her parcel, I'll post some piccies of what  sent to her. I painted an ohm lotus flower candle burner (not a good photo of it here), a fabric covered and embellished notebook (which I forgot to get photo's of, but if you go to Lynda's blog, you can see pictures there) and a hand-poured chunk candle (also on Lynda's blog).

 

 

As Lynda is an avid reader, I made a felt and lace embroidered and appliqued bookmark

 

And a sunflower brooch to encourage the sunshine this summer!

 

 

I know Lynda likes her stitch markers, so I made a set of button stitch markers for her too.

I'm very nearly finished my Aine Cardi, I'm just in the process of assembling all the pieces now. I have a couple of other projects in my mental queue, I fancy a black Short 'n' Sweet, and also a February Lady Sweater, although common sense tells me that I should finish another one of my WIPS before embarking on something new.

So what else have I been up to? I've been busy with Summer School, which is fun. I have another session tonight, so I'm going to whip up a lesson plan shortly. I signed up for the 42 Sci-Fi Project which is a challenge to watch/read/listen and review 42 Sci-Fi books, films, TV shows or similar. You have 42 weeks and 42 days in which to complete it. I'm challenging myself to read or watch things I haven't done before as I've always been a sci-fi fan and have consumed most of what I have come across in the past.

I've also just signed up for the Leaky lounges Reading group in the Lily and Stag Inn. I've been sorted into Suite 52: Lockharts Lilac Spa and we're reading the Chamber of Secrets.  I've never been part of a reading group, so this will be a new experience for me!  Most of the group will be reading the American edition it seems, while I have the English, so I'm hoping that they're not too different.

M has 2 weeks off starting from Monday, so we're planning to get a tow bar fitted on the car (next Thursday), then Friday morning I have an interview (eek!) for a part-time job, which is at least a year round job and will mean that I won't have these long periods without any income, and then we'll be taking the caravan to Wiltshire for a little holiday! Hurray! We haven't been away for so long, I'm sure the caravan will have forgotten how to move! I need to give it a clean this week and make sure that it's fully stocked with gas, batteries, bedding, food and stuff like that. The place we're going to is a canalside pub with a field at the back which is available to tents and caravans. It's overlooked by a White Horse and is not far from Avebury, so we're planning a mystical holiday, revisiting stone circles and hopefully a trip to Glastonbury. Can't wait!

Happy Holidays!

By the way, if you would like to enter my Blogoversary Giveaway, you have until 4th August to leave a comment. The original post is here and it gives you all the details of what to do and what you can win. I've had some brilliant suggestions so far; thank you everyone that's left a comment so far. Why not check it out? Good luck!

Paying it Forward

Since the Recipients of the Pay it Forward game have now received from me, I'll post pictures of what I sent to Kasia and Morgan. I tried to send things that the recipient wouldn't or couldn't do themselves, I know Kasia makes beautiful jewellery and knits, but I'm not sure if she sews, so I sent this little heart brooch pin, made from felt and hand embroidered with little beads and sequins.

This is what I sent to Morgan, I know from past swaps that Morgan doesn't knit or crochet. It's the Single Skein Scarf from the Happy Hooker, threaded through the centre with a satin ribbon. Sorry about the bad photo.

Friday night was a productive night despite the yummy bottle of wine *lol*, I finished this wall hanging based on 'someones' wishlist for the FOC swap. Sorry about the bad camera phone piccy, it's the best I can do at the moment. First I silk-painted the tree and the background, using silk paints and then some glitter fabric paint, I did that during the week; then Friday night I sewed it onto some backing fabric and edged it with lace to give it a 'looking out of the window' effect. There's a channel at the top of the hanging so that the recipient can thread a piece of dowling through to hang it straight. It needs to be ironed though :-) I also made a lining for the FBB and started a felt flower pin to decorate said bag.

I had a great day yesterday, M was working in the morning, so I had a bit of time to myself for a change. I managed to get to grips with the hula hoop, averaging at least 50 hoops at a time and even managing to get up to 100 sometimes! I ache a little today though, so it must be doing something good. I definately need to get a bigger heavier hoop though. I'm using a kids one and although it's a pretty purple one with flashing lights, it's not big enough to get any of the special moves. I'm considering making my own. More on that project when I get the stuff together. I even managed to get a yoga session in too! I did my MTV Power Yoga DVD which is one of my favourites. It's one I keep coming back to, it's challenging enough to feel like I've actually 'worked out'. Although I've been to a (Hatha) yoga class and bellydancing every week, for like ever, I feel like they just maintain a basic level of fitness and suppleness. The power yoga (and now the hula hooping) takes it up a notch to a more cardio level (i.e. I sweat *lol*). I haven't had time to do any Ashtanga yoga since Christmas really, and I really felt like I'd lost some of my suppleness. I couldn't get as far into the postures as I usually can. *Note to self; try and fit in the time to do my yoda DVD's at home more regularly*

It was such a beautiful day yesterday that I popped into town for a wander; I had a couple of things in mind that I wanted to get, but couldn't find what I needed. I did find this beauty at a charity shop though for a couple of quid. It's a beautiful dusky rose corduroy and I've been lusting after the designer hippy ranges of embroidered corduroy clothing for ages, but I'm far too stingy to pay the prices they want for them. So this will end up embellished - I just have to decide on the design. I really love corduroy, it softens wonderfully and feels so nice! I like velvet for the same reason.

I saw a few things in town yesterday that have given me inspiration for some new projects; one of them being a garter stitch scarf with the edges embellished with beads and sequins that Accessorize wanted £22 for! It was such a simple design too, even a beginner knitter could have whipped it up in no time at all! Sometimes the problem with being a multi crafter is that you often look at things and know that you could make it yourself for a fraction of the cost. I decide to treat myself and then can't justify spending the money on anything I see. I just don't have the time to do everything I want to do *lol*

I've finally finished the wrap part of the tassle edged wrap during a marathon Simpsons session. Now I just have to make the flowered tassles which will hang off the trefoil motifs along one side of the wrap. I love the slight glittery effect that the strand of silver running through the pink yarn gives.

After checking round unsuccessfully for some cream yarn to contrast with the lilac for Februarys Cross your Heart square in the 12" Square CAL, I finally decided on a stashbusting pink yarn instead.

Pink and lilac will co-ordinate well enough with my sis's bedroom.

Stretch and shimmy!

Well, I've just got in and it looks like M partook too much of the old fire water during tonights football game and is snoring away on the bed (I just can't be bothered to shift him yet - the peace is quite nice). Since I can't tell him about my evening, I'll tell you instead.

Here goes a long story; I've been wanting to take up belly-dancing again for a while, but the class I liked the look of was on a Wednesday night, my usual yoga night, so I didn't really do very much about it. Then I was offered the chance to do a silversmithing course for free, also on a Wednesday night - initially I thought it was a one off, but it turned into something longer, as you know, 'coz I've been boring you all about it for quite a few weeks now. Last weeks class was cancelled because the jeweller (Mo) couldn't make it, so I went to my usual yoga class and found out what other times and places my usual teacher runs classes at. Funnily enough she does a class on a Tuesday night at the same church hall that the belly dancing classes were on on a Wednesday night. Then I heard that Mo had just got a part-time job, and had quite a few commissions she needed to do before Christmas, so the class was postponed for a while, I considered falling back into my usual routine, but decided that the coincidence of the Tuesday yoga/Wednesday belly-dancing was too much, so I figured 'go for it'!

I did yoga at the hall last night (and was glad I did, it's a sweet little hall that smells of incense and is much quieter than the place I normally go to) and tonight I went to belly-dancing.

It's a tribal class, so the music and costumes are much cooler. It's run by Lynne of Kookie Kaftan and it was such fun! I went on my own, but was quickly pulled into a group who all introduced themselves and made me feel less like billy-no-mates *lol* I've done belly-dancing before so alot of the moves were familiar, even though sometimes there was too much going on at the same time and I found myself circling my hips the wrong way and snaking my arms in odd directions, and I defy anyone to keep a straight face whilst they're thrusting their cleavage up ('Hello boys!'). They've been doing the class for a couple of weeks and are learning a routine for the local Hafla at Christmas (party, party, yeah!!)

So it's been a busy couple of days, but fun, and we can always do with a little more fun! No pictures though, sorry!