At long last, the summer holidays are here, hurrah!!
Don't get me wrong: the girls love school, and I like them being so keen to go. We have had some great teachers this year, and SATS results for year 2 made us puff up just a little with pride. But I for one have been dragging myself through the last few weeks of term, counting down the days 'til it all ends and we can stop using our watches. Freedom is not having to do anything by the clock, in my book.
Okay, so it's hot. Too hot really. But.....today we don't have to go anywhere that requires clothes: DDs are currently slobbing around the lounge in their knickers eating sausage rolls and cherry tomatoes, and you can't do that at school!!!. (Be reassured at this point before you start fretting dear reader, that I, in my rotundity, am wearing significantly more than knickers: you just never know when the doorbell might ring).
Yesterday we had visitors. The sort that willingly sit in a hot car for nearly three hours just to come and play. My lovely friend Claire brought her two adorable kids to see us, and we all had a lovely day mooching, chatting, eating, desperately trying to stay cool, and having a little play in the craft room. Happiness is four children, two old sandpits full of water, sunshine, and squeals of laughter! What more could a Mummy want? Thanks Claire, it was a great day (even if I forgot the chocolate cake!).
So: tomorrow it might rain. It might not. It might cool down, or maybe not. Tonight I am due to go sailing, but at the moment there isn't a breath of wind. Do mind? Not one bit. I am determined to enjoy the summer holidays regardless: for soon enough we will be back on that work/school/eat/sleep Merry-Go-Round, and sometimes it is nice just to get off, take stock, and enjoy just being for a bit.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
A Cautionary Tale....
So, there I was, enjoying a great weekend at the sailing club, at our annual Camp and Sail weekend. The open day attracted quite a few visitors, despite clashing with a couple of minor sporting events (!), and I think I may have recruited a couple of new Ladies for the fleet.
Saturday night was the social evening, complete with live band, hog roast and fireworks over the lake (and the rain just about held off until afterwards). Excellent food, company, and of course wine. It's lovely when we don't have to drive home!
Sunday dawned, bringing clouds and rather adverse conditions for sailing: force 5-6: not exactly ideal, and the only people on the water were the daredevil Uni students, who seem to like swimming that much. We thought we would hang around until after lunch to see if it eased at all, and that's where I had, ahem, a bit of bother.
Phil had been into the nearest village to buy lunch, and come back with chocolate doughnuts. You know: the sort that if you bite into them, they can, erm, leak somewhat?? Yes, you know the sort. Hmm, now try adding that little spillage of gooey chocolate sauce to a woman (who can be a messy eater at the best of times), facing into the wind, which was at that point blowing at around 30mph.
Result: 'spread factor', oh, about 10/10! T-shirt, neck, face, hair! Jackson Pollock eat your heart out!!
Saturday night was the social evening, complete with live band, hog roast and fireworks over the lake (and the rain just about held off until afterwards). Excellent food, company, and of course wine. It's lovely when we don't have to drive home!
Sunday dawned, bringing clouds and rather adverse conditions for sailing: force 5-6: not exactly ideal, and the only people on the water were the daredevil Uni students, who seem to like swimming that much. We thought we would hang around until after lunch to see if it eased at all, and that's where I had, ahem, a bit of bother.
Phil had been into the nearest village to buy lunch, and come back with chocolate doughnuts. You know: the sort that if you bite into them, they can, erm, leak somewhat?? Yes, you know the sort. Hmm, now try adding that little spillage of gooey chocolate sauce to a woman (who can be a messy eater at the best of times), facing into the wind, which was at that point blowing at around 30mph.
Result: 'spread factor', oh, about 10/10! T-shirt, neck, face, hair! Jackson Pollock eat your heart out!!
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Oceans Apart......
I scrap. I stick photos onto bits of paper and add journalling and stuff, and put them into albums for my daughters to have when they are older. It's not rocket science, and frankly there are only so many ways you can lay out stuff on a piece of paper that's 12" x 12". I love my hobby, and hope that the pages that I create are appreciated by my family in times to come.
Quite simple, really.
Well you would think so.
I am also a member of two different crafting forums connected with the hobby. Sadly, over the past few weeks and months, I have discovered that actually there are two very different ways that you can view scrapbooking.
Take one of the forums: let's for the sake of argument call it the 'USA forum'. On the USA forum, there are lovely members, who take delight in people sharing their scrapbook pages, regardless of design skills or choice of photos or perceived 'talent'. They love it when someone makes a page and shares it in the gallery, and if they have an idea they share it. They regularly post pages, and then encourage others to take elements of that design and use it in their own pages. Their aim is to help people actually get their photos out of shoeboxes, and onto pages. They are all pleased whenever anyone takes up this hobby, in order that they too may leave special memories documented for their loved ones. I love these people, they are gentle and encouraging, and love to share.
Now, the other forum: let's call this one the UK forum. Altogether a very different place indeed. For a start, there are those who 'got in on the hobby at the start'. Obviously we have to bow to their superior knowledge and network of scrapping friends, for we mere mortals are not worthy of note as far as they are concerned. I have even seen one of these people start a thread along the lines of 'I am not happy at the number of people who are joining in with my hobby, I found it first'. What??????? Did they invent scrapbooking?? I rather think not. I have seen people apply to be on design teams for shops, and create a huge fuss when they are not picked, literally going on and on about it to anyone who will listen. I have seen people start complaining threads, saying that not enough people have posted flattering comments about the layouts that they have shared in their galleries. Er, HELLO, why are you scrapbooking???? I rather wonder.
I may not make the most inventive, technically brilliant or best-embellished pages that the world has ever seen. I may not have hundreds of simpering comments on the pages that I choose to share, telling me how fabulously talented I am, dahhling, but I can tell you this. I scrap, because I want to. I scrap because I love to be creative. I scrap because I want my daughters to know who they are, and where they come from, and perhaps even understand me a little better as they get older.
So, if you can't find me? I'll be talking with my friends in the USA. They celebrated independance from England yesterday, and frankly, I don't blame them.
Quite simple, really.
Well you would think so.
I am also a member of two different crafting forums connected with the hobby. Sadly, over the past few weeks and months, I have discovered that actually there are two very different ways that you can view scrapbooking.
Take one of the forums: let's for the sake of argument call it the 'USA forum'. On the USA forum, there are lovely members, who take delight in people sharing their scrapbook pages, regardless of design skills or choice of photos or perceived 'talent'. They love it when someone makes a page and shares it in the gallery, and if they have an idea they share it. They regularly post pages, and then encourage others to take elements of that design and use it in their own pages. Their aim is to help people actually get their photos out of shoeboxes, and onto pages. They are all pleased whenever anyone takes up this hobby, in order that they too may leave special memories documented for their loved ones. I love these people, they are gentle and encouraging, and love to share.
Now, the other forum: let's call this one the UK forum. Altogether a very different place indeed. For a start, there are those who 'got in on the hobby at the start'. Obviously we have to bow to their superior knowledge and network of scrapping friends, for we mere mortals are not worthy of note as far as they are concerned. I have even seen one of these people start a thread along the lines of 'I am not happy at the number of people who are joining in with my hobby, I found it first'. What??????? Did they invent scrapbooking?? I rather think not. I have seen people apply to be on design teams for shops, and create a huge fuss when they are not picked, literally going on and on about it to anyone who will listen. I have seen people start complaining threads, saying that not enough people have posted flattering comments about the layouts that they have shared in their galleries. Er, HELLO, why are you scrapbooking???? I rather wonder.
I may not make the most inventive, technically brilliant or best-embellished pages that the world has ever seen. I may not have hundreds of simpering comments on the pages that I choose to share, telling me how fabulously talented I am, dahhling, but I can tell you this. I scrap, because I want to. I scrap because I love to be creative. I scrap because I want my daughters to know who they are, and where they come from, and perhaps even understand me a little better as they get older.
So, if you can't find me? I'll be talking with my friends in the USA. They celebrated independance from England yesterday, and frankly, I don't blame them.
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