woo hoo... new new...

It was soooooooo heavy, I didn't realise the top is solid piece of tempered glass... doh!! When you see it in the shop you never think to wonder how heavy it might be. I'd taken my tape measure to work and stood eyeing up my boot, hoping that it would fit. I called in the delivery desk and apologised for not bringing along the order number, to which I was asked 'Do you have a surname...doh!' Even the girl standing next to him looked up and I could see the word 'plonker' appearing above her head in one of those - guess what I'm thinking speech bubbles!

Anyway, dear John went off to look and we managed to get it into my car. It was only when I was driving home that I started to wonder how the dickens I was going to get it out! Or course, no one would come and answer their door to me tonight would they, because it's trick or treat night.. doh! But thankfully Dave, from underneath me... crikey... came out to help and we lumbered both boxes up the stairs. It has been really easy to put up even though it has funny sucker things to hold the shelves and top in place. I think it's soooooooo coooooooool........... x

ps had lunch in lochfyne today too... mmm x

A trip down memory lane..

I do think it's amazing to be able to remember a moment in time, like I remember this one. Liz was just a baby and we went to the Lakes to stay for a week. The weather was lovely and we went to the garden centre, fed the ducks on the side of the lake and Liz was such a good baby. I remember that it was a long time ago, yet I don't feel that different. My mum said last week that she feels 42... when she's a little bit older than that... ! So, no matter what happens in your life, the clock doesn't stop ticking, but your mind sticks at an age and I think that's a good feeling. Mine, by the way, is sticking at 39!

another...

There's no fooling me.. I know it's after midnight even though the clock says it's after 11! I'd have to ask.. why? Oh well.. yesterday I was in all day, the weather was rubbish so I did some designing, sorted through some photographs... he he.. found this old student pass from my first year at college! Went out today for lunch at the Langton... amusing, interesting, enlightening...and back to the drawing board.. hey ho.. x

blinkin moos and badgers...

I love HDV and this chandelier of glasses is amazing! And, I know why there aren't any stones on our beaches any more.. I went to HDV for a massage and they've got them all! The massage was fantastic and got rid of the horrible aching pain I've had for the past couple of days. Sat in the bar for a liquid lunch at 4pm with olives and nuts then drove home. HDV.. I love that place...

Spotted a couple of badgers on the way home who merrily shuffled into a hole by some roadworks along Cuckoo Row. The cows were out too this evening. All you can see when you're driving is legs.. until you come across them wandering down the middle of the road! Not the time to be rally driving me thinks unless I want a moo-shaped dent on my bonnet!

My Swans...

Here are my swans... ;-)

a pondering moment

just thinkin... xxx

The unexpected...

Gosh, I have a lot of backtracking to do... an entire week has passed me by and no posts! That will be rectified very soon... Tonight though, something very exciting happened.. I drove up the hill and there was a cow! Yes, ambling along the side of the road in the pitch dark. I really wanted to stop and take a photograph, but it was dark and I didn't want to frighten it, so I just smiled... and drove on. But, it's definately blog worthy and you'll have guessed now that the said cow in the photo isn't really real... she's just there for effect! X

Westonbirt...

The parents...

have come to stay... Had a lovely meal up at The Old Lodge and it's lovely to have them here. I can't believe just how late they go to bed! Stayed up late having my photoshop tutorial with dad, fantastic! He knows so much and now I've learnt a little more which is great. Saturday we went to Westonbirt to see trees. The place was very busy but really beautiful and we had a fabulous day. Took lots of photographs which are going to benefit from my new photoshop skills... !

Was it swanthing I said... ?

The Storyteller

It was Brazil night last night at the Storyteller! It was pouring with rain and I met up with Dom, Russ and 'the gang'. Nothing really memorable to be honest and the darned motorway was closed on the way home so I had to come the backway home in the wind and rain. Even managed to find some fog and I hated it! It reminded me of my flood moments so I was really glad to get home.. phew...

Got up early to drive up to Peterborough. Gosh, is such a long way! I was meeting Nix, though seemed to struggle to meet at the same place for a coffee! The meeting with Tony & Ed went well though and more work...

Good friends...

Met Amanda tonight for a lovely drink and meal at the new Greek restaurant, OPA, in Bath. What a great place, I'd love to go back and have a proper meal sometime. Amanda looked very well and we just had a good old gossip!

Radio stars...

Me & Marie are radio stars! Went down to Broadmeads to see Stu, the GWR DJ, who was spending the week in a shop window! Got a mention on the radio and managed to confuse the guy totally by taking him some crafty stuff! Well he did say he'd like something to do around 2am in the morning rather than listening to the security guards ghost stories!

Beautiful visitors...

These beautiful swans flew in today onto the lake, how amazing is that! A pair and four young signets swimming across the lake, I do hope they stay. It's been a weird day for wildlife... first swans, then deer on the slip road as I got on the M5 at Cheltenham this evening. I wished I'd found the Literary Festival earlier, it's just like me to get interested just as it's finishing. Tonight I met Dom and we went to a talk with Sophie Dahl and Esther Freud, who are brilliant writers and the grandaughters of two very well known men. They read extracts from their books and it was lovely to hear the spoken word read so beautifully. Sophie, in particular, is so beautiful and articulate too, what a great talent. I couldn't resist a drink afterwards at HDV, which was just what I needed...

My must-have shopping...

I love weekends, they are just for chilling and doing what I fanci. That includes watching the ducks, drinking tea and driving my mini over the common to buy more scrapping goodies. I took my camera and snapped some photographs for a feature for QC. I got into conversation with a girl who said she lived just north of Chelts, I said I'd recently moved from there and it turns out that Kirsty is a friend of Linda. She asked me if I had been to Linda's birthday party?! She had seen my scrapbook and put 2+2 together. How spooky cool is that?! She was there helping her daughter and one of her school friends to make mini books and she seems like such a nice lady. She showed me a quicker route going the back way to Chelts which sounds really useful. I think we'll be in touch again, which is great news. I also managed to buy a bit of scrapping stuff... over £100 worth of yummy papers, loads more card and all the bits I NEED, scandalous or what!! X

I think not!

I think my snazzy new 'New Look' teeshirt caused a stir around Waitrose today. It's a sleepy store compared to the Chelts one, but not today. One of the parking attendents started to chat me up by the melons - see how my love life has hit an all time low! What is it with old men and melons?! I know I'm into cars, but please... I don't know where he appeared from, perhaps he was just a figbox of my imagination.... He kept saying, you'll need 3 and I just smiled and looked blankly at him. He was admiring the watermelon in my basket (well, I'm innocent enough to imagine that's what he was looking at!) and he kept on asking me if I was going bowling and did I want another one! I could feel a date coming on, pardon the fruity pun, so I hastily made some reference to not needing any more melons thank you because I had 2 at home. That confused him even more. I do think all the staff in Waitrose once worked at GCHQ and have had their marbles removed. The only way to get rid of him was to zap him with one of my dazzling baby melons and nip neatly round him, past the wilting lettuces and up the cold meats aisle. I swear I'll stop buying melons if I'm going to keep getting chatted up by the saga club!

Back to my very sparkly teeshirt which I bought because it reminds me of my bestest scrapping buddy in the whole wide world, sweet ginger claire! She always makes me laugh when she says "Nobody puts baby in a corner!' and I just had to have it. Must wear it out one evening and see where that gets me!

The Green Dragon...

Having scoured the countryside around Cheltenham for this pub, I seriously felt like I was on a mini mission! I drove up and down countrylanes in the dark trying to find it but Dom came to my rescue. It was all very relaxed, not what I'd expected and we had a lovely meal along with a bit of light banter with the lovely Russell. His best friend Ben, contrary to what had been said, was quiet, polite and friendly and he drives a brand new cooper S. He's got to be cool to do that! I think we were both worred we were being set up, but it was just a lovely meal out with good friends.
Afterwards I followed Dom back to her place and stayed there for the night. I've no doubt we'll be doing it again sometime, which is fine by me.

That Friday feeling...

Phew.. wall to wall meetings, just another fun day in the office! I always enjoy being in the office and here I am, chocolate cake in hand celebrating my new and much elevated status. As you can see, I work in a very tidy, organised environment, of course I'm joking! It's crowded, creative and most important of all, it's where ideas turn into magazines. I'm out this evening with Dom, Russ & Big Ben.. woo hoo! X ps I've told Danielle I'll be on her diva craft radio program in the US next month.. woo hoo!!

Honey, I gelled my hair... !

I am trying very hard to resist going down to the off license for a bar of chocolate! I knew this would happen. I was tempted to stop on the way home from Chelts, but I resisted. And, where has that got me... doh?! I woke up down in the dumps, something to do with not sleeping very well. Having tried out both beds, I was still awake at 2:30am, I made tea and went to sleep, only to be woken by my german painting friend ringing the bell! You know when you're not quite thinking straight when you spray gel mousse on your hair again instead of hairspray... doh!

It did improve and my day at the BMW garage seems to have perked me up no end. I am always amazed at how long they take to do anything. I arrived at 10:15 and left at 4pm!! I did say I'd wait and to be honest, I got loads of work done and they lent me John's desk! They buzz around like bees but I know the reason for that too! They don't call me honey for nothing! When I got up to leave, they said I'd have to give a month's notice! Amused me anyway and it seems to have lifted my spirits. There's something to be said for just sitting, thinking, working and not being interrupted by emails, that darned interweb and people!

ps And, I found that pointy-eared furry thing in the spare bed and it's wearing my new scarf!

Yellow day...

Having a yellow day, full of bounce and life and the sun isn't even shining! Must be that stored up solar power, or perhaps all that sweetcorn I ate yesterday! x

A culinary journey

I went to Nailsworth at lunchtime and sat outside Hobbs. Everyone else was inside and the door was closed, but I still sat outside... it would be rude not to! Parsnip and bramley apple soup... they come up with the most interesting combinations. Although I went with the idea of a salad, it was the dreaded pasta salad and if i have any more pasta I will look like a stuffed cannelloni! Of course, the sun came out as I had to come back to the apartment to work.. but hey ho... I'm not going inside until it's snowing!
ps isn't bluetooth wonderful?! you take a photo on your phone, bluetooth it to my laptop and here it is... fab!
pps not everything blue is wonderful.. boys are blue and they are smelly! well, most are...

A Hobbs moment...

5 iced-coffee biscuits, 4 Pizza Express breadsticks, 3 flights of stairs, 2 trips to Swindon and 1 daughter here for the weekend! Had a fab time with Liz. Went to Chelts shopping today and DID HOBBS! Liz tried on lots of clothes for work and I tried on every jacket and coat in the place. Loved one of their coats, but I don't ever wear a coat, so decided on a short black jacket which will keep me lovely and toastie when the weather is chilly. I think it looks fab and liz said it was perfect! And, I created a facebook account for me... fun, or what?! Meanwhile, Liz was moving all the furniture around in the bedroom so the bed is now under the window (mum & dad will love that!), the room looks twice the size, and there's a strange pointy-eared furry thing in the bed... must investigate sometime..

Track 2 and the brave one...

Makes me realise just how brilliant my life is... Jodie Foster is brilliant in The Brave One. Fear of anything is such a lonely place. I am lucky that most of the time I feel secure and safe. Experiences like being stuck in my car in the floods exposed me to that thing we call 'fear'. It's not an emotion you can control easily, but you can overcome it. In The Brave One Jodie Foster hands out her own form of violent justice in retaliation for losing her lover. Driven by fear and ignorance, the role she plays is one of vigilante. The music is also fantastic and quite haunting in places, hence my new choice of video... x

the best BB!

How can something so lovely be so bad for you? Now, there's a question! And, do I care? Not enough to resist this wonderful bread & butter pud. It was almost 3pm by the time I made it to Hobbs and I'd had nothing else but a mere smiggen of watermelon for my brekie.

Today I am 'solar-anna' because the sunshine makes me very lively and so happy I could sing. In fact I did, a lot, much to the amusement of passers by. I'm still enjoying Mika Penniman! Happy people always make me smile and that's how I like it. My apartment is being painted today by a very pretty german girl. She's finishing off all those quirky little paint jobs and tomorrow the guy is coming to fill my cracks! Yikes, good job I'm going out... xx

Crazy moments - 5 Parking tickets - 1!

Us girls together!
Visited Brand Licensing at Olympia today and did a photocall with a few characters! My crazy streak couldn't be surpressed, it's like a kiddies playground and it felt more like a trip to Disneyland, than real work! Of course, we did some 'real work' and it was a great day. Apart from the £30 parking fine that I kinda knew I'd be getting. Stupid Swindon Station! No spaces on the car parks and I did look for over half an hour but got to the point of no return, so just parked at the end of a row. I wasn't in anyone's way and I do drive a very small mini, but the 'jobsworth' just couldn't resist. The funny thing is that it's still most likely cheaper to get a ticket than travel from Stonehouse station! Hey ho...
Who me? Pink and fluffy?
Saying 'hi' to Dillan from the Magic Roundabout
Hello Barney!

window ledges

allow you to admire the view... let's just say that sitting on the window ledge allows me to look outwards and see the bigger picture. It's easy to absorb the nonsense other people dish out without having even a passing thought for the person on the receiving end. Some people are just selfish, thoughtless, and they don't often realise they might be hurting someone with their behaviour, or perhaps the truth is even more obvious, they just don't care. I know that I care, perhaps too much at times, but I'd rather care more than care less!