Today started off on a bright note - I had an email to say I have had two layouts accepted for publication, so that always kind of justifies my crafty existence....

I have finished this week's SLYMI - scrap from the sketch (unfortunately):

Popped into town this morning where I waited FIFTEEN minutes to be served at McDonalds, who were clearly not getting the point of the 'fast' in 'fast food.' Think it was entirely down to the drongos serving - all under the age of about 15 and only one with English as their first language. Now, don't get me wrong - I have no issue with the language thing, but it pisses me off when I am hungry and in the queue from hell, and they are moving at snail pace around the McFlurry zone.

Now, you will of course be correct in assuming that any food in the McDonald remit does not fall within Rosemary Conley's less than 5% fat rule and within any reasonable calorie allowance but - hey, I missed breakfast and intended to miss lunch and I am doing the RC DVDs with astonishing regularity (...travel over and lift), and my body shape is, surprisingly, looking pretty OK, I think, so no need to beat myself up here.

I bought a new bikini in that classy joint Primark (home of the scabby Chav) and the only size bikini bottom anywhere near not huuuuge was in bright red. So I bought it, to go with a black tankini top, and I am convinced the bottoms will be see-through by the time they are wet, thereby ensuring terrorising every man, woman and child in the swimming pool. Hey, it was a fiver, so there is my justification lol.

and the summerless summer continues....

Today dawned bright and cloudy as per, so I took Oliver off to A La Ronde, a National Trust place nearby, which we have never visited, and which was laying on craft activities today. He enjoyed the craft and then we had a poke around the house, which I found quirkily charming and pretty darned amazing, actually. Oliver enjoyed it enough for a second whirl around, and I think I would like to go back alone for a serious 'look' at stuff myself, rather than the whistle-stop glances I have had to restrict myself to since the advent of motherhood.

I like to stand in rooms at these places, preferably (not often) alone and feel it all soaking in - like I really lived there. If you know what I mean. I recall a chateau in Brittany a few years back, Trevarez I think it was called, where I kept walking backwards and forwards across the wooden-floored ballroom and glancing out of the gi-normous windows across the gi-normous gardens and imagining myself as some 19th century countess in a gi-normous bejewelled gown.... of course this reverie was continually broken by the (step)kids moaning about something or other so I never fully captured the experience.

Took this pic of Oliver in one of the rooms - naughty me, photography is a treasonable offence at the NT props - I heard one of the 'volunteers' (aka former SS officers) coming down the passageway as I was snapping away and nearly threw myself into the nearest cupboard in terror. They had dressing up clothes there today, and Oliver, donning a top hat turned instantly into the Artful Dodger and started walking around like a pearly king, now what's all that about??

This week's SLYMI was actually completed on the afternoon it was set, (last Thurs) which is almost unheard of, but it is so not my style, ('scrap a square within a square), and I so feel I have ruined a lovely photo that I haven't felt in the mood to blog it all week. Still, here it is, and think I may just doodle around some of it in black to satisfy my need to scruff this pastel neatness up a bit....

Anyway, that's all for now. Oliver is badgering me to play Monopoly for the fourth time this week. He seems to have mastered the art of quickly advancing from the purchase of top-priced properties to bankrupting me within a few circuits of the board. He is so like his father. And when did the shift happen between letting your kids think they have beaten you fair and square - and your kids beating you fair and square despite your best and meanest efforts to win?

It surely is the beginning of the end.

what's new pussycat

As mentioned in yesterday's post, this morning we were off to Sticksville to look at a kitten. Despite having scribbled instructions given to me over the phone, I decided I knew best and followed the route recommended by Google maps, and got lost. I found the place by sheer chance and - wow - what a house they have. It is an old mill - with the waterwheel on the side clearly seen via the large kitchen and living room windows - such a fabulous feature. They have alot of old rugs and furniture too, and there were wooden spiral stairs, wooden floors, rooms leading off all over the place - it was like stepping into a glamorous version of the Magic Faraway Tree. I loved it. Anyway -back to the kittens lol.

They were (predictably) gorgeous and Oliver has chosen this one:

They are calling her Poppy at the moment, and since that is such a pretty and suitable name, we see no need to change it. We will pick her up mid September. I have high hopes that she will be the pet Oliver dreams of.....

Meanwhile, here is Tabba (which is latin for: 'I'm not sitting on your lap no way') - sleeping on the sofa and dreaming up new ways to ignore us and cost us money, no doubt.

my family and other animals

Had a lovely little trip out yesterday with Kim and Vanessa to the Otter and Butterfly Sanctuary. Made more exciting for me because I finally managed to locate the macro setting on Mark's camera and got some nice snaps:

Today I made a quorn and mushroom pie for tea and as I was finishing it off, Mark came home and annoyed me. So I wrote 'twat' in pastry letters on the top of his pie. That'll show him I'm not to be trifled with.

Went to the allotment where I walked into a spider's web and screamed so loudly, the man digging spuds on the next allotment called over to see if I was OK. Felt a bit embarrassed to be honest. I keep telling Oliver that spiders are good, and helpful to our fragile ecology, but my screams of terror and shudders of revulsion whenever I happen upon them must confuse the poor boy. I quote from Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen: 'that's the trouble with the outdoors, it's so full of nature'. I have to agree.

SLYMI this week:

Write in white. I had it all planned out - the journalling was going to be all curly and stylish, and sit beautifully at the bottom right of the photos, thereby balancing the title at the top. However, my crappy white pen refused to co-operate with my artistic flow, so I had to have a re-think amongst two days of sulking and scowling at it. Not quite what I had in mind, but fairly happy with the outcome.

Tomorrow morning at the crack of a sparrow's fart, Oliver and I are off to the back of beyond (well, out past Tiverton way) to look at a kitten. Apparently they have a couple of fluffy females and a tabby short-haired male. I am inclined to go for the boy, since think this will work better with Tabba, but Oliver will get the choice, so I hope all works out well. They are not ready yet, and we will have one in early September. Aaahhhhh. Hopefully they will let me take a photo or two....

Chutney & Cards take 2

Since I was up early (again) today, I cracked on with another batch of chutney - this one I have my doubts about since the apple seems to have broken down too much by the end of cooking, and I fear it may be 'fuzzy' in texture. Also put chilli flakes in this one, which I don't normally use. We'll see....

AND I made French Yoghurt Cake as in Hilary's blog (not tasted it yet) & Nigella's choc birthday cake for my Mum for tomorrow - I have to do the ganache tomorrow so here's hoping it won't resemble chocolate cat sick like the last one I did ha ha.

I made one of those box thingys - you know the ones, where the ends kind of flap down and you get a neat sort of oval-ish parcel. This involved lots of swear words and several bits of paper since I had no template nor idea of what I was doing. Still, I am happy with the finished thing: I used a piece of the Once Upon A Time stack, and the finished article will house Mum's pressie for tomorrow:

second (and realistically the last) card of the day

And here is card number 2:

For my Mum's 60th on Monday. Nothing like leaving it to the last minute....

The inside is actually a pop-out piece, there are flowers and a second butterfly on the other side. It's OK, but cards not really me, I'm afraid....

Have decided to leave the wedding card until later in the month - enough's enough - phew!

third post

of the day. I see that Sarah has passed on a blog challenge - pick the 4th photo from your 4th file (where you store your pics in cyberworld) and publish it on your blog. And tell a bit about it. In my case, this is said photo:

I have actually scrapped this before, for SLYMI:

But I never really liked it, although I liked the photo (taken at St Michael's Mount) & title. It was a sketch challenge, and I have to say, they are not my favourite sort of challenge. Sacrilege to say so in the scrapping world, but hey - I am NOT a Pencil Lines Sketch Fan lol.

Anyhooo, I will pass this challenge on to Sarah, Jill, Linda and Kathi, all of whom are far better photographers than me and no doubt will have stunning pics to show and tell.

happy days

Chutney made, and one card. Not bad. Here is the chutney:

And the card:

And now you see why I am not a cardmaker ha ha. Back off to the craftroom methinks...

cards, scrapping and chutney

well, you join me, reader, on what will hopefully be a day of a few blog posts and making a few bits & pieces. I have been up since 7am, and been to Tesco's to stock up on sugar and vinegar because today is the first chutney day of the season! Mark has taken Oliver off on a jaunt for a few hours pertaining to his new hobby (more about that later) so I am alone - positively unheard of on a Saturday, and at lunchtime my nephew comes for the rest of the day and night so Oliver will be therefore occupied for an entire 24 hours! The excitement is almost unbearable....

My rough timetable is:

- am: chutney making (a fiery one I've made with some success before)
- am: card making (for my Mum's 60th, a friend's 50th and a friend's wedding)
- afternoon: SLYMI for this week (with a glass of wine and a DVD)
- pm: watching You've Been Framed and Total Wipeout with Oliver (and cousin) and a glass
of wine.
- pm: pizza for tea so no-stress cooking!
-pm: preparing my marrow for marrow ginger and cardamom preserve tomorrow

And I've already managed to squeeze in a row with Mark before breakfast over shifts at work, so hey - a very productive morning already I say ha ha.

and here it is

the finished layout for SLYMI, something old:

I have spent two days looking for this passage, because I want to use it for this week's SLYMI (scrap something old, new borrowed or blue). I want to scrap some photos of Venice, and these words sum up exactly how I feel about Venice:

'The heaven of it is ineffable. Never before had I touched the skirts of so celestial a place. The beauty of the architecture, the silver trails of water up between all that gorgeous colour and carving, the enchanting solence, the moonlight, the music, the gondolas - I mix it all up together, and maintain that nothing is like it, nothing equal to it, not a second Venice in the world.'

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, June 1851

These beautiful words have got me all fired up to read some lovely literature - don't you ever read words which just fill you with joy & serenity?

saw a really good film last night...

....Dan In Real Life, with Steve Carell. Had me hiding behind my fingers a few times squirming with embarrassment at the social disasters unfolding, but hey, that's one of my favourite emotions whilst watching a film. NOT to be horrified, terrified or sickened. As regular readers of my bloggie will vouch...

This week it is the turn of the Scrapgoddesses (of which I am one) to host the UKS team challenge. Here is my layout, based on these themes: journey, handwritten journalling, purple and ribbon:

I like it, actually, and it is one I hope Oliver can see a bit of value in when he is older. Or not, I suspect. Feeling a bit melancholic about Oliver lately. Don't you ever get moments as time is passing that you kind of feel you should stand back and review the path you are taking? His days are spinning by so fast, that already he is 7, and I keep thinking - is this the best we can do for him? Is this the ideal life I dreamed for him? Am I steering him along the 'right' path? I don't really want him growing up in the city, I imagined a more outdoorsy life in the country, and enriched with home-education. I don't know. I feel a bit lost about it all really. Mark would say I am putting my fears and ever-present anxiety over him onto his shoulders so I should just chill a bit. I know, however, from bitter experience that when children stop looking to you for their main influence/guidance they will be looking elsewhere and you will not be able to prevent the snowball from gathering pace and disappearing off down the mountain.... I just feel afraid that I don't have enough time to arm him with the necessary 'tools' to carve his own, confident path through life, or that I may not have the ability to place him in the best environment to bloom.

Does parental anxiety ever ease?

My Mum will be 60 next week, and my severe shortage of cashflow has prompted me to get-a-jewellery-making. She did make noises about a bracelet the last time I wore my own, so I hope she will like these: