I'm getting better!
OK I can see that I’m still making some mistakes - and clearly I can’t do faces yet, but awwwand the next one will be even better.

I'll have lots of time to practice after last night's riding lesson - wide horses do not agree with me : (

MORE wee boats!

Soooooooooo cute! even if i do say so myself!

wee tug boat!

I’ve just finished making my first EVER digital stamp! There has been a lot of nauticality this last month, things being made and coveted. I got the idea of making some kind of sea-sidey doorstop for a friend (for which this stamp would be the template) who’s decorating her brand new downstairs bathroom all blue and white stripes. I realise that there is limited wisdom in making a doorstop for a room with a lock on the door that you want to keep closed, so I’m thinking again! Maybe a little mosaic picture (mother’s hobby not mine), or a little mobile? A window transfer? – Perhaps ill still make the ‘doorstop’ but make it smaller and stuff it with lavender for the windowsill? Not sure at all.
I know my digital stamp is a bit rubbish – but if anyone likes it please use it for anything and everything you like! Hopefully the next one will be better – I need to figure out how to make my edges smooth next – I’m using inkscape, not just because the logo’s cute and its free (honest) – does anyone know of a good online tutorial?

I’m so excited! My lettuces are all sprouting in shiny happy little rows and there are shoots where I planted my courgettes and aubergines! These could be weeds, but only time will tell.
I’m really enjoying salad for the first time in my life, like this one – sort of copied from a rick stein recipe in parts, you can find it here: http://www.rickstein.com/Hot-Toulouse-sausages-with-a-tomato,-caper-and-shallot-salad-Recipes.htm

And I’m back making cards again – I bought a card folding board in the Papermill shop, which I wish I had bought 2 years ago, I hope I’m not losing my touch!

Driving test #5 is at 8.50 on Saturday morning, and I’m starting to get nervous again, I’m just hoping 5th time’s the charm! I can’t wait to be able to get places on my own!! I’ll have so much more free time to make cards and sew and things! I’ve got a couple of projects sort of half started that I’m determined to finish in time to wear them this summer, clock’s ticking!
I have also started on my photo project, my aim is to get all of our old pics and slides (including my grandparent’s ones) scanned or photographed and stored – I’m hoping to eventually do a really nice family tree with black and white pics – I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

My 2010

Almost half another year gone!
I can’t believe that we’ve been living in this house and in Belfast for 18 months now, it feels like we’re still settling in. I still have boxes that I haven’t unpacked yet! I am using too many exclamation marks!!!

This week so far: I have seen more tennis than I ever wanted to, though it may have been very impressive tennis – I have now started sub-consciously dressing for Wimbledon (purple top, green jacket) : P I have learned more about golf than I ever wanted to, I’m writing a golf quiz for a promo at work, so far 100 multiple choice questions. It should be the hardest Golf Quiz EVER, the plan is to put the quiz up on the website after the promo, so if that happens I will post a link so you can all have a go! I have been for a lovely swim with mum at the Antrim forum – it’s a nice wee pool, though a bit warm for my taste. I have tweeted for the first time - http://twitter.com/@glamourie – though I am now horrified to see that I sound like a sports nut! Everything is about tennis and golf – though perhaps the allusions to classical Greek literature earn me a few brownie points? Alastair has been informed that Wednesday the 30th is his last day, so we’re back to one job between us again for a while : (

All in all things are a bit hectic. Failed ******* driving test AGAIN!!!! So I have booked it for the 10th of July to have another go (this will be my 5th…) – and we’re thinking of having a party of some kind on Sunday the 11th as the 12th is a national holiday here. I’m thinking some kind of Mad Hatter’s Tea-quila party? Or a kind of patriotic theme with the red white and blue AND the green white and gold – perhaps a bit gaudy… and also possibly more expensive to decorate. Not sure yet.

I’ve been having a good look around me this month. Time seems to pass so quickly now. I remember thinking that the seasons went on for ages, but perhaps I’m just more attuned to the changes now. I think walking 2 miles to work and home again every day helps as well – particularly as we are so lucky with where we live. I appreciate beauty in the strangest places now, a couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to come home to the neighbours sheering their sheep, something I had never witnessed before and something which I enjoyed intensely. I feel very at home here at the moment – possibly because we are starting to think about leaving. With this in mind I’m putting together a collage of pictures from this year. It’s been a very cathartic experience for me, as I have had to go through all my many thousands of pics and delete and organise.

I hope you like my 2010.

Lovely time

Oh I love the Zoo!

We met the tapir’s, as I said before – it was world Tapir day on the 27th of April, and we had been particularly disappointed not to see the Tapir. Apparently Belfast Zoo has had Tapirs since 1995 (or 1991?)- But we had never seen or heard of them! We were all the more frustrated to learn that the time before last that we had been to the zoo with friends they had had a BABY tapir – which I am sure you all know are the cutest things in THE WHOLE WORLD. My pics of the Tapirs were a bit disappointing to be honest, but I found this wonderful picture by Brendan Wenzel on his blog: http://www.brendanwenzel.info/blog . In fact, this blog appears to have amazing artwork and NOTHING at all else on it!


There isn’t much else going on really. The parental units finally managed to get away to Spain (3rd flight lucky) and now of course may not be able to get back again. Alastair is sick – he’s been under the weather for a week now. This is the longest he has been ill since I’ve known him. Even when he had the mumps he was only sick for 3 days, so I’m pretty worried about him. Also he has now developed what I believe is referred to as an IRRITATING cough…. Not getting much sleep at the moment.


I’m getting ready to book my driving test now – very nearly ready! I’m pretty nervous though, I’m going to have to just bite the bullet I think. I’ve been distracting myself making jewellery and cards and so on. Still no sewing machine though, but I’ve just bought this month’s BurdaStyle and it has lots of lovely things that I want to make. I can’t wait to get started!

It’s a jungle out there!

OOPS! I didn’t really mean to leave it so long… on the other hand I couldn’t really say where the time has gone. The competition that I was getting ready for in my last post was AGES ago, in fact we’ve flown to Glasgow for another one in the meantime. We’ve had overseas visitors x3, I’ve been on a week-long training course in a new Diabetic “diet” or lack thereof – otherwise known as DAFNE, or Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating, I’ve taken up horse riding again and I was gifted a year’s membership to Belfast Zoo by my other half. Possibly the nicest present that he’s ever bought me – well, after the pasta maker that is.

I’ve taken some photos that I’m really proud of recently – some of which I’m thinking I might enter in the annual photography competition at the zoo! I have also opened a Photobox account to try and sell some of my photos online – and I’ll post a link here soon so you can see them as soon as I get organised.


I’ve broken my sewing machine! Not sure what’s going on there, I’ve had to buy a new manual having lost the original along with the pedal in one of my many moves around the UK. I was horrified to learn that you can’t download the manual for free the way you would with a camera or whatever – really I can’t do without the book – I can’t even figure out/ remember how to put thread on the bobbin! Anyway now there is a wire sticking out where there shouldn’t be and the whole thing has gotten so tight that my thread keeps breaking. *cries*
I’m now really looking forward to the bank holiday weekend – we’re thinking we might go to the zoo again, since it’s now free! Mainly because Al wants to see the Gibbons again (they’re his favourite) and we missed a few thing last week – we didn’t get to see the tapir, most disappointing as world tapir day was last Monday, or the capybara – not so much because it wasn’t out as because we couldn’t find it!
Have a fab weekend everyone!