debbie and i finished my sample - it doesn't fit so today we are going to make another with some modifications. however, it may not fit, but it's mine - i designed it, and i made it (with a little help) and it's my first ever item of clothing so it's ok that it isn't perfect the first time - it wasn't meant to be. i always planned on re-designing anyway as part of the learning curve and getting the product right so what i'm trying to get my head around is that although it's not wearable, it's mine and it's an achievement so...
well done me. give myself a pat on the back!
oh, and i'm about to start cutting fabric for the second version which we'll make today!
Wednesday, February 28
Tuesday, February 27
like a kid in a sweet store
today debbie took me to a shop called tait and style which is just up the hill from where they live in stromness. it is amazing and i couldn't help myself but buy lots of goodies - loads of cheap samples and yarn and ooh lovely things. being around debbie makes me feel so creative! she is such an inspiration.
also this morning we started making a mock-up of one of my designs. debbie is teaching me how to mark out, pin and cut a pattern on fabric and then we'll move onto sewing. i'll keep you updated.
it is peeing it down today - crazy rain but quite exciting too!
also this morning we started making a mock-up of one of my designs. debbie is teaching me how to mark out, pin and cut a pattern on fabric and then we'll move onto sewing. i'll keep you updated.
it is peeing it down today - crazy rain but quite exciting too!
Monday, February 26
the rest of day 2
we got in the car late morning and headedd off to explore the island. debbie recommended a few places to go and see and there's not many roads so it's not too difficult to get around without getting lost!
the first place we went to was Scara Brae. This is what the official orkney tourism website says, "It is an incredibly well preserved stone village containing an intricate maze of dwellings, with stone beds, lintels and cupboards are all intact, and dates back some 5,000 years. The site was revealed in 1850 by a violent storm and is now one of the most famous Neolithic sites in Northern Europe."
this photo is taken on scara brae beach:
then the boys were too cold and getting hungry. i was cold and hungry too but i become so alive when i am by the sea - it's like my blood starts rushing round my body ten times faster and i feel amazing. i want to run around and jump about and just fall down in the sand and grin. i did a bit of this but jos' face was streaming and he had snot everywhere. robin wanted to get back to the car and was hiding from the wind behind my leg and andy could barely bring himself to take his hands out of his pockets to give me the camera!
we went back to the car, realised our packed lunch was still at the house so we went back and got it then had a picnic in the car! we ate while we drove to a lookout point over a loch and then on to a viking settlement called The Broch of Guerness. Robin really enjoyed running round with Andy and playing hide and seek. Jos and I found a spot to be sheltered from the wind and jos enjoyed just exploring the properties of grass!!
we drove back to stromness through a few villages and stopped in a little local shop. we also tried to go to a couple of the craft trail places but each was closed. we went to a potters and a wool shed and i was particularly excited about the wool shed (of course!) but not to worry, debbie is hoping to show me a bit of spinning while i'm here. she's been telling me all about how wool is like to work with when it is raw and i'm really looking forward to getting into spinning yarn.
as an aside, ezra who is project manahging our kitchen, called today to say that our neighbour has flipped about the work we are having done. there were a couple of issues with him before we left on holiday but i worked really hard to resolve everything before leaving. anyway, he has now gone and told the council we are doing work without permission so we now have to put in an application for the work we are doing rather than getting a building inspector just to check it after which is how the builder normally works. all this means we are delayed by about a week on the kitchen work. not so much of a problem on one level beacsue we have amazing friends who will let us eat with them but it means the house is chaotic - something i find hard at the best of times. ultimately means i don't want to be in my own home - the lounge is currently stashed to the brim with kitchen stuff. boy am i having a clearout when i put everything back into the kitchen. and praise God, chloe has said she is inviting herself round for a cup of coffee (black, no sugar, and probably cold by the time it reaches her lips!) to help me get stuff sorted.
anyone want to come for a cleaning party once the kitchen is in a better state - the rest of the house is covered in a thin layer of plaster dudt, even though we cleaned all the floors and surfafces on thursday night right before leaving!!
the first place we went to was Scara Brae. This is what the official orkney tourism website says, "It is an incredibly well preserved stone village containing an intricate maze of dwellings, with stone beds, lintels and cupboards are all intact, and dates back some 5,000 years. The site was revealed in 1850 by a violent storm and is now one of the most famous Neolithic sites in Northern Europe."
this photo is taken on scara brae beach:
then the boys were too cold and getting hungry. i was cold and hungry too but i become so alive when i am by the sea - it's like my blood starts rushing round my body ten times faster and i feel amazing. i want to run around and jump about and just fall down in the sand and grin. i did a bit of this but jos' face was streaming and he had snot everywhere. robin wanted to get back to the car and was hiding from the wind behind my leg and andy could barely bring himself to take his hands out of his pockets to give me the camera!
we went back to the car, realised our packed lunch was still at the house so we went back and got it then had a picnic in the car! we ate while we drove to a lookout point over a loch and then on to a viking settlement called The Broch of Guerness. Robin really enjoyed running round with Andy and playing hide and seek. Jos and I found a spot to be sheltered from the wind and jos enjoyed just exploring the properties of grass!!
we drove back to stromness through a few villages and stopped in a little local shop. we also tried to go to a couple of the craft trail places but each was closed. we went to a potters and a wool shed and i was particularly excited about the wool shed (of course!) but not to worry, debbie is hoping to show me a bit of spinning while i'm here. she's been telling me all about how wool is like to work with when it is raw and i'm really looking forward to getting into spinning yarn.
as an aside, ezra who is project manahging our kitchen, called today to say that our neighbour has flipped about the work we are having done. there were a couple of issues with him before we left on holiday but i worked really hard to resolve everything before leaving. anyway, he has now gone and told the council we are doing work without permission so we now have to put in an application for the work we are doing rather than getting a building inspector just to check it after which is how the builder normally works. all this means we are delayed by about a week on the kitchen work. not so much of a problem on one level beacsue we have amazing friends who will let us eat with them but it means the house is chaotic - something i find hard at the best of times. ultimately means i don't want to be in my own home - the lounge is currently stashed to the brim with kitchen stuff. boy am i having a clearout when i put everything back into the kitchen. and praise God, chloe has said she is inviting herself round for a cup of coffee (black, no sugar, and probably cold by the time it reaches her lips!) to help me get stuff sorted.
anyone want to come for a cleaning party once the kitchen is in a better state - the rest of the house is covered in a thin layer of plaster dudt, even though we cleaned all the floors and surfafces on thursday night right before leaving!!
day 2
sitting at the breakfast table. the sun is shining today and we are going off to explore the island (or at least parts of it) today. hannah (9) is feeling poorly with a sore throat so she is staying off school - perhaps to hang out with robin but she's been told that he's going out and so isn't around for playing!!
abigail (11) was wearing a fantastic top yesterday and it turns out she made it - she and her friend eva plan to set up their own design label called 'cherry'. she also brought down a skirt made with kilt off-cuts and a diagonal zip. i think i might need to enlist her creative skills for my clothes!
tamara, known as TJ, who is 4 (5 in march) is sitting next to me at the table. she loves how fast i type but i told her that her daddy must type faster than me - he blogs so much more and is a prolific reader and writer so i'm pretty certain he has a slight advantage on speed. robin tried to do sleep over with tamara and hannah last night but he said it was too different so came back into our room.
abigail (11) was wearing a fantastic top yesterday and it turns out she made it - she and her friend eva plan to set up their own design label called 'cherry'. she also brought down a skirt made with kilt off-cuts and a diagonal zip. i think i might need to enlist her creative skills for my clothes!
tamara, known as TJ, who is 4 (5 in march) is sitting next to me at the table. she loves how fast i type but i told her that her daddy must type faster than me - he blogs so much more and is a prolific reader and writer so i'm pretty certain he has a slight advantage on speed. robin tried to do sleep over with tamara and hannah last night but he said it was too different so came back into our room.
Sunday, February 25
day 1
so we had a good night's slepp although as usual the boys woke early - jos actually. robin seems to like sleeping here. this afternoon he slept for about 2 hours on me. unheard of! went to andrew and debbie'd church this morning. it was a lovely, simple get together. they do soup and bread afterwards and everyone was really freindly. met and chatted to a wonderfully eccentric guy called chris - he came back to andrew and debbie's after and is great fun!
this afternoon we just crashed out at the house - need to take photos to show you. andrew cooked a lovely roast beef dinner and he also did crepes fr breakfast. when you come to the jones' you know you are going to eat well! i love how they weave food into family life in a really special way. it means that wherever they're travelling (soemthing they do a lot) they have the same rhythm to family life. so friday is always pizza night, tuesday is sausages, sunday morning is crepes and so on.
tomorrow we are going to head off around the island and explore. robin really enjoyed the beach at thurso (where we spent the morning waiting for the ferry check-in). i think we'll try and find some of the orkney beaches which are meant to be beautiful and then a stone village which is very old and preserved. i'll tell you more about it in my update tomorrow.
gutted to miss our first time together ass a new church. chloe texted me to let me know that they were knitting as part of church - how cool. can't wait to find out more. i've been doing my knitting up here - finishing off andy's jumper. on the second sleeve now and then i only have to sew it all together. hooray!
this afternoon we just crashed out at the house - need to take photos to show you. andrew cooked a lovely roast beef dinner and he also did crepes fr breakfast. when you come to the jones' you know you are going to eat well! i love how they weave food into family life in a really special way. it means that wherever they're travelling (soemthing they do a lot) they have the same rhythm to family life. so friday is always pizza night, tuesday is sausages, sunday morning is crepes and so on.
tomorrow we are going to head off around the island and explore. robin really enjoyed the beach at thurso (where we spent the morning waiting for the ferry check-in). i think we'll try and find some of the orkney beaches which are meant to be beautiful and then a stone village which is very old and preserved. i'll tell you more about it in my update tomorrow.
gutted to miss our first time together ass a new church. chloe texted me to let me know that they were knitting as part of church - how cool. can't wait to find out more. i've been doing my knitting up here - finishing off andy's jumper. on the second sleeve now and then i only have to sew it all together. hooray!
Saturday, February 24
we've arrived!
very tired but feel we have achieved something great! orkney so far is lush - andrew cooked great burgers for tea and they have done their place up beutifully. true jones style!! we'll try and stay in touch over the week - see you soon!
Tuesday, February 20
flower fairies
i have always loved the flower fairies. do they have them overseas? when i look at them i think they must be english but perhaps not. here is the flower fairy for the letter 'R' which is my initial (for Rebecca). chloe reminded me of them while i was browsing her blog. quite a funny post about how she accidentally let slip some nonsense to her 2yr old about fairies coming out to dance at night and now she realises she needs to tell ruby the truth! it really is a funny post but also so beautifully written that you can see why Chloe is persuing writing children's books.
anyway, i found the image below of flower fairy 'R'. interesting that it is 'R' for ragged robin and obviously robin is called robin. maybe i should get him one for his wall. i hope you like it.
anyway, i found the image below of flower fairy 'R'. interesting that it is 'R' for ragged robin and obviously robin is called robin. maybe i should get him one for his wall. i hope you like it.
Monday, February 19
today was a great day!
robin, jos and i spent the majority of today in Chesterfield, an historic market town 10 miles from Sheffield. we went becasue i really wanted to get hold of some fabric to take to orkney (i'm hoping debbie and whitney might be able to help me get some samples made). i haven't been able to get what i needed in sheffield and Chesterfield has a great market and there were two fabric stalls and each one supplied me with a different fabric so i have two and i really like them both. they are similar in weight and composition to the final fabric but as i will be using organic or sustainable fabrics for me clothes when i get them made 'proper' i won't be able to get the same great patterns that these have!
robin went on a carousel for the first time ever - the typw with cars and things, rather than horses. he looked petrified all the way round to the point that i nearly wet myself with laughter, but he said he enjoyed himself afterwards!
i'm a little stressed at the mo but feeling ok too - i have to pack up my kitchen as i have a bloke coming to collect some cupboards on weds morning and someone else coming to collect the laminate floor on wednesday evening. then on thurs dan and i are ripping out whatever is left. then on friday we are going to orkney. we are driving through the night becasue we think that's the best bet with the boys and it also means that, although knackered, we get a good amount of time with our friends up there.
the other thing i did today was have a nap in the car, lying uncomfortable across the front seats as the boys had fallen asleep in the back. i figure i need to sleep every opportunity possible if i am losing a night on friday!
robin went on a carousel for the first time ever - the typw with cars and things, rather than horses. he looked petrified all the way round to the point that i nearly wet myself with laughter, but he said he enjoyed himself afterwards!
i'm a little stressed at the mo but feeling ok too - i have to pack up my kitchen as i have a bloke coming to collect some cupboards on weds morning and someone else coming to collect the laminate floor on wednesday evening. then on thurs dan and i are ripping out whatever is left. then on friday we are going to orkney. we are driving through the night becasue we think that's the best bet with the boys and it also means that, although knackered, we get a good amount of time with our friends up there.
the other thing i did today was have a nap in the car, lying uncomfortable across the front seats as the boys had fallen asleep in the back. i figure i need to sleep every opportunity possible if i am losing a night on friday!
Sunday, February 18
windows data execution prevention aka DEP aka pain in the ass...
having been rediculously frustrated by windows service pack 2 blocking me from using windows explorer, because it would seem using windows to browse around folders (including changing settings, or running hard drive performance checks for eg) is a dangerous thing to do and therefore brings up an error message closing the window.
so you go throught the help files and it tells you you can allow access to certain files by... going into the settings window - the same window that DEP blocks.
trawling the internet has finally bought about the following:
Where Can I Find DEP On My PC?
so if anyone else has the same problems....
(posted by andy, not bea)
so you go throught the help files and it tells you you can allow access to certain files by... going into the settings window - the same window that DEP blocks.
trawling the internet has finally bought about the following:
Where Can I Find DEP On My PC?
so if anyone else has the same problems....
(posted by andy, not bea)
Saturday, February 17
HELLO THE MALLONS!!
thought seeing as our friends Keith and Dawn Mallon, who are off on a ship as missionaries, might be looking at our blog soon, i would give them a special welcome.
as for the rest of you. life is fine. we are fine. sorry our blog is quite dull atb the moment. we are busy planning jos' dedication and naming ceremony in march. also we are heading up to orkney to stay with our wonderful friends the jones' and also we'll be seeing our other friends brian and whitney who live there too. both sets of friends are international - debbie jones is american and her husband andrew is kiwi. brian and whitney are both texan (a nationality in itself!).
the other thing we're getting ready for is our new kitchen! ooh - it's so exciting! on thursday my friend dan and i are ripping out the kitchen so that the builder, plumber and electrician can all come in while we are away. then ezra, our kitchen fitter friend, will fit the kitchen when we return. this means chaos for a couple of weeks and i need to organise for friends to have us round for tea a lot!
so that's us at the moment. how are you?
as for the rest of you. life is fine. we are fine. sorry our blog is quite dull atb the moment. we are busy planning jos' dedication and naming ceremony in march. also we are heading up to orkney to stay with our wonderful friends the jones' and also we'll be seeing our other friends brian and whitney who live there too. both sets of friends are international - debbie jones is american and her husband andrew is kiwi. brian and whitney are both texan (a nationality in itself!).
the other thing we're getting ready for is our new kitchen! ooh - it's so exciting! on thursday my friend dan and i are ripping out the kitchen so that the builder, plumber and electrician can all come in while we are away. then ezra, our kitchen fitter friend, will fit the kitchen when we return. this means chaos for a couple of weeks and i need to organise for friends to have us round for tea a lot!
so that's us at the moment. how are you?
Wednesday, February 14
Monday, February 12
a big bee in bea's bonnet!
there's another blog i post on - it's called thethingaboutit and i put up the post about the petition. someone commented about it being a good move in light of a peaceful response to the oil situation. i commented back that it didn't seem so much about oil as about congestion itself. i re-read the comment and realised that it sounded like i wasn't acknowledging the car-tax as a response to climate change. so... i posted the following comment. it's pretty long and i thought to myself, "flip, i should just post that on my blog".
so here is my comment, for you as a post, because i value that you came to my blog to read what was going on in my little head!
"i've just re-read my comment and realised it sounds like i don't see the value of reducing cars in terms of climate change. i think responding to climate change is a very real and immediate need.
the impact of households making many small changes consistently would have afar greater effect on the carbon emissions of the country.
simple things like only boiling enough water in the kettle for the drinks you are making. using energy saving lightbulbs. unplugging phone chargers. not leaving computers , tv's, hifi's on standby, turning thermostat down by 1 degree (or even more and wearing a jumper). composting, recycling, shopping at charity shops, buying organic, using public transport or your feet which are free, not flying unnecessarily - how many poeple jetting off have explored every nook of this beautiful island we live on.
i don't do all the above, but bless my pharisee points score, i do a lot of them. and often i feel like i'm not making much difference and is there really any point, but if a domino effect takes place and the single drop turns into a puddle, which turns into a... ocean, then we would see big change.
we have enough oil to last 40 years more at our current rate of consumption and cars are not necessarily the greatest evil - but they are a very obvious one. if the plan passes through parilament then i suspect that there will be a certain laziness and complacency will kick in.
How about, the government used themoney set aside for this potential development and instead invested it in educating poeple and bringing about a nation of households who have made the little changes - surely those households would then make the bigger changes too, such as reducing car usage."
so here is my comment, for you as a post, because i value that you came to my blog to read what was going on in my little head!
"i've just re-read my comment and realised it sounds like i don't see the value of reducing cars in terms of climate change. i think responding to climate change is a very real and immediate need.
the impact of households making many small changes consistently would have afar greater effect on the carbon emissions of the country.
simple things like only boiling enough water in the kettle for the drinks you are making. using energy saving lightbulbs. unplugging phone chargers. not leaving computers , tv's, hifi's on standby, turning thermostat down by 1 degree (or even more and wearing a jumper). composting, recycling, shopping at charity shops, buying organic, using public transport or your feet which are free, not flying unnecessarily - how many poeple jetting off have explored every nook of this beautiful island we live on.
i don't do all the above, but bless my pharisee points score, i do a lot of them. and often i feel like i'm not making much difference and is there really any point, but if a domino effect takes place and the single drop turns into a puddle, which turns into a... ocean, then we would see big change.
we have enough oil to last 40 years more at our current rate of consumption and cars are not necessarily the greatest evil - but they are a very obvious one. if the plan passes through parilament then i suspect that there will be a certain laziness and complacency will kick in.
How about, the government used themoney set aside for this potential development and instead invested it in educating poeple and bringing about a nation of households who have made the little changes - surely those households would then make the bigger changes too, such as reducing car usage."
Wednesday, February 7
a proper petition for once!
If you drive a car, please read -
>>
>>Sarah Kennedy was talking about this proposed car tax scheme on Radio 2.
>>Apparently there is only one month left to register your objection to the
>>'Pay As You Go' road tax.
>>
>>The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody
>>about it. Therefore at the time of Sarah's comments only 250,000 people
>>had signed it and 750,000 signatures are required for the government to
>>at least take any notice.
>>
>>Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address,
>>just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with
>>a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the
>>petition.
>>
>>The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having
>>to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to
>>use it. The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by
>>the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for
>>a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the kids
>>to school paid £86 in one month.
>>
>>On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will
>>know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have
>>been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time
>>you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly
>>bill.
>>
>>If you are concerned about this Orwellian plan and want to stop the
>>constant bashing of the car driver, please sign the petition on No 10's
>>new website (link below) and pass this on to as many people as possible.
>>Sign up if you value your freedom and democratic rights -
>>
>> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax
>>
>>Sarah Kennedy was talking about this proposed car tax scheme on Radio 2.
>>Apparently there is only one month left to register your objection to the
>>'Pay As You Go' road tax.
>>
>>The petition is on the 10 Downing St website but they didn't tell anybody
>>about it. Therefore at the time of Sarah's comments only 250,000 people
>>had signed it and 750,000 signatures are required for the government to
>>at least take any notice.
>>
>>Once you've given your details (you don't have to give your full address,
>>just house number and postcode will do), they will send you an email with
>>a link in it. Once you click on that link, you'll have signed the
>>petition.
>>
>>The government's proposal to introduce road pricing will mean you having
>>to purchase a tracking device for your car and paying a monthly bill to
>>use it. The tracking device will cost about £200 and in a recent study by
>>the BBC, the lowest monthly bill was £28 for a rural florist and £194 for
>>a delivery driver. A non working mother who used the car to take the kids
>>to school paid £86 in one month.
>>
>>On top of this massive increase in tax, you will be tracked. Somebody will
>>know where you are at all times. They will also know how fast you have
>>been going, so even if you accidentally creep over a speed limit in time
>>you can probably expect a Notice of Intended Prosecution with your monthly
>>bill.
>>
>>If you are concerned about this Orwellian plan and want to stop the
>>constant bashing of the car driver, please sign the petition on No 10's
>>new website (link below) and pass this on to as many people as possible.
>>Sign up if you value your freedom and democratic rights -
>>
>> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax
Tuesday, February 6
Sunday, February 4
kids say the coolest things!
this morning i was telling robin that we are going on hliday at the end of february. i asked him if he remembered our holiday last year - this was the conversation:
bea: robin, we're going on holiday soon.
robin: oh, yes...
bea: do you remember where we went on holiday in the summer?
robin: oh, yes...
bea: where did we go?
robin: to see a star on the spaceship.
how cool is that!! i would love to live in his world sometimes and know how he thinks and what he thinks about. if i could transfer into his world i would first reset his body clock as the 5am wake ups are really starting to wear us down. they've been happening for nearly 3 weeks now i think.
generally good here - pond was frozen over this morning which i think is the first time this winter and the council have been gritting the roads. living in sheffield with all it's hills means the council come out to grip if there is even a slight hint that the temperature might hit freezing, but exciting none the less.
last night we saw 'casino royale' at the cinema. oh, it was sooo good. i know it's been out ages but it felt rally special going to the cinema ona saturday night and as i couldn't eat half the snacks available i managed to wolf down a regular pack of salt and vinegar pringles before the film even started!!
bea: robin, we're going on holiday soon.
robin: oh, yes...
bea: do you remember where we went on holiday in the summer?
robin: oh, yes...
bea: where did we go?
robin: to see a star on the spaceship.
how cool is that!! i would love to live in his world sometimes and know how he thinks and what he thinks about. if i could transfer into his world i would first reset his body clock as the 5am wake ups are really starting to wear us down. they've been happening for nearly 3 weeks now i think.
generally good here - pond was frozen over this morning which i think is the first time this winter and the council have been gritting the roads. living in sheffield with all it's hills means the council come out to grip if there is even a slight hint that the temperature might hit freezing, but exciting none the less.
last night we saw 'casino royale' at the cinema. oh, it was sooo good. i know it's been out ages but it felt rally special going to the cinema ona saturday night and as i couldn't eat half the snacks available i managed to wolf down a regular pack of salt and vinegar pringles before the film even started!!
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