Thursday - Isle of Woman

Rhiannon was very busy last night helping to run a Disco in school for Lower School (Year 7 8 and 9) to raise money for Breast Cancer Research. This weekend is The Isle of Woman Festival on the island and there are lots and lots of fundraising activities going on. We are all "Thinking Pink" from the local radio stations to the smallest business, schools both primary and secondary, large stores and small shops - all are involved.Our Sixth Formers made us very proud last night - they have worked so hard organising DJs, "pink" refreshments, negotiating with the Head and the Site Manager for the school hall, and persuading staff to come in to help them supervise and so forth.
They raised over £600 - I am so proud of my girl and her friends!

Sunday

I am having a crafty day - I have the house almost to myself - Ben has gone to stay over at Siobhan's,Rhiannon is in her room and Doug is out climbing so I am busy making a big mess on the kitchen table with glitter and glue averywhere!! Such fun!!.I have finished my Christmas tree ATCs for the swap I am joining in. Here they are ready to post - which I will do tomorrow. Hope they will be OK - I am always ever so slightly apprehensive when I make something for a swap - in case it isn't good enough or that the recipients will not like my art work. Especially so with ATCs as I don't have any of the ATC art stamps or anything really that fits with "altered art" which I know lots of ATC collectors do and have! If you understand what I mean.
I really have to thank Jane of the Design Collective for "de mystifying" ATCs for me, and giving me a huge amount of pleasure and fun making them. TFL

That Friday feeling - - -

- and I fell like there is a bubble inside me about to burst! And I have no idea why that should be but I feel excited - WHY?? I don't know - but my insides feel like Christmas Eve when you are a child! Bubbles of excitement that you are desperately trying to keep under control! Just got the next lot of fabulous classes from the Design Collective - how these girls do it I don't know but they come up with the goods every time. Fabulous ideas and classes.

Morning Glory

The most amazing sunrise this morning coming in to work - - the sky was breathtaking - turquoise, soft rosy pink and gold all pearly and iridescent - and just where the sun should be – red like the glowing embers of a dying fire. On either side of all this glowing beauty the clouds were pale grey, deepening to the most dramatic stormy grey as you looked further away from this luminous light and all this was reflected in the waters of Gansey Bay. The sea has turned into a sheet of shimmering Tiffany glass – the colours just so beautiful - glimmering, breathtaking colours – the few herring gulls around were all silhouetted against this magnificent sky - small black dots wheeling round and soaring away on what few thermals they could find. Seeing this is like being given a most precious gift – but – like the last slice of rainbow – you can’t hold it in your hands or even keep it for longer that a moment.
I came into work feeling totally uplifted - and frustrated because I can never capture the beauty on camera!! Instead you will just have to look at these I took of the sunset rather than the sunrise - at lease they are photos of the sky!!

Back Door Slam

Last Friday our local rock/blues lads were back in school to present the school with a memento for being in their last promotional video. It was really great to see the three of them. Davy, Ross and Adam do make the school feel very proud of them - it is great to see them using and developing their talent and are generous with their support for the school even though they are now touring in America and trying to make it into the "big time" there. It was great to see them. I love the music they make - they remind me of Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and other great blues bands (so if you like blues rock bands -- do check them out) - and they have been selected by Yahoo "Who's next" as up and coming talent so if you feel you could support them - please register a vote here The boys would be so pleased. Check out their website and have a listen to them.

- - And it's Friday again -

- - where does the time go to?? I wish I knew!! Friday again and I have done so little crafting of any kind since Monday night. I have been so tired when I get home after work this week that I have just curled up in front of the fire. It has been a beautiful week as far as the weather has been concerned - warm, sunny, glorious Autumn Days. Warmer than autumn days really - coming in to work this morning there was a little bantam hen scrabbling in the gutter outside the farmyard gates - and what should be scuttering around her feet but half a dozen balls of fluff - chicks - merrily following mum and scratching for food alongside her! They were so TINY - and it's November in a couple of weeks for goodness sake!! And to top it all just round the bend - the Valerian is all in bloom again - the whole section of this particular Manx hedge is Pink!! yet further along the bracken is turning brown and the leaves are falling!
Poor old Mother Earth - she really is mixed up.
Autumn IS in the air though,the season's distinct perfume caught me unaware last evening - slightly smoky,slightly cold,vaguely crisp,clean and sharp - the scent of the earth herself - or is that only me being fanciful? The sycamore across the street is losing it's leaves and they crunch under my feet as I walk down the hill to my cottage. I love that we have such different seasons in our cooler climes - as each one comes round I find myself thinking "THIS is my favourite season" - I do have a real soft spot for Autumn though - as it is my birthday season as well as having Bonfire Night in it!! and I so love the russets and faded greens, and the reds and yellows of the turning leaves - my colours - both that I choose to wear and scrap with!
Anyway - as I am at work I really ought to just post this, so will finish now til weekend.

Tuesday 9th October

Well what a beautiful weekend we had. Glorious sunshine both days - and so warm!Finished my Pass the Parcel Book swap for UKS - it is now all ready for posting when Royal Mail resume work after their 48 hour strike. I haven't had a minute to properly post this week so am so behind! With everything really. Was intending to "scrap like mad" last weekend with the UKS Cybercrop and did precisely - zilch, not a scrap, nothing!!Only managed to finish the pass the parcel book last night - but that is because I was on a deadline.
Can't post a picture 'cos 1)Its a secret swap 2) I forgot to take a picture!! Doh - to quote Homer Simpson!!
Anyway - here's a little something I made earlier from my Grateful album.

Bare Books

Bare Books
I was referred to this site by my friend Sue on the Design Collective - and just have to confirm that they are really good value for money! So if you haven't got your own Bind it All, tale a peek at Sarah's blog - and if you buy mention that you found her from my blog - I might get a little pressie!

A weekend away

Doug & I have been away for the weekend to stay with SIL and partner. It was so lovely to see them - and we had a couple of really nice days. Debbie &b Steve picked us up from the ferry and we went to Crosby to see the Another Place statues - on the beach there. It is the sculpture by Anthony Gormley (who I think is the Angel of the North guy??) and it really is quite amazing - all these life size, cast iron figures scattered across the sands, staring out to sea. There are a were originally 100 of them I think - not sure if there still are as we didn't count them - the tide was coming in! LOL but they are all numbered. Many of them - if not all, are below the high water mark and it is really spooky watching the tide rolling in as they disappear beneath the waves - amazingly quickly too I might say.
After a delicious pub lunch we then drove to Formby to go to the National Trust property there and look for the red squirrels - which we found in abundance. It is apparently the last red squirrel stronghold in the North West of England and they are an endangered species and as such very much protected. They were enchanting to watch and there were lots of families there - both out on the dunes, playing on the beach and walking through the pine woods. The beach is beautiful creamy pale sand, firm to walk on and full of shells - cockles, razorshell, whelks - just lots and lots and some were enormous for the British coast. Well I thought so anyway - I don't remember ever finding any quite so big when I was a little girl - and I loved collecting shells from the beach. The woods have their own, very different beauty - the tall straight trunks stretch to the sky like the towering columns in a cathedral, the forest floor is easy underfoot, soft and scented with the pine needles which carpet it and the atmosphere is tranquil in spite of the numbers of visitors - leaves you - Mother Nature is truly a goddess - feeling refreshed. We were fortunate indeed as not only did we see the squirrels but also a fox - happily helping himself to squirrel food (monkey nuts) which the children were tossing onto forest floor for the squirrels!
Needless to say I didn't get any scrapping done this weekend, so I here is another page from my Grateful Album along with a few pictures from this weekend. Have our monthly crop this evening - and I am SO not ready!! I am doing a class but haven't actually managed to finish my demo piece!! Not to worry I'll have to fly by the seat of my pants as they say! Must go now to print off a few instruction sheets! Thanks for dropping by.