Probably This Is The Last Post of 2010 ....

But then again - never say never - lol.

Things are looking up - the temperature has gone up (which is great because I can divest myself of some of the layers I've been wearing of late - I even went somewhere on Tuesday where the temperature was in double figures !!!!), all the friends and relations have been caught up with, by either personal visit, phone calls or email, I've had a nice quiet day of just dossing around - but

I am soooooooooooooo bored.  Ridiculous you might say with all the hobbies I have but right this minute I think I could quite cheerfully go back to work (well, perhaps mot right this minute because it's 6pm - but you know what I mean).

Anyways gave myself a talking to and have set up another Blog to carry on this 365 thing (carry on, as I said before - abysmal failure - lol).  Have a look here ....

Hope to see you there ....

I Said To Keep Looking ....

.... because I said that Sunday's post might not be the last one on this Blog - lol.

Like most people probably, I went into Town yesterday for a couple of last minute bits.  While I was wandering around, I came across one of those shops that are only there for the Christmas season and found this ....

I love this saying - hence the reason for being on the side bar of this Blog and my other one here ...

I'm generally not a cushion person, but I thought it was really cool.  I also got a mug with the same saying for the office.

So - you never know - there might be another post - lol.
Merry Christmas to everyone ....

Failed Miserably - But Coming Back in 2011 .....

Well - the year started off with high hopes and promises and here we are - well over two months since the last post on this Blog - still I'm not going to beat myself up over it.  The '365' concept is a great idea but sadly, in my case, not sustainable - lol.

I am, though, going to do another Blog for 2011 - not necessarily a photo a day - and probably not a post a day - but more a commentary on my 'Journey' through 2011 (I do hate that word and I'm so glad that Pamela didn't complete her Journey last night on Strictly.  I do not need a woman  who's a couple of years older than me undertaking a Journey for the rest of the women out there in our 'age group' - I can travel on my own thank you very much - lol.

Anyways, I digress.  There have been comments - dare I say complaints - from certain persons in the West Midlands - about the lack of recent activity on this Blog (recent - the last time posts of any significance were in August - lol).  There has also been concern expressed by one person in the West Midlands at my lack of 'excitement' and 'joining in' with the Christmas spirit.
So - just to show that there is Christmas in a certain house in West Sussex and to set Sue's mind at rest; and also to post, what will probably the last post on this Blog (but don't take that as a foregone conclusion - lol) here are some piccies of my effort for Christmas .....
First up - the tree .....

Now in the olden days, when the kids were here, I used to have a big six footer in this corner, which would be decorayted to within an inch of its life.  Can't be doing with all that now - so picked up this little one (about two foot six high), a dinky set of lights, some Gisella Graham ornaments (not enough I was gutted to find, so I had to pad it out a bit with some small gold baubles that were in the top of the wardrobe) and two reels of Gisella Graham ribbon - forty quid the lot.  Bonus - is that I won't have to go up in the loft to put it away.  The decorations will fit nicely back in their diddy carrier bag; the tree in a bin liner; and  everything will fit nicel and tidily into a drawer under the bed.

Next - a closeup of the birds at the base of the tree ....

These are so sweet - just love them and so cheep (get it - lol) at £3.99 each .....

And here are my token Christmas decorations ....

These are my Christmas people - the grey penguin (?) with the stripey legs, the gingerbread man and the reindeer at the front were all bought this year (£18 the lot) and the rest I have collected over recent years.
So there you are - photographic proof that Christmas is in West Sussex ......

275/365 - Liking New Gizmo's ...

Well - the 7th August (the last post) was light years away - but I'm not getting stressed about it.  Today it has been chucking it down with rain - ALL DAY - so I have not ventured outside but have been crafting and messing around with my digi camera.

Anyways - the purpose of this post ...

Bezzie Mate Linda got married a couple of weeks ago in a small, private family weding.  Me and my lovely daughter trotted along to the Church to watch and wish Bezzie Mate Linda well  and were told in no uncertain terms that we MUST attend the service.  Now this was a bit of a mishap - neither of us were dressed for the occasion and we had a baby in tow - who was perilously close to needing to be fed - so we sat at the back.

It was a lovely service and as is my usual habit I pottered around  afterwards taking piccies.  When I got home I saw that I had taken 87 - lol.

So because (a) it has been raining, (b) I still haven't set up the new photo printer (bought ages ago) to print off photos to make a scrapbook and (c) Bezzie Mate Sue is complaining about looking at the piccie of the lorry in the last post - I have made a Smilebox Slideshow of the wedding.  Smilebox is the new gizmo of choice- it's so easy to use with loads of templates and music and best of all - it's free - thank you Mr Smilebox ....
In fact - liking it so much that there's another slideshow here of today's crafting project ...

Now I know that looking at other people's photographs might not be another person's ideas of fun - but there is text to each photo and music and if it's raining where you are, it will while away five minutes.
If anyone does watch this I defy them not to have a snivel or two - lol.

Here it is - enjoy ...

Free slideshow design personalized with Smilebox

 

220/365 - A Big Truck ....

Took this photo on Wednesday afternoon, after the Welsh workmen had gone - but forgot about it - lol.  Wednesday wasn't a good day, weather wise (well, I suppose it depends on your point of view - Gardeners - loved it, Mums with School age children - Hated it, Me - I was indifferent 'cos I was busy doing indor stuff) because it rained off and on - and not just light showers either.

Just before the first downpour, the grounds maintenance contractors turned up to cut the communal grass and trim the shrubs - then the heavens opened.  Last time I looked, they were sitting in their van ....  When I went downstairs at about 5.45pm, said grass cutting persons were still in their van - then there was a load of rumbling and hissing air brake noises and this turned up .....

This being a very large Recovery Truck.  Said driver got out and the bonnet was opened of the sick van and after a few minutes of chin stroking (as blokes do) said van sparked into life - leaving huge Recovery Truck having to reverse back down the road - took him eight minutes.  I know - 'cos I stoood there and watched - lol

217/365 - And What's In Your Loft? ...

Today some workmen, all the way from Wales, came to visit.  After a bit of chat and a cup of coffee they set to and disappeared up in the loft.  After a while, they brought this lot down .....

This is a Heat Exchange system which has been in the house since the day I moved in - nearly 20 years ago (yikes - has it been that long).  I never really knew how it worked except that it would clear cooking condensation from the kitchen windows back in the days when I cooked and in the dead of night when all was still, you could hear this low pitched humming (so could my neighbour - lol).

There is 14 metres of that tubey stuff - loads and loads of ribbed aluminium, which could have been a crafting dream, but was razor sharp and surrounded in loft insultation and a type of nylon sock.  What I want to know is - how did it all fit in up there.  I have never been in my loft - bit of a scaredy cat on the loft ladder - lol - I just send the kids up there for the Christmas tree and whenever.

Nice workmen replaced the above with this ....

This time the tubey thing (which is in those four boxes) is all encased in a lightweight metallic looking sleeve - bit like what they wrap you in if you have hypothermia - not that I've ever had that - but I watch Casualty sometimes - lol.

I'm still not exactly certain what this thing does.  The new control panel on the kitchen wall looks very nice and only has three buttons to push - so it can't be that difficult - can it?

And the nice workmen - they didn't make a scrap of mess, asked to use the loo, only had two cups of coffee and were finished three hours ahead of time and have now headed off back to Wales - probably zipping down the M4 as I type .....

216/365 - Love It or Hate It ......

I found these in a well known supermarket - and I'm one of those who just LOVE Marmite - lol ....

Makes for a yummy snack ....