Blue Coppice Blatherings

Blather and balderdash about stitching, design and domestic life.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Don't fall off your chair in shock...

...but your eyes are not deceiving you, this is my second entry in two weeks! Amazing...it'll never happen again...

I've hit a lunchtime lull as I wait for other people to do things and databases to work, so what better time for a brief update?

The picture upload seems to be working today, so here's the pic I tried to put in my last entry:



"The Christmas Elf Fairy"
Copyright Mirabilia 2005
Part of a series of limited editions


I've nearly finished the wings now so I only have the fur trim round the hat and dress left to do...it will be my first experience of using Wispa thread which should be fun :-) I've been told the trick is to use very short lengths and to take your time...sounds like some of the IT training I've have to give... ;-)

This weekend was rather disrupted as a new rear windscreen wiper blade ended up costing a few thousand more than it should have done...oops...


On the way to the Parts department, A & I walked past a new Ford Ka priced at a ridiculously low amount...hmmm, I thought, my current Ka is four years old and won't be worth much as a deposit but you never know... So we popped into the showroom, had a chat, noted down some figures and then went to a rather nice country pub to cogitate over a cider for the evening.

Sunday morning arrives and we're off to the local Halfords to stock up on new sponges. My Ka is cleaned inside & out like it's never been cleaned before, and I collect together all my documents. All that is except my driving licence. This is a slight problem. For those outside the UK, the modern licences have two parts, a credit card style photo ID and then a paper form - well, I had the card but could I find the paper? Not a hope.

Now I'm pretty organised when it comes to my paperwork so after hunting in the most likely places, we decide to leave it & hope it won't be needed just yet. Off we go to the garage & I buy my very first brand new car :-) And as you can see, it's lovely!

Ford KA in "Tonic" Blue

Unfortunately, I need to go back to the garage to sign some other bits, and that's when I need to take both parts of the licence...cue a frantic tearing the house apart when we got back home. It was nowhere to be seen. Everywhere had been checked at least three times & I was beginning to get a teensy bit fraught...until A mildly made the suggestion that it might be an idea if I checked my handbag again.

Bah.

Of course, I rather crossly pointed out that I'd already checked it many times...just as I spotted it tucked inside another piece of paper, inside a tiny zipped pocket where I'd put it for safekeeping a few weeks before...doh...

I hate it when he's right.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Sorry...again...

Yet again, all my good resolutions have gone to pot as life decided to rudely interrupt my plans...pants...

Anyway, it's been some time so here's a quick update:

April 30th, A took me to Conwy Castle in Wales and officially asked me to marry him :-D We were in the lovely chapel when he got down on bended knee & presented me with the most beautiful ring...of course I said yes - we've been discussing it for a while but I wasn't expecting a ring so soon!! (Bling details: Platinum with diamond solitare in tension setting)

We've set the date for late October 2007 which seems ages away but we wanted to save up as much money as possible. The reception's going to be at Manchester Art Gallery with the ceremony at Manchester Registry Office - very small, just immediate family and close friends - and I can't wait! I'm sure there'll be a few more details closer to the time, but at the moment A & I are organising the official invitations. Luckily, as it's going to be a small "do", we can afford to spend the time making them ourselves - it's very handy being engaged to a Graphic Designer!!

It's all very exciting...

On the stitching front, I've been mainly working on a wedding piece for my sister and future BIL (I've got till the end of September...aargh!) but have taken a break recently - the frogs came visiting and decided to settle on a large section of over-one...on 32ct linen, this is not my idea of fun!! So before I threw the whole wretched thing in the pond, I decided to take a break and work on something a little less demanding.

So, I'm now not far off finishing Mirabilia's Christmas Elf Fairy and I think might even get it done at the weekend :-) Pictures will be posted shortly...(well, maybe in a few months!)...but in the meantime, this is approximately how it will look:

(well, it would if I could get the $%*$%*£* picture upload to work!)

This break has done my creative juices the world of good. I've been a little stuck with the construction of a box, but thanks to taking a total break from Blue Coppice work for a couple of weeks, have had a Eureka moment! Daisy (the cat) woke me up at a ridiculous hour on Sunday morning, wailing that she'd not been fed in weeks, nobody loved her, she was totally alone and starving...etc...etc...as only a rather rotund and totally spoilt ginger madam can.

So climbing back into bed, muttering about the impatience of cats that can't wait till a reasonable time of day to howl, I was wide awake and for the first time since...well...the dawn of civilisation, I had the luxury of not having to get up just then to do chores or go out somewhere. My brain immediately woke up and after a brief spurt of activity, I'd solved my tricky situation and scribbled down a few other ideas. An hour later, I was fast asleep again...(I said it was a brief spurt)...

I've got two weeks booked off in July (hurrah and huzzah!) and since A & I have decided to save money & stay at home, I'll have a few days to concentrate on making the box and further progress with my sister's piece. I can't wait...