Hair Cut 2

Well I went this morning and now at the back my hair is 6.5” and a little longer at the front. And I like it. My husband on the other hand is not so struck. I asked the hairdresser if she had ever had anybody cry. Apparently not and she didn’t want me to be the first. I wasn’t. She cut some off but then I was distracted by a lady who had commented on my knitting whilst I was waiting and by the time we had finished chatting and I had given her a copy of my hat pattern it was done.

I then meet a friend for lunch who was surprised but said it suited me and I can normally tell by her face it she doesn’t like something regardless of what comes out of her mouth but face and mouth seemed to concur.

I haven’t been conscious of it which is a good thing. When I washed it it did feel like there was nothing to wash but when I have had it trimmed this is when I notice it most.

Now I know my pics are generally a bit dubious but this was taken by hubby and basically the first photo does, as long as the object can be identified by anyone with a little imagniation. If it doesn’t meet this criteria a second will be taken but that’s the limit. The view is from the back because apparently I don’t take a good photo from the front!

etsy

I recently opened a shop on etsy. Spending my time crafting is something I have always wanted to do. I didn’t want to regret not doing it but somehow always managed to put it off. So I reached the point where a big life decision like this was nothing and realised that the only way not to end up with regret was to put myself out there.

I’ve sold two things so far, the same knitting pattern for a Christmas Stocking.

I wouldn’t mind but when I put the listing on I hadn’t done the pattern. That’s not strictly right… I had a pattern but one only I or an expert in code could follow. So when the first one sold after a day I was in super pattern mode. Fortunately I thrive under pressure and had the pattern completed about four hours later (this included time spent making and eating tea, making it because my husband was going out to earn real money not mess about with wool).

The thing that has really surprised me is how hard things are to photograph in an appealing way. I have a head and notebook, because my head gets chocka and things fall out, of ideas of things to make but haven’t got to them because I can’t get the photos right on the other things and think there’s no point adding loads more stuff with naff photos.

I’ll have to email David Bailey.

Hair Cut

I’m going for my hair cut in the morning – I normally go twice a year for a dry cut to get rid of my rats’ tails to use an expression my Aunt used to use. BUT I have decided to get it cut short, well by my standards. It’s currently 14″ long which I consider quite short. I had about 2″ off in November and had already had it cut twice this year.

So I rang and made an appointment for tomorrow and now I’m slightly panicking whether I’ve done the right thing. I may need a stiff drink in the morning. Sod the sun over the yard-arm stuff.

Christmas Tree

I felt the need to share our Christmas Tree with its alternative decorations.

Necessity really is the mother of invention. A good few years ago I went to get the decorations out of the loft on Christmas Eve eve and to my horror found that the salt dough tree decorations had suffered from heat and subsequent cold exposure, worse than a pensioner in a vest. So not being able to drive and my husband being at work. I thought about the stuff I had once bought on holiday in Scotland for our bathroom and which I had never used. Thinking and subsequently reading in a Feng Shui book that sea based themes in bathrooms would disrupt the flow of pee, I mean chi. Although the former is probably even more messy.

So I popped popcorn in a pan, having bought some a while ago on the basis it was a healthy snack and then realising it was but it was also not a patch on the popcorn in the cinema or covered in toffee. But the tree did not mind that it was several years out of date.

I then threaded but was still full of enthusiasm and then draped round the tree.

Christmas Eve I glue gunned whales, dolphins, angle fish, balls (not belonging to any of the prior), mini wreaths and fishing line together along with my fingers several times. Glue and I are not on overly friendly terms.

I then had a similar gluing experience with shells of varying sizes and green thread realising that the fishing line was way to fiddly for the shells and anyway I’d already used in on the fish.

So a tradition was born… and every year since I sit and curse whilst I thread metres and metres of cream thread with popcorn then brush the escaped bits of popcorn up off the floor. This year I was actually glad to do it as with the problems I had with my back last Christmas it took be two days to finish the tree.

I do then look at it and think WOW it looks so good! And just so you can admire it too here it is.

To Do List

The current status of my To Do List from my previous entry

Charity Jumpers – finished 27th but made the yarn stretch not literally to another couple of hats

Belt for cardy – Finished Christmas Day while I was waiting for my husband to finish getting ready and worn on Christmas Day with the rest of the cardy

James Graham doll – finished and wrapped on Christmas Eve – see photo, he did subsequently end up with eyes and rosy cheeks.

Paper decorations – Up in the porch on Wednesday night by approx 23:30. A friend had just left and I was standing in the porch in my jim jams hanging decorations while the snow came down in completely gorgeous snow like manner, all thick and constant.

Steam clean floors – Done on Tuesday night – didn’t really help my sore throat and caused my back a bit of gip* – to the point where I almost considered taking Oramorph – but my floors looked fantastic.

* It’s good to be able to get that off my chest that because

a) I don’t know if anyone will read this, and

b) even if someone is (Hello), I don’t know you personally and I don’t feel have to feel guilty that I potentially could have @#$&ed up Christmas by over doing it.

AND additionally I made a holly dog collar for my sister-in-laws pooch.

Christmas Stocking

I knit a lot, hence Feresaknit because somebody already had Feresa, who’d have though it.  And I cross stitch and sew and will try anything arty although I’m not a big fan of glue! It likes me too much, more of it sticks to me that to what I’m trying to stick.

I’ve just finished a stocking for my friend’s grand-daughter. I did her two brother’s one each last year but didn’t get her’s finished ‘cos I wasn’t too well and ran out of time, so I knit her one instead.

I’ve always wanted to do something crafty for a living, I did once work for a double glazing company so I suppose that was pretty crafty – to be polite.

I recently set up a shop on etsy.com and have discovered that although I am creative, even if I say so myself, its really, really, really hard to photograph stuff. There’s all these arty looking photos, some selling similar things and my look like a grandma with old-fashioned tastes did them. Oh, there’s a hat similar to the ones I knit it looks so cool, mine look so cute in ‘real life’ but look naff in my shop. I think I need photography lessons. Now I know why they use fake food in recipe photos, pooling gravy developing a skin wouldn’t sell. I only buy cook books with lots of photos in and this would explain why my results never look quite like theirs – well that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway back to my stocking. I’ve popped a pic on here just so you can admire it.

And now I have to get back to the hundreds of illogical things women do this time of year like

* Finishing off some baby jumpers for charity just so I have more room in the glory hole so I can have space to find the felt I need to finish of a James Graham doll for Christmas. What’s that you say, just move them are you mad!

* Shred some old bills so I can fit a pile of magazines I’ve been given off the ‘library’ (or bedroom 3) floor onto the book shelves.

* Steam clean everything with my new steam cleaner that arrived today.

* Make an elaborate green chilli for tea (or dinner if your posh) instead of oven chips, oven fish and a tin of peas.

* Finish knitting a belt for the cardy I’m currently wearing.

* Make some paper decorations to hang in the porch – oh, wait that is kind of relevant but not urgent. I’ll move that down my list of priorities but put it before wrapping presents, getting my nephews, mother in law and 3 dogs presents, baking and get to them after the other things.

Theory Test

Picture it – cold grey morning – theory test at 8:30 with requirement to turn up at 8:15. Husband gives me lift into town and parks outside near to where he thought I was going and short walk from where I knew I have going.

At 8:08 approx

Him: ‘Are you getting out?’

Me: ‘Aren’t you going to drop me off?’

Him: ‘Yes, I’ll drive the 20 feet to the door’

Me: ‘It’s not here it’s the place on the corner but its okay the WALK will do me good.’

Him: ‘Ok then.’

Get out of car and start walking. The car goes past

Him: ‘I could have dropped you off at the bus stop.’

Me: ‘You could have dropped me off right outside the front door if you’d thought about it’

No really – Me: ‘The walk will do me good.’

So I arrive at the test centre and go in and suddenly think it’s not the right place – OH DEAR (well thoughts to that effect). There’s no signs saying Test Centre, there’s someone going through the door inside but I don’t shout to them I think its shock. I nearly walk into someone on the way out
‘Where’s the Test Centre?’. They don’t know. Not panicking, yet! Walk to the Town Hall, its shut!

Accost a couple walking past with council badges dangling from their necks – ‘Where’s Gregson House’.

‘It’s that building over there’ (WHERE I STARTED FROM) ‘it’s the JobCentre Plus’ – Plus what – the Theory Test Centre??????????????

Walked across the car park, fumbling mobile out of pocket and dialling 118118 – who then put me through (bugger the expense by this time). Automated service – I just want a person to tell me where the test centre is, is that too much to ask? Obviously. Hover in the middle of this huge car park, should I walk further or should I stop in case it’s the other way? Decisions, decisions. How am I going to say – No I didn’t pass because I didn’t take it because I didn’t know where I was going!

Nearly back to the JobCentre by now – thinking why I am going this way it’s not in there.

Turn round and march back across the car park. Accost yet another pedestrian who doesn’t know where it is but her son has just passed so she feels she should know. Well good for him and no brownie points for her! Why don’t I try the Town Hall? Why didn’t I think of that!!!!!

Panic is now setting in. Back to the Town Hall still closed. It’s now getting on for 8:22 even though I feel like I’ve been walking for hours – it’s the well known panic time warp.

Town Hall still CLOSED. Where’s my Council Tax going?

Try the next building. Fortunately there’s a security guard, possibly he’s not very big and not very secure looking, BUT who cares because after explaining that the offices only open at 9:00 he is able to tell me where to go – what I mean there is he tells me where the test centre is not $@*# off we’re closed.

I rush (can’t really run due to back problem) across the Town Hall square, across the pelican crossing after briefly checking for buses bearing down on me only briefly because by this time 8:25 the sympathy from getting hit by a bus would overshadow the fact that I didn’t know where I was going.

Into the 6th building I’d been to – see Theory Test Centre in the foyer – rush to the door to the lifts – it’s locked – what the $@*#!!!!!!

Nice security guard rushing round the corner behind me

Him: ‘Test Centre luv?’

Me: ‘Yes, I went to the wrong building’ (he doesn’t need to know how many wrong buildings.

Him: ‘It happens – take the lift and calm down.’

Get to the Test Centre offices – nice lady takes my licence off me – gives me a key to a locker for my stuff so I don’t cheat and something to read quickly as I’m only just in time. I have little idea what it said but on the basis that I wasn’t agreeing to electric shocks every time I got an answer wrong or missed a hazard I signed anyway.

Did the theory bit – very confident – but we all know that this can lead to a glaringly obvious balls up later.

Then settled down for the Hazard Perception bit – quite relaxed by now because I was going to fail – I couldn’t spot a heavily laden 30 foot trailer bearing down on my side of the road in time to click the mouse and get five points.

I got up from my chair before a lot of the others, walked out collected my things and my letter saying I’d failed the hazard perception and the number to let me out of the door downstairs. No doubt in my mind. Didn’t open it until I was in the lift, didn’t want to have hysterics in front public. ‘Congratulations, you have passed’. What, is this mine, yes it’s got my name at the top, does it just mean the Theory bit? Look at the scores for the hazards, there’s no way they add up to 44.

Got out of the lift, went to the first door, it’s the stairs, second door is some short of fire escape/cupboard, third door has a key pad, bit of a clue as I have a number. Manage to get back into the foyer – security guard coming out of his office – possibly because there’s CCTV everywhere and I’d been trying doors like a loon.

Him: ‘From the smile I take it you passed.’

Me: ‘Well, the letter says congratulations you’ve passed, but I don’t think I passed the hazard bit.’

Him: ‘I think there’s a bit of a clue in the Congratulations you’ve passed bit!’ And probably thinking ‘She could be on the road soon!!!!!’

Took it to a coffee shop and sat down, after ordering a Mocha, ‘cos apparently they don’t like you going in for a warm sit down without buying something! Looked at it properly and it clearly said ‘Congratulations you have passed’ but seeking yet more confirmation I read further and it clearly stated lower down 50 out of 50 for the theory element (yes, I know Smart Arse) and 50 out of 75 for the Hazard Perception and to cap it all suggested that I might like to ask my instructor for further information on Hazard Perception – my computer must have been talking!!!!!!!!! Wait till I get home.

First Post – original name I know

Hi

I’ve been off sick for a while and now that I am feeling better am severely lacking in human contact – I’ve always said that I couldn’t be one of those couples who work and live together and now I have been through an imposed confinement with my husband.  (He has been a complete darling and has put up with a LOT but enough is enough.)

So I have my theory driving test tomorrow.  I think I have the theory part off pat but the hazard perception is another matter.  The first time I did the proper test test (if you get my meaning) today I scored 44 out of 75 and the DVD had the audacity to say that I had passed but I might want to consult with my instructor for further advice prior to the real thing – or something like that I was a little busy checking what the minimum required mark was only to find that it was in fact 44 and maybe the suggestion wasn’t quite as cheeky as I suggested to the DVD.  It was downhill from there but I think that the program took offence to the suggestions I may have made about its mother and hasn’t been responded to my delicate taps on the keyboard, I tried this after the mouse seemed to have sided with the DVD and developed a dodgy left click – just for this program apparently, its fine for anything else. 

Meanwhile we had a new stair and landing carpet fitted today.  My other half on finally getting out of bed at 16:30 ish after I had served him bagels (nothing else) – he does work nights he isn’t just lazy – said ‘Is this the colour we ordered?’

Me:  ‘Yes’

Him:  ‘I thought it was darker than this’

Me:  ‘Yes, it’s definitely the right one’

Him:  ‘Oh, this looks dark.  But I know it is going dark’ (And it was going dark outside but strangely we do have these electric light thingies.)

Me:  Well what do you say to that – This one looks darker but you think it’s not the one we ordered which was darker!  Oh, OK. – I of course said nothing.  He had just got up!

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