3 years ago today!

I started working for the NHS at Chesterfield Royal Hospital. 

I need to organise a meeting with my boss about when I'm going back to work.

I'm not sure what I really want to do.  I'm due back mid-August and I don't know whether it would be  a good idea for me to go back into the same department or ask if there is the possibility of moving somewhere else.  If I start to think about it all too deeply I will end up getting myself into a quandry so I'm still pushing everything to the back of my mind.  I think I will see if I can get a meeting with my boss this week to see what my options are.

Paint Pots

 

I've chosen some colours for my picture frames. 

I really like the little tester paint pots you can buy 

- they're really handy for little craft projects

I found these cute little elephant notelets in the Fairtrade shop in Sheffield.

I think they'd make a nice border somewhere.

21st ...

Self portrait

Words

Today I lost the word 'symmetrical'.

 

But then Jenny found it for me.

Things to Make and Do

We have a fabulous shop just around the corner from where I live.  It's a bit of an Aladdins Cave of all sorts of bits and pieces.  Upstairs they have a section of old stock and odds and ends that are being sold off really cheap.  I don't go to the shop very often but when I do I usually find something interesting that I can put aside for a rainy day project.

A few years back I bought these, and discovered them again on sorting out my craft cupboard recently.

I haven't decided what exactly I'm going to do with them yet.  The frames will certainly get a lick of paint and the shells are definitely going!  For the inserts I could hunt through my photos and see if there is anything suitable.  Or I might do some minature free-style embroidery pieces, maybe using metallic thread and some beads.  Or some mini quilting designs.  I could do some letters  or some lino prints?  I bought some lino printing equipment a while back which I've not used yet that might be an idea.  Hearts!  I could have a heart theme perhaps.  Not sure whether to have the same theme across the three boards, or just have three totally different styles.

Looking forward to getting stuck into doing something with them anyway.

Take Heart

SAD

Some songs ...

Doldrums

Really feeling down today.  It's been ages since I felt like this and am trying to keep myself busy but can't do anything with much enthusiasm.

Hate it.

Must be time for some Wedding Singer then.

  

And a little bit of this.

Odds and Sods

Bathroom update.  We have chosen a bath!  There's no point ordering it until we come back from the States though, so it's still going to be a while before the room is finished, but I feel like some progress is being made at long last.   Two walls tiled now bar the bits that need to be cut, but again, any movement forward is progress.

I had a small disaster with the embroidery that I finished last week.  Despite following the washing instructions very carefully, the brown thread has run leaving stains on the white.  The worse of these is on the border under the foxes.  There's not many suggestions on the internet for how to deal with this happening, the most helpful being 'stitch over it with something else' but that would completely ruin the picture.  I've tried a toothbrush with some mild detergent on it to no avail, and a white marker pencil, which hasn't helped much either.  My last resort is to stitch over it with plain white stitches I think and hope it doesn't look odd. It will probably work ok in the picture bit but not sure abou the border. It has to be better than nothing though.  I haven't got the heart to do it at the moment, I'm a bit pissed off with it all really, I was just so pleased to get it finished, but I'm sure I will feel a bit more positive about it in a few days.

Lastly, and most importantly of all, we have a full house again.  Jenny is home - woo hoo and Becky officially finished her last exam this morning and is currently sunbathing in the garden.   Hopefully recent tensions will disappear now that the exams are done and everyone can chill out a bit more and have a bit of fun.

Recent Reads

Joanne Harris is one of my favourite authors.  So when a new book comes out it doesn't usually take too much to persuade myself to get it.  I love Chocolat and the follow up Lollipop Shoes; Coastliners was the first of her books that I read followed quickly by 5 Quarters of the Orange and Blackberry Wine.  All so good.   Some of her stuff I just can't get on with though.  Jigs and Reels, a compilation of short stories was ok, The Evil Seed, a revisit of a very early novel that had not previously been published, was ok, I finished them both. Gentleman and Players, I never got past the first chapter.    

So on to Blueyedboy.  I did read it all, it had me gripped insofar as  it was mostly based around internet entries by blueyedboy himself, of his life, his fantasy life and the lives of those around him.  He posts various explanations of the recent deaths of people in his life, his brothers, a young gifted child, a professor and various cronies of his Mother.  All involve murder but each retelling is from the point of view of somebody different being the murderer.  It's impossible to tell whether it's all fantasy or whether there is some truth in there somewhere, so  I had to read it to the end to see just how it was going to finish.  And it was a surprise. But I didn't particularly enjoy it.

You can't always tell what a book is going to be like from a review or three.  I seem to go through phases where I buy books that I really enjoy, then have a spell where the books I buy are just really naff.  So with my two most recent purchases.

The first is called Nine Lives by  David Fox.  I saw this advertised on Facebook, and followed the link to Amazon, read three glowing reviews so bought it and was really looking forward to reading it.  First thing I noticed when it came was that it was one of those 'self-published' books - you can tell the kind with their glossy covers and seamless spine.  That's ok though, it got great reviews so though I was sure to enjoy it. 

Bluegh - the formatting is all over the place, as is the grammar - self-published in this instance obviously meant skipping the use of a proof reader or an editor.  It was hard to get into the story itself because of the way the sentences had been constructed.  One sentence ran for 5 lines, without a comma, semi-colon or full stop.  Nightmare. 

The second book is 'How to Be a Woman by  Caitlin Moran.  Now let me add at this point that I didn't buy the book for advice on 'How to Be A Woman'  I sussed that one out many years ago.  Its partly about her growing up, partly decrying how feminist ideals have slipped over recent years and a call to arms to not be sucked into the fake-tanned, primed and airbrushed role models which are so prevelant at the moment.  I want to like the book, I agree with so many of the thing she has to say, but what her admirers call funny, I'm just finding to be on the wrong side of crude (for my tastes anyway) so the jury is out until I finish it.

At last ...

work on the bathroom has commenced. I might get to have a bath by Christmas.

I'm Finished!!!

Yay - after spending 15 hours or so of the past week sewing, I have finally finished Becky's Noah's Ark picture. We're a bit wooly as to when I actually started it - but it was at least 12 years ago - she wasn't very old at the time.  So as 12 is a nice round number, and one of my old door numbers, we'll stick with that I think.

I'm so glad to have it finished. It's been sat there in the background, accusingly all these years and I have felt bad that I didn't have the inclination to finish it.  But here we go, a bit of time off work to clear the mind, and it's amazing what you can get done.


Here's some pre-washed photos.  .  It might look a bit wobbly in some of the shots, that's just because the material isn't lying flat and needs a good press.  Next job is to for me to stretch and sew it onto a backing board before it's framed.

I did it!!!

Making Sense of the Arts - Open University Course - October 10 to March 11

Isn't it just the way.  After checking my Open University page daily for the past two weeks, it was a congratulatory email from my tutor which alerted me to my results.

My pass was an overall 'Achieved'. The options being: Achieved, Just Achieved, Not Quite Achieved and Not Achieved.

Out of the 8 points for achievement I got 6 'Achieved' grades and two 'Just Achieved' grades. The last two were for 'following academic conventions' and 'thinking about your own learning'.  I can live with that!

So, now I need to decide whether or not to take my studies further and sign up for the AA100 course - which is more of the same, but this time is a precursor to doing a degree, and any points gained would count towards a degree should I decided to take things that far.

Fathers' Day

This goes out to all the Dads I know!

Firstly to Simon who has been, and remains, a fantastic father to Jenny and Becky.  20 years of love, laughter, tears and frustration - but worth every minute. 

6 years ago yesterday, I arrived in Newcastle a little later than planned, to give my sisters some relief from looking after my Dad.  I was going to spend a couple of nights there, but I arrived to the news that he had passed away during the night.  The following day was Fathers' Day and I had made him a little book full of photos of memories of him over the years.  I wasn't able to give it to him, but here's some of the photos that I included in the book.

My Dad as a boy

My Dad the pin-up!

Working for the Co-op

Taken at Leazes Park Road

Dad and Mam's Wedding Day - Dad, Mam, Aunty Ron, Uncle John

Dad in Belgium

Dad with Jenny and Michael

Sylvia's 18th

At Dad's house. Lilian, Dad, Me, Aunty Esther, Uncle Jack, Sylvia
Jenny and Becky front

Whilst I don't want this to be a morbid post, sometimes it's good to just take a moment.  Yesterday was also 6 months since Sylvia died.  There's so many things I wish my parents could have see, Simon, the girls, school plays, birthdays etc and there's not a day goes by that I don't think about Sylvia.

A week in to the diet and ...

oh boy!

Starting weight:  11st 11lb on 11 June

Didn't get off to a good start when I weighed myself on day 2 of the diet and I had gone up to 12 st. Not sure where the 4lb had come from overnight, but not to be deterred I persevered and did really well until day 6.  Let's just say that on days 6 and 7 I threw caution to the wind consuming a curry, some bakewell slices, eccles cake, biscuits and more pepsi than is good for me. Oh and I got through the best part of a bottle of wine too!

18 June: Week 1 weigh in:  12st.

Anyway the best motivators tell you to pick yourself up, brush yourself down and just keep on  going.

So - I'm gonna join the gym.  Simon's started going again and is going to sign Becky up, so we might as well have a family membership and hopefully be able to motivate each other.

With a bit of perserverance this time next week we'll all be big losers.

Almost finished!

Today I have mainly been doing this:

At least 12 years in the making ... many of those where I didn't pick it up even once.  I thought it about time I finished it.  Once completed it will belong to Becky.

Only the tree, a bit of grass and a toucan to add now. Then a very careful handwash, press and we can go and choose a frame.

Art Room Meadow, Barlow

I love Facebook!  A friend tagged me in a message to say that there was a wild flower meadow planted a few miles away from where we live.  I jumped into the car with camera in hand and discovered this most amazing place.

The meadow is a living, breathing art installation if you like, in the grounds of the Art Room - a small gallery space owned by local textile artist, Diane Gilder.

As the gate says, viewing is by appointment only, so that's something for the future, but it doesn't stop you taking photos from the roadside.   A few minutes after I got there, Ronnie pulled up in her car so I got to thank her in person for sharing such a fabulous place.

 
The meadow is full of poppies, cornflowers and daisies and is HUGE!

Fox House Round Walk via Hathersage and Grindleford

At the beginning of my break from work, I bumped into my friend Kathryn at the hairdressers.  Nothing unusual about that, except I'd changed from my normal hairdresser, and Kathryn just doesn't 'do' hairdressers, so neither of us would normally have beent here except she had won a cut and express manicure in a charity auction.  She said she'd been hoping to bump into 'someone to chat to' that day and lo and behold, it turned out to be me.  We decided to go for a coffee there and then, and after chatting, made a loose arrangement to meet up every other Tuesday on her day off.

Instead of going out for lunch yesterday, I suggested we go for a walk and take a packed lunch. That way I could stick to my diet and get some exercise. 

We had a great day for walking the sun was blazing but there was a slight breeze as we set off from Dronfield about 11.00 am and headed out to Fox House where we parked the car.  We headed off through the car park and out over the moors in the general direction of Hathersage, making it up as we went along really!  The first incline took me by surprise - I found it really hard going and couldn't get my breathing under control.  A few deep breaths and not talking for a little while sorted me out and I was ok for the rest of the walk. Sometimes it takes a little while to get into your stride.

We headed off over the little stone bridge over the stream and skirted an escarpment for a little while before finding the steps that took us over the top.  We walked past Scraper Low Hall Farm, which used to be owned by a colleague of mine when I worked in housing.  It's a fantastic building with castle turrets at the centre, and according to Pauline who I worked with, is haunted.  We meandered through the woods near the farm where we stopped to eat lunch.

Scraper Low Hall Farm

Lunch break view

 
We then headed down into Hathersage, which is a fabulous village. The church graveyard houses the remains of Little John from Robin Hood fame. Hathersage is also the place Simon and I spent out first night as husband and wife at the George Hotel.  It was lovely back in 1985 for our first visit, but was in serious need of a refurb some years later when we went back for a second visit.  The building itself is rather lovely though, like a one-storie mini castle and very quaint.



Once in Hathersage we headed along the river over to Grindleford and on past Padley Chapel and up to the Grindleford Cafe. It's not the best kept cafe in the world but is a famous stop off for walkers and I allowed myself a can of coke as much to cool down as to give me a short burst of energy for the climb up to Padley Gorge.

Padley Chapel

Padley Gorge is very much my favourite place in Derbyshire.  There is a magical feel to the place, and if fairies and goblins existed, they would live here.  We found a fabulous new bridge which has been installed over the river and I loved the wood used and the fact that the designer had gone for a natural shape rather than plane the wood down into straight strips. 

Padley Gorge Wiggley Bridge

We crossed the road over into the Longshaw Estate, a National Trust site and walked on up to the main road and back to Fox House to pick up the car again.
 

Wooden Ant at Longshaw Estate

 The whole trip took about 4 hours and we covered between 6 and 8 miles. 

New Things

I just had an idea of something else to add to my itinerary of 'things to do whilst not at work'.

Despite having been a vegetarian for 19 years, I can count on the fingers of one hand (not including my thumb, index finger or pinky!) the number of times I've been to a dedicated vegetarian restaurant.  In fact, last summer was the first time we'd eaten in one as a family, on holiday, and quite by accident.

I admit it is easier to eat in a regular restaurant that have veggie options, than go to a veggie one that has no meat options for the carnivores of the family, so it's never been a problem to me.

But it just dawned on me that this is something that I can do whilst I'm off.  So - I'm off in search of veggie restaurants and cafes  in Sheffield and Derbyshire, and I am going to hit one a week - most likely at lunchtime, and very likely on my ownsome until Jenny is home from Uni, but that's very ok.

More to follow!

Food!

I love food.  It's hard being on a diet though.  But I will persevere. Here's a couple of recipes from the last day or so.

Vegetable & Rice Stir-Fry

2 oz brown rice (uncooked weight)
1tsp olive oil
2 spring onions
2 oz carrots
1/2 red pepper
3 oz broccoli
2 oz mange tout
2 oz beansprouts
1 clove garlic
1 piece root ginger
1 tsp chilli
2 tsp tamari or soy sauce
1 tbs sherry ...yum!


Cook the rice following the packet directions.  Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan or wok.  Stir fry the sliced whites from the spring onions, carrots, cut into batons, and red pepper strips for a couple fo minutes then add the remaining veg and stir-fry together for another 3 or 4 mins, keeping the heat high. I pre steamed both the carrots and broccoli before adding the to the stir fry, as I prefer them a bit softer.

Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, spring onion greens, soy sauce and sherry adn allow to bubble for a moment.  Add the boiled and drained rice and stir well to mix.

Mixed Vegetable Couscous - this is for my lunch tomorrow

1 serving of mixed salad leaves
2 oz couscous (dry weight)
2 tsp low fat salad dressing
2 oz cucumber
2 spring onions
1/4 pepper
1 tomato
2 tsp olive oil (I like the garlic infused oil)
4 tsp of lemon juice
1 pinch oregano
1 pinch mixed herbs

Place the couscous in a heat proof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside for 10 mins to allow the cous cous to swell and soft.
Prepare the veg and after 10 mins drain the couscous through a sieve.  Add the veg to the couscous and season with olive oil, lemon juice and herbs.  Mix well before serving.

Couscous and pudding all boxed up ready for my walk tomorrow.

Update

Back in April I posted that I was really struggling with work at that time.As an update, I decided to apply for a 3 months career break, and also took a month's unpaid leave while my application was being considered.  The career break has been granted which started at the end of May and I have to say it's really good not have to get up at 6.30 every morning!!

Simon wasn't too convinced that it was the right thing to do.  I'm not always the best person at self-motivation - and I think he had visions of me either going right down the tubes, or sitting on the internet all day and every day.  But whilst I understood his concerns, I felt it would be the best option for me, and armed with the knowledge that I know I can be my own worst enemy, I decided to be positive and to make it a time to unwind mentally, take things a bit slower, and also get some long-standing jobs finished in and around the house.

So we're 6 weeks into my 4 month break and I'm doing great.  We've had some visitors; Lily came to stay last month in the middle of the Alarm Tour and as mentioned elsewhere, Eileen has been down for a few days also.  I had a feeling, right back at the beginning of the year, that this year we would be having a few visitors to stay over - usually we have one or two folks in the year and that's it.  With that in mind, we had agreed with Jenny to do away with her high bed (she's the only person who can physically get up there), decorate her room and use it as a guest room whilst she is away.  Well, the transformation hasn't quite happened yet.  I've been banned from starting anything else in the house until Simon has finished the bathroom - which could be quite a while as he hasn't got a lot of spare time on his hands at the moment.  Thank goodness for the bed settee!!  Our next visitor will be my brother-in-law Les, who is coming down at the end of July for a Leeds/Newcastle friendly match - and I'm quite excited to see who the rest of the year will bring our way to stay.

So as well as visitors, I've organised some regular lunch time meet ups with a few of the girls and am trying to get in some walking as well.  I've got a few sewing projects that I'm determined to finish while I have the time, and more projects I want to start.

We have a 3 week trip to the States coming up in a month, and still lots of planning to do for that, so I have plenty to do. In fact, I'm not sure how I shall manage to fit in working when I have to go back ;-)

I have a month

- to lose half a stone.  Otherwise I can't fit into my holiday dresses!!

If I am good, I should be able to do it.

So the plan of attack is - cut down to one 'wake-up' pepsi a day.

Drink lots of water.

Dig out the old Tesco Diet recipes.

Give the alcohol and chocolate a miss.

Do at least a 3 mile walk most days.

So - starting weight this morning is 11st 11 - goal is 11st 4 by 9th July.

28 days.

Hmmmm.

Wish me luck!!

Round up of the week

Friday & Saturday 3/4 June

A hectic week in the Woods' household kicked off with Simon dropping his external hard drive and losing a weeks worth of work.  The consequence of which involved  working until all hours most nights and pulling one all nighter in order to meet some deadlines. 

Last Friday night, Simon and I travelled up to Newcastle to spend some time with my family.  We popped into an IT company in Sheffield on the way up to see if they could retrieve his lost work, but whilst they could in principle, they would need to buy in some new equipment to get around the encryption and they won't be able to do it before Simon's deadlines are due. 

So onwards and upwards to Newcastle.  We had tea with Les, Eileen and Richie and saw Micky briefly (thank you for waiting for us!).  Ed, a friend of Sylvia and Les, had arranged a 13 mile walk along the Northumberland coastline from Bamburgh to Craster for some of Sylvia's family and friends.   The plan was to meet at the Wyndewell Cafe at Bamburgh at 10.00am but we were loads early. Thankfully the cafe owner opened up early for us so we could have a hot drink before we set off.

Bamburgh Castle and 13 miles to go!

The scenery along the beach and cliff tops was stunning, although it was a little on the cold and windy side.  It was good to catch up with folks, and to get to meet Ed and Jane's sons, Ewan and Keir properly for the first time.  What a lovely couple of lads they are, very into their music which made for some great conversations.  Sylvia's best friend, Eve was there with her husband Tony and son Josh.  (I must plug Josh's band - The Smokin' Barrells, they have some great tunes).  When we were growing up, Eve lived 2 doors away from us so we go back a long way.  The last family represented were Big Al and Linda, and their two children, none of whom I'd met before, but they are a lovely couple and I got some top tips for our forthcoming trip to NY from Linda.

We stopped for lunch at The Ship Inn at Low Newton by-the-sea - it was pretty packed out because of a wedding reception - but its a popular pub.  Laugh of the day come courtesy of the waiter who could only have been Son-of-Phil-Lynott - apart from being white and as shy as a mouse.  He made us smile anyway.

At the Ship Inn after lunch

The second half of the walk took us past Dunstanburgh Castle, a ruin which looked very mysterious on what had turned into a bit of a dull day, before finishing with a very welcome pint in The Jolly Fisherman at Craster.  In the pub we met a friend of Ed and Jane's, an artist called Mick Oxley, and we visited his gallery before we left Craster.  He has some stunning paintings.  I especially liked the sea scapes.  I had a lovely chat to the lady who runs the gallery - she had graciously agreed to stay over her working hours to let us browse around and gave me loads of information about other local artists.  Definitely a return visit on the cards and maybe a few purchases next time we go.

Dunstanbrough Castle

To round up the day, we were booked in for a well-earned meal at the amazing Cook and Barker Inn at Newton-on-the-Moor.  Its one of the nicest places I have eaten, with its medievel decor, and fabulous food.

Our banquet at the Cook and Barker

I think we all did Sylvia proud - there were more than a few moments that I wished she was there on the walk with us, but she would be glad that we all met up and had a good day out.

We hugged and said our goodbyes with sketchy plans for another walk soon, and then headed off to pick up my younger sister Eileen to bring her down to us for a few days holiday.

******************************

Sunday 5 - Thursday 9 June

It has been lovely to have Eileen staying with us, and good to get out and about in the midst of a few family tensions.  Becky has officially left school until September, although has to go in for a handful of exams.  Maths is the big bug bear and we have been trying to motivate her to get down to some serious studying.  Simon has taken time out of his frantic schedule to go through some of the harder work with her but we've had tears and one or two shouting matches and a bit of a fraught atmosphere.  Eileen certainly saw us warts and all.

Sunday we hadn't planned much, to give Simon and I a chance to  recover from the previous days excursions.  Rain put paid to our plan of an outside BBQ, so we cooked everything indoors and chilled out in the conservatory instead.

Monday  Eileen, Becky and I went up to Rother Valley for a wander around the park.  The free hire of a mobility scooter meant Eileen could be mobile and didn't have to depend on me pushing her about - the sun was shining and we had a lovely chilled out time just meandering around the lake.

Eileen and Becky at Rother Valley

Tuesday was forcast for rain so we went to Meadowhall for some serious shopping.  Mobility scooters have to be hired 7 days in advance, so we were out of luck,  but the Shopmobility wheelchair I picked up last week came into its own  and thank goodness for  front swivel wheels!!!  I officially passed the driving test, although I'm concious that it must be weird being at the mercy of somebody pushing and pulling you around or just abandoning you to go look at something over the other side of the shop, so tried to keep Eileen in mind at all times.   She really is amazing and copes really well, doing her best to stay positive and to do as much as the MS allows her to do. 

Treat of the day, which we were all really excited about, was having our feet nibbled by fish!  It was a surreal experience.  The strangest bit was dipping your feet in the water and feeling all of these little critters suddenly head for your legs!  Very weird - but once you got used to it quite relaxing.  Not sure I would bother with it again, but definitely glad I gave it a try and it did make us giggle loads.

Becky and a hundred fish

Wednesday was supposed to be heavy showers in the afternoon, so we zipped off to Chatsworth Garden Centre for lunch, and then on to the Peak Village Retail Park, for yet more shopping.  We did well to avoid the rain, apparently back here in Dronfield it was torrential, so that worked our really well for us!

I didn't sleep too well on Wednesday night.  This was the night Simon worked through the night for Thursday's deadlines so that disturbed me a little, but I was fretting about Eileen getting the train home the next day.  Simon finished his work early Thursday morning, so was free to come to the station with us, which was really helpful.   Eileen was more relaxed about it all than I was, and determined for it not to be an obstacle.  She is very unsteady on her feet, and can't walk very far, and I was worried about her managing her walking stick and suitcase on a rickety train.   She did great though, and Richie was there at the other end to meet her.  She did so well that they got the bus home instead of a taxi. I'm very proud of her!