is it really going to be summer soon?...

they are trying hard to convince us that the summer will arrive at the end of this week...but is that true? When I woke up this morning it was sunny and blue skies out of the window etc, and now at 09.15am it is already clouding over. We have a saying that if it is "bright before 7, dull before 11." and I think it is mostly true. Ah well, I keep looking for holidays in the sun for October...maybe we will get away then. Went to 1619 on Sunday evening, a restaurant at the harbour in Andijk, with Jos and Jenny. Only a small menu but everything was delicious. It poured with rain whilst we were there but inside it had a nice fresh atmosphere and it was a place I'd recommend to others. Finally got more photo paper yesterday but still struggling to find the mood for scrapping..have I got scrappers block?!!! Am I just unsettled still and wondering what, why, where and when...I think it is this work thing that is bugging me, and wanting to get on with it but not yet feeling sorted with hours and clients etc. Sat here waiting for a phonecall this morning, about one client from yesterday, and getting anxious about it. It is only early still, but if they ring me maybe this afternoon I will work; and then I want to know now!!! I am a grumpy old woman...maybe it is because of the book I'm reading at the moment which is quite funny, but about turning sixty. Since I am not yet 50 it may sound odd to be reading it, but I had to laugh out loud last night in bed: she also has "senior moments" but when she stated that her friend has "craft moments" it was hilarious!!! Won't translate that here...rude!!!!! Must try and concentrate today........................

damp and dull sunday...

My mood is rather the same as the weather today I'm afraid! Maybe it is the result of not having any scrapping to do!?!....well, that is NOT strictly true, I have loads of on-going ( I could say "unfinished") stuff I ought to get on with, but I am not in the mood. I think it is probably due to having just come back from England and seeing all my friends and having a bout of homesickness.......and feeling a little hesitant about starting work tomorrow.................................. I think I am unprepared for that right now! and a number of other less interesting things! But ok, I have to do it so I hope it turns out alright! And maybe meeting these new people will cheer me up! I hope so, I am in a proper doldrum it seems! And that is all I wanted to say today. Bye!

back home again

and despite all the rain in England we were mostly dry! Poor Gloucestershire and Shropshire and that area of England suffered this time with the Severn and Thames bursting their banks in spectacular fashion. On the Friday when it happened we were in Staffordshire - the country a bit up from them - seeing Becci, and although it poured down all day, it was still not flooded. Then we went over into Shropshire (only just) to have a pub meal with Stephen and Janette, and it continued to rain, and driving home late at night was no joyride, but we were not stranded like so many people were. Ah well, is it any better here??? How many BBQ's have you had this year?!!! It is a washout that's for sure, but no disaster, so keeping it all in perspective, it could be worst!!

We had a splendid day driving over the north yorkshire moors on Sunday, and it was blue sky around us and black clouds on the horizon all day long. We had a little photo session which Peter turned into a competition but...I feel this photo of mine won!!! (well I would, ok!) Dramatic line of dry stone walling disappearing over the horizon with not a soul in sight!! It is superb up there - I feel my spirit reviving whenever I am up there just soaking up the space and beauty of mother nature. I miss the hills so much, and the wide open spaces it affords me. Not for nothing are the Pennines called The Backbone of England!! We also took a sneak-peak at where we are staying in September, by Haworth, and it was gorgeous! William and Lily will find it rather isolated I think, and the roads leading up to the house...be happy that it is a hire car!!! But it is perfect for me, and I think for them too. Never having been to England before, it is always a delight to show people somewhere OTHER than London!!!

And now I have to prepare for this afternoon's workshop and do the household tasks left before the weekend. As usual the rest of the household are sleeping, and only I and the cats have any activity genes awake in our bodies!!!

ps. run out of photo paper hence no scraps as yet!!! Woe is me!!!

It's almost holiday

and I for one can't wait!!! I don't suppose the weather will be any better in the UK than here, but I love seeing my friends and aunt and just being "back home". Peter doesn't appreciate what that means to me and it is difficult to explain, but when I am there I have a sense of belonging and history and place, and that doesn't occur here. Of course I love our home and the friends we have made here, but it is not who I am, and the feeling of displacement only grows I fear, with the passing of the years. The dream of home is exactly that. My career is gone, my knowledge of what is happening there is vague, and things have moved on without me. So the thought of going back to live there in the future is not very realistic. Yet do I want to move to Spain for the better weather as Peter would like to?...no, no thankyou! I try not to think about the long-term future too much as it doesn't help my mood! I take a long time to accept things maybe, but I do hope that we will be frequent visitors to England and enjoy more time there than at the moment. And if Becci stays there and settles down with a family, even more reason to go! But then Tim will stay here I think, and settle down, so we will be travelling in between for the rest of our lives!! So although the rest of the world is a beautiful place, "there is no place like home"!!!!!!!

Faye & Meggy

This is the photo of Faye and Meggy with their door hangers which they made in the workshop. They were delighted with them and I hope they come again soon as they were a pleasure to have here!

Adorable!!!

Isn't he the most adorable baby in the whole world???!! This is Kyrzs, the son of my friend Anna's daughter, from Poland. I am scrapping an album for him and Kasia sent me 500 photos on a disk yesterday...and this one just leapt out at me 'cos he is stunning! At the moment I have got a few pages done, but it is a labour of love so I am not going to rush it. Just thinking about what paper to use and how to set out the page is a treat in itself!! The reason he is so special is that the first time Kasia was pregnant she lost the baby two weeks before her due date, and Peter died without ever being born, if you know what I mean...such an awful experience that I suppose every mother dreads happening whilst pregnant. After a lot of counselling and sharing their experience with support groups etc. Kasia and Marcin tried again. I visited Anna whilst Kasia was pregnant and it was so sad seeing that they dare not enjoy that time, and how they didn't want to talk about it or let happiness in...but finally in January this year baby Kryzs arrived safe and sound, and the joy returned to my friends lives. So, my gift to them is this album which I hope to take over there some time next spring.

scrapping with the twins

Still having problems uploading the photos of this workshop I did with Kate's 6 year old twin daughters last Thursday. It was great fun and Meggy and Faye were very concentrated and focused on their door hangers. Lots of sticky foam pads later.....and vast numbers of silver stars and they were done!!! They seemed to enjoy themselves and want to come again so that is positive feedback for me! Once the internet is working properly again I will post their photo!

Bon voyage Ineke!!!!

My friend and groovy digi-scrapper Ineke, flies to the States on Monday with Jan & Mariska for their holiday in New York! Just wanting to wish you a safe flight and a fantastic experience in NY!!!! Think shopping, musicals, sight seeing, shopping.....it will go so fast I reckon, but she will have plenty of scrap material to work with when she gets home! Dead jealous I am; she might get to accidentally wander into a scrapbook store - and they are HUGE there! You get to walk around with a trolley and not a little basket, (same as in England too), and the prices............to die for! I hope she does find the odd one or two as I am interested to hear what she thinks of them, and whether we need to have a small trip over the pond later this year.....................So pack essentials Ineke and BUY luxuries!!!! BON VOYAGE!!!!! xxx

What makes me happy

I have actually made a LO in response to a dare on a blog! Never done that before, so I don't know what will happen with it.........anyway, the dare was to scrap something describing what makes one happy, and I decided that as lots of things make me happy, this was relatively easy to scrap!!! This is the finished LO: I've probably left out so much, but it was enough with what I had already added and I didn't want to overdo it!

All the small details are possibly difficult to see here but the image is quite clear I think. Have a go yourselves!!! Think happy thoughts today!