His name is Google

That Big Brother Bloke...his name is Google.
It was my birthday at the beginning of July. A working day and  hey, a normal day except that it was super nice too. We didn't go out and celebrate or do very much away from our normal routines; I didn't really feel the need and probably didn't have the inclination. It was a Tuesday though and we were doing an installation or delivery early on the Wednesday morning, which meant I had to schedule my WOYWW post. It was the first time I'd turned the PC on all day and I was surprised to see that Google's doodle was all cake and celebration.

My first thought was 'oh, I wonder what famous people have their birthday today too'. Well you would wouldn't you. Kings and Presidents get the Google doodle treatment.

 Not so. I damn near had a heart attack.

Will you look at that! I know it's a stock image and I know that Google must do this for millions of people every day. But it's kinda creepy isn't it, having confirmation that all your personal data, given willingly or not, is being stored and used. I'm not naive, I know it's been this way for ages. I recognise that as an android tablet owner and blogger blog owner, Google is all over my life.  I don't want to put the freak out music on; this isn't a major rant; if it wasn't Google it would be some other organisation, frankly. But my feigned ignorance was a sort of protection bubble. And so for my birthday, quite unwittingly, Google gave me the jitters!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 321

Well thank you for asking...it's a bit messy but there is actually some work in progress. A minor miracle. I injured my wrist at the end of last week and have been splinted and off work. And bored. But the lack of use is working and my fingers are good to type now, so it's all good. And if you have me on your Facebook friends list - I'm sorry. I did whine; I felt sorry for myself. But I'm over it now, so it should be safe to look at your feed again!

It's a bit dull in here, the light's not ideal for this, but hey, we can see the main horror! An old book that I continue to use the pages from for inking and stamping upon projects. Sacrilege for some, fine for others. Better than sitting unused and unloved on the shelf of a charity shop if you ask me! The tree landscape is for a workshop next week..am dithering over the mount colours. That accounts for the spillage of gel and felt pens too. The tin is full of pieces of cut and dry foam, and you can see two ATG guns, rolls of tape and two pairs of scissors. Seriously, I have a problem. How marvellous! The little book with the house shape on it is actually an address book of Deskers...I promise it's in safe hands!
Come on then, join the others, share your desk, floor, lap table and views of what you're doing...we need to know. OK. I need to know. There are links at the top of this page to tell you how if you're contemplating for the first time...either way - jump in, we don't bite and the water's always bath warm!

T Tuesday

I am suffering a black coffee this morning because there's no milk. Miss Dunnit's current squeeze is on his way to the shop now...bless him. He might as well. She's still in the shower, making the most of our patience; knowing that we will try hard not to hurry and chivvy her - for today is her birthday.

I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but she's 22 today. There is a card and a gift..some money. At that age, as an only child, there isn't much you want as a gift because you've already had everything on account of being spoiled all your life. Or so general perception would have you believe. Honestly, I've taken more flack for having a 'lonely only' child than I ever did for not having a child at all in the 10 years before she arrived.

The agony of not having siblings has definitely scarred her. She doesn't drink hot drinks. I really consider this a parental fail. I can hardly believe that I've raised a girl that doesn't drink coffee. Or tea. Sometimes, and I think this morning may be one of those times, I can tempt her into a hot chocolate. Big deal! 
When she and the boyfriend return to their own lives by the sea and I survey my empty nest, I have a fleeting thought that if I had a another run at this parent thing, I'd work harder at getting it right. It doesn't last long. 

Fearless, Shameless

This fearless Seagull knows no shame. He was begging, for sure. His staring match with Mr Dunnit was a giggle enducer - probably the cocktails that three of us were drinking made it funnier.....

Seriously, this chap stood his ground on the pavement outside the restaurant and just stared and stared. It was a Mexican restaurant and we did consider going out and giving him a couple of jalapenos to try, but that would really be cruel, after all, they were making my mouth burn! The restaurant was very busy and the pavement and road were not without users, but he stood his ground. It's fair to say that seagulls have long been considered a nuisance. You gotta wonder why we don't eat them....I mean that would really solve the problem, right? Well, apparently, way back in Medieval days, we did eat them. But you don't need camouflage or a sense of the danger of humans when you taste so salty you're inedible, right?

What's on your work desk? Wednesday 320

If you're of a mind to join us for this strangely compelling Wednesday activity, there are instructions on how to link and a few rules  on the linked pages shown at the top of this post. Don't be scared, it's easy!
My desk is a shambles of unpacked workshop baskets from almost a week ago, and unpacked and unfinished stuff after a crop at the weekend? Good grief. I need to exercise the magic of making time to sort it out, it puts me off and it's my desk!

You can see that along with the WOYWW6 ATCs, I still haven't used or put away the handful of postcards I bought when we were in Granada last year. I can't. I like them all too much. There's evidence of shopping too, two stamps from Indigo Blue and some teeny emoticon type facial expressions. I'm not sure why I like them, we'll soon see if it was a ridiculous indulgence! I've had a desperate plea from a reader for help in finding the Stampendous Ranunculus clear stamp set...discontinued last year...does anyone have one they'd be prepared to sell? Let me know, I'll put you in touch! Now, link your WOYWW post here so we can visit, see what you're up to and what you're currently investing in!

T Tuesday

Well it's been a fortnight since my only child up and left home. Of course I've missed her horribly. Luckily, she left a trail of unfinished packing, full cupboards, bric-a-brac (to be tactful) and a basket filled with laundry. How odd. I can only presume that she was very confident that she would be seeing us again fairly soon! Her job means that her days off don't match ours, so we motored gently down to Worthing yesterday, to catch her at the end of her working day. Spent the afternoon strolling the prom in the sunshine. The Rotary Club had a multi charity fundraiser going on, so there were lots of stalls to poke about and look at. There was a funfair. And the beautiful sea, which was azure and sparkly, on such a lovely sunny afternoon. I didn't photograph the sea. I was utterly distracted by people watching and the thought of a cuppa.

Look at that. Vintage crockery for a cream tea in the sunshine at the Vintage Cinema Tea Rooms. What's not to love. Another stroll to the little flat that Miss Dunnit and her current squeeze are settling into and a touching reunion. We went out for supper like regular double daters and had a fun evening. The best bit is there is no sadness in leaving - she's happy, and that makes everything OK. I'm happy too - discovering this tea shop has made Worthing and the seaside even more attractive!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 319

If you're new to the WOYWW thing, please forgive us a little solemnity today, this post is for Eliza, who passed away last Wednesday, very suddenly.
In the prime of her life, working hard, living hard, loving hard and enjoying being herself, Eliza had spent the day with her very best friend and another of our WOYWW friends, DeDe. I'm sure therefore that she had a really happy day. 

 Eliza and I didn't meet. We were separated by 12000 miles. And joined by the internet, crafting, having a daughter and woman hood. I get the impression that she was fiercely independent and utterly able. She really enjoyed the posts I made about small achievements - her comments on these were encouraging and often genuinely funny. I could almost hear her laughing and saying 'good on ya'! She bragged with love and affection about her friendship with DeDe and with love and pride about Myrene...she even managed to get Myrene to agree to be in some desk pictures. And how could Myrene refuse when Yoda was so willing to pose!  Eliza's craft skills were out of my league - oh she had such a thing with colour! This is her latest ATC gift to me, for the WOYWW6 Anniversary - plucked form the pile still sitting on my desk, inspiring me at every shuffle. Gorgeous. Every detail speaks care for detail and the enjoyment of the craft.... you only have to page through her blog a little to discover how busy her life was and how much she enjoyed the down time of crafting. 

The message on Eliza's ATC isn't difficult is it. Tempus Fugit. Time Flies. And I'm perfectly sure that she meant it to be a life lesson for all of us...I can envision her 'seizing the day' every day; cramming it full of love and vitality. Bless you Eliza, my word how you will be missed and don't worry...we'll check in on Myrene and DeDe.
Link your desk here why don't you and if you knew Eliza, do share a memory...I know she'd love it.

Tales from the Villa

Although we were away on holiday, it was also a bit of a maintenance trip. Mr Dunnit decided that there were some loose patio tiles to be re-bedded and the low front garden wall was looking very un-white, so the list of chores began.
One of the bedrooms has twin beds, with a small drawer unit between them. I believe in the USA they are called 'night stands'. We call them 'bedside tables' whether or not they are tables. When we bought the furniture, the twin beds came with a twin set of these bedside tables. And they're very nice. But there was only space for one in the bedroom and so we've used the other one in the lounge section of the living space. I know my stories are thrilling, aren't they. It occurred to me for the first time that really, if it was to be a permanent piece of furniture, it ought at least to match or blend. It looked a bit temporary. It's been ten years, so you should probably not consider hiring me as your home decor advisor.

 So we bought a small can of paint and a brush and off I set.  Mr Dunnit, who knows everything about wood, said to just paint on top of the blue and sand down between coats of the new paint. So I did. The light sanding removed the paint. That which did not sand off I peeled off. Firstly because it was like peeling mushrooms and I couldn't help myself, and secondly because even I knew that it would look awful if I just painted it again.
Suddenly this quick make over was looking like a job. And getting boring.

I had to work inside because the paint dried on the brush and went all claggy in the sunshine. It wasn't much better on the lounge floor, but at least I was in the shade. It too k 3 coats. It was the right paint, we double checked, and even google translated the words on the label, just in case.

 Then we had to buy new drawer handles because I didn't want to buy a 100ft roll of masking tape so that I could use about 3 inches of it to mask the little drop handles. And of course, it very quickly became evident that I didn't have the finesse of brush work to avoid painting them. And naturally, the paint wouldn't and didn't peel or sand off metal handles, oh no. 

Ah well. Choosing the handles wasn't too difficult. I refused to go back to the huge DIY store because I couldn't be bothered. So we went to the teeny Ferreteria (ironmongers) that was within walking distance. Well, walking distance via a coffee and then an ice cream shop...). The Ferreteria was enormously helpful and had these. So we chose these. They look just fine too. And, considering I chose the paint colour from memory, I'm quite pleased with the near match to the table. Only now the table needs doing. And please excuse the mess...it would seem that because I was on holiday, I was incapable of putting shoes and towels in the proper places. 

Horrible news.

Gentle Deskers, you will be shocked and dismayed to read of the sudden death of Eliza Harms on Friday 10th July. Her great and best friend DeDe is handling the breaking of news and I'm sure that like me, you send her love and courage to handle that, the hardest of jobs.
Eliza joined WOYWW a few months before she rescued Yoda and made all of us cat lovers. She was always absorbed and incredibly busy by her job in broadcasting, she seemed to me to live her life in a whirlwind of activity work and fun.  I'm not going to say any more just now; DeDe will post when she can face it and we'll chat about this extraordinarily caring and engaged friend again on Wednesday. Meanwhile, please hold Eliza and her lovely family in your thoughts.

A week ago..

A week ago we came home from a holiday of sun, sea, sangria and not much else.

The thing about having your own place in the sun is that you get used to the surroundings over the years and don't feel the need to rush out to see places and do things. Sometimes, we do some lovely trips and explorings. But this time, we were so happy to just have a chance to sit and watch the world turn slowly,that we did just that.

There was some maintenance type DIY which involved several trips to DIY shops, and the time consuming but necessary stuff - you know, bank, solicitor, Agent, blah blah. But mostly, we sat somewhere in the shade and just let the world work around us. On DIY days we used the pool to cool off and on other days we sat on the beach and used the sparkling Mediterranean to cool and exercise our limbs.

Mr Dunnit is a very active man, and on occasion I feared that he was bored, and suggested activities. He turned them down...a sure sign that he too was relishing the 'do nothing' type holiday. Look here...even his halo was rested enough to show up !

I'm at home today doing chores and bookwork. First day off since we got home, as normal. It's lovely and warm. The sun is shining. And I had a sudden yearning to sit in the garden with a large glass of something with ice. Like I did last week at lunchtimes. Ain't that the sign of a good time? When you think a drink at lunchtime and a siesta thereafter would fit into a normal working day without too much trouble!

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 318

Well, it's kind of you to ask. If you see the chunk of time that I've lost between last Thursday when we got back from our holiday and today, please trap it, cage it and save it. I need it back! So...I've made a card this week..one of those that you do as you're doing other things..you know, glue this down, go and cook supper, come back, make a flower, go to bed. That kind of activity. But yes, it is still way better than nothing. My desk last evening:

You wanna know why I haven't adjusted the over exposure and made it all visible? Because I like the sunshine making it all glarey. Just because sunshine makes me happy! See that little baggie with the floral shape in it? That's a winder for some hand spun silk thread from Sally at Oh Snap! Can you believe the patience of (other) people - hand spun 3 ply thread! Thank you Sally, I will be using it; I have a really soft crochet lap blanket that will need a bit of sewing...perfect!

So come on then deskers of the world..lemme see what you're up to. Give me the inspiration to get out of my armchair and try something crafty after supper! Link your WOYWW post here and we can trot round for a visit. 

What's On Your Workdesk? Wednesday 317

Well Deskers, I haven't lost form. Indeed, I may be in a panic of preparation..
When you go away, you often think when you get back, that everyone else's time has stood still, just as yours seems to on holiday. But the cruel truth is..it hasn't and some people are expecting you to deliver on promises. So here you see me attempting just that, and with no time to spare, shame on me.

For a workshop I eloquently entitled 'sketches and scraps'. Not a problem except when the potential is for 16 people to do the workshop. You kinda have to make sure you've got enough scraps in the same colour ways for all the cards to work. So here you see me rootling and deciding. My 6x6 pads naturally live in the scraps box. However beautiful they are and however much I can't resist buying them, they really are only of value for cutting up to make cards. Card blank sizes being what they are and all. You know.

And on my ipad stand still - Twiglets dumfed WOYWW anniversary card. I'm not ready to put away the collection of beauties that I received.

Now, if you need more information about this WOYWW thing follow THIS LINK. It contains another link that tells you how to join in. If you are ready, please, add your link so that fellow Deskers worldwide can visit and be inspired and inspiring. I thank you!