Hmm, thinking cap on, gentle reader

This is the first time I've used the stop watch on my phone. I think that says a lot more about me than really I'd like to make public, but hey, we're all friends here. Now, this is the time it takes me to do something that, officially since Friday 26th August, I've done almost every day! I invite you to guess. First correct answer will receive erm, a round of applause, or something unexpected to cause a happy smile. Please keep your answers within the boundaries of my sensibilities! Ahem.

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Or, probably more accurately 'Some Things Never Change'!

A very blue picture in the early morning light - but the sun will haul itself higher and the day will roll forward, sure as eggs is eggs. And the never changing part of this - you've all seen or read about my skill in preparing for a Crop. Well, here we go again. It's on Saturday. But here I am on Wednesday just gently trying to remind myself what my 'ready box' of matched-to-paper-photos is looking like. It's four months and some brain surgery since I last looked. The one thing that struck me first was that oh boy, I don't actually match papers and photos - rather I 'pair' them. No wonder I find scrapbooking so hard!! Anyway, that's the desk - it's naturally all on top of whatever was already there, but you're used to that too!
Show and tell for us then will you, encourage and inspire, please!

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Well look at me....washing's out, desk is relatively tidy and it's good light.

Oh..you can't see the washing, waving on the line. Oh well, you'll just have to take my word for it that this morning has started well. It should continue so too, I'm off to help that Jan and her important G to shift stuff from one house to another house. I'm going to be a van driver. It's been ages...!
So, an aerial view of the desk, taken with no effort at all - I just held my ipad in the air; no chairs used or stunts pulled to achieve this pic. You can see the top side of the painted stone now. The first one I painted is by my flower pot on the front doorstep. I like it. And so with a spectacular lack of imagination, I'm making all the stones look similar! That's the extent of this weeks crafting; I keep talking about intentions, but there's so much that keeps me away from it. I firmly believe that you make time to do things you really want to do, so I'm obviously not quite as inspired as I want to be!
Please join and show what you're doing and where you do it; it's just fun.

A post about a Crop

We didn't arrange a Crop for earlier in this year because I had too much on my mind. Now I haven't, but Jan has. The world goes around like this for all of us doesn't it! However, Jan is made of sturdier stuff than me and even though she may be days from moving house, has agreed to be with us at another Crop. So...
Saturday 8th October 2016. 10am till 4pm as usual.
NEW LOCATION:
Wylye Road Community Centre, Tidworth, Hants SP9 7QH
Slightly varied format:
We will of course, provide tea and coffee and more cake than you can eat. It's the law. But we (by which I mean Lunch Lady Jan,) won't be cooking your lunch. There are various and many options; you could bring your own. You could go without. You could stroll over to the 'strip' in Tidworth and buy your lunch from one of very many take-away establishments - Chinese, Indian, Fish and Chips, Kebabs, Pizza, Subway to name those that come to mind. Or you could wait for Julia to offer to go on your behalf with an order book. You get the picture. It's not exactly a grand gesture by me is it - if Jan's about to move house, she won't want to do the pre-cooking work that she usually does for us. So instead of taking up the challenge, I voted to make the location closer to essential services. Food. .
Costs
Sort of number dependant, but will be no more than £10 for the day; as always, we'll collect payment from you on the day - no deposits or commitments in advance please, we are women and we have to remain flexibubble.

So if you'd like to spend a day eating cake and chatting with fellow crafters, bloggers and nutters, please come and join us. Jan and I love these days. They aren't particularly extra ordinary in terms of activity or location...they are extraordinary because we're friends before you even come through the door. Let me know if you wanna be there then - save Jan and I sitting on our own amongst a load of cake!

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Not much sign of come back crafting really. There's a bit of interest though - a bunch of beautifully stamped and cut out flowers came from Sally and therefore get to sit on the ipad stand to remind me that they are almost made cards! There's still a couple of stones - one red, totally blank apart from the red, another purple. The purple one is drying after a coat of varnish, the other side is more interesting! There's an (empty) packet of sweeties - chocolate mini eggs. Gotta be one of my favourites. Cadbury have produced them out of season and called them 'Wini Eggs' because they have a competition to win a trip to Rio for the Para Olympics. I haven't won. In front of that packet is a box of confetti - we went to a lovely wedding over the weekend. It's very unusual to be allowed to throw confetti these days, so we really chucked a lot about....and then I scrabbled around on the steps of the venue to collect some to put in the album. Like you do. The card expressing pride is for my nephew. He's a soldier now, and his Passing Out Parade is on Friday. Another occasion for a frock and some well shined shoes! Show and tell will ya, I've bored you with mine, you owe it to me!

I'm officially my Mother....

For as long as I've been able to understand speech, people have told me how like my Mother I look. My adult response has always been 'thank you' and if there's time, an explanation that I'm actually more like my younger sister than my sainted Mama.  And that's all true. It's also totally true that all those clichés and sayings about being like your Mother apply to me.
We could (and I stress "could" share shoes. There is a point in my memory when we did....early 1980's, we had the Marks and Spencer pointy toe high heel sling backs in every colour between us. I wore the white ones on my wedding day. Mistake that, with a hooped skirt on your wedding dress...the bloody hoop got trapped between my foot and the shoe on every step....argh. I digress.

I learned from Mama that if you see a potential gift for someone, buy it, if you can afford it. Save it for the occasion. If you can't afford it, write it down in a proper not-to-be-lost notebook rather than think you'll remember it. This has really been helpful. Mostly, I am therefore reasonably prepared. With ideas, if not actual presents for birthday and Christmas times.

Which is why, earlier this month, my desk was a wrapping station for Christmas gifts. Just as my Mother would have done, I used my niece's UK holiday as an opportunity to get my USA family's presents sent, carriage free, so to speak. I wonder if they open them all early, or if they're kept? I wonder if they think I'm amazing because I'm so organised. Or a bit of a nerd, or silly. No, as it's an inherited skill, they'd never be so rude. Would they?

What's that saying... 'fool me once' ....

Way back in 2011, I had cause to write to Santa after Christmas, to ask him to help Mr Dunnit better interpret my clues as to the presents I would like. Well, I don't like to judge, so I'm going to say that Santa didn't get my letter.

This year, chez Dunnit, we have been plotting and planning more  building works. It's serious stuff, and we've worked hard in terms of budget and material choices and plans. My surgery has inevitably delayed the upheaval, but things are on the turn. Delivery of materials for this project have become quite frequent.

It was my Birthday last month. When he asked if there was anything in particular I would like, I was happy to say there was not. Not even a surprise. I have no wants or needs. 

A couple of hours after this conversation and with a sheaf of paperwork on his lap, he asked me if I'd like some precious metal for my birthday. Now, remember the reason for my letter to Santa. I said it would be nice, but absolutely unnecessary. 'Of course it's necessary', he said 'and it would make me happy - we could think of it as a joint present'. How sweet.

the length of the garage and oh, there's the mower again.

Be not surprised though gentle reader, when I tell you that the steel lintel - stage one in the building process - has been delivered. In his defence, it is a precious metal - it will hold up the side of my lovely home at some point. Joint present? I guess it is. I wasn't fooled, but thought you might recognise this thought process!