Giveaway Winner, Other Things.... and a New Me

My apologies for the late draw posting for the giveaway but things have been a little busy here.... and the call of the garden is strong, now that Spring has finally sprung..... eeerrmmm sort of. The nice weather we've been having here in my neck of the woods has just given way to rain which is why I'm finally in here and on the computer and not out in my garden. LOL

Firstly, the drawing for the Lily Maiden kit has been done: a piece of paper pulled out of the Crystal Chalice of Fortune with the lucky winner's name on..... and the name is..............

Kindly modelled by DH - thought you'd prefer to see his hairy arm, rather than the "Stop the Bloody Whaling" Greenpeace t-shirt he's wearing, as the blood spots on that look too real for comfort. Congratulations Gaynor. :0) If you could please leave a seperate comment on this post with your email on (which will NOT be posted) I will contact you to get your snail mail details, so I can have the kit winging it's way to you, courtesy of Royal Mail, in the not too distant future. :0)

Amongst the sorting out, jobs and gardening I've been doing I have found time for a little stitching. I'm afraid none of it was on Mother Earth though, so I am probably in the bad books over at the 2010 Weekly SAL Blog with a third consecutive no-show. Actually it's getting quite comfy under that naughty chair, as I've now got lots of cushions and the fleecy blanket to keep me warm, a stack of books (well, I've got to get through all those books I've bought from the Hospice Bookshop somehow!) and a couple of Carob bars. The Carob is because I'm dairy intolerant and don't do chocolate.... and because there's not much chance of anyone else who's under the chair wanting to nick any - it's definitely an acquired taste! LOL So when I've been sat in my armchair, instead of under the naughty chair, and the mojo has been around it's the tiger that's been getting the attention. Here's last week's update, which I didn't get around to posting:

And this is where he's at now:

I'm still undecided about that reddish-brown thread - at the moment it seems to stand out like a sore thumb and doesn't seem to go with the other colours. Am hoping that, as I stitch more, it will kind of blend in better.

Some of the gardening has involved trips around various local garden centres, along with rather nice meals out, to buy some plants, then putting them into the five wall pots: the Lady by the front door, Arthur and Guinevere on either side of the side door and the two pots that are either side of my Lady face plaque on the back of the house. I shall take pics of them and share when they're a bit better established. Whilst we were at one of the garden centres I just couldn't resist this beauty:

The bees and hornets were ecstatic over it and I just fell in love with the colours. I'm still pondering on the best spot for it to go in the garden... DH couldn't resist going round with his spray pot of poison (weed killer) one weekend, whilst I was out at the Healing Course (taking advantage of my absence, as he knows I wouldn't let him loose with the damned stuff, otherwise) so it's staying in its pot until I know it's going to be safe!

The move into the craft room is progressing slowly but surely. Most of my books are now up there, allowing me to rearrange the downstairs bookshelves in the process and accommodate some herbal and gardening books that my DSis gave me (they were our Dad's), and a few more of my books were added to the charity pile. I finally got the boxes needed and carried on with the sorting and organising of my cardmaking stash: the bulk of the peel-offs are done (need another box to do the rest) and the rubber stamps. We also had a clear out of another cupboard and the caravan too. So when The British Heart Foundation posted a bag through the door at the weekend it was perfect timing: I filled it, left it out the front on Thursday and it's been collected, saving me from having to heft it all down the street.

As for the Healing Course: I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed both weekends. Jan's cottage, where it was held, is beautiful and so much quieter than where I live - loved the peace and quiet. We'll all be meeting up again soon to have a get together and receive our certificates and booklets. I've since done a little healing on my DH, a willing guinea pig, and helped to ease a painful shoulder problem he had... and also did a little self-healing when I had a very arthritic session with my left knee, which alos eased that. Looking forward to receiving the booklet, as it will have some of the meditations and other things in that I can use as a memory jogger. On the Sunday of the second weekend I took my drum and Tibetan Singing Bowl and Wayne (the chap giving the course) took his drums and we all got to have a play - great fun. Now the others on the course have decided they're going to the Mind, Body and Spirit event at the Lincolnshire Showground next month with the intention of buying Tibetan Singing Bowls. LOL

The Course has set off some positive developments for me. I've been driving myself to Circle and back ever since, leaving DH to amuse himself at home, and have met my DSis at the Lemon Tree Tea Room in Epworth Garden Centre (it's half way between the two towns we live in) where we had a lovely meal, some warm drinks, a wander round and lots of chat. It was way outisde both of our comfort zones but we enjoyed it so much we plan on doing it, and similar trips, again. :0)

Another thing has been my decision to have a much-needed make-over. Due to the agoraphobia and panic attacks and the grief issues I'd been sadly neglecting myself. My weight had rocketed in that time and my hair grew long and straggly. Would you believe, it's been over 10 years since I last stepped foot in a hairdressers/salon and had my hair cut! It was a case of putting my hair into a scrunchie to keep it off my face.... and if the fringe got too long I just used to hack a bit off with the nail scissors.

Well, I tackled the weight and health problems, along with many of the grief issues, and have been feeling much better for it - now I am out and about and even back driving once again. So last week I finally decided that it was now time to tackle that last sign of the old, agoraphobic me..... time to do something about my hair...... and because I now know that I am also worth the time, effort and money that is involved.

So now you're going to finally find out what I look like - those with a nervous disposition or a weak heart be warned! LOL Here's a pic of the old me, taken at my DSis's one Christmas before Dad passed away, with much of the weight, untamed eyebrows and the straggly tied-back hair - believe me when I say I looked a whole lot worse than this the year after Dad passed (more weight and an ashen/grey complexion) but there aren't any pics of me from then.

The legs and arm belong to my DS, who didn't want his pic displayed, but it was the only half way decent pic I could find of me. Now here's me the evening after the waxing and hair styling session, courtesy of S, one of the ladies who goes to the Development Circle with me:

Can you tell that I hate having my pic taken? LOL Nicely shaped, under-control eyebrows and a layered-look hairstyle - though still a little red from the waxing. It's so easy to look after too: I just wash it or damp it a little, then scrunch it with some serum on my hands, then spray it with a spray gel to hold it. It takes five minutes to do, at most. I'll just be pulling the fringe a bit further forward in future, as I'm not so keen on all that forehead showing off the receeded hairline, otherwise I like the new look me...... though I do occasionally look in the mirror and double-check it's actually me! LOL The make-over isn't going to end there though, as I've made an optician's appointment for next week and I'm going to get some new specs..... and I'll be going for a new look with those, too. And plans are afoot for finding and joining both yoga and bellydancing classes - for Spiritual development, toning up and just plain fun! LOL :0)

Thank you to you all for your continued visits and kind comments. Hope you have had a good week and also have a great weekend. :0)