Sunday 17 October 2010

It's Officially Official......

Yup, it definitely is...... after not one but four night's of stitching this week..... the mojo is finally back and looks like it might just be staying around for the forseeable future. Yay! That is worth a Happy Dance all of its own! LOL

So what has had me sat and busily plying my needle on those four nights? Well... there's the start of the new series of V, a couple of documentaries on Ancient Egypt that I hadn't seen (a feat in itself, as I have usually watched everything there is about that era several times over), a couple of episodes of Criminal Minds I hadn't seen before, plus a new Sunday evening historical drama on Channel 4, called Pillars of the Earth... worth watching just for the main character of Tom Builder! LOL And which one, out of several WIP's and UFO's, received my attention, I hear you all asking.... it was the Janlynn Tiger I've been stitching for my Development Circle friend G. In fact I got so much done, this was the result:


Yes, folks, we have an actual finished piece..... and there's a major Happy Dance going on here at the moment. I can't tell you just how good that feels after such a very long hiatus! LOL It is so good to finally be back stitching again.... I feel like throwing a party for that long-gone mojo.

Soooooo....... now that the Tiger is completed, a frame has been freed up..... and I've already got the fabric for a new WIP on it, ready for tonight. Fingers crossed there's something good on TV, to ensure my butt stays firmly in my armchair to make a good start on it. Yes, I know you're all wanting to know what the new WIP is going to be.... but you're just going to have to be patient until next time, when there'll hopefully be enough stitching done to show you all a pic. Cue *evil laugh* here. ;0)

So, what else has been going on since my last post? Well, the play my DS was in and DH was Stage Manager for went well - not the greatest aucdience turn outs each night, but not bad for an am dram production. The book An Inspector Calls is currently on the high school curriculum, so it was nice to see one of the schools sending along the students to watch the play - and the cast did a post-performance Q&A session with the kids and teachers who attended. Methinks the grades for that particular school might just be up this year, as they got a lot out of it. :0)

Right when the post-show blues hit my DS, he got a letter to say he didn't get the job he'd applied for - that's the third (or is it fourth?) time this has happened and it's not doing his confidence any good at all. The feedback he was promised from certain of the interviewers hasn't been forthcoming either, so he doesn't know what the problem is, if any (there does seem to be an awful lot of in-house moves going on... kinda seems a waste of his energy applying if he doesn't stand a chance from the outset). So he's now extending his search for a new job outside of the company he currently works for. Fingers crossed he gets something soon. Meantime, the readings for the Panto have been and gone and it's now cast - DS has a minor role in this but he does have a sword fighting scene to do, so he'll have fun with that. The rehearsals will be starting shortly, so it should help to take his mind off the recent disappointment.

Things are a bit up-and-down with the Development Circle - sometimes I do well and others not so great..... the weeks I do well keep me going back for more. LOL I am really getting into the Pendulum Dowsing and am practising that a few times a week. My DS bought me a great Reiki manual recently (a belated Birthday gift), so I'll start reading that before too much longer, ready for when I eventually train to do Reiki. I had the Reflexology session... and what a treat that was. A lovely foot massage and manipulation that left me feeling great. It was also very interesting when it came to the effects of the manipulation - I could actually feel a gentle movement in the various areas of my body that corresponded with the areas on my feet that were being pressed.... and several times I could actually feel pops in my feet as the blocks were cleared. The practitioner could also tell me, from the feel of my feet, what my problem areas are: my neck and shoulder and part of my back; hips (I've suspected for a while that some of my back trouble is originating from my hips) and breathing/the lung channel (I struggle to co-ordinate the meditation breathing/pulling in energy exercises) and a couple of other things. All told I was really impressed and would recommend this treatment (providing you get a good practitioner). It was interesting chatting to the practitioner too and I like her approach to healing and hope to go back for some more sessions before too long. Meantime, the acupuncture Clinic has re-opened for business and it looks great.... and the feel of the place is so much higher and lighter, iykwim. It was so much more relaxing, I had just about fallen asleep by the time the acupuncturist came back in to remove the needles.

As for the weight: I have been off the tortilla chips for over a week now, going cold turkey. The cravings seem to have hit me hard this last few days. Unfortunately our scales are on the blink so I have no idea if I've actually lost any of the regained weight..... guess I'll know I have when my jeans aren't quite so hugging any more. LOL I'm not going to beat myself up about this though.... I'm still far lighter and healthier than I was. :0)

There hasn't been much progress in the DIY jobs department lately, as DH has been quite busy at work and the weather hasn't been that kind. He has been up on the extension roof today (Sunday) giving it a bit of a clean and adding some sealant along various bits, to try and stop the rain getting in. I gave the lawn what I hope will now be its final mow of the season. Various bits of cutting back and the like have also been done at various times, as well as some weeding, to try and get it looking half way decent before it gets too cold and wet to go out there at all. I've moved the blueberry bush into the greenhouse already, as the first frosts of the year are threatened this week... the baby fuschia will be joining it and so will the larger one, once it's been dug up from the garden and potted up.

The auction selling has been continuing, as the free listing has been coming along regularly... and I've been really good, as I've only bought a couple of items. Must remember to share pics of those next time round too. I've also been having a steady catch up with blog reading too. I know I still owe quite a few of you a visit and I will be by soon, it's just that there's a huge backlog to catch up with.... and I can't just scan through, as I'm real nosey and like to catch up with all of your news.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and for the kind comments you leave. Hope you've all had a good weekend and have a gentle start to the new week. :0)

Tuesday 5 October 2010

A Little of This... A Little of That

So much for coming back soon and sharing a few things with you.... not quite sure what happened or where the time went and here we are in October already. I guess that some of the blame can go to eBay, as it's prompted me to have a sort through some of my stash and have a bit of a clearout (of those things I know I'll never stitch and those things I have stitched and won't do again), so I could take advantage of the recent free listing weekends they've been having. Of course, you can't just go on there and list your goodies and not have a good old nosey round to see if there are any amazing, gob-smackingly cheap bargains to be had, can you? Well I obviously can't. ROFL It kind of defeats the object of having the clearout in the first place..... so, thankfully, there haven't been too many, so the spaces haven't been filled.... yet! I've been lucky enough to have made enough money to be able to buy a few crystals though, ready for the future. :0)

Anyways, that's not why you're here..... you'll be wanting to know all about that stash I acquired, won't you? LOL First up is a kit I spotted ages ago on eBay and just couldn't resist... and I certainly didn't pay the price on the sticker for it, either:


He doesn't look like my Spirit Guide but there's just something about him that struck a chord when I saw him. Hopefully the stitching mojo will kick in and stay around permanently, as I really want to stitch this soon. :0)

Then there were the Wimble Bees bargains I picked up. A few finishing items:


A few charts that just had to make it into my stash:


Am thinking that the JN 12 Days would be a good one for an ornie a month stitch, through next year. Anyone fancy a SAL? That is.... if the missing mojo ever turns up for it. LOL And you just can't buy charts without buying a few fabrics as well, can you?


It's a mix of 28, 32 and 36ct fabrics and they've nicely enhanced my fabric stash. And the beauty of this little lot is... my lovely DH very kindly paid for it all. Yup, he's a keeper. LOL

What else was I going to share a pic of? Oh yes, the tiger. Now the intermittent mojo did pop in for long enough to get a bit of this stitched, making it worth showing you all a pic:


Not much more to go to finish that fancy border bit but, unfortunately, the mojo hasn't bothered putting in an appearance since, so it hasn't grown any further..... and neither has any other stitchy project. Mind, I have been catching up with a bit of blog reading lately (something else I fell waaaay behind with) and seeing all the lovelies you've all been stitching on, especially the new WIP's, is starting to make my fingers itch to pick up a needle once again. Watch this space.... ;0)

One of the main things to happen since my last post is the acquisition of our new greenhouse. Luckily I took a few pics before the weather turned. Looking across the garden at it:




The area between the slabs, inside the greenhouse, is going to have a wooden slatted floor put in (think wooden pallets), which will enable water to run off. Unfortunately the weather has stopped us from getting out there to do much of anything with it now we've got it. We did have a trip to the garden centre for a water butt (to catch the run-off from the guttering, for watering with) a couple of weekends ago and, whilst there, I spotted a few alpines and a succulent that will look nice in the little alpine garden I plan on planting around the slabs - all I need now is some nice weather (and a bit of enthusiasm!) to get out there and prepare the soil.

So what else has been happening? We still have the caravan in the front garden. We had several interested people have a look round it and make all the right noises... but none of them have been interested enough to come back with the cash, to take it off our hands. As the caravan is still there it's meant the replacing of the water pipe and brickpaving have had to be postponed for yet another year. We've left the For Sale sign in it but now the weather has turned it's unlikely anyone will be interested now. Fingers crossed for a sale next year, so the front garden and drive can finally be tackled! :0)

Development Circle is going OK. The past few weeks we've been concentrating on the clairs: clairsentience (feeling - this is my main sense and why I do OK at psychometry) and then clairaudience last week (hearing - my secondary sense) and this week it will be clairvoyance (seeing - not so hot with this). I also attended the monthly session, this time at the home of one of my fellow Circle members, where we discussed numerology and Pendulum Dowsing - a great session that has helped me to begin working with my own Pendulum, a natural amethyst crystal... it seems I have a bit of a knack for it and it's something I'm developing further. :0)

The acupuncture sessions are still ongoing, though I shall be having a reflexology session instead this week - the clinic is closed for refurbishment, so no acupuncture, and I wanted to try out this treatment. It's mainly being done as research, as I want to know what happens during a treatment and what - if any - effect it has.... and it will help me to decide if it's another form of healing I would like to study and go on to give to people. Meantime I've decided to tackle the weight gain that's happened since my operation last year - the rolls are back and I feel so uncomfortable, and it doesn't help my knees any, so those lbs have just got to go. Am hoping to lose around a stone in total.... but getting back to my pre-op weight of 11 1/2 stone would also be acceptable. :0)

The rehearsals for JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls gathered momentum the last couple of weeks. Sunday (3rd) was the Get In at the theatre and tonight is Full Dress Rehearsal - tomorrow is the first performance. DH is Stage Manager for this and DS plays the part of Gerald, the fiance, in it. I've asked DH to get me a ticket for Wednesday night - yes, I'll be going on my own again, as I really want to see it. It would be nice to have someone to go with but after doing this once already it isn't anywhere near as intimidating to do this time around. Apart from going to Circle on Tuesday evening and the theatre on Wednesday evening I'm home alone in the evenings...... and in total control of the TV remote once more. Shame there's just not that much on worth watching! LOL

And I think that's all of the main events so far - hopefully it won't be so long until my next post. :0)

Thanks for visiting.... & I'll be stopping by your blogs for a visit in the coming days. Meantime: hope you're all keeping well and happy. :0)