Return to Linda's Blog
Return to top of Page
|
New photos Having given up with Flickr (their limit for uploading photos to a free account is really low!), I've instead returned to my Webshots account and have added some new photos, including those that I took at the Crucible (plus a few that I haven't included on my blog). Go here if you'd like to see them... Posted 12.45pm BST
Thursday 21st April Age and ATC's My daughter is 30 today. She was complaining about the fact and was obviously not looking forward to reaching this milestone in her life. Having passed through 40 and 50 as well as 30 (shee! that seems a life time away!!!) I see her as being young but mature enough to be sensible and having a lifetime ahead of her. I can still remember her birth, especially listening to blackbirds singing the dawn chorus outside the maternity unit window (she was born just before 8am). I told her that when she reaches 50, she can begin to worry - life seems to pass very quickly. Too quickly. Yet I still fritter away time that I can never reclaim. Ah well, such is life. At least I will hopefully leave something behind that others enjoy. I finished the cards for a Calendar swap that I'm in and have posted them here. Now, I'm embarking on a swap about fairies and have decided this time to draw and paint, rather than use collage. I've already had an attempt at one, but never having drawn fairies before I suspect that I'll be experimenting a bit and may well make more than the five that I need before I'm happy with the results. I'll never reach the standards that I'd like to achieve. But it's fun trying. In the meantime, if any of you are interested in fairy art, see this wonderful site that I found whilst looking for inspiration... Posted 10.20am BST
Monday 18th April Snooker2 The match wasn't exactly wonderful on Saturday morning, but at least we got in - more than a lot of people did. The queues for returned tickets is always long, but I'm sure that this year they were even longer than normal. I'm going back this afternoon to see Jimmy, one of my favourites. Usually we would go again at the weekend but we failed to get tickets this year, so my next stint will be at the quarter final next Tuesday. Still, coverage on tv is great, especially now that a press of the red button brings up live coverage :> So I haven't done much else since my last update. Oh, yes, the registrar - as we still haven't decided the when of our wedding, the meeting only lasted about 25 minutes. It was fine, except that I couldn't remember my partner's job title! Well, would you be able to remember "Infrastructure Services Team Manager"??? Luckily the registrar agreed with me - too fancy a title for anyone to recall correctly! So now all we have to do is decide on a date and let them know... as long as it's within a year, we'll be ok ;> Posted 11.45am BST
Monday 18th April Snooker photos Some photos that I took at the snooker on Saturday morning:
Posted 11.40am BST Friday 15th April Registrar and snooker This morning, we're going to see the registrar. Apparently s/he interviews us both separately as well as together so that they can assure themselves that we know each other - could be interesting! Not sure what they do if we can't answer all their questions correctly. I can understand that they need to ensure that we truly want to marry each other and advise us on the seriousness of the wedding vows. But apparently one of the main reasons for the 40 minute session is to make sure that we're not marrying for convenience. Why? After all, we're both British citizens with British passports. Perhaps it's to make sure that we're not marrying just for money or similar? Hmm. Seems a bit weird to us, but there you go... perhaps it'll become clearer at the meeting. Over the last couple of days, I've made yet more ATC's - see them here. I've enjoyed doing them and am pleased with the results - I think that they're my best collaged cards so far. Helps when I had some nice craft items to work with, mostly bought from a local craft shop. Sadly it may well close next month - the man who owns it is 80, his wife in her late seventies and they've decided that it's finally time to retire. Hopefully someone else will take the shop on but they didn't seem to think that would be the case. A shame. Tomorrow sees the start of the world championship snooker and we have tickets for tomorrow morning. Unfortunately not to see Ronnie O'Sullivan but the match on the other table. I did try to get tickets to watch Ronnie but this year demand was extremely heavy and I failed. I suspect the reason that tickets have sold out so quickly this year (back in February) is that it may be the last year the championships are held here in Sheffield and at the Crucible. Due to the end of sponsorship, the whole event has been thrown open and two other cities, Liverpool and Birmingham, are trying to secure the championship. For most snooker fans, however, Sheffield is the world championship. It's like changing tennis from Wimbledon to Bristol - unthinkable! But snooker is big business financially with many benefits for the host city - luckily the powers-that-be in Sheffield have been fighting very hard to keep snooker here. We'll know if they've been successful next Friday... Posted 9.35am BST
Tuesday 12th April Outing, art and books Once again, time has sped past and I find that it's been almost a week since my last update. This time one of the main culprits have been books ;) Having finished reading the first in the Robin Hobb trilogy, I've now started on the second and am finding it as engrossing as the first. I've also discovered the author's own website: see it here. On Sunday we decided to take the train out to Hathersage, in Derbyshire. A village in the Peak District, it's a great place to escape from the city and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. It also has a lovely pub, where we had a very nice dinner, and a cafe where we later indulged in tea and bakewell tarts. In the past I've been reluctant to walk far - partly because I've been fearful of causing myself more damage, partly because of the pain. The pain clinic staff last year, however, convinced me that the former is not going to happen. As for the pain itself, walking can sometimes help, as it's a form of exercise that, in moderation, can help to stretch my legs. And a dose of painkillers aids to ease the effects. Knowing that I have acupuncture tomorrow, and with the weather being ideal for walking, we did go on a short walk that led us around parts of the village. I had to rest frequently, of course, but was pleased that we managed most of the 2 mile walk, taking numerous photographs in the process. In all, it was a lovely day, and one I hope that we'll do again. Another reason for not writing earlier is that I've been doing more artwork, in the form of yet more Artist Trading Cards. These for a Rainbow swap, I needed to make 8 green cards. I'll be uploading them to my art page soon after finishing this, so if you want to check them out, see here. I enjoyed doing them, especially as I used some of the photos that I took on Sunday for the digital ones that I made. But I confess that afterward I was rather tired of working in just green, and am longing for a change of colour!!! On the health front, my partner returned to the doctor yesterday. He was disappointed that his blood pressure was slightly up. The doctor decided that it would best if my partner completed his appointments at the hospital before returning to work and therefore signed him off for another 3 weeks. Although disappointed not to be allowed back sooner, my partner seems to have accepted the doctor's decision and is meeting with his managers on Thursday to discuss his eventual return. Personally, I think the doctor is right to be cautious and to allow my partner as much time as possible to recover. Anyway, we've just decided to go to the local pub for lunch, so I'd best finish and sort out the uploading of the atc's before we go! Posted 11.40am BST
Wednesday 6th April Is that the date already??? Oops! Hadn't realized how long it's been since my last update! Always surprises me how fast time goes when I'm enjoying myself ;) We had a nice break - a change of scenery was much needed by both of us, I think, and it was great to be with family for a few days. As normal, I felt tired once I came home so didn't do much on Monday, apart from finishing off some ATC's. Yesterday I did more art, and even more this morning - I really have enjoyed just relaxing and being creative. You can check them out here. My partner went to the doctor again on Monday, for a blood test and blood pressure check, which was down, but still not far enough to be considered normal. He returns to the doctor next Monday. In the meantime, we've been trying to relax, and had a trek into town this afternoon where we had a coffee and made an appointment to see the registrar next week - ooh. Still no idea when we're going to actually get hitched, although we'd like to make it this year. But with my son getting married in July, we don't want to tread on his toes and upset him and his fiancee. Apart from that, I've been reading. Fool's Errand is the first in a trilogy by Robin Hobb, and I deliberately waited until all three were out in paperback before I started - mainly because, having enjoyed her other books, I knew that once I began, I'd be eager to find out what happened next. So far, I haven't been disappointed. Her writing is excellent, and she has me completely and utterly hooked. So, time for dinner, then another chapter or two before bed! Posted 6.50pm BST
|
Return to top of Page