LSNED Week Two, even though we are a good way through week three already….

It was a strange week and I used a lot less photos. I was going to rectify that this week, but actually they have ended up being even more wordy this week too.
The 8th is at the end of the post as I explain that one a little more.

The 9th.

I took the quote from the prompt and then wrote a long letter to mum which folds out. It is basically musing on what she has taught me by listening to her.

The 10th.

I didn't get it done in time to link it up to the main 10 Things on the Tenth post but I love this sort of journaling so I was glad to still do it.

The 11th.

The prompt asked us to ponder our learnings from photos or photography which has been a theme for me for about 3 years now and this year especially as I took the DSLR off of the automatic setting and onto full manual at the end of the summer and I joined in with the 366 Challenge here and here this year.

The 12th.

Backslang was a language my best friend Lisa and I learned together when we were about 14 as we were paranoid about anyone overhearing our conversations. Yep, they were that important :) Mum had told Lauren about it a few days ago and her eyes just lit up at the thought of it. It all collided today as I was thinking of Lisa as she was in town for the funeral.

The 13th.

The 14th.

So a bit of a wordy week dealing with the funeral.

The 8th.

So back to the 8th on a much lighter note for New Skill Saturday.

I told my friend Maria way back in March that a goal for me this year was to learn how to crotchet so I could make my own flowers for layouts. So far I have been afraid of it and how awful I felt at not getting it.
Anyway, Shimelle asking us to try a new skill made me want to have another go.
As I was doing the store inspection at work, I saw this publication on offer, it totally startled me, I literally stopped in my tracks and I nearly grabbed it and ran for the staffroom. Anyway, the yarn that came with it is much better and the instructions were so clear that I really made headway quite quickly.
The photo below is of the first chain practice.

I am especially excited today as it was my day off and I think I have turned a corner with it. I finally, get it, I just couldn't see where I was putting the hook next, I had the hang of yarn over or hook under or hook round or whichever is your favourite way to say it. I couldn't for the life of me see where to put the hook through for double crotchet, but I do now :D How many months will it be before I finish a small flower? Many I would imagine, but for now I am exceedingly pleased with myself.
So please don't judge but here is the today's effort.


A bit better. It's twisted as I haven't got the hang of tension yet. But I will practice, practice, practice which of course is my lesson learned.

Sign of Autumn.

I think a lot of us have felt the change in the air over the past week or so. A stroll down to the harbour and along the sea front confirmed that on Friday, not nearly so many holiday makers. Enough to make it feel a bit of bustle if not busy though.

As we neared home and went through the graveyard, Mum stopped for a browse of the gravestones and I took some photos of one of my favourite views. One of the trees was definitely on the turn.

As the challenge on UKS was for an Autumn photo, colours and leaves I made things easy on myself and printed it out large and used some new papers from MME The Sweetest Thing.

Thanks for taking a look and have a good Sunday.

LSNED - Week One

Last year, my first year, I did a bit my own thing, this year I really have read the prompts and tried to look for lessons. I don't know that I have got much further than I did last year, but I am enjoying it all over again.
I have set up record cards to note ideas from the prompt and my daily things, thoughts etc.

I think I will hook these all together with a jump ring and tuck it into the back of the finished book.
1st September-self explanatory.

2nd September-My first great teacher in the world of work.

3rd September - I learned this lesson last year as well I am afraid. I hope this year I make it a more regular habit.

4th September - My ongoing lesson I have to keep on with. I love and feel better for being outside but would often rather plump for indoors. Hence the plumpness I suspect.


5th September - The ribbon tab lifts the first journaling tab for the second about how I don't review why I haven't done things on the plan, I let it sit there at the back of my mind - unfinished. I will probably work on this one.

6th September - Gratitude to my lovely family but especially Mum and how happy I was to receive a letter from her telling me how grateful she is.

7th September - Quite plain, but I did all the journaling on the back about changes I have noticed in them over the past few weeks.

So that is the first week done.

Storytelling Sunday - September

Sian hosts Storytelling Sunday here. She is the perfect hostess, welcoming and attentive, so you can join in. There are lots of great stories being told every month so pop on over. With a cup of something.

Well this photo of me was taken just last year…oh, no, it wasn't, was it the year before? Well maybe not, but certainly it feels like recently.
That is Jo there, up at the top right playing with her ponytail……Jo, she has beautiful auburn hair, a lovely diffident smile and I see her around quite often and she doesn't look a day older.
Tracey is gurning, her with the froth of gorgeous blond curls…..which of course she detested as our hair had to be straight and we didn't have straighteners. Of course it is beautiful hair and she still has it like that now. I don't think this whole post is going to be about hair. I don't think. Oh man, she could play a mean Wing Attack to my Centre at netball.
Rob looks just like he always did, he couldn't wait to be out of school, his family farmed on the edge of Exmoor and he loved it and therefore begrudged school, especially in the summer.
Clare now chooses to spend her days teaching in Ilfracombe, though she teaches the littlies at the Infants. Now Ali has left I shall miss seeing her regularly. Her daughter is the image of her actually looking at this, especially now that she is only a little younger than Clare was here. We were 16. 16. 16! Clare is and was very, very sweet.
Now then, Chris, the copper topped one, he was a boyfriend. But not yet. Not for another 18 months or so. Fun and sweet. He is in Australia now, but due to the boyfriend situation I still see his family now and then, I adore them and find out his news.
Jonny with his back to us, one of my very best friends, he lived around the corner and we used to walk to school together and hang out and do lots together, always as friends though. He lives a couple of streets away now, married one of our other friends and is bringing up his family.
Not sure who that is bending down? Sorry, school-friend.
Cath, Cathy, Jenks. She had the misfortune (as she saw it) to be the daughter of our year head. Her Mum was F.A.B. and we had a great year group so it could have been worse for her. Another friend not pictured was the Head's daughter as well. She was our year head for all 5 years, which was great, our teachers all knew us so well. She was our Goal Shoot, she had an excellent laugh, she was tall, she had a lust for life. I saw her recently, she had been mainly surfing in South Africa but met a fellow surfer and came back to Woolacombe (our local surf village, where she grew up) and is having babies.
Me? I can remember my shirt, the feel of it, the way it had to be so big to make sure the correct amount of shirt could be 'bagged' out over the trousers (see Jo, she had it nailed :D). Prefect badge for being Head of House-Sport. Proud to get it, we were a bit conscious of it not being too cool but we did have a great year group with little negativity or bullying so it was a good thing to wear. Cath had one for being Head of Sport for one of the, ahem, lesser houses :D Tracey had one for being, I cannot remember what!  I felt just how I look, happy and content.
The photo was taken towards the end of the Summer Term before we left……I was very lucky, my school days were full of fun and enjoyment and I was sad to see them end. Although, of course, I was over-excited for the next bit. Sixth Form, cars, less structure, a step nearer adulthood. Oh and a step nearer that boyfriend.


I include QR codes quite often in my project life from a genius idea from a fellow project lifer, I talk about it here. I thought that rather than write this post out again, I would add a code to the layout to bring me here. The kids love this feature of my scrapping so I love to include it to keep them interested.
Finally, I used a sketch made by Sue, who is excellent at this, here it is. The original layout she lifted it from was by Laura and is beautiful, of course it helps that her beautiful baby son is in it.

August in Numbers

I haven’t joined in for such a long time, I always keep meaning to!
Julie has been hosting this for a while now, encouraging us to keep track of our lives through the numbers it throws up. You can find it if you clickety-click here.

So here is mine;

19 – the amount of days that I wasn’t at work this month. This hasn’t happened since 2005. It is one of our busiest months at work and it is usually manic, however I have negotiated a 16 week reduction in hours which I started a couple of weeks ago and has left me feeling amazing already. I was also on holiday for 10 days....

2 – days spent at Chessington World Of Adventures having a brilliant time with the kiddie-winks. I made a minibook of it from the remnants of Echo Park’s Everyday Eclectic that I used to scrap with this month. I loved this collection.



1 – day spent in London to watch the men’s triathlon in Hyde Park. Afterwards we hiked into Trafalgar Square via Knightsbridge and Piccadilly, then a tube to The Tower and the Bridge to see the Olympic Rings. I was absolutely thrilled to go and soak up the atmosphere, an extraordinary day.
I used the great play-along project from Shimelle at UKS & Now For Something Completely Different to get these 4 photos of the day scrapped.

And this is one from Hyde Park, for a weekly challenge on UKS.


340 – £’s spent so far on uniform for the three of them…….I wouldn’t mind so much if I thought it would still look good by Christmas

1000 - miles driven in the car, approximately!

I have decided to scrap a page to record it as well;

So, that's it, I joined in, now I will pop round and see your numbers!