Flibbertygibbet

The art of Mise en Scene

Or of being in the right place at the right time.  Recently at a wedding in Scotland, I met someone who may in fact be my separated-at-birth twin.  You know when you immediately click with someone?  We did and it was great, given that I'd been a bit apprehensive about going to the wedding 'stag', as it were.  I love weddings, just not so keen on the walking in alone bit.  It's an established fact that going to a wedding alone just sucks, especially at a given age, i.e. most of your friends are still tying the knot rather than divvying up the wedding presents, bless 'em.  Anyway, it was a wonderful day, a beautiful couple who are just head over heels and all tremendously good fun, and it also reignited my interest in getting my camera sorted out.   Clare, new friend, is an amazing photographer and she recommended a local photography course, I think it might be same place that Helen's going to, and I would like to get to grips with the newish SLR that arrived in January and has been sadly underused.  So that's on the list of To-Dos. 

As is the ever-evolving flat.  I finally got around to framing some stuff, and then realised that I didn't actually  have as many pictures as I thought...  some of them are hiding in here.

This came from the Small Object last year at Renegade Craft.

This is a greeting card from a really sweet girl at Spitalfields, or possibly the Backyard market.

Watercolours which were a gift from my grandmother.

More Renegade craft loveliness. 

I am trying to wangle a work trip to San Francisco to coincide with Renegade Craft in July.  Can anyone out there recommend fun stuff to do around SF?  Is it worth staying a week if I can sort that out, and how feasible is it to get around without driving because I don't drive here, never mind on the 'wrong' side of the road.

There hasn't been much crafting, but I did very quickly sort out the kitchen curtain on a temporary basis.  Yes, it's very boring but it's an improvement on the kitchen roll that was stuck up there; and it may get some further embellishment.

I made a sock bag for Lovely Lucy last night as part of her birthday presents but forgot to take a photo of it.   

This was one of my birthday presents a while back, and it made me laugh out loud.

Hello global warming!

This is the view from the balcony today...

Off to the park to make snowmen, hurrah!

This might be a short post...

...as my fingers may close over in climber's claw, as opposed to crocheter's claw.  You remember the bet, right?  The lovely Lucy got up remarkably early this morning, given that she'd been out last night for Paul's, aka the knitter's birthday. Off we went to The Castle which is an exceptionally cool place, even if I spent the majority of the morning with my heart rattling somewhere around my windpipe thinking 'faaaaaaaaaaakkkkkk'.  Actually, I probably was only attached to a rope for about twenty minutes in total, it just felt like a lifetime.  The only thing preventing me saying really obscene words out loud was the presence of lots of kids.  Mostly scampering up the walls like earwigs, little bastards. However I got on better than I thought I would, mainly because Paul and Lucy are patient teachers and like a lot of things, the braver you are, the easier it is. That sounds daft but it's a matter of believing that you can keep the momentum going and somehow you do.  Hang on, breathe, relax, send your shoulders back down from around your earholes, keep going.  Then realise how high you are off the ground and in a somewhat high-pitched wail you tell your belay partner that you're coming doooooown.  I'll definitely go back, though the usual pattern for me is to get on grand at something for the first attempt and then screw it up the next time.  I'll have to put in a fair bit of time there if I'm to have any chance of fulfilling my side of the bet. The 5b level - imagine climbing a 12m wall by hauling yourself up little lumps of crap that are about the same size as half a flapjack.  Mnurgh.....

So, I was determined not to blog again until I had some crafting to show:

I got my new Moo cards and that was the perfect excuse to get back to some sewing-crafting as opposed to knitting-crafting, which was a little intense on the poor wristies.  With the new job comes a crackberry and while I'm actually quite glad to have it because I can leave the office but still deal with those late emails from California that I'm waiting for; I thought it could be dressed better than the ultra masculine leather carry case that ships with it.

Whoops, my camera is doing that really annoying thing where it automatically rotates the view of photos you've taken to that they're upright (looking) when they download, but then they come out sideways when you upload them anywhere.  Anyone know how to fix that??  I'm a bear of too little brain to remember right now.

In other VERY exciting news (to me, but then it's allllll about me) I now have curtains.  In all the rooms.  Lovely friends came and drilled holes in the wall for me before Christmas, but then the bloody curtain rail just wouldn't play along and jettisoned itself straight out the wall with next to no prompting. 

When my parents came to visit, Dad was only dying to be 'doing stuff' so he asked me where my toolbox was.   I do have a toolbox, but it contains equipment for silversmithing, like 2mm saw blades that Dad was eyeing up for sawing bits off screws. Eh, no. So I produced the 6" sq cardboard box (which originally contained a bonbon dish I believe, ahem) that contains all my 'tools' and somehow Dad did something magical, and lo and behold...

What other news... weddings to attend soon.  I sort of intended to make something to wear but realistically that's not going to happen now.  Still not totally settled into the new flat, but getting there.  I finally gave in a rejoined a gym to try to get a bit fitter. Cos I need to get a LOT fitter but slowly, slowly, eh.  Working, going out, knitting a bit.  Waiting for the weather to change from this...

to something more like this...

 

Coming soon!

Finally managed to take some photos of the small crafty things that I've finished.  The new job (which is the start up, to answer someone's earlier question) is exhausting me though I'm happy at it, and in some ways there's little to report though lots going on.  But haven't given up on this yet!  Will be back soon, this is just a placeholder! xx