...a week in pictures - week 3

Yet again late, it's week in pictures time! I didn't have time to do it yesterday, as Dave and I were cleaning the Paisley flat, and then had a family dinner!

(and yet again, blogger has added a link to something that I didn't put there?!)

Monday

Dave was still a bit ill from having his asthma attack on Monday, so I spent the day pottering at home. The one thing I did do, other than making soup, was hang up some of the pictures we brought up from Paisley.

Tuesday

On Tuesday I went to the library in town. It's on top of a shopping centre, and at the entrance inside, I found this clock had been added. I'm reliably informed it the carvings all come from children's books, and on the hour, it chimes, and one of the twelve panels around the clock opens, showing various booky things. I am quite taken with it.

Wednesday

This is a bit of the view from where I get my last morning bus. There's a church, with a nice church green and some trees. The tree looks a bit like lighting in negative(and upside down) I think. Also, I think it's quite witchy looking, which struck me as being a wee bit funny as it is beside a church.

Thursday

On Thursday evening, our friend Katie came to stay for the night. We hadn't seem each other since before Crimble, as Katie had exams, so we swapped Christmas presents. This necklace actually looks like a mini Jammie Dodger, it is frickin amazing!

Friday

This is the only picture I managed to take on Friday. Dave had work, so Katie and I started the Day by having tea, eating waffles and watching the Gilmore Girls. Afterwards, we had a pub lunch and lots of charity shop rummaging! It was a good day!

Saturday

On Saturday Dave had a gig in a wee pub called Fanny by Gaslight in Kilmarnock. The last time I was in it, I must have been about 18, and it hasn't changed at all. Dave played quite well, btu the gig was spoiled for me by two really rude and rather drugged-up guys sitting by me and trying to talk to me. It was not fun. After the gig, we met up with friends for drinks and went out dancing - and we had pizza. THAT was fun!

Sunday

We spent most of Sunday cleaning the Paisley flat. I'm still afraid to plug in stuff in the kitchen(it got quite wet in the floodage), so this is how I made my tea all day. The weird thing is, the cheap Tesco camping kettle has a fitted infuser for tea!

Other weekly things - I got ill with the uber-cold on Tuesday, and my poor not that healthy husband had to look after me-he is a nice boy- and the uber-cold has not yet left me alone. I missed a step at work on Wednesday, and went over on my ankle, pretty much flat on my face, whilst carrying a 3 year old-who was crying because he caught his finger in his zip. On Thursday, as Katie is a poor student who doesn't get to eat meat much, I made a pasta bolognese with cheese sauce and cheese topping thing. It was amazing! Friday we finally played the board game we got for Crimble - it's called Cranium WOW. It's ace fun!

...sometimes I draw things

On my 'week in pictures' post on Monday, a certain lady who shares my name asked to see some of my drawings. As she is lovely, I have decided to oblige. I had stopped drawing or doing any art for a while, and my skill has decreased fairly drastically, but I think most of the pictures look at least vaguely like what they are! Please be kind if you comment(and please don't laugh)! They are all line drawings with a wee bit of tone, as that's what I've been working on these two weeks. Warning - most of the objects I've drawn are quite banal.

I call this one 'Book and Sellotape'. original eh?

The back of a Megabus seat. Oh how interesting!

Baby Penguin!

The Tay Bridge(I didn't put the link in that T,

but removing it does weird stuff, so I'm going to leave it there, k?)

Dave's earphones hanging on a chair, and a mop and bucket I din't get to finish,

because the bus station cleaner man moved them.

Constructive criticism is welcome!

... a week in pictures 2 (and an almost-recipe)

So my second week of 'a week in pictures', and I'm already a day late. This time at least, I have a good excuse, in the form of Dave's having two asthma attacks yesterday - quite scary to behold. He is on the mend now though, having been given the good drugs by the paramedics and a nice nurse. I don't actually have a photo from yesterday either, so I will have to cheat.

Monday

I can see you thinking ' Lisa, why are you showing us a picture of ugly shoes?'. These are my work shoes - I work in a very rural setting, so they have to be sturdy. I worked an extra day on Monday this week, and the reason I show you my shoes is that this was the first time in a whole month that I didn't have to wear my snowboots to work. Hurrah!

Tuesday

On Tuesday, I had the one day off this week in which I didn't have to do much. So, as I am trying to get back my arty skills, I spent much of the time drawing. Last week I did mostly analytical line drawings, and I shall do the same next week, then change medium. the things above are my favourite pen, my Hanna Werning diary,which I do a little drawing in each day, and my Tiffany notebook, which I do a page in each day. I must be honest and say that neither has anything in it for yesterday, so I shall be playing catch-up today. Both of the books were gifts, which I think says alot about my love of art based things.

Wednesday

This is truly a snapshot of my life. Dundee Bus Station, 5.49am. I am waiting for the bus to work. Quite clearly, everyone else is in bed.

Thursday

This is my work backpack, as it sat beside me on the bus on Thursday. Inside you will see my disposable drink cup - sometimes, when it is very cold, I get a tea from the local shop on the way to work, as it makes half an hour standing in the dark slightly more bearable. This cup is now two weeks old. It gets rinsed at work and goes in my backpack, ready for the next day. It's only a little thing, but it probably saves me throwing away at least 40 other cups. Also, essential travel items - hat, lip balm, book, tissues, sketchbook and diary, hand and face cream. My backpack is checkerboard patterned. My inner punk kid loves it.

Friday

On Friday, I went into town to put my paycheque in the bank. On the way back, I walked past the McManus Galleries. It's my favourite museum/gallery in Dundee, and has been being renovated since we moved back - it re-opens next month, which is very exciting. This is one side of the main stairway. When I was a student, I used to revise or read sitting under those arches when it was warm in summer(I don't like the warm), and it felt very Austen-ish. I love the gallery for both it's content, which is always varied, and for the fact that the building itself is so interesting!

Saturday

We spent Friday night, Saturday and Sunday Morning with Dave's parents. I have to admit here, one of the things Dave and I have a problem with is organising money properly, and we could learn alot from Dave's parents. They aim, in the next few years to be self sufficient. They are also cutting down their carbon footprint - the shopping went straight into the back of the car, and came straight out like this - no bags. Try as we may, Dave and I often forget to take our bag for life bags, so from now on, if we forget them, everything just gets carried if we are walking or goes in the boot.

Sunday

As I said before, I have no pictures from yesterday. I assume most people don't expect that I'll take pictures while Dave has an asthma attack. So, I thought I'd leave you with another picture of the McManus Galleries

Is it just me, or does it actually look like something from a fairytale? Wouldn't it be a lovely place for wedding pictures as well?

So, thats an approximation of my week in photos! It also included - Finding out there is asbestos in our ceiling(not so good), watching The Hangover (amusing!), Having a mini Burns' Supper with Dave's parents(mmmm haggis) and lots of being on the bus and tea drinking!

Also, I think I may have perfected potato wedges!

Spicy Potato Wedges (side or snack for 2)

2 medium potatoes, cut into wedges (you should get about from a medium potato)

1tbsp olive oil

1tsp wholegrain mustard

1tsp course ground salt

1tsp course

1/2tsp cumin

1/2tsp tumeric

• pre-heat oven to 200c
• put everything in a bowl and give it a good mix
• turn out onto a baking tray/sheet, making sure a flat side is down
• cook for 30 mins
• eat!

...on having a worthwhile job.

I don't often write about work on here, except in passing. Part of that was because my job is still quite new, and I've been finding my place. For the most part, it's because my job is to look after children, and they deserve the anonymity of not being mentioned too much. I hope it's evident that I enjoy it, but other than that, I do aim to not say much.

This week, as well as working my normal days(today and tomorrow), I worked on Monday, having been asked the previous week so that the childrens' mum could have a wee break. I got there to find that my littlest charge had been throwing up for 8 hours. Her poor mum hadn't slept in two days. I have to say, watching a lovely child throw up, when they don't understand what's going on its heartbreaking. I realised just how much I am trusted by the family though, as the childrens' mum, who is an excellent parent, went upstairs to have a sleep, entrusting her ill child to me.

Today, I took them to a toddlers' group, and was immensely proud of both of my kiddies. The eldest played well and communicated with the other children, and the youngest went for the first time. She can be wary of people, but she toddled around and made friends with the other children. They are quite young still, but they are proper little people with their own personalities.

On both days I've been in this week, I've found it quite hard to leave, as the wee one had cried both times, and the bigger one did today. Added to that, the little one followed me to the door today for another hug. It is a strange thing, to be happy at being loved and a bit heartbroken because it's making a child you love sad, albeit momentarily.

The childrens' parents have also asked me to take almost sole charge of them for a whole week whilst the go for a break. Ooft - responsibility ahoy! At the weekend, Dave will meet the family, so that my employers can meet him and the kids can get to know him, as he will come down for the weekend during the week that I'll be there. I'm am really proud even to have been asked!

Party of the reason I took on nannying is that I wanted something that was less responsibility than teaching. In many ways it is - there are only two children to think about rather than 32, there is no paperwork, and I am almost paid to be a family member. With that though, comes its own responsibility, as I am much more part of my little charges' lives than I would be as a teacher, and it is much more than a 'job', or even a career- I have become part of what is home and what is familiar to them, and am very conscious of it. I'm not going to say I enjoy getting up well before dawn when I go, but I truly enjoy most of my time at work, and I think I have found my place in the world for at least the near future.

... a week in pictures - week 1.

As part of my being more creative thing, and also my wanting to record things in my life, which is what I started this blog for, I've decided that each week, I will post a picture I've taken each day. I plan to do it on a Sunday evening, and I had planned to start last week, but stuff(mostly a crap-load of water) got in the way, so without further ado, here's this week in photos.

Monday

On Monday, having driven from the soaked flat to work in the morning, and fallen once there, then worked all day feeling a bit manky, I came home, and was able to do something that made me feel better. We'd put our bookshelf in the car to be brought up, as we have lots of shelves in Paisley and none here. Now most of the books here are all neat in the bookshelf, instead of piled randomly.

Tuesday

This one speak for itself really. I was tired and cold and fed up on Tuesday, and I tend to find there is one remedy for that - a cup of tea.

Wednesday

On Wednesday, the wee boy I look after had his third birthday. I was in charge of doing the table for the party. Both he and his mum love spotty things and patterny things, so we had a proper tea, all set with polka dots and Emma Bridgewater (the family collect Bridgewater pieces). His cake was in the shape of a tractor, which he loves more than anything else in the world. And he wore a kilt!

Thursday

After work, and a 2 hour journey on the Megabus to Glasgow to switch the heating on in the soggy flat, I went to my sister-in-law's house for tea - her husband made chilli and we had cake!Afterwards, we used her jewellery making bits(whilst watching Narnia). Her tools are purple and glittery. The necklace on the cloth is what I made. It was really good to do something creative and relaxing!

Friday

Friday was spent moving stuff into our bedroom. It is quite a strange feeling putting your life in one room!

Saturday

Dave came down on Friday after work, and on Saturday, we moved the big furniture and the last of the piles of things. Behind that Marshall amp, under the boxes is our coffee table. The blue you see in the bottom corner is our sofa's one on top of the other. About half way through Saturday, I gave up trying to keep it organised! We put out 6 bags of stuff the was just cluttering up the place, and took some stuff to the dump.

Sunday

Just before this picture was taken, the only things in this room were the TV an Sky box in the corner. The flat was furnished when we moved in, so this is the emptiest I've seen it. It is quite strange, as everything that made it 'ours' is absent. The sofabed normally lives in Dave's study, but we needed something to sit and sleep on!

So that is my week of pictures. I do hope to make them more artistic from now on. This week, they aresimple snapshots, most of which have been taken once as I've been too tired and worried to do anything else! I'm happy to note though that most of them are pictures of good, happy things! Tomorrow begins another busy week - I'm working and extra day, and the insurance man is coming to tell us what exactly they will do for us, if anything. I hope to have a little more time to myself for some pottering about and perhaps some drawing and making, but we shall see.

...the flat saga, continued.

Firstly, I just want to say thank you to everyone for saying nice things and being lovely!

At the moment, I am sitting in one of to two rooms in the Paisley flat in which the light can be switched on. This week, various official people have been out, and they seem to be actually doing things, which is quite comforting. Our flat will be mended, though it needs to dry out more first, and we have to wait for the asbestos test to come back. The ceiling had artex on it(nice eh?) which the think will have some in it.

Asbestos protection

There is a de-humidifier thing in the hall that makes noises like a sci-fi brain swapping machine, which does seem to be drying things out.

Some water(a wee leftover pocket of it, apparently) dripped into our neighbours' kitchen this morning again though, and I actually nearly cried. I was so worried something else had broken! The plumber says it's just working its way out, so it just has to drip, and it's almost dry now.

Over the weekend, we have to move all the stuff from our flat into the back bedroom so that the workmen can do fixing things next week. It is not big, and we have to fit a whole flats' worth of furniture and bits in it. My friend Daniel has described it as 'furniture Jenga'. In a way, it's good, because it's forcing us to work through stuff we were just ignoring because we didn't have to deal with it.

Jenga!

On a very nice note, of all of the ones that got soggy, only one of my books has been binned, the rest are ok! Dave's step-mum tidied them all up, it made me very happy to see them!

Nice dry books!

Today, I have been moving through all the stuff that's small enough, and tomorrow, Dave will help with the big furniture, and the carpets might be taken up.

I still haven't done my pictures post, but I will during the weekend, assuming that I don't just sleep whenever I'm not doing house stuff. Last weekend, an this week has made me a very tired chicken. I may or may not be about to have a nap.

...on how not fun it is when a frozen pipe bursts and floods your flat.

On Saturday, Dave's sister, who checks our Paisley flat for us on the rare occasion that we don't get down in a week to check it ourself, rang to say that there was a small puddle of water on our bathroom floor, we had no hot water, and our boiler pressure was at zero. We've had boiler trouble before, and assuming that it was that, we decided to go down on Sunday to have a look at it. We planned to check, have tea with Dave's parents, and then head home, and I even had a wee slot of time for doing my pictures of the week bloggage. Oh how I laugh at myself now.

We got there at about half 2, and an hour or so later, heard a drip in the hall. There was a little crack in the plaster in the ceiling, with one drip coming from it. Dave, armed with torch, went up into the attic, to find that the pipe bringing water inot our downstairs neighbours water tank was frozen, and had begun to thaw, causing a join to separate.

10 hours, many attempts at getting it back together(resulting in alot of swearing), a frequently freezing water-soaked Dave, frantic phonecalls, an unhelpful neighbour, 2 hours using a gardening fork to break apart 3 inch thick ice on the road to find the stopcock(unsuccessfully), a burst pipe, 1 plumber with a blowtorch and one(thankfully) fixed join later, and this is what our flat looks like.

This is the hall ceiling. Our fuse box is directly below the big patch on the right. :(

Our hallway. The carpet is actually cream coloured :S

The water on the towel is just from the surface of the carpet. It

squelched when I touched it.

Kitchen and Hall below fuse box. Everything was soaked.

These were taken after midnight last night, and when we went back at 6.30 this morning, things were much the same, but there were no drips anymore. There's water in the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the floor coverings, our kitchen units, and my reference books. The join is mended, so it shouldn't happen again (cross-fingers-touch-wood). We stayed overnight with Dave's sister and brother-in-law, and then Dave drove me to work for 8, and then drove on up to Dundee for work. Clearly Dave is a trooper.

To top things off, as I got out of the car, I slipped on ice, fell on my backside and smacked my cheek off the corner of the car door, so I have a nice bruise.

On a positive though - we have our Dundee flat to live in, we have lovely family who helped out(breaking the ice outside, feeding us, giving us somewhere to sleep), we have insurance and Dave and I were together, so no-one had to deal with the mess on their own. And when I got to work, I was given sympathy, tea and toast from my boss, and hugs and kisses from the children. A hug from a child is a very therapeutic thing!

I will hopefully be back to regularly scheduled blogging tomorrow, by way of some photos of nice things...

... Beginning with intention.

Yesterday was the first Monday of the new year, and the beginning of my 'resolutions' being implimented. I think 'intentions' might be a better word, because lets face it, resolutions are the things most people dont keep.

For this year, my intentions are...

...to be healthier. I have come to the conclusion that if I keep going the way I have been, I am going to put on all the weight I worked hard to lose a few years ago, and I need to do something about it. I had, by the middle of last year, gone up two clothes sizes from the year before. I'm on the way down again, but I want to make a concious effort to get back to a sensible wieght. Last year, I focused on making sure we had lots of home cooked, balanced meals. This year, the meals will be healthier. We are going to cut down on carb rich things, as we eat alot of pasta, potatoes and rice, much more than we need to. We started yesterday by buying lots of eg to make soup. Tonight's is spicy carrot and parsnip. My other plan is to excersize more. To start with, I am going to have a long walk every day, building up to running by Febuary. I used to run and and go to the gym alot, and stopped doing so not long after I got together with Dave. I really need to go back to doing it! I also aim to begin swimming at least once a week, and build that up too.

...to spend more time crafting and doing art. It's been a while since I did anything particularly creative, and I miss it. Inspired by Julie, I have decided that as of tomorrow, I will 'art or craft' something every day. I hope to develop at few new skills(including crocheting and quilting). I also have an idea for a weekly thing(using one of my Christmas presents) that I will unleash upon the interwebs on Sunday. Today I took down our Crimble tree, and instead of moving the furniture back to where it was I have left the space empty, save the 'table' our Crimble tree was on, which now holds my sewing machine. It is 2 packing boxes with a blanket on top. Dave and I have decided that in the space, I will have a table for my sewing machine and accoutrement...to be a better person. I currently work two days a week, and haven't really don't any volunteer work since Oxjam. I have the time to do it, and would be able to even If I worked 5 days a week, so I'm going to look for something worthwhile in the next couple of weeks.

s, art things and laptop(at the moment it lives in the livingroom). Next to it will go our sofabed, which I can sit on for interwebbing and drawing, and little sewings. I hope to find an old second hand table, as I like things with a bit of history!

What will be my craft area. Hopefully it will be much cooler than this!

...to do more volunteering. I currently work two days a week, and haven't really don't any volunteer work since Oxjam. I have the time to do it, and would be able to even If I worked 5 days a week, so I'm going to look for something worthwhile in the next couple of weeks.

...to read more. This might seem a strange one, but my total of books read last year(not including re-reads), was 74 books. I am really disappointed, as I know I could do much better. This year, I aim to read 120. I'm going to try to read more widely too.

I have other aims, but these are my main ones. I shall hopefully succeed! What are your intentions lovely people?

... how I spent my Crimble Holibags!

Hello, and Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a lovely festive season!

I have been almost entirely absent from blogland and the interwebs since just before Christmas, as Dave and I have been uber-busy having lots of fun! We are both ery lucky, in that we essentially have the academic holidays, so have had lots of time to see lots of people. It would take a hundred years to write it all up, so here are the highlights!

Christmas

Christmas follwed the regular 'Hughes Family Christmas' pattern. We got up at 9.30, had a cup of tea, and the opened our presents. I was really bad at Christmas present Pictionary this year, I couldn't work out what any of my pictures meant! I also realised I have clearly become a grown up, as people gave me breakable things! Also, Almost all of my presents were spotty or stripy and red. Clearly my family know me well!

Crockery Ahoy!

Cookbooks and Shiny red accessories

Gifts from Emma and Richard - Cath Kidston book,

beautiful things and an Edith Piaf CD!

All of the pictures in this post were taken with my main present from Dave (which I didn't even have to ask for!), a Kodak Easyshare camera. I love our Fujifilm, but being an digital SLR, it can't really be taken out on nights out and things. Now i have a little camera that can go in a small bag! Hurrah!

In the evening, after much trying out presents, we had Christmas dinner, made my Dave's dad, and later watched 'Let The Right One In' which I'e wanted to see for a while and which I though was excellent! The film was accompanied by mince pies(made by me), chocolates and a fair amount of alcohol! We stayed until the 27th, doing more eating and film watching - we watched 'Moon' on boxing day, which is very good! - and I watched Dr Who with my brother-in-law. I haven't seen the second part yet, so no one is allowed to tell me about it!

New Years'

On Hogmannay, I was very, very excited as my freind Georgina, who's son I am godmother to, was up from Kent, and so I got to see her, her husband and my lovely godson, and very excitingly, thier new baby daughter Arabella. We had much chat, much tea, shortbread andmore mince pies, and it was lovely!

My lovely Georgina and Christopher <3

I gave Christopher(he is 2) my new camera to play with.

This is his self portrait. He is alarmingly clever!

After that banter, Dave and I drove to his parents, where we were spending Hogmannay. Some family and some family freinds were there. As is traditional, we had the evening meal late on(Cullen Skink and Steak pie. I love being Scottish).

For 'the bells'(the turn of midnight) I was outside the door, as it's Scottish tradition the someone 'first-foots' the family(I was the first person to set foot in the door after the bells). Traditionally, you bring whisky to toast the new year, coal to bring the family warmth for the year, and black bun (this has been substituted by cake and shortbread in recent years) to bring food and health for the year. I have the added benefit of having dark hair, and haven't lived in the house! Chamapagne and whisky was had, and I went to bed having made realistic resolutions.

L-R :Dave,Me, Richard(B-I-L), Emma(S-I-L), Taid (Dave's Grandpa) ,

Alan(F-I-L). Trish, Hannah and Gav(friends of family). Lisa (Step-M-I-L).

On New'erday, we had a big family breakfast, and went for a walk along the waterfront. Afterwards, Dave and I went into town, met friends, and went to a pub we frequent in Glasgow. Many Black Russians were consumed, much laughter was had, and no-one wanted to go home, so we went to a club, drank more and danced! They playlist was essentially all the mainstream rock and punk I listned to when I was 18(there may have been some enthusiastic dancing to Papa Roach and Linkin Park), and I felt very young again!At this point I can safely say my liver doesn't like me much. On the way home, we got a good taxi driver who joined in with our slightly drunken banter!

Dave Hughes & TRFPB Lite(3 members were busy)

Last night, Dave's band had a gig, which was lots of fun! The band on after him were not so fun, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway, as a few of our freinds came along, and we silly danced, and played at being dinosaurs(the younges person among us was 23, clearly we aren't that grown up)! This was followed by a birthday MacDonalds at midnight as it was my freind Sharon's birthday, and cake which I baked for her at our flat!

Sharon-osaurus Rex about to eat the unsuspecting Dave!

Quite honestly, I have not had so much fun in a long time, and I feel I have used my holidays very wisely!