Shopping Galore!

I've started an etsy shop, very excited! Only have four things in there at present, but busy thinking of new crafty ideas! Have a look via the link, go on, and heart me if you love it!

p.s. Kim - was thinking your Jack might fancy some gloves? But are they cool enough for school?

The great Fingerless Gloves Giveaway

Dear All

After reading lots of your blogs, and loving them, and the occasional giveaways I've decided to do one of my own!

I've crafted (well ok, knitted) some gorgeously soft blue fingerless gloves all ready for winter. Planned to give them to lovely husband but made a slight error, well, ok, two big ones, firstly he hates wool as its too prickly (don't ask, he still complains about bits in yoghurts too), and secondly, hmm, well they are too small. Definitely sized for women's hands, or I guess, teenage boys' hands!

So dear readers its over to you, if you'd like these send me a message, and I'll randomly pick one name out of a hat in a couple of days.

Good luck all!

Bev

Four pints and I'm happy...

Right, that's it, have shaken off middle class matronly image, thank goodness, did some voluntary work yesterday manning a stall at a craft fair. Yes, I know that bits a little middle class, but I did work the market!

We had a good day, enjoyed lots of people watching in the town centre, managed to make myself look a little, well quite a bit thick, as usual by asking man who made things out of old records, whilst admiring his coaster sized, well coasters, whether records used to be made tiny like that, oh and checking the noise his record boxes made when closing.

Then after all it was finished, we went for a networking event (apparently new word for going to the pub) in Yates and Wetherspoons, smoked lots of fags, and drank lager. It was great. Then I came home, and ate take away pizza.

Great day!

Although am worried that takeaway pizza has that mono sodium glutamate in, hence making me eat too much, and then feel bit thirsty and a little ill. Had to brave possible slug ridden kitchen three times in middle of night to get more water. Good news there were none...

And now am capping off decadent weekend by watching DVD of Joseph and his Multicoloured Coat, perfect. And how I love the songs!

Knit One, Purl One

I love to knit. I've got completed ten monsters now, two have sold! Which may make me an actual crafts person. Slightly unsure what you have to do to call yourself anything like that, would love to say am a Sociologist, but think degree does not make one that. However, slightly unfair as an Art degree does, sort of make one an Artist. Or does it?

Lots of people down here call themselves artists, but kind of to my mind, you need to have sold something to be an actual artist (Congratulations again Kate!), but then I guess most of the famous artists did not sell stuff in their day.

Anyway, whatever, whoever I am. Can you tell a hint of identity crisis coming on at the moment? Think its caused by Ol starting school and J off to nursery in a month, thus not needing me for at least two hours a day. Are you still a stay at home mummy when your children are at school? Or are you a slovenly pyjama wearing lush (if you crack open the wine before six that is?).

My keep myself busy projects are; housework, am really going to start a routine so don't eat too many biscuits, make proper dinner, look for job that is two hours a day home based, (anyone want to employ me to write a column or stuff envelopes??), make some gloves to sell on etsy, and host students until end of autumn. Oh, and I guess do shopping, wash clothes, dry clothes, sometimes do decorating, etc etc. Would really like to do a keep fit class too, but will be walking Up and Down Big Hill four times a day, pushing two stone toddler and possibly trying to keep up with power walking mummies, so might see how that goes first!

Any keep self busy tips without my lovely Ol about very much appreciated....

Classed myself out of existence...

Golly Gosh, I'm annoying myself this week. I seem to have become in capable of not being some kind of insufferable middle class matron. And I'm not like that really, honest.

I found myself and a friend having a very fascinating (to me) conversation about the decent things you can buy in Lidl. All well and good, until I realised that my list was ground coffee, yoghurt (classless I think?), balsamic vinegar, olive oil and so on. Then I realised I had opinions about the kind of tomato's available, fantastically their cherry tomatoes are yummy mini plums.

Plus, its going back to school time, and time the kids had new shoes. We're super broke, should not spend any money etc etc but just can't not go to Clarks at the very least. Would prefer Start Rite but know that's pushing my debit card a bit. But other kids have shoes from, I don't know, Marks and Spencer's...and their feet don't fall off do they?

I just can't do it though, no matter how much my parents struggled for money they insisted we had 'decent' shoes, nearly always Start Rite though I do remember Mum conceding once that people in Hemel could have Clarks as they could not always get to the good shoe shop in Watford that sold Start Rite. The things your parents say and do, really do stay with you...

We went to the delightful Tenterten on Sunday for a wander and play in the park, and again I found myself being more matronly. Tried on some clothes in both Fat Face and Monsoon. The Fat Face clothes were too big, but also bit too young, skirts over my knee (shock horror), and the Monsoon ones, well, I felt like a square. Tried on a lovely dress, but realised I looked like, a mum! Surely I should be busy being a yummy mummy not a blooming matron mummy. I've also found myself wondering whether as Fat Face is such a Bluewater/Richmond/Tenterton shop, and has sizes up to 18 whether its actually a fake cool brand and if an 18 year old turned up at party in Newquay in Fat Face they'd be laughed out of town. Or are surfers too cool for that?

But where should I shop? And more importantly where should I get some money to shop? And finally how to I get back to my roots withough coming on all J-Lo? Any ideas?

Why I don't understand the Olympics... coxless fours anyone?

Zac Purchase and Mark Hunter have won the men's lightweight double scull in commanding style.

Summer's nearly over...but at least we've got this to look forward to...

Summer holidays

Was wondering what we'd been up to this summer, but have decided its actually a lot - more than a household of four should manage, we've;

• Been to visit friends and family in Essex and Hertfordshire
• Been on day trips to Hever Castle (v.wet lake), Eastbourne, Bexhill (love de la Warr)
• Been to the beach and the park Party on East Hill, and a lovely modern house
• Playgroups and coffee with friends
• Re-made the windows at the front of the house (lovely M)
• Bought Ol's new school uniform and re-organised his wardrobe and enjoyed it! (me)
• Turned a bit feral towards lovely German girls (the cat)
• Made a kitchen bench (lovely M)
• Must paint lovely bench (me)
• Hosted lots of foreign students, so many can't count anymore
• Made heaps of hot dinners, and ate hot dinners
• Made homebrew for the first time, and then drank it (M)
• Sorted out the front garden so it no longer looks as though it houses feral beasts (me)
• Learnt to cook with marrow (me, but still not very keen as have not totally disguised watery texture)
• Collected some bits together to do a car boot sale
• Worn pyjamas a lot (all of us except cat and M)

Tired self out now with thinking of all the things, just need to actually achieve something now!!

The cat's turned bad...

Lovely, alright slightly grumpy and antisocial Seren the cat has now officially begun to bite. She's bitten our lovely German student now twice. This is not the over tanned teenager, so can see no decent reason for her to turn feral.

We're all very upset and will need to do some behavioural training.

Oh, and will need to do some stay dry training for Ol, as he's managed to fall in a lake for the SECOND BLOODY time this summer. Goodness knows how he manages it, this time it was at Hever Castle in a water maze. Last time it was retrieving a stick (is he mistaking himself for a dog I wonder, and is there something psychological in that, as I actually really want a dog) in the local park. Either way, he refused to wear his sisters dress to afterwards so guess he's growing up!

The price of friendliness

I love Hastings for its friendliness. It's rare to get on a bus, wait for a bus, stand next to anyone, or just be about without having a little chat to pass the time of day. It makes me feel very safe, at home, and just part of the community.

One of our Italian students, who admittedly did swallow the talking stick herself managed to make friends with a random man who gave her some books in the town centre. Did not quite understand this story, but as she was very nice girl am sure it was all legitimate, and they were classics so must have been a decent sort. She also managed to befriend our older neighbour at a bus stop, and was very impressed with the stamina of older Hastings residents.

This ability to talk to strangers has also meant many comments on how well behaved the children are, or are not. Which is not so welcome, particularly when one is on the verge of tears in a busy supermarket and wants to shout; ' Have the bloody gelatine, ground up cow bone sweets and get mad cow disease or worse, what to I care!' Rather than; 'No, its the Milky Bar goodness or nothing'. Course a Better Parent would have offered two choices of healthy cereal bars or grapes (though apparently they are now a choking risk, can't keep up with danger).

It does also mean that when a friend got her hair cut in a gorgeous Audrey Hepburn esque style, making her look both gamine and sophisticated (yes, you S), her nosy neighbour had the cheek to ask her why she cut her hair in a tone of horror.

Apparently people can say anything they like these days in this area, and all without fear of having a knife pulled on them. On balance I'll take good old fashioned chat over Tottenham style peace though. You?

The fancy dress family

Gosh, feel as though have not had minute to myself for whole summer holiday, so far anyway. Can't help feeling a bit resentful over demands on my time, like can I explain buses, washing machine, cafetiere, video player, turn TV over, make dinner, feed children, wash clothes, (have given up ironing in hope that can sneakily add it to husbands pending to do list and he won't notice), oh and just being nice and kind to all. Course the latter two are the hardest, particularly when sort of take against some of the students we have for no particular reason, other than they are annoying.

Currently we have one who is too tanned, and made it clear she thought I was very lazy when I said the Hill is Very Big and I hardly ever walk it. Since she can barely speak English, probably I misunderstood the you are a lazy fat Engleesh lady part, so must still be kind. Am sneakily suspicious of her though.

Then we have social things to do! Sometimes it feels like there are so many visits, parties, and meetings up to do there isn't time for anything else! Trouble is we really want to do all of them, and the groovy Hastings carnival. Sadly I think the Carnival will be off for us this year, as we're just too busy.

Currently we're sorting out something to wear to a chocolate themed fancy dress party. At first I thought we could be the Creme Egg family, and make paper mache hats, painted like Creme Eggs. The rest of the family is surprisingly unkeen on that. Then I got excited about going as chocolate fingers, we could just tape lots of chocolate fingers to our own, but course the downside would be could only eat our own fingers, and probably could not manage to hold a glass of wine. It goes without saying that that simply just would not do.

Latest plan is the Milky Bar family; J and I bought our hats yesterday in anticipation...we're very excited. Think we just need to add some milky bars, and maybe check scarves. This is our first foray in to family fancy dress, so hope it goes well....

Sleepy in the Sun

Just a short post to say that am still here! Still in the sun, and delighted to have just found someone else today who is in Deep Dread of the Hill. Plan to start hill training self next week. How? Not sure yet, but suspect it might involve plenty of sweeties.

Oh, and we're all very sleepy, or absolutely knackered if I'm honest. The first week of summer hols has zoomed by, with three students, us four, granparents, and step cousin in the house. Seems very quiet today with just the four of us!

Going to spend rest of the day watching Cartoon Network as valuable research to see how violent the programmes are...or gross.