Bookbound

I enjoyed making this for my friend Steve.

Based on the book "Journal of Impossible Things" from the Dr Who episodes Human Nature/The Family of Blood.

This kind of book turns up in  Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead and whenever 11th Dr interacts with River Song.

First time and hopefully not the last book I make....... loved it.

So more to the point what was the programme I was watching at the time, it was a while back now. Am assuming it was Dr Who - 10th Doctor - which episode tho?

Where have I been???????

How have I not collected my thoughts for such a long time?

That aside... I LOVE THIS PHOTO

Bram Stoker and Buffy

Reading Bram Stokers Dracula....

Finding his use of women in his story very interesting especially as a big fan of Buffy. Would like to read a conversation between him and Joss Whedon.

Looking up articles on the internet, seems I have to join some periodicals to find other people to
explore the issues with and i ask myself...............how important is this right now Hat???

But hey if you read this and you're thinking, yes this issue is burning in my mind too.... let me know :)

Gone fishing

Walking on water

Daddy took us to the Zoo last Friday

Save the world?.... Not me, I just wash and go!

My writing skills ( as limited as they are) are totally failing me today. But 2 things i don't want to forget.

1) Looking for the silver lining - When DLD was sick last week and we had so much to do, it could have been dreadful. But by cancelling my obligations (such as they are!) the whole day was turned around for good, and actually the people i was "helping" really and trully didn't lack for me not being there.

DH pulled a muscle in his back, again really unhelpful given all we had planned, yet the upshot was he slowed down, didn't try to achieve too much and spent some lovely time ith his son and ME! Ok the garden isn't returfed, the house isn't perfect, but some jobs have been done and we got through all our other pressures without adding more to it.

2) Over the last 2 weeks we/I have felt so loved and supported in the challenge we chose, but on speaking to some of our lovely friends and family they have been concerned about what they haven't done. I would be the same.

BUT it has been so freeing to realise that all the BITS people DID do, within their own busy lives, was fantastic and all added together to make our care package. Its helped me think that I don't have to save the world, I just have to do the little I do and it hopefully adds together to make a whole.


Hmmmm........
So the message to me appears to be "Save the world? not necessary.... just do your bit and go"

Hold that thought

Whilst we teach children all about life they teach us what life is all about.

A fb status quote off a friend........

Kinda relevant at the moment, didn't want to forget it x

crazy babies

Half Term - Day 1: Marvel.....lous

As a response to my brave attempt at keeping tv and media at minimum, my children turned into 3 supervillians, Bedlam, Mayhem and Chaos. A trio of devious minds, with fearsome superpowers.

Bedlam, a creative force, not to be denied.  A whirlwind through the kitchen, turning sellotape, cardboard, pens, boxes, into robot washine machines, viking longboats and devastation. Then paint redistributed across walls and carpets, she all but finished her portrait on the landing wall....... red and orange, colours of fire.

Mayhem, the energy of life, life that will not be withheld, life that finds a way, a way through concrete pavements. Life that fills empty spaces like entrenched perennial weeds. Armed with a sonic scream and groovy dance moves, she pirouettes through the day, oblivious to the trail of destruction behind her, an understairs toy shop here, a new fancy dress costume there, a duplo tower castle, happy land hilarity and play dough......oh the carpet sucking playdough.

And Chaos, barefaced or should I say bare-cheeked Chaos. Beware his magnetism, his addictive smile, for he will lure you to your sticky sweet doom. Voracious in appetite, devastating in charm, he can devour the contents of your cupboards in a moment. A maverick, undisciplined, untrained, he unleashes his energy and bodily fluids, openly, enthusiastically, violently. Ricocheting off the walls, he can turn any simple household object into a near deadly missile.  Aim to maim, baby, aim to maim.

A trio, alike in dignity, 
In fair Thornhill, where we lay our scene, 
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, 
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Roll on tomorrow :)

Science

"This time it had been been magic. And it didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done."
— Terry Pratchett (The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching, #1))

Me and my boy at the zoo: Penguins

Me and my boy at the zoo: Piranhas

In my element

One reckless evening I agreed to put in for the London Moonwalk 2011. Despite lugging myself around a 13 mile course on the coast of Wales and thinking out loud that to do twice the distance was a bl**dy stupid idea, in the manner of Tony Hawkes on a drunken bet, I found myself not willing to be the one that didn't do it.

So am in training.... ha ha.

Finding it increasingly impossible to find the time to go walking regularly, i was pleased to have a whole Sunday morning time slot with which to do an 11 mile walk. I was less pleased to discover that my set time coincided with Gods schedule of heavy rain across the British Isles. Still, never one to let the weather get me down I was resolved to go anyway and planned my route along the coast.

Wishing my resolve had had the psychic foresight to predict a 2 night vomiting bug in my youngest, that would render me sleep impoverished, I set off anyway.

I soon realised at the beginning of my walk that I was an idiot. I do have a tendency to lack wisdom, most vitally when it comes to planning and general common sense. My usual half empty attitude seems to disappear in a surge of over optimistic confidence at the prospect of an adventure. As I stepped out of the car, it occurred to me that my flat coastal route I had so carefully and aggressively defended to my partner, was therefore shelterless and had the bonus of a full head wind...or gale.

As is my want I set off far too fast, without warming up and was beset with wardrobe failures. How is it that no matter how hard i try i can't keep the damn earphones in my ears? I must admit I looked mighty fine with my black beanie, fogged up glasses, footless tights, oversized shorts, comedy star wars parody t shirt, green fleece and red mackintosh. Ironically the mac is the one my partner won for his participation in the London Marathon. I did keep my head down, particularly when passing other fellow sportsman. The one time i did look up, the woman running passed looked exceedingly surprised, I don't blame her.

Anyway, I'm not going to give you a blow by blow account of my walk, it really wouldn't interest you, except to say that I was immeasurably pleased to reach my half way point which meant that I could turn around and be blown back along the way I came and that the odd supportive and rather piss-taking texts I did receive on route were very very welcome. I also had glorious fantasies of A and the kids surprising me in that car park at my finish line..... like I have ever done that for him.

What surprised me were the moments of sheer joy I experienced.  I knew I enjoyed walking in the rain, especially with a cup of tea. One of my most favourite moments in my life is sitting under an open sided shelter on a black sand beach in Piha, New Zealand, in the pouring rain drinking a cup of tea, also fondly remember a moment of peace on my own in my friends back garden, again in the pouring rain with a cup of  tea, having escaped the intensity of family life during early months with my baby first born girl.

I was literally in my element today.

Wind and rain blustering and belting down, finally having secured the ipod earphones in my ears with my friends Deacon Blue, Annie Lennox and James urging me to keep the beat. I belted out "Show me Heaven" whilst no one was in earshot and actually skipped at one point, not for long...nearly tripped.

Don't get me wrong, I really do not for the life of me know how I am going to manage 26 miles, at one point on the way home, I stopped to tie my shoe lace.... amazing how quickly you can cease up, but I had fun, achieved something and blew some cobwebs away.

Final highlight and classic Hattie, was totally oblivious to what direction I needed to go to get home I opted to follow a van, the driver of which seemed confident. In the manner of Dirk Gently, believing in the inter-connectedness of all things, I did not necessarily go the way i was supposed to, but I ended up where I needed to be. Or at least somewhere more interesting than where I was heading.

Here bee dragons....

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. It's wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway, because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. (Bee Movie 2007)

Is that the same for dragons?

Truly Scrumptious

I love my children and their sense of wonder and mischief

Career through Thursday eyes..... Fridays on its way tho

Lots of big slippery rocks to organise into this year, that seem rather unwieldy.

Then the slow progress through shingly sand.

But look, over it all the future looks shiny and sparkly.

and worth it.

Nothings fine....I'm TORN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPMMuL3ow8c


Busy busy busy day yesterday...... this is smileworthy

But seriously......

Never good to be too serious!

Snowflake

Today he showed me that despite my feelings of panic and jittery and generally feeling lost, it didn't take much for him to soothe and calm me and assure me i was where i was meant to be. Just like a small furry guniea pig named Snowflake.

It was a good place today, a place i wanted to set up my tents and stay. It was hopeful. It had depth of meaning. I had the possibility of life in abundance today. I was loved just the way I was and in that I had a role to play.

But if I can't stay there, how, HOW, could this be with me every day. How could I be confident in a strength and wisdom bigger than myself, that I could tap into everyday? Apart from this here, I can do nothing. How do I stop the life from leaching out of me? How do I care less about what I look and appear like? How do I bring up my family with confidence?

I'm hoping tomorrow he will show me that despite my feelings of panic and jittery and generally feeling lost, it won't take much for him to soothe and calm me and assure me i am where i am meant to be. Just like a small furry guniea pig named Snowflake.

Going Home

My little lad is always asking to go home. Whenever he's sad "I want to go home!" he sobs.

Mostly at bedtime, but also at other people's houses, toddler group, when mummy denies him something, when bored and doesn't know what to do.... " I want to go home!".

I'm starting to think that "going home" really means to feel content, happy, safe.

He went to preschool for the second time today and instead of swanning off with a peck on the cheek saying Goodbye mummy!, he wobbled, looked at me sadly and told me to stay and play. I settled him with the cars, a Percy and his keyworker and left feeling wobbly myself.

Fortunately, although having had a few ups and downs, when I picked him up, he threw his arms round me and jumped and danced and we jumped and danced all the way home. He was telling me what he had for snack and that he was happy and that he smiled at me and I was telling him what a good and brilliant and clever boy he was. When he entered the house, daddy was waiting to ask him about his day and they had a quick conversation about trains and preschool. Then he piped up of his own will....

"I'm very, very, very home!"

Yes, my lovely boy, you are xx

A lesson in Blackadder

Had another baldrick/blackadder education situation with Abs this eve....... first maths then phonics.....

Blackadder: Right Baldrick, let's try again shall we? This is called adding. If I have two beans, and then I add two more beans, what do I have?
Baldrick: Some beans.
Blackadder: Yes... and no. Let's try again shall we? I have two beans, then I add two more beans. What does that make?
Baldrick: A very small casserole.

Blackadder: Baldrick, the ape creatures of the Indus have mastered this. Now try again. One, two, three, four. So how many are there?
Baldrick: Three
Blackadder: What?
Baldrick: And that one.
...Blackadder: Three and that one. So if I add that one to the three what will I have?
Baldrick: Oh! Some beans!

And breathe........

Arsenal.... an odd word?

I have a mental block on Thursdays, I must have. Yesterday, I had the life leached out of me..... but today, to imperfectly coin a Klingon warcry,  is a good day to live. My dad said on my wedding day that I was like a combination of Tigger and Eeyore, either up or down but not a lot in between. That seems fair comment this week.

Ad has been away and although there has been no drama, bar the potential fridge fiasco, golly it has been hard work. Tired and still poorly from before Christmas, we've all been short-tempered, particularly Abs.
So new enthusiasm and creative responses are required from me to prevent WWIII breaking out. Something else to pull out of my arse....nal.

Thursday

"It must be Thursday... I never could get the hang of Thursdays"   Douglas Adams

I've always loved the rain........

I remember as a little girl being allowed to rush out in my pyjamas to ride my tricycle round and round our back yard in the pouring rain. It was oh so exciting, adventurous! Vivid and vibrant, the world smelt rich, earthy, delicious.

So today, forecast fulfilled, the heavy rain fell in big plashing drops. And although the day remained dull, filtered through grey coloured spectacles, bare fingered trees pleading with the seasons, something of the ice cold cruelty thawed and the world smelt delicious once again.

Aaack!

My phone has died again....

please please don't make me go back to carphone warehouse..... the last guy who served me was dead inside......you could see it in his eyes! There was no life there whatsoever. It would be the perfect place for a zombie hideout.... by day telephone consultant - by night.....uuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrgh.

First Timer

Its a new day, its a new dawn its a new year for me and I'm feeling good.

On his blog he says he posts this every 3 years because it remains true, I happen to agree with him.

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.    Neil Gaiman       

and then someone posted this

Pay It Forward 2011....I promise to send something homemade to the first 5 people who leave a comment here. They must , in turn, post this and send something they make to the first 5 people who comment on their status. The rules are that it must be handmade and it must be sent to your 5 people sometime in 2011.

This year I'd like to write something, make something, sing something and hopefully kiss someone who thinks I'm wonderful (oi family, please think i'm wonderful????).

So I'm collecting my thoughts on a blog.... hopefully there'll be something surprising to look back on in Jan 2012.

PS Hattie, steam punk, book binding,