Friends

I've been thinking about what to blog about for a while now, as I'm always quite rubbish at thinking of topics (I might have to make a list of random things to blog about for when I'm stuck!), and it occured to me today that I really don't talk about my totally awesome friends nearly enough!

I don't really have very many really close friends, and the few I do have I don't see nearly enough. In fact, one of them I've only met once, and I've never met the other!

I think my best friend in all the world is Miss Claire Coffeecups, who used to blog, but doesn't anymore, and who twitters occasionally. I'm not going to post links to that though as I'm not sure she'd be too happy! I met her on a Art / Dolling forum 3 years ago (I think) called Eden Enchanted, which sadly no longer exists. We were partners for a Halloween collaboration, and after a few months (it may even have been weeks!) we started writing letters to one another. We're still penpals now, although much more sporadically than we once were - and we still email, text and twitter at least twice a week. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her anymore!

Here is the doll / art in question we made:

She is also the maker of really cute paper type products - here is a really cute notebook she made me from all different kinds of paper. It was only a prototype, and I'm not sure she's made any more, but I would totally buy them if she did!



I made Little Bo Peep on the left, and Claire made Little Miss Muffett on the right!

We've only met up in person once - a few years ago when I went to the Midlands to stay with her. Every year since we've said we're going to meet up, and we never have, but I'm really hoping that we will manage it at some point this year!

I do have some pictures of us together, but I don't want to post them without asking her first, so you'll have to keep visiting if you want to see us!

I do have a couple of other friends I plan to blog about, but I think this post has gone on for a fair while already, so they'll have to wait for another day! Sorry Bex and Steve!

My Least Favourite Time Of Year

The time of year when the clocks go forward. To be totally honest, it's not the worst time of year - it does at least mean that there's more daylight, and considering I think I may be suffering from SAD, it's much better for me for there to be light. But I don't like losing an hour!

My sleep patterns have been really messed up recently, with me waking up at 6am and not being able to get back to sleep, and then having to go to get at 9pm, which means I'm then ready to be up at 6 the following morning! Despite the clocks going forward overnight though, I had the best nights sleep I've had in a long time last night and am feeling rather more refreshed today!

I'm hoping I can spend today in a fairly chilled out manner, so I won't be worn out and needing to go to bed at 9 o'clock again tonight, thus starting this awful cycle all over again. We need to buy a new cage for the mice, and we might buy some more mice too; we haven't quite decided on that. We're still arguing over what they would be called...

Some Crafty Stuff

I've been up to a little bit recently, in the craft world, and I have some pictures to show now. They are bad, for which I apologise - they were taken with my phone because I've misplaced my camera again! But hopefully they'll give you some idea of what I've been up to!

First up, a new monkey:



He's the first one I've made in a while actually, and I think he's a little on the skinny, gangly side. He is for sale though. He's £12, and I can list him in either my Etsy, or Folksy shop if anyone wants him. And because I love you all so much, if you post here, or email me that you want him, I won't charge you for postage!

Next up - a sock I'm working on - it's a mothers day present for my step mother (I haven't even started the ones for my mum yet! Thank the gods I still have a week before I go to Bristol!):



I've also made another pom-pom hat, which I still need to list in the shops. Again, if you want it, I can list if just for you, and won't charge Postage. The hat is £8!



And finally, some pincushions. I've never made pincushions before, and as I'm still getting used to my new sewing machine, I thought it might give me some practice sewing in nice straight lines. I still need to work on that! These are also my first attempt at patchworking too, and I know, it's really wonky and still needs work. But on the whole, I think I'm pretty happy with them all!

I really am...

...appallingly bad at this. And it bothers me. It really does, because so often I think, I could blog that, and then I never do. Mostly it's things about work I think about blogging, but then there's things that happen at Scouts that amuse / irritate me that I want to get out of my system, and I never do it.

The other day at work I wrote down a load of stuff that I thought about blogging. I might still do it, I don't know. It was mostly about how I don't know what to do with my life, and musing how other people work out what they want to do with their lives. There was the start of a list of things I wouldn't be good at - I suppose knowing what I don't want to do is the start of working out what I do want to do with my life! It's still floating around in my handbag, so I might get it out and type it up at some point. Not sure I want to really - it's still really rough and pretty personal.

I've also got a list of things that really irritate me about callers, which might make for entertaining reading at some point, if I can ever be bothered to type that up too!

And now for some good news - after a little while without a pet, last weekend I went out and bought some new pet mice! I wanted a bunny rabbit, but we don't have anywhere to keep one, and bunny proofing the house seemed like too daunting a task! So we looked at hamsters, which Pete doesn't like, and gerbils, which I don't like, and eventally decided on mice! We have two girls - Lucy and Mina, and they are gorgeous. Mina is grey, and Lucy is ginger. And we're already thinking about getting some more! Pete is really quite smitten with them. I already have names picked out for any more we get - if we get more girls I want to call them Channon and Yelena - 5 internets if you know the reference.

I'm off home to Bristol next weekend too, which I am really looking forward to - we have't been since Xmas, and I already have a busy weekend planned - shopping with my dad on friday, shopping with my mum and sisters on saturday, and possibly meeting the very lovely Bex on sunday morning - if anywhere will be open. It is after all Easter Sunday.

I've been doing a fair bit of crafty stuff recently too - it'll all be posted at the Craft Blog in due course!

I was going to post pics of the mousies, but I can't find where the boyfriend's uploaded them to, and they're asleep so I can't take any more! I'll put some up eventually!