Day 58: Eulogy to a Dead Bag

Six Months. That's how long this rucksack has lasted under the pressure of my college work. On my busiest day, I carry just short of 17kg (37lbs) in my bag.  Today called the end of the era of the blinding pink rucksack when the plastic buckle that holds the strap together snapped when I got onto the bus.

Eulogy to a Dead Bag

Day 57: Fashionista

I've had to giggle at the Imp, yet again, at her wardrobe choices. The weather has been mild, and comfortable to be in just a long sleeve tshirt. The Imp was very specific about her choices today, and it was blinding, to say the least, and the pale pink Minnie Mouse hat added just as much to it as her singing Christmas songs at the top of her lungs on the bus ride home.

Fashionista

Day 56: The Thing Just Won't Die!

This is the balloon that gets on my last nerves. The Imp and the Cats will bat it about, it'll disappear for a while, then reappear for the three of them to start all over again. This is from The Imp's birthday...in the middle of January. The other one of these was popped by the cats, and the mylar balloon disappeared. Yet this one refuses to go away. Any longer, and it might just have to find the point of my embroidery scissors, accidentally.

The Thing Just Won't Die!

Day 55: Start of my granny afghan

A bit of a late post for me, but it's been such a slow day for us, I was struggling to come up with something. I then thought about what I have been doing, which is working on some squares for my planned granny afghan. Some, hopefully most, will be of scrap ends of wool from other projects, and the rest will be from stuff that has randomly taken my fancy.  So far, the black with silver squares are from what I had completed of a scarf, as is the lustre merino that is the pink and ivory. The blue speckled is from a scarf, and the pink, black and grey is some Welsh black wool aran that I really took a fancy to.

I am doing a bit of a shout-out to anybody that might have some scrap DK (double knit or sport knit) wool that they have no need for...I would love to make use of it.

Start of my granny afghan

Day 54: Wrapped around her little finger...

Today was a trip to Nottingham to visit Ikea for us. Because The Imp is so short, once in a while she manages to get Neal to pick her up and carry her because he wants to walk a bit faster. She was all smiles and cheeky grins today about it. This was taken with us trying to walk and getting jostled by other people, so it's a little blurry.

Wrapped around her little finger

Day 53: Reading Time!

Apologies for missing yesterday...I was completely shattered and forgot. I think that I'll double post on a day or two to catch up with the two days that I've missed.

Today was The Imp and Neal reading a book, and it was really sweet. The Imp doesn't normally let me read to her any more, but she demanded that Neal read to her and it was the first time that I've heard her repeating back almost everything that was read to her.

Reading Time

Day 52: Today is brought to you by two words...Cherry Lucozade

Last night turned into an emergency all-nighter due to me misreading the date on my biology assignment. Cue me managing to finish my paper just before my first class, but only getting an hour and a half of sleep. Wednesday is my long day at college...I start at 9am and leave at 5pm. I don't normally like energy drinks, I don't like coffee, and I'm not a huge tea drinker. I do have a Pepsi habit, but figured that today I might need something with a bit more kick. These have definitely worked, and I'm still going. Now to have a decent dinner, finish up some homework for tomorrow, and try to get to sleep.

Today is brought to you by two words...Cherry Lucozade

Day 51: Laptop Problems

I've been having a lot of problems with my main laptop overheating and crashing, which I guess is quite common for the Toshiba's. It's now done it three times today, but it's the one that I need to work on, so I've finally given up and pulled the netbook out of my college bag to make it do some of the work.

Laptop Problems

Day 50: The loss of the bachelor pad...

Well, George is completely beside himself. With tonight's planned roleplay game for me, arrived three new girls to join him. He has been by himself since the passing of his sisters in October or November. George has already had an epic fail with all three of them, including having a go from the side of a couple of them, and falling over the top of another.  When Raine got the eggs for all white quails, I've really been looking forward to their arrival. They're now obviously big enough to hold their own, and one or two of them has started laying eggs. Unfortunately, trying to get a good photo of all three of them is even more difficult than trying to get George on his own (and that was a challenge). 

So, please welcome Snowball (Left), Inkblot (middle, head out), and Spot (back, you can't see her head).

The loss of the bachelor pad...

Day 49: George

Today was Quail Hutch Spring Clean in preparation for the arrival of some new white girlies. After some predator disasters outside, one of the hutches was moved inside, and George is what is left after three attacks (he was injured in all three, and healed beautifully, but the girls didn't fair so well :(  )

He is a currently very chatty (crowing) golden coturnix quail, and I though I would take up the challenge of attempting to get a decent photograph of him, when he's such a moving target. It finally took me waiting until he went into the darkest part of the hutch and actually sliding part of my mobile in between the bars. Hmm...I guess that's the advantage to using my mobile over a proper camera.

George

Day 48: Saturday Morning Chores

Because I tend to be busy, I aim for Saturday morning to be the main time for our chores. The Imp decided that she wanted to help and asked to run the hoover in the living room. I did have to go back over it again, but at least she was out from underfoot so I could get some other bits done.

Saturday Morning Chores

Day 47: Heart in the Rose

I'm loving how more of the flowers in my Valentine's bouquet are opening up. There are some gorgeous daffodils and lilies that are newly opened, and I was tempted by some shots of the shapes and colours. I had a lovely shot down into one of the lilies and one of the pink gerberas. But I couldn't help but share the rose again, and how the centre forms a heart before the rest of the petals bloom out.

Heart in the Rose

Day 46: Taco Night

I decided to change things up for dinner today. The only thing resembling Mexican that we do is mince and veg with fajita seasoning on a bed of tortilla chips. I randomly spotted a taco box set and fancied them, so checked that they were wheat/gluten free and off we went. They're an absolute hit with The Imp! She's asked for seconds, and has even eaten the lettuce and grated carrot of the salad mix that I've bought (she hates carrots, but I figure that I can hide them with stuff like this).

Taco Night

Day 45: The Woman In Black

I absolutely adore going to the cinema, and I realised last night that the Imp had nursery this afternoon, I had no appointments, so there was plenty of time to go see a film if I dropped her off quickly. Even though last year in English I had absolutely no interest in the book and couldn't get past page 42, I've been desperate to watch The Woman in Black since I heard it announced a year ago that they were doing the film. 

On the way there, I stopped at a new sweet shop on the High Street, and found that they had imported American sweets, so I decided to get some Milk Duds, which are a cinema must-have where I come from, and a 3 Musketeers, which I've really been fancying. 

The film was amazing, but the sweets didn't even get touched. I knew it was a horror film, but even though I don't normally go to them because I'm such a jumpy person, I absolutely had to see this film. I couldn't eat, because I think my stomach spent most of the time on the ceiling. The teenage girl next to me spent over half the film curled up in a ball, hiding her face behind her knees.  The film was awesome. It wasn't that I was actually scared, but it was just the anticipation of jumping through the entire film. I walked out, physically trembling. The sky had clouded over, so it was like the atmosphere had carried on from being in the film. 

I'm thinking that the next time I'm inspired enough to be desperate to go see a horror film, I either need somebody to remind me why I don't normally go, or somebody to go with me. But I definitely give high marks to it.

The Woman In Black

Day 44: Valentine's Day

I received the most gorgeous of bouquets today for Valentine's Day from my boyfriend, Neal. It's the first that I've received from anybody in years, and they are so lovely that I had to share. 

The peachy velvet of a rose

My gorgeous Valentine's bouquet

Day 43: Mummy Manicure

We haven't done this for a while, because I've been too busy. So, in honour of Valentine's Day being tomorrow, I told the Imp that she could have red nails for nursery tomorrow. They're not salon-quality, but we've had a nice giggle over it.

Mummy Manicure

Day 42: Scones

I've had definite success this weekend with my gluten free cooking. Yesterday, I successfully made gluten free dumplings to go in my homemade chicken and vegetable soup. I've tried them in the past, and they've just ended up like doughy lumps, but my attempt yesterday ended up perfect. The same goes for my attempts at scones today. I've tried to make gluten free scones in the past, but they were really thin and as dense as hockey pucks. As you can see from the photo of cheese scones, today's successful attempts are almost as thick as hockey pucks and have the proper consistency of normal scones, and they taste amazing. I realised, when making both recipes, that I was trying too hard. They didn't need the extra liquid that gluten free flour normally calls for, and I need to be a little lighter of touch and not overwork them.

Scones

Day 41: Writing

It's been a quiet Saturday in, and the Imp has insisted on doing a lot of drawing and writing. I failed to ask what she was writing here, but I love the level of concentration that it was taking.

Writing

Day 40: Snow on the Waterside

Waterside South, taken this morning on my way to college. 

Snow on the Waterside

Day 39: Catching Snow

Apologies for not posting yesterday, but I was past shattered, stressed, and worn out to be inspired by much of anything. I guess that takes care of the leap year issue.

It started snowing just before I left to collect the Imp from nursery, and we're expecting a couple of inches tonight. When we left the building, I loved the complete joy and excitement that she had when she saw that it was actually snowing, with the lovely big fluffy flakes. We had to wait for about 10 minutes at the bus stop, so she decided that the snow needed to be caught.

Catching Snow

Day 38: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Last year for my English class, we were assigned a book that I couldn't complete for complete lack of interest. I argued that I might have had a better chance if  "The Woman in Black" was available for Kindle, but it wasn't, at the time (it is now, since they've released a film). This year, the book is Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr jekyll and Mr Hyde", and just by luck, I already have it downloaded to my Kindle, and it was free. I have a little more interest in it, so I think I might have a better chance at actually getting some reading done. Fingers crossed that I get past page 42, which was where I stopped with "The Woman in Black".

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Day 37: Poser

Florence decided that she's going to waller on the ironing board, and focus on the camera.

Poser

Day 36: Puzzler

According to The Imp, it was "Mummy and Sophie today". We've spent a quiet day in with the fire on, she insisted on wearing her party dress from yesterday, and I think she spent almost two hours working on that puzzle...putting it together, taking it apart, over and over.

Puzzler

Day 35: Flower Power

I couldn't decide which photo to use today, so I thought I should post two. The post title is inspired by the little skunk in Disney's "Bambi" by the name of "Flower", and The Imp's Grumpy giving her the nickname of Flower.

The first photo was taken on our way to the shop after breakfast, of the gorgeous Phoebe on her morning walk. Phoebe is the pet skunk of the owners of Pet's Cabin. The first time that I met her, several months ago, I was rather concerned because skunks don't have the best of reputation in Indiana. But Little Miss is absolutely gorgeous, having been raised as a pet along with the dogs. That fur is amazingly lush to run your fingers through, and she is an absolute sweetie.

Phoebe the Skunk, from Pets Cabin, Newark Road, Bracebridge, Lincoln

This photo was taken at a Naming Ceremony that we attended at St Mary's Guildhall, and I couldn't help but find The Imp and her Grumpy together, which him fixing the button on her cardi, to be rather sweet and lovely.

Fixing the cardigan.

Day 34: Date Night

Tonight was the first proper date night that I've had in I don't know how many years. Nothing fancy...dinner and a film which is absolutely perfect for me. Quite an amazing evening, if I might say so myself.

Date Night

Day 33: Winter Morning Climb

This is one of my favourite views on my college days, shame the weather is cold and biting. This was taken on Lindum Road, at the bridge just after the bus station, and I walk a bit up it to get to the college. But on the mornings that I'm really struggling to wake up, I just tell myself to aim for the cathedral and I'll get there eventually.

Winter Morning Climb

Day 32: Wired Up

Sitting and working in the college library before going to collect the imp today, I noticed how much I had plugged in, barring the actual power cable to the netbook (it was already fully charged). That's my MP3 player on the top of the screen, with the wire going to my headphones, the wire for my baby mouse, and the wire that had been plugged to my mobile before taking the photo.

Wired Up