WOYWW #638

Well, the desk is here:

As you can see there is no laptop . . . . . it's in a bag ready to go to work elsewhere but the 'elsewhere' never materialised as I had to cancel and take a day off . . . . . 

Everything has now been pushed back so that I can join in all the fun over at Stamping Ground . . . . . come on over, Queen Julia wont mind, more the merrier she says!

Back to the desk . . . . yes, my box of paints did once contain cat food . . . . the problem is that they are the perfect size for stacking all the tubes and bottles . . . . I did start out covering the boxes with pretty paper and then thought . . .  how desperate am I?

Also on my desk is one of my die folders.  I have lots and they are roughly labelled as to their contents.  I also have lots of more blue A5 folders containing Embossing Folders.

I am trying to get a head start on September swaps, I have several cards finished and in the box beside the dies folder, but the ATCs and stamping on the desk is still a work in progress.

Anther busy day is forecast, I will get round to blogging about them soon but in the meantime . . . . . .

a visitor 'dropped' in . .

 . . I think it was caught by a bird but not properly so landed in my garden . . .  it appeared very docile and kept hiding its head . . . .it managed to go into the undergrowth near to the bird food so I hope it has recovered and made a new safe home.

have a good week, hope the sun shines for you except where there are fires, hope it rains for you.

WOYWW #637

 Looks like spiderman will have two arms to fight the dinosaur and Thomas, wearing a few rings, will be back up!!!

yes!  

I have actually remembered to buy some glue and found time to attach back the bits and pieces that have broken off.  I may have to do some further repairs to the dinosaur as I am missing one of his spikes.  Just goes to show it doesn't matter how careful you are, there's always a spike to lose.

On a 'wel,l I never!' note:

Most mornings when I go out to feed the birds, I find a few holes or dips in the dirt by my potatoes.  I don't know what is digging there but I just sweep the dirt off the path and cover my potatoes back up.   I came into the kitchen one afternoon and caught the culprits . . . . can't really say red handed  . . . . mid dig . . .

A couple of sparrows were having a dust bath and there was quite a line waiting in the bushes!!!

Every time I see the hole and sweep the soil back over the spuds, I have a smile to myself . . . . . 

Hope your smiling too. 

I've been watching . . . .

 This Beautiful Fantastic

Tom Wilkinson as Alfie Stephenson and Jessica Brown Findlay as Bella Brown. Samuel Goldwyn Films

I recorded this some time ago and only just managed to find time to sit and watch . . . . . actually it was the day after we went to the woods so I only had enough energy to sit and watch . . . .

But it was lovely . . . . . I forgot about my aches and pains and completely lost myself in the story.

One review (never read them till afterwards!!) reads:

A charming, beautifully photographed modern fairy tale about love and gardening, This Beautiful Fantastic is worth seeing in spite of its dumb deterrent of a title. It’s an odd story about some very odd people guaranteed to grow on you. Written and directed with whimsical taste and obvious talent by Simon Aboud, the son-in-law of Paul McCartney, it’s different, gorgeous to look at, and you go away feeling good about life and lilacs.

My second film: Summerland

+3

Summerland is a sun-drenched wartime drama starring Gemma Arterton as Alice, a reclusive writer whose live is upturned by the unwelcome arrival of an evacuee from London

This kept me guessing until almost the end but it was happy so that's ok.  Another easy, charming film possibly good for 'that' time of the month!  

The next evening I watched Knives Out.

I must admit I only watched this because of the cast list, Jamie Lee Curtis and Christopher Plummer?!?! yes!

Another entertaining film but not a sloppy one, a true detective.  

Daniel Craig was a shock . . . . .

‘Everything is set up and sneakily signalled in the opening moments’: Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson and Michael Shannon in the Knives Out. Photograph: Claire Folger/AP

In the deliciously entertaining Knives Out, Johnson goes back to his roots with an updated homage to the Agatha Christie whodunnits he loved as a child, and to those “cheekily self-aware” screen adaptations in which Peter Ustinov would lead an all-star cast through a labyrinthine murder mystery.

The setting is a gothic pile in modern-day New England where crime-writer Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) has recently capped his 85th birthday celebrations by dying dramatically in his attic study.  It looks like an open-and-shut suicide, but could one of Harlan’s variously leechy family members (witheringly described as a bunch of “self-made over-achievers”) have slit his throat? After all, the old man spent the evening settling old scores and “cleaning house”…

Three enjoyable films with a touch of humour.......

ATCs for August Colour

 Wish I could capture this beautiful warm cream colour but  . . . . .

I didn't sleep much last night, so gave up and got up.

I was in the midst of creating this months Colour ATCs so sat down and played.

this is how I left my desk at 04.55hrs this morning!  I have managed to create the basics of the ATCs and now only need to complete them.

 I have attached some cream fancy paper to the base.  I will let you into a secret here . . . . the bases are punched from MacD's coffee carriers!!  

DDN keeps me supplied!

I digress . . . on top of the paper I have added some diecut flowers, leaves etc. and made a note of the words i will use and left the inkpad to remind me to use brown not black!!!

I stamped some words from Phill Martin Stamps, fussy cut and attached them with foam tape.  Running the inkpad round the edge of each ATC completes the look . . . . .

I so wish I could show you this wonderful shade of cream . . . . . so warm . . .

Off to the woods . . . . . final part

 Bet you're glad it's the end . . . .question is did we find our way out?

So here we are . . . .  still exploring and trying to find our way back out . . . .

We're taking another path less travelled but heads in the right direction . . . 

Some of us had to stop for refreshment . . .

But it was all good as Ray shinned up more trees to make sure we're on the right path . . . 

Dx stopped us from going down into dark places . . .

it looks as though someone is picking fruit along the way . . . . . one solitary raspberry remains hanging from the bush

 . . . oh! no! this isn't the road home . . 

 . . .  lots of fairy 'houses' . . . .

Even signs of human habitation from years ago . . . .

This brick wall has seen lots of 'goings on' . . . 

What on earth has Ray found now!!

I think it has truly knocked him off his feet . . . .

we're back at the playground but here at this entrance (or exit) it looks as though the woods have new trees growing . . . . .

                                       

A few more goes on the zip wire and then we are off again . . . .

Ray has found a dragon . . . calls for a photoshoot!!

Ray climbed another tree, yes, he could definitely see the road . . . . 

this way . . . .

Someone has had 'fun' here so don't come in here . . .  

.. . this old oak tree is a survivor . . . 

Hurry, hurry . . . . .  we're nearly there . . . 

yeah!!!!   I can see the road . . . . 

Home again, home again, joggity jog!

What a superb day we have all had . . . . . and we found the pond!!

Off to the woods . . . . part two

It was time to leave the playground and the gym equipment, we must seek out that pond!!! 

Into the woods . . . .  again? 

Different way, different part  . . . .

Ray's already found the way . . .

 . . . .  so off we go . . . 

Somebody has been here before us . . . . wonder if they were lost . . . .

There's a clearing in the trees . . .

     

 . . . .. oh! no!  three paths . . . .

Which way to go? . . . .

 . . . . Let's try this one . . . .

Ray says it looks ok, he climbed the tree to see . . .

               THE POND!!!     YEAH!!!!

Wood carvings have been added . .

 . . . . not sure of this one . . . . . 

                

So this is where Bill and Ben got to!! . . . . .

Pity others couldn't enjoy the woods as much . . . .

                

This is a photo of a Rowan tree but someone is missing all the attention . . . .

 . . . . . and he's been eating the blackberries too methinks . . . .

there's hardly any left . . . . 

 . . . . . well, the bear faced cheek!!

You need try and hide among the gorgeous ferns . . . 

We have to find our way back to the road now so out you come and let's go . . . . 

Off to the woods . . . . part one

The local woods have been there since . . . . . Doomsday and beyond . . . . they were thought to be part of the forest of Arden . . .

I used to go there often as a child, mainly in springtime to collect frogspawn from the pond.  As I have grown older, and taken my children there, I have been unable to find this pond but today  . . . . we go pond hunting . . . 

Definitely in the right place . . .  teddy bears and all that . . . .

Ray (the teddy) accompanied us on our journey and we all had great fun.  This was a journey of discovery for all of us as none of us knew where the pond was.  Ray just raced on ahead  . . . 

He popped up everywhere, so eager to be the first to find the pond.

We found some small balls and decided they must be fairy things so left them well alone.

We found the first of lots of dens and, of course, Ray claimed it as his . . . he looks really lost in there.

Always amazes me how trees grow so differently. 

 I think that this Rowan tree will have a lot of growing to do to catch up with this oak tree . . 

. . wonder if this is one of the 'Arden Oaks'.

The canopy overhead rustled gently as we walked/ran along the woodland paths.

We didn't find any animals in the undergrowth although the birds could be seen here and there . . . . not bothered by us at all.

Suddenly we came upon a bridge and there before us was . . . . .

A playground!!!

This is a new addition, well, new to us.  It was well thought out and I think thanks must go to the 'Friends of Jacy Road Park' who look after this area.

Time to go exploring . . . .

 The usual playground equipment was there and then several additions outside the fenced off area.

I don't know what you would call this equipment . . . .  right by a medical centre so perfect!!

It was very good for the older children . . . . 

this little fella wasn't allowed into the play area so he enjoyed himself outside with the big boys!!!

Oh!  Look!  There's Ray . . .

or is this Ron . . . .

or maybe Richard . . . 

or Robert . . . .

or Ryan  . . . . .

The grownups were making their own amusement!

Time for lunch and a reminder that we still hadn't found the pond . . . . .