When I worked shifts I never seemed to have too many problems getting up in the morning (or afternoon). Okay I always struggled with sleep-ins, but anyone would struggle to get up at 6 in the morning after having 2-3 hours of restless sleep in a strange bed. But generally most days I was quite happy to get up.
Recently though I've been struggling.
Today I crawled out of bed at 7:35. I have to leave the house at 7:45. Needless to say I don't do breakfast.

All day today I kept thinking it was Thursday. Then I'd remember it was Tuesday and the weekend and a lie in seemed so very far away that I could have cried.

Eventually the end of the day seemed in sight.
4:15 usually heralds the last trip to the drinks machine for the day, but today it was broken, so I sat there, sealing envelopes, feeling thirsty, fed up, and longing for home.

Then the boss came out and told us that as work is being done on the server tomorrow, our phones and computers will be out of action for at least the morning.

So we could all have a lie in, and not bother getting to work until 2pm!
He then told us 3 more times because no one believed him

I'm really hoping that the work gets hugely delayed and we get the whole day off.
I mean it's hardly worth going in for 3 hours is it?

Hope everyone else has a great day too!

Sorry about the lack of updates, but a lot has been happening, writing about it all seems a little daunting, so I've been putting it off, but I'd best get on with it.

A few weeks ago I spotted something in the paper about a meeting being held by some people who wanted to set up a local Craft Group. It seemed like a good way to meet some people and learn some new skills (like knitting and spinning) so I decided to go. I was a bit worried it might be a bit too "Mother's Union" but I figured if I didn't go then I'd never find out.

So one windy night off I toddled, there were only a couple of people there because the paper had got the date wrong, the main meeting was the following week, but we had a chat about what I did, what the group wanted to acheive, how it would go about things and it all sounds really good, they're going to have teachers come in about once a month and the rest of the weeks they'll use what they call their "gifted amateurs". I'd taken some of my jewellery with me so they had a look and were very impressed, giving me a huge confidence boost. I came away cheery and excited about the new project.

A couple of days later I got a phone call off the club secretary. She'd heard about the jewellery I make, so wuld I be interested in being one of their "gifted amateurs" and doing some teaching. Of course I said yes, so since then I've been racking my brains trying to work out what I can teach, and how to go about it.

Last week I was browsing random craft message boards and I came across someone asking for jewellery makers who would be interested in having a stall at a craft fair in Preston. The fair was in January, too late for me to be involved in, btu I wanted the organiser to know I'd be interested in any future events. I had an email back straight away saying that a jewellery stall had just dropped out, so was I certain I couldn't take part. I let her know I definately didn't have enough stock, but she then wrote back and said she'd looked at my website, and if I'd like to bring up any of my things to show on her own stall she'd give me some space. Typically I then had a week off work sick with migraines so I couldn't do anything. But it's another contact for another time.

So all this, plus some other comments I've had recently have also given me the kick start I needed to get a website sorted for selling my things. I'm picturing a day in the future where I can stay at home with a gaggle of kids, making jewellery and selling it at craft fairs and online. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I'm working on the website at the moment, ideas for names would be greatly appreciated, I'm tempted with just calling it Celeste, but I'm not sure. Also expect some changes around here too as I overhaul everything and pilfer content.

I have discovered that resting your bead tray on your lap while making jewellery is a very bad idea if you have a cold.

3 times tonight my sneezes have sent the bead tray and contents flying to the floor.

It's amazing how far beads will travel on laminate flooring.

This week has been poo. Nevermind Shit Wednesday, it's been Shit Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is improving.

Back at work Tuesday. Drinks machine wasn't working, so borrowed some money for some cans. Dinnertime went to get money out of the bank, none there. Panic! This month was supposed to be great for money, I doubled my income for various reasons, so how could I be skint 10 days after payday, and more worryingly, before the bills and mortgage had been taken from my account.

So I phoned the bank, and worked out I hadn't been paid. Straight in to see the boss.

So Tuesday and Wednesday were spent worrying while work tried to figure out what had happened and sort out paying me again. While I fended off the bank and tried to get them to be lenient (which they weren't). Thursday morning it turned out it was their banks error. So they are going to be presented with a nice list of all the charges I've had for being overdrawn, bouncing cheques, direct debits etc.

Wednesday I also forgot my work passes, so had to spend the last money I had on parking the car, and get a door pass off security, and put up with the usual 20 questions that go with them "You do know it's £30 to replace them" etc etc. Then on the way home I tried to find a shortcut, got hugely lost, ended up heading towards Oldham before I found my way home.

Thursday, again forgot door pass. 40 questions today though. However I found my parking pass, in the pocket of the passenger door where it must have hidden itself as I randomly threw it in my haste to get out of the car park on Tuesday. Mid afternoon my wages finally went in, and I got to unpack a HUGE stationary order, (the silliest things make me happy). I got home and within about 10 minutes was sparko on the sofa, all the worry about money had meant I'd not slept properly for 3 nights.

Friday and things have begun to improve. Except for the ongoing problem with our supplier at work, I got angry (a very rare occurance for me) one of the bosses got quite concerned and said I seemed angrier then than when I found out I'd not been paid. But we all got taken to the Lime Bar at lunch time. The boss paid. After one round he asked us if we wanted to go back to work. He was met with silence, so he went and got another round in. A lazy afternoon followed, the normally laid back quiet admin team (me and Nigel) got quite animated and chatty. Home time came, and an epic rush hour journey home followed... stupid friday traffic. Tonight I took Porl into Ashton, and came home to veg, clean and sleep. I spent most of hte night just blitzing the kitchen, the room will have to wait. About 9 o clock I was by the front door trying to find shoes so I could put the bin out when I heard "Hello, it's about your car, Hello, there's someone in your car... I'm not a burglar". I didn't know if it was for me or next door, so I opened the door and there's a lad there. I think it was the one I gave some coal too at Christmas for his snowman. Apparently there'd been someone in my car, (which stupidly I'd left open) but they'd run off down the road. It seems Stalybridge robbers aren't up to much (thankfully). Nothing had been taken. My stereo isn't removable, they missed the CD player, adn they'd left all the CD's too. I think they might have just been sheltering from the rain.
So lucky escape. I'll check the car is locked in future.

Then more improvements when I found a nice clean fragrant £5 in the tumble dryer.

This weekend will be mainly spent sorting out the mess of money, cleaning and sleeping.

This is what we woke up to this morning.
(Click for bigger images.)

I umm'd and ahh'd, but as the sky was blue I decided we'd risk the drive over the hill, just make sure we headed back before dark, and it started freezing. So I phoned Mum to say when we'd be over, took some pictures, made the bed and came downstairs, looked out of the front window, and phoned mum back to say actually we'd better stay put.

They were taken at about 11:30, then the second 5 minutes later. It's been snowing on and off all day. Sometimes light, sometimes very heavy, then occasionally we've had glorious sunshine. Everywhere is white over, except the roads which have been gritted, and the cars which had collected enough snow for the kids to have some great snow ball fights.

Luckily we'd got food in for a Christmas Meal just in case, there was no time for us to defrost the duck though, so Porl had a chicken breast instead. So it turned out okay, yet another year I've missed being with my parents on Christmas Day, but it is nice to spend our first Christmas in our little house. I'm torn now though. I really want to go and see people in Ormskirk tomorrow, but I really want lots of snow now, while I'm off work, so we can go and play in it. I've had quite a lot of White Christmas's, but this is Porl's first since he was about 9, so it'd be nice to make the most of it.

While I had the camera out I realized I've never taken any pictures of the house. So here is a our tree, fireplace, and the lovely red wall I painted a few weeks ago.

Finally, before I go and sit on the sofa reading my new books, and digesting my food, here's a picture of the necklace I spent last night making.

Merry Snowy Christmas from Stalybridge.

I'd like to wish everyone who reads this a Merry Christmas/Seasons Greetings/Enjoyable Couple of Days Bank Holiday.

I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family tomorrow, seeing lots of friends over the following few days, and being general happy about not being at work, and there being lots of good people, and good food around.

Big Christmas hugs to all the Manchester lot for a great night on Wednesday. I think I'm still recovering, but it was a much needed blow out. It seemed like ages since I'd seen everyone.
More Christmas hugs to the Ormskirk lot, I'll see you all Boxing Day (assuming the weather gets no worse, we've had rain, hail, wind, and thunder, but no snow yet.)
Lastly very big Christmas hugs to Robin who's enjoying the sunshine in Oz.

Hope everyone has a good one

The infrequent blogging is due to my new job. Working 9-5 again has been a bit of a shock to the system. Add to that the 3 hours of travel each day, and the fact that I have a tendency to hibernate when the clocks go back. It all means that when I come home from work all I seem to want to do is stare at the idiot box watching mind numbing programmes.

But my brain is finally coming round to the fact that the 9-5 job, or more accurately, the money I get from the 9-5 job will be a good thing for a little while.

Unfortunatly, all this work is distracting me from my crafty pursuits, so a plan has formed. My work location is in a fantastic location for views, but a bit rubbish for interesting things to do at dinnertime, except for wander around and around the outlet mall. So today, I brought my beads in. I'm sat at my desk making beaded snowflakes, and I think I'll spend most dinnertimes doing this from now on. (Maybe not snowflakes all year though.) This way I can still earn nice 9-5 type wages, but when I get home I can feel like I've accomplished something for myself during the day. Then if I am knackered and useless for everything but gazing at the idiot box, then I won't feel quite so guilty about wasting my life away.

I'm not sure whether the blog posts will become anymore frequent though, we'll see.

Still here, I promise. But sitting infront of a computer all day at work means the last thing I want to do is sit infront of a computer when I get home.

I've just found this idea for wallets made with paint samples. I've got loads of these at home. I knew there must be something I could make with them.

Since moving to this house I've not had much luck with computers.
First it took me 3 weeks to get the internet, then Porl's keyboard died, so I went keyboardless, then finally last week the switch on the pooter died. It wouldn't turn on at all, so I bought a new case.

Unfortunatly my techie wizard lives in Ormskirk, and I don't anymore. So I had 3 options.

• Wait a fortnight for techie wizard to come up and build it for me.
• Pay the computer shop to build it for me.
• Figure out how to build it myself (and possibly blow the computer/house/me up in the process.)

Being the impatient person that I am, I went with the doing it myself.

And it works!
Nothing blew up, no electric shocks, a few cuts on my hands, but that seems to be compulsary. My pooter is purring away happily beside me now, and it's much quieter as the fan got a thorough clean too.

I might have a new hobby, or career change ahead of me.

Internet access at work may be a dangerous thing.

Hello

Back again

Things have been a bit busy recently. However, we're in our lovely new house, there's still boxes everywhere, and will be until we get storage organised with the help of my wonderful Dad. We moved on Friday the 10th, we managed to get the living room looking almost straight by the Sunday, so it was starting to feel like a home. On the Monday we went into town to find a pub, we found the Q Inn, and there was an acoustic night going on, we've met some lovely people here, and the Q has beome our local, even though it's the furthest pub away from us. We managed to get Jimmy a bed sorted by Friday, and that's when it really started to feel like home for me.

unfortunately even though the net was working for Porl, the firewall continued to block my computers' existence. A couple of days ago Porl again tried to get it working (upstairs tweak something, come downstairs, check it, still no luck... repeat) after 2 hours of this I lost patience with the clattering up and down stairs so I had a look. Five minutes later tick box found, problem solved. So I'm back online, and I even waded though all the masses of emails (about 700 of them, must remember to unsubscribe from things before I next move house.) I'm quite surprised and touched by how many emails and other comments I've had from people who missed me, or at little noticed my absence.

Other happenings in no particular order include

• ITC gig - 'twas very good.
• Matt visiting - 'twas alcohol fuelled, involved another trip to the Q, late night ramblings, and rants at Presidential candidate debates.
• More trips to the Q and some fantastic acoustic nights, plus more friends made here.
• House warming party, with everyone visiting, lovely to see everyone. Some people loved our hills, others weren't so enamoured. I wish so many people weren't allergic to the cats.
• I handed in my notice. I'll miss my job a lot, and the clients even more, but the commute just couldn't be done.
• I got a new job (the cats have been giving me lessons on landing on my feet.)

The new job seems good, today was my first day, I think I'm going to like it. It seems sufficiently complicated to keep me interested, but a relaxed enough atmosphere to keep me from premature greying. Plus I do like being able to tell Sales Reps, sorry, Account Managers how to do their jobs. Working with Lucy is going to be fun. I made her go to the gym. I refused to be used as an excuse for not going. Now I've just got to try to find a way to help her quit smoking.
The only down side of the job is the travelling. I left work at 7:45 this morning, 20 minutes walk to the station, got the right train into Manchester, then stood on the Metro platform for 20+ minutes waiting for a tram. So I was about 20 minutes late on my first day in work. Not good. The bosses do know that the Metro is tempremental, but apparently they're going to clamp down on poor time keeping anyway. I'll try getting the same train tomorrow, but if it still goes wrong then I'll have to start getting an earlier train to compensate. Grrrr. Tonight I got in at 6:30, and I'm exhausted.

I'm sure I've missed loads of things out, but I'm tired and longing for a lie down. I promise to update again before the month is out.

Stalybridge is the 'slaef léah brycg', the 'bridge by the wood whence the staves are procured'.

The 'bridge' bit was added at a later date, so it's basically 'The wood where you get the sticks'.
Now last time I checked most woods had a surplus of sticks. The Stalybridge sticks must be pretty special for the place to be named after them.
Luckily the cats love sticks. They're their favourite toys. So the cats should be happy in their new home.

3 days to go.
Much packing has been done. Loads more left to do still.

Roll on Friday when it will all be over.
Except for the unpacking.

Two pieces of great news!

First, Sunset Beach is returning to Channel 5. Only repeats, but even so, Hurrah!

Second, we have a completion date! Friday the 10th, and hopefully we'll be moving out the same day. Which means I best get on with the packing.

But first I think I must procrastinate a little more.

Today has been extremely productive.

I've phoned and sorted out gas, electricity, phone and internet connections for the new house, filled in multiple change of address forms, paid all the bills which need paying before the move, and filed away all the paperwork which accumulates on my desk.Downstairs has been tidied and hoovered, and I'm going to do upstairs before I relax for the night.

I'm doing anything to avoid packing.

This is especially for Fiona, who left a message asking where I was. I felt loved.

I'm still here, and ever so busy. So here's a quick rundown of the main things.

Apart from all the overtime I'm doing at work, we're also up to eyeballs with house things. The house buying and selling is going through well, we're hoping to be moving in to our lovely new house overlooking the moors in about 3 weeks. So lots of packing and planning is going on. Phone calls with solicitors, estate agents, mortgage advisors, insurance advisors and what feels like a billion and one other people too. It's tiring and confusing and scary. I'll be so glad when it's over.

I've also had a birthday, combined with a holiday. Porl, Jimmy and I went camping in Derbyshire. We walked, we ate, we played cards and we watched lots of cricket in the picturesque village of Ashford-in-the-Water. Picture limestone grey tudor houses, village cricket green, balmy days, hot air balls overhead. The boundary line of the cricket pitch was the fence which kept the sheep next door in their field and off the pitch. It was lovely, and a much needed break with a couple of ace lads.

Of course in between all this I've been de-stressing with crafty pursuits. There's lots of new jewellery dangling off the corner of my shelves. I've also tried making beaded flowers and I have some cute bunches of pansies. I've had my first go at book binding, it turned out well, but there's a few things I'll do differently next time. Finally, the Spinning. I've been persevering with the drop spindle. It's going slowly, but I will get there.

So that's a rundown on the basics. Plenty of other stuff has happened, like Lynskey gigs for example. But it's far too hot to think about them, or type about them, so I'll leave it there. I'll try to write more often, but don't keep your hopes up. My new catchphrase seems to be "I'll do it after the move".

I bought the spinning wheel a few days ago. It cost £15. Happy Birthday to Me!

I visited the Wingham Wool Work shop for advice and supplies, and they were great.
The bad news is, that the spinning wheel isn't very good, and I'd probably never be able to spin well on it.
The good news is that if I take it to an antique shop they should pay around £150 for it. Which is almost enough to buy a lovely new spinning wheel.
Until I get that organised (i.e. after we move) point I am armed with a drop spindle and some roving
I also had a quick lesson at the shop, but I currently seem to only be good at producing lumpy strands that break and untwist a lot. I Will Persist!

House things appear to be going well. The survey has come back, this time round it's fine. Next week I have to organise the searches. I'm still trying to not get excited. Thankfully remembering that I have to start clearing out the glory-holes soon is calming me down.

For the past couple of months I seem to have had something planned everyday, work, house hunting, visiting places, etc. Over the next fortnight I actually had a few days with nothing to do. So silly me has volunteered to help on the Summer Playscheme for local kids aged 8-18 who have Learning Disabilities.
It's always great fun, and I absolutely love it. I haven't done it over the past couple of years though because of a falling out with some other people who volunteer. I've really missed it, and the people involved.
Without the playscheme I would never be in the job I am now so in a way I feel I owe it. I'll probably not be able to do it again because of moving, so I've decided to bite the bullet, and sign myself up. I'm fed up of missing out on something I enjoy just to avoid an argument. I'll do my best to steer clear of trouble and just get on with having fun with the kids. I'm hoping the other people will do the same.

I've been a bit busy recently.

Been to Sheffield too. Got a few odd looks for making bracelets on the train.

As well as a spinning wheel for my birthday, this would be nice too.
Steve Currey's Expedition Company - Voyage to Our Hollow Earth

"Cost: $18,950 US"

I really really want to learn to spin.
I have done for a long time, since I was a kid and got to do a bit of spinning at school.
I have half promised myself that when we get the new house I will get myself one

On the way home from work today I walked past the antique shop (Browzaround, just up from the library.) It was closed, but I spotted through the window a spinning wheel.
Tomorrow I'm going to nip in and see if it works, and how much it is.
Just for curiosities sake. I'm not going to buy it of course.

Totally unrelated note, but it's my birthday in 20 days time.

"Eeeeeeeee". Yup I'm happy again.

The weekend so far has been ace, and it feels like far longer than 3 days. Thankyou to everyone who's made it great

Friday Porl, and I were going to Stalybridge house hunting again. Jimmy and Robin decided (and were cajoled) into coming too. We were late getting there, and missed the first viewing (as usual.) Saw 3 houses, nothing special, had a nice meal at Wetherspoons and a browse around Stalybridge, then we went to Manchester for Amy.

Amy. Was. Ace.
Sweets, decorations, bands, lipgloss, dancing, shoe theft, champagne, more dancing, and friends. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves, but I think we were all sad, and wondering what we'd do the 2nd Friday of the month.
I have pictures galore. I'll post a few later (the nice ones only, I promise,) but I've also got a zip file of the lot if any attendees would like to see them all.

After Amy exhaustion hit and we all got to bed pretty quickly. Saturday started with copious amounts of coffee and a Trof breakfast. Then Porl, Robin and I headed home. Whilst everyone else went to The Pixies, Porl and I went to OrmFest. Bought a CD, arranged a gig, saw some people, got rained on, came home.

In house news, things are looking up again. Monday, my last post here said we'd found a house we really really wanted, but then lost it as another offer had been put on it. Tuesday the Estate Agents phoned back to say that offer looked like falling through and we still had a chance, if we sold ours in time. Today it looks like we might have a buyer.
I'm trying to not get excited. But can everyone please cross their fingers, toes, eyes and everything else for us. Thankyou

Lastly, I've been on another crafty spree. Beadie necklaces, bracelets and insects, duct tape flowers, and in the past hour, a Beadie Man.

Yes, I know his hands are huge, but it's my first attempt okay!