Happy Birthday Opera. The original tabbed browser.

And thankyou for giving away free registration codes in celebration today (30th Aug).

If anyone missed it and really wants one I got about 5 just in case...
So if you're really really nice to me...

I love long weekends. I feel fully relaxed, but I've also accomplished things.

Saturday I had a lazy morning reading in bed, got up watched cricket, Porl and I cleaning up then the boys arrived (Robin & Jimmy.) Watched more cricket, ate lovely tortillas, played on the internet trying to find none terrifying people on the Personals section of Hot or Not. Failed. Around midnight I was going to go to bed, then Jimmy took an interest in the scarf I was knitting, so I ended up teaching him and Robin how to knit.

Robin seemed to discover some deep seated memory and sussed it quite quickly. Jimmy struggled at first but I think he's hooked now. Sent him home with a new respect for my craftyness, and the beginnings of a blue scarf which he's making in a Knit 2 Purl 2 Rib. I do have photographic evidence of this (and Gonzo's attempts) but I've run out of room on Flickr for this month and can't be bothered resizing them for normal upload right now.
Can I justify paying for a Flickr Pro account?

Sunday Cricket, Cricket, Cricket, then hid behind the sofa (literally) to watch the last half hour of cricket. Then we had a celebratory take away from the fantastic Indian in Ashton. The boys went home, and I carried on knitting.

I'm making a bag out of the vivid yarn I made a poncho out of. I hate ponchos normally, but this one was a hooded one for camping use only. I love the bright colours so much though that it seemed a shame for it to be used in something I'll only wear a few weekends a year (if at all, we've not been camping this year :( ) So even though the poncho was almost finished, I decided to pull it down. Jimmy found this very off-putting, that as he was struggling to knit his first scarf I was pulling down hours of crochet.

Anyway, I did the bottom of the bag quite quickly, then realized I needed some circular needles. I don't have any circulars, except for one pair loaned to me by Shell (must remember to give them back.) So I decided to treat myself. I've ordered a set of Denise Interchangable Needles. I decided that as I have no circulars at all, that in the long run it will be cheaper than buying them all individually, and as they're a set I might not lose them. (I hope.) So now I just have to wait for the postman to arrive so I can finish my bag.

Today, another lazy morning, finished reading The DaVince Code, then decided to sort out the front bedroom. All the boxes of things that needed to go in the loft are in the loft, and when we get the shed the last few things can go in there and it may finally resemble a bedroom. Hurrah!
We've been here for a year on 10th September. It's taken me 11 1/2 months but I've finally finished unpacking!

We had our first Knitty Night tonight. I think Shell and I successfully put the world to rights. We didn't do much knitting... but then we never seem to, and I don't think that's the point either :) It was great fun.
Some other people did show up. At 6.30, half an hour before the time on the posters, and they didn't hang around. Maybe they'll come back next time.
Made a complete fool of myself too, by getting lost trying to get out of the carpark. Shelly I promise I'm a good driver, I'll happily take you to Ikea, or Holmfirth, or other adventures... But I could get lost in a paper bag with glow in the dark arrows pointing to the exits. I hope you can read maps :)

Things to remember...
Rip a DVD of Threads
And all the Billy Bragg stuff :)
Erm... sure there were some other things.

Oh and for all you lot criticising me for reading Dan Brown, (Jimmy, Matt.) Yes I know it's trash, but I've been feeling rough for about 2 weeks (migraines) and when I feel rough I like simple books to read. I usually pick kids books, or Mills & Boon or Catherine Cookson. Dan Brown is about as predictable, but I've not read it yet, and it's slightly more intellectually challenging than a Bonkbuster.
So ner! :P

(Also I can't find my Jilly Coopers I think I gave them all to the charity shop when we moved.)

I've been off sick today, last night I was feeling so sick, stomach churning and hurting. I went to bed but couldn't sleep because the world was spinning. I felt like I was drunk, really really drunk. I got about 2 hours sleep between the time I went to bed and the time I should have got up.
Now I feel like someone has taken the batteries out of me. I ache, I'm shattered and my stomach hurts.

I've spent the day pottering around the house, taking a few photos and reading a lot of "The DaVinci Code".

Today is my neighbours birthday, I went to posh garden centre in Wilmslow yesterday to buy her a plant. They had lots of carnivorous plants there and I couldn't resist them. I love carnivorous plants, we've had numerous discussions about whether it's right for a vegetarian to have carnivorous plants (especially as I feed them insects) but I like plants that fight back. They also look ace!

 

I used to have Venus Flytrap a couple of years ago. I didn't realize they hibernated over winter. I thought I'd killed it by playing with it too much. I threw it away. I know better now and promise to look after this one better.

Other pictures from the garden.

Home Grown Tomatoes

 

I've put quite a few other new pictures up on Flickr some old ones which I'm gradually uploading, and some new ones.
I've also found a new use for the Flickr tags. I've got a plant in my garden which I thought was a Hollyhock, but all the hollyhock photos I found had them with single petals and mine has lots of petals. A quick search for hollyhock tags on Flickr and I've found lots of examples that look just like mine. Now I just need to identify all the other plants in the garden.

I went up to Uppermill and Delph today to find out a bit more about the Saddleworth Crafts Co-operative. Unfortunatly they aren't interested in my jewellery becuase they already have someone who makes jewellery and they only have 1 person doing each craft. I'm a bit disappointed, the jewellery there is totally different to mine, but their policy states only one of each craft.
I'll have think if there's anything else I like doing which they don't have there. At the moment all I can think of is bookbinding, which I haven't done much but did enjoy, or making fimo models which I haven't done for years. The other problem could be that I would have to give up half a day a week to work in the shop. I'll see how the future pans out to see whether I'll be able to do that. Then I'll have a think again about whether to pursue getting involved.

There's some good 2nd hand bookshops in Uppermill though. I was good and just went to one where I picked up a Jean Greenhowe Soft Toy book, and an old Mrs Beeton's Cake Recipe book.

The Soft Toy book has my favourite toys in it Moo & Chew.

I made loads of these when I was at uni but lost the pattern, so I couldn't resist buying the book. There's also a pattern for a clown which my Mum made. It's about 4ft tall and has elastic straps on the feet so you can slip the elastic over your own feet and dance with him. I was desperate for mum to make me this when I was little. The body is made from vest material, by the time she had got enough old vests I was about 14, and the desire for a dancing clown had worn off a little.
There are loads of other patterns too, and as I've just got my sewing machine back I think I'll be having a play.

Gah! Just caught myself singing along to Oasis! (watching The Britpop Story on BBC4.)
Must move house now!
I'm turning into a Manc ah kid!

We've been in the garden for 3 days now. The frame for half of the deck is built, we still have the other half to build, then we're having a month delay before we lay the actual decking.

As promised, photos:

These first four are taken from upstairs at the end of day one. The frame was together and Mum & Dad were just starting to dig the first of the foundations. The shed will be going on this side.

The other half of the garden. The deck is going over here too. This will be slightly smaller, but we'll be able to sit up here. The back of the garden will have trellis up to disguise the horrid fence, and the junk that the neighbours behind dump in their garden. Look at the lovely fence that we built the other week too. The little brick wall at the back is built from some of the rubble we dug up when digging the borders.

This area was grass until 2 weeks ago. Now after digging up the grass, and rubble, and putting some soil in (it was mainly sand in this area) I have a herb garden. No longer do I have pots and pots of herbs which I have to water. Now I can just leave them and they'll flourish.

This is the other corner of the garden, and the only one which had plants in when we moved in. It still has plants, but they're hidden by the honeysuckle. Come Autumn the Honeysuckle will get a hefty pruning and next year I'll train it to grow along the fence.

The end of day 3 and the right hand side of the frame is built, and we're starting to do the foundations for the left side. This photo shows how high up the deck will be. The garden is very steep, after 3 days standing on it my calves feel like I've climbed Ben Nevis. This photo shows how high up it is. They'll be plenty of storage (cat hideyholes) underneath. We're also putting a trellis railing on to stop (drunken/little) people falling off.

Finally these will be the views we'll get when we're sitting up there.
I'm actually seriously considering turning the shed into a crafty workspace, only in the summer though.

 

Wow, so many comments on my last post, very odd, and 2 new people who found it. Goodle must be having an update.
So in reply to the comments first.

• Dave - I dont want to even think about what Palm Pilots do to my page, I try to design for all resolutions, but I think a Palm Pilot is pushing it a little. But IE has no excuse. If Firefox and Opera can get it right why can't IE?
  
• Shelley - I was going to ask if you wanted to come, but while I love my parents to bits, they can be a little daunting, and I don't want to scare you off already :) The next one is 17th September, so stick that down in your diary and we can go again, I'm sure I won't mind a second trip :) Also yes, I definately want to go to the G-Mex.
  
• Karen - Hello, I will get around to posting some pictures of the garden I promise. I'll try this weekend. Also I can't believe how much Toby looks like Gonzo, But I suspect Gonzo is fatter.
  
• Suzanne - feel free to come down and make use of my garden when ever you like (especially if you like cutting grass etc.) When it's done it should be great, and I'm making sure the seating areas will have great views of the hills.

I'm sure I had somethine else that I intended on posting about, but I've completely forgotten what it was. I suspect I'm suffering from Pimms induced memory loss.

Oh how I hate IE. I hate it sooooo much!
I've spent a couple of nights working on the new layout, and it looks great... in Firefox. But stupidly I'd forgotten to check it in IE as I went along. So I checked it, and the layout is all over the place.
Why? Why? Why?
I stick to nice simple HTML, and CSS. It's not complicated code! If I can understand it why can't IE?
Grrrrr!
I thought I had got to the stage where I could start applying the new design to all the pages, but instead I've got to go back to the manuals and online tutorials to work out why IE is so rubbish.

On a lighter note, the garden is looking great. I wish I'd taken some "before" pictures. While I was at work today Mum and Dad have been building a little wall, 3 bricks high at the back of the garden, well they had to find some use for all the rubble that we found under the top soil (numerous bricks, broken paving slabs, even 4 breeze blocks). They've moved the little shed, ready for next week when the wood and concrete blocks arrive so we can start building the base for the deck which the new big shed will sit on.
I spent tonight spraying parts of the grass with weed killer in an attempt at killing it before the plastic sheeting goes down. It does seem daft that Porl and I spent last night cutting the grass and now I'm trying to kill it, but it's got to be better than digging up the turf which was the other option.

Finally before I head off for bed I should mention Saturday. I'm taking Mum & Dad to Holmfirth, to a Knitting & Crochet Guild Open Day (hoping to get some tips on spinning too). Porl is ecstatic about the fact that I'm not expecting him to come, he'll be happy at home watching the cricket (though I think it will be raining). My Dad however is happy to go, he likes his crafts too, and a trip to Homfirth means he can go to Ashley Jackson's Art Shop.

Oh nearly forgot... Well Done Jimmy on passing your Driving Test!!!
So when are you driving us to the Cairngorms then? :)

One of my favourite sites, Reusablog has made a comeback with a 24 hour Blog-a-thon for charity. I missed the on-going posts over the 24 hours, but I've been catching up today. There are loads of great ideas for re-using some of our rubbish, and I was chuffed to see that one of those ideas was mine. I can't link to it directly which just means you'll have to read all the other useful tips too.
I'm planning on making some more of these flowers soon as my garden is a bit bare until the plants start growing, so I'll post some pictures of them then.

Whilst on the topic of reusing/recycling I should post about Freecycle. I found out about it when I saw a flyer for Saddleworth Freecycle the other day in Uppermill. Freecycle is basically a way to get rid of your unwanted goods, by passing them onto people who do want them. It's run through Yahoo Mailing lists, and there are lists for areas all over the world. I've signed up to the Saddleworth one (16 members), which is relatively new, so still growing, and the Manchester one (1181 members) which is established, so I've had plenty of offers of things, from Greenhouses and Compost Bins, to everything I could possibly need for a new baby (maternity clothes, cots, buggies, sterilizing gear, toys, books, videos, etc, etc, etc.) For the past year I've been saying I'd do a car boot to get rid of my junk, I should do really I need the money, but after that I'll stick what's left on Freecycle. Everybody should sign up and we can all swap our junk around.

In other news, the garden is coming along brilliantly. The fence is finished (except for 1 panel which we missed painting.) We have a gate, so feel a bit more secure. Mum has been making wider borders and rebuilding walls, as well as raiding her garden for plants which should look great when they've grown and filled out.
We've taken up the turf on one side of the garden and filled it with herbs. I'm hoping that the scents they give off will be strong enough to disguise the smells created by the neighbour's not clearing up after their dog.

The next plan is to build a little wall at the back of the garden to retain the rubbish coming over from the garden behind, then we're putting decking across the back and putting a shed up there. We're still trying to decide what to do with the fence at the back. It's a green wire mesh fence, which is supposed to be held up with 2 big wooden stakes, but the stakes are actually held up with the branch of a tree. I would like to get rid of it completely as it isn't very safe, I'm scared that one day when the cats climb on it and it will collapse. Instead I'd put some trellis up there so we can grow plants to hide the mess, but Dad isn't keen on shifting it and want to put trellis infront of it. That worries me because it would still be there and be dangerous, and we'd be losing more of our already small garden.
We'll reach some agreement eventually.

Right now back to redesigning the website. I'm determined to get it online by next weekend.

I've finally started making serious headway on the redesign that I've been putting off for over a year, and it's given me ideas for the jewellery/shop website too. In preperation for it I'm having a cull on my Blogrolling list, and I'll be making a lot more use of del.icio.us instead.

Oh I feel old.
It's nothing to do with today being my birthday though. I've successfully reached the grand old age of 28 without ever having broken any bones, or losing any teeth. Which is a good job because I'm a wimp, I got stung by a wasp when we were gardening yesterday and nearly cried it hurt so much. (Although the pain could have also been due to mum giving me shocks from her mosquito zapper on me to try to stop the itching.)

I feel old because Mum, Dad and I spent 9 hours gardening yesterday The front garden is looking much more respectable, the back garden almost has a fence, and I've got more ideas of how I want it to look. Tomorrow I'll do some more, get the fence painted, and cut the grass.

It's been a busy couple of weeks. Last weekend was Katpins wedding, which was great fun. I never know many people at most weddings, but I went on holiday for a week with a load of Katpins uni mates, so I knew a surprising amount of people there. Plus Jenny from sixth form, and Katpins Parents, her Mum was my old English teacher. Porl even managed to talk to Katpins brother who is from Ormskirk, and is a musician. Also Barnard Castle is a lovely town, full of antique and junk shops, plus a French Chateau. Had it not been for the hangovers (and Porl's boredom) I'd have spent hours wandering around there.

Today I had a lazy sleep in bed. Got up and opened some presents, not much really because I'd already had most things chocolates, bath stuff, bits and bobs accompanying much needed money. I also had a couple of lovely presents of my neighbour, a Rose bush called "Birthday Girl" and a Huge paperweight, which I love. I'm fascinated by paperweights, I got a few off my Grandma when she died and I'm always drawn to them in the shops but never buy them as Porl hates them. So I'm overly pleased with my slightly strange present.

After breakfast we decided to go exploring. We went up to Uppermill which is a little village near us. The Huddersfield Canal goes through there and they run Canal boat rides hourly, and there are loads of little craft and gift shops, and second hand book shops. Unfortunately we picked the wrong day. Most of the shops are closed on Mondays, so we're going to have to go back another day. Especially as the shop for the Saddleworth Craft Co-operative had a sign on the door advertising for Craft Workers to join their ranks. Shelley I think we need to investigate!

We then drove up to the tops of Saddleworth Moors and had a look at the views over the moors and reservoirs, and down onto Manchester. Then home onto home, via Tescos and had a lovely picnic on the living room floor.

The rest of my day will be spent drinking Pimms & Lemonade, browsing the web, maybe doing some redesigning.

Happy Birthday Me!