The World According to Miss T…..

Feb 27

Slight Technical Problem…..

Sewing corner made, I now have a full width worktop which looks pretty good, with my new rosewood cabinet on it - just need to sort some sort of storage drawer underneath, or find a way of putting the original one back on. It seemed we had found something perfect at Ikea, but as with most Ikea stuff it was just slightly the wrong size/shape - typical!

So sewing resumes…….or does it? There I was, sat at the machine having finally worked up the enthusiasm to get started again on the kite, and there appeared to be something missing - I was sure there used to be a little lever with a hole in it to thread the cotton through…..Closer inspection shows it had actually broken in half, leaving only a stub in the machine. Possibly in transit or while the machine was in the workshop. We were both gutted…..

On top of that, it seems we miscalculated when buying D-rings in Dieppe last year……about 15 or so short.

So……currently waiting for a sewing machine part (amazed that Stephen managed to find a supplier for a part for such an old machine!), and to find someone in the UK to supply us with more D-rings, as the postage and minimum order charge from Europe are astronomical.

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Jan 16

Sewing Corner

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A job started last year, and hopefully to be finished soon, is to build in a sewing corner around the “new” old sewing machine. A machine I acquired from a friend at a very reasonable cost (and the borrow of a van for transporting) Not sure if I ever posted a photo of it, but its a hefty bit of kit which came on its own table, with a separate motor and pedal, with power transferring to the machine by a belt - all very industrial but with the right cotton (and that was very much trial and effor) it has no problem ploughing through numerous layers of kite fabric. As it doesn’t sew anything but straight stitch though so my other machine is by no means redundant, and this means I need a bigger table.

So a new worktop is being made to fit onto the existing table frame, longer and with an extra leg to support it - taking up most of the alcove in the living room. My dad made me a wonderfullittle cabinet out of rosewood as my Christmas present, and so the table will also provide room to stand that on too. Soon it will all be finished, at least I hope so as the sewing machine is currently in Stephen’s workshop and no kite work going on…….

January 16, 2011 -- New Year Resolutions (not)
October 11, 2009 -- Sussex
October 11, 2009 -- Sode Workshop with GOKF
July 23, 2009 -- 100
June 20, 2009 -- Project 52 - Week 43
June 20, 2009 -- Project 52 - Week 41
June 13, 2009 -- Project DS resumes
June 7, 2009 -- Motivation & Enthusiasm
March 31, 2009 -- Dieppe Kite Festival - Video
March 17, 2009 -- Project DS - Back on Track
February 26, 2009 -- Satin sheets are very romantic……
January 25, 2009 -- More Kites…/Project 52 - Week 23
January 22, 2009 -- Kites
November 10, 2008 -- Project 52 - Week 12 & Project DS Update
October 20, 2008 -- The Sky’s the Limit
September 10, 2008 -- Educating Christine
July 4, 2008 -- Videos
June 22, 2008 -- Phew - what a weekend!
May 15, 2008 -- Hello World!

Jan 16

New Year Resolutions (not)

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This happens occasionally, I get all enthusiastic about certain projects or aspects of my life and sort of get renewed interest that lasts for a while and then mostly dies out gradually…..its on several fronts this year.

Firstly the sewing - the big kite WILL be finished this year. Yeah right, I’ve said that before - no really, it will!!! The timing with work, and social life all falls right this year to go to Fuerteventura Kite Festival. It would be great to take the Double Star - mind you trying to get the 5 foot long poles safely over to the Canaries by air may be awkward and costly - whatever happens though, I am determined this kite will have a test flight before we leave - and then I can move on to other projects on the kite front, a nice light-wind kite would be handy…..

Fitness and diet - I’ve put on far too much weight over Christmas and New Year, and the last year has seen me become a bix lax on the exercise front too - so I am currently heavy and unfit! Running has started again, maybe I’ll enter the Kings Lynn 10k, or maybe just the Race for Life, but whatever I do, I need to train regularly. After the button fell off of my mp3 player on my second run of the year, and rendered it unusable, I decide to invest in an ipod nano. This, together with a nike+ receiver plugged into it, and a receiver in/on my running shoe, give me the opportunity to measure and log my training online - hopefully an incentive! First it needs calibrating so I need to run an already measured distance and get it set right…..but not today - its too windy!!!!

I also tried, for the first time, a Zumba class yesterday. Not really knowing what to expect, I found it very energetic (slightly more so than I had anticipated..), and quite fun. A definite mixture of dance and aerobics - the repetitiveness of aerobics with some latin dance moves really. Being on a saturday morning it means I will miss a few when I am out and about at weekends, but it seems that the moves are simple enough not to be losing anything if you miss a week, unlike the dance lessons I enjoyed.

Diet then, and another part of shifting some weight is to start cooking proper meals and not relying on convenience food and someties take-aways. I never was that terrible with the take-aways unless I am away from home, but I do need to make more effort on the cooking front, and make fewer cakes too! Also proper lunches at work instead of supermarket sandwiches. I know that eating right doesn’t actually have to involve loads of salads…but salad is actually very easy to pack and take to work, so thats the direction I headed in last week - lets see if I can keep this up and, together with the exercise, improve my shape.

So - although I hate the idea of new years resolutions, I guess that is pretty much what I have here, a few things that should improve my life if I actually do them…..we’ll see how it goes then!

June 20, 2009 -- Project 52 - Week 43
June 7, 2009 -- Motivation & Enthusiasm
March 17, 2009 -- Project DS - Back on Track
February 26, 2009 -- Satin sheets are very romantic……
January 22, 2009 -- Kites
November 10, 2008 -- Project 52 - Week 12 & Project DS Update
January 16, 2011 -- Sewing Corner
January 3, 2011 -- Hello World…..again
October 11, 2009 -- Sussex
October 11, 2009 -- Sode Workshop with GOKF
July 23, 2009 -- 100
June 20, 2009 -- Project 52 - Week 41
June 13, 2009 -- Project DS resumes
June 8, 2009 -- Coming soon….
March 31, 2009 -- Dieppe Kite Festival - Video
March 11, 2009 -- Project DS/Project 52 - Week 30
February 9, 2009 -- Cars, Kites, Archery and Geocaching
January 25, 2009 -- More Kites…/Project 52 - Week 23
September 10, 2008 -- Educating Christine
July 4, 2008 -- Videos
June 22, 2008 -- Phew - what a weekend!
May 15, 2008 -- Hello World!

Mar 08

London 2009

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After enjoying last year’s trip to London for my birthday so much I thought we’d repeat this year, and found a bargain hotel in Docklands which was offering two nights for the price of one, including breakfast. The room was pretty nice, with a rather smart bathroom (this coming in the middle of our own bathroom “remodeling” - more about that later!) and an unbelievable buffet breakfast. The view from the breakfast room over the dock in the morning, with ongoing canoe race on Sunday, was very uplifting in the sun - at night with all the lights of Docklands and the O2 very pretty too.

A tour of Fullers brewery (courtesy of Tesco vouchers!) was very interesting and also very generous with the samples - resulting in a slightly more wobbly walk along the river than was strictly necessary. One thing we have found about London is that walking, if you have the time and inclination, leads you to discover little areas that you would otherwise have missed that are interesting, or pretty, or sometimes just plain odd! This time we discovered a tiny pub tucked away down a little alley with a wonderful river view and very old decor - oh and they were serving three types of Fullers beer too…….

New boots always seem to be part of the London experience, so to keep up tradition off to Campden we headed and I gained a very shiny new pair of Doc Martens (unfortunately not the bright red ones!) which I wore straight away to wear them in. I think it was actually my feet that got worn in, after Stephen’s alternative route from Primrose Hill to the tube station seemed to be a few more miles than my original route might have been - lost? of course not, it was deliberate apparently!!!

January 22, 2009 -- Kites
September 6, 2008 -- Going Underground…..

Jun 10

Nene Valley Railway

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Once again I fancied a trip on the trains at the Nene Valley Railway, so I organised a day out for the Plus Group which incorporated some sightseeing, some walking, some real ale and some good food, not to mention both steam and diesel traction drawing the trains that transported us between the various stops. I organise this day under the guise of a group day out, but truth be told its just an excuse for me to indulge my, some would say slightly sad, fascination with rail travel which I have had since I was a kid.

We started this time at Wansford which is the main NVR station, and our first train was diesel drawn, taking us to Ferry Meadows where had time for a cup of coffee and a gingerbread man before hopping back onto the train (steam this time) to join the late-risers (aparently a good evening was had the night before and some were suffering..). Quick change of platforms and back onto the diesel drawn train back towards Peterborough stopping at Orton Mere. Each train has its own bar carriage which was quickly sought out, and bottled real ales were served, albeit rather frothy ones.

Orton Mere was our lunch stop, with a meal at a pub which is about 25 mins walk from the station - the food was pretty good here, and well worth the walk. The walk back to the station was along the river, and was very pleasant due to the good weather which somehow we had managed to be blessed with. On to Peterborough then, and the end of the line. Travelling in first class carriages for this trip - the ones with a corridor down one side and compartments with sliding doors. I have memories of these carriages from when I was young - we never actually travelled in the compartments, but used to stand with my dad in the corridor for part of the trip instead and considered this a bit of a treat!

In Peterborough there is (a short walk from the station) a floating bar and chinese restaurant. The bar sells such a selection of real ales as you would ever wish to find on a sunny Sunday afternoon, and while most stayed to sample some of these, I went with a few others for some retail therapy into the City, and straight to the Lush shop, returning just in time to meet the beer drinkers to head back to the station.. Stephen had very kindly saved me some of his beer - which after the brisk walking back from Lush was extremely refreshing and very much appreciated!

Back onto the train, and staying on until the end of the line at Yarwell Junction via a long tunnel, we watched the engine uncouple from the carriages, drive to the points where it swapped tracks and headed back past the carriages to hook up at the other end. The kids with us decided to run to try and beat the train down to the other end, stupidly I seemed to think it was a good idea too, but didn’t quite make it all the way before running out of energy - I really do need to get fitter!

Last trip of the day was back from Yarwell to Wansford after which we all adjourned to a another pub in Peterborough for the rest of the evening.

A really good day out which was made even better by the good weather we had, and this time no thunderstorm to soak us all at the end of the day like there was last year. There really is something special about train travel for me, especially with the older engines and carriages - I guess its all a bit of childhood nostalgia really. I would probably lose my fascination fairly quickly if I was a regular rail commuter for work, but I am very glad that I don’t have that worry!