Just a Sec..

Hey everyone,
I've probably told you about my one second per day video project. Well, here's the first full year!
Enjoy!

*hugz*
-d-

The long way home concludes

Today Glenn and Dee collect the keys to their new house. Another step in their adventures. I'm sure they'll post photos when they get the internet sorted. They'll be back next weekend for another load. I know Les would have taken a trailer load and the way he packed it would have all got there in one trip. I'll be happy for the visits the extra trips mean.

Nana got the postcard from Dayna and just loved it. Waiting to hear how your move and new job are going. Much love and thoughts headed your way.

Today I'm out to lunch with the Red Hat ladies. A member is returning to England at the end of the month and she's invited us for lunch at her daughter's. Next Friday is a picnic in the park at Castlemaine. The group has certainly meant more socializing.

Now Glenn and Dee have moved on, I hope to lose the 2 kilos I've gained in the last few months. Difficult to do with my outings that include yummy lunches, but I'll see how I go. Glenn has downloaded more Zumba for me to help.

Lots of love to you all

Testing email posting

Hello from the Isle of Wight!

I'm here by myself so I'm going to put the comments that I'd normally make to a travel buddy in here..

11:55
I'm on a bus to Alum Bay - on the other end of the island to where I arrived on the Hovercraft. We just went past a field full of sheep and lambs - they'd numbered them all so you could tell who belonged to who. Cute little sheepies, with big blue and red numbers painted on their sides. Hehe.

There are also quite a lot of thatched-roof houses in this area.

12:55

Just walked down 182 steps to the seaside. I can't call it a beach because it's made of pebbles and I don't think that's really a beach. :-) I wanted to see the cliffs of coloured sand. You're not allowed to take any sand from the beach - if you did that then you wouldn't pay for the little bags of it from the souvenir shop.. Anyway, just got down to the bottom and I needed the loo. Bugger! Took a few photos and then headed back up the stairs.

13:40
Bought an uninspiring lunch of sandwich, crisps and a ribena carton. I'll eat it after I've had a look in the Glassblower's.

Alum Bay Glass is quite pretty, but nothing exceptional. Lots

of dust-collectors really. I like watching glass blowers work. Stuart the Glassblower from Scotland was mezmerising. The three guys they had on the demonstration floor were talented but it wasn't exceptional. I guess it's hard to be exceptional when you're making paperweights or pigs. To be honest, the pig-maker was the most interesting to watch.

Take a blob of molten glass, add some coloured powder and twist it a bit to mix it. Let the glass cool just a little then using huge metal tweezers, pull out four blobs on one side (the legs), two blobs on the other (the ears). Swing it around a bit to elongate the

body a little and to assist it cool. Stand it on its legs and poke with tweezers to make eyes. Continue to twist until glass sets, break off twisting rod (at nose) and put hot pig into kiln for annealing.

14:10
Eating my lunch on a bench outside in the sun. Suddenly a couple of ravens/blackbirds (not sure exactly) flew onto the adjacent table. They're as bad as seagulls (which didn't come scavenging) - looking for any kind of scraps. I had an enjoyable time.. Taking photos, talking to the birds, watching other tourists try to feed them so they'd stay still long enough for a photo. Now it's time to get on the bus up the hill.

14:45

Paid to go in to the Old Battlement. They have a tunnel! Down a winding staircase which is only wide enough for one (and only just - I really need to do more exercise) and the acoustics are fab. The tunnel is only just wide enough for two to pass, but you'll hear them at the top of the staircase - even if you're at the spotlight at the other end, enjoying the view of the Needles. I wish someone had been there to play with the acoustics. I encouraged a young lad and his sister to mess about with it - and from the noise they made, it must have been fun!

17:30
I'm sitting at the front of the Hovercraft. Hehe. It's so exciting. I came over on it this morning, it's not like anything else I've been on. Low tide? No problem! The Hovercraft hovers over land or water - the only difference is the bumps from the waves. :-)

I'm going to send this now - it's already a long email/post and I'm on the way back to Portsmouth now. Hope everyone is good and I'll try to upload the appropriate photos soon.

*hugz*

--
Sent from my mobile device (and then edited because it put in line breaks that meant the post looked weird)

My brush with fame

Vicki and I just spent a fun evening being cultured - we decided to attend Literature Live with Neil Gaiman. He's in the UK to promote his new book, The Graveyard Book.

After being introduced, Neil highlighted a dilemma that many people may have had - Jonathan Coulton and Paul and Storm had a gig next door at the same time as Neil's talk. To ensure we didn't miss out (and become bitter and twisted in our old age), he invited them to perform the shortest gig ever! Neil Gaiman had his own 'warm up bands'!

The evening started with Paul and Storm singing Live - a song about building the perfect woman - Frankenstein-style: "Hard work and science are what I have to give, and all I'm asking in return is that you live.."

This was followed by Jonathan Coulton who sang a very catchy tune Skullcrusher Mountain: "I’m so into you
But I’m way too smart for you
Even my henchmen think I’m crazy
I’m not surprised that you agree
If you could find some way to be
A little bit less afraid of me
You’d see the voices that control me from inside my head
Say I shouldn’t kill you yet"

Finally Neil read some of the book to us (Chapter 3) - he even used the right voices! The father sounds like Berk from Trapdoor (you know, the plasticine dude on tv). After the reading, there was a question and answer session - Neil's answers were honest and amusing and not arrogant. It makes me even happier to read his books. He even answered the silly girl who obviously didn't know much about him and asked the question he's probably answered millions of times already.."I've been reading American Gods...(insert list of books), why do you choose to incorporate fantasy..?" (or something like this). My favourite Q&A was "What do you think of your Sandman being used by boys to get the girlfriends in to comics?".. "I'm happy to have one of the first sexually transmitted comics!"

Anyway, there were book signings afterwards, so I had to get my new copy of the Graveyard Book signed. :-) I even got a photo (in the typical dayna-selfportrait style). He was great about it too - just told me that the signature in the book will be slightly wobbly because he couldn't see (due to the flash - it IS bright).

And now I've updated the Bandwagon within 2 hrs of getting home - this is a new record for me! An event with photos up on the same day!! woohoo! (Can you tell I'm excited by my brush with fame?)

Delightful deception

As you all know, Dee threw Glenn a surprise 30th birthday party last weekend. I was in on it from the start and Glenn didn't suspect a thing!

I went to London last Thursday - I had my end of year appraisal on Friday, so I checked that I could stay over with G&D. This wasn't unusual, I'd popped down to London for work before and Glenn is used to me staying over. What he didn't know was that I'd requested my appraisal for Friday so that I could be there for the weekend. heheheh...

I'd been in London a few weeks ago to see Toby - an Aussie who was only in the UK for a few days. We'd gone to Camden Market and I'd spied some cool Xmas pressies for you lot. I decided Saturday would be a good day to go get them (since I'm away all of November) and Glenn agreed to come along (as we were hoping). We headed off around lunch time. Dee had gone to "get Glenn's present" - she was really getting things organised for the party.

Once we were out of the way, Dee, Tina, Chris and Colleen got to work making the party-house - helium balloons, nibbles, all the important things. Glenn and I had a fab time wandering around the market, buying presents (I even got Glenn's pressies while we were out), eating tasty curries and looking at lots of interesting things. Eventually, we headed back towards the flat, stopping at St Pancras station for 'high tea'. Yes, we had an English tea (tea and scones) in a French cafe for an Aussie birthday. How multicultural. While we were eating, I got a call from Dee that it was all set to go - Glenn didn't even question why I got the call and not him (we said his phone had no reception - he didn't even check..heheh.. trusting brother).

We made it back and "Surprise"!!

I missed out on the birthday cake cos I had to go and get Bruce from the train station - he had his appraisal on Monday, so he came and stayed at G&D's too. It was a fun night - there are MANY photos here. It seemed like Glenn had a good time, made better by the surprise. Yay us for not letting him know. *grin*

On Sunday, after a pancake breakfast, Bruce and I went to the Science Museum - we like to play with all the hands-on exhibits. I had fun taking photos of the thermal imaging camera. :-) The weekend passed far too quickly and on Monday Bruce headed to work and I caught the train back to Manchester.

This weekend, I'm staying at home - it seems like ages since I've done that for one reason or another. Tomorrow morning I'm catching up with Vicki, Steven, Angelika and James for brunch and Killer Bunnies. Then tomorrow afternoon I head over to Wirral where I'll be working for most of next week. *phew* I'm looking forward to having a holiday!

i'm going on holiday!

After days of rain and grey clouds, I'm just about to get on a bus then a plane to head to Spanish sunshine. woohoo!!

I will bring photos back and maybe send some sunshine while I'm away.

*big hugz* to everyone

names

Hi all, I'm back at work and we have four new children due on Wednesday. One is called Dayna. Even spelt right. I met her today but haven't had a chance to ask her Mum where she got the name. After one day I'm tired. I'm sure by Thursday night I'll be looking for takeaway tea and collapsing. Oh well the children so far are OK and have even coped with a change in routine because of the weather. Our Blue group is now full but we haven't had the full 29 in either group yet. I should be losing weight but somehow I'm gaining. All that energy used should be making a difference.
Today Dad and Phil put the formwork up for our ceiling in the sunroom.
Yesterday we had a visit from Val and Trevor Peacock for lunch and the afternoon.