Friday 30 March 2012

Oh dear. I seem to have a problem.

I think there ought to be a 12 step programme actually.

I have too many pairs of jeans. I mean, given that I wear them pretty much every day it isn't repulsive, but I haven't counted them up. I'm not too keen to know what the answer is. Probably distinctly over 50 pairs. You know, if we count the two pairs of chinos I have. Because that will probably make all the difference. Tip it over the edge, that kind of thing. That is quite possibly repulsive actually.

Wash day at my house looks like this.

That is, of course, a shamefaced lie. This is a 
very arty exhibition.



I am trying to be very house-cleary and really trying to pare things down but I am not very good at it. It's like I have been through a war and rationing and have to keep things for just-in-case.

In my defence, some of them are years old, plus shopping is totally my hobby, plus I love jeans.

I have got rid of 7 pairs so far, which doesn't seem like very many, but it is a start, and I haven't finished the Great Sort Through.

You'll see, it will go from this..



To this huge out-pile. 



And this tiny in-pile. 
Image


Then I can start on the cardigans. Oh, the cardigans....



Thursday 29 March 2012

Have you ever wondered if your grandmother was a Communist spy?

I mean, not daily perhaps, but sometimes?


I never really thought about it before. My grandmother was awesome and very intelligent. She travelled a lot, including a couple of trips to Russia in the 70s. And one to Romania, come to think of it. She taught herself Russian too. Hmm.


Still, really nothing crossed my mind, even though my grandparents moved to Portland in the late 60s and there had been a spy ring on Portland a few years before.


These were all parallel but separate happenings, mere unlinked coincidences.


Then I found this picture.



It has to be from her KGB file.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

A big huzzah to my baby sister.

She is 18 today and that is awfully clever. Not only is she my baby sister, but she is the babiest one of all six of us. That has to be a bit tough. I do think the poor wee thing must have had to fight a bit to get heard. But she totally has her own voice and she is awesome.

I do wish I could embarrass her with baby pictures, but they are in England and me and my scanner are in Norway, so these will have to do.

Taking a hot chocolate break, a million years ago.


Such a cute little white bunny.

Hanging with the firemen, maybe 3 years ago.

Ice cool in Berlin, March 2012.


Happy Birthday Sweetpea, you rock. 

Tuesday 27 March 2012

Some light archaeological geekery for the day.

So, we are moving house in a couple of weeks or so. It turns out that our next door neighbours have a viking burial mound in their back garden. A VIKING BURIAL MOUND IN THEIR BACK GARDEN. It is almost too cool for words.


I don't have a picture of that actual one because, you know, we haven't moved in yet, so right now it would just be stalking. But here are a couple of shots of some bigger ones in a park up the road from us:





The one next door really is way smaller.

But there's more! Yes! It further turns out that the bit of land on the other side of us is being looked at currently. They have evidence of people having lived on that site so far, so who knows what else they will find? 

Now, of course, I am totally Time Team psyched and want us to hire some ground penetrating radar ro check our place over. 

Once we move in, of course. 

Monday 26 March 2012

My heart belongs to: Denver #3

You may have noticed that I quite like Denver (see here). We were there for 10 days or so last year and I thought it was awesome. Great city, great country around it, great shops... you get the idea. They have it all. I also like a dinosaur.


So, for me, maybe the best of all? Dinosaur footprints.



They are staggeringly old.



And literally awesome.



And they have crocodile tracks.



The whole site is astonishing. 

To get the facts and figures behind all of this go to the Dinosaur Ridge website.

Sunday 25 March 2012

A Sunday-something-to-lust-after.

I love baths. With a bit of a passion. And our house doesn't have one, nor does the one we are moving to.


I also love books. With a bit of a passion. I have hundreds, or more probably, thousands.


Imagine my delight when I found this little beauty.

(I found it here)


Be still my beating heart.

Saturday 24 March 2012

Saturday snapshot: in which you get more than one and I threaten my loved ones. By mistake. I am almost sure of that.

This is a lovely picture of my husband and baby sister standing in one of Berlin's celebrated and delightful courtyards.



Then something changed, I think I wanted them to turn around for a shot, but got kind of grumpy faces instead.



Apparently I didn't like that...






Friday 23 March 2012

Living the high life.

I cannot begin to tell you how exciting today will be. First up I am going to the dentist, which will hurt. She is a nice lady and all, but she hurts me. Simple as that. Blech. Then later, after work, I am taking my husband out. Kind of a Friday date night, if you will. We are off to Ikea. Yep. For realz.

Friday night is Taco Buffet night. I absolutely kid you not.

(I would like to point out at this juncture that we are going to look at furniture and any and all taco eating that may happen will be purely coincidental).

But still, this moving house lark is kind of so-so. There is the excitement of shopping and picking new things and working out the layout and colour scheme. Of course I love that. But then there is the newspaper saving for packing and the Ikea after work and the fact that we will be buying at least 200 litres of paint. 200 frickin' litres. Yes it will be worth it, yes it will (hopefully) look lovely, yes we want to do it, but the thought of 200 litres of paint makes me feel a little weak kneed. And not in a good way.

Despite the whinging, I really can't wait to do this. Oh, and there will be before and after pictures. Consider yourselves warned.

I would imagine it will go from something like this.....



To something like this....






Probably.

Thursday 22 March 2012

I'm too excited for words and want to post everything but that would be silly.

I am loving this blog. I think I may have mentioned that yesterday. You know, in passing. Weirdly, despite the excitement and massive long list of things I want to do and change and tart up and sort out, I spent a ridiculous, inordinate amount of yesterday doodling hearts. I doodle hearts. Lots of hearts. Occasionally funny old-men-with-bow-tie faces, but mostly hearts. I was due to do bunches of stuff online yesterday and oh my, did i get through some doodle-procrastinating. Pretty much like a kid avoiding homework.

But I found a free online course to learn Python programming, a 9 week programme to get you from sitting on the couch to running 5km (it is brilliantly called Couch to 5km), a lot of chair cushions and the cutest peacock shoes.

I will leave you with the pretty, pretty peacock shoes, stop doodling, tweak some things and see you tomorrow.


Pretty, pretty peacock shoes from Asos.

Wednesday 21 March 2012

i LOVE my new blog.

After a lot of um-ing and ah-ing I have switched from blog.com to here. And phew. I totally love it. I can't do an import from the old one as the two sites aren't compatible so am toying with backloading some old posts, but there are ten months'  worth so that's an awful lot of typing.


In the meantime, hurray and welcome here.


Please do go check out the old posts, there are some gems.