out and about...the snow chronicles

We've had an incredible amount of snow in Newcastle over the last few days, which has created many photo opportunities of white, sparkling blankets smothering everything, but hasn't been especially helpful for taking part in typical day to day activities such as walking about, using the bus and working.  

Here are some photos (although not the best ones you've ever seen)...

day one - thursday morning waiting for the bus

day two - friday morning in my garden

day three - saturday just before lunch walking on the street around the corner, you wouldn't think this was a major city bus route...

day four - sunday at 1.45 in the morning (no flash) marveling at how light it is out, although not really bright enough to take a decent photo

day four - sunday at 1.45 in the morning (with flash) - i felt a bit odd taking photos so later/early...!

day five - monday early evening looking at the pink clouds

day six - tuesday late afternoon, walking home

It has led to an interesting approach to getting dressed, with an overwhelming focus on warmth and practicality rather than style.  Gone are the days of how many different pairs of shoes can I wear in a week to what, if anything, goes with my wellies. It's like having a competition with myself around how many items of clothes I can wear at any one time (too many to count), and realising that layering clothes is only limited by size of your coat sleeves or the importance of being able to bend your arms.  I've worked out I can fit a slip (how old school is that?!), a vest, a thermal long sleeved top and a jumper under my ultra-bright tartan pinafore dress from Dolly Dare.  

getting crafty...counting down to christmas

So it's time to reveal the advent calendar my boyfriend and I have made for each other.  As a reminder, he's working in the US just now so I've sent him off with the odd numbers and I've got the even ones.  Here are the ones I've got so far pegged on some bakers' string with mini pegs...doesn't it look delightful!

I'm very excited about P opening his first one tomorrow, and for me to open my first on 2 December.

out in the garden...a mite blustery

11.00 at night is a strange time to be out in the garden but the gale-force winds up in here in the frozen north, charging around my back garden, have dragged me out of the warmth of my living room to rescue the parasol, which had blown over despite the four slabs holding it down.  Talk about blustery! 

getting crafty...red and white string

This wonderful bakers' string arrived for me today from an online vintage fabric emporium called Donna Flower, and it even arrived in a matching red and white striped paper bag, held closed by a piece of Japanese masking tape...I love a nice bit of attention to detail. I'm bursting to do more Christmas crafting.  I've had quite a pom pom focus so far, making a random selection of coloured balls for decorating parcels and two garlands - one for us (snowballs) and another as a gift (rainbow).  I'll get around to taking some snaps and uploading them soon.

 

My boyfriend and I have also made an advent calendar for each other, based on these posts from Bugs and Fishes and Nice Package, using little brown envelopes, covered in a variety of backgrounds (doilies, graph paper, flock wrapping paper and pages from a damaged vintage book) and paper numbers using the same papers, and then stuffed with little gifts and notes and decorations, well that's what I've put in P's...I don't know what's in mine and I hope they are on their way.  P is working in America just now so he's sent them in the post...I hope!  He's got odd numbers and I've got even numbers so every day one of us will open an envelope, not only counting down the days until Christmas but also the days until we see each other next.  I'm very excited!

blogging...what a to do!

Oh dear, I've not done very well with this blogging lark, have I?  And I've had so much to talk about too!  My partner, P, has been over for a week from Cape Cod, Massachusetts; we've been to sunny Scarborough in Yorkshire; I've been to the NewcastleGateshead Art Fair and to Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival at the Sage, Gateshead; there's been fireworks and an invasion of trick or treaters; and Design Week 2010.  And I've got back into the swing of tights and dresses after a summer hiatus...it's all go.

So, what's the verdict?  Must try harder I think.  My 8 November resolution is therefore to get back to the blog and to catch up on all these exciting things over the next week or so.

I'll be back soon xx