A treat at work the other day

and yes this probably makes me seem weird.... but this flew past our building the other day...



She is the last flying Avro Vulcan bomber - always my favourite aircraft at airshows when I was growing up. Sadly I was at work so I didn't get a picture myself.

Edited to add that I just read at the Vulcan Trust's website that I may have been witness to it's last flight ever :(

Christmas Ornament for the Exchange

Now this has been received I can publish a pic on my blog...


I stitched this for Lindsay on the Cross Stitch Crazy Board. It's by the Sweetheart Tree and it was in one of my JCS ornie mags.

What your cute monster says about you?

What Your Cute Monster Says About You

You're the type of person who stands out in a crowd, even when you're trying to blend in. You are honest in your character and appearance. You don't pretend to be someone else. Your inner demon is sorrow. You tend to get depressed easily. People think you're cute because you're rebellious. Your uniqueness is charming.

The Cute Monster Test

Window shopping with

me... and it's a very disappointing week over at Hoffman's.. the only thing I thought remotely interesting was this


Arabesque Biscornu by Twisted Oaks Designs


There were other offerings that tempted me a little more...

Spirit of Vierlande by Long Dog Samplers


And for something completely different - Starry Night from Laura J Perrin Designs

Music from the year I graduated...

From Kristin's blog.. top 100 s0ngs from the year I graduated college (equivalent to US high school as I was 18)

The ones in bold are favourites, the ones in italics i don't like.

1. Hold On, Wilson Phillips
2. It Must Have Been Love, Roxette
3. Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinead O'Connor
4. Poison, Bell Biv Devoe
5. Vogue, Madonna
6. Vision Of Love, Mariah Carey
7. Another Day In Paradise, Phil Collins
8. Hold On, En Vogue
9. Cradle Of Love, Billy Idol
10. Blaze Of Glory, Jon Bon Jovi
11. Do Me!, Bell Biv Devoe
12. How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, Michael Bolton
13. Pump Up The Jam, Technotronic
14. Opposites Attract, Paula Abdul
15. Escapade, Janet Jackson
16. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You, Heart
17. Close To You, Maxi Priest
18. Black Velvet, Alannah Myles
19. Release Me, Wilson Phillips
20. Don't Know Much, Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville
21. All Around The World, Lisa Stansfield
22. l Wanna Be Rich, Calloway
23. I Remember You, Skid Row
24. Rub You The Right Way, Johnny Gill
25. She Ain't Worth It, Glenn Medeiros Featuring Bobby Brown
26. If Wishes Came True, Sweet Sensation
27. The Power, Snap 28. (Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection, Nelson
29. Love Will Lead You Back, Taylor Dayne
30. Don't Wanna Fall In Love, Jane Child
31. Two To Make It Right, Seduction
32. Sending All My Love, Linear
33. Unskinny Bop, Poison
34. Step By Step, New Kids On The Block
35. Dangerous, Roxette
36. We Didn't Start The Fire, Billy Joel
37. I Don't Have The Heart, James Ingram
38. Downtown Train, Rod Stewart
39. Rhythm Nation, Janet Jackson
40. I'll Be Your Everything, Tommy Page
41. Roam, B-52's
42. Everything, Jody Watley
43. Back To Life, Soul II Soul
44. Here and Now, Luther Vandross
45. Alright, Janet Jackson 46. Ice Ice Baby, Vanilla Ice
47. Blame It On The Rain, Milli Vanilli
48. Have You Seen Her, M.C. Hammer
49. With Every Beat Of My Heart, Taylor Dayne
50. Come Back To Me, Janet Jackson
51. No More Lies, Michel'le
52. Praying For Time, George Michael
53. How Can We Be Lovers, Michael Bolton
54. Do You Remember, Phil Collins
55. Ready Or Not, After 7
56. U Can't Touch This, M.C. Hammer
57. I Wish It Would Rain Down, Phil Collins
58. Just Between You and Me, Lou Gramm
59. Something Happened On The Way To Heaven, Phil Collins
60. Black Cat, Janet Jackson
61. Can't Stop, After 7
62. Janie's Got A Gun, Aerosmith
63. The Humpty Dance, Digital Underground
64. I'll Be Your Shelter, Taylor Dayne
65. Free Fallin', Tom Petty
66. Giving You The Benefit, Pebbles
67. Enjoy The Silence, Depeche Mode
68. Love Song, Tesla
69. Price Of Love, Bad English
70. Girls Nite Out, Tyler Collins
71. King Of Wishful Thinking, Go West
72. What Kind Of Man Would I Be?, Chicago
73. Get Up! (Before The Night Is Over), Technotroic
74. Here We Are, Gloria Estefan
75. Epic, Faith No More
76. Love Takes Time, Mariah Carey
77. Just Like Jesse James, Cher
78. Love Shack, B-52's
79. All Or Nothing, Milli Vanilli
80. Romeo, Dino
81. Everybody Everybody, Black Box
82. I Go To Extremes, Billy Joel
83. Whip Appeal, Babyface
84. Oh Girl, Paul Young
85. C'mon and Get My Love, D-Mob With Cathy Dennis
85. (It's Just) The Way That You Love Me, Paula Abdul
87. We Can't Go Wrong, Cover Girls
88. When I'm Back On My Feet Again, Michael Bolton
89. Make You Sweat, Keith Sweat
90. This One's For The Children, New Kids On The Block
91. What It Takes, Aerosmith
92. Forever, Kiss
93. Jerk Out, Time
94. Just A Friend, Biz Markie
95. Whole Wide World, A'me Lorain
96. Without You, Motley Crue
97. Swing The Mood, Jive Bunny and The Mastermixers
98. Thieves In The Temple, Prince
99. Mentirosa, Mellow Man Ace
100. Tic-Tac-Toe, Kyper

Haven't been well again

Wednesday night i was getting intimately acquainted with a bucket (not fun) and took Thursday off work as i was still feeling queasy and didn't eat most of the day. Back at work yesterday and feeling better but still under the weather. So no stitching got done as I couldn't focus. The good news is that I've lost more weight !!! Though the method is definitely not recommended!!!

A late friday update....

lol i know it's Sunday but I got there eventually


Attic Collection Accessory Book - Just A Thought / Judy O'Dell


The Flatfold & Friends - Just A Thought / Judy O'Dell


Persanne - A Mon Ami Pierre



Il Etait Un Fois - A Mon Ami Pierre

a little more gone

another step on the way to a better body.. i weighed in at 146lbs today.

funny from dinner tonight

I wasn't cooking and to be honest I wouldn't have noticed it said this as I don't read instructions

Bramley Apple Pie Cooking Instructions

Stitchathon catch up

Didn't post my Day 15 totals, worked on two projects (ABC RR on the bus home from work and Fairy Garden RR at home)

Stitches: 165
Minutes: 40 mins

Total Stitches: 5406 stitches
Total Time: 31 hours 29 minutes

Friday offerings...

things that made it on to my wish list, but i swear i am going to have to start a category of hideous designs.

You Put The Razzle in My Dazzle - Designs by Lisa

If The Hat Fits - Stitchworks

Garden Party - Little House Needleworks (I liked the ladybug one on it's own but i love them all)

Losing it...

maybe I am working too hard!!! Another 2lbs lost and my interim goal met.. Now to make a new goal 140lbs (losing another 8lb)

Thinking today...

that I'd been in my job for quite some time.. due to the high turn over of staff I'm almost considered an old hand now...

so I made myself a ticker and kept a freeze frame. I figure that by the time I've been there a year I should be looking for opportunities to move onwards and upwards. Currently (and for the next few weeks at least) I'm covering my job and someone else's work too (she left suddenly and without notice) and the workload (number of accounts I look after) is growing all the time. I started with 107 and as of today it's 137.

Let's hope that goes towards my PD (Personal Development) on my end of year review although it's looking increasingly unlikely there will be a Bonus pay-out in February. I've taken on a big job at a time of crisis, not baulked from the challenge, in many respects I'm relishing the hard work though I know I won't be able to do it for very long at this pace!

Nerd, Geek or Dork

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Pure Nerd

96 % Nerd, 13% Geek, 43% Dork

For The Record:

A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.


You scored better than half in Nerd, earning you the title of: Pure Nerd.


The times, they are a-changing. It used to be that being exceptionally smart led to being unpopular, which would ultimately lead to picking up all of the traits and tendences associated with the "dork." No-longer. Being smart isn't as socially crippling as it once was, and even more so as you get older: eventually being a Pure Nerd will likely be replaced with the following label: Purely Successful.


Congratulations!


Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Take The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test at HelloQuizzy

A Finish!

Completely finished and made up the Christmas Ornament for my exchange partner on Cross Stitch Crazy. I will show a pic when it's received but I'm sending it tomorrow.

Yay, it was fun, so long since I've taken part in an exchange and maybe the break did me good. And it gave me something to concentrate on for the Stitchathon too. Normal service will now resume as I go back to finishing WISPs.

Videos from Queen + Paul Rodgers

sound quality isn't great but you do get a sense of the great atmosphere

Queen Concert...

was fantastic.. I took some pics and short videos. Pics in this post. Have to upload the vids to YouTube so they will be in the next post.

If anyone could step into the shoes of Freddie Mercury then I think Paul Rodgers could. Amazing voice. Fabulous show. Just the right balance between classic Queen, new Queen + Paul Rodgers and remembering Freddie.

Beautiful tribute in a song written by Freddie Mercury 'Love of My Life' sung by Bryan May playing an acoustic guitar.

Fabulous acoustic number from Paul Rodgers solo, Bad Company and All Right Now.

The O2 Arena at 6:30pm, slowly filling up


The O2 Arena just before the concert started.


I had a great time :) and I know someone else did too even though it meant less than 3 hours sleep before getting a 5am taxi to go to work.

Funny from work..

When they get these warning signs out at work it always makes me laugh :) Appears the facilities team have to tell us when there are "Men At Work" :) The building is full of approx 700 women who don't need signs to tell use they are working!!!


They were cabling for something or another in the room they use for Video Conferencing

New and interestng goodies...

Definitely a more disappointing week than last. Not much worth adding to my wish list at all.

Coeur de Bergere - A Mon Ami Pierre


All About Halloween - Homespun Elegance

12th Day of Stitchathon

I've finished all the stitching on my Christmas Ornament Exchange piece, just the making up to do now. No picture of course.

Stitches: 1228 stitches
Time: 6 hours 23 minutes

Total Stitches: 5241 stitches
Total Time: 30 hours 49 minutes

October Stitchathon

Started a new project yesterday and I would feel very naughty if it weren't for an exchange... but that's a good enough reason for me!!

I won't share a pic until it's been received by my exchange partner so you'll just have to trust me when I say it's going well so far.

Stitches: 622 stitches
Time: 4 hours 47 minutes

Total Stitches: 4013 stitches
Total Time: 24 hours 26 minutes

What Animal Am I ?

You Are a Monkey

You are a very fascinating creature. People are interested in every little thing you do. You are smart, curious, and clever. You are naturally witty, and you have a great sense of humor. You can see things from many different angles, and you always have an interesting perspective on life. You are likely agile and playful. You stay physically fit simply by staying active.

What Animal Are You?

No comments from the peanut gallery on this one!!!