Feels like I'm still on holiday!

Hiya, been a bit elsewhere for a while. We just got back yesterday from a wonderful week's break in Bamburgh, Northumbria. We didn't realise it was Easter week when we booked it last year! Also, then William and Kate decided to get married so there was a lot going on whilst we were there!

It's quite good to be away for bank holidays as otherwise, I just end up working - no rest for the self-employed amongst us - no work, no money!

So even though it was busier than we're used to, the beaches are big places though and we took lots to read and I took some knitting too. Because we know Northumberland so well, as we've been so often in the past, we knew exactly where to go to get away from any crowds that do form!

I'm including a few of my favourite photographs in this blog posting but I know how boring it can be looking at others' holiday snaps. So for anyone who does fancy the full gamut of photographs, I've put some albums of pics up on my Facebook profile. The four headings below are links which will take you to the corresponding Facebook albums:

Album of flowers and gardens of Northumbria

Morning walk around Bamburgh Castle

Stag Rock Lighthouse at sunset

Day out at Warkworth

Hope you're enjoying some lovely May Day weather - Happy Beltane, everyone!

I'll be back soon with beads and jewellery, I'm well rested and can't wait to get back into beading!

I can say no more

Sad to hear the news about Elisabeth Sladen, I didn't even know she was ill. I was watching the second series of The Sarah Jane Adventures on DVD from Lovefilm just yesterday. She was the Doctor Who assistant for most of the time when I was watching in my younger days - I wanted to be her!

I really like Russell T Davies's tribute, it says it all for me:

“Lis was funny and cheeky and clever and wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis.”

Rest in Peace Elisabeth

Updates on a couple of things

I've put a few pics of our visit to Rufford Abbey on my Facebook page. The link I've posted is public so I don't think you have to be on Faceclothbook to see them. But don't hesitate to send a Friend Request if you're on it - if you read my blog, you are a mate!

The Anthony Head phone call went to a lucky lady called Paula with a winning bid of £1,893!

Georgina, the gecko, helps celebrate 30 years!

It's DH and I's  pearl wedding anniversay today - we have been married for 30 very happy years! :-)

I admired this lovely gecko brooch on Les's Facebook page a few weeks ago. Les (aka the Hairy Growler) is a fellow stallholder at Cambridge's Art & Craft market, he makes beautiful recycled jewellery out of stainless steel and silver spoons and coins. As you can see, his piercing work is exquisite.

I went to see him on the Saturday following as I was genuinely interested in buying it but he told me he had sold it to the first person who saw it when he put it out. I wasn't surprised as it's so beautiful. Les was REALLY vague about when he was going to make another one for me to buy. What he didn't tell me was that DH had bought it for me - they kept the secret very well between them! Thanks, both of you! xxx

We're taking today off and are going to Rufford Abbey, a beauty spot near Clumber Park about half an hour's drive from here, we're taking Missy and a picnic, there are some nice gardens to walk around (and they let in dogs), craft shops, forest and nature trails plus a big lake to walk around. Hope everyone else has a lovely day too!

To dye or not to dye ....

... that is the question. I have been collecting hair dye for sometime. I keep buying it but never using it. This is just a small collection I have amassed, some got thrown away before we moved to this house three years ago. I've had temporary hair colour rinses before, you know, wash in and they're supposed to last 6-8 washes but after two washes you're peering in the mirror going "where's my snazzy new hair colour GONE?"

I've also had a permanent red streak in the past, I got it done and was right pleased with it but then Freddie Ljungberg got his done and everyone thought I copied him when it was HIM that copied me (footballer for Arsenal for those who don't know who Freddie is). Freddie hasn't got any hair at all at the moment ... definitely won't be going with that one!

For a short time I was red all over and when it grew out, it looked quite good because everyone at that time was having their hair "tipped" where only the ends get dyed, so I was in fashion without meaning to be.

But this stuff is semi-permanant, the kind that stays in and if you don't re-dye it, you get an 'orrible line. I want to go a couple of shades darker than my naturally brunette but not quite black. There's the problem, once I start with this, I'm thinking I'm going to have to keep going forever.

The greys used to be the odd one or two, then they got to be the odd few and now they're a definite noticeable sprinkling. I'd like to get rid of them but am a bit bothered about having to keep doing the hair dye thing. I need people who regularly dye their hair to tell me it's not that bad ...

-o0o-

PS Apologies for the lack of blog postings lately, I was without telephone and broadband completely for two days last week. A branch on an ash tree in the garden has rubbed away at the telephone cable. It contains lots of twins of wires and my connection was one of those at the top where it has rubbed through. The absolutely wonderful BT telephone engineer has fixed me up with another pair of wires lower down in the cable as a temporary measure but it's definitely compromised the whole performance, at least I can work now but it's very slow - almost as slow as dial up used to be! The cable is going to be replaced in a few days so hopefully the broadband speed will go back up to normal then so my internet activities are a little curtailed. How did we manage before broadband?!