I won (the sequel)!!!!!

Wow! This is both amazing and a little embarassing!

I mentioned to you about Beverleys' 40th birthday celebrations and that there would be various things going on with the possibility of blog candy to win. Anyway, lo and behold, I HAVE WON!
I won a compettion to guess what the said Beverley would spend £40.00 on to fill the most beautiful of bags hand created by bride to be Alix.

I racked my brains (not knowing Beverly from Adam so to speak) but crafters are crafters are crafters and if there's one thing we all do, that is to overspend! Loads of people entered this competition and it was clear from the posts that EVERYONE wanted this beautiful bag.

To my utter amazement, I checked the blog yesterday (thinking myself silly even to look as there was no way I would win), and I WON!!!

I've been in touch with Alix and thought I'd do a quick post to confirm my identity!! I hope you don't mind me using the piccie of the bag Alix, just until I can take a picture of my new bag myself!!

If I can add, I am not a competition addict, nor what I would consider a 'winner' or 'lucky' person. All it boils down to is that you've got to be in it to win it and someone has to win and there's no reason it can't be any of us.

I won!!!

A few days ago I answered the door to my postman to discover that he had a box in his hands addressed to me.My postman is lovely and we often have a chat, he always asks after the animals and how my scrapbooking is going, and overall is just a really, really nice man!

I'm not sure if this is a 'postman' thing, but he loves to try to guess what my parcels contain. Often it is medicine for my animals as in the UK it is much cheaper to buy veterinary drugs from reputable internet sites that do not employ the same 'generous' mark ups that vets do! This clearly is not possible in case of emergency or urgency, but for flea and worming treatments and long term medication such as for Toms arthritis, the savings are huge, not pence but many pounds usually. Most offer free P+P too so it can really help to save money. The only words of caution I must add are to ensure that the site is reputable. I also ensure that the drugs are from the UK for quality reasons but I've never had a problem yet nor heard of issues with these sites, many are vets in fact!!

On this occasion, my postman had decided that this particular parcel wasn't medicine for the animals and as I had no idea what it was as I wasn't expecting anything, I too was dumbfounded.

There was nothing else to do but open the mystery parcel and see what it was! As I turned the parcel over to open it, I noticed that the box was labelled 'Stampin Up'. The crafters amonsgt you will immediately recognise this name for 'Stampin Up'are a HUGE and I mean HUGE name in crafting. 'Stampin up' are an American company who have recently extended their empire into Europe. their products aren't available to buy in any shops; instead, they have demonstrators who hold 'Stampin up' parties as way of showcasing and (they hope) selling their products.





This means that accessing 'Stampin up' products can be a bit difficult and so although I have heard a fair bit about the brand (and from vising websites I know how popular these products are in the States), I haven't actually ever seen any of the items nor used them. My limited knowledge extends only slightly to that I have discussed above. The only other thing i know about 'Stampin Up' products is that they are EXPENSIVE.

When I saw 'Stampin Up' printed on the outside of my parcel, my heart skipped a beat. the problem was i hadn't ordered any craft items, certainly not 'Stampin Up' and so i thought that in a cruel coincidence, whatever was in the parcel (probably cat flea treatemnts I had forgotton about) had merely been a suitable size to fit in a random box for posting and it just happened to be a box that some 'Stampin up' items had been in.

Nonetheless, I hopefully opened the parcel and couldn't believe it when the parcel did in fact contain a 'Stampin Up' card kit! accompanying the said kit was a note from Future Publishing congratulating me on being a winner in a giveaway from 'Papercraft Inspirations magazine'!

It was only then that I remembered entering a competition online a couple of weeks before. I had actually entered 2 or 3 from that issue but primarilly had entered as there was a (you've guessed it) 'Stampin Up' competition!!!!!!

The prize is a lovely card kit with some stamps, ink pads, ribbons, little cards and envelopes, some lovely crystal brads, pastels ( think this means chalks!)and even glue dots. There's a little idea booklet too with card making suggestions.



So, I was rather chuffed as you can imagine! It just shows that it is worth entering these competitions as someone has to win. I haven't actually used any of my new goodies as I've been VERY busy with various creations for my beautiful niece on the occasion of her naming ceremony.

Once I've recuperated from this exhausting but immensly worthwhile project, I intend to get back to scrapbooking and have a play with my 'Stampin up' prize.

On the subject of scrapbooking, that should be my next post actually. I have done the grand total of 4 pages thus far! I shall take some photos and post as soon as I can. Bye for now.

40 days of celebration!!

Birthdays can be funny old things can't they? For years, we are so excited about them and the excitement builds and builds over months until the day finally comes and BOOM! In the good old days birthdays were fantastic; we got presents, cards, everyone made an effort to visit and for a whole day we were the centre of attention and everyone thought we were wonderful and moreover showed that love so we knew we were special.

I don't know what birthday it is when that changes. When suddenly we're not all that important really and people don't visit, the presents are in short supply, cards arrive a day or more late and the telephone doesn't even ring. Is it a particular day, a particular age, or does this all just slowly dwindle away before suddenly it's that day and all that's planned is a dental appointment or a solitary trip round a local supermarket as loo roll is in desperately short supply?

Apologies reader (shall I go for it?) OK, readerS! This is all a bit gloomy isn't it! Despair not for I have a story to tell about a woman who in a Peter pan type way, is keeping a firm grip on the joy and excitement of birthdays and is celebrating like it's..(I want to say 1999 here but maybe not all of you have heard of Prince/Symbol/His Royal Purpleness?)...nearly her 40th birthday!!

So guys, if you have linked the title of this post to the story so far, you will gather that Beverly is celebrating her 40th birthday with 40 days of celebrating!

I'm impressed. I'm overwhelmed. Ok, I'm jealous.

Beverly is not keeping these 40 days of celebration to herself though. Oh, no! If you follow the links (go on, go on)* and you can not only write a lovely message for Beverly suggesting ways to make her 40's memorable, but maybe, just maybe win some blog candy!

Way to go!! **



*(I've been watching alot of Father Ted lately)
** (I watch too much American television methinks!)

Lee's hired!!!

Wey hey! Lee won!

Last nights 'The Apprentice' was a thrilling rollercoaster of a ride with the usual twists and turns and stomach clenching moments! The final show followed the usual format of involving all the contestants so it was nice to see a few old faces, some I wouldn't have minded one bit never seeing again (Jenny, Jennifer and Kevin in particular).

Kevin was as cringeworthy as ever. For some reason he wound me up. Everything about drove me mad with fury, his face, his attitude, the things he says, even his voice. I don't think he's cruel or inhumane or anything like that, I just dislike him as he is so, so, SO annoying.

Kevin's involvement in the final task caused a worrying moment when for a (thankfully) brief moment, I honestly began to wonder if this final was going to be the final of all finals and Sir Alan would caused a shock akin to JR being shot and hire KEVIN!

My heart pounded and I could barely type as I shared my increasingly growing fear that Sir Alan would hire Kevin in one of a flurry of texts my brother and I share during 'The Apprentice'.

To my relief, this moment of madness passed and all too soon the time was upon us when Sir Alan put a nation out of its misery (and I dare say the contestants were pretty glad the whole ordeal was at its conclusion) and FINALLY make up his mind. Bear with me while I slightly wander off the point here, but, I can't help but wonder how exactly Sir Alan amassed a fortune of £800m in business value when he is so indecisive!!

Hurridly heading back to the pint (hurrah I hear you cry), Alex and Helene were unceremoniously fired. Helene handled it well, Alex veered between his extremely angry and aggressive pose(or as aggressive as the Lost boy Alex can manage) and crying (like the Lost Boy he is!).

The diamond hard attitude of Claire that had proved so astonishing in its resiliance, proved finally to be merely a veneer as the realisation that it only one person was going to hear the two magical words 'You're hired' and it wasn't going to be her.

So it was Lee who overcame not only the ordeal of the tasks but the humilation of an application form written in gobbly gook (perhaps Alex could have translated - he was the resident linguist after all), but to have embellished his educational achievements; to be blunt Lee lied.

Sir Alan hasn't amassed such a fortune without realising that people come in all forms and it's my belief that he saw what Lee did as saying more about the way Lee feels about his formal educational achievements and self belief, than as something that detracted from Lee and his proven abilities as a whole. The programme is after all called 'The Apprentice' and Sir Alan wanted someone who had proven strengths and potential but wasn't the finished article. That person is Lee and I am really pleased. Lee comes across as someone who is passionate, determined and driven but has retained his decency and humanity and it is the latter qualities that separated Lee from the other contestants and I like to think, is what led Sir Alan to hire him.

Who will be HIRED?

Wow! The day has finally arrived. The day millions of us have waited for.it's the final of 'The Apprentice'.

For those of you either living on Mars or outside the UK; 'The Apprentice' is a cult TV show (UK) in the shape of a job interview lasting several weeks, involving many tasks and with a contestant a week facing the damning words 'YOU'RE FIRED'! The prize is a year long apprentice within the Sir Alan Sugar empire with a salary of £100,000.

Sir Alan Sugar is a multi millionaire businessman who conducts the process of splitting the contestants/interviewees into groups (with a leader per group) and then setting the groups various business and often sales related tasks which take place over a set time frame (usually from morning to evening). The following day the groups are summoned to 'The Boardroom' to face an absolute grilling by Sir Alan and heavy criticism from his two 'assistants', each of whom shadows a group garnering the information required for Sir Alan to wield his axe. The leader of the group who fails the task has to return to the boardroom (following a non entirely soothing cup of tea at a local greasy spoon cafe)with two members of the team who may or may not have had a part to play in the failing of the said task.

The contestants soon form a 'dog eat dog' mentality, mercilessly pulling one another to threads both within the boardroom as a method consistently employed to save their own necks and also back at the shared house (presumably in order to break the person by creating a no escape situation!).

It's Schadenfreude at it's most awful, but as so often the case enormously compelling verging on being addictive!! The joy for the viewer is to see the repulsive, self obsessed contestants who are so insatiably driven that they have arguably lost their minds, ultimately getting their comeuppance. The excuses and reasons given in response to Sir Alan's request that they explain why they should not be fired are quite simply hilarious. It's crucial to remember that these 'contestants' are apparently extremely successful businessmen and women. Many already earn a salary close to the £100,000 offered, several earn in excess of this amount. These people tend to be in their 20's and those in their early 30's are considered (by the other contestants) as being old! These people claim to be at the top of their game yet make the most ridiculous decisions, claims and comments. This to me is what makes this show different to all the other 'reality shows. This is NOT a show about 'ordinary' people, far from it; these people consider themselves EXTRAORDINARY yet to the viewer, the only extraordinary thing about these people is how very stupid they seem to be!

So..it's the final. Claire, Helena, Alex and Lee have each survived the gruelling and often humiliating process so far. Viewers will be tuned in at 9.00Pm on BBC 1 in their droves, each with a favourite, many (me included) shouting at the television certain that my shouting will affect the already long ago filmed final!!!

Who will it be who will hear the immortal words 'You're hired'?

We'll all have to wait but my favourite remains Lee. OK, so he lies, is illiterate and does TERRIBLE impressions, but I like him. This means alot to him and as the contestants themselves would say, 'Lee will deliver'.

How many hours is it now until the show is on? The clock is ticking!!

Surprise flowers

Vase number one


Yesterday evening someone knocked at the front door. A lady was standing on my doorstep with a HUGE bouquet of flowers. I immediately assumed that they must be for a neighbour who wasn't in; basically that they weren't for me!

To my amazement the lady said MY name! I just stared and saw the card on the flowers which also said my name! I was so shocked and surprised, the poor lady had to say my name several times before I managed to get a grip on myself and take the flowers, MY flowers from her!

Alas it was a really gloomy evening and not enough light for photos. Suffice to say that the bouquet was simply stunning, pretty patterned pink cellophane tied with raffia and the flowers themselves wrapped in silver tissue paper and themselves tied in raffia.

It took me ages transferring them all to vases but I really enjoyed myself. I love flowers and do like to buy a few bunches off my local market but although they're beautiful, it's just flowers whereas this bouquet came complete with the most incredible foliage.


Vase number 2

My wonderful brother who had arranged the flowers to be sent on behalf of him, my mum and one of my sisters had requested the card to explain that the flowers were sent in recognition of the sorrow and sadness I have been feeling at the loss of the beautiful Sophie.

My Mum had also reminded my brother that I am unable to have certain flowers such as Lillies as they are so lethal for the animals so I was extremely relieved not to be faced with the problem of what to do with lillies as they are in general a very popular flower bouquet wise.

What a lovely surprise. I have been feeling really low recently about Sophie, she is so missed and life has changed completely. It has amazed me that everything should change, routines etc, but it has. Night time is awful as we always had cuddles, strokes and kisses before bed and Sophe would watch me as I went up the stairs. Quite often Tom cat is downstairs at night and when I say goodnight to him I always cry as I feel the loss of Sophie at that time especially hard.

The lovely flowers have cheered me up enormously though, and I would like very much to thank my wonderful and ever supportive brother and of course my littlest sister and Mum who also were part of this most welcome surprise. Thank you and I love you all very much.

The beautiful and very brave Sophie

On 17th May 2008 the beautiful and very brave Sophie had to be put to sleep.



Sophie had fought an incredibly corageous battle against encephalitozoon cuniculi which is a horrific disease which affects the brain. We had several extremely cruel false dawns and although Sophie fought the battle of her life with me standing and fighting alongside her, it became clear on the morning of the 17th that Sophie could not fight on. Sophie was put to sleep in my arms whilst I told her how beautiful and loved she was.



When Sophie first arrived with her brother Humphrey, they actually had different names and after much souls-earching I decided to rename them as their original names were just too silly and unsuitable. Sophie immediately became 'the beautiful Sophie'. All my animals are stunning but Sophie was a bunny supermodel! Her apricot coat and cream tummy together with her chocolate brown eyes and long eyelashes meant she just had to be 'the beautiful Sophie'! Over time, Sophie showed how she was not only extremely beautiful but incredibly brave too. Sophie thus became known as 'the beautiful and very brave Sophie'!




I will remember Sophie for so many things. Her loss is so painfully felt and I can't begin to imagine how Humphrey must feel. I told Sophie I would take extra special care of him and I am trying to ensure he gets through this as best he can. It feels as though we have lost ten members of the family, not one, Sophie filled this house and the aching empty hole is vast.



Until we meet again, run free Sophie. We love and miss you so very much.