19:365(+1)

This morning started out grey and damp and, although we had a brief spell of sunshine somewhere in the middle, it's ending grey and damp as well.

Taken this evening with the street lamp showing the wet patio and bench

However, the damp weather certainly didn't dampen my spirits!  As Thursday is one of my "days off" (ie. I don't have Alice that day), I was going to make the most of it. I popped to Waitrose first thing for a few bits I'd forgotten on my weekly shop before heading to Cafe Nero for coffee with a few friends. After that I met up with another friend for a long catch up chat and it was close to 2 o'clock by the time I got home again.

Coming back to my ironing all done is a wonderful feeling - empty wash baskets :o) = Bliss!

This afternoon I caught up on some blog reading and watched a couple of video tutorials. I have a question for the UK ladies who read my blog - where do you buy your scrapbook supplies from?  Do you have a local craft store you go to or do you buy online?  If you buy online, who do you find has the best selection of supplies?  I think the problem with reading American blogs (in the nicest possible way ;o) ) is seeing all the wonderful products they have but it's so difficult to find them here and if you buy from the US, the postage is so high. So I'm curious about where you shop. 

xx

18:365(+1) & our day

This morning was grey, damp and fairly chilly (though not as bad as it has been recently) so after picking up Alice I decided we'd have a stay at home day.

Much nicer looking at this weather when you're nice and warm inside ;o)

 We did a little baking. I use the term "we" loosely as you've no doubt realised ;o)  Alice sat and watched me weigh everything out and then I held her as I used the beater (don't think she's that sure of the noise). She was then quite happy to be put in her chair ready for licking the spoon!

 I think she enjoyed it :o)

 Cakes made (little fairy cakes which we added choc chips to - so I didn't need to ice them!)

 Far away - but she enjoyed the cake and ate it all.

This afternoon while we were playing Alice got into the cupboard under the TV and pulled out the Wii remote control. She'd seen us use it last week to set up Netflix so was a bit confused as to why it wasn't doing anything on the screen. Look at that little face (and did you notice the bed head hair?) - I can't help kissing her and I'm sure she probably gets fed up with me!

So which one is my photo for the day?????  At the moment it's a toss up between the bottom two - any preference??

xx

17:365(+1)

Korean pancakes

This afternoon Emily and I had Korean pancakes. I have a Korean friend, Myung San who lives a couple of minutes from us.

I met her when our children were in Primary school. I was sitting in my car, doing some patchwork, while I waited to pick Emily up. I'd just joined my first patchwork and quilting class and was making a sampler quilt by hand. Myung San saw me sewing and came over and knocked on the window. We got chatting and she told me she'd been quilting for a number of years and asked if I'd like to go round and see some of the quilts she's made - which are absolutely beautiful and all made by hand. We've been friends ever since.

Last year Myung San's friend, Young Lin, came over from Korea to stay with her and to do some studying in the UK. When she heard that Emily was teaching herself Korean she offered to give her some lessons when she got back from her Christmas in Korea. Emily started the lessons last week and is loving this opportunity (she wants to teach English in Korea for a year or so after University. We're talking 6+ years from now but she feels if she starts learning to speak the language now she'll be that much more fluent by the time she goes) but she wasn't able to go today because she has an exam tomorrow and needed to do some studying. Myung San had promised to make her some Korean pancakes today so, instead of making them at her house, she brought the mixture over here and showed us how to make them. 

I think they're probably more like American pancakes as they are thicker than pancakes I've made before and the one Myung San made was big enough to fill a small side plate.  I tried mine with lemon juice and cinnamon & sugar.  I don't know if that's something they would normally have but it was very tasty :o)

xx

16:365(+1)

I have to choose which of these photos will be used for the 16th.  I love the one of Alice after our little walk but Cloud was in a pretty bad way yesterday and I feel that should be documented too.  Might end up with both in my Project Life.

The vet is a bit concerned about Cloud at the moment as this particular sore doesn't seem to just be an abscess. There is some infection there but it certainly doesn't appear to be a normal abscess. I won't go in to all the details (it's pretty yeuch!) but she is on strong antibiotics at the moment to try and contain whatever it is before they have to do some surgery on Thursday. The antibiotics really seem to have helped and the swelling has gone down a bit today. She's still quite happy in herself but from the vet's point of view, that in itself could be worrying as she would expect something like this be causing her more of a problem. I don't think the vet had actually seen anything like it before herself. Jon will be taking Cloud back up to the vet tomorrow evening and we'll find out more about the surgery required then.

xx