THE WEEK THAT WAS

This week has seen me:

READING

funny, though somewhat farcical in parts!

WATCHING

Series 1-3 of DOWNTON ABBEY.....I missed this on TV and was absolutely hooked!..the remaining DVDs are hopefully winging their way here from AMAZON as I type!

SCRAPBOOKING .....please don't faint!......I have had these two photographs printed since Christmas, and decided it was high time to get them on to a layout!!

not great pictures but I wanted to record the fact that Kirsty can't resist a Carousel...even in the rain!

PLAYING ....YES, you've guessed it:

....and have made it to Level 217!

and, most excitingly, BOOKING another a little trip:

.....this time to meet up with Craig for our Wedding Anniversary later this month.

Now I'm looking forward to what this week will bring...hope you are too!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE WEEK THAT WAS

It's been a busier week than normal here...believe me, you do not want to be bored by the details but here are some of the 'highlights':


TWO(!) AGMs

one of the AGM's was our own.....as you can see AGMs are the same the world over!

A book read

an absolutely delightful book...I would definitely recommend this one!

Took the photographs for ZIZO...and promptly forgot to write the blogpost!

ZOOMING OUT

a dead-looking plant in a pot

 BUT

ZOOMING IN.....

...I am reminded how wonderful nature is!

PLAYED CANDY CRUSH SAGA 

....and got to LEVEL 201!!!

DID NOT COMMENT/READ MANY BLOGS!!.....for that I apologise and hope to rectify it tonight, so look out for me!

I do hope you've seen some sunshine this last week..it's most certainly very springlike here;

the blossom on the apricot tree is out....

...and the Magnolia is just about to bloom...happy days!!

As I said, I'm hoping to get round some blogs tonight...if I don't get to you I'll be calling in at some point this week!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE WEEK THAT WAS

Another week passed...and we're into March already!

This week I have:

BEEN TRAVELLING AGAIN

this time to the north of England to help Kirsty move apartments

ready to be moved down three flights of stairs!!...and up another three flights to the new apartment!!

....to say I am exhausted is an understatement-but she is happily installed in her new abode!

HAVE READ:

I'm really not a great lover of books about the Holocaust (I read for pleasure and some subjects just upset me too much!), but I did enjoy this one...though I must confess that I only read it because of the hype about the film, which I would like to see.

HAVE COMPLETED LEVEL 181 OF CANDY CRUSH SAGA:

after almost six weeks this was a great cause for celebration!

I hope you have had a good week and that the coming week brings good things your way!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx 

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THE WEEK THAT WAS

This week- among other things- I have:

Received two more quilt blocks :

This one from ALEXA....her own design!

This one from AMY

I love them both...thank you ladies!

FINISHED READING:

The third in a detective series set on the Isle of Lewis,Scotland 

BOUGHT and PLANTED these beauties:

COMPLETED:

Week 5 of PL

Went to:

and DIDN'T win either the Quiz or a Raffle Prize!

Hoping you had a good week too!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

THE WEEK THAT WAS

This week I have:

READ,,,,,

One I've been meaning to read for a few years.....and I'm so glad i got around to it..beautifully written

RECEIVED.....three beautiful quilt blocks, as part of  FIONA'S FRIENDSHIP QUILT

from the lovely SIAN

from the lovely ABI

from the lovely DEB TURTLE

some PL supplies

LOST.....0.75 KG

WORKED ON....

Project Life

TOOK PART IN.....

a 5km walk through the almond groves

A good week, all in all......I hope your week was a good one too!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

TO READ, OR NOT TO READ.......

 .....that IS the question...or at least it's something I've been pondering over the last few days. I had a conversation with a couple of friends about it, then I read SUSANNE'S POST  yesterday...so I did some more thinking and decided to put my thoughts out there for you all.

I have always been a voracious reader...since I was old enough to read Enid Blyton by myself! I progressed through stories about imps and fairies and circuses (at one point I desperately wanted to run away and join a circus!) to The Secret Seven and The Famous Five and onwards to Mallory Towers and St Claire's. These 'Boarding School' books led me onto 'The Chalet School' series, by Elinor M Brent Dyer.

There then seemed to be a huge leap into 'grown up " books...starting with Catherine Cookson, which took me down the historical route for many years....O'levels introduced me to John Steinbeck (who didn't love 'Of Mice and Men'?), and that was me on the road to American literature.

My genres of choice these days, are Mystery/Thrillers (roots in Enid Blyton?!) and Family Sagas/Romances...with a bit of ChickLit thrown in sometimes. I particularly enjoy series' of books (Enid again?!) and get quite upset when an author decides the series is finished!

Not only have my tastes in reading changed over the years (I couldn't read another Catherine Cookson if you PAID me!..and I can't bear anything earlier than the First World War, historically) but, with the advent of E-readers, HOW I enjoy books has changed.

For READING, it still has to be an actual, made-from-paper book. I have tried reading on my Kindle or Ipad, but it's just not the same; one of the things I dislike about it is the fact that you can't flick back and forth (when you forget who someone is..or whose brother or sister they are!). I also confess to being one of those people who likes to read the last page, especially in romantic fiction...I just HAVE to know if there's a happy ending. And then sometimes I have to do a bit more checking if the ending isn't as I thought, or can't work out how it came about...it's difficult to do that with an E-reader!

The book I finished in bed last night...definately had to read the end of this one!

I do however use my Kindle and Ipad to LISTEN to books...but have discovered for the afore-mentioned reasons, that I can only listen to Mystery books or thrillers...for some reason I don't have the same need to know how the story ends...weird or what? 

The one I finished this afternoon on my Ipad...I have the latest one in the series downloaded ready for listening to next!

It used to be that I could never have two books on the go at once, but now I can easily listen to something whilst lying in the sun or ironing and when I go to bed at night read something entirely different.

Do you enjoy reading?....Has the way you enjoy books changed?...hope you find some time for a little reading this week!

Thanks for dropping by! 
Take care of you
Alison xx

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PASSING THE BOOK

A week or so ago, I received a copy of the WORLD BOOK NIGHT copy of HOW I LIVE NOW by Meg Rosoff, from JO over at SUGAR AND SCRAP.

I started reading it last night....and have just finished it this morning- if I had been able to stay awake longer last night I would have finished it then! It's one of those compelling books that draws you in and has you needing to know what happens next. 

The book was actually written for the 'YOUNG ADULT' genre, but like HARRY POTTER, TWILIGHT and THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME is a perfect adult 'crossover' book.

The story is set in the not-too-distant future, and revolves around a 15year-old American girl who comes to stay with her Aunt and her family, somewhere in rural England. Starting off as an idyllic, almost ENID BLYTON-ish (with a bit more 'bite') story, it soon changes, as un-named occupiers invade Great Britain and the nation is thrown into a state of war. There are some interesting insights into what life during an Occupation can/would be like, and there is of course a  Love Story running throughout.

I'm saying no more, except that it was another great read, and that I'm ready to pass the book on  to one of you lovely blog readers!

If you fancy a read at it...and promise to pass it on!.....just leave a comment on this post before midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 23May.

Hope you're having a great weekend...I have just seen on the Weather Forecast that the UK is due some sun and heat this week!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

A BIT OF 'SUPPORT'

 It's OK people: I''m  not actually in NEED of support, I just want to share some layouts I made this week with the help of a couple of sketches over at SKETCH SUPPORT, which, incidentally I was inspired to go looking at  after checking out some of SUE'S  layouts over at LIFE & MEMORIES....I do love the inspiration as I go blog-visiting!

These are another few pages to go in my niece's album....although her Birthday isn't till mid-July, I wanted it ready by mid June, as I'm going to the  UK for a wedding then...but it now looks as though she is going  to come over here after her exams at the end of MAY...thank goodness I started early..I wouldn't want to be working on it while she's here!

WARNING!!!!....PHOTO HEAVY POST!

I used this sketch( #21), as the inspiration for the first two LOs

I must also give credit to Jemma (aka JIMJAMS), as the filmstrip inspiration came from her LO HERE.

The fab chevron ribbon came from a package I received this week as a prize, from  THE STRINGERY (from their Bloghop a couple of months ago)

The final LO was inspired by this sketch (#17), though when I look at it, it was very much a starting point, not a final destination!

Here are the two pages separately

Just a reminder too, that if you want to be in the draw for  this book

just leave a comment at the end of THIS POST by the end of today.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend...I'm off to pick Kirsty up in an hour or so..she's decided to come down for a few days, as it's the May Day holidays at the beginning of next week, so no Uni....the downside is that she's starting to bring her 'stuff' back as she finishes at the end of June. Guess what mum will be doing next week?

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx