HELLO MONDAY

This week I'm saying :

HELLO to my first committee meeting with our local Charity group

HELLO to attempting to go back  to Keep Fit, as the toe is feeling much better

HELLO to another trip back to Scotland.... I'm told dad is improving, but I shall be glad to see that for myself!

HELLO to a family party on Saturday..my sister and BIL are having their Silver Wedding Party, while they are over on holiday from New Zealand.

HELLO to seeing Craig, who arrives in Scotland on Friday, for said party.

HELLO to Kirsty having a job interview at the end of the week...everything is crossed for that!

HELLO to having some time  to see some friends during this visit! 

Hope you have some good things to say hello to this week

Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

STORYTELLING SUNDAY

On the first Sunday of every month, encouraged by the lovely SIAN over at  FROM HIGH IN THE SKY, Bloggers from all points of the globe get together and tell stories...happy stories, funny stories, sad stories, long stories, short stories, stories with or without pictures- anything goes, and EVERYONE is made very welcome..

'A little Summer Loving', Sian suggested as a theme.....a tenuous link here, as the picture is from a Wedding- not our wedding but that of my brother and SIL, who celebrate their 21st Anniversary in a couple of weeks.

Did I REALLY look like that 21 years ago?!

I love this picture on many levels..the fact that Craig's lovely Gran is in it, that my nephew Graeme looks so sweet in his kilt, that Stuart, Kirsty and said nephew are obviously much more interested in what's happening off to the side...not to mention that I felt really good in that outfit..I had lost weight and the dress was a UK size 12!!!! 

But what REALLY makes me smile is what you can't see..and an incident which took place the following year!

Like I said, I really LOVED this dress, and wore it over Christmas a few times, before it went away over the Winter. It made a re-appearance round about Easter the next year, when I wore it to Church quite a few times.

One Sunday morning I ended up doing 'Creche Duty' with my friend Janette, who suddenly piped up as I was checking the baby in one of the prams:

 'Alison, were they the shoes you wore to David's Wedding, or do you have another pair?'

'No, it was these ones..why?'

'They're odd shoes you know'

I looked down and saw two perfectly matching shoes...or were they? Surely one didn't have a slightly less pointed toe than the other..off came the shoes (by which time Janette was almost crying with laughter)..and only then did I see that the heels were TOTALLY different- there was even about a quarter of an inch difference in height!! How on earth could I have FAILED to notice the difference?! I was mortified and hysterical with laughter all at once. not only had I worn the blessed things to a Wedding, but at various other times too!

Unfortunately, as this was pre-blogging, pre-scrapbooking days, I didn't take a photograph, but every time I look at this picture I'm reminded...so now I'm off to start a layout to get this story down for posterity!

If you have a story to tell, or if you just wish to sit and enjoy a story or two (or more!), please consider stopping by  HERE  ...you are sure to find a great collection to while away some time with!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

SCAVENGING IN BARCELONA.....

......not literally, you understand.....but for RINDA'S  Summer Scavenger Hunt. 


One of Kirsty's friends was with us when we found the first two...she was totally bemused by my excitement, and Kirsty tried to explain about my picture-taking 'illness' as she refers to it! 


The first opportunity came totally out of the blue..and was one of the pictures I thought may be hard for me to get.......


NUMBER 16- A BRIDE

We were just walking across one of the main squares, when one of the Tourist Buses drove along, with a bevvy of brides on the top deck! Of course, I realise that they are not actually brides per se, but it was too good a photo opportunity to miss!

The second picture I HAD  been on the lookout for:

NUMBER 18- A MOVIE POSTER

Of course, no trip  to  Barcelona would be complete without the obligatory snap of LA SAGRADA FAMILIAR, which gives me NUMBER 6-a historical landmark.....I could of course, have used it for No.17(a church), but will use our local one for that I think.

Now I will concentrate on the items nearer home...I'm now thinking the maze, labyrinth or trail and the pier may be my greatest challenges now, but we shall see.

If you're playing along,which item do you anticipate being the most difficult to find?

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

SHE GRADUATED....

....WITH HONOURS!!


We had no idea until she was actually presented with her degree,but our lovely Kirsty graduated 'CUM LAUDE'...she herself didn't know till five minutes before Graduation!

It was a lovely Ceremony, although as expected with Spanish timetables, it started almost an hour late!!

We have left her and her friends to party,and come back to our Hotel to breathe deeply and be grateful for a successful three years...and, in my case, to pray for her to now find a job!

You're a star, my daughter!!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

BARCELONA DAY 2

The one place I DEFINATELY wanted to see on this visit was PARC GUELL, but Kirsty advised waiting till later on in the day as it was so hot. 


I apologise for the quality of some of the pics..I haven't edited them yet!


Taking her advice, I decided to get the bus along to the Scrapbook shop I found the last time I visited Barcelona, called CROMATISMES.  DH decided to accompany me, but wisely chose to go drinking coffee while I browsed. 

You have to understand that there are no Scrapbook Stores anywhere near we live, and my scrappy supplies are ordered online, so being able to walk in and actually SEE and TOUCH papers and embellishments is very exciting for me!

I was very good though, and really tried to curtail my spending...some paper, alphas and Washi Tape...

After a bit of lunch, we went back to meet Kirsty and she and I headed to Parc Guell.  We took the Metro and it was only when we got off that I realised how hilly that particular part of Barcelona is...AND how far we had still to walk! When Kirsty said it was a climb, she wasn't joking

Coming from this direction, there are two sets of escalators and an almost 'upright' hill-as well as another couple of 'ordinary' hills-and yes, we were heading right for where the trees meet the sky!!

It was SO worth it though..the views over the city were wonderful

and then of course, there were the fabulous mosaics

This is the actual entrance, but we started at the top and worked our way down..much easier in the heat-another perk to visiting with Kirsty..she knows these helpful little tips!

After getting the Metro back to the City Centre, I knew I needed coffee and ice-cream..and when in Barcelona, there's no better place to go than one of the many 'FARGGI' CAFES!

My favourite...... 'DULCHE DE LECHE' ice-cream, along with a CAFE CON LECHE

We met DH and went for a fab Mexican meal before heading back to Kirsty's to finish packing up some of her 'stuff' to take home with us.

Without a doubt, Barcelona is one of my favourite places..and I'm so glad Kirsty ended up studying there, as we have seen more than we probably would have, had we visited in the 'normal' tourist  fashion....if you've never been and are within travelling distance, I reckon you wouldn't be disappointed!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

BACK HOME!

Kirsty and I arrived back from Barcelona earlier this afternoon, having dropped DH at the airport at 9.30 this morning and finding our way back on to the motorway heading south.


I have to say that we managed to squeeze quite a bit into our two days!


We headed out on Monday morning...our planned destination being BARCELONA CATHEDRAL (NOT La Sagrada Familiar) which, Kirsty had informed me, had no scaffolding on it- the first time in all the time she's been there- so that HAD to be a photo opportunity!


We took the Metro into the city centre, getting off at the stop just beside the building Kirsty's Uni moved to, just at the beginning of this year....

As we were walking to LA RAMBLA, we almost got caught up in one of the student demonstrations

The beautiful main square in the city centre (Placa Catalunya) is full of protesting students at the moment (against Education cuts and the economy in general), including pitched tents in the garden areas

We stopped of at the huge indoor market- La Boqueria- which has the most amazing array of fresh food I have ever seen in one place!

Eventually we actually made it to the Cathedral.....

....where, would you believe?.....my camera battery ran out!!!!! 

To say I was mad at myself (for not charging it!) was an understatement. Kirsty and I DID go for a walk around it, but I just got more and more annoyed at myself and we soon gave up and went to  meet DH- who had adjourned to a Cafe, as Churches are not his thing at all. 

After getting lost a few times (as is Kirsty's wont) trying to find the place she wanted to take us for lunch...and then discovering it was closed for refurbishment(!), we ended up at a little place  very near the seafront and had lovely salads and pasta..yes it was Italian, but that is a very nice change for us!

The funniest thing was that the waiter spoke English, but had learned to speak it in Benidorm.... (for those overseas readers who have never come across the name, Benidorm is a coastal resort, much-loved by the British and totally over-run by them in the summer months)...and he spoke with the most amazing mix of accents! One minute he was Scottish, the next broad Yorkshire, then a real south East accent- you name it, they were all there...we couldn't help but laugh!

After a little bit of shopping, we went back to the apartment (to rest our weary legs), before heading out at night......we had decided to go the Cinema, as there is much more choice in Barcelona, than there is here! ......'THE LORAX' has been the only film on in English here, for the last six weeks!!!

We opted for 'LOS VENGADORES' (The Avengers), which I must confess was much better than I expected! 

You may remember in THIS POST , I mentioned that in the Cinema nearest to us, we have to wear infra-red headsets to enable us to hear the film in it's original language. In Barcelona, the film is actually shown in its ORIGINAL version, with Spanish subtitles...which is great until you come to a part in the film where Russian/ Japanese (or whatever) is being spoken...and the subtitles are STILL in Spanish!!!..oh well, you can't win them all!

Well, I think that's enough for one day...the rest of the sightseeing will have to wait till tomorrow.

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

GIVEAWAY RESULT..AND ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!

The reason for another giveaway is that I have just read yet another 'keeper' over the weekend...'EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE', by JONATHAN SAFRAN FOER.

DD has been urging me to read this book (and others by the same author) for a couple of years now, but I just didn't think they 'were for me'. When I was at a local Charity event last week (which I actually meant to write a post about), there was the ubiquitous 'second hand book' stall and this book was one that I happened to pick up. I added it to the pile of books to buy...which, incidentally, I need like a hole in the head!.......and, as already said, I picked it up and started to read it on Saturday night in bed.


It is one of those 'intriguing' books...I know quite a few people who wouldn't like it , not just because of the way it's written, but also because there is very little in the way of character introduction (you are left to pick that up as you read) and-at times- the story doesn't seem to be going anywhere..indeed, at a couple of points at the beginning, I wondered if there was any story at all! 


It's  about a 9 year old boy in NYC, whose father had been killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11. It draws you into his family's (though especially his) grief, intertwined with the mystery surrounding a key he found in his father's wardrobe about a year after his death, and also his family's history.... it is a 'people' story.


On 'Googling' it this morning, I have discovered that it has been made into a film and was released in the USA in January and UK in February, so maybe some of you have seen it....I'll be watching for its DVD release.


So.....at the end of all that, I enjoyed it so much that I would like one of you to have a read at it and-hopefully-enjoy it too! If you leave a comment at the end of this post by Saturday (28th) at midnight GMT, I'll 'pick a name out of the hat  tin' again!....and speaking of which, the lucky winner of '84 CHARING CROSS ROAD' is.......





LISA-JANE ....Congrats Lisa Jane...if you send your mailing details to alison290atlivedotcodotuk  I will get a copy off to you!


Thanks for dropping by!
Take care of you
Alison xx

THE FINAL TWO FOR SHIMELLE

I believe we have till tonight to get any layouts uploaded, for the Online Crop hosted by SHIMELLE last weekend.


I managed another two yesterday, but didn't get them photographed till this morning.


CHALLENGE #12


The challenge was to use one photo twice......I used this sketch from PAGE DRAFTS

and came up with this

This photograph of Stuart and DH is one I've been waiting to scrap for a while now, and I thought the repetitive picture idea would be ideal for it, as (as the journalling says) 'THE BIG PANCAKE' was read constantly for months! Stuart absolutely loved this story, and it was always the one he brought to us, and asked anyone who visited to read to him.

CHALLENGE#10

Something bold- use two pics on a bold background.

I used an old ice cream print from DCWV, which I've had for years ...I have to say I have used lots of older stash for these challenges, which I'm rather pleased about!

I used GLITTER GIRL'S layout for my inspiration for this one!

Although Kirsty looks as though she might be saying how delicious the ice-cream was, she was  actually telling me to stop taking photos of her with her mouth full! 

I reckon that's me completed as many challenges from the crop as I'm going to...time to tidy up a bit!

If you missed THIS POST, there's a bit of a giveaway at the end of it...you have till tomorrow night to leave a comment  to be in the draw.

Thanks for dropping by!

take care of you

Alison xx

Storytelling Sundays Yr2 - 'He's NOT Bert!'.......

While Kirsty was here last weekend, we stumbled upon 'Mary Poppins' on one of the Movie Channels. It was just as the part where the children had run off from the Bank, and were lost in the back streets of London.....just as Bert was about to turn up in his chimney sweep gear.

picture from filmfanatics.org

I burst out laughing and reminded her that when she was little, she had bemused us for ages, insisting that it wasn't Bert - it was someone new called Felthy. We just could not work out where she had got this idea- and she was not to be budged on it. One day I walked in at exactly that part, to hear Jane (I'm sure it's Jane who says it) say....'Bert, you're filthy!' in her best 'posh' accent...and it clicked!  Kirsty thought Jane was saying ' you're FELTHY'...and at her young age, took it to be his name.

She had, of course, totally forgotten about it and couldn't believe that she would ever have thought something like that ! 

This story has been brought to you as part of SIAN'S Storytelling Sundays. Do pop over to her Blog, FROM HIGH IN THE SKY to read a vast array of stories by bloggers from all parts of the world.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

She's gone back....

.....and I'm not the only one who hates to see her go!


Boo' doggie senses come into play about an hour before she's due to go, and she totally refuses to even LOOK at DD! 

After a weekend of hardly leaving her side, Boo goes 'in the huff' and withdraws her affection...it's really funny to see! By the time we are ready to walk out the door DD is BEGGING her for hugs, but Boo is still playing hard to get!

We had a lovely weekend...very lazy relaxing and I'll share some pics of that later.

Hope all's good where you are.

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

ANOTHER SURPRISE!!

So much excitement in one week! After two lots of Happy Mail (see yesterday's post), I had an email from DD to say she was coming down from Barcelona to spend the weekend with me!!


I have been to collect her from the bus tonight, and when we arrived home Boo was SO excited...she ran up and down the hall between us like a mad thing for about five minutes!...VERY unlike her reaction to her Santa hat, which I managed to scrap this week

My two girls have retired for the night, and I know for a fact that they will be attached to  each other for the next couple of days!

I'm looking forward to getting out and about with both of them this weekend...hope you too have something to look forward to!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx

Just One Sketch....mirror image!

MISS SMITH'S third prompt urged us to use the mirror image of our original sketch. If you remember, this sketch, by TRACY over at A SCRAP AT A TIME is the one I working with

and this is the LO I've come up with

These were taken last September, while I was up in Barcelona with DD...I'm not convinced the photos actually do this beautiful building any justice, but I'm quite pleased with the LO itself....and I used mostly old stash to make it!

I'm off to write my story for STORYTELLING SUNDAY over at SIAN'S BLOG tomorrow...why not come and join us?

Hope it's not TOO cold where you are...still colder than we're used to here, but the sun's shining brightly!

Thanks for dropping by!

Take care of you

Alison xx