A busy week...

Well, this week has been busy! I've been job hunting, emailing my CV out to places (I only want a summer job after all), I've been asked to do six weeks of Summer School Art Workshops (two hour each workshop) so I've been mentally drawing up a scheme of work for those. I'm thinking Modroc sculptures, printing, simple hand building (thumb pots?), willow and textile weaving, and the other two I haven't quite decided yet. Any ideas?

I helped Mum clear out the shed so that she could get in there to pot up some plants and get the mower in and out. Blokes and their sheds eh? It's the same in my shed. I can't actually walk in there. I have to kind of lean in and grab what I need. We must have thrown out at least 50 plant pots that Dad had been hoarding! We also discovered a mound of sunflower husks that a mouse had obviously feasted on over a period of time. I think it had stolen them from the bird seed food.

I went round to my sisters to help her unpack some flat packed furniture that she'd ordered, and then repacked it all as it was such bad quality and chipped all along the sides (never shop at MFI if you can help it! They ship from Thailand and don't quality control). It's heavy duty stuff and it's quite tiring lugging it about. This is the third set that has been substandard so she's very annoyed about it. I pity the person on the other end of the line when she rings to complain (again); she takes no prisoners when she's burning with that righteous anger.  

I've been to yoga and to belly dancing, where we've been focusing on techniques now we no longer have to concentrate on our choreography. We're looking at Tribal Fusion at the moment, which is fab, even with my knackered shoulder which is a little stiff for some of the movements, but I'm working on it! We worked to Transglobal Underground this week which is one of my favourite groups. I also discovered that I have no idea where my birth certificate is. It's not where I thought it was. This is not good! I guess I'm going to have to turn the house upside down looking for it! How can you lose things in such a small house? Maybe I should frisk the cats?

We still can't drink the local water without boiling it. I've spent some time working in the garden, cutting stuff back and chopping stuff with my sturdy but blunt little chopper - what good therapy that is! Pissed off? Chop stuff in your garden with a blunt chopper! (I have prolific shrubs that want to take over every available space, I dream of the body snatchers invading my bedroom disguised as cherry laurel or forsythia branches.)  I even tried to drill a hole into a concrete fence post but to no avail. Even with the proper drill bit, it just wasn't having it. I even accosted a youngish man at the local DIY superstore for advice...

Me: Excuse me, I need some advice, do you know anything about drill bits?

Him: Um, yes, I can help you...

Me: I'd like to drill several holes into super tough concrete, what's the best drill bit to use?

Him: That's easy *picks up bit from hook* this one here is the one you want.

Me: That's the one I've been using. It's making barely a dimple...

Him: Really? Oh...

Me: I'm using a hammer drill..

Him: Hmmm

Me: My drill's getting very hot and I'm worried about burning it out.

Him: What is it you're drilling?

Me: A concrete fence post.

Him: Well, this one is the one recommended for concrete.

Me: But it's not working...*Sigh* Maybe I should give up?

Him: Yeah, I think that would be a good idea.

Very helpful. Thanks mate.

Maybe I should try 'No Nails'?

Anyway, there has also been crafting going on. Super secret swap crafting. I'm not going to divulge who they're for or what they are, but here are some teaser photos. 

  

And a random thought, just because I'm watching 'Sunshine' at the moment; doesn't Cillian Murphy have the most beautiful blue eyes? I love his native Irish accent too, but he's got an American accent for this film. *Sigh* I guess I'll have to make do with his long lashed luscious eyes. Why is it that guys often have long thick lashes that make us girls just green with envy? 

And yet another teaser.

Okay, enough teasers for today. Here's a pretty shot of one of the lavender bushes in my garden. It's just coming into bloom.

 

And some shots from my studio window. This is from the front of my house. 

And this is from the side a little bit later.

 

So, have a good weekend. I hope yours is a sunny one! Bed would be beckoning me, but M is singing very loudly and drunkenly, and totally off key downstairs with the headphones on and doesn't seem willing to shut up. I guess I'll be up for a while longer.