:: saturday 08 June 2002 Daisy, George, Arty and I braved the Saturday shopping crowds in our nearest town as we had to look for something very important! Mission (almost) accomplished, we dropped in at Burger King, then had a browse round the mall. They love all those wacky/gadgety shops so we came home with an assortment of 'useless but necessary' (?) things and had great fun tonight playing with them all: Wild Willie the singing hamster was my fave buy. (try him before you knock him!) With his red gypsy bandana, black waistcoat & shades he looks like a cute critter version of Willie Nelson. He dances away while singing squeeking 'Born to be Wild'. We also bought a large red traditional gumball machine for my studio, then stocked up on several big packets of M&Ms to (only half) fill it. (update Sunday night: it's nearly empty again!) I'm addicted to Yankee candles and always have one burning next to my pc. This week's choice was 'Wisteria' which smells so realistic I keep thinking I'm at my friend Pip's house, which in the Summer is engulfed with its beautifully scented flowers. Daisy bought a pair of eyelash curlers (and nearly poked her eye out on the way home when I braked suddenly,) Arty got a furry ostrich puppet which he's teaching to walk :) and George bought a 'Tomb Raider' cover for his 'phone. Oops. I forgot to mention why we went shopping in the first place. It'll keep 'til tomorrow... :)

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:: sunday 09 June 2002

A quick update in case I can't post here later - my connection's still really dodgy. Just uploaded a new linkware set: Art of Africa
Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

And now back to the mysterious shopping trip of yesterday. (Actually not very mysterious or exciting) but we all went on a futile mission to find some shiny emerald green fabric. (Arty is playing the part of the Wizard of Oz in the school play.) Green (of the emerald variety) is so out here it's unbelievable, and fabric shops are almost non-existent these days.

We scoured all the stores, charity shops, everywhere, and only managed to come up with some hideously fluorescent lime green stuff which I'll have to dye. Another stumbling block. Nowhere sells dye anymore. It seems that in this 'throw away' age, no-one makes or alters clothes anymore. I could go down the 'when I was a girl' route, but I won't - it only upsets me remembering the days when men went out hunting and little women everywhere sat at home sewing ;) Come on teachers - get real. I don't mind making costumes per se (in fact the amount I've made over the past few years would easily wardrobe a small repertory company) but don't send us specific requests without thinking about how we're going to fulfil them. I just know that the coming week will give the term 'green fingers' a new meaning...

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:: monday 10 June 2002

Grrrrrrr.
Having one of those "Don't want to do anything but don't want to do nothing" kinda days. Can't get inspired or motivated, don't like anything and generally just feel irritated and fed up. Never used to feel like this but as old age gradually creeps over me (haven't lost that touch of melodrama tho') it seems to get worse each month. PMT used to be something I only read about but never experienced and now I can sympathize with those women who do wild and crazy out of character things on a monthly basis.
'Cept I really can't be bothered to go wild & crazy at the moment...

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:: tuesday 11 June 2002

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:: wednesday 12 June 2002

I love illustrations so was pleased to find Angela Martini's site the other day. Her work really made me smile.

Going to an antiques/home decoration fair tomorrow so looking forward to drooling over (no, not literally) all sorts of stuff I can't afford!
My sister-in-law & I go every year and always have a great day out - It's totally worth the four hour round-trip. The fair is in a large marquee in the grounds of Ripley Castle, which is in a tiny but very pretty village in North Yorkshire. We have lunch (weather permitting) in the garden of the small hotel and always bump into lots of people we know and haven't seen for ages. Then we hunt around all the wonderful 'one of a kind' small shops selling beautiful textiles, china, furniture, flowers etc.

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:: thursday 13 June 2002

What does your lipstick say about you? (And do you really care?) For links to this and other life changing revelations, visit: Planet Wally

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:: friday 14 June 2002

Listening to Big Brother in the background as I write. It's the third series here in the UK and it all seems to be going horribly wrong. After the two earlier series which made fairly compulsive viewing (if you like that sort of thing,) this one (for me anyway,) is a big disappointment.

Last year, an unlikely couple got together and almost 'got it on' which sent tv viewing figures rocketing with the 'will they, won't they' saga. Seems that this year the production team decided to try and repeat the scenario by choosing majorly 'young, free & singles' in the house, along with a token older pair of contestants (both of which have left.) On top of that they've split the house into two for added drama, presumably to cause extra friction by forcing/breaking up friendships & alliances.

It's just not working, and two of the 'housemates' have left of their own accord already (we've only had three weeks,) with the latest spectacularly 'escaping' over the roof - the most entertaining thing that's happened so far.

I enjoy this 'fly on the wall' stuff, but not when it's manipulated and manufactured to such an extent. You can (almost) predict what's going to happen next. We the viewers aren't stupid. Memo: Must learn to write without using so many brackets...

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