My family and other knitters....

I came from a long line of knitters... for years I had to put up with every jumper I had being knitted and (sometimes) a bit scratchy.... I saw all these women knit, crochet, sew and all I could cope to do was knit a square. I have no patience for this stuff. My sister was creating crocheted blankets at 14, I was thinking it was all boring. After many attempts I finally found something I could do too, which was knitting toys. I made loads. They were perfect for me, they didnt take long and you rarely had to make the same thing twice... What gets me about knitting a jumper is the fact that after all the effort of creating a front or an arm with a Raglan sleeve was that you just had to go and do it again.... what a pain...so I never did.

My toys were stuffed with cut up old tights.... I cant still feel the pain in my fingers from cutting them all up.. none of your Kaypok here.. we had to make it ALLLL ourselves.

Today my daughter showed me her new socks which had been sent by my mother. They are fantastic. I am amazed its possible to make something so marvelous with only 5 pins and 2 balls of wool.

Good isnt it!

I wonder now if I should dust off those pins and try to make some myself. I can knit and I can follow instructions all I need now is the patience and practice. I will post if I ever do it.

So, kudos mother you did brilliantly

Mind Maps

I have been using this type of software for a few months now and cant imagine what I did without it... oh yes I can.. that was when my life was ruled by lists. I had lists for everything. I book called 'things to do today' kept them all for me. Then, horror of horrors, my book was used up and there were none left in the stock cupboard.... so I reverted to lists again on anything I could write...

I also used Outlook and any other task list manager I could find and it helped. My problem was still that I went over everything in my head at 4 in the morning.  Not good.

I tried Mind Maps because people at work had been on a BrainTraining course and they thought they were good. Me, ever the impatient and not at all artistic, decided that drawing them would be no use so software had to be found. I tried Free Mind and that was OK but I wanted something a bit more colourful. After much 'googling' and trial versions of MindManager & iMindmap I decided on NovaMind.

www.novamind.com

I have V4 but cant wait for the upgrade in the autumn. It looks like its going to be a good improvement.  The current version is easy to use and intuative.

I sound like an advert. 

I also have MindBerry on my BB. Its great for creating on the go.

I now have a better overview of what I need to got done and it helps me plan projects. I find it much more useful than MS Project. I dont have resourses to apply or work to a real date & time plan and thats what Project needs. With my Mind Maps I can keep my overview and play at the same time.

Here's one I made earlier, as they say on Blue Peter

Liberty Park Overloon

We went today.

It has an enormous collection of machines and its all set up in a huge display. 

There is a large exhibit on the build up to the war, the occupation and then the liberation of the Netherlands. We were there for 5.5hours and I didnt see all of it. I only saw the history display till 1942 so we need to go back to see the rest. As it is part of the Museumkaart scheme entry was free too.

Well worth a visit. I didnt visit the War Cemetery, next time I think I will.

Tomorrow, something not related to the war I hope.  

Eu-ro-vis-ion !!!!!

Its such a great laugh the song contest. I remember listening to it on the radio when I was little in the 70's. I always liked it even when the UK entry was DIIIIIRE, as it was for years. Last night they improved the standard enormously! Well done to Lloyd Webber. The song was a ballad and not just bum-chink bum-chink EuroPop froth as has been churned out before. Given that I hate these talent programs like Idols etc and didnt watch the selection of the singer I was impressed by what came out of it. I admit to voting for us too. I also voted for the Sweden entry as I was blown away with her voice. What a set of lungs this girl has. 

The other entries were varied. I hate to say it but the Dutch entry was boooooring. Why do people insist on singing in English? a good catchy song is one irrespective of the language. All these summer sun hits tells you that... never mind the fact that I have never understood ( or wanted to) Opera words or the things we sang in a choir in Latin. The melody and the exprossion get you, or they dont. Understanding the lyrics is not essential to a good song.

I saw a comment on a website that said Frans Bauer wanted to go to Eurovision with a Dutch language song HE SHOULD or Barsato or Blof... why not. They are hugely popular here, nearly always sing in Dutch - more power to them. 

I am probobly ranting with the convicton of the converted.. I am surrounded by people who use Nederglish  and hate it. Why use combination words when you have perfectly good words of your own. Good  example is ''geforward''  As in Ik heb de email geforward........

Anyway back to EuroV- last night was a great show, Graham Norton did very well and Tel was fading after all this time anyway, Shame he went off in a strop but it allowed others to get involved. I hope he got to speak to the backing dancers from Ukraine at the after show party cluck cluck.

See them at the dress rehersal image 19.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/multimedia/photos?gal=2585

As for the winner last night... if he could just stop himself yelling down the mike it would be fine .. I seems to have forgetten he is singing not shouting.  Apparently my opinion is not a common one.. good that I have a day job.

http://www.eurovision.tv/page/home

Go see the videos, enjoy!!

Poken

I bought one! There I admit it, I am a gadget freak and I bought one. I have little use for this as my social life revolves round work but I couldnt resist.

I hurried home, raced upstairs to get to my PC, typed in the page you need to go to to activate it and register your info ...

www.DoYouPoken.com

and.......

nothing.... site must be down. I am going to have to wait!!!!!aaaaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh

I bought the green 3 eyed monster right up there at the front!

Nursery Rhymes as they should be...

Little Miss Muffet sat on her Tuffet

Eating her curds & weigh

Along came a spider who sat down beside her...

So she whapped it with her spoon...

Star Trekkin....'cross the universe

I went to the pictures today.. to see the long awaited new ST film. I have to admit I loved it.. What a geek I am. All the reviews I had seen had been good but it really was!! I am an avid fan... Voyager is my fav, of course, with the female captain & chief engineer. I like TNG too though find the original series a bit out of date. I watched it when I was young in the reruns in the early 70's. Deep Space 9 lost its appeal in the huge story arc in the last series or two..I never did manage to see the end..... I digress

The film today was really well done.  I didnt know what to expect for an ending, obviously they survive etc but there could have been a weird time travel ending which would have been just as acceptable. I thought the Scotty accent was well.... OK, mine is better ;-). I imagine its not supposed to be original.

The entire thing will constantly be compared to the original series - it lives up to the hype. 

Where this film wins over other ST films is that it didnt seem like a long episode, it felt like a film. I always feel that TNG films come over like they were really the 2 part series ending episodes but on a large screen.

Well done to all involved. As the entire storyline can now be changed I cant wait to see if they keep it going.

One last thing, I was delighted to see the Youngs Tap making its reappearance in the ear of Uhura. 

  (The image was lifted from the Sigma Aldrich Website - thanks)

Imagine (if you dare) , my lab in the 80's.. a certain chemist who looked less like Uhura than the rest of the world prancing about with this in my..ermm  HER ear announcing to any who would listen that Captain, Captain, Star Fleet command was on the line... what sense of humour that girl!

It had been cleaned (honest!, I wasnt a proud member of the Safety Committee for nothing you know)

Wallace and Bruce

We were visiting places normally reserved for school trips ie Bannockburn and the Wallace Monument. We started too late to add Stirling Castle too....

 Bannockburn. Brilliant. The monument was the same as I remember. We went to the visitors centre and the weapons demonstration. The guy who did this was marvellous and had the children captivated with tales of gore... my son bought a single handed broad sword.... thankfully not a Claymore!! and thankfully plastic! After the demo we tried on chain mail.... 

 

We have all been cut into tiny pieces loads of times since then. kchiiing!!swooooosh....k-plats!

Wallace Monument: I have never been here before ( or that I can remember) and this time we climbed all the steps. Some of the party wimped out at level 1 but the boy and I went all the way to the top. Here is my video proof!! Filmed on my trusty BB Bold.

Been Away and am just back....phew

I was away visiting the homeland... weather surprisingly sunny  (have more freckles) but cccccold. 

I dont understand how some people can walk around with little on and I am in my fleece and mac.

More surprises to follow, among which the story of the Wallace Monument climb!!