Nice to see you posting again Sarah! Do I gather that you're home and finally on your computer again?

Welcome back Sarah

What made smile today: Buying a tin whistle ....

Enjoy! It's brilliant for traditional Irish music!

I've got a tin whistle (which I forgot about in my list in your earlier thread!), that I play rather unreliably, despite the step-by-step CD guide I have!....

Yes, I'm back in snowy Cambridge and laptop is working again, although it's doing its absolute best to drive me up the wall (the repairers seem to have changed a load of settings, so it keeps doing things I'm really not expecting, like turning off when I shut its lid, then pretend to not know that it had done it and come back from the dead singing christmas carols at me )

counting down the days till Christmas

I am counting down the days to a break from college, just 3 days next week and I'm off for a while, 10 days anyway.

The snow looks like snow again, rather than the slush it was last night

What made me happy was that I opened my advent calendar to get today's choccy, and the little door read '6 SLEEPS TIL CHRISTMAS DAY!'


Thinking of the money in the long run makes it all worth it, eh?


I've decided to go to the Uni of Manchester I went to a visit day a few weeks back and just fell in love with it! Plus, it's close to home

Knowing that my pyracantha has provided a good meal for all the birds in the neighbourhood - it was heavily laden with bright orange juicy berries and now it's been stripped bare...


I *think* that's made me happy

Having a lie-in, a free day - and it's such a BEAUTIFUL day...

It sounds really stupid, but just... everything,really I watched a really sad film last night and it's really made me think how lucky I am.

Getting my Grade 2 Piano results made me happy a week and a half ago, and they're STILL making me happy now!

A Starbucks caramel cream frap and a few new books to devour Not to mention the snow! Today's been a pretty much perfect day.

How brilliant my friends and family are. Sorry about how long this is, I'm just blown away.

I just got back from my party which was at my grandparents overnight (our house isn't really big enough), 14 people were supposed to be coming. It snowed really heavily yesterday and the day before though, so it looked like the party was going to have to be cancelled, on facebook everyone said they'd try, but it was unlikely for them all. But we'd got everything we needed the day before, and just told everyone to come if it was virtually possible and not to take risks. Even if noone could come, we would play games with my grandparents and have a really nice night staying over.
We got there yesterday, and my grandparents had put in SO MUCH effort, it made me want to cry with gratefulness. They'd made their driveway really clear with a big wooden sign, spent the morning shovelling snow and gritting it, put up signs all over the house like "cloakroom" "sleeping quarters" "don't lean on the piano", strung up fairy lights in the room, put up outdoor xmas lights outside, put happy birthday banners up etc. They had done all this, and it didn't look like anyone was going to turn up.

Then the doorbell rang. I went to see who is was, and it was one of my friends, who had driven from just about the snowiest part of the area. Everyone else from there had said from the start that there was no way in the world they would be able to come, she'd said she would try her best, but I thought she was just being sweet. I was so surprised! I said that it was unlikely that anyone else would turn up, and we could just watch films.

Then the phone rang. 3 of my friends (two twins and someone who lives near them) were phoning to say sorry they were late, they would be there in about an hour. It was impossible for them to drive, so they packed all of their stuff into two big rucksacks, strapped them to a sledge, and trekked over across fields, taking turns to pull the stuff and each other on the sledge. It was about an hour and a half walk! They insisted on it and said they were having a rave. Then the doorbell rang, and another friend had turned up! We all waited for the walkers to arrive, and then they changed clothes and we all had a hot chocolate.

We had a great time, and it was in a way nicer that there were only a few of us, because it made it more intimate. All except one of those who arrived were really good old friends from primary school or year 7, who I'm just getting close to again after drifting away. The other moved into my classes last year, and is one of the sweetest people I've ever met.

My parents were wonderful, as was my younger sister (they all stayed in the house). I can't express how grateful I am, especially to my grandparents, but I need to do my best to try! A mere bottle of wine, chocolates or a card aren't good enough, I feel like making or doing something for them. I need some ideas!

Welcome back! When do you head "oop North" again?

What's made me happy? Got some new games for the PC to waste some dark, cold winter nights on

Sounds wonderful, bobziekins! It's always better with just a few friends

That's a lovely story, bobziekins And I'm sure all they would like from you is a big big hug and to know how much it's meant to you But if you would like to do something for them, what about writing what it meant to you as a few lines of verse and writing some music to go with it that you can sing to them?

What lovely friends you have indeed bobziekins and lovely grandparents too - what a great memory to treasure. Did you take any photos when you were there? If so perhaps you could do a montage or something like that.

We got lots of lovely photos, like making snow angels in the garden, tobogganing, action snowball fights, etc (which I'm debating whether to upload to facebook or not... not sure how the people who couldn't come would feel), but they were mostly of my friends and I, because my grandparents tried to keep out of the way, so I'm not sure if they would want photos of my friends.

I'm thinking of making them something arty, because they both love art. Maybe a sculpture? I could make something to do with snow, like a snowman (or something prettier) and engraving a thank you message on it.

I've got lots of photos of them and me over the years though (and my siblings and cousins) so I was thinking of doing a big "grandparents" montage, using big pieces of colourful card and decorating it a lot. Then I could stick it to a board and put a sheet of acetate (I think dad said...) over it

I could do the song idea, but I'm not the best singer, haha

tonights concert in conjunction with the church choir was highly enoyable even though I messsed uo the encore. I was very happy with the rest of my playing.

Lovely, bobziekins...

Getting through two choral services plus an hour's carol singing in the town centre, and not losing my voice.

Lots and lots of snow Plus the fact that we're having a good ol' Ulster fry tonight - a little reminder of home!

Joining a new squash club much closer to home has made me happy!

Seeing my little nieces in their nativity.

They were dressed as angels and didn't do very much or say anything but the morning was special for many reasons.

Our Candlelight carol service, which went very well. The choir had worked so hard on their four carols, and I was particularly pleased with "Jesus Child", which had come rather unstuck in verse 3 at the final rehearsal, but went well tonight.

It was also lovely to see my son and daughter taking part in a sketch called "The Gifts" during the service (son was "Gold" and daughter was "Myrrh") - quite an interesting take to look at the coming of the Wise Men from the viewpoint of the gifts!

I too performed Jesus child yesterday. It was great. full orchestra and choir. I never though playing carols was so enjoyable until yesterday.

Doing lots of little things:

* Totalling up values of stuff for insurance (general, photographic, musical, and bicycle)
* Wrapped up presents for my husband (as in, the ones he is getting; not as in wrapped them up on his behalf)
* Made a contents and index for a book of 150 studies that I have which comes with neither - teacher is always looking for the 'studies by X' and there is no way of locating them except by flicking through. Well, there is a way now
* Iced the Christmas cake
* Did a big huge load of washing (mostly stuff that lives in my locker, now it's clean to go back there in the new year!)
* Topped up the windscreen washer stuff in my car, and re-filled the 2 litre bottle of spare I have in the boot
* Took down four picture frames and moved the hooks so I can now have six in the same place. Although I used a tape measure and a spirit level, for some reason the gap between some of the frames isn't the same as others (but I put the hooks 11 inches apart, honest!) Husband will correct or we will leave as-is as an ironic statement ("Maizie has all these certificates; but is incapable of putting up a picture frame correctly!")
* Finding an all-baroque internet radio station to listen to (seems to have an advert or two, once per hour, great stuff!)
* Found out that it is easy to turn a dimmer switch back to a normal switch
* Found out why our outside light has gone mad (the sensor is broken)

Not that I'll be doing anything about the last two directly, I don't think, but can at least explain to husband what we will need to do so we can have a go at fixing things together (he doesn't like me playing with electricity unsupervised!)

Next:
* Put a load of stuff in the loft
* Write out a list of the astronomy books I own so I don't go buying duplicates (I am a complete sucker for 19th Century astronomy books...haven't bought any inadvertant duplicates yet, but it's going to happen sooner or later unless I do something about it)
* Maybe sit down and do nothing for a few minutes

All my cards are written, and most presents wrapped

My friend has just phoned to say he has finally got home from work. Left at 3pm got back at 9:25 the journey normally only takes 25 mins but lots of roads are closed due to snow and ice.

Speaking to my Dad and brothers on the phone - I really miss them

Just been to collect my daughter from County Youth Orchestra rehearsal and I heard the end of the rehearsal. It sounded amazing. It's her first course with County Youth. She is only in Yr6 and most of the musicians are teenagers. I'm really proud of her- and on the way home she said she had improved a lot! Not surprised - they have been pl;aying 5 1/2 hours a day!
Bring on the concert tomorrow!

lunch with Babybird2 and her boyfriend

Does that mean you've come up north without telling me?

Glad you had a nice time.

Nope, she came south Flossie

That's allowed then.

I've been wondering where she was the past couple of days.

Next time I'm up north : Manchester, 30th January

That's the wrong side of the Pennines, Barry.

*thinks*

Will probably be when I'm in the North East then Flossie, in April-ish...

I was speaking to an elderly couple from Northern Ireland at work today It was nice to hear a familiar accent!

Just become a great-aunt! Now I do feel old

I got two lovely Chrismas cards this morning!

Congratulations!

Well yesterday really...

We all decided to get fish and chips for lunch and they were yummy.

Adobe photoshop

It has given me an insight into what I'll look like with no gaps after braces

Snap (almost) : I had fish and chips this evening Indeed, it was yummy

the temperature rising above freezing

A lesson that went pretty well.... I have sooo much to do as "homework" though!

Getting my car desnowed and safely off the drive, to the supermarket, back home and onto the drive again!

Finally getting to the point where I actually want to play my violin again, after a crazy term of auditions and concerts that left me rather unmotivated
Shame I can't because of this stupid cold