My Life

Have come back from hospital (again).  The pressure is down from 58 (eek!) to 23 and the drops are working really well.  There has been a vast improvement in my vision (I could have told them that, but it's nice to know officially).

For now I'm on bed/sofa rest til Friday (3 days!!  How am I going to cope?!) with the woozy tablets as a firm incentive to keep me there.  Going to rest for a little bit, then make tea and settle down to a long rest!  I'm wondering if making a pot of tea is worth it, more effot to make, but less effort after?

Am also planning on piling up the dvds I want to watch (BRAVE!!  MANY TIMES!!  DANCIN' TATTIE BOGLE!).  That said - if you are online, be warned I will probably poke you.  Skype is about my limit but its an excellent way of staving the boredom off.

The crochet shawl is getting larger by the day.  I'm hopeful it might be finished this week, depending on what els ei find to entertain me.  Also, I know I'm waffling.  I'm woozy  it's allowed!  Takes less brain than Katrin's report as well...

Only other news is that I'm planning on starting wearing contact lenses again tomorrow.  The hospital say that's ok and I'm very fed up with the tunnel vision the glasses give me.  I need peripheral sight back dagnabbit!

I hate dieting. Being hungry is horrible and makes me even more grumpy than normal.  The fact that I feel the need to diet also isn't a lot of fun, but the plain truth of the matter is I am definitely chubby around the midriff and given that I am at risk of knee and ankle problems extra wieght is a /bad/ thing.

Most of the day is ok, but between 5 and dinner time is currently horrible.  I've cut out morning snack without really having a problem and swapped fizzy pop for squash and water fairly easily.  Lunch is also easy enough to keep to a light bite and no sweet treats.  But I need to find a healthy afternoon snack or I am going to fail completely and utterly.

It should be pointed out that I am not after comments telling me I look lovely the way I am and that I don't need to diet.  This is lovely for my ego but not terribly helpful in that it helps me justify giving up.  If you would like to help me please just put up with me over the next few months and don't let me go overboard on treats.  Also, not pushing me to eat sugar would be a great help and I will love you all for it.

Incase anyone is wondering why I have morning and afternoon snacks I am ingrained into the nursery lifestyle for eating, which is bad because it involves a large amount of snacks!

Goodness me last week was hard work.  I now have a new kitchen (yay!) and the workmen have gone and the junk has finally all been taken away.  I do not want to deal with anymore house improvements until next year at the very earliest.  Sadly though, my kitchen herbs have all vanished without trace!  I have acquired a new thyme and parsley.  The spare rosemary may get a reprieve and be allowed back in the house (It was outside to see if it could survive the winter and be properly planted).  But seriously - I'd love to know where the plants (and the mini watering can) have gone.

The kitchen is very lovely though.  All shiny and new, with loads of space.  Little things like having space to prep veg and make pastry, that before were an impossible juggling act involving the dining table, can now be done in the kitchen,  Without moving things!  It is possible to cook a meal without having to stop, tidy and completely clear away each stage!  I've also got all my crockery in the kitchen and there's still space!  Consider this warning - I will be hosting dinner parties again, just as soon as I've gotten over the wretched lurgy.

Speaking of the lurgy I am ill.  Not properly, able to go to bed and be poorly ill, but that irritating, feel like poo but don't have enough of an illness to justify taking time of work sort of ill.  If you want to contact me, please do so by email or skype/msn as I'm not answering the phone right now due to croaking like a frog.

Lots of other stuff going on, but not sure I want to talk about it here, other than to say I love you all and I wish I could make it better.  I would if I could, but as my mum is fond of saying - my magic wand is out of batteries...  Oh and I'm sorry I was grumpy last week.  Lemme get over this cold and I'll make it up properly I promise!

Erm...

Whilst googling 'luthaisea'  (I'm vain and nosey, deal with it) I came across this  - http://www.scoop.it/t/larp/p/1048039706/luthaisea-s-kit-astrid-and-the-lorien-trust

It would appear my blog post on Astrid's kit now appears in some kind of online larp magazine?  Only I wasn't asked and I have no idea what it is or anything.  If you click on it it takes you to my blog and stuff and they don't make out they've written it or anything but still...  Should I be annoyed?  Do I want to get it taken down and if so how on earth do I go about that?

I have sod all internet savvy.  Please give advice?

So...  I went to my third LT event and my second Gathering. In general I coped so much better than last year.  I only had 3 panics (a vast improvement on last years weekend long panic), I managed to talk to people (normally from behind a handy Steve, Andy or Ruth, but it was still talking!) and I felt more IC and more comfortable in the setting.  I'm frustrated because I still didn't manage to stay up late and therefore missed out on fun stuff, panicked badly every time I needed to actually use my stats and being far more bothered than I'd like about not having someone I knew with me even if just for half an hour.

Some awesome points in no particular order -

The children's rite we watched.  A group of small and very small children talking to Erdreja about what to do if you have nightmares, how to cope, how to play buckaroo and giving Erdreja presents to make her feel better.  So unbelievably cute!  If they do the ritual to summon the giant teddy bear they've promised I want to be there to see that as well!

A little girl of maybe three solemnly informing me we're walking on a dragons egg.

So much to translate!  And handily in a script I already had in my notebook.  I can now read Norscan Runes.  It's slow and occasionally letter by letter but I can do it.  Which is kind of cool.

Putting in a research request to learn Mauritanian languages, being given access to the Orders Library and deciding to pay to use the big IC library.  Then first being given money from Tim's newbies have fun fund and then not needing it as the Bards Guild let us have our first requests for free!

Shopping!  Not really IC I know, but I do so dearly love wandering round the market place.  I've come away with a sword and dagger for next year, really pretty glass potion bottles, lots of weapons loops and a scroll tube.  Oh, and a hip flask!  I also have business cards for emailing about breastplates and pretty Cathayan style kit.

Taking tea to Ruth in Games Control.  Not really sure why this was fun, but I did enjoy keep wandering in and saying hi whilst plying her with tea.

Breakfast club.  So nice to be able to wake up in the morning and not wonder where everyone else was but to just be able to get up and dressed and head to a set point, secure in the knowledge there would be people I knew, bacon and tea.

The Pencethren IC tent.  Such a nice thing to have an IC safe space to hide in, where I either knew everyone or it was only one or two people I didn't know. It meant I had somewhere I could purposefully head to when entering camp and when I did lose everyone else I could hide in there and wait, with my notes or crochet calm in the knowledge someone would eventually turn up again.

Lord Dredd wandering in on Friday night an having a lovely 'I'm your big brother and I will look after you' type of chat.  Him agreeing to outlaw the stealing of beards was also genius!

Andy as Morgan collapsing under a voluntary debilitation after Dredd's body had been borne off to Mauritania. All of us pencethren newbies moved as one at that point.  I screamed the alarm, as Ingrid dropped esde him to see if he needed healing.  Once it had been established he was just exhausted Ingrid and I carrying him up to camp, Urzak, Thlora and Vexx guarding and Gaheris running on ahead to get water and clear the way.  We did a lot of shouting and I think we surprised a lot of people, as we'd mostly been fairly mild and nondescript til that point.

Being introduced to someone by Elspeth as 'this is Astrid, one of our scribes'.  I'm a scribe now!  Woo!

Being thanked for healing, even when I'd stuffed it up.

Being called fair maiden.

Snarking at Ingrid in that family - I love you, but goodness you bug me way

Avoiding becoming a healers guild oath-sworn and later finding out my 'boss' would have ordered me not to do it anyway so I'm not going to get into trouble for disobeying the War Marm.

Being invited to join the Unicorns Choir.  Too scary to actually contemplate, but nice to have been asked.

Using a herb.  Ok, it didn't work quite the way I'd intended it too, but it was fun to actually use one!

Some less good stuff, again in no real order -

Dredd being poisoned and the general rush to the ritual circle.  So scary.  I didn't know what to do, where I'd be needed and there were so many people I got stuck.

Dredd dying.  It was so emotional, and again quite scary, for not knowing what I should do or where I should go.

Freaking out in the monster room and needing Steve to stay with us thereby stopping him going and fighting things.  When am I going to manage to cope on my own?!

One of the traders telling me my ideas for kit were going too far and I'd be better just buying her stuff.  Maybe, but that's not how you win my money.

So, um yeah.  A busy long weekend!

Not a huge amount to say, but as I am currently feeling too poorly to do anything that doesn't involve sleeping or being curled up in bed I thought I'd update lj :)

Colin will be back from London for good tomorrow night!  This is hugely exciting!  He's been working there in the week for 2 months and I can honestly say it's been the worst two months I've had in Bath.  I have no idea how couples who are apart due to work and stuff do it.  I miss him horribly and I'm so tired all the time as I just don't sleep properly.  Still, one more night and he'll be back.  Even better, my parents (who he has been staying with) are refusing any kind of payment on the proviso he gets on and sorts the kitchen.  He's got next week off with a view to sorting finances, working out what sort of kitchen we can afford and getting quotes and what not organised.  Haiving a new kitchen will go a long way to making Colin being away worth it, it must be admitted!

Sewing hasn't been happening so much recently.  Not because I don't like sewing, but more because I've had an insane amount of babysitting and then I've taken advantage of thw weather to get out in the garden.  I've also been trying to sort out my bedroom which is very messy!  The comissions are starting to trickle back in though, so need to get sorted and back behind the machine!

Sam and I had a mini-adventure to Cardiff on Tuesday, which was a lot of fun.  Except for the bit where I forgot the joint account pin no.  That was less fun and as a result my personal account isn't quite as rosy as it was (it's still in the black, but no longer able to support my dream of a new shiny sewing machine).  Luckily, I've since remembered the pin and all is well with the world again!

Larp has been lots of fun recently.  If monstering the evil games is always that much fun I dunno if I'll bother with a new character.  I really did have the best of fun with my 3 monster roles of epic funsies!  Also enjoyed being Katrin on my birthday.  Ok, we as a party didn't do amazngly well at achievning our objectives, but Katrin had lots of good ideas and (I hope at least) managed to give the impression of being keen and wanting to help.  Slight flirting wth Tinker for fun as well :D  Really want to play this Sunday, but being good and monstering as there are lots of future games coming up that I want to play as well.

Have been trying out new hairstyles recently, in an effort to keep all my hair neatly out of the way, but so that it looks pretty.  I'm very bored of my college approved bun!  In furthering this effort I have a new set of combs and some lovely new hair flowers and scrunchies.

Had my first doctors appointment in years the other week, and now I'm back on medication.  Remembering to take the pills is tricky, but just about managing so far!  No visible signs of improvement just yet, but it takes about 6 weeks to kick in.  With this thought in mind I've dusted off the make-up bag in readiness for skin that won't hurt when I try to remove make-up!  CUrrently wandering where my most excellent Mary Quant make-up book as gone, as I'd like to practise some of those looks again, but it seems to have vanished into the aether currently...

I need to shoe shop at some point, as my current 'wedding outfit' only has kitten heels to go with it and as Colin's cousin's wedding reception is happening in a field I need flats.  Speaking of shopping, I got some gorgeous embroidered blue peacock feather fabric at a great price the other day.  That along with the wonderful fabrics Colin bought me for my birthday mean I have plenty to play with when I do get around to sewing for myself!

The roses in the back garden are in glorious bloom right now and I love it!  I really do adore roses, I'm wondering if I can convince Colin that we need a few more rose bushes?  The 6 we've got just aren't enough for me!  It's my dream to have enough roses to be able to fill every vase in the house and still leave roses blooming outside.  The cherry tree, gooseberry bush, violets, wild strawberries, blackcurrant bush and lavenders are all also growing exuberently which is good.  The aim this year is to make the patio somewhere tidy and nice to sit, then to make the garden at least vaguely tidy.  I'm not going to lose sleep over the odd buttercup and daisy, but I would like to have say 3/4 intentional plant 1/4 weeds, as opposed to the other way round which is what it seems to be now.

Right, getting sleepy (again).  Gonna go and have another nap I think.  Laters!

Huzzah!  I am freed from most of my deadline sewing by virtue of the deadline passing :)

Yesterday I played Rainbow for the first time and I had a lot of fun!  She's made friends with sprites, acquired a small but dedicated group of people who kept an eye on her and made sure she was ok, gave out loads of stickers, got flowers from a druid, hugged a stone and generally had a lovely time.  The kit was complimented and it also worked really well, in that I was warm but still able to move freely.  Oh and the most entertaining bit was the way she keeps managing to wander off despite being dressed in such eye smarting colours.

I'm managing to keep up with the housework at the moment, even if I am finding it boring to do.  There is compensation in the nice clean house I get to live in for the rest of the week, so I guess a dedicated day of chores isn't too bad.

I'm planning lots of homemade Christmas and birthday gifts right now and also thinking hard about stock for Stuff'n'Nonsense.

The small person is spending a lot of time with us at the moment which is nice.  This weekend coming she's arriving friday evening and staying til Sunday.  The downside is that means we'll have to suffer the homework moans (I don't wanna, I can't be bothered, it's too boring).  But on the plus side we can do fun things like baking cakes and sweets and heading off to the park.

I'm going to attempt to resurrect the sewing blog after I've finished typing this up so keep your eyes peeled on that!

This is beginning to be as disjointed as Rainbows report, so I'm going to stop and go do a write up of her kit instead...

Steampunk was awesome!  I had a great time.  Feels kind of odd to have not done any sewing for the past two days though.  I feel like I'm on holiday, but I'm not sure what I'm on holiday from, if that makes sense?

Anyhow, a GBU for anyone who is interested...

( ... )In other news, Colin is away til late on Sunday and I am missing him very, very much.  Sleep is becoming a thing of the past and the likelihood of me bursting into tears for no real reason rises with each passing I have to have my photo taken at work tomorrow (eep) and I had a lovely day fabric shopping and then crafting yesterday.  There shall be bunting!  Oh yes indeedy...

is what I'm currently having!

We went to the kit fair in the morning and not only did we get to the kit fair in plenty of time, having remembered all the things I meant to take with me (only had to run home once...) we got to the station in plenty of time taking an interesting walk.  One of these days I'll get better at navigating as a pedestrian...

Once we got to the kit fair we found Mini-Onion and Andy nice and easily and then shopping!  I think I managed to look at most things, though like last year, I don't think I saw everything.  Everyone I did talk to was friendly and it was lovely to see WITWS folk, and quite amusing to know that our rabbityness is still disconcerting.  Also nice to be recognised by people though somewhat embarrassing that I didn't always recognise them immediately.

I have a new coat to monster in!  It's from the RSC clothing stall and lovely and warm.  Black suede and ankle length.  It needs a little bit of work to tidy up the hem and clean it up but it fits beautifully and means I no longer have to chose between warm or dry.

I also have a new sword, so Katrin will have a longer reach and then won't favour the mace just because I can reach a bit further with it.  She also got plate greaves and vambraces so I can return Ryan's armour and this stuff looks a little more Katrin.  It's extremely plain and utilitarian. 

Kelsey got a lockpick roll of tools which are lovely and shiny.  I might take them to steampunk, as part of my antiquarian tools 'cos frankly they look the part better than a lot of the stuff I already have.  Speaking of steampunk, I may also have bought a little pistol gun.  Ivory handle and so pretty!  I can't use a gun or legally carry one ic but I just had to have it!  As I can license people to carry guns I may have to see if I can give myself a license and learn to use it for the next event..  Too late this time round, sadly.

After just missing the train home, we grabbed a snacky lunch in wetherspoons and got home about mid-afternoon.  I've managed to get a lot of sewing on tildes shirt done and cook roast chicken and all the trimmings.  Everyone has been chilled and it's just been so nice and relaxed.

Dinner was good and as Sam pointed out, the intellectual quality of our dinnertime conversation appears inversely proportional to the number of children we have sat at table with us. So we've been discussing Egypt, Tunisia and the Americans. 

Colin is now washing up, everyone else is either reading or playing Lego Harry Potter on the wii and I am stealing some internet times before Peter and Caroline turn up, fill up the lounge and help us play board games for the evening.