I signed up for this short course. One of my passions, earth science. I've forgotten alot of what I learned a few years ago when I took Geology, but I have plenty of time on my hands and with the nights drawing in I could do with some intellectual reading. Perhaps this will get me back on the road to topping my BSc up to a BSc Hons over the next few years. I'll be able to research a volcano or earthquake for SXG390 (how cool is that!), and maybe go for the ultimate toughie Understanding the Continents (just look at those course reviews! Alot of hard work!). Might have to do someone's ironing to fund it though, LOL!
If any OUers out there have any of the S267 books gathering dust could I please borrow them. I sold mine on ebay earlier this year when we decorated and lost a ton of shelf space... I'm a fool...never part with books!
Mum and I also enrolled on a Spanish course at Gillingham Adult Education Centre for 20 weeks starting mid September. Will be good to get some speaking practice.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Miffed!
I only popped to the shops to get Sam a new school blazer, but was lured by a lady from Herbalife offering a free 1 minute body fat percentage test. I've always wondered what my body fat percentage is after watching Ian Barber of the A List Diet programme,Discovery Home & Health, commenting on the body fat percentage of various individuals.
I wasn't prepared when she told me mine was 39.something% (I'd said to Sam while we waited that I thought it'd be something like 32%) and my BMI was 27 (that I had expected because I'd checked it recently). Miffed but determined to get that figure down!
The lady's advice...less carbs, more protein. She identified that my diet is too high in carbs (I knew that because I don't like meat) and I need to make a bigger effort to have smaller snacks and include more protein (aside from cheese because of its fat content). Perhaps part of the problem is that I am very unimaginative and lazy in the kitchen and haven't discovered ways of making meat more appealing.
So let's see, more protein sources...nuts (and seeds?), yoghurt (I hate plain yoghurt, need to experiment with flavouring it), umm....what else?! Stumped! Time to think, what did I learn on the OU short course on nutrition?! The knowledge is in there somewhere, I just need to find it!
I wasn't prepared when she told me mine was 39.something% (I'd said to Sam while we waited that I thought it'd be something like 32%) and my BMI was 27 (that I had expected because I'd checked it recently). Miffed but determined to get that figure down!
The lady's advice...less carbs, more protein. She identified that my diet is too high in carbs (I knew that because I don't like meat) and I need to make a bigger effort to have smaller snacks and include more protein (aside from cheese because of its fat content). Perhaps part of the problem is that I am very unimaginative and lazy in the kitchen and haven't discovered ways of making meat more appealing.
So let's see, more protein sources...nuts (and seeds?), yoghurt (I hate plain yoghurt, need to experiment with flavouring it), umm....what else?! Stumped! Time to think, what did I learn on the OU short course on nutrition?! The knowledge is in there somewhere, I just need to find it!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Decorating
While I'm on the topic of decorating I realised I hadn't taken any photos of the 'study'/'den' below the conservatory. Does that sound odd? Our house is built on a slope, step out of the dining room (on ground level from the front of the house) into the conservatory, go downstairs through the study to the garden.
There's only a couple of jobs left to do...hide all the wires around the laptop, get certificates up on the wall (propped up on the bookshelves at the mo) and tidy under the stairs (to the left of the photo below, behind the fan).
New bookcase from Ikea. Very strong. Contains OU books and fave novels I don't want to part with...
Computer corner, Lee made it from triangles of strong worktop, saves space!
My treadmill, closed up 'cos I haven't been on it since we got back from Spain! It's usually turned sideways facing the window for breeze and scenery!
Wandered around the garden with my camera,
here's our new (always full lately!)waterbutt and compost bin...
and the lettuces...I moved a few to the flowerbed and they like it better there than in the veggie plot!
I have red lettuces ready to plant out, but I've run out of room!
Last weekend Lee made some trellises (pl?) to support my tomato plants, he did a good job!
There's only a couple of jobs left to do...hide all the wires around the laptop, get certificates up on the wall (propped up on the bookshelves at the mo) and tidy under the stairs (to the left of the photo below, behind the fan).
New bookcase from Ikea. Very strong. Contains OU books and fave novels I don't want to part with...
Computer corner, Lee made it from triangles of strong worktop, saves space!
My treadmill, closed up 'cos I haven't been on it since we got back from Spain! It's usually turned sideways facing the window for breeze and scenery!
Wandered around the garden with my camera,
here's our new (always full lately!)waterbutt and compost bin...
and the lettuces...I moved a few to the flowerbed and they like it better there than in the veggie plot!
I have red lettuces ready to plant out, but I've run out of room!
Last weekend Lee made some trellises (pl?) to support my tomato plants, he did a good job!
Standing joke
Hub and I joke that everytime he decorates it's sunny, and whenever he fancies a rest, or a day out, it rains. Yesterday he started plasterboarding the wall in the conservatory which has a huge settlement crack and removing the wobbly bannisters and spindles. Yep, you guessed it, out came the sun and it was HOT! Today he's been putting a ventilation pipe in the airing cupboard to vent into the loft (new British Gas regs, one pipe not good enough!), fixing an outdoor light for a neighbour, laying some new white stones under the window and in the flowerbed out the front, and yes, it's hot again!
Monday and Tuesday will be rest days before his nightshift...get your wellies ready....
Before:
First board up!
Last bit!
Look, no bannister or spindles!
Got some new blinds in the Argos sale, only ours are 6 ft long, bargain price of £2.99 each!
Shopping list:
corner computer desk
sofa
wallpaint (what colour? something earthy? Allow for fading!)
laminate flooring
Monday and Tuesday will be rest days before his nightshift...get your wellies ready....
Before:
First board up!
Last bit!
Look, no bannister or spindles!
Got some new blinds in the Argos sale, only ours are 6 ft long, bargain price of £2.99 each!
Shopping list:
corner computer desk
sofa
wallpaint (what colour? something earthy? Allow for fading!)
laminate flooring
Friday, August 24, 2007
Tracey, a friend from school, was telling me about Facebook about a month ago. Naturally (I love new stuff!) I ventured off into cyberspace to check it out. At the time I couldn't see much about it that was exciting, but having had another look today I discovered my sister had found me listed there. Now it seems lots of people I know use it...my brother in law, my cousin's wife (great as I'd lost their email address), some OU peeps (hi Nogbad!). Not as good as Friends Reunited for tracking down old school friends though as far as I can see, unless Facebookers set up profiles with their maiden names. It has photo storage space, that's always handy. Looks like it could be fun, I got me an aquarium to which Facebookers can add fish,
and a 'wall' and notebook on/in on which to leave comments. You can also view books being sold by facebookers on the Marketplace. I'll stick around there I think, although this blog and Sparkpeople will still be my main stays for my idle ramblings.
and a 'wall' and notebook on/in on which to leave comments. You can also view books being sold by facebookers on the Marketplace. I'll stick around there I think, although this blog and Sparkpeople will still be my main stays for my idle ramblings.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Entrepreneurism?
That's the biggest word anyone will get out of me this week!
Something to occupy me, and maybe raise some spending money for our next holiday - I've been creating practice maths Eleven Plus papers with answers for parents. Nothing flashy, just word documents, but with the type of questions that need practising. I've stuck a few on ebay. I'm now waiting to see if anyone buys! I don't suppose it'll make me rich but it'd be nice to think that I get a few pounds richer and some parents out there get to pay less than the papers that can be bought in stationers and on other websites. Luckily Sam is a whizz on Paint and put up with my grumbles as I huffed my way through trying to create seemingly simple stuff like this:
Definitely not a good earner per hour given my Paint skills, but it has kept me occupied :)
Something to occupy me, and maybe raise some spending money for our next holiday - I've been creating practice maths Eleven Plus papers with answers for parents. Nothing flashy, just word documents, but with the type of questions that need practising. I've stuck a few on ebay. I'm now waiting to see if anyone buys! I don't suppose it'll make me rich but it'd be nice to think that I get a few pounds richer and some parents out there get to pay less than the papers that can be bought in stationers and on other websites. Luckily Sam is a whizz on Paint and put up with my grumbles as I huffed my way through trying to create seemingly simple stuff like this:
Definitely not a good earner per hour given my Paint skills, but it has kept me occupied :)
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Post holiday blues
Ok, all good things must come to an end, and so they did at 4.30 am Thursday morning when we arrived back at home. How do people manage to sleep upright on planes? I never can, especially not with Sam's head on one knee and Kate's on the other, LOL! I see the weather here has been, erm, spring-like at best. My garden looks good though, I have some ripe tomatoes and huge lettuces!
I devoured 4 novels while we were away: Time for a change (Erica James), the Abortionist's Daughter, the finca owner lent this one to me and it was a brill read, a murder investigation, not my normal choice of book, but I'll be looking at reading more murder investigations I think), a 'chicklit' whose title escapes me and which I left out there, and Charlotte Bingham's In Distant Fields (a bit slow, not as good as other Bingham books I have read, not so much about WW1 as I had expected). I'm on my fifth, Jodi Picoult's Plain Truth, it's about the murder investigation of a newborn baby found in a barn in Amish Pennsylvania. This is the second book of hers that I have bought and I reckon I'll be buying more. I like her style. Best go update All Consuming with this lot!
The last week of our holiday was a good, if not better, than the first week.
On Sunday night Sam, Katie, mum and I sat out at 11.45pm on the sun loungers gazing at the most beautifully clear sky, filled with stars, and were treated to seeing what must have been more than 30 shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower in just over an hour(I lost count after 8 in my excitement!).At least I think they were part of the meteor shower, some may not have been, as they did not all come from the same direction. They were so bright, some bigger than others, one looked like a ball of fire it was so large. There were a couple of other moving objects with no fiery tails (not planes either!), perhaps they were satellites. It was one of the most amazing and exciting things I have ever seen. More exciting than the two nights when we saw the space station fly over (although that was an experience in itself). I would have stayed awake longer, wanting to see 'just one more', but everyone was exhausted and we toddled off to bed at 1am.
Monday was Sam's 14th birthday.
We went for a buffet chinese and bowling....
"do I really have to pose for another photo mum?"
"if I pray, will I get a Strike?"
Seeing as our flight wasn't until 1.05 am and we had to leave the finca at mid afternoon, on Wednesday we drove down to Benalmadena for something to eat,
and then on to Tivoli World amusement park until late evening when we had to set off for the airport...
Nanny and Grandad had to experience the wet ride with Sam and Katie!
While the bravest I got was a ride on the Big Wheel! I was braver than last time and managed to take some photos from way up there!
I much preferred the dodgems!
Sam and Katie, on the other hand, showed no fear...
Sorry the photos aren't up to scratch! I think I need to enrol on the OU's Digital Photography course!
Which brings me to a dilemma...how am I going to fill the winter months at home? Now that I'm not working I can't justify any big OU courses, although I do have a couple of Tesco vouchers and an OU gift voucher I can put towards a short course, maybe the Digital Photography or Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Earthquake course. What I want is a nice little job for 2 mornings a week, but most jobs in schools are for more hours than this. Tutoring is out of the question with hub's shift pattern. I have some ebaying to do. There's my Spanish and exercising, but I can't help but feel a bit uninspired by these because they are what I have been concentrating on since April. I get such itchy feet and am always after something new to do! Maybe I'll hear about scriptmarking for 2008.
Best go load the washing machine again...
I devoured 4 novels while we were away: Time for a change (Erica James), the Abortionist's Daughter, the finca owner lent this one to me and it was a brill read, a murder investigation, not my normal choice of book, but I'll be looking at reading more murder investigations I think), a 'chicklit' whose title escapes me and which I left out there, and Charlotte Bingham's In Distant Fields (a bit slow, not as good as other Bingham books I have read, not so much about WW1 as I had expected). I'm on my fifth, Jodi Picoult's Plain Truth, it's about the murder investigation of a newborn baby found in a barn in Amish Pennsylvania. This is the second book of hers that I have bought and I reckon I'll be buying more. I like her style. Best go update All Consuming with this lot!
The last week of our holiday was a good, if not better, than the first week.
On Sunday night Sam, Katie, mum and I sat out at 11.45pm on the sun loungers gazing at the most beautifully clear sky, filled with stars, and were treated to seeing what must have been more than 30 shooting stars from the Perseid meteor shower in just over an hour(I lost count after 8 in my excitement!).At least I think they were part of the meteor shower, some may not have been, as they did not all come from the same direction. They were so bright, some bigger than others, one looked like a ball of fire it was so large. There were a couple of other moving objects with no fiery tails (not planes either!), perhaps they were satellites. It was one of the most amazing and exciting things I have ever seen. More exciting than the two nights when we saw the space station fly over (although that was an experience in itself). I would have stayed awake longer, wanting to see 'just one more', but everyone was exhausted and we toddled off to bed at 1am.
Monday was Sam's 14th birthday.
We went for a buffet chinese and bowling....
"do I really have to pose for another photo mum?"
"if I pray, will I get a Strike?"
Seeing as our flight wasn't until 1.05 am and we had to leave the finca at mid afternoon, on Wednesday we drove down to Benalmadena for something to eat,
and then on to Tivoli World amusement park until late evening when we had to set off for the airport...
Nanny and Grandad had to experience the wet ride with Sam and Katie!
While the bravest I got was a ride on the Big Wheel! I was braver than last time and managed to take some photos from way up there!
I much preferred the dodgems!
Sam and Katie, on the other hand, showed no fear...
Sorry the photos aren't up to scratch! I think I need to enrol on the OU's Digital Photography course!
Which brings me to a dilemma...how am I going to fill the winter months at home? Now that I'm not working I can't justify any big OU courses, although I do have a couple of Tesco vouchers and an OU gift voucher I can put towards a short course, maybe the Digital Photography or Volcanoes, Tsunamis and Earthquake course. What I want is a nice little job for 2 mornings a week, but most jobs in schools are for more hours than this. Tutoring is out of the question with hub's shift pattern. I have some ebaying to do. There's my Spanish and exercising, but I can't help but feel a bit uninspired by these because they are what I have been concentrating on since April. I get such itchy feet and am always after something new to do! Maybe I'll hear about scriptmarking for 2008.
Best go load the washing machine again...
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Meal
Lee and I got dressed up and went to a lovely little restaurant in the old town of Alhaurin El Grande, Santiago's, with our friends, leaving mum and dad to babysit. We had a super 3 course meal...a very fancy prawn cocktail with avocado, Roast Duck with Dauphinoise potatoes and watercress, and Baileys cheesecake on an After Eight base. Divine!
We ate outside in a courtyard under lime trees, with low lighting and candles at the tables and the sound of running water from a fountain. Wonderful setting.
There was supposed to be a meteor shower here at about midnight (and again tonight), but I didn't see anything. Last week we watched the spacestation fly over the clear night sky, let's hope I can catch sight of a shooting star tonight, apparently they are seen easily here since there is so little light pollution.
Yesterday we ventured out in the extreme heat to Mijas to show mum and dad the lovely whitewashed houses and the smelly donkeys. This time it was far too hot, and after a quick look at the views to the coast and diving into the relatively cool tourist shops we came away exhausted and in need of a dip in the pool.
Today we are chilling out here at the finca while mum and dad visit Gibraltar. The temperature was into the 40s this morning, hence me sitting here inside blogging to escape the midday sun.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Holiday snaps
Us, watching the sunset with a Martini or two...
The sunset...
Bombing!
Happy Feet!
A brill invention...the fly gun! It really works and keeps the kids happy for days!
The sunset...
Bombing!
Happy Feet!
A brill invention...the fly gun! It really works and keeps the kids happy for days!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Sus vacaciones de Espana
Hola desde Coin en Espana! Nadamos cada dia porque el tiempo es caliente. He leido tres libros y no deseo venir a casa! Sam y Katie tienen gusto de jugar con el perro de Jackie y Martin. Su nombre es Peaches. Lee gusto de hablar con Martin. Mis padres llegan el viernes por seis noches.
Ese es todo para ahora.
Ese es todo para ahora.
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