Mia Cupla! I got the location of the family vacation (oooh a rhyme!) slightly wrong... it was Cyprus NOT Crete... I've amended the original posting about it... but to those who were inadvertantly mislead by my geographical confusion... apologies!
However... this does pose the question... that I posed in the title... An EU ruling (you folks who don't come under the jurisdiction of the EU... count yourselves lucky!) has decreed that only Turkish Delight MADE and SOLD in TURKEY can be so called... everything else must be re-named... So... since the family visited Cyprus... I got a gift of Cyprus Delight :D Simples!
...For they shall prove tempting above one's will power!
My mother is back from the family holiday in Cyprus... and she's bought me yummies back (Because she couldn't think of anything else to get she says... Sounds a good enough reason to me! I am certainly NOT complaining)
Some... can be bought in a globalised form any Christmas time from the supermarket... but should be much more delicious in extra flavours and from a Turkish country... Yup... Turkish Delight! Others... are a truly original delight... biscuits from a local bakery... that have managed to survive the flight home! OMMMNOMMMMMNOMMMMMMMM! Alas... no paklava... (rhymes with balaclava)... but... one can't have everything... :)
Photo showing will be slightly delayed by the need to group everyone's photos together (as there's always someone who has managed to capture that moment you wish you had your camera for :D) ... The challenge is... will there be any Turkish Delight left to accompany it???
OK...To explain the post's title...
I've mentioned in previous blog posts that I have a powerchair... Well her (she is DEFINITELY female!) given
(by me) name is Querida Jaunita (Querida or QJ for short)... Her
official name... Quickie Jive... Ahem... Americans don't understand the
British sense of "humour" and British slang... and Quickie is an
American manufacturer of mobility products...As it is... her official
name is only on display on the bit of her body between her wheels so
it's not really visible to all and sundry! It could be worse... much
worse! Quickie manual wheelchairs have the brand name on the seat sling!
(Cue "interesting " (and most definitely strange) men whom you've only
seen for the first time that very time when they've yelled out at you
"Fancy a Quickie darlin'?" in the street...) Anyway to be on the safe
side... and because I have some friends with rather "quirky" senses of
humour... I have named her "Querida Juanita" (Asked For, God Provides...
Rather appropriate I think...)
Now
onto who Adriana is... Adriana is one of my live in carers... No I
don't have more than one live in carer at once... They work on a rota of
4 weeks at a time... and Adriana is my first one! She is lovely :D
Adriana
has of course met Querida... She was rather nervous of her at first.
But practice makes perfect (or nearer perfection) and she now gets along
with her very nicely indeed! In fact she surprised herself this
evening! :D
...
Can be found in all sorts of places... Having got a 3TB "Extension Hard Drive" through the mail today... and read Currys/PC World's definitions of various states of being (as usually applied to their products of course)... My wry sense of humour was aroused...
The following is a word for word excerpt from the "ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS" leaflet
What does "USED" mean?
A product is listed as "Used" or "Unsealed" when the manufacturers seal on the product box has been broken.
"Used" products may have minor wear or damage to the box, such as small tears, minor edge depressions, or appear a little aged. The product itself may be pristine or have very minor signs of handling or use, which do not affect the functionality of the product.
"Used" products may be aged stock, ex-display from a Currys PC World retail store, or an unwanted, opened product returned by a retail customer.
What does "REFURBISHED" mean?
When an item is listed as "Refurbished", this means the unit has undergone a process of mechanical repair, reworking, and/or parts replacement, to restore the unit to full working order.
What are Grade A Refurbished products?
Grade A refurbished products may possess very minor signs of cosmetic wear or handling, including light scratches or scuffs, which do not affect the performance of the product.
What are Grade B Refurbished products?
Grade B refurbished products may be cosmetically challenged, with more noticeable flaws and cosmetic wear, including scratches, chips, or other forms of cosmetic damage, which do not affect the performance of the unit.
Grade B products may have missing, or non-original parts (e.g. software, screw covers, rubber feet)
[End of excerpt]
OK... so by my reckoning I am a Grade B Refurb lol - people have been telling me for ages that I have a screw or two loose... or just plain missing... let alone screw covers! :D ....I do like the idea of being simply "cosmetically challenged" tho ;)
God bless the people at church who organise the refreshments before and mid-meeting! Hot,and cold drinks, and BISCUITS!!! (Always very popular with the young, and young at heart... and a service opportunity for the youngster who is selfless enough to go around with a plate of biccies offering them to everyone else!)
Of course, I have to be different, and drink hot chocolate and NOT drink coffee or tea... so I bring my own little tub of hot chocolate powder... and I am a bit ahem butter fingered with cups... so I bring a travel "cup" (one of those ceramic things with a rubber grip round it that is shaped like a cardboard cup from Mc Donalds.... but has a silicone top) to drink out of.
Today there were quite a few less of us than normal as it was the day of the Big Church Day Out... so lots of families were at that... So... for a change... I went up to the refreshments table (usually I stay clear as there are a lot of people around it... and powerchairchair vs lots of people in a small space (even power chair on lowest setting) is NOT a good idea!) So... anyway... I went up get my drink myself... and that must have flummoxed one of my church friends... as she put 3 teaspoons of chocolate powder in my cup... and then one of TEA... Voila! CHOCOLA-TEA! :D Bless her :D
...
Two behaviours not like me at all lol! Unless I am trying to get something to remove itself from my scanner/copier lid (the white padded bit seems to have some kind of magnetic properties for glossy finish card...)... so I have to flap said lid up and down a little to dislodge said item... Or I am trying to locate the cursor... which is also known as the pointer... which SHOULD be known as the curser... I am apt to mutter a bit under my breath then... not swear words... But lets just say I am not thinking nice thoughts about that little graphic that SHOULD be somewhere on my screen... but has disappeared... and is nowhere to be seen!
I remember once being able to press a couple of keys and the pointer/cursor/whatever it is would "ping" - sort of emit flashing lines... I can't remember however whether this was/is part of Windows... or I downloaded it from a website... Shame... as was very useful! All answers on the back of an electronic postage stamp please ;)
and roll... and roll... Good times had this lunch time and afternoon with new friends and old... Eating, chatting, laughing... Then back to a friends house where we all chatted and laughed some more... Part of what life is really about! All the more precious as it's something I've never experienced before... this sense of being somewhere where I actually fit in... for now at least... it's not my eternal home... but it makes such a difference to NOW... in ways that I can't really put into words...
But this isn't to say that friends from past times that aren't seen so much now are forgotten about and put on some dusty back shelf... Everyone who has gone through my life has made it what it is now... and that is a priceless gift...
I can't quite believe I am typing this... but... my craft stash is organised! (Well... relatively... In comparison to how things were... there is a HUGE improvement... Still not at the stage of labelling storage boxes tho lol!) However there is a LARGE box of boxes creating quite an obstacle in the living room right now (the boxes inside the large (cardboard) box are of the transparent plastic A5 size nature... bought to temporarily house the newly unmounted rubber from my traditional woodblock style stamps... of which I have quite a few... and then to be used for collecting all the bits I want for various cards BEFORE I start crafting... oh well that's the plan... LOL)
As for other areas of my life... for example FUNS related areas... well disorder is still the order of the day...
I am beginning to wonder if I will ever have a warm head again... and trying NOT to attract bemused looks when I go out wearing a thick fluffy top over my tshirt, despite the fact that it is actually blazing brilliant sunshine-y weather... (One could almost forget one is living in the United Kingdom - not exactly famed for its sunshine... more for its rain... LOL) Alas... in true British fashion... this spring/summer type weather is not forecasted to last till the end of the week... And then... well... we shall just have to wait and see when/if it decides to appear again...
On a slight diversion... I really MUST get my camera equipment (nothing fancy folks! Just a second hand DSLR, I am without a compact camera since last year when my "Little Nikki" as I have called disappeared... I am loopy enough to think it got jealous of the fact that "Big Nikki" (DSLR) had arrived on the scene - Nikki because both cameras were/are Nikons. It needn't have got jealous... I miss it! A compact camera is just the right size to pop in your handbag... great for snapping on the go! I dream of owning/being owned by a Nikon CSC (Compact System Camera)... but will have to save up a LOT for that... ) in good working order and KEEP it that way! Then next spring when the cherry blossom is out I will be able to get some lovely photos of the trees in the neighbourhood... Ah... the musings of an aspiring (very) amateur photographer....!
I am blessed to have so many people in my life who are a blessing!
Great times last night with two lovely, strong women, who know how to face life's tough times, but how life still provides PLENTY to laugh about too! Now THAT is strength! Oh and chocolate, marshmallows and strawberries as well.... Ommm nommmm nommmm! (Not really much more to say about that particular aspect of the evening is there really LOL!)
And then blessed times at church this morning... fellowship with an extraordinary group of people who just accepted me as I was when I turned up a little over a year ago, having moved to a completely new town, knowing only one very very special friend, and definitely not knowing how to get around ... and immediately made me feel right at home...! (Still don't know much about getting around the town... but have at least managed to memorise how to get to church and back! WAHOOZLE!!! :D Oh and the town planners thoughtfully put the town centre right in the middle of the route to church... so I (by accident rather than design) know how to get to there and back too :D)
All in all... this one rather crazy lady... feels very very very blessed to have so many lovely people in her life... (I will not comment on the state of their sanity... except to quote a paperblock design I once saw... "You don't have to be crazy to know me.... but it helps" ;) heeheehee!)
....But... I think Spring is back! The sun is shining.... the birds are singing... (I don't know what they are singing... but it sounds happy... Guess they are as fed up of miserable wet cold weather as we are!)
And...I've managed to get out in the garden to practice my photography skills on my flower "arch".... Sadly one flowering plant has faded in the weather since I first attempted this... but the other is just beginning to bloom... Ah well... next year I will hopefully get to capture BOTH of them in their full beauty!
I am LOLing all over the place right now (well actually that's a figure of speech otherwise it would be a case of ROTFLACGU - that's Rolling On The Floor Laughing And Can't Get Up... someone signposted me in the way of "textese for the middle aged"... and even though I don't think I am middle aged... they were a laugh at the time as some of them were totally accurate to my situation... I'd share more of them here, but I can't remember most of them now...) ANYWAY... I posted recently about all the lovely ladies whose card making talents I've seen ("It's Raining..." 13/5/2014) but apologising for seeming sexist in not mentioning men... Well... now I can! Thanks to Mr Richard Breaks whose blog
I have come across in today's wanderings... and he is proof that the men are equally as talented as the ladies :D
Ok.... there's a reason for the confusing title for this post... It's because what I'm going to tell you about a very confused animal... that we (my carer - more like minder LOL - and I) met when we were out (before we got drenched!)...
As we were on our way to the centre of where I live to get some lunch... and to make sure I don't start talking to the walls of my house (I'm nutty enough without that... objects yeah sure... my mobile phone, keys, the other shoe/sock... but walls?) /remember where I live (who am I again?)/become agoraphobic because I never go out... we passed a woman who had a cat following her... we mention it... and she explained that yes... this was her pet cat and they were just coming back from the shops... her cat often went for a walk with her, believing that it was actually more dog than cat...
So... so much for Rudyard Kipling ("I am the cat that walks by itself and all things are alike to me!")... and what should one call a cat that thinks it's a dog...???
....cat and dogs! (With a little hailstone mixed in...) Sorry to disappoint you ladies out there... but this was yet another occasion where The Weather Girls' prediction failed come to pass!
Nonetheless I had to "go out and get my self get absolutely soaking wet"... Which necessitated a change of clothing and a turning up of the thermostat on getting home...Oh and a nice hot mug of... squash... (I am attempting to limit my intake of hot chocolate... I know... the thought of limiting one's intake of chocolate in ANY form is shocking... and in practice very difficult... but... "A minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips" is too uncomfortably close to the truth if you are very limited in mobility! :'( ... )
So... having now dried out some and warmed up some... I am indulging myself in a calorie free way... by internet surfing and looking at the work of talented women (apologies if I have missed out some men... it's not intentional... just I haven't come across you yet ;) ) from all over the world who share the lifestyle (or maybe that's just me having too much time on my hands!) ...anyways... the passion that is card making...
...Most probably the answer is no... Either because you don't know me by any other means than this blog... OR you do have the (ahem .... sometimes seemingly dubious) "privilege" of knowing me in the physical world... and...since I have been going to college courses to actually LEARN how to use Photoshop for a year or so... have already heard me wax lyrical on its greatness... (and sometimes rant about its less than great quirks too lol!)
However... there is an area where the interests of Digital Single Lense Reflex (DSLR) photography - yet another of my interests which yet again I go to college courses about... the same great tutor teaches BOTH subjects... so she's had a lot of exposure to my ahem "quirkiness" - bless her... she's not yet run screaming in the other direction when she's seen me.... But ahem I digress... There is an area where DSLR photography and Adobe Photoshop meet! It's in the capacity of a DSLR camera to take RAW file photos (which contain only the basic information about the image, and the situation it was taken in)... which Adobe Photoshop RAW Converter then allows one to edit to a far greater capacity than then software that cameras (at least the cameras in the price range of most people in ordinary humdrum life with not fantastic incomes) are capable of.
Cue really great photos with colour all balanced out and exposure sorted... (You DO have to make sure you have focused properly tho lol!) Or.... you can get creative and wacky and play around with the settings to really alter the colour of photos... And applying the same set of "instructions" to a group of photos is easy.... just make sure you've loaded them all into the converted via Bridge, and selected them all before working on the top one...
Now.... what... you may be wondering... does any of this have to do with card making? Well.... photos make great "toppers" and focal points on cards... And then... having made a really nice card it would be a shame to not have a photographic record of it... for sentimental memory's sake... (Hey... I had to immortalise a chocolate egg made up like a penguin before I ate it .... Because it just looked too cute.... ref: post titled "Ommmnommnooooo") So having a good basic knowledge of photography skills, and a good basic knowledge of digital manipulation software, is kind of essential... (Hey... even if you think you are paparazzi level in your camera skills...(And that is NOT me by the way...I thank the person who came up with the digital camera because I don't have to worry about messing up shots due to camera shake, or anything else my arms can feel like throwing into the mix lol...I can just press playback and press delete if needed... simples!)... there's always the odd one that needs a little retouch...)
So... in divinely ordered methodical ways, one hobby feeds another, and another... :D
People who need glasses to find their glasses.....Are very myopic people in need of help!" (to badly misquote Barbara Streisand's song People)
I had thought that my mother's generous birthday gift of not one but TWO pairs of new glasses would solve this problem... (Plus cultivating a habit of putting said glasses in their cases and in my new tidy thingy (that is supposed to hold multiple remote controls... but does multiple glasses cases very well too...) at night.) Alas no... I have just proved the fatal flaw in my seemingly perfect plan... those moments when I take my glasses off and am not near my bedside table... Cue the very familiar comedy of errors whilst I go searching for the pair of glasses that I have taken off without the aid of wearing any glasses... I give up... and go find my dressing table... Ah ha! All is clear now (literally). I manage to locate the renegade pair of glasses... about 2 centimeters from where they ought to be (yes... I really am that short sighted)... and as I am wearing the pair of glasses I have designated as my bedtime pair (the less expensive pair)... I put the recalcitrant pair in their box, and in the tidy ready for tomorrow morning... And get all tucked up in bed... and proceed (with the aid of my glasses) to type this post...
Glasses wearers of the world unite.... Geek chic is cool... We have nothing to lose... but ... our glasses!
...
more and more and more creativity and inspiration to be creative! I am just thankful that OneNote automatically saves to SkyDrive so that I have been able to save copies of all the card maps/layouts that I am coming across, and copies of photos that generous cardmakers have posted of their fabulous creations using the card maps/layouts... to act as a mental spring board for my own creativity... my laptop's memory capacity would have been exhausted LOOOONG ago LOL! I also love the challenges that exist where the task is to use different techniques, or materials, or a colour scheme... All valuable learning/inspiration material! I've even got a "notebook" just for techniques/tutorials I've copied and pasted off of different blogs.... and I always look to see if the person who writes a blog I'm visiting has a link to another blog... It's a virtual rabbit's warren! Or maybe a better analogy is it's like a virtual Alice in Wonderland experience when she goes through the locked door.... except... each locked door leads to another room with another locked door (or even several locked doors... how exciting!!!) The best bit is, unlike in Wonderland, there's no need for tears in order to open them and get through them :D
I am overwhelmed at how many lovely people are sooooooooo creative and so generous as to share photos of the results of their creative outpourings on blogs...to inspire and encourage others! Then there are others who devote goodness knows how many hours to devising sketches/card maps to inspire people (like me!) who have the creative urge.... and maybe know a few card techniques... but don't really know where to start when it comes to deciding a card layout! As well as also making examples to inspire and encourage! That adds up to a LOT of fabulous creative people...! In case any of you end up following me.... THANK YOU!!!
I am... still... organising... BUT... I am nearer the starting creating cards end of that path than the starting organising end... and I can see that possibly in the not too distant future I might have two paths running alongside each other... (an "organising" path and a "creativity" path).... sometimes crossing each other... always in harmony (I hope!)... When this occurs... I too will share photos of my efforts... I feel it is good to record things... especially when the practical item is something that will be used/given to someone else... This way you always have something to look back on... What DID creative people do before cameras were invented???
