Snow

The last lot of snow hasn't even gone yet and we now have more. Lots more.  Bit fed up with snow now. If I wanted it that much I would move to the North Pole.

clART news

Well we have put our first batch of postcards up for sale on the website. Hopefully over the christmas holidays we'll be able to get together and work on the site some more - get some more photos and products up there!

We've had some really nice comments about the site (thank you) and I'm happy that we're heading in the right direction with it!

http://www.clart.co.uk 

Exciting news!

Himself and I have our own website!!

Earlier on in the year, we had an idea to form our own photography/art/design/promotions company and it has slowliy been taking form over the last few months.  The company is called clART.

The website is still under construction but I've been playing around with it and so far I'm quite pleased.

We have also taken delivery of our first batch of postcards, which we are planning to sell. The images used for them are the ones you can see on the website (with the exception of the QE II photo).

Please pop over to our site, have a peek and let us know what you think. We are happy to receive positive comments and constructive criticism!!

www.clart.co.uk

Blind Pony Appeal

I'm a big supporter of Tower Hills Stables - just wish I had more money to help out. Every little helps though. They do a fantastic job. Please join me in supporting them if you can!

Zombie Barbie (with fangs)

Zombie Barbie (with fangs), originally uploaded by jilleebee.

You wouldn't want this one in your toy box!!!

Scary Barbies

Hallowe'en ghost Barbie, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

In honour of it being Hallowe'en time I have been fiddling with the latest features in picnik on flickr and have made some silly scary Barbie pictures. Well they amuse me and keep me out of mischief!!

There were two in the bed.......

There were two in the bed......., originally uploaded by jilleebee.

Sharing graciously doesn't come into it sometimes as far as Ollie is concerned..........

Laura's wedding card

Laura's wedding card, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

I made this for a pal who is getting married next week in Italy!

strange statue/sculpture thingy

strange statue/sculpture thingy 365/210, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

I spotted this whilst walking from one of my new firm's offices to another. I'm sure its not meant to remind me of Marge Simpson but..........
Taken on my blackberry, whilst walking, hence the quality.

Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. I was literally 21 again (you can work it out!!).

I actually went into a bit of a Birthday Grump, which isn't really like me. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that its been so hot recently I haven't been able to manage more than a couple of hours unbroken sleep per night, which had left me feeling more than a bit cranky!!

I did manage to rally myself though and had a lovely day. I was extremely spoiled by Himself and my lovely family and the Barbie Army has 4 new recruits - including a Ken who looks disturbingly like Mark Owen from Take That!!

Other news is that I have had my hair chopped. Its never been the same since I tried very unsuccessfully to bleach it a few weeks ago. I made another mistake though by getting layers cut in, forgetting of course that it always looks fab when my hairdresser drys and styles it; but tends to look like a well-used mop when I do!! I am liking its shortness though, much quicker to wash and cooler at night - I have extremely thick hair and it gets very hot under there!!

We went shopping today at the Metro Centre  http://www.metrocentre.uk.com/. I was meant to be looking for clothes for my new job, which I start on Monday; however, I came home with a new skirt, dress and two tops, none of which are really work-friendly!! they were all reduced in the sales though (apart from one top but I got a 10% discount on it as it was a display model!!).

I also got these shoes  http://tinyurl.com/39tag3c

Anyone who knows me will be aware that I don't do high heels, largely because I cannot walk in them in the slightest, but I NEEDED these shoes and if necessary I will use a zimmer frame whenever I wear them!

Card for Claire

Card for Claire, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

I made this as a thank you card for my ex-work buddy, Claire, who made working in my last job not only bearable but also a joy on a daily basis!

This is the thank you card referred to in my previous post and I am pleased to confirm that it was posted today!

Time.....

I have come to the conclusion that no matter how much time you have off work, it is never ever enough.

For example, my contract for my last job ended on 30^th June and I have not worked since. That was two weeks ago and in that time I have done nothing of note. I had a fantasy that I would get the house sorted out; I would make loads of cards and ATCs, I would go out on photographic expeditions. I have done none of this. In fact, I don’t know what I have actually done.  Apart from the obvious job-hunting etc., I seem to have lived in a perpetual Saturday; i.e. I have a late night, I get up later than on a work day (as late as Marmite will let me anyway), I give the pets their breakfast, make myself a cup of tea, switch on the pc and after what feels like 5 minutes realise that its actually 6pm and the day has vanished!

The good news is that I have had a verbal job offer and hope to start on 26^th July. This gives me 10 days of “free” time.  I wonder how many of the things I need to do (for example, posting the thank you card that I made last week and which has sat on my desk ever since…..) will actually get done…hmmmmm….let’s see shall we?

Marmite & Me

Had to share this! Photo by Himself - shame about me looking somewhat witless or like I'm about to sneeze  in the background!

the things you do for the love of photography.....

the things you do for the love of photography....., originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Mr S was determinted to take the perfect shot......

Pony in Motion

Pony in Motion, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Cute little pony we encountered the other night. He was so friendly and came over both times we passed for a rub!

Tight Squeeze

Tight Squeeze, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Just managed to squeeze this handsome chap into the frame....I do love horses, such magnificent animals!

Pink Mile 2010

Pink Mile 2010 365/178, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Mam and Ollie on the Pink Mile Walk today. We all had a fabulous time!

Trying To Get A Nice Photo Of Marmite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not an easy task! Marmite is incredibly handsome and photogenic (I am biased but its a fact); however, he was not in a Sitting Still And Posing fettle so I had to employ some creative photo taking techniques which resulted in myself and Parker making unexpected guest appearances.............

Sonic Rock Solstice

Pre-med 365/170, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Last weekend we travelled down to Wales to attend the Sonic Rock Solstice. Wow! What a fab time we had!! The weather was lovely, we met some great people, the music was amazing and basically everything except our tent was perfect!

The tent was a bit of a disaster. Several years ago I went to Glastonbury with some friends and one of the party had a pop up tent. At the time it was somewhat revolutionary and an object of awe and wonderment. Easy to put up; easy to pack away - and quite roomy into the bargain. So ,when I bought my lovely new pink pop up tent a couple of weeks ago, I expected something even better; given the passage of time and advances in technology.

What I actually got was an apology for a tent that my Barbies (not to mention Himself) would be embarrassed to be seen in public with. Comments from our fellow festival-goers included "what, there are TWO of you sleeping in there??" and "....I thought we had the worst tent....."

We also caused major amusement when it came to folding the damn thing back up too. Firstly the instructions were incomplete (I feel a complaint letter coming on.....) and secondly, no matter what we did we could NOT get it small enough to go back in its carry case thingy. In the end we had to tie it together using the guy ropes and pile loads of stuff on top of it in case it decided to sproing open in the car on the way home!!

The journey home is worthy of a post of its own so I will leave this for now and come back to it later! Stay tuned for the next thrilling episode folks!!

Little Jack Parkerpants

Little Jack Parkerpants 365/163, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

This rather handsome boy came to stay with us today.

His name is Jack (at the moment) although we are considering changing it to Parker as I think he looks like Parker from Thunderbirds!!

All is going well so far and he seems to be settling in. Kevin and Betty are fascinated (and a bit scared) as they have only ever seen black cats!

The quality is a bit rubbish as I didn't want to scare him with a flash.

Barbie Army!

Barbie Army! 365/153, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

The Barbie Army in their full glory.

A whole lotta pink going on there............

Bailey's Plaque

Bailey's Plaque 365/162, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Himself spotted this plaque on a bench at the beach that we must have walked past 100 times and never noticed before.

So touching. It brought a lump to my throat.

Its a bit hard to read in the photo so this is what it says:

"In loving memory of our bright eyed Bailey Boy who was born a dog and died a gentleman"

B&B

B&B 365/156, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Today's 365 photo.

Betty wasn't quite sure what she thought of the latest Barbie Army recruit........

This was taken on my Blackberry and the flash didn't fire, hence the not so brilliant quality!

Time flies.............

I just looked at the time and got a shock! How is it so late already??!!

I've been sucked into twitter and flickr for a good couple of hours without even realising it!

If you like excellent photos or cats or both check out his blog. There are some wonderful stories (you might need a hanky at times - I do!!) and some amazing photos.


http://feral-kitten-rescue.blogspot.com/

Beach Walk

We went for a little walk on the beach last night.

Ollie was a bit deranged and got a fright from a sandcastle!

The weather was gorgeous though and it was a nice little trip out.

Oops

I didn't really mean to add this to my blog, it was meant to go to twitter but, well, it happened and here it is!



Horse 365/144, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Quite amused by the glow of the horse's tiara on this one! Used the Picnik HDRish effect on flickr for an added bit of oomph.

Owd Tyke

Owd Tyke 365/149, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

A 365 photo......One man and his beer............fiddled with on photoshop, I think cutout was the button I pressed this time!

Anniversary Time!

I'm pleased that my dear friend Mrs B is back from her anniversary break as I can now post a picture of the anniversary card I made for her and her lovely hubby!

A very Happy First Anniversary to you both! I can't believe its a year already!!

By the way people you must check out Mrs B's blog - go on - do it - you know you want to!!

http://likenailingjellytoatree.blogspot.com/

Hello Dolly...

Hello Dolly..., originally uploaded by Star Cat.

How adorable is this cat? I so wish I lived in the US, if I did I would adopt her right away!

Hot Dog

Hot Dog, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Saturday 22nd May was definitely the hottest day of the year so far and not a good time to be wearing a fur coat!

Tongue

Tongue 365/141, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Check out the size of that tongue!!

Nature

Tonight, Himself and I took ourselves off to a nearby 24 hour supermarket at around 3am.  I appreciate that to most people this is Not Normal, however we'd had a little sleepy earlier on and we Needed Stuff.........

The shop we went to was further away than our local one and, frankly, we'd rather travel further to that one as we have vowed never to set foot in the local one again (see earlier posts for details!)

We managed to spend a fortune on nothing just for a change but as there were a few little treats in there (including an expensive photography magazine, which is your fault Mrs B!!) we couldn't grumble too much!!

On the way up we had stopped the car and turned round because we saw a hedgehog on the other side of the road. we went to move it but unfortunately someone had hit it with a car and the poor little thing was dead. This put a bit of a dampener on our shopping trip, as you can imagine.  Further up the road there were loads of bunny rabbits frolicking about. I had to drive very slowly and carefully in case any of them made a suicide jump in front of the car. Luckily they all decided they were happy to be alive tonight.

On the way home, neither of us could face going by the little dead hedgehog again so we went a more scenic route and were very pleased that we did for we saw a fox and her cubs!!  The silly things were stood in the middle of the road (why do they do that when there are fields for miles around???) but as I was on Extreme Wildlife Alert I was driving very slowly. I wish it had been a bit lighter so we could have seen them clearer. They are such beautiful creatures and seeing them kind of made up for the Sad Hedgehog Incident.

Cat Rescue

When we got our kittens, Kevin and Betty, they came from a local cat rescue. They were feral kittens whose mother had been run over and killed. Luckily they were found by a passer-by who took them to the nearest vet. The vet passed them on to the rescue people who, in turn, passed them on to us - this is an abridged version of the whole story!

Following the death of my beloved Percy, Himself and I thought that Marmite was missing catty company, as he'd always until that point had cat brothers. He still had Ollie, of course, but he needed someone who spoke fluent cat, rather than pigeon cat.

We went through lots of thoughts and emotions around bringing another cat into the household; what if they didn’t get on? That would be a disaster of epic proportions…..

I found a website for a local cat rescue charity, and emailed to say I was interested in perhaps fostering cats. Between us, himself and I really truly thought that we would get a call to say some poor ancient and falling apart moggy was in desperate need of care and could we help out? We fantasised that this poor sad mog would fit into the household perfectly and would stay with us forever………..

When I did get the call, it went something like this..........

Cat Lady: Hi. You’re looking to foster cats?

Me: oh yes, really looking forward to it!

Cat Lady: That’s great – how do you feel about kittens?

Well this wasn’t what we were expecting at all……….I looked at himself and mouthed the word “kittens” – he looked vaguely alarmed……..

Me: Well,……..we hadn’t really thought about kittens…..

Cat Lady: (having rang back because the said kittens had disconnected her phone) Well I have two, they are about 6 weeks old, hand reared and it would be great if you could foster them……..

Me: (having rang the Cat Lady back again because the said kittens had disconnected her phone again) Well ok…..I suppose it wouldn’t harm for a short while……..

Cat Lady: (having rang back yet again for the same reason) Great – see you Tuesday!

When I went to the house to collect the kittens and I first saw them, I thought I was the victim of some sort of elaborate prank. These weren’t kittens….they were hamsters surely!! I have never in my life seen such tiny kittens!!

Initially, there was a great deal of hissing and back arching – the kittens were hilarious – hamster sized kitties setting themselves at a large dog and cat!! But after a couple of weeks it all settled down!

After they had been with us for a couple of months (and they had managed to completely wreck the house) we got the dreaded call……..someone wanted to come and see them……..we went into immediate panic/survival mode. Who was this person to think she could come and take away our little charges? We had brought them up, fed them, played with them, educated them, cleaned up after them – how could we trust someone else to care for them as we had????

As I had spent the preceding few weeks assuring people that I would have no problem handing them over when the time came, I made a brave show of it but at the last moment Himself intervened and the decision was made. They would stay with us!!

Anyway the rest, as they say, is history!

A drop of Baileys

A drop of Baileys 365/131, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

One of my 365 photos.

The girls are getting ready for a big night out. That is one sizeable bottle of Baileys, and they are having it *before* they go to the pub? I think its going to be a messy one.......

Kev Daisy ATC

Kev Daisy ATC - Traded, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

I made this as a special order for one of my lovely trade ladies! Hope she likes it - it came out better than I thought :-)

New Widget!!

I just added the NeoCounter widget today. So far it looks a little sad as I've been the only visitor to my blog since I added it! Hope it fills up soon :-))

If you are a visitor, please feel free to say hello!

Dougal

Dougal 365/130, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Its 7 years today since we lost our beloved Dougal. He was one in a million and we still miss him every day.

This is a favourite photo of him. I used it as my 365 photo for today, which is a bit of a cheat as a) clearly it wasn't taken today and b) I suspect it might have been taken by Himself. However, it doesn't matter as Dougal deserves to be today's special picture.

Not Impressed

Not Impressed 365/125, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

One of my 365 photos.

Betty was NOT impressed at being picked up and photographed in this manner as, I think, her expression indicates!! You can see how tiny she is compared to Himself's hands.

Quite like the strange funky colours, not quite sure how that happened!

Purple Sprouting Broccoli

Purple Sprouting Broccoli 365/125, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

I have this growing in a pot in my yard. I'm amazed it has done so well this year as last year it got totally munched by snails!

Teddy Bear's Picnic #2 ATC

023, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

For a swap on ATCs_4_Everyone. The teddy photo is by me, photoshop frame, background by me, hat from Ten Two Studios.

Teddy Bears' Picnic #1 ATC

Teddy Bears' Picnic #1 ATC - Traded, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

For a swap on ATCs_4_Everyone. The teddy photo is by me, photoshop frame, background by me, hat from Ten Two Studios.

Fancy Hat Waterfall ATC

Fancy Hat Waterfall ATC - Traded, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Waterfall card (from Joanna Sheen cd) for ATCs_4_Everyone Hats swap.

I think its a bit wonky unfortunately but, hey, art is not meant to be perfect!!

Nice Hat ATC

Nice Hat ATC - Traded, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

Made for a Hats swap on ATCs_4_Everyone.

Image from Joanna Sheen cd.

Interview

Interview 365/118, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

This is where I had an interview on Wednesday.

Well, not precisely in this spot but in the cemetery offices!! Sadly it seems I did not get the job, which is a shame as at least I could have had interesting lunchtime walks!!

Trip to Auld Reekie

It was Himself's birthday on Thursday so we went to Edinburgh for an overnight stay.

We love Edinburgh, in fact we lived there for a few years and we would probably go back tomorrow if we could.

I'm a bit disappointed by the decision to introduce trams. When I first heard about it, I had romantic visions of old fashioned trams, gently trundling through the streets, not something that looks like it has escaped from Blade Runner!! I have doubts about this but I shall have to reserve judgement until I see it in action (and check out the prices of course). http://tinyurl.com/2ufw5mm

I just think it’s a shame that such a beautiful city with so much going for it cannot live by the maxim that if its not broken, don’t fix it!

Notwithstanding our surprise over the recent changes in the city (and not all for the best either in my opinion) we had a lovely time. Typically, the weather was unkind and it peed down yesterday, which limited the photographic opportunities a bit but who cares, eh? It was just nice to be back "home" for a while!

Edinburgh Fashions!!

The Royal Mile, one of my favourite ever streets.

This was the view from our hotel room - very picturesque!!

Lunch at Deacon Brodie's Tavern. It was lovely and highly recommended!

We didn't do any sunbathing!!

A bucket full of gin in the window of the whisky shop!!

Summer Dress

summer dress 365/110, originally uploaded by jilleebee needs to make more cards!.

This is for a swap in the Art Papercraft Group on flickr. It has worked out better than I thought. I'll be finishing off the Spring one to go with it tonight. I had wanted to do some sort of floaty weddingy type dress but the practicalities of it have got in the way a little. I need to work on the idea!

Note to self

This is a reminder to me to do a post about the joke of a town that I live in.  You couldnt make up the stuff that goes on here.....stay tuned folks!!

Enough!

Enough!, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

From the expression on her face, I think Betty was getting more than a little annoyed with me shoving the camera in her face while she was trying to have a snooze in the morning sunshine.

Not sure if I'm going to use this as today's 365 picture or not....let's see what the rest of the day brings first!

Family feet

Family feet 365/107, originally uploaded by jilleebee.

Had a run out into the country yesterday.

This was meant to be a snap of the interesting cracks in the ground, but all our feet got in on the act!

I didnt even notice mine until I got home and downloaded the picture!

Hilda meets Percy the (would-be) Gerbil Slayer

In tribute to my little Percy, this is a story I wrote back in 2002

I was absolutely gutted when my lovely gerbil, Harry, died. “No more!” was the cry in the house – but not from me, I hasten to add.

I bided my time for at least a whole week, or maybe even two, and then managed to work it into the conversation that the local pet shop had baby gerbils for sale. The babies were sooooo cute, I explained, and it was a shame – nay, an insult to the memory of my dearly departed Harry to leave his old home empty. However, my pleas fell on deaf ears.

They say that good things come to those who wait and wait I did. My big chance came when my other-half went away for a few days the following weekend. I rubbed my hands together with glee and thought “Ha!”.

I had barely finished waving him off when I just so happened to need to pop into the pet shop for a few bits and bobs and, oh dear me, somehow I seemed to emerge with a tiny chocolate brown bundle, whom I named Hilda.

I settled my new baby into Harry’s old home, a cat-proof glass tank. After making sure she had all the comforts a gerbil could possibly need, I shooed the cats and dog away and left her to get acquainted with her new surroundings. After an hour or so I popped up to see how Hilda was getting on and as there was no sign of movement from the tank, I left her to it - well pleased with myself that she had settled down so fast.

I went off downstairs to wash the dishes, which was interrupted by the phone ringing – the man himself. Taking a deep breath I broke the news about the new addition to the family, which he actually took quite well in the circumstances.

Hilda

After the call, I resumed my dish-washing but was distracted by Dougal howling and yowling. Now, this is not unusual for Dougal as he is a very vocal cat but a slightly desperate tone made me stop what I was doing and go and investigate.

Dougal

Perhaps at this point I should mention that, apart from a very brief flirtation which ended abruptly when Dougal was run over, my cats are strictly indoor cats so I have never had to deal with the usual trail of tiny dismembered corpses that other cat owners seem to take in their stride. So, I was absolutely horrified to come face to face on the stairs with Percy – who had a seemingly lifeless Hilda hanging from his mouth by her tail!

Of course, being the level-headed, calm-in-a-crisis sort that I am, I started flapping about and yelling at Percy to drop Hilda NOW! Percy, having caught the wee escapologist, didn’t seem to quite know what to do with her and stood rooted to the spot with a look of “what on earth do I do now?” on his face, while Dougal yowled on for me to save the gerbil (he’s a strange one) and Reg (the dog) looked vaguely amused.

Reg

After a few seconds, which felt like hours, Percy ran off but not before dropping Hilda who, to my relief, wasn’t dead but was in severe shock. Dougal and Reg also high-tailed it out of there and left me with the poor traumatised rodent to deal with. Have you ever seen a scared gerbil? Boy, can they jump. I was trying to catch her and she was jumping literally about 3 feet into the air! Eventually, with the assistance of a woolly hat, I managed to grab her and thankfully, apart from a minor flesh wound near her eye, she seemed ok.

I later realised that she had escaped via the hole in the lid of the tank where the water bottle fitted. No wonder she had seemed quiet when I checked on her – she must have been out and about!

Two and a half years later, Hilda is still going strong. She’s a big fat pudding now and strangely enough, after her brush with Percy the (would be) Gerbil Slayer, she never seemed that interested in going for adventures outside of her safe, warm home!

Percy

After due consideration, Percy decided not to pursue his career as a rodent hunter as it was an awful lot of hard work and he received no recognition for his achievements!

October 2002