Back on the blogwagon...

Hello all,

AWOL chicken here, reporting for duty again... after quite a long time away.

Ever since I finished my dissertation, I've had much more free time (especially during the fortnight that NBM was away), but I've been finding it quite a challenge to actually get on with anything in said free time. I've been flitting about and doing odds and ends, but I haven't really accomplished anything note-worthy or blog-worthy. Equally, I've fallen by the wayside with blogging itself. I'm just hoping that my blogging mojo will return at some point soon.

So, I'm not feeling especially inspired, but I'm checking in just to say hello. And to find out whether squatters have moved into my blog whilst I've been gone :o)

I do also have a quick pic to share, in the form of ISTWIWOAAAILI Saturdays #5 - this week, brought to you in the very rare and exclusive Wednesday edition!


More street art (with a rather dapper-looking gentleman in the background - although he does mar the look a little with the addition of the Sains bag, I feel). I love street art. I warn you now, I have quite a lot of other street art piccies stored up for future ISTWIWOAAAILI posts. But I'll try and spread them out a bit, for those of you who aren't so keen :o)

Anyway, that's all for now... but, like Arnie: I'll be back :o)

ISTWIWOAAAILI Saturdays #4

This week: puppy sculpture! Hurrah!

I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy the stone fish / dolphin / dragon picture last week. To answer the various questions: it's not at ground level - it's actually quite high up, above the doorway of a building, so looking closely is a bit tricky. And yes, Charlie P, it's in Bristol - you can have a very small prize if you can work out where!

In other news, the NBM is back - a little grumpy from the jet-lag, but otherwise right as rain. Only she's standing here looking like she wants a shot on the computer, so I'd best pootle off.

Cheerio for now...

ISTWIWOAAAILI Saturdays #3

I like this stone. A lot. I walk past it every day, but I didn't really look at it properly until recently. Funny how that happens sometimes. Anyway, now I can't stop looking at it! I particularly like the flared nostrils :o)

'I saw this when I was out and about and I liked it' Saturdays #2

Not a special plant, there was something very beautiful about the colour combinations, especially after a downpour of very heavy rain.

A bid for freedom... and a request for advice

My girl is going away. All the way to America for two weeks, with work.

The monkeys don't want her to leave.


I don't want her to leave either :o(

On the up side, I will have all the time I want to knit, and read blogs, and watch Columbo (the NBM is not a fan - the philistine). But I'm still sad that she's going.

But anyhoo, moving on to the other part of my post title: I'm after some advice from any sewists reading this. I want to buy some scissors for cutting fabric, and I'm not sure what I should get. If you sew: what types / sizes / makes of fabric scissors do you use? And do you like what you have? Any info gratefully received as I don't have a clue :o)

Oops, better go - NBM needs help packing...

Introducing a new Saturday feature...

... that, for want of a better title, I will be calling:

'I saw this when I was out and about and I liked it' Saturdays

Now that I have a camera of my own, I've been looking out for things to snap that I see when I'm out and about, and I've been surprised by how many little things I've spotted that are interesting, or inspiring, or amusing, or just look good.

So without further ado, here is ISTWIWOAAAILI Saturdays #1:


Not the best picture, but you'll see why I like it :o)

Rightio, I need to go and prepare myself for this evening's spectacular cultural event. But one quick thing before I go: Karen Lizzie, I don't know if you'll read this, but thank you for your very moving comment on my last post (and thanks also to others who left kind comments about my 10k run).

Over and out for now,
VCxx

The Vicious Magpie

Some of you may remember that I have a fondness for shiny, shiny things. Some may also remember, however, that my two best shiny, shiny things got reappropriated by various knitted monkeys.

This weekend I succumbed (again) to the lure of the shiny, shiny thing:


This one I didn't have to run quite so far for - just 10k - but it's still lovely and shiny. I plan to keep it well out of the monkeys' reach this time :o)

In other news, the pictures in this post are brought to you by MY NEW CAMERA! Which, in fact, is the same camera that was used to take all the other pics on my entire blog... but the thing is, the NBM has upgraded to a new camera, and so I've inherited her old Canon Ixus - my first digital camera :o)

And in other other news: is anyone else excited about this....?

... because I am! Bit geeky, I know - but I'm not sorry! ;o)

VCxx

PS. Sewing is progressing, but nothing to show-and-tell as yet. Watch this space.