Soothing Day

Oh what a beautiful morning ... calm, sunny, sweet air filled with bird song. I had to go out and film it, but on uploading my little epic, noticed that there’s a noise as the camera refocuses whether zooming in on an item or panning around.  Not too chuffed with that, especially as the camera was more than a few quid.  Might go back to using another one, which reminds me, must recharge the battery for that. Anyway, the little movie is on my Webshots page with the bird songs fighting with camera focusing mechanics.

Not done a lot this week, much like most weeks owing to health, or lack of it.  But did make an attempt at getting into crafting again.  However, it has taken hours and will take heaps more, to update my Gypsy and various Cricut machines.  What joy!  But it’s really nice being amongst all the crafty bits and pieces.  Just looking at them is an inspiration, so depending on how my legs are later today, I might hop (I wish) up to the Bubble and do some crafting.  Am itching to use the leafing flakes.  Got heaps more stamps that I want to try out and use my Promarkers on.

We got (that is, me) rid of the couch this week, as I was fed up that it required daily puffing and re-arranging of cushions.  Bought a fantastic Restwell chair that massages and heats – ohhhh – pure luxury.  Hubby put it all together but didn’t seem very enthusiastic even when invited to try it out.  Could have blown me over with a feather when he asked me to order him one too!  So the chair that went with the couch has gone.  Needless to say, Aurora is at a total loss as to where it is.  She used to sit on the arm of it so that I could brush her.  Now she comes up real close for her grooming, but wanders round in circles.  She’s also taken a fancy to my new chair, so whenever I fancy a relaxing seat in it – forget it – she’s snoring her head off in a dreamland of comfort.  I did wonder if Restwell make large cat size chairs so that I can at least have half an hour of pampering.

Hubby’s been busy building model fire engines of yesteryear, really lovely and has made a start on a doll’s house for moi.  We might win the lotto and get the real thing built haha  He did a lovely gypsy caravan as well, which is crying out for a suitably sized model horse.  I quite fancy a Clydesdale festooned in shiny brass and leather, so we're keeping our eyes open for something that fits the bill.  I’ve noticed a few of my crafty bits being ‘adopted’ for his little creations.  Hmmmm ... but it’s worth it as the results are so beautiful.  Will put photos of his handiwork on soon-ish.

Went out yesterday for the first time in quite a while. Don't always paint the face, but decided to at the last minute.  It wasn't until very much later, in the evening, I realised I'd completely forgotten to put on mascara!  I have been known to just put lipstick on top or bottom lip, but haven't yet just mascara-ed one eye.  So I guess it's a blessing I forgot to do both, although would have been quite amusing.

Time to finish off this cuppa and make another, then I might be fully awake and ready to get going.  Have a good day all, and happy crafting :) Susan

p.s. Just opened the curtains only to discover that herself (Aurora) has, at some time during the night, left a little deposit of the hairball variety. Yuck!  So, the coffee is on hold until that is cleared up.  It might explain why I found her sitting in the empty bath this morning - she does that sometimes - mad cat.  One day she'll remain there long enough for me to snatch a photo.  Perhaps she was hinting that she wanted a bath - but as that's a two-man task, if necessary, would have to wait until hubby surfaces from snoozies. She's a BIG cat.  Never a dull moment eh?

A Precious Calm

Have to share this moment.  Owing to my star-gazing interest and the fact my braincell decided to wake up in the wee small hours, I decided to go stand at the front door to see if there’s any Lyrids scooting about the night sky.  Made a quick check on a weather website that our skies would be clear enough and they are.

Directly above lazily lays the Plough and many twinklers punctuating night’s dark curtain. Lyrids? Nope. But I could hear the most gentle lappings of the little ocean waves plop onto the shore. That is as rare as hen’s teeth for here, so I stood on the cool doorstep in 6c temp with a wind (ha!) of 3mph, and glorified at the soothing sand slaps of the salt carrier on the nearby beaches.

A smile crept over my face, like a child seeing fireworks for the first time, or a Christmas tree.  We live in a place where the next port of call is somewhere in Canada, so the sea is frequently busy, sometimes horrendously so.  For to experience the pleasure of listening to those almost inaudible waves arrive on our shore truly is something to wonder at and remember forever.

For sure, sunny days, especially consecutive ones, are a real treat, especially if quite a few of them join up to be called summer.  But this was a unique moment of sheer bliss and as much a gift of nature as the Aurora Borealis dancers. Sighs ... smiles ... and soothing calms to you all for sharing in my little quiet moment :) Susan

CME/PWS Update

Happy to say the PWS is behaving this morning...yipee!  The CME Rascal must have got bored with my anemometer.  Am not awake, had only a couple of sips of coffee but read that little Mercury, with its magnetic field of ~10 as strong as Earth’s, is getting hammered by the latest CMEs. I didn’t know it had a comet-like tail – fascinating.  If I win the lotto, will invest in a telescope along with a house that has a special glass globe in the attic and watch the magic wonders constantly offered by the night sky. I can dream :)  Uh oh – wait.  Just glanced at the PWS and it’s misbehaving again, but only periodically.  Remnants of that CME must still be lurking around. Have a good day everyone :) Susan

CME RASCAL

Well, the CME Rogue, all 25% of it, is sitting on my roof, having a great time poking a stick in the anemometer spokes. Data is running from 20+mph - 0 mph in a second.  And I've just read another CME is on its way next week.  Sighs ... what joy :( Everything else is working fine, only the wind data.

Been crafting today, now waiting for things to dry before I can embellish it a bit more. Can hardly wait to add a photo of this one, but it'll be a week or so as am waiting on other orders. Not to forget that I need a search team to find two particular items in the Bubble. Crafting is a happy passtime :) Susan

CME ROGUE

Well, this morning my personal weather station (PWS) is playing up. I know it can't be the 'Jamming' fiasco, but wondering if a rogue CME is causing intermittent data being picked up on the PWS. It's going from 11mph to 0mp then back up to 13mph and back to 0mph. Mechanically, the anemometer wouldn't be able to do that, unless there's a gremlim perched on the roof, poking a stick in the spokes. So I can only conclude that it's the cause of these good old CMEs.

THREE EXPLOSIONS: Three coronal mass ejections (CMEs) blasted away from the sun in quick succession during the late hours of April 5th: movie. The clouds were propelled by magnetic filaments erupting in various locations around the sun's northern hemisphere. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded this explosion, the most potent of the three:http://spaceweather.com/images2012/06apr12/uvglow_strip2.jpg
The movie shows a filament connected to sunspot AR1450 rising up and snapping. In the aftermath of the eruption, an arcade of hot-glowing magnetic loops forms over the blast site as a "canyon of fire" illuminates the empty filament channel.

Remarkably, given their number, not one of the CMEs appears to be heading for our planet. This conclusion is only tentative, however, because of visual confusion among the three clouds. Stay tuned for updates.

Loads of Serif CDs arrived this morning, so off to play with them and forget about all thing terrestrial. Happy crafting :) Susan

Jamming

Just made a cuppa coffee and was blinded temporarily by steam on my specs, despite the heating being on.  The weather has taken a serious turn for the worse, though we can’t complain as we’re devoid of the snow falling on the mainland. Unless it is snowing here, but taking the usual sideways route that the rain takes lol

Can’t remember if March came in like a lion but it certainly went out like a lamb.  We’ve had a long and fairly enjoyable period of light breezes, sunshine and dry weather.  All changed today though. Wonder how many more layers I can don and still be able to move haha Humidity levels have been playing havoc with my knees, especially, so dictates Bubble visits. Very frustrating. It’s only 2c here but blowing a gale that is producing a -5c windchill. Brrrrrrr!

Fancy a jamming session? Yeah – I thought our area was in for an open air music festival, until I read the story properly. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17574089

However, with no aircraft carriers, save for ribs equipped with a variety of catapults, I don’t see the reason for this.  Let’s hope that no fishing boats get into trouble during this segment of the exercise. Pity they don’t spend money on silencers for the aircraft. Fully expecting involuntary visits to the ceiling, with the cat of course, as the planes scoot at high speed overhead. I should stop reading the news, it’s just too stressful. It'll be interesting to see if it affects my personal weather station.


Delighted to report that the 'coming back for seconds sun spot' that caused so much magnetic and other troubles, behaved this time. So my weather gizmo is working just fine.

On the crafting front, have invested in Serif and a lot of Digikits. Found it easy peasy to operate. It’s VERY addictive though, but a real pleasure with which to create cards, scrapbook pages and your own embellishments at any size required. It’s great! Helps if you have an A3 printer of course.

Well, I need to go stand by the heater to warm up.  Happy crafting everyone :) Susan