Hot Spots

I made this polymer clay pendant and bead using the kit I recently purchased from EJR Beads. I wore it to pc class yesterday and at first even one of the instructors thought it was metal, so I was well chuffed. I strung them onto copper tigertail, with copper filligree-style beads and Swarovski bicones in purple velvet.

Went to Manchester for the first time last week and absolutely loved it. Stayed in the Macdonald Manchester which was really nice, as well as only being a short walk from the city centre. On the Saturday we ate at Michael Caines at Abode which was really lovely. We went for the tasting menu and got a really good bottle of wine with it (can also confirm their mojitos are pretty tasty). On the Sunday we went to Chaophraya, a Thai restaurant which was really nice (although Stu ordered the hottest thing on the menu and it was too hot for him - surprise surprise). We travelled down by train which is definitely more relaxing than driving (and probably didn't cost any more than driving as we booked the tickets early).

On the Sunday morning we were walking into town in the rain and saw Ian Brown filming his new video - the things you see when you don't have your camera with you!!!!

The only thing that put a slight downer on the weekend was the killer toothache I had. Luckily managed to get a cancellation when I got home, so started root canal treatment and have another session on Tuesday. I was a bit nervous about it has I've heard a lot of bad things about root canal, but it didn't hurt a bit.

Bead wise, I don't have much to show apart from the necklace earlier in the post. I haven't been doing nothing, but just don't have anything finished. I have started one of the Moroccan-style beads from the Diane Fitzgerald book, have run out of one colour for my beaded box (but almost finished that one - just don't want to pay postage on one tube of beads, so it can wait until I am next placing an order - was going to give it to Stu's nan for crimbo anyway).

I am so lucky to have such a fabby husband - on Friday Stu bought me some new GHD straighteners since I've been wearing my hair really short lately and my thick straightners are too bulky for it and my thin ones were rubbish. He also managed to get a couple of tickets for The Pixies in October (I love love love love love The Pixies and was gutted I didn't get them when they were first released.... well Stewart was checking out Ticketmaster and some seated ones have now been released - might even get to wear my high heels to a gig for a change :D:D)

Don't have much planned for today - footie is on the telly later, so think I will do some clay stuff when that is on. Will also make some yummy cupcakes for hubs.

Oh I almost forgot (how could I!!), anyone familiar with our home will have a huge surprise next time they're round - the kitchen lights now work again!!!!! It's only been a squillion years! Came home yesterday and Stewart's dad had fixed them. They had been wired incorrectly - the people who lived here before must've been trying to create a deathtrap as so many things were wrong, but worked if you know what I mean.

Quick Update (and a couple of holiday photos)

Hey bloggy-types. I'm still around and nothing much has changed since I last posted. Still working away at my VQ - hoping in 6 weeks from now I'll be the proud owner of a Level 4 Management VQ though. Working hard at work too, although looking forward to nice summer nights, finishing at 5 and going for a run and stuff (in the car obviously!!) and not starting til 9 the next morning.

Still not gutted/decorated the spare room, although we have made a start on it - can't wait to get my workspace back again so I can start making stuff. Really wishing I had listened to my mum and not got a glass desk though - look pretty but like working over the black hole of Calcutta.

Thought you might like to see a couple of my holiday photos:

Domincan Republic

Tortola in the British Virgin Islands

Antigua

Barbados

Scotland District of Barbados

St Lucia
Miami
Grand Cayman

Cozumel

Boat

Me & Stu

Egypt Trip - Day One

Collosei of Memnon, Valley of the Kings and Deir el-Bahri

The trip down from Edinburgh to Gatwick and then Gatwick to Luxor went smoothly and we arrived a bit earlier than scheduled. OMG Luxor Airport had changed a lot since my last visit - it now has a terminal and everything!!

Early start the first morning and a pretty full day. Started off with a quick visit to the Collosei of Memnon. These are 2 huge statues which have each been carved from one piece of stone. We didn't get long at them - about 20 mins or so as there is nothing else there apart from the 2 statues - we had a walk around them and took plenty of photos.

After that stop it was off to the Valley of the Kings. We visited 3 tombs; the first one was Tutmoses III, which had a LOT of steps - glad we did it first (see photo to right). After that we went to Ramses III (I think - neither Stewart nor I can quite remember), finishing off in Ramses IV. The only downside of the visit was that no photography is permitted inside the tombs, although we did buy a really nice set of photos. After the Valley of the Kings we went to an alabastor factory, but tbh it all seemed a bit false and most of the stuff they had for sale wasn't hand-made.

Then we moved onto Queen Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el-Bahri and boy, was it getting warm by then. The temple was very different to the others we would be visiting on our trip, but very impressive. Another hefty step climb (we could certainly feel our legs for the next few days - even Stu who walks to work every day). The veiw from the top tier was fantastic and some of the statues and wall carvings were really lovely.

After the temple it was back to the boat for lunch then a free afternoon as we set sail for Edfu. Sunset is pretty early this time of year so we only managed about an hour and a half of relaxing in the sun in the afternoon. I've put a photo of some of the statues in Hetshepsut's Temple below: