So here I am living in Switzerland! So far it is good; the tap water taste the same as back home and there is good Internet connection.  The house I am living in is very big and flash; Peter O'tool said it was like something out of MTV cribs when I showed him around the other day on Skype.

I am looking after two little boys aged 2 and 4, which you can understand to be hard work from time to time. Last week was really hard; the boys did not want to do anything with me and language barrier was really frustrating for all sides. I tried to over come this by making a game out of lunch one day. I made them a kids version of fried rice with peas, sweetcorn and tomatoes. I got there mum to tell them it was traffic light rice and they had to say what the colours meant in English. Red='stop', yellow='get ready' and green='GO'! The boys found this fun and teamed with the fraes 'BATH TIME' we muddled on together.


This week my aim is to play fun games with them so they don't see me as the enemy all the time. Today we played marching to a French version of 'The Jungle Book' CD. The boys thought this was hilarious and they where ready for some dinner by the end of it. Tomorrow the youngest and I shall be do some more baking and we also have plans to make bread at some point. I need to find some more active games for them to play, as I find if they have had a good run round, they are less likely to paddy.

This week I am also hoping we can start a star chart. The star chart is meant to encourage good behaviour as well provide a visual aid. It will be hung on the wall so the boys know that there parents will find out if they are naughty for me. I'm going to start of with simple things like eating dressed in the morning and getting all of there dinner nicely.

Here are some photos.... left to right..... knitting project for small face, my dresser.

 
 small puppies that where at 'grandma's house' and a ver big doggie!!

 

 

 

lunch! 

 

 

Some dear that where also at 'grandma's' and finally my finished 'Cho. I shall post more soon!!





I must admit, the first few day of being here I really could not see my self staying. Hanging out with kids who don't really like you all that much, is not my idea of fun. But now I am felling a lot more positive. The kids and I are starting to have fun; especially the older one, as his understanding of English is rapidly improving each day. I have made some friends a the local stitch and bitch and I've been able to talk to lots of friendly faces on Skype. I am going to stick up some goals on my bedroom wall to remind my self of why I am here and this should keep me going. By the time I come home I should be a lot better off!!

Any suggestions for activities to do with little boys are most welcome!!

Money for old Liberty rope.

Today I had planned to make my self a new knitting bag, as I was getting fed up with being stabbed in the leg by needles poking out of my 'hand bag over flow canvass shopper'. Knitting needle bruises are not attractive at all and you get funny looks down at the pool. 

After a very uninspiring trip to the monday market I slumped my way to the studio to try and work on another project. I was kicking my shoes off and wasting time on Facebook when I noticed one of my mums old cushion cover (see below).

I love this patten!! I think it's dead fit and sexy! I have a fabules king sized bed blanket of the same pattern that was also my mums. I have had this cushion cover kicking around for ages and have been meaning to make it to something new. I know this is a very sort after Liberty pattern and I think this has been holding back. So today I tuck a deep breath and tock the plunge with the scissors. Plus I would of spent about £15 on materials if I hade made a bag from scratch, and not guaranteed to like the end results; if past history is anything to go by. 

Even if I find out that the fabric is worth thousands, (which it probable isn't) reusing it in this was has made  priceless to me. It is just such a fabulous pattern that I am happy to have a piece of it in my every day visual field. Therefor fuck the thousands (I thought) I'm having it as my new bag. Working with it's already piped edged shape saved me so much time, only taking an hour or so to finnish it off. 

I loved the finished look, even if it is a little rush around the edges.

The best part it is extendable!!! So I can fit loads of wool init! I may change the handles on it as they are a bit thin and I am worries the Liberty material will pull and fray where it is attached, as the material is older than I am. All in all, big fat boner over my new bag!! :)

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One morning last weekend I was in a very kindly mood towards James so I made him a fun breakfast. I got the inspiration from the funky time blog on french toast. My photo is not as slick looking as theres but it was very tasty! Do you like drown sauce with your scrambled eggs?

SHOPPING!

This week has had some really bum notes. With a rejection letter from a job I really wanted and an English GCSE exam it has been hard to get excited about anything, but Rosie helped me out with that one. Rosie (my little sister) is doing a Health and Beauty course at a nice private beauty school in Huddersfield. She got me in for an eyelash/eyebrow tint and eyebrow reshape. It cheered me up no end and so did the great bargins I picked up in topshop; very un-regular stomping ground for the likes of me! A fab shiny eye-shadow pencel = £1, a metallic eye-liner = £1, flower hair clips £1.50 and a cute pink hair band £2.50 + student discount = £5.40 BARGIN!

Today James and I went to Leeds shopping. The brief was to find him a new jumper, shoes, jeans and maybe a jacket. We came away with a new sexy navy moss stich jumper from Reiss, a fisherman's yellow rain coat and some much needed new wool tights from Marks and Spencer's for me!  I tried to get James to buy this "spring seasons new tend" leather jacket but he was not having it. I think they are dead sexy and quit dirty, so was pretty gutted. What do you think? 

It was ment to be a revision day but you are never too busy to be beautiful.

Today was ment to be a 'sort my life out day' but so far I have not completed any of the days 'to do list'. I have my second part of my English GCSE exam tomorrow and I have not read all the short stories. Eeek. It's going to be a nightmare of a hour and a 1/2 exam and my poor dyslexic head will be fried! And it has to be hand written, whats that about??!!? Are we back in the stone-age?

After the pool we hit the sun beds. She went mental with some crazy cream and six minutes. I only opted for the sensible 3 minutes. I thought it would be a good idea to top up the vitamin B leves and plus, sort out this horrid wax rash on my lip that developed after Rosie waxed the life out of me at her college. I would show you a pitcher but I am too embarrassed. It looks terrible but I'v got some papaw cream on it so hopefully it will be all cleared up by the weekend.

Kate and I went for lunch in the The Courtyard caffe. One of Huddersfields best kept secrets. It is a fab little place with good food, slow service and millons of hand written signs. Defo a good place to pop in to for tea and cake but not if you are in a hurry.

I treated my self to some new make up. A very very rear treat for me! As I love the models own nail varnish I went for a smoky eye kit and liquid eye liner. I could not get a very good photo with my camera but the results are quit good. I'm sure it will look even better with 'full slap on'!

Now before I get some revision done I need to edit a little follow up video for the job I applied for at  the south square gallery. I really really hope I get it!! Fingers crossed!    

I have not been smoking now for 5days, 3hours, minutes and 10...11...12....13seconds and it is not playing on my mind in the slightest.

January Slog.

Why is January always a really hard month to live through? Every year it comes round I'm skint, trying to kill my self down the gym and/or hating the job situation.

Thank god for the studio! I dragged my sorry but very well dressed arse down here this morning and did feel better for it. Its a fabulously frosty morning up here and everything reminds me of little Victorian children plodding the same stairs as I do now, haha.

I shall have to add photos later tonight as I can not find the cable for my camera. I was the frist one in this morning and found 2 hole packs of plasticine on my desk! I wonder who could of left if for me and if it really is for me! The first thing I shall modle will be a little sausage dog!

Right first things first; I need to find some scissors to open this nicorette patch as a day of drawing always goes hand in hand with a fag brack. So far it's been 3 days, 20 hours, 8 minutes and 27....28...29....30...seconds!

Hurray; I found my crama cable!

   

Here is a nice photo I snapped the other day of the mill I have my studio in. It is one of the last mills in Huddersfield that has not had parts knocked down, developed in to flats and still has a complete chimney! Bates' Mill is a really fabules places with brill people working there and run by the two Bates brothers who are always really helpful and open to new creative ventures!



Peter Otoole  was my lovely benefactor today! He had the left the plasticine for me as it had been a christmas present that he liked but knew he would not use so.... I modled him a little doggy to say thank you. I may have to spend some time modelling other things that make me gigle. James was saying the other day her would like to make a little stop motion animation together. That could be this weekends group activatie.

As it is the most depressing day of the year, I treated myself to a cake and coffe. There was a slot on todays woman's hour about how we are programed to be down at this time of year. The cake was fit but even better the dude behind the bar (Harry) asked me what pitcher I would like on the top of my coffe. Of cours I asked for a big cock and he did really well!


How did you make this chill day brillant?

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here is a nice photo of the cushion I knitted for a christmas commission. I had been messing around with the idea of rude knitting for a while. Why would you not want a cushion that insults the reader who is taking up all the room one your sofa!?!! My moto is don't puss foot around these problems just fucking tell the cunt! But for the occasion when a mother dose pop round, I put some nice wooden buttons on the back so you can be a two faced bitch as well. Joy of joys.