Friday 16 November 2012

a bump and a holiday

im now aprox 8-9 weeks pregnant... can't wait to have my first scan... Been to see my doctor, she thinks baby will be healthy.

another thing when I came back from the mitre. Nana Penn isn't a well bunny... Mum and tolly (her hubby) have had to give up their lovly home to move back in and look after Nana... I hope she gets better... but thats not for us to decide is it?

2 things I dislike about being pregnant so far.... 
when in bed... Nevewr comfortable....
When work gets told... They strip you off your duties (as relief managment) and you go back to fighting over hours with 3 other people... less pennies...

Technicaly they shouldnt strip me of my duties. (most people say I should have Imortality).. I can still do alot of my job, the only thing I wouldnt be aloud to do is Move anything heavy.... Thats what male staff or non pregnant staff are for. especialy since Im only little.
The rest is paper work, pennies and making sure that staff and customers are happy. Stock reports, Orders and being on site, especcialy during busy times.  EASY...

Ive been on holiday too...

Ive just got back from 3 nights in Edinburgh (Scotland).. Pampered with spa treatments and 3 course meals for 2 nights and breakfasts in the Carlton hotel. Lovly spacious room with a view of the Scotsman hotel across the road and a bit of the city from the 2nd floor.

  Saw edinburgh castle, The Scottish crown jewels, some stunningly well kept military uniforms and "gongs" (medals), The castles War Mamorial (felt as big as a cathederal), beautifully decorated rooms for kings and queens of old and I had a ghost experience.

I was in the military prison, this part looked fairly victorian. Was taking pictures of the cells and stairwells ect. my camera cut out, it wouldnt turn on and the cell I was stood in went freezing cold around my legs.  the moment I walked back out of the prison area, my camera switched itself back on. I havn't inspected any pictures yet...

I spent my last night in the 5Star Scotsman hotel... WOW... we had a study room  (nearly as posh as having the penthouse) we were 9th floor (10th being the penthouse).. Posh big comfey bed, a small ensuit shower and loo and on the other side of the room was a little set of stairs into a 180 view of Edinburgh and a big victorian  bath (and yes it was the best bath I've ever had) it felt like a swimming pool. we also had a complimentary breakfastmin the stunning resturant... all wooden panels and bannisters..  HunniJ and i didn't want to leave, we are already planning to go again... not quite so soon...  after baby is born.....

Back home and today Hunni J and I are going to see Mum and gather any last things I wish to keep from her old home, My easle and if any of my pottery is still there. maybe a few other bits too.

At some point soon I will manage to put some pictures up... need to load them up on the computer first.

Right    time to go.....

the Pinewood and the Mitre

When I last posted Properly, I was in the 5th week at the Pinewood.

 It was my Birthday on the 6th week.

A small community public house on the other side of Town from where I lived. There was no accomodation above it, so I had to taxi it every day (work paid for my taxis).

 Yes... 80 odd hour weeks.... with 1 member of staff who only did half the cleaning and 6 hours behind the bar.... She didn't do weekends at all.

That was for 14 weeks, I had even applied for the pub, to get at least 1 diecent member of staff and get bands ect on the go since they wouldnt let me whilst on relief.....
 They gave it to someone else, closer to retirement age.... I was gutted.

On the 14th week There was a move, Out to Kirk Michael... A beautiful little village on the other side of the island, close to peel and a gorgeous little pub called THE MITRE... the oldest pub still going on the Isle of Man.......

     The place was a mess when we got there.... Beer lines were filthey, 5 times I flushed through line cleaner on my first morning and on top cleaned them every 4/5 days till they were perfect (spotless).
 Vermin wouldnt go near the kitchen, took 2 weeks for Hunni J and a deep cleaning man to scrub away the burnt crud on the stoves and friers. Myself and the careing manager tackled 9 large fridges and freezers out in the store and 3 smaller ones in the kitchen.... Aprox £200 worth of proffits in food alone got chucked away because it was opened for longer than 4 months or had turned to compost.
 
the bar itself just needed Lots of cleaning. the floor wasnt too bad, tables needed a good pollishing, glass and stock shelves needed a scrub, it stank of stale beer, sweat and mould. The new cleaner and I got to work right away and scrubbed everything.

  The toilets....... (gents) you needed wellies to get in there. Plumber puts a new Loo in, doesnt seal it.. almost finnished the job just as hunni J and i left.... Another 5 weeks of loving having alittle bit of money that we didnt have to put away.

    Another pub I would have happily run once the place was finaly cleared up. 5 weeks of scrubbing and getting to know some fantastic charecters, young and old.

My last week as landlady in the Mitre... Hunni J starts Noticing I hadn't been Myself. when I wasn't working behind the bar, All I wanted to do was curl up in a nice warm spot and read, or draw, anywhere quiet, wasnt in my usual natter to the customers way. The day before we left, We found out I was Aprox 4 weeks Pregnant....

busy little bee continued....

It may take a few entries, but I need to catch up ... There has been sooo much happening... From 14 weeks in that little pub.. a total of 19 weeks with no time off... birthdays, Holidays And news of a new member of the family....  there will hopefully be pictures... also the upcoming christmas madness...

We'll have to start where we left off...

Wednesday 4 July 2012

busy little bee

This is week 5 of my latest relief..... it is a quiet little pub, but there is pleanty to keep me going. I'm managing to get on with alittle bit of craft work  in between customers, who love watching me.

also Hunni Js parents are over for a brief stay. went out for lunch yesterday..... If they were over for alittle longer and I wasnt on relief, I would have seen what mum was up to... but unfortunatly... staying within range of the pub...... 80 hour weeks.... 46 hours worth on the weekend......  I'm surprised I havnt curled up in a heap yet.... i dont even get a lie in in the mornings because J wants to spend time with me...... I JUST WANT SLEEP...  and more than 1 day off in 6 weeks... zzZZzzZZzz..

Monday 21 May 2012

alittle catch up and Peel

SO... Hunny Jessy asks me to make him a book mark, And here is the result... He liked a page in my mini scribble book, based on space adventures for boys birthday cards.
He loves it and it sits Proudly in his Fantasy book about Dwarves. As he puts it, "its an alian with three willies", and abruptly gets corrected with "like a true Manxman, it has three legs".



"Carter Will Never Walk Alone!" for all you Liverpool FC fans, Here is one of Hunny's friend's Birthday cards.
I'm still Warming to it, But I'm sure he will enjoy.
And Here's my arty Picture of the Church section of Peel Castle. Hunny and I went for a walk out on the west side of the island, He was determined to see a seal, and he did. There will be a picture put up at some point, as Hunny hasn't put his pictures onto the computer yet.


Today:

Hunny went to a Hospital appointment in Liverpool, So left me in bed with a cuddle and a kiss goodbye and instruction to spoil myself to sitting in a coffee house with my kindle.

I Soon got up and went out for a wonder along the prom northwards, soon to turn around and headed back towards town and into the street. Did a couple of jobs and headed out to COSTA at the sea terminal for a MOCHA COOLER...
WOOOOOOOOW!
and read my kindle for a little while.
I soon got home and pottered about in our room and tidied this and that... By the time i had finnished tidying and  finnished watching a show on TV Hunny was HOME.....  Tea time   yummy


Friday 4 May 2012

MY BOSS

It's my Boss's birthday this weekend. Pink, pink and more PINK are her colours of choice, but I'm not sure if I would stay sane with all the pink......  so I've settled for this........
My page of what I would use

 Scribbled out ideas
The final piece!  PINK pearlesant card.. with Pink Writing..... and PURPLE flowers  as not to make it too PINK!!! 

Next is a Regular customer at work's birthday, He is friends with DJ (jessy) and he is Liverpool FC fan....  got my work cut out now ...... I've got 3 weeks .

what has been happening with all that stuff!!!

well the card/paper and trimmings usualy end up in the book  or as gifttags at the moment... but here's whats been happening ....

I've got a little log/ doodle book just for the design ideas that gets scraps of paper with scribbles stuck into aswell as transfers that are finnished with.

On the left (yellow) Is my mother inlaw to be's Birthday card, she likes spring colours so yellows and pale greens... hints of colour, Ive not met her yet but I HOPE she likes it. and on the Right is Miki (my sister)'s birthday card.. just a year to go and she'll be aloud on the road, planning her prom and running riot... (she doesn't need any encouragment), she loves Purple, and i think green suits purple well ...  she loves her cardand wants to see what i get up to next.

sorry it's been so long.....

I've been working hard.....   Not been playing as much as I would have liked, but what I have managed,  there are pictures for show and tell.....  we'll start with ... what I have collected recently....
Ah.. A nice big pile of card and paper..... I enjoy my weekly trips into town  but only spoil myself once a month to collect bits and bobs at the "DEALZ" store.. also known as £1 land (a pack of offcuts, cutouts, beads and  roughly A4 sized card/paper.....  the above photo is only a small portion of what i did have... ive given1/2 of what i did have to friends who also craft or children that often raid my free for all collection i kept for such occasions (children visiting the household and I'm Home).
Off cuts!, Glittery... PINK... pretty... Patterned.... or just what has come off what I've used. Anything usable that has an image on it doesnt get binned 
Cards with envelopes....need thoughs....  you'll see why......
you've got here, mostly white or pastal coloured or handmade .....some have apetures, and i have some perlesant too..

save the best bit for last though I have a couple more spools to add to the collection at some point soon (black and white)

Next to show you what's been happening ......

Thursday 16 February 2012

You learn something new every day....

I've managed to get alittle closer still to being a good landlady... these last couple of days I've been on a course that taught me "proffesional staff recruitment and training..... I PASSED!!!!!!!   lots of high marks!!!!!  only had one hiccup but I corrected myself afterwards in the Feedback... which helped my over all scores......

The scores  (there were 20 odd of them)  score abit like this  

Bad                                  Good
-2        -1        0        +1        +2
So the over all was  ALL but 1 were +2   that 1 was a 0... 
 
(eg 38/40) so  YEY  !!!!!! 

Thursday 2 February 2012

surprises!!!

This is my christmas pressie of my mum... A KINDLE   and I'm alittle lost without it now.  I love sitting and reading, it's nice and light in my bag And look, Mum made the case!!  When I put it on my bed, I often can't find it.. its Camuflaged into my 2 blankets she made me for various other occasions in similar fabrics.

THANKYOU MUM!




(pic 2)We also have here alittle embroidery.. It was random at the time with it starting as a scrap of paper with a very paisley looking flower on it... I had decided to go only a tad crazy with PINK!!!
 and GREEN!!!


And finaly (Pic 3), a little surprise for mum I'M SURE she will want to pinch it. So it is safe for now in my Book being kept flat

Friday 27 January 2012

the BOOK


Now, I'm sure you remeber seeing one of these before I usualy call them the BordomVine.... a few selected colours that are already represented on the page  and the aim is to fill as much of the page Mentaly possible.... This excersise is FANTASTIC when waiting in hospital rooms (hunny j's Hospital appointments) and killing time to go to work when knowing there isnt enough time to play with glue.

on the same page is a cut out of where I painted on a white cutting of a butterfly. I then placed a frame over an area thought to be asthetic, Finaly added  the painted butterfly over the top.
The bottom being a butterfly and a heart untamperd with.

Now the strange piece in the middle.... Is a coaster....  on the other side is BEER advertisment....  on this side is a little biro "spider doodle" from a very quiet night when on relief, There was pleanty of staff on duty.... but I had left the book and colours out of reach.....


Back Home with a couple of days off to recover 11 days without a day off..  I orriginaly started stitching a "spider doodle".. it turned into a Jack and the beanstalk.... I even added sequins to it.... No idea Why they were added...  The fingers had gone into auto pilot without me......  Im still fathoming how that works.

All I can think about is girly things

ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS GIRLY THINGS!!
trying to think of things for a couple of 19year olds is proving dificult... Nither are too intrested in finding a girl, Nither drive... they love to drink and argue with eachother.......

this is what Ive come up with.....*laughs*
 HOW  on Earthdid I get from BOYS to flowers and butterflies????

they do look cool though... some are 3D (butterflies)  but what to do with them.....

....... proberbly end up in the book

There is a favorite on each photo....
on this one it is the green and white border on the top left...


 I love butterfies and I love all of them on this one   but  again  it would have to be that pretty pale green in the top left...

On the 3rd photo....  the dead centre.... the 2 greens work well to me.

4th photo on the  top right the dark blue contrasting the glittery white  looks exellent

the last photo would have to be the bottom right, very simple and cute.

It shows how useful offcuts from our version of £1 land   can create simple and delecate little motifs...

The Birthday cards.... Nicki and Steve


Now you remeber Nicki's card?? I added alittle more to it... mostly in the name stitching... (a couple more colours) and a little heart ....

She loved it....  She told EVERYONE in the pub where I work (and she run's kareoke) that it was handmade ... I think she still has her hand painted card from christmas...  a Bah Humbug Snowman with a dog peeing against him....*chuckles*










Steve!!!!! Has known me since I was roughly 5 years old... and the love and affection in his family is alittle different to most...  his way of showing care to some one is to take the Mick or pick on in a jestful way especialy towards hunny J so here's how i got my own back......


"we went in search of something with Esthetic and Ergonomic qualities..."
J and I took a good half hour to figure out a good ending.....


"..... these Posies were ALL we could find at such short notice"

over all  both cards must have taken a good 4 hours for planning and making spread over 2 days..

still yet to finnish Jake's and Ben's their's is this weekend   oops

A LICENCEE

My official title at work for the moment is Bar maid and Relief manager.

But I have recently found out that I am a Quallified Licencee for the publican trade

What a thought, Me! Left in charge of a pub????.....  has the world gone to pot????   I know I have

well as you've possibly figured, I often get the chance to do just that.... Recently KAIY got another chance to work in a different pub... only for a couple of days. I loved it... Good hard working staff (not mentioning one or two)... fantastic coustomers.... Gorgeous little pub.... just one problem...... I had to leave my house  40 minutes before work..... ugh.  That  and be around either the pub or close by... all day... because by thge time I had got home and settled, It be time to head back to the pub.
  I hope My pub will have accomodation above it... so I don't get sopping wet  and have a cosy warm living room to hide in when im not working.

News flash given.... time to get back to normal .......

Friday 13 January 2012

Back to normal....

 
 YEY!!! I have my space back!. the new year is Well under way...
  I Have passed a Licencing course for public houses. Just a small amount of training to do (more  an upgrade of what I have already under my belt)
   The creative side has kicked in alot more when not at work, reading alittle more.
  Just about keeping on top of house work as new year promice is kept. Just need to sort some Draws for the mentality known as the chaos corner (boxes of bits and bobs in the art/ craft/ bedlam subject). sorted through a few clothes and old teddies to go to charity shop. (yet to go).


 Most important... THE ART/ CRAFT side of things.

excuse the quality of photo.... but yes parts of the book are back.. and since the shop DEALS (part of £1 land) has opened on the island... its BRILLIANT  everything (well almost) is roughly £1.20. so of course... Hunny J and I keep £10 between us a week for goodies and artsy crafty offcuts and bits'n'bobs. they will go to good use for the book aswell as home made cards, bookmarks, and little tags ...











Boxing day was a drunken night, lots of doodles and scribbles... and of course, only the best bits get put on the blog.... one of the family's friends decided that I am going to design him a tattoo!

















more cut outs and scraps of paper..... even bits that arn't to small get used up, bits of newspaper, paint brush cleaning scrap, offcuts from a bits and bobs pack, (the bit normal people chuck away..."but its glittery and would look cool as a border!" ) torn pages from the book tidied up... best bits taken from them and glued back in on a different page... ALL PART OF THE FUN!












There's a couple of Birthdays coming up.... Some friends from work.. all within 2 weeks. NICKI and STEVE, a couple who are in charge of our KAREOKE. STEVE has known me since I was just about able to walk.

JAKE (our youngest member of staff) and his twin brother BEN are about to turn 19 near the ned of January... so best get cracking...

here's Nicki's card... her Favorite colour is purple (alittle obvious)... and she has a thing for hand made and quirky items. she knits alot, usualy with RAINBOW wool and crochet too. I am yet to further conquer the consept of crochet. "but she makes it look soooooo easy!"

better late than never......


I've finaly managed to get the photos from the camera to the computer......  my Christmas deccies...  only the photos that were not blury.... So that it is clear, J and i share a house with at least 4 others... ALL MEN (im the only girl) and we kept our own tree in one of our rooms...

As well as the normal baubles and 3 sets of fairy lights (2 on the tree 1 on the window display), the cones, twigs, ribbons and cinnamon sticks...... See the paper strip baubles???  that would be Hunny J. The paper cones, I made. They soon got filled with mini cany canes and other little sweeties... either soon to be demolished by us or the 2 children that often visit the house... and yes.. they had a couple of presents left under our tree of father christmas too.

Yes, the window had a display too. I had to vacate the window to make way for alittle festive chear..

Unfortunatly I worked on Christmas Eve and day but we spent Boxing day with mum

I also worked New Years Eve and Day too.. but had fun when I wasn't working....

Most important this year.... I had Hunny J, our first christmas and new year together, he got the usual manly things as presents, and a few favorite things too.... sweets, SPONGEBOB SQAREPANTS bits and bobs, and cardies, scalfs and thermal socks to keep him warm.

Yes I got the usual Girlie things aswell as J got me a New MP4 player and Mum got me a Kindle and made me a little case for it... in 3 weeks and I have managed to get into my 2nd book... It goes everywhere with me. sits in my handbag when it isnt being used.

Tuesday 10 January 2012

a few charecters that Kaiy has come across

When someone says "wildlife park" I get alittle excited... though it's no fun when you either can't get pictures clear through glass/ fencing, or the battery runs out (looks sad). But non the less, there's usualy a new picture I keep every time I go......
"merkats!!!!!!! "  a little voice shouts out... that would be my cousin Lala.... who drags big cousin Kaiy up to the fence and demands being lifted up to see over, pointing at the babies that havn't long ventured out of the den for the first time and a "King of the castle" being the dominant male sitting on look out.

The Park itself(http://www.gov.im/wildlife/), is amazing. "Not as cool as a Zoo" some say... but that is maybe why I find it amazing.... I have never been to a Zoo!... I havn't seen a Lion, Tiger or an Elephant. infact...  not even half the animals you would normaly see in a Zoo.... I have seen though the lynx, red panda and penguins amongst many other strange and wonderful animals.. theres a small petting zoo, a small cafe that you look over the small monkey island, and WALLABIES.. which aswell as in the park they've managed to populate a good portion of the woodland around the park (in the wild).


FRUIT BATS, In a personal expression... "the cutest creature on the planet" well, its my favorite animal.. and Their enclosure is exellent... you can walk into a large indoor enclosure and they can fly around you.. This photograph was taken  a couple of years ago. And the bat was within a meter of the camera. I wanted to "take him home!!!!!!!!!" but no.. reluctantly, I left and went to see the rest of the animals.












You can't forget the swans..... this one is wild, Hunny J and myself on a random walk around Douglas Harbour just before the cold of winter kicked in. Somewhere, I'm sure my Dad has a photo very similar to this one that he took on a film camera before i was born.
 But you could just say that this is My interperetation of that photo.

"Owch!" thats going to hurt... Big intelligent words.. "eek" there's another one, I didn't know I posessed such vocabulary!
"oh dear! "   there I go again... this is going to hurt alot!

photos I've found in the archives....



The Mooragh park, Ramsey. Our northern Town of the Island where I grew up. When I was in my "Teens" I spent alot of dry weekends walking in and around the town, usualy with a camera and sometimes with my Nana's dogs...
this Must have been an early autumn picture, Its getting dark and I remember looking at the time.... 5:30pm... Time to head home (less than a mile away).. will be time for tea soon...
Hunny J And I went out for a walk on the beach during Autumn2011. J hadn't been to a beach for a LONG time, and it seemed a good idea to take our cameras with us.. Just look at this FANTASTIC photograph he took.... with alittle bit of editing help. But it is showing, Even after the loss of hearing and a stroke... This man isn't going to give up... regular short walks for now (winter) will hopefully get better to longer ones in the spring and summer... I can't wait to have picknicks with cameras and our new flask  (nice strong hot sweet and milky tea).