The Importance of Voting

Today is May 6th... today in the UK we all have the chance to have our say in who should be in control of running our country on our behalf. Now I'm not going to tell you who I plan to vote for today or how you should cast your vote. Instead I really want to remind people just how important it is to use your vote and be counted.

I've heard people say that the importance of voting pre-supposes that there is a party worth voting for, well there are many parties standing for election in the UK today and each one has their own political agenda. Be a smart voter and research each parties manifesto for yourself, vote for what you believe are the most important issues for you and your circumstances. Don't vote for any one party because you like the look of their leader, or its your favourite colour. People died to give us the right to democracy and the freedom to vote. As a woman I find it particularly important to have my say in political matters, after all it was only in 1918 that we were granted this right. There are many countries out there where people do not enjoy the rights and freedoms that we do here in the UK, we should be grateful for having the chance to voice our opinion and to bring about political change!

So I guess I'll see you all at the polling station! Its your vote - use it!

Changes

Its been a while since I posted and there have been some major changes in my life. In November last year when I though I was suffering from yet another common cold, I was actually starting to grow a tiny little life... yep I was actually pregnant!!

I'm now almost 30 weeks along and starting to get things organised for our little bundle of joy! Along with my partner this past bank holiday Monday I've decorated the living room and have two walls in the bedroom that I want to paint a deep shade of purple before I set up the moses basket ready for the baby. But someone at work told me that its bad luck to set up the nursery before the little one actually arrives, so it got me thinking about old wives tales and baby superstitions.

Here are some of the ones I've come across which searching today:

• Choosing the pram before the baby is born is quite safe, but it must not be delivered to the home until after the baby is born.
• In parts of North Yorkshire it is the custom when visiting the new baby for the first time, to place a silver coin in it's hand.
• Carrying a new baby three times around the house will protect the child from colic.
• It was also believed that teething troubles could be eased if the gums were rubbed with the mother's gold wedding ring.

Super Secret Craft Project - Part 1. Claire & Pauls Wedding Gift

Sometimes I have to work on craft projects in secret for peoples birthdays, weddings, babys etc... Recently I've been learning to crochet again (my Mum had taught me when I was little, but I'd not done any crochet work in so long that I really needed to refresh my skills) and I've got a few books on Amiguri (Japanese Crochet'd Creatures/Animals), in one of them was a pattern for a Skeleton Bride & Groom which were highly appropriate for Claire & Paul. I actually found them very easy to make and was very happy with the result. I made an oval base using some Pink Skull Lace Fabric that I picked up in America, hand embroidered a little banner which I had sewn onto the base and there you have it.

Meet Mr & Mrs Skeleton-Smith!

The Common Cold

After my weekend away I've come back with a head cold. You know the kind, started off as a sore throat then moved into my sinuses giving me a runny nose. There is as yet no cure for the common cold, and the advise that you get from NHS 24 or your GP is, get plenty of rest, increase fluid intake and ease symptoms using steam inhalation (but with caution); sucking menthol sweets; gargling with salt water etc...

Often the old-fashioned remedies work best in this kind of situation...

• Sweat It Out - I used to get myself all wrapped up in my blanket with my hot water bottle and while certainly it seems to be comforting to do this new evidence suggests that light exercise in the fresh air can ease the symptoms of the cold.
• Vitamin C - increased levels of Vitamin C have shown to reduce the duration of the cold in adults... my drink of choice is hot Ribena!
• Steam Inhalation - I use a teaspoonful of Vicks Vapour Rub desilved in boiling water, it helps loosen mucus, allowing clearance of the airwaves that can relieve coughs and nasal congestion.
• Chicken Soup - recent evidence has shown that this cure all really does work... the key is apparently heat, so any soup will work (my favourite is Heinz Tomato). It works to promotes airway secretions and has a calming action on inflamed throats. But chicken soup's combination of fats, spices, and water seems to work best when it comes to breaking up mucus.
  

One very effective remedy I've found is the following...

1 clove of garlic
1 equal sized piece of fresh ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper
½ tsp. cinnamon
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon
1 tsp. honey

Crush garlic and ginger and add with the rest of the ingredients to one cup of off-the-boil water. Drink 2- 3 cups a day till symptoms are gone.

Hopefully I will start to feel well again soon!

Of Whitby & Weddings...

This past weekend Alan and I headed south to the small seaside town of Whitby. Now I'm a Whitby Veteran, but Alan is a Whitby Virgin so I introduced him to his very first Whitby Gothic Weekend. He Oooooed and Ahhhhhed at the lovely costumes and was very taken by the Steampunk look. We decided not to tackle the 199 steps up to the Abbey this time round instead saving that for the next visit to Whitby in April 2010 -YES, we will be back!! I'm going to try to get the stall again for next year, but we'll also be having a bit of a holiday too!!

On the Friday however, we had a slight detour and headed further south to Reading for a very special wedding - my friend Claire (who used to run Gothstuff, now runs Design by Claire/Eternal Magpie) and her fiance Paul were tying the knot and we were delighted to be able to share their happy day with them!! Congratulations to the new Mr & Mrs Smith!!

FOUNDATIONS OF MARRIAGE
by Regina Hill

Love, trust, and forgiveness are the foundations of marriage. In marriage, many days will bring happiness, while other days may be sad. But together, two hearts can overcome everything...In marriage, all of the moments won't be exciting or romantic, and sometimes worries and anxiety will be overwhelming. But together, two hearts that accept will find comfort together. Recollections of past joys, pains, and shared feelings will be the glue that holds everything together during even the worst and most insecure moments. Reaching out to each other as a friend, and becoming the confidant and companion that the other one needs, is the true magic and beauty of any two people together. It's inspiring in each other a dream or a feeling, and having faith in each other and not giving up... even when all the odds say to quit. It's allowing each other to be vulnerable, to be himself or herself, even when the opinions or thoughts aren't in total agreement or exactly what you'd like them to be. It's getting involved and showing interest in each other, really listening and being available, the way any best friend should be. Exactly three things need to be remembered in a marriage if it is to be a mutual bond of sharing, caring, and loving throughout life: love, trust, and forgiveness.

NaNoWriMo

To kick start off me getting back into writing I signed up to participate in this years NaNoWriMo.

For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is about well...

National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30. Valuing enthusiasm and perseverance over painstaking craft, NaNoWriMo is a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved. In 2007, we had over 100,000 participants. More than 15,000 of them crossed the 50k finish line by the midnight deadline, entering into the annals of NaNoWriMo superstardom forever. They started the month as auto mechanics, out-of-work actors, and middle school English teachers. They walked away novelists.

www.nanowrimo.org

So I've started planning what I want to write about... I'm going to do a historical novel, history has always inspired me and so has a painting that I visit everytime I go anywhere near the Modern Art Gallery in Edinburgh... its called Rabbi with Cat, and I've always wondered about the story behind the painting. Doing my initial research I discovered that its based around the Russian Jewish pograms of the early 20th Century. So my plan is to tell the story of the Rabbi in this painting, as he fleas his native Russia for a better life in America. I'm unsure as yet of whether he says goodbye to his beloved pet cat in Russia or whether he attempts to smuggle the cat onto the boat and into America wrapped in a baby's blanket!!

Robin Cushions - Embroidery & Patchwork

A while ago I asked Claire (Design by Claire) to embroider me two of her little top hat wearing robins with the aim of eventually making them into patchwork cushions. This week I decided it was time to complete that particular craft project. I stumbled at the first hurdle as I discoverd my sewing machine is now missing a part, the foot had gone AWOL since the house move and I fear that it maybe lost in the boot of someone's car or van!! So i decided that my only option was to hand-sew these little cushions. I think (if I remeber what my Mum taught me about patchwork - there was no craft that this woman was capable of mastering!!) the pattern I've used is called 'log cabin'. Fabrics used are a red floral print cotton bought from my local fabric shop and a blue and white print fabric off-cut that I got in Ikea a number of years ago. So, one cushion is finished and the other is on progress. They are going to sit on my bed to complement the big purple cushions I made last year.