This week

Spring arrived and left again. I heard on the news on Monday that it hadn’t rained in Glasgow for three weeks. This is nothing short of a minor miracle, one which had not gone unnoticed and for which I was very grateful. Those three weeks are over.

Weekend waffle making and a trip to Summerlee while the sunshine lasted.

Five times in 2 days I’ve been asked if I was a student. I am under no illusions that it was out of desperation to get votes in the student elections rather than my youthful looks, but I’ll still take it as a win. I cleared out my jewellery box - a long overdue task. I got some stacking ones for Christmas that have been sitting in my bedroom looking very pretty but completely empty.

Last night I spread out every bit of jewellery I own on the floor. Lots of reminders stored in that box; of family and friends, a high school dance, special birthdays, weddings or just the memory of buying something. Everything was picked up, examined, organised and put away in its new place. I’ve resolved to try and wear more jewellery as I have lots that had been forgotten - starting today with these little silver earrings.

Crochet friends to send off for Mothers' Day!

I finished ‘Great House’ by Nicole Krauss, I didn’t love it. I found the interweaving stories a bit confusing and it all felt a bit literary and clever for my simple reading tastes. I love a good story, a book that grips me and makes me want to find out more. I didn’t really care about finding out more in this book and there wasn’t really a conclusion to speak of in the end. It was ok but I think there are better books out there to read before this one. ‘Gone Girl’ on the other hand, I’m already hooked and trying to figure out when I can sneak in some more reading time!

Crochet obsessed

It all started when my sister-in-law announced she was pregnant. I thought that it would be a nice idea to make something for my first niece/nephew (he was actually a nephew called Ruaridh – born in December). I had crocheted once or twice at school but hadn’t done any crafts like this for years and years. Turns out crocheting is quite addictive once you start!

• So far I have made a ripple blanket for Ruaridh (from this pattern)

• A snowflake blanket for my sister for Christmas (from this pattern)

• A bundle of charity poppies for Cath Fearn of Cottage Crafts. She sells these on eBay to raise money for the Poppy Appeal. I'm hoping to do more of these this year and rope my mum in too!

•  A giant granny square blanket for a friend’s baby girl

• And a string of crochet hearts for #heartswap (from this pattern)

I'm currently working on a blanket in pastel colours for my cousin’s baby girl. She's not due until June though so I have a while.

There are loads of free patterns available online and I love thinking of what I can make for the next baby that comes along. I tend to get bored doing the same thing over and over again so I’m trying to make something different each time. I love it - even if my hubby does call me a granny!

Weekend plans

Hello there! I've got the Friday feeling today, sadly I have to work tomorrow but I did have a massive impromptu tea and catch up with blogger friends the other day when working from home so I can't complain too much :)

This weekend, once work is done and I have returned to the west, I am meeting up with some more blogger friends for chat and cake then going to a gig with my husband on Saturday night. On Sunday I plan to try out some new hairstyles from tutorials I've seen recently.

I'm pretty boring with my hair and it's very straight. I always usually wear it down, in a ponytail or in a high bun/knot type thing. I've seen a couple of videos on YouTube for styles that look simple and don't take too long (bonus!) but are a bit more interesting that my normal ones. I'm hoping they are as simple as they look!

How is everyone??

P.S. Congratulations and well done to Kate and Iain for completing the West Highland Way and raising lots of money for charity!!

SINGING IN THE RAIN-THE REVIEW!

I made it there and back! I have never experienced such a wet and muddy festival but I had such a good time with all the choir people. It was really nice to go away and spend some time together as most of the time we're singing and don't really get a chance to chat.

We got on a bus on Saturday morning then had to walk for miles with our stuff in the pouring rain to get our Performer wristbands, aka wondrous tickets to secret campsites, flushing toilets and roast dinners. We camped in a very civilised perfomers area campsite with an actual toilet block with showers and a hairdryer. It may as well have been the Ritz compared to the actual campsite.

I saw very few bands and spend a disproportionate amount of time in the hospitality bar, where it was dry and warm(ish).

On Sunday we had the big performance. We were singing in the Kaleidoscope Tent which was sponsored by Creative Scotland. It had a strange line up of ceilidh bands, string quartets, break-dancing, singer-songwriters and us!

The tent itself was pretty huge so we all needed to get psyched up. After a campsite rehearsal in the morning we went to get our free meal tickets and had the best roast beef Sunday lunch ever, totally set us all up for the afternoon. We then went backstage and had a warm up before going on. The crowd was pretty small but I think we won them over. We sang really well and everyone was buzzing afterwards!

Later that evening the bus collected us again and we had a massive sing along all the way home. It was so much fun! But I'll never be able to go back to a festival as a civilian again :)

Running

Today I contemplated running at lunchtime. I didn't do it but I did think about it, that's a step in the right direction :).

My main problem with lunchtime exercise is my tendency to sweat profusely on my face and go bright red. It's not a good look. But I think I'll start doing it on days where I don't have meetings. Or I might run after work then it's only my husband who has to see my bright red face all the way home. He's so lucky!

I was considering it because I want to start running again. I'm not very good and I've never run any sort of race at all, I'm not very competitive so they don't really interest me. But running is something I can visibly see myself improving at when I stick at it (and getting much worse at when I don't bother) and seeing my own improvement really motivates me. I'm neither fast nor able to go on for long distances, but I can go further than a few weeks ago which is all I can really hope for!

I did read a few tips which have helped me a bit by making me think about how I run.

Don't clench your fists - imagine you're holding something fragile like a crisp! Obviously I'd rather be eating crisps than holding imaginary ones but that sort of defeats the purpose of running doesn't it?

Try not to bob your head. If people saw you from behind a fence (creepy people watching you from behind a fence?) they shouldn't be able to tell if you're walking or running, aside from the beetroot face obviously.

Breathe in and out through your mouth. This one does contradict what some sources say but I think even being aware of your breathing when running is helpful.

Keep going! Three times a week is what I'm aiming for, otherwise I don't progress very well.

Anything obvious I'm missing?

SINGING IN THE RAIN

Tonight I'm going tent shopping in preparation for the weekend. My top priority for a tent is that it's waterproof. I anticipate that, along with rain, my weekend will contain mud, alcohol in plastic cups, noodles and burgers. I'm going to T in the Park. I am 30, I'm too old for T in the Park. But this time is different, this time I'm a performer!

I am part of a choir and we're singing at the festival on Sunday evening. We're a cool choir though, just so we're clear on that. We do covers of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, They Might Be Giants and Corona (remember them?) and we like mash ups. I only went along to keep my friend company but I've loved it since the first week. There's nothing like a couple of hours of singing every week to cheer you up!

Along with all that mud and rain, we get free travel, tickets and access to the fancy performers area. I am hoping that performers area = nicer toilets. If it does I'll be happy. If it doesn't I might throw some sort of diva strop. I'm a performer don't you know?!