Chook's hair

I was clearing out my phone and found these photos - Chook's before and after hair pics!

You can't see but her hair is about 6 inches longer than it looks here - the bottom is black and doesn't show against her any-colour-as-long-as-it's-black wardrobe. *g*

In the hairdressers. Long time since we had a wee bob like this! This is before dying.

Red dye on!

And a massive chop. *g*

Our hairdresser had never done a chop so drastic as this before. Most people go from very long to shoulder or chin length (I did) and then onto very short the next cut. Chook knew exactly what she wanted! And it's a bit shorter than this, now. Every cut a wee bit more comes off the sides. *g*

Easter shenanigans

At the start of the year we had half a notion to go away for a city break during the Easter holidays. But being sick during our February time off meant we didn't get to do the local stuff we had planned then. So Easter seemed like the perfect time to get to it!

Firstly was a climb up Dumyat, our nearby extinct volcano. It's part of my beloved Ochil Hills and Chook and I were last up it with Dolores, Don and Maria in 2012.

Spouse hadn't done it since childhood!

This was the week after Chook had all her hair cut off. I love it!

It's a rather dramatic backdrop for photos and was a beautiful morning.

The day after we were off to Roslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame.

It's a beautiful little place full of interest and a fab visitor centre but my favourite was William the chapel cat.

A couple of days later we did the open top bus tour of Glasgow! We visit often for shopping but never as tourists so  this was a great experience.

We hopped on and off at the People's Palace and Winter Gardens and then again at the Transport Museum. I love this mock up of an old street.

And Chook found a kid's piano in the eating area!

Of course, being Scotland in April it was a bit chilly! Chook Chill and I were prepared with hats and gloves.  Spouse? Not so much. *g*

It was lovely and sunny, though. It's a surprisingly pretty city, Glasgow.

And we rounded off our week at the Edinburgh Comic Con. This is the only photo I took! We were on the tram and everything (which I highly recommend for Edinburgh travel! We parked at the airport.)

And that was Easter. For the first time Chook didn't want an egg hunt on Sunday morning! Which was both brilliant and sad - the end of an era. There was still lots of chocolate eggs, though. So it's not all bad.

Fade to Grey

By March things were settling down a bit. The initial grieving over losing my grandmothers was easing and we were ready to get back to the to-do list. Top of it? Chookie's bedroom. It was 3 and a half years since its last lick of paint which isn't a long, long time but enough when it's a kid's room! There's big age difference between just-turned-twelve and almost-fifteen and the blue was just too young. She wanted black - I said no. We settled on "Chantilly" a pretty grey by B&Q Colours. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking - the blue shots are the before.

A new bed with underneath storage - good old Ikea! The day bed was knackered and becoming impractical. 

The desk was her Christmas from my in-laws. It lifts up like a draughtsmans table and has been invaluable!

The big empty wall. It makes the room feel huge but I reckon will get filled up soon enough! The huge bookcases went to Spouse's work for storage so weren't wasted!

I did relax the no-black for curtains and accessories. *grins* 

I love her geeky gallery! Music, Dr Who, Harry Potter and Sherlock to name but a few!

There's a couple of framed LP's hanging above her bed now and we have an idea for a skinny shelf for her Funko Pop Vinyl collection but rooms are ever evolving, aren't they? She's really happy with it and there's been a lot of teenage girls invited in to hang out so a success all round!

Christmas 2016

Ha! Back again so soon? I am determined to get the last six (seven?) months documented. My bullet journal has a whole page of makes and events to record so there may be some weirdly mixed up posts to come. This might be one of them!

So, Christmas. We had a quiet one this year with my folks round for turkey dinner - it was rather lovely.

We also had a newly decorated living room - it's what I am referring to as a "steampunk gentleman's study" style. Think grey and leather and metal bits with tweed. *grins* I love it. And that's not a fireplace - it's the telly playing a Netflix fire video!

This is Jones' favourite spot - he thinks it's a perfectly sized cat daybed! It's actually finest Harris Tweed and opens - my knitting gear lives in it.

Anyhoo - Christmas. Chook was her usual irrepressible self. 

Me: Put your shoulders back. 

Her: Like this?

Me: Nooooo..

Her: Like THIS?
Me: !!!

Her: *fit of giggles*

Do you like her bowtie? I made it - bowties are cool. *grins* #DrWho

Oh, the Christmas Eve bauble box? Had a little goth deer from Bettis Stitches. It is perfect and she was really tickled with her. This is the "she's so cute!" face. Her main present from us this year was a midi keyboard. It's like an electric piano that you plug into a computer (my folks bought her a laptop!) so you can compose and record and stuff.

And I sewed a bit! Helen and I had an unofficial Christmas cushion-along on Instagram and I ran with it. Three of these were for gifts but one was for little old me.

As was this big one. My embroidery was mucho improved by the time I'd finished them!

So. I think that's about it - a whirlwind runaround!

A decade and a half

Well now. I disappeared there for a bit, didn't I? I can't say there was a reason behind my extended blog hiatus other than a slowing down of the general blogosphere.  But I don't blog for anyone other than me so that's not really a reason, either.  Maybe I just needed a break after 7 years. Regardless, this morning I was looking for certain photos and *knew* I would find them here.

Y'see, today my Chookie turns 15. *blinks*

And it was rather lovely to be able to look here right back to her 7th birthday. So here we are again.

She asked for a camera - her artistic pursuits are very much of the photographic persuasion currently. And yes, she's had all her long hair chopped off and dyed bright red. I can't say anything, can I? *grins* That is also Harley Quinn Cons and a Sherlock tee she is wearing (with a pork pie hat!) - we have finally geeked her out! #parentingsuccess

She asked for her first birthday shindig this year, too. A group of her friends at the local Escape Rooms and lunch at her favourite fusion restaurant. One friend couldn't make it and the three of them failed to escape (but had fun!) and a building flood meant the eatery was closed so no Japanese food was available! But we made it work - another place does fab burgers and seafood so not a bad day after all. And the sun shone!

I'll keep it short and sweet for this first entry - there's not an awful lot to catch up on this year (mostly sewing and knitting) but we did have some sad events in the spring. More on that next time, let's not dwell on anything today except my decade-and-a-half girl!

JYC day 7 - a musical interlude.

Rubbish! I missed another day yesterday, didn't I? Well tonight we were at our Chookie's band Christmas concert. It's always great and very festive - the kids range from beginners to super accomplished over 5 bands (Chook is Intermediate) and the music is consequently charmingly wonky to goosebumps inducing.

(Chook dead centre - her fairy lights on her euphonium broke right before they took the stage. Bummer!)

The Intermediate band did the Jurassic Park theme, a piece from the Prehistoric Suite and one from the Polar Express. I tried taking some video but the bloke in front was a real fidget and I got fed up of his head always being in the way. Have a snippet of Jurassic Park.


So, tomorrow is after work eye test for Chook, visiting my brother for his birthday and a late brass/piano lesson, Friday is late night shopping, Saturday painting our kitchen (yes, really!) But I have a date with my sewing machine on Sunday!

Skool sux

The Chookie started 3rd year on Tuesday. Yikes! Here she is ready to leave. Yes, the uniform is of the relaxed variety. *g*

I took a photo of her kit. That's it on the right here. On the left? Same night, same stuff before she started primary 3 in 2009. It's all High School Musical!

Her bag this year? Well, she asked me to make it! And after everything but the brown canvas for the outer shell arrived we used the leftover denim from my jeans the wrong way round. Coz the reverse is red! 

I'm really pleased with it! No pattern, I've made enough zippy pouches and the odd messenger bag to know how to wing it. More importantly,  she loves it. Something has to soften the blow after 8 weeks off!!

14

I say it every year but she is just growing (up!) so fast. Today is her 14th birthday and we're actually on holiday in sunny North Yorkshire. Here she is by the back door of our cottage this morning in her new Fall Out Boy tee, Twenty One Pilots style red beanie and Panic! at the Disco dog tags. It's all about the bands just now!

There may also be a new pair of Panic! gutties. There's a fab lady on Etsy paints them in all sorts of bandoms. 

And tonight? Well we've not strayed far from the door today, only a stroll round the Village and lunch in the nearby town. Chook wants her fave enchiladas for tea and we've chocolate birthday cake and a game of Pandemic Legacy planned. She really is growing up.

Last day of school.

That's her finished for 8 weeks summer holiday.  EIGHT WEEKS! Oaft. 

I might be jealous a little. But I've had a lovely spot of lunch with her and Mum so it's hard to be grumpy. Even if she did get to wear jeans to school. 

Sixty

My wee Mum turned 60 a few weeks ago and I wanted to give her a framed momento like I gave my dad on his big six-oh. This is his - sixty badges all relevant to his life so far.

   

I wanted to do the same but different for Mum and since she is such a lover of books and the written word I reckoned word art might be the way to go. So after an abortive effort at making one myself (the making was easy - the getting a high enough resolution file to print it at 12 inches square? Not so much) I found a company on Etsy that would make up a heart full of sixty things about her life and print a canvas. I originally didn't intend to include the entire canvas in the frame (it's the same one as Dad's) but really liked the 3D effect it produced.

The wee cluster at the bottom is more of her favourite things - tea and birds and gardening featured heavily when I was canvassing other people's ideas on her! The two quotes are what she always told me when I was going out and her first words to my Dad. I was really pleased how it turned out.

There was no party or meal out; Mum decided she just wanted the family at her home for a meal so everyone could relax and just be together. We are obviously a super sympathetic pair of kids - I quoted my brother on the cake. *g* She was lucky though, that was originally a 9 candle! Good job I've an engineer's brain and an artists hands!

It was really lovely but still gave an excuse to get a wee bit dressed up. 

Mum's not the only one growing older!!

she's at it again

I made a very gushy post last year here about Chook receiving 4 awards at the junior prize giving at school. I'll keep it short this year.

I knew she would never receive four again - that's an incredible amount. But she did get three!! She won another gold personal commitment (NO demerits, 1 sick day, always punctual and a multitude of house points), a citizenship for performing Christmas Carols with the instrumental group in the local nursing homes and an endeavour award for the second year pupil who tries hardest in - wait for it - maths. I am absolutely bursting with pride for her. She hates maths but understands its importance so really sticks in at it. It is so lovely to see her hard work and perseverance recognised. And, perhaps selfishly, I am taking it as a small reward for myself for all those hours spent nagging, coaching and supporting the maths homework at the kitchen table.

I even took sneaky video of her third and last scoot across the stage - she was much more relaxed than the scuttling duck she was last year! She's the girl in the shirt.

So, second year? Definite success. She also has £15 in Amazon vouchers to spend - I suspect her burgeoning CD collection (yes, CD's!!) may have a wee addition soon.