Keep death off the roads...

Kate has officially started driving lessons. She's had a few from Craig on the back roads, but we decided she really needed to go on proper roads so she is paying for a proper instructor. She's had two lessons now and seems to be enjoying them. Her instructor, a woman called Sam, is very patient with her and is surprised by how much Kate already knows. This week they practiced right turns and in the next lesson they're going to do left turns. As I'm learning to drive too we decided to make a competition of it. Kate wants to pass her test before her 18th birthday in November, and I want to pass mine before my 40th in January. Don't hold your breath!

Couple of finishes and new web site

Last weekend I decided we needed a web site, so I tried using FrontPage to create one, having already secured a server and an address. Couldn't figure FP out so ordered a book from Amazon which arrived on Monday. Read through it, then did the test site from the book and it published fine. Went back in to change everything and it wouldn't publish at first, had a tweak, and saved it as a back up, and it worked fine. However, when Kate tried to do her page and we published it, everything went to pot. I ended up starting from scratch, about 4 times, on both the laptop and the PC and I just couldn't get it to work properly. I was gutted as FP is so much better than the editor in Bravenet. SIGH! So I had to go back to Bravenet editor and do it all again on there, and this is the finished result. http://smokingneedles.net

As well as messing about with the web site I've met a couple of goals this week. First of all I finished part 9 of the French Marquoir SAL.

And then on the same day, while the PC was defragmenting (to save me getting sidetracked) I finished the May band of the Heart Sampler SAL.

I have now rewarded myself with a small project. It's a Just Nan freebie, called Italian Ice, should have it finished in a couple of days if I put my mind to it. Received a RR in the post today, from the Battling Beginners, so will do that next week and get it out of the way. It should be interesting as there are Krienik threads in it...but they're a bugger to sew with. Thank goodness for Thread Heaven.

June Goals

Nutty Stitchers RR
New YeaRR
Battling Beginners RR
June Band Heart Sampler SAL
Part 10 French Marquoir SAL
Parts 4, 5 and 6 Alter Echo SAL
Part 1 and 2 Stashaholic SAL
Photo Chart 1
Photo Chart 2

May Goals

I just realised the other day that I hadn't posted my goals for May, so here you are...

New YeaRR - DONE
Nutty Stitchers RR - not received yet
Battling Beginners RR - DONE
Heart Sampler SAL (May band) - DONE
French Marquoir SAL Part 9 - DONE
Alter Echo Sampler Parts 3, 4 & 5 - FINISHED PART 3
Photo chart 1 - few stitches - DONE
Photo chart 2 - few stitches - DONE

Sad day!

My Gran died today aged 89. She hadn't been well for some time and had a chest infection. Rest In Peace Mary Forster Earle (nee Henderson).

RIP Spike

Spike fell off his perch in the early hours of this morning. When Craig took the cover off his cage he was dead as a dodo on the floor of his cage and rock hard. Once he'd been wrapped in newspaper and put in the wheelie bin we went off to Heighleygate Garden Centre to get a new one. We were telling one of the staff members about what happened and the fact that we'd only had him a matter of weeks, and she gave us a replacement cockatiel free of charge. So the new one is called Charlie, is white - Lutino - and has a few grey markings.

While we were at the garden centre Craig also ordered some gravel for the bit of garden at the front. It's coming on Friday, so he's got a week to finish digging the weeds up, putting more soil in to level it up a bit, lay a weed restraining membrane thingy, then rake the gravel over it all on Friday when it's delivered. He's gonna be a busy little bee.