PMC

I want to gather together some leaves and other similar stuff that can burn to use with PMC paste...PMC is precious metal clay and i got some delivered today...I haven't used it before but it can't be that difficult IMO...I always did love playing with plasticine as a kid And i have made and used my own salt dough...Plus the thing i loved doing best when i studied jewellery at art school was casting...To me this is a different way of doing something similar...Except the piece made from the clay will be the finished article instead of being turned into a cast to pour molten metal into...PMC is made up of microscopic bits of silver or gold which are suspended in a binder that is clay like...Once you have made the piece you want, allowing for shrinkage, then you fire it...The binder burns off and you are left with finished article in silver or gold...The silver version is a bit more pure than sterling silver and can be assayed and hallmarked...The gold version is approx 22K so almost pure gold and can also be assayed and hallmarked...The orginal type can only be fired in a kiln and i can't afford a kiln yet...It also shrinks more than later versions...Newer versions are less porous, therefore stronger, and can be fired in a kiln, on a gas hob or using a butane torch...I am so looking forward to working with it and creating stuff...A local ceramic place uses it for doing necklaces of kids thumbprints...A dod of clay, kid sticks thumb in, clay is fired, chain is added, you pay £30 and bobs yer uncle...Actually the clay ain't that cheap...Essentially i want it for making leaves, flowers etc for tiaras....You can buy it as a paste/slip as well...That's either for joining bits together OR to paint onto the likes of leaves or bits of bark or anything that can be burnt off.

All of the above means gutting the cupboard on the stairs...Clearing all the crap out, rearranging what is in it, and getting a heater for in there...Am hoping the little side window opens so i can move the tumble drier onto the floor below it and have hose sticking out instead of beside the other window...I would have had it all cleared out this week but i have felt ugh...Sore tummy, headaches, bit of a temp and just general ugh feeling.

Toodle pip tc xx

Thurs

Am sat here watching 'A very British storm junkie' on channel 4 +1...I'd love to have the money and the time to do what this bloke does...Going all over the place looking for hurricanes, typhoons or tornadoes...I know it sounds weird but am sure am not the only person on the planet whos dream holiday would be to go tornado chasing and see a F5...Guess i could wait and do it in my old age...Well older aged than i am just now.

Tomorrow the boys and me are going out for a meal and am not paying :o) No idea where yet just hope we can find somewhere that isn't booked out or charging a fortune cos valentines on saturday...Trying to persuade M that i would like flowers but for him to wait and get me them as a late b/day pressie is proving difficult...I really don't like getting flowers on my actual birthday as the prices are so bumped up cos of valentines...I appreciate the florists need to make money and especially so in the current climate...I just get peeved it means any birthday flowers for me either cost an arm and a leg or are late or very early.

I read on teletext earlier in the week that Facebook is a modern addiction and taking over from traditional addictions like smoking, drugs or sex...Hmmm lets see Facebook requires me to have a computer and internet connection and not a lot else...Smoking i did away with, drugs no thanks and sex requires a partner (can't be bothered with one of them anymore lol)...Think i will stick with Facebook as i love a lot of the games on it, it keeps me in contact with friends all over the place :o) Most of the people i have on my facebook i have actually met in person and am not in habit of just nattering to any old weirdo on here...The only weirdos i do natter to online are ones i have met for real

Ohhh mr storm junkie is in trouble gonna go watch the rest of this without distraction :o)

Testing

Just a test to see if the notify peeps by email works lol

Who do you think you are

Am watching Who Do You Think You Are with Fiona Bruce...Her journey has taken her up to the Moray firth coast about 20-25 miles along from where i grew up...What they have shown of one of her ancestors fishing life is same as my grandads would have been...Do find it amusing Elgin being called a town...It is a town but also because it has a cathedral it is a cathedral city...Do wish the narrator would stop pronouncing Moray as in Mo - ray like the eel...People from up there pronounce it same as you would murray...Am curious now to know where the poorhouse was in Buckie...I kinda of want to try and trace my family tree but am not sure where to begin...I can go back to the late 1800's easily as my grandparents were born then...The families on both sides were so big that i'd need a massive wall to write it all down on lol...I have a friend who does genealogy as a job so i will ask her about it all...Just been interesting seeing bits on the telly from up my home way

Mon

As i briefly mentioned the other day i have started a 1 morning a week course at the local college...I signed up for it last may or june and am glad it has finally started...As most of you know Garath has a phobia of buttons which a) sounds weird and b) not too annoying...It is extremely irritating and annoying and restrictive...He can appear standoffish as he won't stand close to someone wearing buttons...He can't wear a shirt or a smart jacket...Shirts are ok for now as ones that stud fasten are sort of in fashion...Jackets are a whole different ball game...Hence this course which is all about pattern making and designing garments...Or you can adapt a bog standard garment pattern...That is what i intend to do with a gents suit jacket pattern...Where i will get material from is another story...We have john lewis and 1 other shop that sells fabric...John lewis don't have material that is suitable for a suit whether you be female or male and the other shop can only order in...I'd prefer to see in person but that is going to entail travelling some distance :o( I may have to do the same for a pattern i don't know yet as i haven't checked that out...We learnt how to mark out a bodice pattern today...Next week is trousers...Needless to say i am not allowed to walk down the road with Mikey or to associate with him if i bump into him at college lol...Even today when i told him i would take him for lunch and we would go buy the tea towels and padlock he needs for wed...I had to phone his mobile several times before he would answer it to then inform me he was stood outside poundland...I was expecting him to wait for me outside college lol


Apparently it was -12 degrees here last night...Ok it did feel cold but not as cold as some other nights have been...It's supposed to get colder tonight...There are huge icicles hanging from the leaking overflow that look quite dangerous...The bloke out the back has put buckets down to catch the water as it was freezing on his tarmac and making it dangerous to walk on...and the numptie who owns the flat that has the leaking overflow still says it's not his!!!!!...Am defo phoning enviromental health tomorrow or maybe going down and into the council offices to speak to them...My bedroom is uninhabitable cos of the damage and it's starting to be a real nuisance...I'd post photos of the snow but i haven't taken any as it's not a rare occurance lol...Even the icy pavements aren't rare as it is now 8 years ago since i fell on very thick ice on my pavement and damaged my scapula...I did think they would have had the pavement gritter out on the main streets though...My pavement still wouldn't get done although the pavement at other side of the street would...It's a different area and any jobsworth pavement gritter people have refused to do this side even though they have to drive back up the flipping street...Although i like snow i do want enough of it to disappear so i can collect some leaves and anything else similar that will burn away...Not for a fire for something else.

Toodle pip tc xx

Lost my halo somewhere down the years

Erm anyone know how i add my Facebook to my sidebar on here???? Cos i ain't managed to get to work...Oh a pic of me when i was 2...Whatever happened to the innocent angel LOLOLOL

Yeah i made an update :o)

Oh my a chance remark on facebook and now i find two people from my murky past on blogger lol...Oh well stranger thingsa have happened and i have neglected my poor journal shamefully these last few weeks...So quick update as nothing much has been happening.

Mikey had a review at college and the upshot is that he is going to be applying to do an introductory course to IT...As he has no standard grades he can't do the course where you do highers and intermediates...So this is a slightly longer different way to eventually do what he wants to do...Which is media, filming computer related stuff...Now college is on the 2nd block of the year (they only have 2 blocks) his subjects have changed slightly but he is still doing IT...And finally he is getting to do the intermediate 2 level :o) Although his guidance blokey is nice he still really didn't get my point...My point being that it is really silly to have a course that is for students with SEN that only operates at the lowest denominator...And for those who are already at the level taught or beyond it the course is NOT about getting used to being in college...That is what the 1 day a week course he did last year is for...Mikey didn't say until this week that he is still being hassled by some of his classmates...From what he said they are telling him to be quite in class when he answers all the questions...He feels he is being bullied and he feels he is being bullied because he can answer the questions and they can't...I knew something was up as he has been a grumpy (expletive deleted) for several weeks and being a right pain to me and Garath...I think i will pop along on mon and see if i can have a word with the guidance teacher...I am in college on monday mornings myself...Last week was the first week and i learnt how to take ones measurements and how to make the pattern for a basic skirt...From that pattern you can adapt and make different skirt designs...Not that i will be making any skirts for me as i really dislike wearing them...This coming monday it is bodices which if you add to the skirt can make a dress...The chances of me wearing a dress are even more remote than a skirt lol

I have been making more jewellery...Drawing up designs for jewellery and cards and other stuff...Kerry has been working on a banner for the website which is going to be the logo...am also working on what to write on the website.

I've had enviromental health round and i really need to get a hold of the woman...She was sending the owner of the flat with the leaking overflow a letter giving him X amount of days to fix it...If he doesn't do so then they will be allowed to access his premises to shut the water off...There is a heck of a lot of damage around my bedroom window from the water from the overflow pouring in....Lovely NOT

We've had snow but that's normal...Some schools being closed up in the north east cos of snow is normal...And the buses don't decide not to run because of a couple of inches of snow unlike london it would appear...I went out this afternoon and when i came out of asda it was snowing but i still drove home...Driving really mega slow in the snow is actually a bad idea...Am not saying you should be speeding along at goodness knows what but unless you are in a whiteout you are more likely to slip and slide if driving at 5 miles an hour than at 15 or 20mph...Have to laugh at the news banging on about it being the worst snow for 18 years...Erm no we had worse snow 3 years ago lol...That time instead of the usual 2-3 inches in my street we had 2 feet

Anyways Mikey has respite tomorrow (providing place is open) and am still undecided what all PMC stuff i want to get...You will find out in due course what it is :o)

Toodle pip tc

PS: some pics from this afternoon before more snow came down...I just liked the pinks and blues in the sky