Drains and Pumping Stations

Mark said he would take me out to take some photos of the Wind Turbines yesterday as the forecast was dry. I wanted some long exposure ones to try to get the effect of the sails going round. Well, yes it was dry but it was also bright and sunny. Absolutely no good for long exposures!!! So I went out on my bike instead!

D is for Drains. Or Dykes. Or Ditches. They seem to be called all three around here equally. This is the Forty Foot Drain, taken from the bridge on Dodington Road. The second photo is taken along the Forty Foot road.

The Fenlands are below sea level. Until the mid 17th Century, Chatteris was an island. The Romans tried to drain part of it to farm it but it wasn't until 1630 that Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden came along and built the Forty Foot that draining the Fens was successful.

Of course, for all these drains to work, you need Pumping Stations.

Since the Fens were drained the peat areas have shrunk and on avarage the land is 20 feet lower than it was when the Romans farmed it. Water has to be lifted as much as 7 metres uphill to keep the land dry. Fenland today is kept dry by numerous Drainage Boards in the North, South and Middle Levels. The pumping staion at Tydd Gote has 6 1200mm pumps, each of which can shift 200 tons of water a minute. Information is taken fromt the "Cambridgeshire Fens Visitor & Accomodation Guide".

Working Hard!

Honest! I have been!

I have been crocheting and beading like woman posessed! Mind you, most people would say I am like woman possessed anyway. They are far too polite to say what I am possessed with though!

I have almost finished the Lacy lingerie I have been working on.

The Nightie is written (although there is a little more crocheting to be done on that bit) and yesterday evening I finished crocheting the G-string to go with it. I just need to write that bit.

I have also converted the Nightie to the larger size (very brain addling) and found a willing victim to test it. And I have finally found a willing victim for the smaller size so am working on converting that one.

The next job is the French Knickers. And then to get some nice pics!

The pictures you can see are digi layouts of the finished silk paintings. I plan on using them for birthday cards to sell at the opening reception of my exhibition - which seems to be drawing ever closer at an alarmimg speed.

Still, things are going at a steady pace for it.

But it isn't all work! I have joined in with a project on the UKS site to build an A-Z Photographic Journal of where I live. As Chatteris isn't exactly a huge place, I am expanding it to the Fens as well, although I will be keeping as close to Chatteris as possible. For the moment, I am just keeping a notebook full of possibilities for photo shoots!

What this space for the results!

Atelier East presents

Neville Palmer - Digital Graphics
and other recent work.
An Exhibition at the Angles Theatre, Wisbech, Cambs.

February’s exhibition at the Angles Theatre, one of a continuing series curated by Atelier East, will feature digital graphics by Neville Palmer. For many years a sculptor and a painter, this new digital work is part of a relatively recent exploration for the artist and forms the major part of his first solo exhibition in Wisbech since 1981.

We are very excited to be able to show the work of Neville Palmer here in Wisbech. His attention to detail is phenomenal and his use of colour is beautiful. If you have an interest in visual arts of any kind then it would be really worth your while to view this exhibition. Neville Palmer’s work allows you to look at things differently; you can look at one of his pieces for ages and it is amazing how your visual perception of depth alters as you notice the difference in the way that the colour and form interweave. – Karen Harvey, Atelier East.

The exhibition opens on Sunday 3rd February with a reception from 6-8pm and continues until Friday 29 February.

The theatre is also open Monday to Friday all day and Saturday mornings, plus it is open for shows. Best the check with the theatre if you are going out of normal hours.

The January Sale exhibition is going well. It is on until FEB 1st. There are still lots of bargains to be had from some great artists, lovely individual pieces of art would make great gifts, especially with Valentines Day coming up, and its all for a good cause- our lovely local theatre!

Beads, Beads, Beads!

I have been beading and crocheting like mad! I have finished beading my 3 magnolia paintings. Now they need mounting and backing. Next I have to start on the 2 lilies. I have some others with the beading finished, also needing mounting and backing. I was thinking of doing some today but, after a shopping trip to Tesco, I have managed to pull a muscle in my back! My family eat too much!

I have got the jpegs and "blurb" off to Karen (but not heard if it is right yet). Next job is to create a flyer/invite for her. Its all go!

Here are the Poppies. I love the colours on these and have tried to use both the stitching and beading a bit more creatively. I have a huge stash of seed beads. I tend to buy old or cheap jewellery and then take them apart. Its amazing what you can find in charity shops!

These are the dolphins. This one is totally different from the others. I painted the rainbow stripes on the silk then cut dolphin shapes from dark fabric and put them between the silk and the backing. Then I quilted around the dolphin shapes. This is a sort of shadow applique.

What have I done?????

I do some daft things occasionally.  Ok, more than occasionally!!!!! 

This time, I am wondering if I have bitten off more than I can chew.  Last September I agreed to do a one man exhibition of my silk paintings in April 2008.  I thought that, although I had a whole load of stuff on up to Christmas, that I would have plenty of time after Christmas to get it sorted.  Last week it suddenly dawned on me that I have 2½ months to get enough stuff together.

Big time Panic!!!!!

Plus I have to get jpegs in of my work (which isn't made yet) and some "blurb" about me to go with it.

However, after digging to the bottom of the wardrobe, I found a few things. I also have 2 finished from ages ago.

This one is my Sunflowers.  It is the first one I ever did.  I joined a class in 2001 at the end of the course and was presented with a huge frame (as all the "more experienced" class members had taken the smaller ones) and told to paint it.  I actually enjoyed it once I started, not having painted anything for a long time it felt good to have a brush in my hand again.

When it was finished I had to back it and mount it.   Not knowing quite what to do with it, I quilted it, beaded it and made it into a wall hanging.

It measures 125cm from pole to pole and the small picture is a close up of the beading.

Then I had the "bug".  Being a single Mum of a 3 year old, I had to organise my own Christmas pressie.  So I went to a local craft shop and almost paid for a silk painting kit.  I then sent Benjamin in on his own with the £2 balance and he "bought" it for me.

Of course, I never got to use it.  Too many other things to do in too little time.  It wasn't until I met my dearest and he bought me a frame for my birthday that I was able to do some more.

This one is a pink flower and is mounted on a wooden frame.  The painting is wrapped around so that the picture carries on around the sides.

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It measures 41cm x 34 cm and, as you can see, I was a bit more adventurous with the beading.

I will be posting more pictures of my work as I do it - hopefully!

The exhibition is going to be at the Angles Theatre in Wisbech.  They hold a different one every month and I have now been put on the press mailing list so I can tell you all about them.  There is currently a "January Sale" one on.  The Theatre is open all day Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings for you to look.  It is also open in the evenings of there is a show on.

Hidden Journalling Notebook

I was shown how to make this little notebook a few years ago and, on finding it at the bottom of my craft drawer, decided to share it. The photos aren't great as I was playing with my new lens and I didn't take a whole lot of time over editing as I wanted to get it done!

Step 1
Cut two strips of paper, one patterned and one plain. They can be any size you would like but must be 8 times as long as they are wide and the plain one should be a little smaller than the patterned one.

Step 2
Fold the plain piece into 8 equal sections. Each one should be a square.
This is the pages for your book.

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Repeat for the patterned piece but fold all the creases both ways. Then make the additional folds, again folding both ways.

Step 3
Lay the patterned piece flat on the table with the right side up.

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Step 4

Fold at fold 1

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Step 5
Fold at fold 2

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Step 6
Turn the whole thing over.

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Step 7
Fold at fold 3

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Step 8
Fold at fold 5.

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Step 9
Fold at fold 4 and tuck the flap under.

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Step 10
Turn the whole thing around and repeat steps 4 to 9 for the other side.
This is the cover for your book.

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Step 11
Turn the cover over and place the plain piece as shown in the picture.

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Step 12
Slide the end squares of the pages into the cover and fold in half.

If you would like a pdf version of these instructions, you can download it here.

New Pattern Finished

Oooh! I am all excited! I have finally finished my latest pattern!!!!!

As you can see, its very festive. A range of 5 Christmas frames for scrapbooking. Somebody did comment that it is a bit late for Christmas but, if I know Scrappers, its just at the right time. I bet we all have loads of Christmas pics just waiting to be scrapped.

The pattern is for sale on Rainbow Valley but if you want either the pattern or some of the Christmas frames free, enter the competition! Just click on the flashing button over there <<<< to find out how to enter.

Last Day of Freedom!

Yes, its the last day of term!  I am out for my Christmas lunch with Craft Club today.  I also have to get the tree up.  And the kitchen cleaned.  And the laundry done.  And go to the library.  And I am sure there is a whole load of other stuff!

Mark went up in the attic last night and the decorations are down.  He also got me down two boxes of photos in frames.  I am going to put them in albums and get rid of the frames as we just don't have the wall space here.  I think there is still another box up there as some of my photos are missing.

Benjamin won a colouring competition at a local estate agents.  We went there last night for a presentation of the prizes.  He had a lovely sports bag and art set which were presented by a local celeb boxer called Dave "Boy" Green.  Mark says he was really good in his day.  Of course, he is older now and retired but he does a lot for the local youngsters.

And, of course, I have been crocheting again!  Journalling blocks this time.  Pictures and freebies later!

I have been working on my site this morning to add the new frames I have been making. Its a set of Baubles in different sizes.

What do you think?

I was ever so good yesterday. Despite the power being off for a couple of hours, I finished the last of my Quilted Christmas Stocking orders. Now I just have to get them all packed up and posted!

The next job on the list is the Christmas cards. There are LOADS of them to get done!

However, there is a glorious frost out there and it is soooooooo tempting. Might just have to go out and play with the camera first!

Amost there!

After the panic of last week, things seem to be coming together at last! The OU course is finished and if anybody wants to see the photos I submitted for the ECA they are here.

And, what is more, I have used one of the for Januarys calendar. This is one of my favourites and I thought the frost theme fitted January - even though it was taken in November.

I managed to fit into my dress for Saturday night and my dearest looked gorgeous in his tux! I was careful about what I drank as I really didn't fancy being ill but the very late night left me feeling a bit like a zombie on Sunday. I even fell asleep in Top Gear so am going to have to watch the re-run! I was still tired yesterday and didn't go to C&C as I couldn't find the energy to rush about. We were in bed just after nine last night and I am feeling loads better for it!

Today I am at Chatteris Museum again. This is the second week of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition. If anybody is in the area it is open from 10 to 4.30 Tuesday and Thursday this week.

And on the crochet front, I am working on more Chritmas themed frames. I am going to release a pattern for just the Christmas ones as soon as I am able and then work on some more general themed ones after Christmas.

Still working!

Well, things still seem to be working this morning, so I have some more goodies for you! I have finished the 3 sizes of stockings, taken pics and convereted them to pngs. Whats more, I have uploaded them as well!

You can find them on the Scrapbooking Frames page.

Have fun and don't forget to show me what you do with them so I can put them in the Rainbow Valley Album.

Hello Stranger!

I have been trying to get in and post for what seems like months with no avail! I have no idea why. I have changed settings in IE numerous times and still haven't managed it. Today, I changed even more setting and have finally managed it, although what I have done, I have no idea!!!!!

On the OU front, the course if finished. I have had great fun doing it but did get a bit panicky at the end while trying to choose 10 photos for my ECA. Mark was getting a bit short tempered with me over it but it is all finally done. When the ECA deadline has past, I can post the slideshow to the photos for you all to see.

I have also been doing some crocheting. First, I had to make a shrug to go with my dress for this posh night out. Then I had to get some heads, hands and feet made for the Yo-yo clowns we have made for C&C. And finally, I have been amking more frames for scrapbooking.

I have decided to write this pattern for Christmas frames. So far I have the Christmas Tree, Stars, Baubles and Stockings. They are not all finished and I am planning a range of sizes in each of the designs. This means plenty of more work on them yet. All of the digi versions of the frames will be available as free downloads.

Monday Morning Blues!

Why is it I never seem to have any "Get-Up-And-Go" on a Monday morning? I am supposed to be at C&C at 9.30am and I am still here. And, to be honest, I really don't feel like going but know I have to as they are expecting me to bring the clowns heads I have made.

It was Marks birthday on Saturday and poor thing had to work. Still, I hope I made up for by getting him plenty of beer in for the evening. I also invited some friends around and we had a Chinese. The problem with going out for a meal is that, as I don't drive, he can't drink. And now, with this law banning smoking in public places, he can't smoke either. So doing it all at home meant he could drink and smoke in comfort!

We went out Christmas Shopping on Sunday. Benjamin went to a car boot sale with friends and two bags of toys. He came home with one bag of toys and £10.80. He did quite well and was pleased with it. It was the easiest I have ever managed to get him to sort his toys out to make more for Christmas.

The idea of him going with them was to give us a chance to get his pressie. Thats all sorted now. We also had to get a tux for Mark and a dress for me to go to his posh Christmas "do" for work. Luckily, the dress I got goes perfectly with the shoes I got last year. One less shopping trip! However, having lost a fair bit of weight from last year, I need a new strapless bra to go with it. And the tops of my arms are all saggy so I need a shrug or something to cover them.

All this hassle for one night!

Still, best get off now and get to C&C.

When I am good....

....I am very, very good!

Here is the 10x15cm rectangle frame, complete with a bow.

And what is more, the bow is a free pattern on Rainbow Valley.

December Calender

I have been good! The December calender is up nice and early ready for you to download and have on your desktop on the 1st!

More Scrapping Frames

I have taken pictures of the new frames and here they are. I was really pleased with the Christmas Tree, it took me ages to get right! The flower took almost as long as well and looks much nicer than in the picture, I really need to do that one again.

I have also made a 10x15cm rectangle. That one needs blocking before I can photograph it. I will also be doing square frames and other rectangles in different sizes. And if you want to turn them into pressies, I am working on a bow to go on the top.

And talking of free stuff, have you seen Lilybelle Scraps? Go and take a look!

Playing Catch-up!

I feel like I am sometimes chasing my tail.  I didn't have a good week from a health point of view.  I didn't get any scrapping done.  I left my OU studies till the last minute and haven't done the photo assignments.  I have a few photos of Chatteris for me week 6 assignment, I need one more for the set.  I suppose I could upload the 5 but wanted to do all 6 together.  And it is raining so I can't go out and get the 6th one!  I have only uploaded 3 from week 7 and the weather was far too dark to do the others yesterday.

However, the week wasn't a total wash out.  I felt a bit better by Thursday and went out and had a lovely day with Valerie, the lady I met on the OU course.  I got a couple of photos I wanted for other things but none for the course.  And there was a terrific frost on Friday so I went out early and got some nice pics then.  Not the ones I was aiming for but I was still pleased with them.  I also got muddy knees, a couple of funny looks and rude comments because of kneeling on the floor.

And I finished a Flower frame, a Christmas Tree frame and a 6x4 rectangle frame.  I suppose, all in all, not a bad weeks work.

Crocheting again.

I knew it wouldn't be long before the urge to get creative crochet-wise would take over. As much as I am enjoying this course and learning how to do all this stuff, taking photos just doesn't have the thrill that creating something with a hook does.

I am working on a new Scrapbooking pattern. This time it is frames. I did post the large heart one in a previous post. Here is the lovely layout by Fi.

However, now I have created a new smaller heart and two different sized stars as well. The large one is about 20cm diameter and the small one about 14 cm.

Mary has done a lovely layouts using a digi version of the large star. You can't see the true size on this as with digi you can make them any size - and use as many as you want!

I have just finished a flower and next on the list is a Christmas tree. If you have any suggestions for more shapes, please leave a comment. I would love to hear from you.

All of my Scrapbooking patterns are available on Rainbow Valley

Organised??????

I managed to get 2 weeks worth or reading and videos done last week with the intention of getting some free time this week to do some scrapping.

It started off well.  I did the weekly challenge with the photos I took of the fireworks on Saturday night. Using some newfound skills, I merged them to make a montage and found something suitably sparkley for the writing.  I went to C&C, then came home and spent ages cleaning the kitchen to get rid of puppy hair etc.

Tuesday dawned bright and sunny so I thought I would go out.  However, I got sidetracked with Christmas cards so didn't manage to get ready to go out until lunchtime.  Then, just as I was organised, I had a call from the school.  Benjamin had broken his specs.  This meant taking his spare pair to the school and taking his broken ones to be repaired.  And that was the afternoon gone.  I did go out last night to try to get some night shots of Chatteris. However, there was one I particularly wanted and the light was off.

This morning, off to Tesco on the free bus.  My photos I ordered were still not there despite having an assurance from online customer service that they had been re-ordered.  The woman in the customer service in the store isn't very helpful.  She managed to lose the email that I had given to the other lady last week.  So when she asked for a slip this week, I reminded her she had lost it.  I now have to email the online customer service yet again and tell them what I think of their photo service.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

I have been neglecting you but I just have so much on at the moment that I don't know where the time is going!

This OU course is wonderful fun.  I have learned loads.  I have the perfect excuse to go out skiving and taking pics.  And I am taking better pics.  I don't use the camera on just auto any more.  I play about with the settings until I get what I want.  This months calender is one I took recently.  Just look at those colours!

I would recommend it to anyone.  As part of the course you get PSE5 and loads of videos to learn to use it.  Of course, it doesn't suit everybody.  It is totally online so you have to be proficient with the computer to get the most out of it.  There are no tutors, you are expected to work through the sessions on your own.  However, there are forums with professionals as moderators and you can learn so much from both their comments and those of other students.  All of this means there is no professional feedback on the photos you post.  However, there are plenty of other students both better and worse than you who comment.  You can lean a lot from them. And you lean a lot from other students photos.  The whole course is designed to make you think and look at your photos in a different light.  It encourages you to take photos of things and in ways you would never have before.

It isn't for you if you want you hand held through it, if you can't cope with a lot of time spent on the computer and if you can't set aside some time each day to study.  There is a lot of on screen reading (although I printed mine off and read in peace on the sofa) and activities.  It isn't for you if you expect "expert" opinions and advice all the way through.  And it certainly isn't for you if you can not share both your photos and experience (or lack of it) with your fellow students.

However, I am loving it!  Can you tell?

On top of that, Christmas is coming.  Orders are coming through slowly and I haven't started my Christmas cards yet!  I am also puppy sitting - Why did I say yes?????  Scrapbooking has taken a back seat, along with a quite few other things.