Skywatch With Sculptures

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be able to accompany my youngest son's class on a school trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. It was a beautiful day and I really wish I had taken the camera with me. I used my phone instead for this little collection of shots.




Sheep waiting for their fur clipping around their bottoms - yes I know - yuckety yuk




A hole in the roof of an old deer shelter. I could have sat for hours watching the clouds.








A Henry Moore




A weird rabbit thing cut on two




and the rear view




Some giant metal figures with holes in them




A funny egg thing




Lots of the kids said this one looked like a rugby ball




The beautiful scenery




and I couldn't resist an arty farty shot through one of the trademark holes in this collection of Barbara Hepworth sculptures.
It's definitely worth the £7.50 parking fee if it's a nice day as everything is spread out over quite a distance. Prior warning though that in some parts sheep roam freely and there is a lot of poop.

Is It Warm Enough For You

I've never really been a fan of hot weather - I much prefer the temperatures in the teens. However it is HOT HOT HOT this week here in the UK and as that doesn't happen too often in our climate we shouldn't complain.

I couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute little advertising vehicle when I was out and about.




and a sky shot whilst we were sat watching our youngest at rugby training this week





and finally I couldn't resist this arty farty dandelion shot.




all taken with my phone so excuse the blur

Need More Practice

I'm definitely in need of more practice with my bridge camera.

We went for a little walk up the river this morning and I took it with me under my coat because it was spitting a little bit with rain.  I really messed up with the settings in manual and couldn't get it to do anything other than a very over exposed white shot so I had to switch to automatic.  Not happy with myself for that.

Anyway these are some of what I got.

I switched to portrait mode for this one and I quite like it in comparison to the others shot in automatic.

This one was in automatic but is without a doubt my favourite out of the bunch of shots.

Off in search of an idiots guide to shutter speeds and aperture stuff so I can have a practice and not end up with a rubbish lot of photos next time.

Taking A Back Seat....

and watching the world of Facebook without joining in as much (on the rare times I do go on it) can be quite amusing amongst other things.

I love the hobby of people watching (is there such a hobby?). I find it amazing sitting somewhere and watching the world unfold. There is a certain shopping complex, we visit occasionally, where the food court looks over the hustle and bustle of the shoppers. Everybody is a different from size to shape and habits. It's fascinating at times.

Facebook is kind of the same but without the visual picture of most people. Obviously there are those friends who we know in everyday life and we can picture them saying what they are writing on the book of face. Others we have never met and most likely never will so can only imagine what they really look and sound like.

I've tried to take a back seat recently and watch rather than join in with conversations where I don't know the people in everyday life. Observations are fascinating about how people behave. Some are nice and I doubt would ever say anything bad about anybody. Others are not so nice. Others are all 'me me me' and never bother to answer any questions asked about a status update. I find that ignorant. Some who I do know in day to day life are habitual liars and I have to chuckle at how blatant some of the lies have been. Not forgetting those who feel the need to tell everybody exactly where they are and what they are doing at every moment of the day and night! No need but that's my opinion and other people might like to see that.

I did set up a Facebook page thing for the shop the other day which is Hereif you fancy a like of it.

I have a love hate relationship with the book of face and I think the back seat may be continuing for a while. I just don't feel the need to update pointless information at the present time.

Needles And Books

On my needles this Wednesday is a scarf pattern I've been writing. It's been a work in progress for way too long so today I've pulled it back out from its hidey hole and decided to work on its length.
The yarn is king cole riot.

There are lots more yarny people showing their progress over here where reading is also asked for so here is a piccy of the book I'm reading - Corpse Way by Susan Parry. It's definitely one of those can't put down books. I picked it up from the library yesterday and am already on page 240.

Simple Pleasures

My pots are coming to life. The mix of heavy prolonged rain and sunny spells has had a positive effect on growth.

So What Do You Wear.....

for the school run?

I saw this article yesterday about mums who blog their outfits for the school run.

Now I've seen the 'what I wore for church' brigade and if I'm honest I avoid them like the plague because a) they are always dress type people and I just don't wear dresses unless they are over jeans and b) it is very rare that I dress up enough to be acceptable at church unless it is in my brownie leader uniform. Oh and there is a c) the poses annoy me for no particular reason

However this one drew my curiosity because to be completely honest with you I've never seen a fashion parade at the school gates.  The article mentions they wear high street, budget and supermarket brands now I have to say that the high street stores mentioned such as Hobbs (never heard of it), French Connection, Gap, Zara are high end price range and definitely not somewhere most people can afford even at sale times. We do have a local Gap outlet which occasionally has bargains in weird sizes.  Just over the last few days alone one of the ladies who blogs about school gate fashion has spent £179 in M&S on shoes. I don't have money to spend that much on shoes in a couple of years let along a couple of days!  More shocking to me is that she has her new shoes on the table - big no no in my house.  Not having had the time to read her blog properly I won't say that there aren't any budget shops such as Primark modelled because there may be. 

First impressions aren't making me think - oh yes lets see what xyz wore for school today. It is more a case of lets see how many names she can throw around and let us all know that she has way more disposable income available to her than the majority of the country.
 
If I were to blog what I wore everyday to take my little man to school it would get very boring very quickly. 

So lets take today as an example - pretty average morning - we always walk to school - no luxury of a second car but to be honest I would walk anyway even if I did have the choice so comfy shoes which were reduced to a silly price which evades me at the moment in Freemans catalogue,

black linen trousers from Next which were £20 but have been a lifesaver this last week after an op on my leg which has prevented me from wearing my usual jeans,

black long sleeved tshirt from Dorothy Perkins which was about £10 last winter,

dress by Joe Browns again reduced in Freemans catalogue and I have to say very poor quality and probably not even worth the reduced price,

grey knitted cardigan which was £10 in the Next sale a couple of years ago and has been worn and worn and worn

Oh and a lovely full length compression stocking that I have to wear for a while yet after my op but you didn't really need to know that.

so yeah like I said boring!

and I went out with wet hair and virtually no make up.

She Said Beauty Box May 2012

She Said Beauty for May arrived today. 

Yes  if you are here for the crafting or the skywatch pictures you can give a big yawn right now and I promise this is it for beauty reviews for a while.

Anyway if you are here to see what was in the box then you can be yawn free and read on.

Inside the box:

and the individual contents

The Vintage Cosmetic Company False Lashes Gracie

Very pretty packaging but I just won't use them.

Kim Kardashian Eau De Parfum

3ml rollerball. Unfortunately I can't get the rollerball to dispense any scent.  There is definitely some in there because I can smell it and hear it when I shake it but I just can't get to it.  From what I can smell it is gorgeous so once I work it out I am looking forward to trying it properly.

Inika Certified Vegan Lip Whip

I received the peach shade.  There were 4 different ones.  I've tried it and ooooh yummy is the verdict.  Just a small amount of colour which is great for daytime use.  I like that it doesn't feel sticky like some lip glosses can.  It is a full size product at 8ml which costs £14.30. If I were vegan etc then I might consider it but I'm not and I can't justify buying it again.

Natio Lotus Soap

One of a trio set which comes in at £8.50 for the three. I got just the one but it is a large sized bar and smells lovely.  Definitely will be used.

Green People SPF 15 with tan accelerator

Sun lotion with a weird scent.  I honestly can't describe it.  It isn't like any sun lotion I've ever smelt before. Maybe it is the tan accelerator. I've not smelt one of those so I don't know.  It isn't unpleasant just weird.  Ideal size for the handbag or car.

Snowberry 3 Samples

I got samples of Bright Defence Night Cream, Intensive Renewal Face Serum and Nourishing Rich Day Cream.  I've not heard of Snowberry before but the name made me smile which can't be a bad thing.  Looking forward to using them.

So my verdict on this - Again a box I have mixed feelings about.  Not happy about the eyelashes but they are popular right now.  Just not for me I'm afraid.  Not happy about the rollerball on the scent not working but the scent itself seems nice.  The rest are OK. Not what I would buy so it is nice to try them. 

I've tried Glossybox, Luxbox and now this.  To be honest I think there hasn't been much between all three based on their last boxes and in the case of luxbox their first.  I liked some products from all of them but not all and some I definitely won't use or were unsuitable for my skin despite filling in a beauty profile in the case of Glossybox.  I have now cancelled Glossybox and Luxbox. Luxbox took their next payment before the first box which I think is rather cheeky.  I don't know whether I will get a refund for that with cancelling or whether I will just get the next one and nothing after that.  I'm in two minds about She Said Beauty. The eyelashes have definitely put me off and I think they had them in their first box two months ago before I subbed so they seem to like them. 

 

Luxbox Launch Box

I signed up for the launch luxbox and it arrived on monday.

The box itself I would describe as a pale lilac. Kind of shabby chic but classy at the same time.

The inside of the box is black with black shreddings and tissue tied up with fuchsia ribbon.

The contents:

MOA The Green Balm - tiny tub of 100% natural healing balm which claims to be miraculous. For skin conditions, bumps, bites, grazes and minor burns, coldsores and shaving.  Smells gorgeous and with a child who comes home with holes in the knees of his trousers most days and grazed knees I can immediately see what I will be using it for.  Might try it on spots aswell.

BM Beauty Eyeshadow - shades Her Majesty and Wolf Howl.  A loose powder eyeshadow.  The colours are a bit vibrant for me but as a crafter I can see many uses for these mixed with water and sprayed on my work or painted or mixed with nail polish.  Or I may give them to my purple loving daughter.

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream - Triple action eye cream to revitalise weary eyes, smooth away dark shadows and reduce the appearance of fine lines.  I've tried this and love it.  I think my dark shadows are past the point of being smoothed away but it feels nice and soft on the skin so I'll see if it makes a difference.

Steamcream Ambigue Limited Edition by Mako Kikkawa - Steamcream represents the latest concept in skincare. Freshly handmade using high quality natural ingredients that are fused together with a shot of steam.  Made for the face but also perfect for the body and hands apparently.  I've used it this morning and I really like it.  The scent is a bit lavendery but not in an old granny sort of way.  It feels nice on the face.  I tried a bit on my hands but I'm afraid they are bit too dry for it. Only Body Shop Hemp seems to make a difference to my paws.

Eldora False Lashes -  These will definitely be going to my daughter. I have no need for false eyelashes but obviously they are very 'in' at the moment amongst younger people. 

My verdict - Apart from the eyelashes I will use everything in the box.  It was reduced because it was the launch box.  I think I will keep my subscription up for the next box and see what it contains.  This one is very much on a par with Glossybox this month. 

I got an email last night to say She Said Beauty have dispatched their May box.  I couldn't resist clicking on the sneek they linked to and that contains eyelashes aswell :( I will review that as soon as it arrives.