Woohoo it's the Weekend

Day 374...

And we have another stay-at-home weekend!

Our Saturday morning was a fairly laid back affair culminating in our usual walk for a coffee...and cake for Ethan. Another 3.6 miles in an hour and ten minutes which brings our total for March to 41 miles walked in 14 hours! 

After a spot of lunch we popped to see my dad; we had a couple of things to drop off with him and it was a good excuse to check-in with him and makes sure he was doing okay. We spent an hour or so with him and gave him another tutorial on how to use WhatsApp in an attempt to get him a little more tech savvy and easier to keep in contact with.

When we returned home our task was to see if we could make some progress on Simon's R2D2 droid build. It was time to assemble the legs and then attach them to the main body. The leg assembly was surprisingly straight forward and took us much less time than I think we were anticipating but the next bit was a little more tricky.

We moved R2 into our living room so that he could be fully assembled in the room that he is going to live in. It was then a case of figuring out just how the legs attached to the body. After a couple of attempts threading bolts through from the leg, into the 'shoulder' section and then into the body we realised that something wasn't quite lining up. Thankfully Simon was able to figure out how all the various pieces connected together which meant that we were a set of bolts missing. But a quick jump online and Simon was able to buy some ready to be picked up from a DIY store just a five minute drive away.

Once we had all the right bolts we were able to get all the pieces connected correctly and with a little bit of balancing and holding into position we managed to attach the two side legs and then the central 'foot'. A little minor adjustment and voila we have a droid living in the corner of our living room...

How cool is this?

...there are still a few details to add and then there will be some weathering as apparently it looks too clean to be in Star Wars!

And with that all done it was time for dinner which was our now usual Saturday night keto pizza which this week included a video chat with Molly and her fella, while Molly helped his mum dye her hair! Random I know, but that did all happen together!!

Today I shared this Mickey with our Disney Dream Girls family on Facebook. This is from Simon's 365 Mickey project 10 years ago...and would you believe it the timing couldn't be more perfect as this is exactly what happens today...

...time to put the clocks forward an hour and spring into British summertime!

Take care.
xx

Manic Monday

Day 369...

Well today has been a bit of a non-stop sort of Monday!

So the day started with a phone call from my Dad, which was good. He is still in hospital and after a number of calls yesterday evening I had finally managed to find out a little more about what was happening. It was great to hear him sounding like his normal self and simply wanting me to check a few things at home for him.

So we headed off to my dads house before going to collect the weekly grocery shop as is our Monday normal. Once home I sorted all the shopping while Simon nipped out to a local DIY shop to pick up some large screws needed for some more R2D2 assembling later today.

Then the rest of the morning was spent catching up with our personal financial advisor to chat pensions and money stuff...whoop! Afterward we headed back to my dads house to spend a couple of hours cleaning around for him and getting everywhere tidy as things had been left in a bit of a mess after he was taken into hospital yesterday.

Back home again and this time it was to meet with a flooring company to measure up a couple of our rooms for some wooden flooring. This will be the third company we have tried so far, so we are hoping it's third time lucky. We have resorted to using a national company as the two smaller, local businesses we had tried were very nice and they came out and measured up and promised to provide quotes and sample flooring but we never heard back. I would much rather support the smaller guy but if the customer service isn't there then I'm afraid I'll have to go with the company offering the better service and who actually want the work!

Simon has, during various pockets of time throughout the day, been able to get a little more assembly of R2D2's feet completed. Lots of drilling, gluing and screwing together and fingers crossed he is now into the final stretch of getting it all put together.

Over on the Disney Dream Girls Family Facebook page I have been sharing each day some drawings that Simon did 10 years ago. He had a project called 365 Mickeys, where he drew a Mickey Mouse a day for a year. Today's Mickey from 10 years ago seems to sum up today pretty well...the description was 'Jayne does a lot of running around'!!

So I think it's now time for a well deserved 'feet-up' in front of the TV time.

See you tomorrow, take care.
xx

Tidy Up

Day 290...

Well yesterday's post was so late I think it was technically posted today...just after midnight in fact.

Our day yesterday had been very chilled and relaxed, we had been out for a muddy and squelchy walk (very pleased with my new welly boots), Simon had tinkered with the electronics in his R2D2 and after a lovely roast beef dinner we had settled down for an evening of board games.

Molly won the first game of Disney Trivia, we had a few mini games of 'Heads Up' and then we got stuck into the Game of Life - Disney's Haunted Mansion version which took us a lot longer than I think we had anticipated but I did manage to win it!

Today has been another steady day and reluctantly we took down the Christmas decorations which I hate. Now I don't mind the physical activity of taking them down and putting them away but it's the emotional aspect.  

A rather appropriate Mickey drawn by Simon, on this day 10 years ago, as part of his
365 Mickeys project

I do love Christmas and all that goes with it and always look forward to getting everywhere decorated at the end of November each year and seeing it all disappear feels very melancholic to me. It signifies that the festivities are over and that work is just around the corner along with the cold and relatively boring month of January. I suppose this year with things being as they are it grates even more so when no end to what we are going through can be seen.

But we have been able to get everything taken down, packed away and put back in the loft in just a few hours this afternoon. We have yet to put away our outside lights and that will be a job for tomorrow I think. And as we had snow this afternoon it seemed quite appropriate to leave out the lights in the snow.

Tiki in the snow with tinsel of course!

Love these blow molds, will be sad to see them put away

Well it's been a productive day if a little emotional for soppy old me. I think we may have another board game to play tonight. This time it's one we've not played before and one that I bought just as we went into the first lockdown back in March...Disney's Villainous...I will report back tomorrow as to how it went.

Take care wherever you may be and whatever you may be doing.

xx

35 Years Ago

Day 250...

...and 35 years ago I met a certain someone in a local nightclub on a random night out. I had no intention of going out that night and certainly not with, how shall we put this...an acquaintance...who called me up out of the blue. 

My dad persuaded me to go out that night and across a dark dancefloor I was introduced to Simon...just so happened he knew the person I was with and they hadn't seen each other in a while. So rather than leave with whom I arrived I left with Simon instead.

Two years later we got engaged and then married 18 months later. 35 years since we met, two grown-kids, numerous amazing Disney holidays, cosplay adventures and prop making later here we are still growing stronger together.

Simon drew this ten years ago as part of his 365 Mickey's project so it seems apt to share it today.

But as it was Monday and our day off it started like any other Monday with a trip to collect our weekly grocery shop but in a change to our usual routine we came home via another supermarket to do a little bit of Christmas themed shopping. I wanted to pick up some bits and pieces for us for over the festive period but I was also shopping on behalf of pre-school. We are putting together a hamper that we are going to raffle off over the next couple of weeks; fizz, pudding, cake, mince pies and other goodies.

This marked the first time venturing into an actual supermarket in what felt like forever...having stuck to ordering all my shopping online and collecting once a week I haven't really needed to go into a shop. We have been in and out of other places but this was the first time back in a familiar shop and it was just nice to be doing something that felt like normal.

Once home and shopping put away I then had a parcel for the US to pack and sort out the postage, which seems to have gone up an awful lot compared to the last time we shipped anything stateside! It was then off to the post office to send the parcel on its way along with another couple.

This afternoon saw us take a walk out in the sunshine; just a short one today of a couple of miles in about 40 minutes. Then fueled with a coffee I set about getting the rest of the cleaning and a little re-organising completed ready for the upcoming weekend and our Christmas decorations.

I do love all my Disney bits and pieces but it does make cleaning round a lengthy job but now it is all done it looks lovely I just need all the dust to keep away. Although at the weekend I will need to move it all again to lay some snow blanket so that everywhere looks suitably festive.

Just a little bit of my collection...

And even my 'Dickens Village' collection by Department 56 has strong Disney connections as I fell in love with it after seeing a large display in a shop (it may have been the 'World of Disney' or whatever the equivalent was back in 1991) in what was then known as the Disney Village Marketplace at Walt Disney World. 

In fact I think I bought a couple of pieces to bring back home and of course since then Department 56 have produced a Disney Village series as well. It's probably a good job that it's tricky to get hold of in the UK as I don't know where I'd put anymore!

And we end the day with announcements from our government that the current 'lockdown 2' will end on the 2nd December but then we will be back into the three tier system which is going to be a bit tougher, but we won't know which areas of the country are in which tiers until later in the week. I do find myself losing the will to take as much interest in this as I perhaps should. I think I will wait until the tier for our area has been announced and then worry about what I can or can't do with whom and where!

Wherever you are, take care.

xx

Oh Happy Day

Day 234

Welcome to the weekend and a very slow start in our household today. With nothing to be up and out for we opted for a late start and a late breakfast.

But once moving we had a few jobs to get completed. First was to take some photos of Simon and me for our passports as they need renewing. This meant lots of attempts at getting the right type of photo; looking forward, no glasses, no expression, plain background and no shadows - easy right?! Thank goodness for Molly's photographic equipment as we were able to use her light boxes to get the best and cleanest lighting possible. I just hope when the applications get processed that they meet all the requirements!

We then had a couple of repair jobs to do; one radiator to bleed to see if we can get it to warm up (thankfully it worked) and then a few lightbulbs to replace in our outdoor garden lights which now the nights are getting darker earlier was very much needed.

Today has been a beautiful day, crisp with sunshine at times, a little mist lingering about but ideal for taking a walk out this afternoon. We were out for just over an hour and completed 3.6 miles, and saw lots, and lots, of people out walking...much more than we have seen of late. There were lots of cars parked close to where we live when normally we wouldn't see any, this is definitely the effect of the second lockdown as this is what happened back during the first one. At least everyone we encountered was in a good mood and happy to acknowledge each other while giving a respectful amount of distance.

Once home and fueled with coffee it was time to sit down and watch a Disney movie. Along with fellow Disney nerds Michelle and Tracey we attempted to have a 'group watch' but after a little faffing about we decided to adopt the old fashioned approach of setting up our movie of choice on Disney Plus and pressing play at the same time. Our movie of choice? Coco - such a beautiful film not only in meaning but visually as well. And yes I cried...what is it about Disney/Pixar movies that can bring you to tears?!

And then about half way through the movie we heard the news that Joe Biden had been declared as the president of the USA; thank goodness for that! It was so great dipping into social media (once I'd watched the movie) to see lots of very happy people! And although I suspect the next couple of months are going to be rather interesting the end result will see us, hopefully, return back to a more normal and reasoned world steered by people who actually know what they are doing.

Thought I would share this picture today as after posting it on the Disney Dream Girls Family Facebook page one of our American friends pointed out that it was rather appropriate considering todays events. 

Simon ten years ago started to draw a Mickey Mouse every day for a year; his 365 Mickey project, and this is the drawing that started it all. Sat at my mum's house one Sunday afternoon 10 years ago, listening to the sound of fireworks as people around us celebrated Bonfire Night from three days earlier, Simon took up his pens and decided to draw Mickey Mouse and so embarked a project that would last for 365 days. Each day Simon would draw a Mickey based on a suggestion from me or, as the year moved on, we would pick a theme; it turned out to be a fantastic achievement and provides us, to this day, with some lovely memories.

Well, we have a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge so I better stop writing and raise a glass to a new found sense of hope in the world.

Stay safe, wash your hands, keep your distance and wear a mask.

xx

Day 108

Day 108...

Here we are at the weekend and with no alarm set I woke up relatively late for me for the first time in ages, and it felt like I'd had a pretty decent nights sleep as well.

So with a very relaxed start to the day we had breakfast and simply pottered about sorting some household chores. 

Simon has, during the day, been tinkering with the electronics part of his R2D2 build as he is now fashioning the 'twinkly' lights. All I know is that this involves LED's, fibre optics, cables, Arduinos and a laptop as he is programming the lights to do different things.

He is loving the challenge of learning something new, testing his programming muscles and creating something as accurate to the original movies as he can. It has been great to see a collaborative effort at times when his programming knowledge is not quite where he would like it to be so he has called upon Ethan to work it out together. The one downside (apart from a section of my kitchen being overtaken) is that every now and then I get asked to look what the lights are doing and because they are so bright I end up with dots in front of my eyes!

We took a little time out today to do a bit more sorting out at Simon's late mum's house as we had furniture to rearrange as well as try to get a little more clearing out completed. We also had some correspondence to sort which took a chunk of my time this afternoon.

So as today was the 4th July I thought I would share some of Simon's artwork with the followers on our Disney Dream Girls Facebook page in order to recognise Independence day. This was just one image that Simon drew as part of his 365 Mickey's project which ran from November 2010 for a whole year. A Mickey a day for a whole year with the subject matter chosen by yours truly.

Stack of 365 Mickey's!

Simon's take on Independence Day, drawn on 4th July 2011 

I then made a point of stopping, and while the daylight was still good, attempted a little more of my current jigsaw...still battling with the straight edge but a few more pieces got joined together!

And today's treat was dinner made by Simon...keto pizza...this is one he discovered a while ago so this has now become something that he makes which means I get a night off from cooking!

Pizza making in progress

So as the pubs, restaurants and hairdressers opened up we have had a pretty regular sort of day. It has been great to see businesses opening and being socially responsible I just hope that all businesses follow this lead and that the public behave themselves and obey the recommendations, but as I've said before only time will tell!

If you are out and about please do so responsibly and take care for all of our sakes.

xx

Disney Inked

One of the ways that I keep my love of Disney going, as well as expressing how much Disney means to me, is through my tattoos.

Every tattoo that I have has a bit of Disney thrown in somewhere...some more obvious than others!

It all started a fair few years ago when Simon & I became intrigued with the world of tattoos after watching a number of 'ink' related TV programs. We loved the artistry involved and the stories behind the tattoos and soon we were talking about getting our own and what we would have done and why.

My reasoning was very simple - it had to combine the loves in life (family and Disney) as well as be designed by Simon.  The thought of having a piece of his art on my body was a no-brainer as far as I was concerned.

So the first tattoo I ever had was at the base of my spine. It spans across my lower back with a tri-circle Mickey at the centre; this was designed by Simon, and tattooed by Gray Silva at Rampant Ink Tattoo Studio. It also incorporates Simon’s initials and those of our two children (if you know where to look!)

Photo taken at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Dinoland USA after riding Primeval Whirl, 2008

My next tattoo carried on the Disney theme and once again incorporated the classic tri-circle Mickey at it's centre.  This was designed by Simon along with input from tattooist, Rachel Huntington who also worked at Rampant Ink Tattoo Studio.

Photo taken at Disneyland, Sleeping Beauty's Castle, 2010

My third tattoo is around my ankle and foot and has flowers with tri-circle Mickeys at their centres flowing off an abstract tri-circle Mickey.  This time I took Rachel some designs of tri-circle Mickey’s that I had come across on our previous visit to Disneyland, explained where I wanted the tattoo and that I wanted cherry blossom type flowers as well.  I told her all about ‘hidden Mickey’s’ and love the fact that she was able to get so many into one tattoo; between the main ‘Mickey’, the flower centres and tiny hidden ‘dots’ there are 11 hidden Mickey’s!  I also love the fact that those in the know see the 'Disney' element straight away but for others I have to point it out, and when they realise they are completely awestruck!

Photo taken at the Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA, 2011

My next tattoo was based on a drawing that Simon completed as part of his 365 Mickeys Project; the drawing celebrated the day I got my original foot/ankle tattoo!

Simon's 365 Mickeys Project drawing for 8th July 2011

The tattoo version is almost the same but with an extra flower and a total of seven hidden Mickeys. This tattoo has since had a small star added to represent my mum who recently passed away.

Freshly inked Tattoo by Rachel Huntington - May 2014

So what to do next....well it's true what they say that you can never stop at just one tattoo and the idea that started bubbling away in my head was that of a full sleeve...a full Disney sleeve of course.

So in February this year the first part of my sleeve was begun. Now this sleeve is still a 'work-in-progress' and will contain a mixture of images of all different kinds that help to signify what Disney is all about for me personally; favourite movies, characters as well as representing my Disney home - Walt Disney World. The tattoo was started initially by Rachel while she was working at Rampant Ink. We started with Cinderella's castle (to represent the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World) and then the rose and bell jar from Beauty & The Beast as well as Scrump from Lilo & Stitch...

...next came some words, colour and a classic Disney blue bird...

...this was followed by more words, tinkerbell and some fairy dust...

 ...oh and the genie's lamp from Aladdin.

Now this is where I had a change of artists as Rachel decided to take a break from tattooing. Luckily for me Rampant Ink also employs the amazingly talented Simon 'Saint' Heywood who agreed to take on the rest of my sleeve for me. My first 6 hour session with Simon included lanterns from Tangled...

 ...colour and enhancements to the rose and bell jar as well as filling in around some of the words...

 ....there was also the apple from Snow White along with Cinderella's glass slipper...

...and then moving onto my lower arm...

 ...a movie clapper board to represent Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.

I have now had my second 6 hour session with Simon which has resulted in seven new pieces to my sleeve. So continuing on my lower arm...

...on the front I have Figment, the purple dinosaur from the attraction Journey Into Imagination which represents Epcot. I then have the Simba cave drawing from the movie The Lion King which represents the Animal Kingdom. So that's all four main parks at Walt Disney World represented!

On the back of my lower arm there is...

 ...Mrs Potts, from Beauty & The Beast, and of course that means that...

...Chip had to be included too! Also on my lower arm there is...

...a classic Disney butterfly as seen in the likes of Bambi. Moving back onto my upper arm there were a couple of smaller pieces added...

...a silhouette of Mary Poppins and a couple of 'Mickey' balloons which are synonymous with any visit to the Magic Kingdom!

But I still have plenty of space left to fill and plenty of ideas of what I'd like to fill those spaces with...but I won't spoil the surprise and will leave the reveal to another post after my next inking session later this year!

It's been a month...

Well I can't believe it's been over a month since I last wrote a post for my blog!  So I thought I'd better rectify the situation and fill you all in on what I've been up to!

Well where do we start...if we go back to the end of May I had my fourth tattoo completed...and yes it is Disney themed.  The design took inspiration from a drawing that Simon did for his 365 Mickeys project which in turn took inspiration from my foot tattoo.  So here is my foot tattoo;

Photo taken August 2011 - guess where?!!

Then Simon drew this...

From Simon's 365 Mickey Project from July 2011

And I got a new tattoo which looks like this;

Photo taken just as it had been finished!

We then had a weekend of much celebration as we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversay - see my previous post for details and photos!

And since then it has been a combination of work, podcasting and life that has stopped me putting finger to keyboard.

Pre-School is very busy at the moment; it's our final term of the school year so we have been busy producing end of year reports, staff appraisals, renewing of contracts, scheduling in new starters for September as well as getting ready for our Leavers Concert!  We have an 'under the sea' theme this year so have spent the last couple of weeks learning new songs all with a watery theme!!

I have been busy with my co-host Michelle recording and planning for the Disney Dream Girls Podcast and this week sees us release Episode 18...Star Wars & Ratatouille!!  Give us a listen I'm sure you'll have a great laugh listening to us waffle on :)

Now something I haven't mentioned is my running...and this is because I haven't done any!!  But let me explain and all will become clear.  

Back on the 21st April I wrote about getting back into running again and about my desire to 'get fit, eat better, make healthy choices and enjoy life doing it'...well this has now taken on a new direction.  I decided to take part in a 90 day challenge called 'Get Real Fat Loss', this is a system that has been developed by the owner of where my daughter attends her mixed martial arts classes and is designed to get rid of fat and tone up at the same time.

This has led to quite a change in my diet...well a re-thinking of how and what I eat would be a better description and this new way of eating, coupled with twice daily exercises (hence why the no running!), has seen me lose about 10lbs whilst at the same time making quite a difference (for the better) to the shape and tone of my body.  I am only about 34 days into the challenge but the results so far have been amazing.

The challenge is designed for each person specifically - this is not a 'one-diet-fits-all' approach - with the aim to educate about nutrition and physical activity and how these can be incorporated into your lifestyle and hopefully make changes for the better, for good!  Is it easy? Probably easier than you may be thinking...but it has it's challenges as you re-train your brain and its approach to eating and food, as well as the motivation needed to find the time to do the exercises.  I'm currently up at 6am on a work day to get my exercises done before starting the day!  But it is very achievable if you want to make that change and be the healthier, fitter person that you can be....if I can do it believe me anyone can...you just need to want to change.

Well I think that brings us up-to-date...hopefully my next post will see me back on track with my diary from last years WDW vacation!

5...

5...days to go

Well it's getting closer but what has today brought...well a combination of mundane tasks and a surprise treat!

This morning started off with general mundane tasks getting done; cleaning the house and more laundry.  The thing is leaving the house for a couple of weeks and arriving home with jet lag means I'd like to come home to a house that's clean and tidy.  Although I'm guessing we may have a repeat of our return last time we went away as depicted by Simon's drawing as part of his 365 Mickey's project...

The downside of living in the countryside - spiders!!

I even ended up doing some more pre-school work today, having to speak to the dreaded Ofsted (our national governing body) about our annual fees...suffice to say I was right and they were wrong!

I then decided it was time for my run (or as I like to call it my bouncy walk), but before I went out I had an idea.  I had been struggling to decide which colour nail varnish to wear for my vacation so I posted a photo on Facebook and asked my friends for some advise.

The possibilities...

So off I went for my run/bouncy walk and did myself proud even if I do say so myself.  I've only been back running a few weeks but I can feel it getting easier each time I go out.  I'm never going to be doing marathons but I am enjoying what I'm doing and am looking forward to a few runs around Lago Dorado in a few days time!

But when I got back I had a number of replies to my nail varnish dilemma all of which contradicted each other but one reply offered another solution.  To actually get my nails painted by a professional...now I'm not one to do this sort of thing I always manage to talk myself out of it but a spur of the moment decision led to an appointment this afternoon and look...

Matching toes and nails, a lovely neon pink in gel nail varnish which should last me over my vacation :)