29/01/2011 by Aileen.

…or should that be plurally, as it’s been ages. Oh well. Here goes on catching up.

Two lots of birding since the 10th. Will post some photos at the end of this.

Fantasticamagorical mark for TMA - 95%. Gobsmacked. Unfortunately it can only go down

Lost 3lbs in last few weeks. We were at the Parish Dinner last  night, and we’re away down to Oxford next weekend for Alexander’s first birthday, (can’t believe a year has gone- we saw him when he was less than an hour old)  so may well put on a couple again. Trying to use the Wii-fit but the idea of it is boring. Not too bad once I start.

I’ve got hooked again on Second Life, which is such a time waster, but I just love making things (shoes, tops etc) There’a a lot of argy bargy on the OU Second Life site at the moment, as the OU want the students to be self-governing (they’re not paying staff for overseeing it any more) and we’re supposed to be working out a constitution before March. Too much detail for me. I prefer seeing the whole picture, being INFP on Myer-Briggs.

I need to catch up on magazines. National Trust and Amataeur Photography came through this morning,, and I have a backlog to get through.

That reminds me - I’ve bought a macro lens. Haven’t really used it, but must. There was a lovely hoar frost on our garden gate the other day, but I missed the opportunity, and it’s been too warm (joke!) since. Bought some tulips this morning, so may take some shots and show you.

Anyway, here are some bird photos

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10/01/2011 by Aileen.

No, not me - Fiona. Alexander was born last February, and they’ve lost no timei in sorting out a new brother for him. I say brother, as the twelve week scan shows a big and active baby, so it had better not be a girl! (If you should read this in a few years time, little one, and you are a girl - I’m only joking! John and I have known for a few weeks, and it’s been so hard not letting it slip. But F and M both announced it on Facebook yesterday, and so far F has had over 50 comments. Martin hasn’t got so many, but there again he hasn’t got so many ‘friends’.  Lots in real life, but he doesn’t post so often on FB. He’s much more cautious. Even his face profile picture is in wet suit, snorkel and mask.

Well, failed miserably this year so far. I had this vague idea about always getting up before 7am so I had a long day in front of me. Slept in on New Years Day, and have most days since. It’s funny, cos a while ago I had to force myself to stay in bed until after 5am. No Newe Year Resolutions as such, but I filled my Outlook calendar with tasks and actions last week, and I’ve done the same this morning. Last week was really lazy, but everything starts up again this week, with WI, Birding and Creative Writing. I have a TMA on Peter Pan and a poem due on Thursday, but I submitted it yesterday. Not expecting as high a mark as the last two, (80% and 90%) as I think I put in too many points in not enough depth. And I’m still about 100 words under the limit. My tutor picked me up on my last TMA for writing paragraphs that were too short. He said they weakened my argument (or words to that effect). He said he had already mentioned it after the first TMA and I hadn’t corrected it. But I had. He should have seen the original short offerings!

I think the reason for my short paragraphs is because of the website design course, where lots of white space is encouraged. I know it’s very offputting to read a big long blog with no breaks. Anyway, very few paragraphs in the last TMA, so we shall see.

Church Cleaning this week, books due back at Brough Library, and as John has dentist in Hull tomorrow I might return my Hull library books. Reading Swallows and Amazons at the moment, alongside Tom’s Midnight Garden. (both for my OU course) I’m half way through Frankenstein on my iPod and have finished Varney the Vampyre and Alice Sit-by-the Fire on my Kindle. Started Michael Connelly’s The Closers the other night, but might leave it. I do find him a bit dark, and the book is due back at the library.

Bye all.

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