Number 7: lino printing

First lesson learned today - pictures need better natural light than this!

So, yesterday I went on a course to learn how to do lino printing, in a pottery shop on the North Norfolk coast. It was a bit of a punt as I had never heard of courses being run there before, but I was safe in the knowledge that lunch would be lovely (Burnham Deepdale cafe, need I say more?).

So, I arrived, only to find that the course was being run by Amanda Colville who sells her beautiful work through Folksy under the name Mangle Prints. It really is stunning stuff that I had been looking at online, and having now spent a few hours carving lumps out of a piece of lino, I am even more impressed by the intricacy of the prints she produces.

The day itself was lovely and I would recommend the courses being run at the Hare and Hen pottery at Burnham Deepdale. Philippa was very welcoming even though we probably took over more of her shop than she had anticipated. She also makes fantastic things and it was nice to have a chat with her about how she stocks her shops with things she loves.

As you can see, my technique needs a bit of refinement and I will always be artistically challenged, but I think it might be possible to use lino for fabric printing. Maybe a steep learning curve, but it could help me make my things a bit more unique.

Either way, it was a very good 52.

In other news, this month's scavenger hunt is coming along slowly but surely (to be helped I'm sure by the arrival of a new little camera) and the singing is still fun. I missed last week and am looking forward to brushing up on my calypsos tomorrow. 52s are definitely fun :-)

Number 6: setting up shop

Ok, I know this has taken a while, but I think it is worth it...

I have a shop!

A real proper shop, with stuff that I have made for sale and everything - you see what I mean about exciting?

Having taken the plunge and sold a few strings of handmade Christmas bunting in December, I was surprised by how interested people were. So, as it is something I enjoy doing and I have some time I could give to it, I thought why not try to set up something more official?

So I got myself organised and made a few strings of bunting (the royal wedding has given me a great theme!) and today, I made myself a little online shop using the lovely community at Folksy.

I have linked it to my other blog at www.saysalice.co.uk

I set this one up a while back to track my crafty makings and doings. It has been a bit quiet there too for a couple of weeks while the bunting all got organised. Posts get a bit dull when all there is to talk about is bunting...

No sales as yet - now that really will be a first!

Check me out at www.folksy.com/shops/saysalice

Number 5: murmurating

This week I was all about the birdwatching, having decided to take part in the RSPB Great British Bird Count for the first time and also with an expedition to our local RSPB reserve to see the magnificent murmurations of starlings at dusk.

All great stuff. Or you'd think so.

Starting with the bird count, I did a run up to the event by putting out plenty of food, with a good variety of stuff, and keeping an eye on what was popping in to eat at our diner over a couple of weeks, and who liked what.

The hour arrived and I set myself up with our titchy binoculars (bought for grand prixs) in the spare room with a good view of the lawn. And waited. Then waited. And waited some more. Where were the jays, the woodpeckers, the magpies, the long tailed tits? Nowhere... It was like the birds were all sitting in a hedge, watching their watches, waiting for the bird counting weekend to end.

Even the pigeons only showed up at the last minute, and even then only one of them. Wonder if the RSPB come and check up on people who appear to have registered a bird exclusion zone...

Then for the murmurations. By reputation these are spectacular displays with thousands of birds flocking into the reed beds at dusk. We arrived at RSPB Strumpshaw in good time and had a wander around the rest of the reserve, getting muddy feet and a close up view of a flask of coffee from one of the hides.

At the appointed hour, we were huddled together at the best vantage point. We began to wonder whether anything would happen when no-one else had showed up. We waited. We then started to note the absence of starlings. Not even one.

We waited. Maybe they all travel together?

We waited some more. And were rewarded with the arriveal of a 'proper' twitcher, who kindly pointed out that the starlings had all moved on earlier that week.

I can't even claim credit for the photo of the geese (sure I should know which type they are but I've already forgotten). T took it with our new DSLR camera. They were too far away for me to have a chance with the compact.

Here's to better luck next week!

Number 4: photo scavenger hunt

And here they are - my 12 'finds'!

I got this idea from a blog I stumbled across a while back and decided to give it a try. The idea is that every month she publishes a list of things and you have until the end of the month to find them all and get a snapshot.

postcardsfromthepp.blogspot.com

We have a little compact camera that I started carrying around in my bag and taking pictures whenever I saw the opportunity. I got loads of rubbish and was struggling with one or two down to the 11th hour. I also made the mistake of noting the items down and got one of the things wrong (I thought it was just a toy but in fact it was a supposed to be more of a playground toy).

I've plonked them all in a pdf above and will hopefully have eleven more to add as the year goes on.

Number 3.1: onion bhajis

Not on the list, but I made them for the first time today. This can be summarised as easy, cheap, and a great success!

Another Jamie Oliver success too, even though I never even opened a book. I didn't have any gram flour for them, which seemed pretty essential, so I googled until I found this recipe in his forum. It uses plain flour rather than gram, something I am far more likely to have in the cupboard.

It has made everything in the house smells of curried onions though. I almost fed the cat mango chutney for breakfast. And T has just been musing that he is looking forward to bhaji sandwiches. Hmmm!

Number 4, by the way, is done, but needs some finishing touches before it can be blogged. Watch this space.

Number 3: sing a song of sixpence

I don't have a picture of this one, which I am a bit sad about as it would have been nice to record the moment. Particularly as it was the hardest yet. Only 3 in, I realise this isn't much of a statement, but still, a picture would have been nice.

This week I went to a lunchtime choir group. I haven't sung with any serious intent since school, more years ago than I care to remember. And as Rock Band has shown, I will never be any kind of vocalist. But I think there is a lot of fun in singing, particularly as part of a group, where you can play a small part in making a big noise.

Knowing I'll be more enthusiastic than skilled, I was not keen on joining a choir with heavy performance or rehearsal schedules. A bit of googling later I found the Norwich Community Choir, which has handy Thursday lunchtime meetings on my side of the city (meaning I can walk rather than drive), focusses on the fun rather than the refinement and seems to have a pretty good following.

So, having found the church hall venue, I crept in, failing the first test by opening the door and letting the choir labradoodle out into the foyer. Having encouraged him back in, I joined the queue, identified myelf as a 'somewhere in the middle' singer and was given a place with the Altos.

Beginning with a few vocal exercises, the group went on the sing a number of rounds and a few songs split into harmonies. The last one was 'Accentuate the Positive' which was also the hardest in some ways, as I know the melody so it was hard to sing a harmony to it. It's all learned by demonstration rather than sheet music and thankfully there seems to be a good mix of people who have been enough times to know how to hold it all together.

It was really good fun and I will definitely be going back next week. There were about 30 people there and I was sitting next to a lady who was only on her third session herself which made me feel a bit more comfortable. She had a dictaphone so she could practice later - I might get one if I really struggle, but I do quite like the idea of it being unpressured enough for practice to be unnecessary.

It seemed a bit rude to wander in as a newcomer and start taking pictures, but I might brave one over the next few weeks if I keep going and edit one into this post.

Number 2: pins and freebies

Why does the phrase 'number 2' always make me chuckle? Should I be reassured or alarmed that the inner child in me clings on to toilet humour?

My firsts this week were really based on luck rather than good planning. The one I originally had planned, when it came down to it, seemed highly inappropriate on the day it was planned. It was one of those days when someone close to you does something so huge, so honourable and dignified, that to trivialise their moment in any way just seemed wrong. The story of that day was not mine to tell, so I was happy to postpone my small achievement.

In its place I rustled up two littlies.

Firstly, I finally managed to actually get something free through Freegle. I have given away copious amounts of things through

our local network, as the fall-out of combining two houses into one worked its way out (six years and counting). But on the few occasions I have seen things I might like, I have been far too late to stand a chance. This week however, I was checking for mail when an offer for a stash of dressmaking patterns popped up. I wasn't first to reply, but I did get the pile of patterns that the first lady decided that she didn't want. Now I just need to find a use for selection of red indian costume patterns. Anyone...?

Secondly, I made us a pinboard. This project is well overdue, but a combination of factors combined to make it possible. A delivery of lovely fabric, the discovery that we have a staple gun and the theft of a picture frame from T who has come to the realisation that I never will allow a Kandinsky print to be hung in a house I live in, no matter how long it sits looking forlorn in the garage. Tra-la! Pin board.

And I am delighted to say that I didn't add a third first and avoided staplegunning the pin board to the dining table.

Number 1: homemade pasta

Jamie Oliver promises this isn't complicated, so I was hoping for a simple start to the 52.

I got a pasta machine two birthdays ago and, bar one attempt that ended in a sticky mess, it has been sitting in the box, in the cupboard, unappreciated.

We rarely eat pasta, which is nothing against Italian food (we eat far more than our fair share of pizza and gnocchi). We just find it too heavy and stodgy, probably because we have used it mainly as a 'quick and easy' tea on the nights we don't have time to eat and enjoy.

So, this is an attempt to see if we can put pasta back on the menu... And here is the result:

Jamie was right!

This is fresh egg pasta rolled to the thinnest setting on the machine, cooked, then mixed with pesto, garlic and peppers, veggie bacon and fresh basil on top. I know, fake bacon doesn't ever sound appealing, even to vegetarians, but sometimes it does the trick.

We both really enjoyed it and even got to the end of the bowl which is unheard of with packet pasta. It's safe to say that the machine will be getting much more use from now on.

And it has been a great way to get started. One down, fifty one to go!

Happy New Year!

So, it begins...

I have lots of plans and am looking forward to getting on with them!