Summer Preparations

Summer is here - and boy don't I know it. And how do I plan to spend my well deserved holiday? Relaxing by the beach, letting the sun pigment my pale body, while listening to the beach boys on my Mp3?

Hell no! Relaxation is buh-buh-buh-oring!

My holiday will be dedicated to digging, knitting, studying and possibly some drinking!

The most exciting part of my summer will be the fact I'll be taking part in an archaeological dig in Hungate, York.

Hungate is a huge dig that proceeds a major development project that will start sometime after 2012. It's major finds have been a mid 19th - early 20th century communal toilet block (bet you never saw Indiana Jones interested in that sort of crap! ... sorry), 19th century mill and a Viking building - there is a promise to uncover a Roman cemetery. It shows how diverse in time this site is.

Another grand thing about this whole visit is that I will be able to stay three weeks with my Nan. She has promised me that I will be flocked by relatives.

I'm not looking forward to see my stomach after this - my Nan prescribes to breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. Not included snacks - and a bucket load of cadburys which is essential when going into town.

I can't wait to see her again - I really hope we will have to chance to really know each other. I want to know all about her life.

What I have needed to get ready for the trip and the dig:

*I booked flights with Etihad Airways to Manchester

*I booked my train to York with trainline.com a cheap 10 pounder direct train made me a happy little Vegemite!

*I needed some functional tops and where better to get them than threadless.com. Not only are these shirts comfortable, and full with wonder and quirkyiness - they are great for when I come back to Kuwait. They cover everything and allow me to keep some form of individuality. (Damn them for having a $10 sale the week AFTER I sent my order through!!)

*With functional tops, purchased I needed some functional pants. I got one pair of jeans and two pairs of cargos from Marks "thank god they have pants that fit me" Sparks.

*I needed some archaeological gear; steal toed boots, a trowl and gloves. I was feeling desperate after searching Kuwait for good quality boots! I thought I'd have to spend my first couple of days in York trying to find this gear - and not having a clue where to go.

Allison at Archtools.co.uk saved my life. I found her site on Saturday, thinking I had no chance of getting them next week I emailed her. Through a couple of emails and one phone call to the lovely lady - she has organised a quick delivery of

they should arrive before me! (Lets hope the shoes fit!!)

While I'm doing all that digging, I have to study as well. I'm 3 weeks in my Medieval Archaeology course. I'm hoping that the dig will contribute to my essay or give me more of an understanding of this period.

Another exciting aspect of this is that this will be my last module in my course. Hopefully by January I will have my certificate in Archaeology.

Lastly, York is one of Englands wool hubs. I will need it for...

This challenge is that I make 17 mascots for our Reception + Y1 classes before September 15. Trust me - it wasn't meant to be 17, but our class numbers went up... significantly!

Etsy is the place where I got all my patterns.

HandMadeAwards


Fuzzy Mittens


Amy Gaines


Now, you might have noticed the lack of Tristan in this whole thing. Disappointingly, we are being all adult, and even though we planned him to come along to the UK - we wont be able to afford both of us to go.

But he will be going to Bahrain while I'm away - and hopefully when I come back we'll be able to go somewhere more local.

Noice-ities

Another week... another Noice-ities

*This week included baking aka a fight to the death with my electric oven - which browned my chocolate and raspberry muffins!!

But they still turned out nommy!

*Not Noice - turned Noice: The seller will replace any odd discs of Star Trek. We have gotten through all of season one and some of season two and there hasn't been any more.

As a result of this immersion into 'where no ONE has gone before' I have become a little Data fangirl (ahhh he is so sweet ^_^... mmm he has all his functioning parts!)

I <3 him as Sherlock Data!

*School is out! No kids, no teachers, working shorter hours. Life is lovely!!

*Everything is booked to go to England! I go on Thursday - whoo!

*Tris and I went to see the A-Team. Both of us had never seen the original series until we got to Kuwait - where it is replayed to buggery on TV. I was sceptical of the remake - but the characters and story line stayed true!

Some of the bad reviews described it as 'mindless', 'testosterone filled' and one guy even bagged the film because of it's 'Call of Duty' reference. I pity the fools who can't watch a movie just for the quirky comedy and big bangs!

It was one of the best movies (we only get mainstream movie in Kuwait!) that we have seen for a long time!

*Tonight we got a surprise from our Taxi driver Ali - home made Byiani - or as I would call it 'Nommy-ani'. This is one of the best meals I had in ages - the spices, the combination of rice, veggies and a touch of meat - was really to die for!

Now some of you may wonder why our Taxi Driver would do this - or why we would accept food from our Taxi Driver. But, Ali is not just our Taxi driver - he is our protector on the road and our mate. We have known him for two and a half years. He is one of the most kindest, upbeat person in this arid place. We know all about his children and wife, we have shared many laughed and have even compiled Ali'isms

If something is good it's 'very fantastic'
He has 'stopped making production' (You work that out yourselves)
He's introduced us to the 'back side' and 'front side' of buildings.
People can be 'Half Empty' (not very smart)
If the water is 'hot' (wavy) it will be dusty
Some drivers can be 'Donkeys' (stupid!)
And many more!

*Last Noice-itie for this week will include the construction of Raggedy Andy - I have knitted his body, collar and bow tie. On the needles right now is his foot! Hopefully get him finished very soon!

Noice-ities

This weeks Noice-ities are a bit late because I wanted to make sure that I had a 'Huzzah!!' moment. But lets do things in order...


*Being told a day before that I'm helping Stage Manage with the British Academy of International Arts LAMDA Ceremony. Quite easy... when I knew what was happening!!

But it was lovely to see all the people I have worked with this year getting such fantastic exam results with special and well deserved commendations.



Lizzy, Yousef and Emily reprising their roles in the Railway Children.

*Karaoke the next night with the BAIA Kids - sang horribly - but apparently not horribly enough. Alison still wants me to sing in Les Miserables 0.o!!!


Hamad and I - obviously not singing!

*Getting Star Trek the Next Generation DVD box set.

*I helped organise a surprise bridal shower for this lovely lass! It turned out well =)



*I managed to not get my Noshad taxi driver in trouble for an expired licence (it takes months here to renew it, and he is leaving on holiday this month - trust me not worth the hassle) by scaring a police officer at a check point... I cheerfully offered him cake... he look mortified and apologised to me!

Finally, my HUZZAH moment! After much struggling, learning a lot of stuff (except fucking slip stitch - you impossible stitch!) and many wounds - making me look like I'm an junky injecting through my hands!

I finished Raggedy Anne!



Next for Raggedy Andy.

Now what a great week... but still I have some Not So Noice-ities - so here are my NERKS for the week:

*I got a haircut for the LAMDA ceremony (because I had to wear a pretty dress!) the cut was nice (when I unpoofed it!) but the colour was meant to be DARK RED - no matter how many people like it - i'm not impressed.

*My main taxi man Ali - who has kept me and Tris safe on the crazy roads in Kuwait was fined a huge amount of money because his path met with a cranky police officer. He has been asked to stop at a Bacalar (little shop) so his passenger could pick up a recharge card. The police man couldn't pass - so instead of asking him to move - he took Ali's papers and fined him the equivalent to $220 Australian dollars for an maximum $8 taxi ride. Good on you Mr Police Man! (FYI - why I feel so good for my victory against police this week!)

*I have been helping manually edit reports for The Sunshine Kindergarten. This has been hours of work. This would have been avoided if a certain designer did some handover - GRRR!

*The Star Trek boxset which we brought for 250US on the Amazon Market place is a very good fake.

We thought something was wrong when an episode froze. Then when an episode of NCIS and not TNG started playing, we thought - 'shit'. Then I looked and realised there were labels on the CD - they were not printed on. I wouldn't mind too much - but it is a lot of money - and if you are going to do a copy... DO IT RIGHT!

We will see what the seller does before lynching them...

Sacrifice

Apparently this year is going to be the hottest in Kuwait history. Fun fact though – the temperature (recorded in any government building) only gets up to 48 degrees. It’s amazing, because any day over 50 degrees means a day off. So it is going to never hotter 48 degrees, but it will be the hottest summer yet…

But, the heat and dust have really come to Kuwait.

How would I describe it? Oppressive and suffocating.

For me it effects me because I now have to take a Telfast a day, or I’m stuffed up and scratchy because of the dust. Then, it just feels like I’m cadged inside. I spent 15 minutes outside on Monday, the heat gave me head ache and I could hardly speak.

Then living in air conditioning…

But for me it going from an air conditioned house, to an air conditioned car, to an air conditioned work – and while it is freezing, drying and generally awful it’s not being outside.

I talk about the security men, the builders and the road side vendors – who get paid a pittance to suffer through these conditions.

I wish that this year there will be no deaths because of dehydration while having to work outside, I hope that their health will remain strong in this harsh environment and plead to their families to keep sending their love and support down the telephone lines while these men sacrifice so much as they work through the summer.

Noice-ities

I've decide to take a leaf out of Liz's book with putting up my week Noice-ities.



First off it was the hubby's birthday (he's not the furry one!)

So I baked him a nommy vanilla cheese cake - a recipe from the equally as nommy Jamie Oliver! While the cake was tasty, it confirmed my hate of electric ovens. While sometimes it just burns my cakes, this time it didn't cook it properly! GRRR

I'm not sure if this is a noice-itie or not... Sam has become a basket case!

He hardly fits, but will stay there for ages!!

Tristan booked my air tickets to the UK

The best noice-itie was these beautiful roses from Tristan - they were delivered at work and the card simply said 'Surprise!' - It is so lovely to see such nice flowers!


Yesterday I went to a work friends baby shower - which included the game 'Guess the Chocolate' - the choclate was melted into a nappy! I won the game! =)

Today I finished knitting Raggady Anne's legs - it was one of the hardest things I've had to do! Next - knickers frills!