QR ah ha ha!

Thanks to the lovely Steve Gore Rowe, Robert Shippey and Trish McManus... I have a QR code in use on various profiles (Facebook/twitter) which brings peeps here! Whoop and thanks! X

Ho ho ho... He he he!

I've never dressed as a Santa before, but after Sunday's fun run in Downham, I'm intend to make it a tradition I partake in every Christmas - fun run or not!

The day started with a few last minute updates to the downhamweb website and Facebook page, (annoyed at myself not to have done it sooner, oh well) trainers on and quickly off to Morisons with Dan to collect the donated items for the Fairyland Trust hot drinks stall - including Baileys, hot chocolate and squirty cream. Store manager Jason Savage has been brilliant in supporting downhamweb and Fairyland, so it was a shame he wasn't in...bit of confusion on the customer service desk, (was I just a random lady blagging free drink) but thanks to ace staff it was sorted quickly. Despite wondering if we could just run off with the booze and disappear for the day, we dropped the goods off to Ian, Abbie, Caroline and Jim in the town square where the already had the stall set up for the day- and were looking in fine form!
Quickly we headed back to Lingo and met up with Jenn, (our lingo office lovely) who, despite being told by the doctor that her trachea infection meant she shouldn't participate, was still determined to at least walk the circuit...then we all headed at pace to the centre of town to pick up our running numbers and Santa suits!!

The run/walk was only 2 laps of the town's one way system, a total of 1.2 miles, enough to still be fun, but enough to also still feel like a significant challenge in personal terms, having never entered anything even vaguely sporty, and not being in the greatest of shapes, fitness wise. But there's nothing like a challenge to motivate you, is there, and I am pleased to say my recent dalliance with the Downham Dollies running group gave me the firm footing I needed to set off on. (more on that very shortly).

It was a great turnout, and it was thanks in no small part to the shouts of encouragement along the route that I actually managed to make it all the way around at my new found pace of a slow, plodding jog! And, without any sign of the infamous shin splints that have stopped me in the past.

We stopped to wave at the downhamweb webcam on each lap, Jenn and Dan armed with their camcorder and phone, filming the whole event, and we later found out we were watched by many, far and wide. Crossing the red and white tape finish line, at the town clock held taught by Pete and Cath Duhig and then getting a medal for finishing was a genuine thrill!! As a finishing touch, Abbie even held out a space blanket for me to run into!

The event was organised by Winning Ways along with the Downham Rotary, Downham Lions and was in aid of the Robert Foot Leukemia charity.
 
Thanks for reading :)

Lights

 One week to go... not only to the Christmas lights turning on, but also, dressing up as a Santa and running twice around the town. Yes, I did just say that.

I, for once, am just taking a moment to be really proud of myself. I just went out running/walking/jogging. Ok, it wasn't a marathon, it wasn't even particularly fast, but it was just me, myself and the open road. I got of the sofa, got my trainers on and actually did it. This may not seem like a lot, especially if you're a fitness fanatic. But it's easily been 9 years since I last tried this sort of exercise and ended up with very painful (couldn't walk) shin splints so for me it seems pretty big.

I have avoided it ever since, in fact, every time I run, even a little, my shins start to sting with the similar feeling to the dreaded full-blown shin splints and so I signed myself off this particular exercise even though I used love it; thinking I just wasn't meant to run. The thing is, it's one of the best, and cheapest, most easily available ways to burn a few calories, and I really need to start doing that. After a chat to a 'proper runner' who has 'got through/over shin splints and some advice on how to deal with it, I realised it wasn't impossible and tonight I bit the bullet.

So, there. That is all. I am not going to 'do a Robbie' (hello Robbie) and post all my times and become totally obsessive with it all (it's just not in my nature -I admire that nature, but it's not me!). I do plan to do the same again tomorrow. I will not be so proud if I don't manage it. Please feel free to chase me up. Not literally though, I'm not fast enough... yet!

Excuses, excuses

I often arrive at someone's blog to find that the last post was an apology for not having updated their blog. So, in an attempt to *not* do that, I will list the reasons for not having blogged, and hopefully, that will magically formulate some sort of actual post about what I've been up to, and therefore still be, in most ways, the post (or posts) that I had been intending to write since my last one. :-S

I'm sure too, that I'm not alone in using my blog as a diary for myself more than anything that I expect anyone to read avidly and therefore miss when it's 'overdue'.

Plus, there's the 'other blogs' to consider now too. Lingo has it's own news http://www.lingodesign.co.uk/news/ and there's facebook (for both personal and business, and the businesses I admin for) and twitter, plus a few other neglected beasts such as Google+ and LinkedIn. Whoever has the time for all that *and* actually living?! No wonder I've had to get up early to get this done!

So. Going backwards from most recent, last weekend saw the now-annual pilgrimage to Holt Hall for the Fairyland Fair, and the 'Real Halloween Event' where I act out my role as Tea and Cakes Witch - serving up brews and buns for the visitors to the charity's themed experience for children to get back to nature, whilst in fancy dress of course. It's just such a great thing to be involved in. This year I made my own witches hat (must find time to take a pic) and the highlight of the event was staying overnight, not in our usual teeny tent, but in the beautiful canvas structure which is used as the 'Pixie Post Office' for the kids to send off letters to loved ones delivered by pixies. We woke under the toadstool coloured roof as if in a magical world; which of course, we practically were - Holt Hall and it's surrounding woodland is simply stunning.


Sadly I'd managed to leave my phone charger lead at home and so photos were limited, but I did manage to get these few - the double rainbow on Sunday morning and an experiment with a new image app to create a 'world' - a wrap around panoramic (above) I highly recommend the app - 'Pano Camera' it's fab. :)




Before that, the parents came to visit, luckily in the warm week we had. In fact, I don't think we'll ever forget the temperature was warm enough to allow Dan a (reasonably comfortable) swim in the river at the Jenyns arms.

It made a pleasant change to be able to have them visit in comfort, rather than in a building site, they stayed in the main bedroom, in the house, carpeted, with heating, and with many improvements made since they last came, particularly the garden, and we feasted on the many runner beans grown over the summer.

Work at Lingo has been extraordinarily demanding and diverse. With new customers and old coming through the doors in droves. The amount of photography in the last month has reached an all time high, in fact, I've lost count of how many pictures I've taken, but the subject matter has ranged from flowers through tap dancing, peanuts, popcorn and parsnips, blood bikes, buses, Christmas decorations, signwriting, and lastly and Italian themed night in a local pub! Again, I'm just going to say I MUST get some more pictures up, will probably use Google's picasa, though I have to say I like the new improved look and feel of blogger interface and hopefully the display might help inspire me to do more here and less on my tumblr.

I think that's going to have to do, for now. I have loads more I want to blog about, our beautiful kitten Dotty who is growing up to be just like her beautiful mum Pidge, plus progress with downhamweb and little things that make me smile that I'd love to have time to share. All in good time, hey, I'll be sure to post again before too long... even if only to 'download'. It's pretty therapeutic y'know. :)

Bella Vega

Introducing Bella Vega - aka Dolly the 1969 Bedford Sb5...and lovely Laura from Harrods coaches!


These two lovely ladies will be the centre of my attention this week as we'll be working on new design pieces for them in the studio. 


Laura, daughter of Derek and Anne Harrod of Harrods coaches family business, is heading up the promotional activity for the classic coach hire service of the new bus, and she can't wait to get the message out there about the wedding hire and day trip hire. I'm just as excited about the project, and love the story that goes with it (watch this space)  so much so that we just had to go into the garage, and have a sit on the bus to chat about it!

Summer Daze

A lot has happened since the last (compost) post; we've been settling into a very harmonious work/life balance, Lingo is busy, but we're also getting things done and getting out and about too.

The garden has come on leaps and bounds for a start, flowers of every colour and now a plentiful row of beans and tomatoes so look forward to as they ripen. They even feature in the father's day video...



...though they're twice the height now!

We've had a holiday (of sorts - housesitting in nearby Oxborough again for the lovely Veronica) and we've been to the lifestyles festival in Hunstanton as well as festival too in King's Lynn. Sure, they're not Glastonbury, but for local and free, we're pretty lucky and we made the most of both, despite torrential downpours!

There's loads more going on still, the summer's not over - but we'll be staying in a little more, as we have some new arrivals of the feline variety to look after, as a beautiful and tame and friendly stray cat has decided to have kittens in our spare room! Now nearly 3 weeks old, they're just opening their eyes. They're utterly adorable and we know it will be hard to say good bye when they go to their new homes in a few more weeks. We're going to keep the mum, (I don't think we have much choice!) So we really need to come up with a name for her! Any suggestions?!  

Right, I better get on with some more lingo work, theres Motorcycle Stunt Display Team, a Yacht Sales company and an online Tool shop that need my attention! No rest for the wicked!!

Compost made of pallets

The long awaited and totally fabulous compost bins, made from three recycled pallets and some old floorboards. Perfect ingredients for gardening compost include the 40,000 tea bags we consume at lingo per week.

Valiant flags

Early rise, and up the flag pole! No, it's not supposed to sound rude!

Dan and I were around Downham Market yesterday to help the decorating efforts for the St George's day fun day this Saturday.

Normally I'd complain about being up and about so early on a Sunday morning, but the sun was shining and as we went to work climbing ladders and putting up flags around town, it was the perfect photo opportunity for taking some more Downham Web images.

We also took one or two of each other - and here they are for your viewing pleasure ;)

Photos with Dan

Last weekend - taking pictures at Creake Abbey and King's Lynn Vancouver Quarter with Dan. :)

From Collages

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SmVOxeZdlcx68Jfig_zY5iB_k_QN6Aj5p42WGRd58V4?feat=directlink

Mezzanine

As well as being an excellent album by Massive Attack, mezzanine also refers to the style of bed that I want in my bedroom/stairs bulkhead space...

(see previous posts: http://lingoliz.blogspot.com/2010/11/bulkhead-done.html
http://lingoliz.blogspot.com/2010/11/frame-work-in.html

I'm collecting pictures to inspire me.... here's a little group shot....
(to be honest - this post is only so I don't lose this picture which I randomly found again after losing it for ages.)

also - this link is to a picture I liked on my Tumblr: http://lingoliz.tumblr.com/post/889854708/omg-very-close-to-the-design-ive-been-hatching

Status update....

This is getting ridiculous, I've got so much to tell, but so little time to tell it in!

Each week there's another post in my 'draft' folder (the one in my brain) or notes on my iPad, a start to a new post, or photos taken on my phone for the purpose of posting. Work things, home things, life bits, the crazy balance between them all. But they're not getting done, and the mental 'dust' is gathering so much that I'm getting frustrated. I'm also behind on promised posts - such as a write up for the meal that I swapped for a lesson in 'how to tweet' with Trish at the Hare Arms (follow her @HareArms ) and a post or two to explain a few new things going on here and there... you know, usual, unusual stuff.

This blog last year focussed on my house/office renovation project, to be honest, many of the pictures were posted for the benefit of my fantastic parents, without whom none of it would have been possible, who desperately wanted to be more involved, but for whom the distance (I'm in Norfolk, they're in Devon) was a real frustration. I posted progress shots now and again to show that, despite a long delay, going over budget, and many, many headaches, it was, finally coming to an end.

Now that the building work is pretty much over, there being just a few finishing touches to do (the carpets are down, the curtains are yet to put up and last touch up of paint to apply here and there) I've been having a sort of mini 'identity crisis' with this blog.  It's changed purpose before, that's hardly surprising, our focus and our direction evolve through life, so there's no harm in a blog following suit, but I think this time it needs a full blown overhaul! Though now I'm realising this is just another part of the delay!

But, news that cannot be left unposted is now to a level that I simply HAVE to write, mixed identity or not!

The 'rents (parents to those of you not 'down' with the street terms) ;) are coming! Yes, get the duster out and stash the contraband, the countdown is on - just 5 days til they're here. This means several things - one is that they will be able to see the house renovations close up - good in places - a bit dodgy and unfinished in others, but undoubtedly a massive step since they were last here over a year ago. I can't wait.

It means they will probably be taking pictures too. Ma and Pa are both ace photographers. There have been missing pictures of the finished house. Since getting the carpet down just before Christmas, then having January ruined with, swine flu, February was getting-things-out-of-storage, and now the holiday (last week) there have been no time for #finishedarticle pictures, and the house has been a tip. So, as long as I get the tidying done, be prepared for pictures!

Lastly, their visit (yes, it's a lot like royalty) also means we will be continuing our enjoyable tradition of visiting the aforementioned Hare Arms for a meal. Since I moved here 10 years ago, (jeesh is it really that long) I think without exception, whenever they visit, we have one 'treat' meal out to the best pub in Norfolk. It just so happens that now Steve and I (Lingo) now design and maintain their website, so visits to the pub are happily more frequent than just when the parents come to town. This means that as well as knowing the brilliant landlord and landlady a lot better, I also know the fabulous menu better too, so can dodge the garlic (re: my allergy to it) and therefore when the Pendleton famliy descend for our pilgrimage to the Hare this time, it will probably be photographed to death!

I think that will have to do for now. I feel like I've got a load of my mind, a post (at last) done, and now have direction for the evolution of the blog. I might even do a few 'before/after' tidying shots of the house and office as I start to sort it all out - the garden most certainly, as the lawn is going to look fab if I get on it NOW.

Right - on that note - I'm off to see if I can track down a working lawnmower on freecycle...basically, watch this space for more pictures. It's going to happen. :)

Oh, and, well, maybe it's a bit early to say...but, I met someone on holiday. Someone who made me smile a lot. That is all. For now. :)

just a quickie

to say, I've not posted properly lately and I will, I will, I wwilllllllllll!!!

#honestguv

...and that I am obsessively using "hash tags" in everything I do now, instead of just on twitter which is their rightful home! arg!

http://twitter.com/#!/lingoliz

Nancy

facebook hooked?!

haha! Not as bad as I thought! :)



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2nd day back

So yesterday was my second day back in the office since before Christmas. After beating the flu (still wrestling with a cough, but mostly better) I feel like I've pretty much missed the first part of the year, so it's been nice to be back, but the realisation of how much there is to do is slowly breaking through the flu fog.

It's not a feeling of an overwhelming workload; Steve and Jenn have done a fantastic job of keeping lingo going at a comfortable pace, but the number and scale of projects to handle at once means I'm getting to practice one of my new years resolutions straight away; more planning. It seems that the more you plan, the easier the work becomes. So, as well as working systematically working through a long list of customers to call and to let them know I'm back, I'm spending a lot of time planning to plan. That is, allocating time in my calendar for actually creating thorough plans; detailed road maps for how to get from point a to point b. Invariably, in web design, point a and point b are the same or similar; from no site (or a shoddy one) to a beautiful site, and although there are similarities along the way (cross roads, t junctions etc) no two journeys are identical. For the record, I'm enjoying the planning stage more and more. It still allows for diversions and tangents...but it's nice to have a map.

Other new years resolutions include the big one: going vegetarian. This one is going well, 19 days so far, and only one slip up. I'm finding it fairly easy, but it's early days. I've been avoiding red meat for about a year now, I'm not someone who ever really enjoyed a steak anyway, and I find pork one of the worst foods in the world to digest (without going into too much detail) and while i'll miss white meat, particularly chicken (the one slip up) I'm determined to give vegetarianism my best shot.

Weird that the veggie diet and detox (partly other resolutions, partly just being healthy for the new year) coincided with the blooming flu.

Sent from my iPad

Happy New Flu.

I've been quiet. I've been ill.

I wrote this (post below) while ill last week but didn't post it, I'm not sure why, perhaps I was too ill, anyway, I just found it and thought it needs to be posted... I am already writing a more healthy sounding one...!

I am so sick of being ill. I came down with the flu 10 days ago, and I'm still full (this feels a literal description) of the coughs, the aches, the icky feeling and sinus blocked head. The temperature (which peaked at 105) at least has started to return to non sickening heights, and I'm no longer cloaked in sweat, which is nice. The hallucinations were good - once I thought i was a large capsule of drugs, that the walls were curtains, and I'm fairly sure I saw the grim reaper in there too. Yeh, it's been a pretty bad illness.

When people say they've had the flu, chances are they are most likely exaggerating the description of a cold, unless they describe similar symptoms. Generally sparking (so the nurse on the nhs help line told me) people get flu only a few times in their lives. It's pretty debilitating, a strong virus that attacks your system ruthlessly. There's a whole bunch of people saying " you know it's flu when; if there was a £50 note on the floor, on the other side of the room, you wouldn't go and pick it up.' well I have to tell you, you could have put a thousand pounds *just* out of reach and I wouldn't have even blinked. I probably would have thought that I was hallucinating and it belonged to the grim reaper, or that it was about to evaporate anyway. Maybe I would have stared at it a bit, undoubtedly finding it more interesting than the daytime TV which, I had to turn off in the end for fear it was damaging my fragile, flu addled brain even further, preferring instead to sit in silence, than see any more wretched sofa, insurance, blind, or conservatory adverts.

Well I'm sorry this is a very moaning post, not much to it. Just, well...you'd moan too...if you had flu.

Sent from my iPad