Another painting!

This time I've used acrylics and am pleased with the effects. 

Ps4

J is hugely impressed today as his new playstation 4 has arrived.  Own money saved up :).   Tonight we have been looking at it and setting up online gaming and I've been feeling very good about my uni tutorial in which she said I am very organised :).  Feeling good now.  And it's half term now. Yay !! 

Photography course!

Yay! Another resolution done. I've gone and booked myself on a digital photography course next month :) 

Good weekend

This weekend it's been just me and the boys and we have packed in quite a lot!

Early morning wet and rainy 10k yesterday with Jo.  Up onto Yateley common towards minley barracks and then back home again. Nice to be amongst the trees and dodging puddles. All in the name of training for our half marathon which is in 6 weeks' time. 

Today I've got all art and crafty. Made a Harry potter sorting hat out if mod roc this morning followed by an oil painting in the style of a New Order album cover and then finished an essay plan, cooked dinner and baked a cake to take to work tomorrow. 

Feels like a nice weekend. The house is tidy the washing done and the school things all ready for the morning.  I'm looking forward to some lighter mornings and getting some time to run before work now.  Tonight it didn't get dark until about 4:45pm :) 

camera tricks

just messing about with the camera really this weekend...

We got through January!

well we got through January.

It's been quite an uphill climb,  but I'm pleased to say that I now have a teacher training place sorted out for September and it looks as though I'll be able to get a student loan to pay for the tuition fees.

Other things a little more up in the air but the good things so far are:

• I've kept to the slimming world group (most weeks)
• Been running longer runs,  10k today and 11k last Saturday.
• Sold old clothes & stuff on ebay this month to the tune of about £75 (every little helps)
• looked for photography courses and found a short one locally which I'm considering
• I've done 1 more oil painting which I'm kind of pleased with,  aim to do more at half term

and the best thing?

I got a FIRST for my Uni essay (literature review and dissertation plan) 70%  I was absolutely stunned,  and the tutor also said I really deserve it.  Felt on top of the world and it has really given me the confidence I much needed.    

This college year is important and I really hope to get a First or a 2:1 now,  I have a nice school to go to in September,  and although it may be hard money-wise next year,  I'll have a job to go to at the end with decent pay again.   They don't make it easy for teachers and it's so ludicrous that they keep advertising on TV to 'train to teach'  such a pity I won't get a salaried place next year, but at least I got on the course.

Got some more funding on my GoFundMe page too - £10 from my dad :)  Thanks Dad! x

New Year. Hello 2016!

Thank god for that. 2015 is over and a fresh new year begins here.   

So besides the obvious ones (happy family, healthy, etc). My goals for the year:

Run a half marathon 

Lose 2 stone (in doing so) 

Stick to slimming world 

Finish my degree 

Spend less - sell more on eBay 

De-clutter our home

Do a photography course

Invest time in doing things I enjoy such as painting 

Walk up scafell pike for charity