Doctored

In these days of short-lived tv-shows (Firefly anyone?) it’s no small feat to have a tv-show last 50 years.

I came to Doctor Who late and I haven’t seen any of the Classic Who episodes (other than the very first episode and a short bit of the first episode of the Third Doctor).

I wrote the local cinema about a month ago to inquire if they were going to show it but I got a standardised reply back telling me “to keep an eye out – maybe it will turn up at a later date”. Luckily the Science Fiction book-store managed to convince an independent cinema to show it and in my town they hosted three sold out viewings on Saturday and Sunday. I managed to score tickets to the first viewing of them.

There was a TARDIS, a Dalek and a Cyberman set up in the lobby of the cinema and there was a throng of people both in and out of costume who lined up in a very orderly fashion since there was no pre-assigned seating. We got great seats and I loved the atmosphere in the theatre. Everyone seemed to be there determined to have a great time and everyone was excited about being part of this.

The sort of cheesy PSAs at the beginning with Commander Strax telling us about proper cinema etiquette and turning our mobile communications devices off was met with laughter and cheers as well as the Tenth and Eleventh Doctors’ information about the 3D-glasses.

There was a very climactic moment near the end when the whole theatre exploded in cheers as we saw a distinctive pair of eyes and eyebrows, as well as a sweet sentimental out-pouring of emotion when a well-known face from the past turned up.

The most difficult part of the evening was keeping a straight face as we exited the theatre right next to the line of people getting in to see the second viewing. No spoilers, please.

We drove straight home to find the BBC had released not only a teaser trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas Special (Daleks! Cybermen!) but also a teaser for the new Sherlock series 3!

It’s going to be a busy season.

Closeted

Once the girls’ rooms were painted I realised I had lots of blue and pink paint left over and so I do what you do when you’re bitten by a bug. I looked around to see what else I could get away with painting.

I settled on the closet the girls will use for their clothes and for storage.

They’ll each get one side of it and I measured out where the shelf and rack will be and marked off an 80 cm wide strip to paint in their respective wall colours.

I did it all by the book. I masked off the area I wanted to paint, then painted over the tape with the original wall colour so that if anything was to seep in underneath the tape it would be the wall colour.

Then I painted it all twice and took of the tape immediately. There were a few minor mistakes but they were all on the upper edge and will be hidden by the shelf once it’s installed.

I’m already looking for a new painting project. Our bedroom is looking like a likely target.

Walled

After two weeks of inactivity we finally got to finish the paint job in the attic. The walls are all painted now – we ran out of paint with a wall and a half left in the stairwell and had to thin it out with water to make it last.

It worked.

Rickard masked off the wall so I could start painting the pink focus wall in Sofia’s room. It was really very pink. The name of the shade was Flamingo and it’s a suitable name.

I have promised her gold circles or stars (she can’t make up her mind) on the left half of the wall where her bed will go. I’m not sure how to go about it but I’m sure it can’t be all that difficult.

We only got to one coat on Saturday because we were otherwise engaged in the afternoon and evening (more on that in another post). But Sunday morning, bright and early .. well – at 11 am because we over slept – I got up there again and painted a second coat before I started on Isabel’s blue wall.

And it is as blue as Sofia’s wall is pink. This shade is called Grekland (Greece) and it looked hideous in the can but I actually really like it. In the picture I’ve only done one coat. After the second coat the colour really pops. I have a package of big paper pom poms in blues and greens I plan to give Isabel for Christmas along with a string of Happy Lights in blues.

Sofia will also get a string of Happy lights but I’ve not yet decided on what colour scheme to get her.

Both girls have approved of the colours and we are moving ahead with installing the inspection hatches in the walls so we can insulate around them and put up some mouldings.

We’re also trying to co-ordinate with the plumber guy who’ll install the radiators. We want him to do that before we put down the floor boards.

It’s all moving along nicely.

Cultured

I’m seeing Shakespeare on Wednesday. The RSC puts on Richard II in Stratford-upon-Avon and send it live in theatres around the world. I’m so excited to have a ticket to see it.

And on Thursday next week I’m seeing a taping of the Macbeth play from Manchester this summer with Kenneth Branagh and Alex Kingston in the title roles.

I studied two terms of English at uni when I was 20 and one term we had an entire class dedicated to Macbeth. It was so interesting to dissect it and I am very much looking forward to seeing it.

I’m a big fan of Alex Kingston but I have only ever seen her on telly. I’m sure it’s quite different to see her in a play.

Now if I could swing a ticket to Hamlet in London next fall to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Hamlet I’d be thrilled.

Floored

On Friday I left the girls home alone and drove to pick Rickard up from work. Next stop was a gas station near home to rent a trailer then off to Staffanstorp to pick up 14 more liters of wall paint, 3 liters of ceiling paint, brushes and 50 sq meters of oak parquet.

This is 35 sq meters of it on the trailer.

We had to do a mad dash because the trailer rental place was only open until 7 pm and we picked it up at 5 pm.

When we got stuck in a queue on the way to Staffanstorp we started to worry if we would make it.

But we got it all loaded, paid for (yikes!), driven home and unloaded in our hall and the trailer returned with 30 minutes to spare.

Now we just have to carry it all upstairs.

Lazy Saturday

We had a rainy and dreary day here today.

I spent most of it running errands dropping off and picking up kids.

Isabel went geocaching with her hiking group but since they were doing that in the little wooded area behind her school she dropped herself off via bike. It felt weird seeing her off from the front steps. Going hiking on her own.

It rained most of the time so they cut the day short and she was home, wet and cold almost an hour earlier than expected.

I can still remember coming home from a rainy day in the woods and sinking into a hot bath to warm up then lounging in sweatpants and a tee the rest of the day. Glorious.

The fact that I finished her new leggings as she was in her bath didn’t go amiss either. She was very pleased, even though they weren’t a perfect fit. Too short in the leg and too high in the rise.

Back to drafting for me.

Other places I’ve been online

I have an awesome circle of friends I’ve met online. Most of them I met at the Oliver + S discussion forums. Over time we have come to get to know each other well and share in our successes and tribulations, both in regards to sewing and life in general. We’ve seen our kids grow up through the pictures we share and I feel as close to them as any “IRL”-friend I’ve ever had.

A few weeks ago a question popped up on the O+S forums asking if it was possible to alter a dress with a buttoned back to a zippered back (specifically the new Library dress) and I replied with how I would do it.

We all talked for a bit and it soon became clear that it wasn’t as straight forward to explain as I had thought. Liesl, the owner and designer of Oliver + S suggested that a tutorial might be needed and I ended up volunteering to write it and this week she posted it on the blog.

I work as a technical writer during the day and writing the tutorial was a lot like writing a technical manual – but with a more interesting (to me) topic. The company I work for designs and manufactures machines for the food and beverage industry. And while that is interesting in a way, I do find it more appealing to write about sewing and sewing techniques than about belts and frequency inverters.

You can read my tutorial here.

Attic update

We’re picking up the floor for the attic today. So there will be package carrying tonight, I think. One pack contains 3 sq meters of floor boards and I’m pretty sure it weighs a ton. I’m not sure if we can manage to get them upstairs together. But we’ll try.

We have one wall left in Isabel’s room to paint the first coat on, and the whole hall and stairwell. Then we’ll give it a second coat and it will be done.

Well, we’re painting accent walls as well so not exactly done. Sofia will get a bright pink and Isabel a bright blue.

The floor is oak parquet, in a similar style to what we have downstairs. Like this but without the yellow overcast:

We’re waiting on a plumber to come connect the radiators for us. Since they are water filled we don’t want to lay the floor until he’s been here.

The rooms are starting to look like proper rooms too. I can’t wait to start move the girls in, but we still have a long way to go. We need doors and window sills, base boards, electricity etc. But we’re seeing the end of it.