Claire's blog

As the festival is looming ever nearer, I’m beading like a fiend in order to build up my stocks whenever I’m not in work.  Happily, my local video rental place obviously heard that this was going to happen, so they’ve introduced DVD box sets to rent for a week at a time, so I’m working […]

Some of my cells got infected this weekend, which meant that although I still had to work, I didn’t have to work for the whole day on Saturday or Sunday.  So I got to do some beading!  I still haven’t finished the two pieces I started last weekend, but I have made a couple of […]

It’s been quiet on here as I’ve been very busy for the last few weeks (months!).  My contract finishes at the end of this month, so I’m frantically working to try and squeeze all the experiments I can into the remaining time.  Of course I’m not helped by the fact that the FACS machine has been […]

Mum and Dad are travelling again, this time visiting Memphis and then New York.  This of course means that Wilbeary is writing in his blog again, and apparently eating and drinking enough for three bears. So, having just found this clip I’m posting it for Wilbeary (who I believe to be a fan of Rupert) […]

Apparently Mum just doesn’t have the heart to throw it out (and it does kind of suit her).

On Thursday we had a lunchtime seminar at the university by Stanley Prusiner, who won a Nobel Prize in 1997 for his work on prions.  That makes three Nobel Prize winners I’ve seen talk, as Tim Hunt gave a presentation at the MC2 conference I attended in Manchester, and Paul Nurse was the invited speaker at my graduation! Then […]

My car is poorly sick, so I’m stuck this morning phoning round garages to try and find somewhere that’s prepared to take the problem on.  As soon as I tell them it’s a Smart they refuse to even look at it!

I love to read, and can’t remember a time when I wasn’t able to.  One of the first things I do on moving to a new place is to find and join the local library, and I have to keep a strict rein on myself in bookshops (especially slightly labyrinthine second-hand book shops like Charlie […]

I spent the weekend in Nottingham, where Dad kindly spent some time counselling my computer, so that it now no longer feels the need to shut down if I ignore it for too long (although I had to compromise and remove my screensaver).  I was also able to pick up my post, including my brand […]

I’ve had my computer back from the clinic, where it’s been brainwashed and is now happily convinced of the existence of both the DVD drive and the CD-W drive.  Unfortunately it’s developed the new habit of crashing whenever I’ve not paid attention to it for a little while (including halfway through any radio programmes I […]

My laptop has been getting ever dottier, censoring what CDs I’m allowed to look at, and it finally reached the point where it refused to even acknowledge that I have a CD drive.  I’ve tried plugging in my external CD-W drive, but apparently that doesn’t exist either.  So I’ve given in and dropped the poor […]

I got a parcel from home today!  I love getting parcels (even ones packed in old chinese shoe boxes, and wrapped with enough sellotape to double the weight)!  And this one was great, it contained: A calico bear I’d asked Mum to make (it’s for my boss – she had a beautiful bouncing baby boy yesterday, […]

I’ve started going to life class again, but this time I’ve signed up for a course of painting.  I usually draw with pencil, and the idea of trying to work in brushes and paint scared me, so I figured I had to give it a go.  I had the second session yesterday and I’m really […]

I’ve had a nice suprise this week, as it turns out I was supposed to get a pay rise ages ago, and I’ve just been given the rise, along with the missing back pay!  My credit card is going to heave a huge sigh of relief. Our poor cat is getting a lot of hassle […]

Someone at BritishBeaders sent this link, and it’s given me a giggle this morning.  I love how shocked the mum looks afterward! Sneezing I’ve been quiet on here for a while, but I’ve begun back-posting to fill in the gaps.  I’ve also got a new look for the blog!  This wasn’t entirely voluntary, as I […]

The wind is howling, the rain is lashing down, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for better weather as I get on a plane early tomorrow to fly to London on route to Budapest. I bought a lovely new suitcase today, with lots of room for goodies on the way back, and I’m really looking […]

I’ve been beading like a fiend this weekend, making items for the Christmas exhibition at Patchings, and managed to completely forget that I’m giving a lecture to Masters students tomorrow morning! Thankfully I lectured on this topic last year, so I’ve just got to update and review my slides. And I’ve been looking at the […]

So Wilbeary and Mum might be exited about the people they see, but I had my own brush with fame yesterday when I went for lunch with a couple of workmates and Martin Sheen walked in. He’s currently taking some courses at NUI Galway, so he’s seen around campus quite a lot.

I flew back to Galway yesterday, via Leeds Bradford airport. I’m not sure what I think of it – it’s very convenient for me at the Galway end, but the Leeds end is not that easy to find or get to. Even having travelled the route on Friday, we still managed to go wrong again […]

The course went well, with both students getting the hang of all the chains I was teaching, and going home with several bracelets each. They also bought some finished chain maille and some rings to make more of their own, and I sold a necklace. So a good day to be in Patchings. I was […]