Birthday Blog Candy!!!!

This post is staying at the top till 20/11/08- please scroll down for latest posts :)

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Hullo!!! I am an enormous 41 years old today (8th Nov), and to "celebrate" (huh!) I thought I'd offer up some Blog Candy.

Here's how it works:
To be in with a chance of winning what's in the photo, just add your comment to this post. Then mention it on your own blog and give a link. I shall keep this post at the top till my little brother's birthday, which is 20th November. On that day I'll draw a name and let the winner know! I will post internationally, so come on, join in!

Here's what's on offer (click to make larger, if you want a closer look around!):

List of goodies:
Pile of assorted papers: 8x8 inch and 6x6;
ribbon;
4 packs clear stamps (alphabet, swirls, borders and frames);
pack of assorted stamps from Crafty Individuals;
4 sheets of sticky peel-offs;
pack of die-cut tags, labels, frames and other shapes;
pack of Paperchase 12 assorted coloured blank cards and envelopes;
pack of Paperchase metal heart shape clips;
+ Joanna Sheen catalogue thrown in for fun :)

I might add a few things as time goes on, too :)

Have fun and good luck!!!!!

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BARGAIN ALERTS FOR UK crafters:

• Crop Til You Drophave a lot of sale items right now, PLUS an extra 20% OFF EVERYTHING for the month of November- just put "NOV2008" as the coupon code at the checkout. E.g., There are single 12 x 12 paper sheets down to 10p, and some stamps 75% off. Lots of goodies in other departments too. Have a look!!!!!

• Artymiss are offering a great bargain right now- a light box, embossing tool and three brass stencils, all for just £4.99!!! Here's the link. I've ordered mine!

Birthday animal treats!!!

Hurray! Now I know what my partner had been plotting when I wasn't around!!! My main birthday pressie is............ a trip to a London theatre tomorrow night to see The Lion King!!!!! Hurray!!! I've wanted to see that for years- ever since I saw a clip on TV about how the actors do all the different animals. Brilliant!!! I can't wait.

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My birthday itself was quite a sleepy day. We had toyed with the idea of going out for a meal in the evening, but instead we had a curry indoors. We were at my mum's from mid-afternoon and just had a lazy weekend all together, eating too much :)

But look what we found on the way to her house.....
.....just a minute or two from mum's place, we spotted a wee hedgehog just ambling along, beside the road, in broad daylight. Well, we had to rescue him-

-some hogs are having second litters in the summer months, but they don't always reach a big enough size or weight for hibernation, so they don't survive the winter. This one wasn't a baby, but at most was a young teen! No way was he big enough. And they should NEVER be out and about in the day- that always means something is wrong.

Now, I don't think I ever mentioned that I owned a woolly hat. Why would I? Let's just say it was a sort of Beanie type hat, but one worn by 40 year olds. (Can't say if a 41 year old would wear it, as I never had the chance.) So! I jumped out of the car, scooted across the road and ran along behind the hog, knees bent, with said hat opened in both hands. It must have looked a bit odd. I slipped the hat over him like a tea-cosy and scooped him up. Et voila-

One be-hatted hog.We stopped at mum's long enough to explain and to get her to come with us to a RSPCA woman in the next town who takes in strays of all types and sizes. Mum is hog mad, so wanted these souvenir photo's taken :) It's a pity we didn't keep the camera on us, because in the warmth of the car he began to relax and unfurl, sticking his nose out above the hat, and very soon we were all being observed.

Now, have you ever noticed that some animals get smellier the longer you hold them???? Rabbits are like that. And guinea pigs. Yes, definitely guinea pigs, in particular, I think. Do you know, when he lived in Ecuador, my partner ate a guinea pig? But that's another story and not at all cute. Anyway. Yes. The hedgehog is right up there with his guinea pig/hog friend. Phwar!

OK he was still cute and scrummy and loveable, just from a greater distance, that's all.

We dropped him off at the woman's house.
Another birthday present of mine had been a £10 note, slipped inside a card by my aunt. Well, I gave this to the woman as a donation towards his keep, not that I suspect it will go far, as she ends up with so many hoglets in the Autumn.

He was quite snotty, and, as I had held him on the journey, I had felt his breathing was a little laboured, and I could feel his lungs seemed a bit gravelly, like when you have a chesty cough. Never mind. He is in safe hands now; she said that she would go and put him straight under a heat lamp.

As we turned to go, she asked, "Would you like your hat back?"
I passed.

I think this close encounter was my best present of all.