April month in numbers...

Spring is on its way and April has had its fair share of showers but there have also been a host of other, none weather related things brightening up this month.

3 = The number of afternoon teas that I have been to. 1 in Yorkshire, 1 in Carlisle and 1 in Workington. My  friends and I are starting a scoring system for each and so far we have 13 places to mark out of 10.

4 [ish] = The number of hours it took me to bake and decorate this birthday cake that was taken to one of the afternoon teas.

4 [ish] = This was also the number of hours I spent in the hospital with my friend following the birthday afternoon tea when she had suspected TB. Everything turned out to be OK; the worst part of it was we didn't get to cut the cake!

5 rolls of duct tape, 4 pillows, 1 can of expandable foam and 1 helpful Mother = The numbers involved in making a customised dress form. It was rather good fun despite the disaster with the expandable foam and the reduced ability to breathe whilst being wrapped up in duct tape. It's nearly finished now I just need to add [and adjust] the guidelines on it and then I'll be stitching away. [Maybe!]

2 = The number of PhD's completed. My new bag made with *best* fabric from Barcelona and a dress which I had finished but needed tweaking.

5 = The number of hours I spent cleaning, polishing and hoovering the car. With 1 not so helpful cat. It's a nightmare to get white cat fluff off newly hoovered upholstery!

£147.72 = The amount I received in a bonus check for a PPI refund. I had sent the forms off about 6 months ago and came home from work one day this month to find this waiting for me on the doormat. Hurrah!

Just over £600 = The amount I managed to save in my current account this month. I am trying to managed my finances better and help grow the kitchen fund. It's on its way.

12 = The number of Poirot books I have now read in the recommended order. I might get to the end by Christmas.

4 = The number of dates I have been on this month. It feels strange to be back in the world of dating. I'm not entirely convinced by the whole thing as of yet. I may just stick to the plan of becoming a crazy cat lady.

Month in numbers is brought to you by the fabulous Julie Kirk and if you would like to know more about it and maybe even join in then you can find the details here and catch up with other MinN bloggers over on Pinterest.

Until next month.

♥

February month in numbers...

Despite being the shortest month of the year February seems to have dragged on forever yet here I am at the last minute summing up my month in numbers...

2: The number of quotes for a new kitchen I have had this month. Both in the region of £3000. I only need 6 cupboards. My kitchen is tiny! I also spent £6 on some new kitchen utensils from the M&S outlet that are the same colour as I want to paint the walls.

£12: The price of a new pair of pink suede shoes from the Clarks outlet - I haven't had time to take a picture yet but no doubt they will appear on the blog at some point.

4: The number of meals out this month including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. Not all on the same day though!

 

6: The number of new products bought in the annual Sizzix mega sale. All the items below for less than £20.

7: Real numbers collected. After coming across Helena's blog in Julie's January round up of fellow Month in Numbers participants I loved the idea of collecting 'real' numbers that I saw in everyday life. I was going to try and be methodical in my approach to collecting them starting with 1-10 this month. Unfortunately you can't programme your eyes to only see specific ones so it's ended up being a bit more sporadic than intended with some duplicates for the eagle eyed amongst you!

3: of 43: The number of Poirot books read this month. After a recent post on Facebook by the Agatha Christie society detailing all of the Poirot stories and a suggested reading order I decided to raid my collection once more and re-read them in the right order. Needless to say it was rather stressful when I thought I had one missing but never fear it was hidden in a collection of short stories.

If you would like to join in the Month in Numbers community then pop over to Julie's blog to read more about the meme. You can also find past collections of all the MiN on Pinterest.

Until next month [when I will have some numbers from foreign shores!]

♥

My month in numbers 2011: February...

It appears that somebody has stolen yet another month. I know February is only 28 days long but March already? Really? Despite the apparent sneaky month thievery it would appear that quite a few events worthy of note have taken place this month...

[Graffiti quote on the outside of the wall protecting the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona]

As this rather fabulous graffiti quote suggests the reduction in the number of days hasn't affected the amount of *stuff* I have achieved throughout the month of February:

5 = The number of nights I spent in the fabulous city of Barcelona.

[Wall sculpture on residential buildings outside the MACBA]

4 = The number of loads of washing I did in one day after returning from Barcelona; quite an achievement considering I don't have a tumble drier and live in Cumbria; possibly the wettest county in the UK.

2 = The number of rather special items of clothing purchased this month, keep your eyes peeled for more details soon. I'm saving them for a *best* post.

12 = The number of pink roses I received on St Valentines Day. [for the first time ever. Whoop! Happy face]. The roses are now drying, quite successfully, hanging from my staircase.

6 = The number of heart shaped bread rolls I baked on the eve of St Valentines day: Nigella Lawson has nothing on me. 

[Tasty home made granary bread rolls with homemade smoked salmon terrine]

900g = The amount of cream cheese this rather fabulous chocolate cheesecake has in it. This was my first attempt. I was rather pleased. I also felt rather sick after eating it. 

[Yes that is a bowl of extra thick double cream you can see in the corner. In for a penny in for a pound and no it is not topped with grated cheese that is white chocolate shavings!]

1 = The number of rather public Facebook profile information changes possibly prompted by the meal shown above?!:

[I never [ever] blog, scrapbook or in any way publicly talk about or record my relationships. I guess I wouldn't want to throw away or burn anything I had created should it become a painful reminder. That doesn't seem to apply this time. Go figure].

£1 = The price of the rather marvelous table cloth that you can see in the above photos: gotta love a bit of charity shopping.

Many = The number of cakes consumed at the afternoon tea party I attended this month.

[The Plough @ Wreay - yum yum]

97.6 = The number of miles travelled to see my dad on his birthday. 

2 = The number of bird boxed built with my Dad in some quality Daddy Daughter time. My blue tits shall now have a warm and cosy home [hopefully].

[One of the many uses for spare floorboards]

3 = The number of sleeps before the biannual crafting weekend in Draughton where much eating and crafting shall take place.

[The November 2010 Draughton Weekend, missing Jean :-(]

2 1/2 = The number of Ratty Fascals consumed in the same number of days when I visited home and Mum had been baking. Ah tasty goodness.

[Are you an eyes or a teeth person?]

I am still aiming to grab some higher numbers during March so if you have any suggestions how I can raise my game please feel free to let me know, although 900 is a fairly high number admittedly. Especially when it's referring to lard. 

Till soon,

♥