Griffie

I love animals but only own a cat, Coco, who drinks out of the toilet as shown!

Despite my best intentions, I also have a few 'cat collections', most notably small ornaments and cat mugs of all things! I also tend to acquire notecards and stationery items with cats on that I then part with very reluctantly (or not at all!)

I am an avid reader who enjoys recommendations from others. Favourite genres include crime, thrillers, sci-fi/fantasy and well written Regency romances. Sometimes, whatever the genre, it can be the cover that will get me in!

As well as books, I have a pretty good collection of magazines that I like to keep and refer back to. Favourite topics are craft (general ones as well as beading, cross stitch, scrapbooking and quilting), food/recipe ones, home decorating and lifestyle ones. Occasionally a travel mag or something on writing, books, computing or science fiction will make an appearance - it all depends on the cover and my need to read!

I can waste hours on the computer, it is so much fun.

Favourite colours are deep, vibrant shades of most colours, with the exception of pink! I am not into pastels at all, either to wear or to work with.

Like most people I love chocolate, whatever form it takes, although I am not keen on fruit and nut varieties.

I love lollies (sweets, candy) apart from things like breath mints and gum.

I enjoy coffee and tea, but I am not into the flavoured or exotic ones, just plain and boring, really!

Love Australian artists such as Kate Cebrano, John Farnham, the original LRB, etc, as well as international ones such as Paul Simon, Melissa Etheridge, kd lang, Harry Connick Jr, Tracy Chapman,to name a few. I also can't resist some of the real mellow Sinatra or tunes by Dean Martin.

Usually what I have just seen, in this instance 'Becoming Jane', but I am also a big fan of Ms Austen and have been since I was 13. Period pieces, comedies, romance, thrillers but no horror!

Currently: CSI (original and Miami), Cold Case, Without a Trace, Brothers and Sisters, McLeod's Daughters, Gilmore Girls, DIY and cooking shows. I have just finished watching 7 years' worth of Deep Space Nine and have Voyager and TNG to go.

I have just discovered beading - in a big way - and I am having enormous fun with it! Enjoy cross stitching, patchwork/quilting, cooking and scrapbooking (when I get to it!), although I am not into ephemera. Recurring themes or motifs in whichever crafts I do seem to be things like hearts, houses and alphabets, eg samplers. I like the traditional motifs, designs and patterns.

I can't crochet (there's a big, sad story in that) but I will give anything a go. Recently tried soapmaking (okay) and mosaics (current project is a small table top). Since joining Swap-bot I have had a couple of goes at ATCs, something I didn't know existed before joining this group, and quite enjoyed making them, too.

With everything that is happening at the moment - finishing up the old job, buying a house, packing up the old house and moving - I have decided to take a step back from Swapbot for a while, probably until late January 2009 at this stage. I have completed all my swaps to date, but will check in regularly to rate partners and collect and respond to messages, that kind of thing. Until then!