It’s a week already that M2 has returned and under quarantine. Staying in a modern and comfy room in the city, with three meals each day, I’d say so far, so good, although all she does is eat, sleep, talk to us, and not much else! At least when we talk, we are in the same time zone unlike, when she was still in Ireland on a seven-hour time difference with us.
Soon another week will go by quickly, and she will be truly home. Yay! We plan to have a celebratory garden barbeque for the occasion. Time, hurry on faster, please? I can’t wait!
Last two weeks, I took a break from building miniatures and carved instead. I must say, it has turned out good this divergence. However, my tools are very trying. They are not as sharp as before, and it has been a challenge to get things right.
From the initial outline of the Gnome Trio, the outcome has evolved as I progress along. Delicate parts broke off when I exerted too much strength. As such, I had to modify the shape along the way.
The Gnome Trio
But I don’t think one can tell, especially if I don’t have the original picture next to the finished piece. It looks good, and I’m pleased with my efforts.
Over the weekend, I completed the tail-end of some more detailing work. Then I did a little more sanding down before applying a coat of gesso. I’m at the tail-end of adding colors before the final touch of a varnish finish.
Gesso for a white base then the signature red cap for all three!
And voila! The Gnome Trio will be at the front of the house proudly.
Last Saturday marks the 8th Anniversary of my blog! Wow. I am amazed that I have persevered for so long to keep this going. But all this achievement is unattainable if it wasn’t for the support of all my readers.
The blog has certainly evolved from a journal to share the antics of my girls and my travels. Along the way, I picked up new hobbies, the girls grew up and went off to college, and the travel escapades were lesser.
The travel non-escapades were more evident in the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has taken over the world and disrupted many things taken for granted.
Well, I certainly won’t take the things I do for granted and am thankful to every one of my readers as you follow me on my whimsical endeavors and daily musings. Happy Anniversary and happy writing to me!
I had a restless night tracking M2’s flight. She has another five hours of flying before arriving in Singapore for a short stopover of an hour and a half. Then another hour’s flight before arriving in KLIA as of this entry.
I cannot believe how fast time has gone. Last October, she went back to Ireland, and now, another year of college is complete.
But we won’t get to be with her for another two weeks as she has to undergo quarantine requirements at a hotel. So close yet so far still. Sigh.
Today our M2 is flying back from Ireland! Woohoo. She has completed her second year at university and is homeward bound for the summer holidays. The journey will be tedious as a result of the stringent requirements to fly due to Covid-19.
Unlike last year, when she came home in March for a six-month summer holiday and was home-quarantined, this time, a chartered coach will greet her at the airport and send her to a hotel to be quarantined upon her arrival. We don’t have to pick her up as these measures are in place for all arriving at KLIA to Malaysia.
We only have to monitor her flight on flightaware.com to ensure her journey is on time. She flies this late afternoon (her local time) which is equivalent to our past midnight time, so I guess I won’t be sleeping much to track her flight until her final arrival.
I breezed through DIY project number 14 or 12B effortlessly. I guess when I put all my energy and focus into it, the job gets done faster. Despite it being a complicated set, it was challenging yet enjoyable, and I finished it in 13 days. Quite a feat, I’d say.
Welcome to my Bookstore!Lovely angles of the Bookstore
But soon after the completion, I decided to take a break from building miniatures. And instead, I channeled my creativity back to carving! It felt good.
Not whales because I ran out of the specific wood size, nor Citizens of Gigglesville but Gnomes, albeit a different approach. I found a forgotten piece of wood and decided to carve three Gnomes in one go.
A trio of Gnomes!
It has been very exhilarating to carve again. My progress so far is pretty good, and as I anticipate the MCO will extend for another 14 days until the end of the month, I can get this display piece completed in no time. Awesome.
My stash of DIY projects has been reduced down to three when I started DIY project number 14 or 12B. At the pace that I am at for the latest one, I can complete it today, in record time, instead of taking another week because the three lights turned out far easier to work on than I anticipated.
And as I plan to combine project numbers 15 and 16 to become one set, my stash of three will suddenly deplete even faster. If this plan materializes, I will be down to one last project to do. Oh no.
So I had no choice but to buy some more to have a sense of security. In a spate of two days, I purchased three new sets from my regular online shopping site. You could say it was an anxiety purchase to feel secure. Two out of the three sets have arrived.
The third package should arrive soon. I can’t wait.
I threw myself into working on DIY project number 14 or 12B with a dedication unseen before. Maybe this time around, with the recent loss of a friend and the MCO cabin fever of staying indoors for so long, is getting to me.
Nonetheless, I am pleased with the pace that I am at for this set. I reckon I can finish it in another week’s time, a record of sorts for a complicated set, taking only three weeks; a far cry from the last project that took almost three months.
Books galore and a lamp post challenge
But I now face the most challenging part for any DIY miniatures – working on the sofa chair and three lights. Typically, it is the fabric, lighting, or wire works that pose a challenge. I hope these challenges don’t derail the completion.
This fight against the pandemic becomes more urgent and personal when it hits you to the core because it’s someone you know and not a number on the daily statistic.
Yesterday I lost a friend to Covid-19. Rest in peace, my friend. I have no words to say.
Soon after completing DIY project number 13 or 12A, I jumped right into working on project number 14. As I am not keen on the numbers 14 (and 13), being superstitious, this set has another number, 12B, like the recently completed set.
The project started well. It’s a bookstore, and there are many books to make. But several days into it, I hit a snag! Uh oh.
I glued the books down on the orange shelf wrongly. And now it looks weird, but I guess nobody would know if I didn’t say anything, right?
Angieneering 
Remarks