Our Christmas shutdown times at work have been confirmed, so Thursday is our last day and then we get 11 days off and don’t have to return until Tuesday 4th Jan. Whatever will I do with all that glorious time off? Probably watch a lot of DVDs and make some jewellery.

Sad times; Misfits series two has now ended, with a spectacular Christmas special to round it off. It is fast becoming one of my favourite current tv shows as it seems to be the perfect mix of teenage humour and problems, and supernatural abilities. It’s what Heroes would be like if you crossed it with Skins and the Inbetweeners. I’m very much looking forward to the next series after the special ended on such a cliffhanger. I’ll have to invest in the DVDs to tide me over until later next year.

Today I have brought some Chestnut and Chocolate cupcakes into work to celebrate almost-Christmas. They are going down a storm so I highly recommend the recipe. I had to make my own chestnut puree though as Tesco only seemed to stock whole chestnuts. I soaked them in a half water, half milk mixture and boiled for about 20 minutes until they were soft, before whizzing them in the blender into a paste. It worked a treat!

1013th
Dec

As promised, a few drunken photos with my new lens. It has such a smooth autofocus, I think I’m in love!

1010th
Dec

I got my final results back from my first Open University module today, and I passed with 94%! I’m pretty pleased to say the least. I’m already part of the way through my next module and I have a Maths one starting at the end of January, so it’s all going very well so far. Let’s hope that trend continues.

In-between all my gigs in the past week, I finalised the new acrylic designs and sent them off. They should be arriving sometime before Christmas, although I’m not sure if I will have time to get them up on the site until my holidays start. More Christmas orders have been coming in which is exciting. I’ve been very busy in my workshop making everything. The Star Trek necklaces especially seem to be a hit, so look out early next year as there should be the science, medical and engineering ones coming in.

My new lens has arrived, and it is massive! (In comparison to my kit lens anyway) It looks a bit ridiculous on my small 450D body, which leads me to think I should invest in an upgrade next year.. I’ll be testing it out this weekend at my friends party, so expect a few choice ridiculous photos.

Finally, I have caved in to internet peer pressure and got myself a Tumblr. It’s mostly going to be full of photos of Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine, but if you are that way inclined feel free to add me: Tumblr

1029th
Nov

I’m back, and I had a fantastic time. Click read more to see the rest of my photos and read what happened. Just a warning, it’s fairly lengthy.

Read more for photos

I set off tomorrow morning, I’m so excited! I have three cameras packed, which is not excessive at all.. I have my DSLR of course, but my 18-55mm autofocus is not working, so I have my Canon S90 for quick shots, and my Lomo Fisheye for more creative shots. I’ve also got a massive shopping list and far too many sights and museums to cram into my five days, as well as a whole day of theatre! Expect a nice big report and plenty of photos when I get back on Sunday.