Random Acts of Kindness

I've had an interesting couple of days.

Been offered a really interesting job, which I have accepted. Gives me regular income and flexibility. Plus I get to work with some interesting people, staff and clients. All to the good.

Saved a little black Labrador who was wandering around on a busy but badly lit road on my way home from work. I stopped my car, put my hazards on and waved down the traffic to stop it while i got the dog into my car. I thought it would take a bit of persuading, but no. Up into the back of the car like she totally belonged there. Thankfully she was wearing a tag, which said her name was Betty (totally suited her, absent minded old lady but pleasant with it, the type of old lady they call pleasantly confused). I rang both numbers on the tag, half hoping that no-one would answer as she was a REALLY sweet natured old girl, and I would then have an excuse to take her home with me. But no the second number was answered, I told the man on the line where I was, sitting in the car with the hazards still on and the interior light on so I could talk to the dog and five minutes later a chap turns up in a 4x4 to collect her. Shame really. She was a total sweetie.

Had a serious near miss in my car this morning, as I slid down the road in my car with the brakes applied, skating on the black ice that coated my street from top to bottom on it's 15% incline. I confess I nearly cried and worried a lot about the Citroen ax at the bottom of the street that was worth about the same as the boots I was wearing fast approaching as my car continued to slide. Thankfully I hit tarmac and stopped. I have never been so afraid in my car before.

I've started to do a wood cut, but I think I'm doing it on too small a scale and it's not very good, but I will persevere. If it works, yay! and if it doesn't I can write a bit about why it didn't and then I have personal and professional development sorted for a while.

Taught Josh how to make tuna fish cakes today. They were wonderful, all cooked by mylovely boy. He insists he won't be able to do them again as he's won't remember the recipe. I'll have to start writing them down for him won't I? Only 20 months before I bugger off up to Glasgow(if I get in) and leave him to fend for himself. He refuses to come with me. So he can learn how to look after himself.

I have a totally free day tomorrow, so hopefully I will be able to get on with some college work. Need to really crack on over the next few days or I'll not get the project finished. Looking forward to the next one, which is a self directed project and I want to concentrate on painting. I think I'll be looking at the human form. Loads of scope for playing with technique, media and subject matter. Exciting!Here's the not very good woodcut. It isn't quite finished, but we'll see what it prints like. Pics of the prints will follow when I next post.

Shameless Plugging 2

Just a quickie to plug yet more merchandise. I'm trying to get my head around sorting out a Paypal button if possible on my page to sell direct. I will aim to getting it on by the end of the month when I have more stock and can find a five minute gap in my extraordinarily busy schedule.

So here they are, new hard backed note books, A6 size this time. Hope you like, feed back appreciated.

Shameless Plugging

So it's the new year, and I'm trying to get motivated to do my homework and finish off some books for sale. Can't seem to sit for too long and it doesn't help that the dog bed is next to my work desk and one of them has eaten recycled cat food, the smell is vile and is putting me off concentrating. I think a cuppa tea may be in order.

I have managed to finish 8 books for sale and I having a big push to get another 4 finished today. Tomorrow is reserved for homework, no making of things for sale! I do have a bag to make for a friend, but that won't actually take that long, it's just a bit fiddly in the putting it together.

So as this is a post about shameless plugging I will include pics of the stuff I have, so far, made for sale. All prices reasonable, all items can be made to order and p&p is also reasonable.

I will be expanding my range to include cushion covers, handbags, shopping bags and more books of different sizes. Please leave a comment if you are interested.Shameless plugging now over. Off to make a cuppa tea.

Snowing.

Anyone who has been alive and awake over the past couple of days will be aware of the UK's complete inability to cope with snow, and the chaos that ensues when a couple of flakes of snow drop on the roads.

Everything is closed, abandoned and blocked. No college, gym, buses or places to go. And I am stuck in the house with my generally wonderful son, who is now showing distinct signs of boredom and will shortly be getting annoying.

I was thinking about going out and taking some photos of the snow, but that all get a bit samey after about 3,000,000 of them have been published over the past week in every single newspaper and on every online forum, social network and blog. Wouldn't want to do the same as everyone else.

I'm trying to get on with getting my stock levels up ready for the new season of craft fairs etc, but, well to be honest, I'm not really that motivated.

OK I gave in and took a couple of photos.










Ain't that pretty? This is the view from my studio. I think I will go out later and get some pics up in the park. More opportunity for better pictures. I've not taken photos for ages, so this will be a good opportunity to get something seasonal. In the meantime, don't get in your car unless you are going to provide essential services, that boring crappy pern pushing office job really doesn't matter that much, keep the kids off school, build snow people and have snowball fights with the neighbour kids and drink gallons of hot chocolate. That's what winter is for. Oh and don't forget to make snow angels. I love them.

Less Fatigued

Woke up early, not by choice. Had to answer an urgent text from a place I have been temping at. They, sadly were desperate for someone to cover today, but I was too tired to do the shift and needed to spend the day working on finishing things off in preparation for getting to work on the finished piece for my college project. I needed to clear the decks have a proper tidy and learn how to finish things properly. Yeah, right!

I promptly fell back to sleep after answering the text so all that extra time got wasted, but I do feel less tired and somewhat refreshed from the extra sleep, even though my back still isn't improving as quickly as i would like, but at least I am down to just taking pain relief in the morning and not needing it for the whole day. Good sign of definite improvement.

So far today I have made 2 cushion covers. Won't post pics as these are gifts and I don't want to spoilt surprises. I will be making another 3 soon, but I'm just having a brain break. I'm feeling rather creative today, I've tidied my studio and feel fresh and energetic ready to make more things for friends, and for sale to strangers, or people I barely know. It feels good to make stuff and sell it for a small profit. I feel like I am really making something worthwhile. The small pleasures people get for things I make gives me a glow inside that cannot be replaced with a salary from a boss who barely knows your name and bills all up to date. Don't get me wrong, I like to get the bills paid, I just don't like the soul destroying day job life. Too little time for anything else.

When i am working in my studio I listen to the radio, usually radio 1, but today R6. The news is on at the moment and the first bits were about death. When will bad news come to an end? I find it so difficult when I am feeling this vulnerable to cope with bad news and often just switch off.

I think Josh is now home, so I'd better go and wash the dishes and make toad in the hole for tea. With creamy mashed potatoes and steamed curly kale.

Oh and I've been writing my good recipes down, so eventually some of them will find their way onto here I'm almost certain.

Post Christmas fatigue

I'm tired, I worked all day yesterday, not physically tiring, but emotionally, intellectually and socially. today I made a Christmas present in about 15 minutes flat, with Josh's help. He stuffed the draught excluder that i made from some fluffy cow fabric I had in a drawer. A joint effort of a Christmas present. That was fun. It's the first present we've made together. It may be the last, he is a less than enthusiastic helper when it comes to things like that.

Went to my friend Janet's for Boxing Day lunch, which was, as ever, superb. Janet is a wonderful cook, who has the knack of producing very simple food which is harder than it sounds. I always enjoy food there. Me and josh left after a couple of hours because Janet was very tired. By the time we got home I realised that I too was very tired. Working for a day makes me so tired I need a day's rest to get over it, but when I am in my studio for days on end I don't feel the same level of fatigue. Why is that?

I've been making and creating a lot of the past few days, trying to make things for everyone I know and love for Christmas. Not got everything done, but everyone will have something home made and completely personal for the season, be they Christmas celebrants or solstice worshippers. No matter, I love you all.

I think I will stop with the soppy telling every one that I love them, someone always feels uncomfortable with it. Usually me.

There is little point to this post today, mostly because of my tiredness, and backache, which isn't resolving in the way it normally does. I think i seriously pulled a muscle in my back and Helen is not here now to fix it with her magic hands, and I'm pretty sure she won't travel from Aus to fix it for me, much as she loves me.

This Christmas has been tiring for a lot of reasons.

Not got a job and doing whatever work comes along to make ends meet.

Worrying about whether I can pay my bills and college fees next year.

Missing Sapphire, who I lost in August this year.

Missing Helen and Leo who moved to Australia in the summer and I'm wondering if I'll ever see them again because its such a long way away and so expensive to get to, but maybe the universe will smile on me.

Still missing my mum. Three years on. Will that ever change?

Worrying about my friend Debbie, who will be in hospital for a while, wanting her to be well and knowing that there simply is not enough time to say how much she means to me as a friend in all the ways I'd love to say and feeling impotent about her illness. I wish, I wish, I wish I could fix her. And her I know the universe cannot grant this wish. Bugger.

Time got away from me and I've no idea where it went. it's always the same.

Wondering where that cup of tea is that Josh is meant to be making.

My usual preoccupations and obsessions, Face book, Twitter, new books, unfinished projects and new techniques with fabric.

I'm wondering whee I'm going with this post, and I've just realised, I'm too tired to make sense, so i abdicate all responsibility for the nonsense posting that is coming and I'll just carry on with this stream of barely consciousness.

One thing I want to say is to wish everyone a great new year and that all of their wishes wants and needs come true, go to the doctors if you are worried about anything, don't put it off. Give your children a hug and tell them you love them, they are beautiful and wonderful and you are proud of them. Take the dog out for a walk, stroke the cat, phone your Granny, commit a random act of kindness and eat a big fat cake all to yourself at least once this year, but make sure you eat your veggies too.

I'm off to bed soon I think.

Sleepy.

Last minute Christmas

I'm not one for buying presents, being very poverty stricken and a complete tight wad, so I make them. But I've had a busy year. So I'm kind of doing the presents today. All day today. On Christmas Eve. All day on Christmas Eve. And i have to go to bed very early today because I'm working all day tomorrow. Maybe I should've planned better.

To all who get their presents after Xmas, sorry about the delay, but I am a born procrastinator and had loads of other stuff to get done and time just gets away from me. I'll be better organised next year, promise. OK you got me I promised this last year, but honestly I mean it this time.

So for those who know and love me, and you have to love me if you know me, if you don't get your pressie for crimbo, it is in the making and you will get it before next Christmas.

Love you all.

XX

Followers

When I started blogging it was just somewhere for me to vent how I was feeling about things and wasn't intended to be a public thing. But hen something strange started to happen, and people started to follow me. Firstly my friends, and now I have followers who I don't know personally. This was initially very strange for me, but now I really like the idea that people may actually find my ravings entertaining.

To those who read and follow me, welcome, pull up a chair, the kettle is on, and the cake will be out of the oven in about 5 minutes. Leave a comment when you visit and I'll almost certainly respond to it, I love to chat.