Older........But Not Wiser

I meant to write about this last week, but with one thing and another I didn't get round to it. So here is a belated birthday blog post for me for last Wednesday. I received several lovely presents including this beautiful coffee pot which the DH gave me - the training has paid off!
The pot is Wedgewood, with a Susie Cooper design and it dates from the late 70s. Not especially old, but it's exactly my taste and has pride of place on the display cabinet for now - until a more prestigious home can be found for it!
We spent the Bank Holiday in Cornwall - we rented a small converted barn with another couple and spent the weekend visiting the area around Bude. We made it down to Port Isaac (home of 'Doc Martin'), Tintagel, Boscastle and Trebarwith for dinner on the Saturday. Sunday we got up late, popped into Bude for a couple of hours then made a lovely big chicken roast (Quorn for me!) in the evening.
Apart from a big relapse on Monday, I've been feeling a lot better recently - DH and I have made some big decisions and I've decided to try and look for some help with coping strategies for when things get bad.
I've also made a start on sorting out my craft room - it's very untidy due to a lack of storage and needs a bit of freshening up. The first stage of which was covering my cutting table with some pretty oilcloth fabric. I ended up with quite a bit left over, which I know will get reused for another project. The next stage will be to get some decent storage and maybe a fresh lick of paint. Pictures to follow!

Remember Me

This morning I lost Saba, one of my Guinea Pigs. She had obviously passed away in the night, as I found her curled up in her little house with her friend Bridie standing guard. She was about four and a half, but I think she had a problem with her heart. That was due to be checked out by the vet this afternoon, but maybe it was just her time to go.
She was a timid little thing, and always tiny - I think she was a bit of a runt! Runty she may have been, but she was pretty and a little unusual - a dainty little face, sticky-up ears and odd eyes, one was blue, the other brown. She also had her little crest on her forehead, as you can see.
She's modelling one of Jane at Snapdragons Garden's embroidered badges in this picture.

Sleep tight, little one x

Just a quick one (oo-er missus)!

I haven't given up blogging completely - I just haven't felt much like posting recently.
Although we had a lovely holiday in Yorkshire last month, life hasn't been terribly good to us recently - neither the crafting or Partylite is bringing in any money (both seem to just be costing money instead). I've had virtually no work since May, so no money coming coming in but still with bills to pay. However, I now have some work again, so that will at least ease some of the money worries for now.
There are many, many things that I need to say, the kind of things you only really share in heart-to-heart talks with your closest friend, but an open blog isn't the best place to air these thoughts.
When you don't have anyone but yourself to talk to, it's very easy to end up being overwhelmed with the negative thoughts and feelings that build-up.
One day I will beat this wretched gremlin that moves in whenever I feel down x

Back Again..

I'm afraid I've been a little quiet this month, but I have had rather a lot going on outside of the computer. I've taken up my knitting needles again to finish a couple of projects, which I'll show you another time. I've been trying to get my Partylite business going, which has involved a fair bit of designing posters and going to events to start promoting. I'm also going to have to get back into sewing mode as I've decided to do a bit of a re-design for my Rose & Bird items. I have a lady next Saturday to have a look at my stuff and possibly offer me some dates for a stall at her fair. I want to up my game for that! On top of all that, I've been trying to keep the house in some sort of order, but it's much more tempting just to do another couple of rows!
The garden and allotment have also gone mad with all this sunshine and rain. We've had loads of strawberries, the black and redcurrants are laden even with the birds taking their share, and we have apples and plums growing as we speak. At the allotment, our lettuces have doubled in size almost overnight, the early potatoes are almost ready, and the french beans have nearly outgrown their canes!
Unfortunately, we have a naughty fox who likes to dig and tip over the containers in the garden. I'm thinking of putting chilli powder down to discourage him, but if anyone can suggest some other humane fox detterants, please let me know.

Would love to hear how all your gardens are doing.

Coming Up Roses

Just a few pictures from the garden, taken in last week's glorious sunshine. Some of the roses we've bought or brought from our previous house, which I can tell you the names of, the others were already here, so goodness knows what they are! They're still pretty though.

'Rhapsody In Blue', a purple shrub rose


'Ena Harkness', a deep red climber


'Golden Celebrations', a golden yellow shrub rose

'White Cloud', a shy white climber

A cream climber that covers the pergola


Another climber

A rather large pink rose, growing under the apple tree.

Don't forget to take time to smell the roses this week x

Motivational Speaking 101

(http://rattler-radio.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html)

Kind of appropriate for me at the moment. After 2 craft fairs in a row at which I failed to sell anything, part of me is ready to throw in the towel. But I'm trying to get in touch with my inner 2-year-old - the one that said no! loudly and repeatedly and refused to give up doing what she wanted to do. Or that tiny little part of me that kept going through countless lessons and 4 driving tests before finally passing at the fifth attempt, aged 23. Or the part that gets on a horse despite feeling sick at memories of a painful fall 12 years ago, the part that made me start jumping again.
The point is that this is something I don't want to give up on - I enjoy doing it and it makes me happy (most of the time). I don't know why I didn't sell anything - maybe it was the location, maybe people don't have the money, maybe I'm just not a saleswoman, but there's always next time.
I'm working on the look of the stall all the time - at the moment I'm trying to think of a good way to display my bags. They currently get laid on the table, but I need some kind of rack to hang them on. It needs to be small enough to stand on a 6ftx3ft table, so if anyone's got any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

French Fancies

Well, I promised I would show you my French Fabric Finds, and here they are:

These 3 are blue checks and stripes. The one on the left was just 99c, the dark stripe 1,99E, the pale gingham was also 1,99E

These two were a little more expensive, they were 4,99E a metre. I didn't buy 2 the same, by the way - the lower one has a pale check running across it.

These pretty cottons were 5,99E at metre. The last one has 3 photos because it was extra wide and the design gets more complex as you go across it. I wonder if it's meant for very light weight curtains?