Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Monday lunchtime (but posted Tuesday teatime, we had techie problems!)

Thank goodness that’s all over, all the preparation for Open Houses is done, and the first weekend has passed. I managed to get my displays done, somewhat later than I would have liked, and when asked by my friend why I was so unprepared I wasn’t sure, but then it hit me, oh yes, my hip replacement was scheduled very unexpectedly with short notice and messed my planned schedule for the year, I had set aside May and June for preparation but of course my priorities changed. Still, I managed it with half an hour to go, lol and even managed to make some new pieces, different variations on my current range.

Now that’s done I’ve masses of other jobs to do, but today I’m taking it easy. I got up at 11 this morning, lovely, having been lounging around drinking tea and reading a book by Alan Bennett, not my usual read but entertaining. All the effort last week has caught-up with me and I plan to continue having a leisurely day, as I’m supposed to anyway still being on stick leave and all. It’s been fun watching a bit of daytime TV, yes I know, very naff, but I’m really getting into House at the moment. Up to recently we couldn’t get Five but now they’re cranking up the signal we’ve had more viewing choice. This brings me to walking sticks and disabilities in dramas.

What is it about stick users on TV? why do they always get it wrong? Lots of people who meet me think my left leg is the problem because that’s the side I use my stick. Unfortunately many people who buy themselves a stick don’t use them in the best way, as they haven’t been shown and then they copy what they’ve seen on TV. Even Rick thought I was doing it wrong, tchhh. However I almost always see people using sticks in the wrong hand on telly dramas and in films, very amusing especially when Doctors do it in Hospital dramas! I’m guessing that if a stick was used properly it would have less of a dramatic impact, and I’m also thinking that Hugh Laurie aches like mad after filming! Serves him right. Ha.

Wednesday morning

How do I start this post? I keep typing this one and deleting it! You see it keeps getting too heavy and sounding way too serious, and you know I like to try and keep my blog light-hearted if I can. So I guess the game is up, all this time it’s been hidden from you that I can’t walk very easily and this is due to something called clicky hip (or DDH) which is a condition that they now check for in newborn babies. Although I did mention it exactly 2 years ago (21st April 2006 ER….me too the episode where Weaver, the lady Dr with a crutch realises she needs a new hip, incidentally it completely changes her life for the better) Anyway, I have big news, as I realised just before Christmas that I could really now do with a hip replacement and that the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

So, there is is, and I now have my date, 4 weeks from now, yikes. I now have to stuff in as much work as possible to be ready for 2 lots of Open Houses in July and maybe the exhibition in Winchester if I can manage it. There’s also plans to be made for how to run the house when I get home, raising chairs, making space for me to live in my recovering state. And of course I have to treat myself to the obligatory new nightie!

I have lots to tell you also of our adventure visiting my consultant in Oxford, but I’ll save that for another post.

I should also point out that this will impact on my teaching schedule. I am planning to take a break from the end of May and start teaching again in September. August is way too complicated with school holidays, weddings, lazy days out etc. and it can get very hot making beads in August.

Friday morning

I love 4 day weeks, they seem so……short. The downside is that they reduce my days available for bead making unfortunately. I shall be going down the garden to my studio shortly as I have a mammoth 8 hours available to me today that I hope not to waste, although I do have some ‘paper’ things to do first. I have to say that the weather is putting me off somewhat, but I’m sure I’ll get over it.

So T5 (or Terminal 5) at Heathrow is up and running. lol. I can’t but help laughing, but I do feel sorry for BA as the whole project has gone so well, to time etc., and it’s not like they didn’t test all the systems rigorously. Having worked as a project manager and engineer in Industry I know what an achievement this is. Of course they forgot to factor in the mass of people problem with parking and getting in the way of the staff. Life would be so much easier for them and British Rail if there weren’t lots of pesky passengers around to get in the way and mess things up. It’s the same with the hospitals really, which reminds me of an entertaining episode of ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ where they had a hospital fully staffed with all sorts of management, not so many medical staff and absolutely no patients. Ahh, the old ones are the best……tongue firmly in cheek.

Now I have to go and decide what to make today, an arduous task, not. I think I might break out the silver foil again today and makes some real jewels of glassiness. Yippee I can’t wait.

Monday morning

What a weekend, I need a rest to get over it. All Saturday we were preparing for the bead fair yesterday, and of course yesterday was the main event. We had a lovely day mainly due to all you lovely people who came to say hello and spend some time with us. Now I have the unenviable job of finishing my accounts today so that my MIL can come over tonight to finish the tax part and do the online bit. Urrgh and I’m missing my class to do this today, still, it’s a good impetus to finish today.

What a fantastic and inspiring programme last night, I watched Monty Dons’ first part of ‘Around the World in 80 gardens’. I thought it would be interesting but was really amazed at the wonderful gardens and sights that he saw. Also the reasoning behind some of the gardens was very thought provoking, especially the Havana gardens in Cuba. Many of these gardens are tucked away in what used to be derelict areas of the city, and have been converted to communal fruit and vegatable plots for the benefit of the local residents. I loved the idea of the 60 small information centres where the gardeners could get help and advice on growing their crops, truly inspirational, and very green. There was also some amazing eye candy and many interesting themes and ideas for garden design and even bead inspiration. Just what I’m looking for to shape my new collection.

Monday lunchtime

At last, things are getting back to normal. I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but it’s a relief to get back into some sort of routine, and to get the house back to myself during the day. My first job was to tidy the kitchen while making breakfast, run the dishwasher and put on some washing. Well, I’ve managed all but the washing as I got waylaid by making sure that my birthday present worked OK, yes I know, but this is the first quiet moment that I’ve had to peek at my Kath & Kim DVD. Fatal.

Anyways, I’ve just about managed to get back on track and can actually see my desk again, having spent half the morning tidying it. (I can’t see the dining table anymore though.)These are of course delaying tactics whilst I avoid the real job of tackling the dreaded tax once more. All my new years resolutions went out the window last year very early on as we saw our daughter go into hospital for a couple of weeks and then have months off school. This seriously put me behind in every way last year, and saw me giving up my resolve to do my accounts once a week before I’d even started. lol. Hopefully things will run smoother this year, but these are famous last words so let’s see what the year has in store for us. I’d better push off and do some of the urgent jobs now. have a cool Monday.

Friday morning

I’m feeling a bit smug this morning, all I’ve done is put some chicken portions in a plastic bag with some marinade ingredients ready to tip out and bake tomorrow or Sunday, and suddenly I’m feeling like a domestic goddess. Of course I still have to sort tonights dinner and do some food shopping instead of patronising Tesco Express every second we run out of something else. But I can’t help feeling smug and slightly organised, if only it was that easy! This meal in anticipation is all down to another of Nigellas recipes, this time from her new book Nigella Express, which Rick brought home unexpectedly as a surprise for me a couple of weeks ago. I expect you’re thinking ‘that’s very nice of him’ or maybe ‘ooo, how devious, maybe I  should buy my partner a copy of this and then I’ll never have to cook again’.  Ha ha, I know what you’re up to mate!

I do like how she thinks and writes too, as she discusses spending a few minutes in the day to prepare something that can marinade/freeze/cook slowly for a couple of hours while she goes and attempts to do what she calls ‘doomed jobs’ like trying to tidy her desk. I know how she feels, but really wish I could plan things on the dinner front a bit better than I do. Marinading meat, preparing meatballs and kebabs and generally being organised, as well as using the pasta machine we bought when we married eleven years ago were all things that I thought I’d do when I gave up working full time. However I had no idea I’d start a small business and end up busier than I ever was before self-employment. I don’t really think I could ever be a ‘lady wot lunches’. I also wonder how organised Nigella would be if she didn’t write recipes for a job, I mean, she’s actually working when she prepares a meal ahead. If I did that for a living I expect I’d be more organised, after all, my work would be planning and preparing food. Maybe I’m in the wrong business? Have a great weekend!

Saturday evening

I’m sitting here on the settee again, enjoying ‘Swarovski Fashion Rocks’, unfortunately no white wine tonight as I still have my cheese headache (well, it’s more of a migraine actually). The fact that it’s fashion rocks again means that I’ve been blogging for 2 years now, oh yes, It’s my 2 year blogiversary tomorrow, yay! I have to say though about the fashion show, that I’m disappointed not to see the crystal catwalk, although this year they have crystal beaded curtains, glitzy.

Thursday morning

I went out last night! I never go out, or at least hardly ever. We went and scoffed Pizza with a group of friends and then I stayed out and went to the flicks, yay! We saw Atonement, and I have to say ‘what a film’, it was a work of art, much nicer than the location of the pizza place and cinema.  It’s been ages since I last saw a film (I think it was Narnia) and I really love watching films on the big screen, but last night the whole leisure park felt so alien and bright. All the restaurants had bright lights, obviously to get you in and out really fast, and they all seemed so American and ……I hope I’m not offending anyone here, but you would have been forgiven for thinking you were not in England.

Don’t get me wrong, it was all good value and tasted nice, but where was the identity? What I mean to say is, everything has gone so global now, you see pictures on the news of people in other countries, and you’d struggle to tell where they are, and the same fast food places are seen the world over. Maybe I’ve just moved on in my culinary and cultural expectations? I like the differences you get when you travel around, and I like towns and shopping centres to feel different, but all the same shops are everywhere, which is obviously great for the chain of shops that is doing well, but one shopping centre or town centre could easily be confused for another. It’s the shopping mall and out of town stores thing.

Anyway, I am pleased we have a good cinema in Crawley, we used to have to travel to Brighton, or Lakeside to see films before Richard Branson stopped over in Crawley one night on one of his many trips to visit his Virgin offices (I followed him in to the Virgin Airlines office once, boy he was tall and walked extremely fast, which was unfortunate for me because I was going to tap him on the shoulder and say ‘gi’s a job’ only I couldn’t keep up and probably wouldn’t have been able to reach his shoulder) (that was a long bracket) and decided to go and see a film, only to find that we didn’t have a decent cinema, so decided he’d build one.

Talking of tall celebs I’ve seen on my travels, Chris Evans, he’s one, and he walks fast, also Jonathan Woss (sorry….Ross) and he talks a lot, I had to wait 20 minutes for him to stop yakking so I could get served in a fabric shop in Soho once. Trips to London are good places to see celebs if you like doing that, we used to spot at least one wild one each trip.

I’ve rambled on a bit this morning, but in true Sarah stylie I still have a shed load of ’stuff’ to do (don’t I always?) so I’m going to get on with it and try to get past my cheese induced headache.

Saturday night

One event down, one bead fair sorted for tomorrow…that’s Barton Bead Day (see my events). Now I have to get my head down for the Artists and Makers festival (Open Houses) that starts in 2 weeks time. At least I actually feel like making jewellery now, my brains been on a bit of a go slow and acting like a temperamental artist, saying that I didn’t feel like being creative. I do now, and I’m raring to go. Chomping at the bit, me. And it’s lovely to sit here blogging while class acts play at Glastonbury.

Oh yes, it’s festival time again, and I just love how the digital channels on TV cover so many of the music festivals now. I’m in my element, and it’s so much more comfortable watching from the sofa (or desk as I am now). I’d love to go to Glastonbury but have heard so many tales of friends tents being removed lock stock and barrel, then there’s the mud bath when it rains, not to mention rushing miles from one stage to the other (and by that I don’t mean ‘the other stage’), and how do you decide what to watch? There’s 2000 acts this year on loads of different stages. I’d feel like I was missing out if I didn’t see everything, which is obviously impossible anyway due to the logistics of the size of the place. I’m off to get a glass of wine and a coffee and to put my weary feet up.

Thursday Morning

So far so good this week, I’ve been able to have 3 long sessions at my torch to make lots of beads, and I’ve cleaned most of them. (I know!) It’s a struggle to balance making beads to sell at fairs and in my shop, and to make beads for my range of jewellery, but I’m happy no matter what! Now I need to find time to make the jewellery….hopefully all the dinners I’ve been cooking in the evening this week will buy me some production time from Rick while he cooks.

Now for the hot gossip…what about Katie on the Apprentice last night? Now that was a turn up for the books, she actually looked genuine after Sir Alan said she was through and with her discussions with him after the offer. I’m pleased Christine is through, I’ve been routing for her for a long time. As for those interviews….they were enough to make anyone squirm. It was amusing to observe the looks of confidence on the candidates faces as they arrived for the day, and to compare the look of devastation and worry after their gruelling.

It amazes me that in the 3rd (or is it the 4th?) series of the Apprentice that some of the candidates appear not to have watched any of the previous series, or if they did, that they failed to learn some of the key points about Sir Alan and how he likes things done. Who in their right mind applies for a 12 week long interview away from home without doing any research about him or the companies? And who applies for a job without considering that a relocation would be a probability? It just goes to prove that however smart people think they are, there will almost always be things that let them down, we are all only human after all.

Wednesday morning

At last, I have a bit more time to blog in the morning…..well I don’t really, but the bench outside was beckoning and I didn’t want to let it down. It’s gorgeous out here, the birds are singing, the bees are buzzing (the Cotoneaster shrub next to me is heaving with bees, they really go mad for the flowers when they come out each year), I can hear people about their business and the scent of the flowers is amazing. I could almost be on a Greek Island in the sun, especially with the occasional sound of scooters.

I think I could really do with a parasol out here as I can barely see my screen, it’s sooo bright. Mind you, we all know what happens when I get involved with parasols, tea and my laptop! It’s a lot sunnier in our garden at the moment too as we still have 5 fence panels missing, I can’t get the bits I need to repair them for love nor money. This could make the job a bit tricky when we do get the bits as our neighbours shrubs next to the fence are just exploding with leaves and branches. I just LOVE this time of year in the garden as everything grows so fast, if you blink then look everything’s doubled in size.

We also have the pleasure of enjoying coverage of the Chelsea Flower Show, supported by Marshalls (tee hee). Isn’t it funny how the non-advertising BBC have to get their presenters to say this every time the show starts or ends on TV? I just wish they’d show more of the other gardens when they do these programmes, as I’ve noticed from my trips to the Hampton Court show that they seem to concentrate on the same few gardens each time when there are many other good displays to be seen also. Maybe they’re trying to leave something new for those who visit the shows? and OK Heather, I know I’m talking about TV again. Gotta go, as much as I enjoy wittering on to you lot I’ve stuff to do.

Thursday night

I do love The Apprentice. What a bunch of numpties! They’re supposed to be the creme of the crop and yet they make such basic obvious mistakes, like trying to design a product for a specific group of consumers without doing any market research first. Don’t you just love it? I feel that I’ve learnt so much more about business since I’ve been running my own very small business, and I do get a bit frustrated when I have loads of ideas and know what I need to be doing to achieve my targets but do not have enough time to do everything. So it’s very reassurring when Sir Alan Sugar makes mincemeat of these guys and teaches them stuff that I had worked out for myself. I wouldn’t really want to go back into the workplace now, especially one like the potential apprentices are in, it’s a shark pit!

I love the way they all back the project leader when they win the project, and attack when they loose. They always try not to say what they think until they know whether they won or lost, just so they don’t loose face….and the lies they tell..what whoppas….we do have video evidence you know!

Wednesday evening

It’s all over, the wonderful series Life on Mars ended last night, and now we have Ashes to Ashes to look forward to, the spin off featuring our favourite Gene Hunt. I have to say I was confused last night, they certainly kept the twists coming, but I’m all clear now having read this blog.  And I thought I was sad blogging about TV and film I’ve watched. Now the only sureal TV I have left is Lost, and scattered repeats of Father Ted.

Monday lunchtime

Well, it’s started again….school hols and Dr Who. I don’t know about you but we’re big Dr Who fans in this house, and wasn’t it a cracking start to the new series on Saturday? The question I have today is, what makes David Tennant so yummy? He’s just soooooo, you know, attractive. We knew he’d make a great Dr Who after seeing his winning ways on Cassanova a couple of years ago, even before we knew they needed a new Dr. He’s just so twinkly, even our daughter loves him and she’s only just 8. Roll on episode 2 I say.

As for the school hols, I’ll be dipping in and out for the next 2 weeks but I’m really supposed to be taking a break. If you want to email me regarding tuition enquiries please feel free, but please be aware that I may take several days to get back to you. Happy holidays.

Friday evening

The school Easter holiday is upon us, 16 days of child at home (mind you she’s been at home most of the past half-term). I’ve just been out to my studio to collect the afternooons work and the bunch of beads that I batch annealed with them. The batch that I annealed today had already been through the cycle about 3 times but every time something went wrong, and now they’re done, woo hoo. Now I have to clean them…..yuk. I still have another 4 skewers of beads to anneal, but I need to remember not to swtich the strip light on or off in the studio or the programme will go nuts (the kiln runs now but goes wrong when the leckle tricity spikes).

I’ve got so many jobs on my list that need doing that sometimes I feel like Earl Hicky on ‘My name is Earl’. It’s just so nice to be able to cross items off sometimes. I managed to knock 4 things off this evening while Rick cooked. Maybe he should cook every night and I should use that time to catch up?

Monday tea time

What is it about weather forecasts? It doesn’t seem to make any difference how hard I try to concentrate I always switch off. Take last night, they did a forecast for Sunday up to Tuesday evening, I think I made it to Sunday evening before I drifted off and it was Tuesday morning before I realised that I’d gone again (not literally….lol). I found my self watching the new graphics and pondering the bumpy bits called Exmoor and Dartmoor. I noticed that it was rather flat where I live and that there was a blob of blue that is probably a reservoir. Then I got to thinking that the new graphics could make you a tad seasick the way they twist and turn and woosh from one side to the other at jaunty angles, and maybe they were a bit distracting rather than helpful. It was at that point I noticed that yet again I’d missed what the weather would do.

Don’t get me wrong, I know discussing the weather is a national pastime here in the UK, but I am actually quite interested in it. So much so that I requested a book about clouds for Christmas so that I could identify them when I’m out, you know, what are the Simpsons clouds called, and what does it mean when the sky looks like it’s full of delicate orange coloured fish bones? So what’s my problem with weather forecasts? Maybe I should try and study my new book hard so that I understand what they’re going on about and can try my hand at predicting the local weather for the next hour or so?

Thursday morning

Ah I had a laugh last night, then a really insane idea. I watched this chef acting like a scientist and trying to recreate the perfect pizza, as he’d eaten and had a go at making in Napoli I think it was. One of the most crucial parts of cooking said pizza was the oven temperature of 550 deg C. He tried various ways to raise the temp of his oven, including cooking the pizza on a stone with the grill on (not marvelous but the stone retains a bit more energy than a tray), cooking it on a stone in a circular coal barbeque - the inside reached over 600 when he put a fan underneath to add more air to the burning coals - unfortunately the base cooked and the top didn’t, which was very evident when he lifted one edge to show us the base and the topping slid off.

He achieved his goal by heating a cast iron frying pan for 20mins on a hotplate, then putting it upside down i.e. base upwards under a hot grill in a small oven that had been preheated as high as he could get it. He then assembled the pizza on a peel as quickly as possible and slid the pizza onto the base of the already positioned frying pan. The pizza cooked to his perfection in 2 minutes (which was his goal).

Now a girl can’t help wondering……hmmmmm, I love pizza…….and I also have an appliance that can go up to 550 deg C and higher……..I wonder if I could try this…..how would I get it in?……what shape would it have to be?……would it get covered in kiln brick dust?……what would I cook it on?…..more absurdly, would it be a bit silly to buy a round hobby kiln to cook pizzas?………………………….hmmmm………..pizza

Friday lunchtime

You know how I was feeling jaded on Monday? It so happens that I came down with a cold later that day and have been suffering since then. Just what I needed in the run up to Christmas. Never mind, I’m enjoying swigging back the fizzy orange flavoured Vitamin C tablets while attacking the enormous mess that needs clearing in our house. Speaking of which we watched Anthea Turners perfect Christmas last night. That was a laugh, goodness knows what she’d make of our house and front garden, still it was worth watching just to see one of the contestants bond with her turkey that she named Jeffrey and weeping while she stuffed it.
Wednesday was enjoyable at least. I had my stewarding session at the Guildford House gallery and met 2 more Guild members and the lovely staff at the gallery. This was my second ever visit to the Guildford shopping streets and I had the unenviable delight of queing for about an hour waiting to get into the car park that I was recommended to use.

The part of the High Street that I quickly explored during my short break looked lovely, and I managed to get a couple of Christmas goodies…..still haven’t done the cards yet!

Wednesday evening….

…..already, and half term is supposed to be a break! I’m helping run a holiday club for kids every morning this week and it’s very difficult finding time to blog and fit in bits of work…suffice it to say this is the first chance I feel I’ve had to blog. Of course this time last year we were recording songs for an album, and getting choir sounds with 4 people. That must mean my blog is over 1 year old, so woo hoo, and happy birthday (belated) blog. There’s lots of stuff happening that relates to my business at the moment (even though I can’t sit and make beads or jewellery at the moment), and I hope to reveal all soon.

On another note Rick and I had a good laugh watching one of Fanny Craddocks old cookery programmes last night. You don’t realise how far things have come until you watch the old stuff. She was very chatty in her delivery, and constantly mentioned saving money and being economical with ingredients. All the food looked grey (black and white) and it was soooo hard to be inspired by anything she presented. But the funniest of all was the way she kept coughing into her hands in turn, then handling the food she was preparing and had prepared! She was a smoker by what I gleened watching the wonderful Julia Davies in ‘Frightened of Fanny’ the other night. Classic TV.

Monday morning

I’m back. I haven’t really been away but it feels like it, having had my head down getting ready for Harrow. It was manic last week, spending every hour possible in my studio making new beads (yipee), cleaning them (yuk) and then Saturday photographing them (thank you Rick) and pricing them up (boring). I made several new favourites last week, and it was lovely to see them sell early on in the day, always reassuring that but also a bit sad that I can’t enjoy looking at them this week. Oh well, I do have my photos. Or should I say we’ll always have photos…….we watched Red Dwarf when we got home last night, the episode called Camille where Kryton falls in love with what turns out to be a blob, then they go on to reenact Cassablanca. Sorry, rambling, but I would recommend Red Dwarf (series 4 episode 1). I’ll be putting the new boxed set All the Shows 5 to whatever it is on my Christmas list. Although I didn’t like the last one so much cos it got all posh with film type production instead of the low budget, wobbly set, naff sound I loved at the start. Not at all like Blake 7 wobbly sets that they took so seriously….but oh, I’m starting to sound like a sci fi geek.