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.

Friday evening

Hi there again. I’ve been putting off posting today as I can’t seem to be light hearted, I’d remembered but also forgotten how hard it can be getting over hip surgery, one day you’re really up there, make lots of progress and feel really happy, and the next you can be in the doldrums, and soooooo tired. Today is one of the later, I’m tired of seeing the same view and really annoyed that I can’t find the 2 projects that I was planning to do while recuperating. I started a Kaffe Fassett tapestry 14 years ago, the last time I had surgery, and haven’t had time to finish it, and now that I have, can I find it anywhere? can I heck. It’s the perfect piece of art to pick up and put down as I feel, but it just ain’t in any of the places I thought it was, and I’m too immobile  to wriggle around in cupboards to look for it. Nnnnrrrrrggggggg.

OK rant over. Guess what I did yesterday? I walked all the way around the block, which is apparently 1 km, yay! also I’ve been practising using one crutch and putting more weight through my hip so I can be more independent, and now use only one for most of the day excepting for my daily walks. I have no idea if I’m on track with my improvements but hey we’re all different, and I am getting there, one day at a time. I’ve also done a little work……some of you will have had some email replies, but I haven’t managed all of them yet, please bear with me, I’m still on sick leave (with a bit of tinkering)!

Friday  morning

It looks like I stuffed up my last entry, unfortunately Rick came home and picked holes in my discussion instead of smiling. OK I know some of the bits were not technically correct, but when you’re having a  bit of fun is that really important? What about artistic license? and this isn’t Wikipedia where we have dubious statements with more research necessary (and yes, I know that’s not what they say, but for your information I have just spent a futile 5 minutes or more trying to find an article there that has these notes so I can quote the correct phrase). Maybe I should start putting a disclaimer at the bottom of every post stating that I haven’t checked all my facts and that some events are fictional and not based on any person living or diseased……oh no, that should be deceased. You see it’s very hard, for me anyway, to blog quickly, because I like to get it right, so I find myself zipping off in cyberspace checking things that I’m unsure of, like the spelling of someone who’s dead. So I ask myself the question, is it more important to post regularly and quickly, or less frequently and more factually? OOO, sounding a bit like Carrie Bradshaw there. I think I’d rather post more often and not get too bogged down with accuracy myself, especially since I haven’t been here as often as I’d like recently. So, my conclusion is, get on with it!

No trees were cut down for the creation of this message, however a rather large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

Wednesday morning

Mothers Day…what’s that all about? Or should I say, who on earth sets the date as it always seems to be completely different? Is there a group of insignificant people who get together in a small dark room and decide what Sunday to pick, or is it a representative from all the major greetings card manufacturers who choose the best date to fit in with their around-the year-marketing? Have you noticed how there’s always something to send a card for lately? Even St Patrick’s day has got in on the act…..perhaps the gap was far too gaping between Mothers day (which we’ve already noticed has a very moveable date) and Easter. A quick look at Wikipedia tells me that Paddy’s day is also one of these moveable dates, as it’s normally 17th March (not long now) but can be moved also. In 1940 apparently it was celebrated on 3rd April, so it didn’t clash with Palm Sunday. Now this leads me nicely on to Easter…why is this always different? I appreciate that as it falls on a Sunday that it can’t always have the same date, but the difference in dates always seems to be huge, so again, I ask the question, who decides this and why is it always so different? Also why are we celebrating the resurrection on a Sunday rather than the Sabbath which is a Saturday? It’s always puzzled me that one. Of course if we chose the correct weekdays we’d then have Holy Tuesday, Maundy Wednesday, Good Thursday and Easter Saturday……hmm, maybe it doesn’t have quite the same ring about it.

Friday evening

Another lovely autumnal day today.  It was certainly cold when I got up this morning so winter is on it’s way at last.  I did one of my days in the Surrey Guild Gallery today and had the pleasure once more of my favourite drive over the downs through the woods between Dunsfold Aerodrome and Millford. The trees looked splendid in their orange, green and yellow leaf tones, and occasionally I drove through a leaf flurry or two, which was very much like a mini snowstorm of colourful swirling leaves. Lush. My cabinet is now restocked with lots of goodies, perfect for Christmas pressies, so do go and have a look if you’re passing.

Back to the drive today…..I’m going to get on my soapbox now….maybe I should have a new feature called ‘Sarah’s Soapbox’, it could be a bit like Annabelles rant on Virgin radio in the evening! What’s it called? ‘That’s so rubbish?’ Hmmm.  Anyway, what’s with all the 40 tonne lorries and JCB’s going along the single track road with only a few passing places and lots of wiggly bends and little hills and steep banks? Why are they driving along a road that plainly says ‘Unsuitable for heavy vehicles’ and ’single track road with passing places’? The frequency of these huge beasts that struggle to go up the hills and around corners at the same time, forcing normal cars (that’s us) to back up the road several hundred yards, seems to be increasing every time I take this leg of the journey, and to say that it spoils the route (and wastes my time) would be an understatement. My friend reckons that it’s all down to the dreaded sat-nav, where haulage companies are using  new found short-cuts  and not engaging their brains before they take said  new routes, as she has recently been having the same problem on a couple of other single track roads she takes. That’s so stupid! hee hee.

Now I’ve got that off my mind, I must dash and clean some mandrels and get a dipping them in preparation for teaching again tomorrow. Have a good weekend, see y’all.