Sarah Downton Beads and Jewellery

Monday morning

A new day, a new week and I decided to have a little bit of a tidy up (don’t get too excited, I did say little). I’ve come across my old Filofax with a very interesting calorie counter insert that I used many moons ago and on the back pages are a list of all sorts of exercise and how many calories they burn a minute. Hmm, this could be worth a look, a quick scan down the page reveals…archery, 3 cals, hmm, not really very keen on that, what about athletics? During training count 7 cals, not bad, badminton, now here’s one I like, it says ‘with average effort you would run about a lot’, 5 cals. Basketball, did that once and ended up in casualty with 2  sprained fingers, don’t think I’ll be trying that again in a hurry, ‘Lots of very fast running, jumping and stretching….7 cals’. What’s this below? Beadmaking!????? no it can’t be! beadmaking, on a list from 1987, oh, oh, how exciting, what does it say? quick! Real bends and stretches ….huh? with sheets and blankets ….what? ooh look, it’s bedmaking. humph. Oh and it’s 3 cals by the way. I guess the nearest thing would be knitting, which uses 2 per minute, no matter how fast you ‘click’ those needles.

I don’t like housework, but I always thought its redeeming feature was that it used up calories, unfortunately the numbers used really don’t seem to corulate with the amount of energy and boredom expended alas. Try this, ‘cooking, does not involve much strenuous effort & consists mostly of arm movement…….2 cals’  well it does when you are not very able bodied and every step around the kitchen is a huge effort. Cleaning cupboards and drawers together with dusting, ironing, polishing small things, washing up, veg preparation, hoovering without moving furniture gets a low 2 cals, and you may just burn 3 per minute if you mop the floor, clean windows, decorate the house, polish furniture vigourously, scrub floors (with a will – does this mean I need to make one or find someone called Will?), hoovering when you move the furniture, washing clothes by hand (like that’s going to happen) and shopping with a light load (5kg or under). I think with this low level of housework calorie expenditure I may just make sure I sit around relaxing for twice as long as I do already as I can burn 1 cal per minute watching telly or surfing the net. I know what I’m doing today. Tee hee.

Saturday evening

The last day of Open Houses and studios is tomorrow, Sunday. Several venues will be open during the afternoon so do have a trek around and see some individual pieces of art. Today I woke up feeling so chirpy that I decided last minute to pack up my studio and take it down to Ediths to demonstrate making handmade glass beads. I was in the same place as last year, in a cosy little outbuilding facing out to the garden, although it was rather chilly in the shade there today. This was only my second attempt at making beads since my surgery, and I started getting back into the groove after a dodgy start last Thursday. It’s so good to be getting back to normality, and even though I had a rainbow of colours available to use today I decided to concentrate on making black and white beads with clear, to make a necklace for my mums birthday. It’s amazing how many different styles you can come up with even with such a limited palette, oh I had great fun, and even Rick joined in with a bumpy black and white creation just before we packed up.

Talking about new things, my recovery has progressed enough to allow me to drive again, amazing how fast all this is, so on Tuesday (seven weeks after) I attempted to get in the driving seat and had an enjoyable little tootle around the block, yay! This is really good news for me as it now means I have some independence and can actually leave the house on short errands or just to treat myself to a coffee in town, because I can. I can also start walking up and down a few of the stairs at home normally (instead of one step at a time with the same foot leading each step). I tend to walk around the house without a stick now, much better for carrying trays and mugs of tea, and even managed to wash my own hair this week. Now I’m guessing that for most of this you’ll be thinking ‘So what?’ but for a 45 year old it’s really annoying having to depend on someone else to do all this, and every new achievement is another step back to normality and independence. I’m hoping to conquer the shower this week, as up until now I’ve needed help to get in and out of the bath.

I hope that this little log of my progress will encourage anyone who’se reading and needing some sort of replacement, to feel encouraged by my experience and take the plunge to get help.

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

I have a zillion and one things to do today, OK not really, but I do have lots to do and I shouldn’t really be here talking to you but I am so there. Yesterday was my 6 week from hip hop day, and it was a good one. No more blood thinning jabs in my belly and I got rid of my sexy white compression pop socks just in time for the hotest day so far this year and spent the day sporting a cool pair of shorts. I even managed to get a steaming hot mug of tea down the steps into our garden so I could sit and slurp on my favourite bench. I also haven’t had any painkillers since Sunday night, how cool is that? I have to admit having a moment at 12 noon yesterday, as that was when they woke me up in recovery and I felt so chilled. This whole experience so far has been completely different from my last surgery, where I was still on crutches and using a wheelchair after 6 months, but here we are, 6 weeks on and I practice walking in the house without sticks when I feel up to it, although I do still need my crutches. Chalk and cheese.

Half way through my recommended recovery period and I think it’s going really well, now all I have to do is pluck up the courage to try making beads again. My brain has been and is still so ditzy and slow that I haven’t dared approach the flame for fear of doing something stupid and burning myself, also my mobility and flexibility constraints have made me wary of trying to sit for any length of time in my studio or reaching to get things and forgetting my hip precautions. Add to this my tiredness after short times of activity and you don’t really have the best of situations. So I’ve decided to leave well alone until I feel I can enjoy making glass beads in safety.

I do have lots to do to get ready for Open Houses this weekend. I’m setting up my first display at the 2×4 Studios in Horsham today and have several jobs that I must do for that, including fitting out my flat display cabinets, deciding exactly what I want in them and how I’m going to arrange and display them. I also have to get all the ‘stuff’ together to make my sales, for example packaging, a sign to explain what I do, a mirror etc…..phew. See you later.

Monday tea time

Open Houses as part of the Artists and Makers Festival in West Sussex starts this weekend and continues the following weekend. I am exhibiting in 2 places, my first and main venue is at Edith Barton’s house in Plummers Plain, where I will have my tall cabinet of designer glass bead jewellery. Edith has once again opened her summerhouse in her huge garden to display her work together with mine and 2 other local artists, Thea Taylor who will have sculpture on display indoors and outside, and Katherine Haynes who makes bags and lampshades from bubble wrap.  We are discussing having demonstrations like we did last year, and I may be taking my equipment to make handmade glass beads again, this will depend on how energetic I’m feeling by then. Come and see our artworks, enjoy some refreshment while you watch a demonstration and have a leisurely stroll around the garden whilst admiring the sculptures.

My second venue is in the 2×4 Artists community room in the Drill Hall in Horsham town centre. I will have a smaller range of jewellery for sale, but in different colours from the other venue, so don’t forget to check out both places. The room will of course be displaying many pieces by my fellow artists in the group, including paintings, mixed media, textiles, sculpture and printmaking. Studio artists will also be opening their doors as always.

More information is on my events page and by clicking on the links to the festival website where a pdf of the festival guide can be downloaded, and a festival map can be viewed. Unfortunately this map doesn’t so far appear to have our Horsham locations marked on it, oh well!

Wednesday afternoon

5 weeks on from my hip hop yesterday. Progress is good, I’ve moved to using one stick or crutch around the house (the crutch is turned around so my arm is not inside the arm hole) and I try to walk without it several times a day, to get me used to being fully weight bearing on my new joint. Next week will be a milestone week as I can finally ditch the gorgeous white compression pop socks, the latest in fashion statements, not, and I can stop having blood thinning injections. Also I will have my 6 week checkup where I will find out when I can start driving again, if I can abandon my hip precautions and generally start getting back to a more normal lifestyle.

Further news on our very own Squirrel Loftkin saw that little blighter in our loft the day after he arrived, but Rick kept banging the soffits and scaring him off. He also installed a noise scarer thingy that will annoy him and hopefully any other small furries that contemplate taking up residence at the top of the house. We also have Everest coming first thing tomorrow to block up the hole he made so hopefully that will keep him well and truely out. I have to admit though, that he looked so cute peering out of the hole and blinking away, but looks far cuter doing it in a tree.

Friday tea time

The end of another working (well, not for me) week. I’m feeling so tired after I’ve done my numerous exercise sessions, walks outside, trips up and down the stairs, getting my lunch and all those mugs of tea, that I’ve decided I’m not going to do any work for another week or so. Hah. So there. My goal now is to actually finish reading the last Terry Prachett book that I started over 2 years ago, and somehow didn’t manage to finish quickly like I normally do. I think it may have had something to do with the final Harry Potter book which came out last summer in time for our family holiday as I normally only seem to get time to read on holiday.

Of course this not working malarky might be a bit of a risk as I have Open Houses coming up, both in the 2×4 Artists communal room in Horsham and at my friend Edith’s in Plummers Plain. Also I’m considering not doing the fair at Winchester Cathedral, I just don’t think I can take the pressure at the moment, and I’m finding that if I want to be awake enough to work then I don’t do as much exercising as I should be doing if I want to get better quickly and maximise my hip’s potential, which after all is what this voluntary stick leave (Rick coined that one) is all about. So there we are, nearly at the end of another weeks recuperation at home.

On another note, Congratulations to Peter Westwood (Rick’s work mate and one of the lead developers of WordPress – I use this for my blog and various pages of my site) and his Bride-to-be Sam who are due to tie the knot tomorrow. I hope you both have a lovely day and wish you all the best for your new life together. I probably won’t be at your evening party, but I do hope you have a great time.

Tuesday afternoon

4 weeks on today. The sun is shinning and I’m kinda housebound. Rick went back to work yesterday so I’m home alone for the daytime now, oh well, I’m a growed up girlie so I should be able to cope. I still can’t get over how fast the days go at the moment, especially as I don’t seem to be having as much fun as I thought I would, mainly due to my brain still being on a go slow, and I want to do stuff but can’t be bothered. How bad does that sound? Still, if I was not self employed I wouldn’t be expected to return to work for at least another 2 weeks, if not 8 weeks from now. I think I should take my own advice and not be so hard on myself.

Today’s excitement was lots of very loud scratching and noise that emanated from the roof and could be heard all over the house and outside in the back and front garden. I hobbled outside to the back, looked up and saw a squirrel peeking out from under one of our roof tiles, very cute but immensely annoying as the racket continued for about 2 hours then stopped. I hate to think what the damage is like in our loft. We suspect the poor thing went in then got stuck and was trying to get free, at least we hope it hasn’t set up a nest. I guess we won’t know for a few days.

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)!

Tuesday tea time

Oh dear, what has happened? I think somebody swapped my husband for a super efficient house proud android. It’s 3 weeks today since I was on the slab, and Rick is being so efficient that it’s getting a bit scary for him and me. My parents came to visit today and apparently he was fretting about the mess my mum was making in ‘His’ kitchen while she made their lunch, he then proceeded to wash up and tidy up after her when she wasn’t looking. He’s got all my pain killer times programmed into the kitchen timer after each dose and is constantly surprising me every evening at 6pm when he has to administer my blood thinning medicine (this is an injection into my poor belly which has been turned into a pin cushion come dart board). What I want to know is why he can’t always be like this, tidying the kitchen after each use and keeping Mount Washpile to the size of a mere foothill? This morning he came down to an exploded pumpkin that I never got around to using, apparently it had given up the ghost overnight (no pun intended) and had collapsed into a heap while spewing it’s wet contents all over the worktop and down the washing machine. hee hee, rather him than me to clear that one up. Now all I need to do is persuade him to tidy the rest of the house. I suppose a girl can dream.

Friday tea time

Wednesday we had our own Springwatch here as I sat gazing out of the window, with several different birds swooping around and being really bold as they bobbed around just outside where I was sitting. We have had a resident pair of robins for a long time living in the holly tree overhanging the corner of the garden, and a pair of Collared Doves that squeak every time they fly by, but on Wednesday we also saw 3 Coal Tits, 1 Great Tit, and a thrush or two. I’ve also recently seen a type of Finch or Blue Tit, I’m not sure which because I didn’t have anything to hand for reference. We also seem to have 3 ducks that keep appearing in our road, and a few months ago had a peacock parading around the road too. Of course this isn’t as posh as where Rick used to live with his parents, in their house which backed onto a large mansion which had a huge garden with 2 Peacocks and a Peahen. They looked wonderful as they would often hop over the fence into Ricks garden but in reality were a complete and utter pest as they used to eat all the plants and poo everywhere………and remember we’re talking BIG birds here, with BIG appetites and BIG…..well, you get the idea.

Of course the ducks found the only pond available! a small puddle by the edge of the road.

Wednesday tea time

I missed a great blog title last time, so I thought I’d use it today, especially since just over 2 weeks ago I was clamped to the surgeons table. The last couple of weeks have flown by, Monday I had a really good day of new achievements and felt so much stronger, but yesterday was so pooped after all the excitement that I started this post and gave up, all of which is completely normal for this type of thing. At least the heatwave I predicted will be with us by the time I’m able to cope with the steps out to the back garden (I hope).

So what have I been doing? Not a lot really, just sitting resting, watching telly, doing the occasional sudoku and being waited on hand and foot. Of course I have my exercises that I have to do several times a day, and my daily walk outside that I try to increase the distance of each time, and I do make the occasional pot of tea. I even managed to do lunch on Monday with my daughter, but shhhh, don’t tell Rick (he does know really). And I have to scale the giddy heights of our stairs every time I want the loo, which in itself takes more time and energy than when you’re fit and well. So time is passing really fast, I’d forgotten just how much longer everything takes to do when you’re on crutches and limited in how you can move. Even the simplest of tasks like carrying a mug of tea (remember I have both hands on crutches) and putting it down takes a lot of planning and thought. It really does help give one an appreciation for what it’s like to be badly disabled.

Roll on 4 weeks from now………….

Friday tea time

I’m back! Actually I came home Sunday teatime but this is the first time I’ve felt like having a chat here. I’m sitting on an arm chair like lady muck while Rick cooks dinner yet again, with an Ikea shelf laying across the arms to rest my laptop on. Cool huh? So do you wanna know how it went? eh, eh?

I won’t bore you rigid with details, but it has gone really well so far. I have to admit to being nervous as I walked down for my surgery, in my backless gown, white support pop socks and racy foam slippers, and meeting my surgeon in the hallway covered head to foot in scrubs, with what looked like a wrap-around J-cloth around his head (only his face visible) and knee high wellies, looking like he was about to slaughter a cow! Holby City or Casualty it most definitely was not and I started to wonder just how much blood there would be. The anaesthetist and her assistant quickly and efficiently put me to sleep, and the next thing I knew I was in recovery, feeling numb and extremely chilled. Brilliant. Armed with my class A drugs clicker and huge dose of anaesthetic in my legs I was thankfully very chilled all day and the next, and actually as the feeling came back things haven’t been too bad at all. All in all it has so far not been too bad an experience, much better than I’d been preparing for, and way better than my last surgery 14 years ago.

So here I am, the 10th day post op, I’ve been walking up and down the stairs, doing lots of exercises and walking outside a little bit further every day, all with my crutches. It truly is as amazing as everyone I’ve spoken to has said, and I feel like I have been oiled in my hip. I’ve also decided that I’m not a fraud, as my femoral head had grown itself a lovely lump of bone on it that was stopping movement, and had worn itself into an oval shape, which in turn had shortened my leg by up to an inch. I’m now the proud owner of legs the same length, bliss. Thank you so much Mr Benson.

Monday afternoon

So this is it, my last post before my surgery tomorrow, by lunchtime it should all be done and then I can start getting better and looking forward to a healthier, more active lifestyle like I used to have. I still have 99 things to do, of course, but then I have spent more time organising things for my daughter who isn’t really old enough yet to sort out her own stuff. Anything else to do with my business will just have to wait until later next week if I feel up to it. If you’ve sent me a contact form lately and I haven’t replied yet I hope you won’t mind waiting a couple of weeks, I can’t quite get my head around them at the moment, not sure why!

I plan to start teaching again in September, and dates are booking up quickly, so there will be more opportunity during October for beadmaking lessons. That sounds such a while away, but I’m sure it will slam into us real fast, as time generally seems to have a way of sneaking certain dates up on us, no matter how well prepared we thought we were.

I must go now and finish packing my bag for my stay in hospital. Bye for now.

Thursday morning

It’s Thursday again, how did that happen so fast? You can see my hip hop day is fast approaching, and in case you hadn’t realised is filling my mind most of the time, well, it would really wouldn’t it. Maybe it’s the thought of hopefully being able to do all those things that I’ve been unable to for the last 14 1/2 years or maybe it’s the thought that a very clever surgeon (and I’m happy to say that I’m privileged to have one of the best in the country again (he also has an international reputation)) will be cutting into me next week and chopping away one of the rubbish bits of bone that has been causing me so much grief over the last few years. This thought is good but also scary, as I know it’s not going to be nice, and that I’m going to be in post operative pain for several days, if not weeks going by past experience. The good part is that I know I have to go through this to achieve a happy outcome.

We attended my pre op appointment yesterday and it was fab to hear the physiotherapist talk about not needing my walking stick after a certain number of weeks. This is something that I never thought I’d hear as my internal view of me has been with a stick until my old age, so I’m elated about this. So, it is with very mixed feelings that I travel the next few days until my surgery, happy, excited, nervous, hopeful, apprehensive, sad that I will be loosing a bit of my body that can only be replaced a couple of times (as current medical practice stands).

So please excuse me for getting more personal about me today, but I think I have good reason, and I want to share my good news and nervousness, as this is such a BIG deal for me. I’d better get on, I have 101 jobs to do before next week.

Thursday tea time

Another stunning hot day, the weather is just obscenely gorgeous at the moment, but too soon, the heatwave should be coming in June when I’m back home from hospital and recuperating in the garden. Ooops, looks like I’ve let it slip that I’m having my operation at this time of year so I can sit and enjoy the weather, well, the choice was now or in October and when I sat and thought about what I’d be doing, it turned out to be a real no-brainer. Add to that the thought of being normal again sooner rather than later and we have our date. OK, so stop being rude about me never being normal.

So I’m sat here outside on the bench again, and I realised that I had my clock set wrong for the blog entry times, 2 hours too early. Did anyone notice? nah. Oh joy of joys, the phantom nose hooter is back, tootling his nose (or maybe her) like a magnificent trombone, and just listen to the birds. It’s actually quite noisy here one way or another, but in a natural way. The garden’s not looking too bad either. I actually managed to get Rick to do some gardening on Saturday and Monday this week, goodness knows what happened to get him to change a habit of a lifetime. He did say yesterday that he realised I’d have to look at the mess outside if he didn’t do something about it, I’m just hoping that the impetus continues, and doesn’t end when I’m able to do the garden later this year. Although what does bother me slightly is that he thinks it looks OK now, whereas I think it needs much more time spending on it. Oh well, better trot off and check on our lamb shanks roasting in the oven. TTFN.

Tuesday morning

What a lovely day. It’s so nice that I’ve taken up my old habit of sitting outside on the bench in front of my studio to type this entry. It’s truly lovely, and it’s days like today that make me so glad that I don’t work in an office for someone else any more. Being self employed is hard in itself because you seem to work loads of hours for not much profit,well, that’s the case with most art related designer makers, although if I was in another line of business I’d make real sure I was making a decent profit, but then art is about so much more than making a quick buck. However, I digress, yes, it’s days like today that make you feel glad to be alive and happy to be at home.

So 2 weeks to go, and my jobs are getting done even though I haven’t planned their timing to the nth degree. I’m hoping to get into my studio and make beads for my Open Houses jewellery again today, even though I’ve almost managed to fill my cabinet with pieces made previously. I now have the mind numbing chore of making earwires and headpins to make up my earrings and pendants, yawn! I do like making jewellery, it’s just that some jobs get a wee bit tedious and the fun part is making up the pieces and looking at all the lovelies! Today I’m hoping to make some more hollows to complete some fun fab necklaces, along a similar design idea to my large hollows necklace that featured on all of last years Open Houses literature. Oh, my tea mug is empty, that means our time is up for today, must pop off and fire up the kiln.

Tuesday morning

The sun is shinning today, and it was 8 deg C in my studio when I turned the kiln on this morning. I love how the temperature rises as we progress to the summer, although it has been higher, at 13 deg C a few weeks ago. I have masses of work to do and lots of little jobs to finish at the moment, and I’m wondering how I’m going to fit it all into the next 3 weeks. Oh, did I mention it’s 3 weeks to go? lol. Maybe I should do a project plan bar graph thingy, like I used to do when I was engineering….I used this also to plan our move when we moved house several years ago, I was so terrified of opening a door and finding a room I’d forgotten about absolutely stuffed with ‘stuff’! Of course this wouldn’t really have happened as we had a titchy house with a total of 5 rooms but you get the drift of my nightmare, which had actually happened to my in-laws when they’d moved a few months previously, well, it wasn’t a room but it could have been, as it was one of the many cavernous lofts they used to have, stuffed to the gunnells on moving day. Couple that with the 2 full kitchen cupboards and you have my worst dream for moving day. Mind you they were moving from a huge 2 family house with about 22 rooms, I think they can be forgiven for forgetting a couple of places.

So, I promised to tell of our adventure going to Oxford the other week, maybe it’s time for part 1?…….nah, I’ll keep you in suspense, I want to be able to add some photos as we go along. have good day.

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.

Wednesday morning

The holidays are almost over, yay, then I can get down to making beads again. We have had some interesting days and had a great time out on Monday when we went to Brighton for the afternoon – that’s me and my 9 year old. She’s got to the age where she’s interested in looking in shops other than toy shops and enjoys looking in jewellery shop windows, hurrah! You know what it’s like with a younger child in tow, they just kick the ground and look bored all the time unless you’re walking. I think we spent the most time in an amazing percussion shop where he sells all sorts of obscure imported instruments and rhythm making things. We succumbed and bought a mini accordion for her to play tunes on, great fun.