Taking a break

Firstly thank you to all of you who helped me out on Facebook, below you will see why things have been so quiet ever since!

This week I've been taking a break, I'm blaming the Springwatch effect again, (incidentally Springwatch starts tonight at 9pm and the green door in the background of every studio shot, is my old back door!).

I've been running around like a headless chicken.

I haven't taken a break from working, but I just felt the time had come to take things a bit easier.
So I didn't post for WOYWW.
I didn't attend the Dolgellau Country Market.
Ballet  was cancelled (for my daughter, not me!), so one less taxi service by me.

Conversely my OH has found things hotting up even more at work, with a visitation from the top brass of RSPB Wales, and a major contractor suddenly negating on their agreement - leaving him with lots of panic phonecalls, sleepless nights, and absorbing a frightening amount of his precious time and energy.  So I think it was just as well I was around to be a bit more wifey than normal. (This meant making sure we didn't run out of food, the piles of washing were kept to a minimum and I didn't answer back when he said he had had a terrible day!).

 But I still have been busy, working on shelf 3.  I decided to hedge my bets and fill the bottom two shelves with textile products in case they sell better, (as it is a new shop I just don't know what is the general feel of the place until it all settles down).  So I thought I would fill the bottom two shelves with Christmas gifts ... that is to say, things that I can give away if they don't sell!

So I made a tiny gift bag, and then I thought I would make a post bag.  I fancied putting a small motif in the corner, so suddenly I was scratching my head to recall how to carry out machine embroidery (I think I last did this back in 1990 for my GCSE textiles!).

Lapwing, (outline blackened by me!)

I thought it would be good therapy for my OH to sketch me a picture.

I then traced it onto a piece of fabric and began stitching it on to a trial piece.

I got the technique right, but unfortunately I decided the subject wasn't.  So I'm off to make a better choice.  In the meantime why don't you take a look at everyone else's work over with Wendy at 1st Unique Gifts.

The Springwatch Effect

You've heard of the Delia Effect? (This was when Supermarkets felt the impact of a Delia recipe on tv )  Well our household is suffering from the Springwatch Effect.

My Other Half works at the nature reserve selected to host the BBC Springwatch programme - namely RSPB Ynys-hir.

RSPB Ynys-hir Visitor Centre

Well, the first impact of this was his sudden interest in blogs.  I can remember the tuts and sighs as I would type up my blog, but now I go to bed and leave him typing away about the Purple Heron or the Spotted Flycatcher.  The Springwatch Effect.

I spotted the Hawfinch first, did I get credit in the blog??

Next he was asked to return to full time work.  The O/H only works Mon, Tues, Wed, allowing me his company for the rest of the week, (well actually I was only interested in the car).  So I find myself back on the number 28 bus.  The Springwatch effect.

not quite the no. 28

Then he was called into work on a Saturday, letting me down for child care for a craft fair, a charity craft fair at that.  The Springwatch effect.

That was the finally straw, I downed tools and admitted defeat, 'OK, Springwatch comes first'.  There are times when it is just better to accept that some things are bigger than you!  The Springwatch effect.