Sunday Summary

This is just a quick look at the past week.  It has passed so quickly I can't believe that it is Sunday already.

Firstly we shouldn't have been here !  It was the second of the two weeks we had put to one side for our annual holiday.  However, we were so tired that neither of us could face going away, and we had the knowledge that this coming week is the week when our central heating will finally be fixed.  So we stayed here!  Nothing got done, not even a lot of sleeping.  The phone didn't stop ringing and we ended up working as normal :(

Anyway, apart from that it was a good week.  Mum has been getting more and more frail, but this week she has seemed a little stronger, and I even managed to visit on one day at the same time as my brother.  We had a good reminisce, and that seemed to do her good and stand her in good stead for several days afterwards.  I'll be off to visit her again tomorrow, and I wait to see what that visit has in store. 

It was a week of rain for many parts of the country, but we have escaped very lightly.  Yes, we had rain, but we also had sun and managed to dry some washing on the line on more than one day.  Other areas have had a dreadful time, though, and my heart went out to my 85 year old uncle who made a pilgrimage back to the north-east to meet up with old colleagues and visit relations, probably for the last time.  He travelled to the part of the country that seemed to be almost totally underwater, and although he is now safely home, he was unable to see some of the sights he wanted to visit.  It is a shame as his sight is almost gone, and he will probably be unable to make the trip again.

We had fun and games with our plumbing.  Although we had no problems with the rain we woke one morning to find the kitchen floor under water.  Fortunately a plumber arrived poste haste and the leak was fixed.  It was a very strange washer in a pipe joint.  Dealt with he departed and we began the mopping up.  The next day he was back.  The same thing had happened overnight and we had to start again.  Not funny.  I suppose it serves us right for living in a Victorian property.  Who knows what the heating engineers will find this week, but I'm not even going to think about that until it happens.

I spent a delightful morning with my little grandson while his mother had an appointment.   He is now nearly walking, and his vocabulary is growing so we can have 'conversations'.  He has also discovered the word 'No', and shakes his head furiously, laughing all the time, when asked to do something.  It was a really fun morning, and I look forward to the next time.

Our 'holiday time' came to an end on Saturday when we made our first visit of the autumn to Urchfont Manor.  It was a busy weekend with students of Yoga, Trees and prospective Head Teachers all mingling with C&G Diploma students with Sian Martin.  We felt as though we had never been away ......  I was able to show them some vegetarian silk and explain how to manipulate it.  Watch out for it soon on Etsy: http://www.sassalynne.etsy.com/

A weekend off

I have a whole weekend off! Now, what does that mean?

When I'm not teaching we usually spend the weekend visiting shows or colleges/courses with Winifred Cottage. As I said, last weekend we were at Textiles in Focus. I have spent the week beginning to restock our supplies, and a 'weekend off' means that that will continue! There are also three wholesale orders for Sassa Lynne that need attention, so the dyepot is red hot and I am working away with colour. Specific orders mean no time for experimentation, named colours are mostly the order of the day, but as I need still more Embellisher Rolls with the vegetarian silk I'm having fun with those too. I will also pop some yarns into some Serendipity pots, these are the experimental ones that will eventually make their way into the named range.

I did take an hour off this morning, though! I went to visit our newest grandson. He is now 6 months old and growing apace. We had lots of smiles and giggles amongst the hugs, so I've now had my 'fix' for a few days. We will see him again next weekend when we babysit for an evening while his Mum and Dad go out for a meal. It will be a busy week with trips to Heather Quilters, where I'm speaking about the Embellisher, Urchfont Manor and also the Quilters' Day at Selsey. If you are passing the stand - don't forget to say 'hello'. As far as Urchfont Manor is concerned - there is a very good exhibition of Art in the Garden that is well worth a visit.

Missenden Abbey Weekend Workshop

This is the view that greeted me from my bedroom window at dawn on Saturday morning. As a tutor I was lucky enough to be accommodated in the main building at Missenden Abbey. The view is over lake, and it was truly magical to see it unfold. As the sun rose the white frost began to shine. The camera couldn't capture it, especially as it is taken through a small pane of one of the windows.

There were students on the course from all over the UK, including Northern Ireland. We had lovely weekend and they produced some fantastic pieces. Stupidly I forgot to ask their permission to put their pictures on my blog, so you will have to make do with this view instead.

Back to the grindstone today. Lots more dyeing to do for Textiles in Focus at the end of the week. The Vegetarian silk in the fabric rolls has really taken off and I have once again sold out. I honestly thought I had enough to last us until after TIF! so it's back to the dyepot....... Now is the time to place any special orders and I'll incorporate them into a dyeing session!

Vegetarian Silk

At last I have been able to upload a picture. There are more,but they will have to wait until tomorrow.

These are sheets of vegetarian silk. I have discovered it quite by chance, and it is beautiful. It works like a dream with the Embellisher, and makes a lovely surface for stitching too. We are selling them rolled together with other similar surfaces including scrim. Vegetarian silk? It's other definition is pre-felt made from cellulose fibres from a sustainable renewable source. Let's call it one of our contributions to the environment!