Random Ramblings

The day after I wrote my last post, Pip and I got sick again, this time with a flu based respiratory virus which is still lingering.  Needless to say Easter was a very quiet affair at this end, I did manage to get out of bed on Good Friday to make the hot cross buns and then promptly crawled back to bed!  I lived Easter via Eva's blog account of the special day and I had a lovely time!

On Monday of this week, the day started quite well, I took Pip to school and had a homoeopath appointment afterwards.  Once home I climbed the loft ladder and set to on another sewing project for the on line shop.  By mid afternoon I knew something was terribly wrong with my health and through a telephone conversation with the nurse, antibiotics were prescribed.  I had a fairly OK night and thought things were improving but lunchtime on Tuesday things were getting worse again and this time I was given a GP appointment and the diagnosis?  A kidney infection, I'll spare you the details but suffice to say it has been more than a little rough around here, it has been a long time since I encountered a kidney infection, my last episode was when I was a teenager and suffering from suspected kidney stones at the same time.  I am on a mega dose of antibiotics and so far the side affects have been fairly tame and long they remain so!

So moving on to some nice news.  On Saturday of last week we made a trip to Threave to visit Tom and Sara.  We also met with his parents and whilst the lads kept the kids amused, Sara, Tom's mum Catherine and myself talked wedding plans.  We had a lovely time sorting the flowers, hairstyles, dresses and car arrangements, in fact we were so busy we did not get time have a proper look around!  An excuse to visit again soon methinks.  Tom's mum is also a keen knitter and apparently there is an excellent wool shop in Castle Douglas, a good excuse for a mooch around and a coffee in one of the local cafes!  As I was walking back to the visitor centre to collect the car I did manage to snap some shots of the grounds:

 Tom and Sara live here!  Not in the whole house mind!  Their window is hidden behind the green hedge to the right of the picture.  They have a ground floor apartment which is very spacious and very light and airy.

 Saturday Skyline.

 The last of the daffodils.

 The Head Gardener's House.

The Visitor Centre.

We had a very happy day arriving just after lunch and leaving for home around eight in the evening and  back home by ten thirty.  The kids were great, they each had a portable DVD player which also plays CD's and their own set of headphones, so they each listened to a story of their choice.  Mum and Dad enjoyed the peace and quiet!

In between being sick I've been trying to build up a stock of items for the shop and slowly things are coming together:

 Two Go Green Tote Bags, great for shopping, library books, picnics and an alternative to the designer baby bags!  Eva will recognise these as I made her one in the same colour way for her birthday.  They are made from 100% cotton furnishing fabric and are very durable.  The outside is an abstract modern design whilst the lining is a more traditional combination of a dark pink stripe and a cream fleur de lys.

 Adjustable Kids Totes, can be worn as a handbag, shoulder bag or across the body bag.  This one is Jungle Friends and ...

... this is Funky Frogs.  I also have two bags awaiting to be made using a bright and cheerful owl print for the front and  a contrast lining for the inside.

This is the About Town Bag (excuse the blurry picture!) ~ this was my first attempt at the pattern and was made using some left over beige cord and lined with a contrast polka dot pattern.

 When I am trialling a new pattern, I only keep a rough estimate of my time but once I am into a second a run of the same design, time really is of the essence, so everything is recorded and this then enables me to work out a fair and realistic cost of the product at hand.  The cord bag is a gift for a friend but...

... this one is going in the shop.  A cute cat design printed on a cotton linen mix fabric and lined with 100% cotton black fabric scattered with super cute tiny stars.  

I have a few more bags to finish and then I will hopefully be moving on to baby and toddler clothing.  With a bit of luck a regular change up will prevent boredom for me and also provide variety for any potential customers.

Hoping to pop by again soon x 

Here is The News...

... we have finally recovered!  It was certainly a weird and wacky gastric bug that kept reoccurring, not great.  Still apart from lingering snuffles we are doing OK.  We have made the most of the good weather these past few days and have enjoyed sitting in the garden and soaking up some much needed vitamin D.

Things have also been a little more crazy than usual hence my absence in this space and in no particular order here is a run down of what has been going on:

Wedding ~ Sara and Tom are getting married this year (not next year as per original thoughts) on Wednesday 10th September.  They will be married in our parish church over the hill and the wedding reception will be afternoon tea at The Midland Hotel and their cake will be made by Nicola at The Crazy Cake Co, I ran my design idea past her and she more than excelled in elaborating the concept.  Every time I look at the sketch on my phone it never ceases to make me smile!

Work ~ The Department of Work and Pensions finally caught up with me and despite ongoing chronic health issues, the dreaded ESA work capabilities questionnaire landed on the doormat.  As I suspected it was a tick box set up and their was no room to add information to support your cause.  After much thought I decided that my physical  nor my mental health could withstand such a grilling, so after consultation with a welfare rights advisor, I did the only thing possible and registered as self employed! 

This past week has been taken up with registering a domain name and blog, designing a shop logo and spending a lot of time in the sewing room whilst Dave has been working on the web page.  The shop will stock a variety of items for the home and family.  So far this week I have made two Go Green Tote bags and two Children's Adjustable Totes.  So I have a busy time ahead before the shop can be launched in to cyber space.

Aside from the web design, Dave has also been busy researching courses in proof reading and indexing.  Since attending the sessions in Edinburgh we have noticed small yet significant improvements in his health and for the first time in five years he feels well enough to make a move on the career ladder and put all his civil engineering and environmental science skills to good use.

Home School ~ These past few weeks of sickness has meant very little has been going on in the learning zone and the subsequent work regime for me will obviously have an affect on my contact times with Benedict.  My business work days are Monday/Wednesday/Friday and so after the Easter break, my teaching times with Benedict will be on a Tuesday and Thursday.  I will focus on humanities and English.  Dave will teach Monday and Friday and he will concentrate on Maths and Science.  Wednesdays will remain a Shein day.

Mary-Grace ~ She turned one last Friday and came to spend the weekend with us.  She did very well considering it was the first time she had been anywhere without her mum and settled well on both nights.  I however was completely shattered at the end of the visit!  To think it was only five years ago when Pip was a baby but those five years and my getting older and creakier have made such a difference.  As much as I love her I was quite relieved to hand her back to her mum on the Sunday morning!

Well I think that is all for now as it is late and I am very tired.  I'm hoping to pop by when I can and thanks to technology even if I am not posting here, I usually manage to catch up with you all via my phone!

God Bless, San x