Forgot

We're both still laughing about Sunday night; when a couple of good friends phone us up, to say that they had a surprise pudding that they wanted to share with us.  We decided on a plan that involved them coming over with said pudding and  sharing some of the (vegetarian) toad in the hole and roast veg that we were already making.  Simple - well apart from the fact that they came around to our house armed with a bottle of fizz (to help us celebrate our change in luck) but puddingless - each had assumed that the other was carrying it!    Hmmm if they'd wanted to come 'round to ours for some tea, they only had to ask......    Plan B, which worked very well, was to have an after dinner walk over to their house, and scoff it there!
Jackie

Sometimes I just can't see the woods for the trees.

Things are starting to look up for us both - Col has managed to pick up some temporary joinery work, which will give him the chance to put some business adverts out and for us still to be able to pay the bills.  I've picked up some part time work (albeit not very well paid) thats local, so I can walk, rather than drive to work (yipee).  My plan is to try and get Treehuggery work to a few different craft fairs, and hopefully the part time work will pay for the materials that I need for my textile degree, and hopefully I'll get some interest in my work. Although we're still both worried about money, hopefully we've turned a corner.
We also got given an apple tree for our garden at Brinsley, we were quite upset about leaving the one behind here, but its far too mature to take, hopefully this wee apple tree will grow nicely - we've put it near to the kitchen window, hopefully, in time, we'll have a few fruit trees to look out on, when we're pottering about cooking.

I've started to use the bag designs as cushions, when I've got a few more together I'll post them on to http://www.treehuggery.co.uk/

Can you tell what it is yet?

As part of my drawing module (for my textiles degree) I'm having to do an assignment on drawing outdoors - and its really quite intimidating.  I feel so self conscious and as a result, I'm trying to draw really quickly and am drawing really small (I have a natural tendency to draw BIG!), and the level of detail that I see outside is far too overwhelming. I'm also naturally quite an expressive drawer and for some reason I'm really struggling with the topic of drawing outside, where I keep expecting everything to look like a photographic representation.  This is the first picture that I'm vaguely happy with, so hopefully I've turned a corner and have left my "sketchers block" behind.  Mind you I've got trees to do sometime soon, and that'll be really really challenging.

last day at the allotment

Today I went with Jac to get some of the last leeks, and take a sign down that we had found when clearing the allotment for a Laundry company. It's sad to give up the allotment but once we move to Brinsley it will be all on site which is quite exciting. Sorry to have to give it up as watching the canal boats go by was lovely and the wild life including the snake that gave me a heart attack was great to see. Everyone was so pleased that we cleared and got the allotments ready and able for crops to be grown.

The couple who are taking over are sharing with her son a few allotments away so we know it will be in good hands. They are also a couple of vegetarians so get through plenty of veg.

Colin

Winter days

Now my redundancy is looming I'm starting to panic about how we will manage; I'm busy looking at potential craft stalls, making bags and trying to find part time jobs to keep things ticking over - after months of wishing my life away and wishing my redundancy notice would hurry up , it now feels like a case of "be careful what you wish for"
Jackie

Shape

To be honest a bit of trumpet blowing in that we now have the start of floors upstairs. We know it is still got along way togo ,but for once we are putting things into the house instead of taking them out.
The new attic conversion timbers have come to give you an idea off the length they are resting on the ground floor and they stick into the attic space (6 meters up). Hopefully things will carry on going in but we know the roof has to come off yet.
Colin

Spring is here

Despite the blowy wet weather the bulbs are trying to come out, and we're still spotting ladybirds. I'm  getting on with making bags so that I can do another craft fair in a few months time, and after "Fallen" the autumnal bag, here is "Spring".  "Winter" is next; aah the seasons are all out of kilter!

Jackie