Greetings

I'm very excited as I've decided to develop a range of Silver Birch greetings cards, they're going to be photographs from the existing collection, and it will be really interesting to see printed replications of them, I'm hoping that they'l look just as tactile... The hardest thing is trying to decide which designs to convert into cards, I'm keen to have at least one of each season of the cushions, possibly a few different winters (as these could be nice for Christmas cards) the Well Walked Path and  a thistle maybe, the possibilites are endless, and I'm really excited!!!
I'll post an update when I have more news.

West Hallam Well Dressing, Art Market and Scarecrow Festival 2012

I've just had a lovely afternoon with my TreeHuggery stall at the West Hallam Well Dressing and Art Market.  The sun was shining (which was amazing given all of the recent downpours and the prediction of further rain for the weekend), the well dressings and the scarecrows were brilliant, and I met some lovely interesting people who came over to my stall for a chat.
One of my silver birch cushions has winged its way over to California to a lovely lady who is currently holidaying over here, and I chatted to some of the very talented women who make the well dressings.
This year the wet weather has made the well dressings particularly challenging as the usual flowers that are available weren't available, one of the women told me that as part of her forraging, she has been knocking on doors asking permission to take petals from gardens.  The well dressings can't be made to much in advance because the petals fade and brown, and, they need to be unattractive to squirrels too, who apparently are pesky little critters who steal the berries and seeds given half a chance....  And I thought that creating big textile works was challenging!

Making the most of things

My running buddy and I made the most of the wet weather on Tuesday, running in the pouring rain that was so heavy we couldn't see where we were going, and had lasted so long it had turned the footpaths into streams to splash through - once you get your feet wet, its actually fine,it's having damp feet that's unpleasant and causes blisters, but once you are wet, your just wet, and can't really get any wetter.  I love running in the rain, the trick is not to wear too many clothes that just get heavy and sodden, all you need are shorts and a vest, and to go somewhere off road and preferably muddy, that brings out your inner child.
Yesterdays run was much drier, and we made the most of an evening working late at the Brinsley wreck before running in the local woodlands along some paths that we'd only just discovered and admiring the evening's sunset - we really can't wait until we move house, and have this is on our doorstep everyday.
No runs today, I'm sorting out my wares for tomorrows West Hallams Wells and Art festival - I am hoping that it stays dry for that, the stalls are all in the courtyard, and all of the villagers take so much care in making the well dressings, and the scarecrows for the scarecrow festival, it would be a real shame for it to rain.
It's only for the afternoon, so fingers crossed the weather will be kind to us.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

This is an advertisement by BA, but it is very very good, so I thought I'd share it.
Click on the link below, and put in  any UK postcode or address (or try both) and  the advert will include the B777 taxiing up your road! I love it, I've just sent one taxiing past the Brinsley wreck!


See: http://taxi.ba.com/

Where's Wally

Yesterday a guy walked down the street dressed as a very good "Where's Wally" - frankly I was a bit disappointed that he was so easy to spot, but I'm assuming that he was going to a fancy dress party where it might have been a bit more difficult to search him out. 
I love fancy dress but the moment that I'm not with my fellow fancy dressers I always feel really daft and self conscious, but this guy was looking really happy and confident in his stripey red jumper and hat, and blue trousers - I'm really intrigued to know what everybody else was dressed as.
We attracted lots of attention this weekend too, but for a different reason, Colin put in our new windows, in the pouring rain - who but a wally would do that!.  They look lovely,  - there's still a lot of work to be done on the house, but its starting to look like the cottage that we'd love to have

Fish Slapping

Yesterday I was out, minding my own business, running along the towpath, when I got stopped by a fisherman, and asked to take a photo of him holding a giant turbot.  What is it with me and running? In the last month, while I've been out, I've been chased by stampeding cows, witnessed a wedding proposal, run through a puddle that nearly came up to my middle and now, very nearly engaged in a Monty Pythonesque fish slapping routine. 
I thought running was a solitary activity, where your mind could wonder, and you could solve all your dilemmas! 

Honesty?

I saw this on facebook, and it made me smile, and then I started thinking about how honesty is undervalued.
Far too many people, talk a good talk and promise the world in order to clinch a deal but have no intention of delivering what they promised - but a bad reputation travels far more quickly than a good one. Surely it's far better to be honest and be able to deliver exactly what you say your going to do and do it when you've said you're going to do.  If its delivered quicker or better, the result is that everybody is a winner, no body feels cheated or let down.  Of course half the problem is the 24/7 Culture where people want everything now and aren't prepared to wait....