Inspirations

Been up to lots, lots coming up. Everything seems to move so quickly when you think of the year ahead and what you have to organise and plan. Open Studios in May - 2 months away, but when I think of what I want to do for it, no time at all......!! The sun starting to peek it's head out more and some lovely warm (well, compared with what we have been getting!) days and great walks with the hairy beast. Running going OK, gradually building it up again. Boys full of spring naughtiness...went to see Bolt 3-D with them and the Donna Wilson exhibition at The Lighthouse, which they loved, though I think a visit to Forbidden Planet and raking through loads of cartoon related figures/comics etc proved more interesting!

Edinburgh & snow

Not logged in for a while, and everything changed so much in that time! Last week crazy super sledging snow. Went with the boys (half term last week) & snuck over a farmer's fence to a BIG hill, that was a blinding slope to sledge down. 2 sledges, 3 of us, lots of fighting over who goes next & lots of mess when we all went down together - especially to stop ourselves before the barbed wire/electric fence at the bottom! Didn't stay long, as G wasn't in waterproof/snow gear, so he was totally freezing and wet, also the dog was waiting (shivering) on the other side of the fence. 

My comic relief noses turned up for the boys. No doubt they will be trashed by the day, but want to get them in the mood....I'm very tempted to dye my hair pink for the event, as a fundraiser...

This time last week, knee deep in snow, now really mild and lose a layer type of weather. Strange! 

Spent yesterday in Edinburgh at the Stills Gallery, work networking/mentoring thing. Very inspiring and motivating. Lots of potential work stuff to attack. Very exciting! Great city, I always feel so inspired when I go there. I'm always amazed how somewhere so close is so cosmopolitan, when we live 40 mins away TOTALLY in the sticks!

REGRESSION!

Boys on half term, they get 3 days off - wow! Why not make it the whole week? Been making hama bead creations. Never made my own before-very exciting! G made a pig & I did a moose (though looks more like Rudolph), to go around my neck. First day of the holidays not very good, the boys seem to have made a pact to kill each other by sundown, so I took them up the woods for a big walk with the dog so they could vent their spleen on trees, sticks and big bits of ice. Kind of worked for a bit... 

I'm sure I'm regressing as I get older. Just a refusal to act as an adult, nothing new really. Am VERY excited, my new toy turned up 2 days' ago - a hula hoop! I have never been able to do it, so I thought, why not learn now? I ordered myself one online the other day from the very fabulous hoola hoop company, black and pink striped!.....and I have mastered it....well I can keep it on my hips/waist for a fair few rotations, before it crashes to the floor. And my God, what hard work. Literally 2 minutes and I'm puffing!! Determined to get good at it. 

I have also signed up to run another 10K. Ran one last year, loved it, and a friend asked if I wanted to do another this June, so I said yes, as you do, without thinking! I've got 3 and a half months to get my bum in gear. Should be OK, just the thought of going out on these cold mornings...brrrrr. 

At least the snowdrops are appearing in the garden, and the nights are slowly becoming lighter....hurrah. So they cycle begins again! 

Valentine Barbies

My studio window finished and hung - with only a week to Valentine's...will leave it up after.....Not exactly a heaving metropolis outside, but good to mix it up a bit. Hope no one takes a detour by car into my garden trying to see it properly. Pictures not so great as sunny day behind and loads of reflection. 

Good day, love the weekend, no up early and out, rustling bouncy children into uniform and coats, but I seem to swither and find it hard to get into my rhythm! 

House full of very boisterous boys today....pillow fights, sofas dismantled, x-box, soldiers and NOISE!!! 

I keep discovering buckets, trugs and flowerpots full of frozen action figures and cars. The boys are fascinated with freezing at the moment. We haven't had the huge amounts of snow they have down south....next best thing I suppose.  

Petrol & post!

Why do people never make things easy for you?? Drove to the middle of nowhere dog walking, Mr Moose had left the tank on 0, of course, but car then reading fuel=miles=0. Joy! Luckily made it to the nearest station to refill. Visions of me tromping through subzero temp to beg, steal or borrow fuel from a kindly local. I did have my hose in my pocket, failing that (pnaar).

Then hooved to the next town because the postie can't leave mail at the local P.O. for you to collect, but has to take it 10 miles away, so you have to make a round trip daily to pick up your parcels, and you know how hard it is to wait for parcels... (Is the cold making me excessively grumpy?). It really was worth picking up, sexy Steve Madden leather studded jacket I've just got off ebay....just need the weather to crawl over double figures and then I can wear it...not for a while then!

Still finished a big order today, that has been lingering for a while - hurrah, and am decorating my studio window with big fat hearts and Barbie's with wings for Valentines. I know everyone has been talking about it since the beginning of Jan...but still, it's there. 

Cracking sunset tonight - hung out of the window in the roof to catch it....wouldn't that be fab...just slide the sun into my pocket for later....

Proddage

Wednesday, dog to the vet, me to the chiropracter. Blimey it must be winter, we're all falling apart! Dog's sulking with me, he was poked and prodded, he thought he was going to roll in the snow and sit in muddy puddles. That's why he's lost his smile. 

Anyway, very excited, my new mailer cards arrived....so I am going to be flying them off to all corners of the globe. 5,000 of them....not very clever humping them into the house when you have just had your back manipulated!

Snow!

Working on orders, busy, busy. Snow. Not a lot, but it snowed all day. More supposed to be coming tonight. The South ground to a halt (??), let's wait & see tomorrow. Boys want to have the day off school. Dog trying to make snow angels!

Sunday

Cold!! Kids parties, ebaying, blogging, just plumphing about, as you do on a Sunday.