A little holiday...and a loooong post!

Well that's an overstatement! I've not actually been on a proper holiday for over twenty years (seriously!). It's one drawback of being freelance because if I don't work, I don't get paid! Still, the freedom of being my own boss makes up for it.

So, my little holiday is really just a having a few days off, at home, without feeling guilty about doing whatever takes my fancy. Yesterday, being Sunday, began with Church in the morning. There was a baptism during the service so that was jolly - always fun to see whether the babies will cry or just look surprised when they have all that water poured onto them...yesterday's baby cried!

After Church there is coffee which is always a good chance for a catch up and then I was invited to join a couple of the ladies for a spot of lunch which made a change. As it was a beautiful day I then had a lovey stroll home through the park. After a very long day on Saturday (more later!) I was feeling really tired and could hardly keep my eyes open in the afternoon. I decided to go outside into the fresh air. Lots of lovely things to look at in the garden just now too....

....lovely peachy roses right beside my bench....

 ....and David's beautiful memorial rose is flowering profusely and looking stunning......

.....and this amazing rose greeted me yesterday. It's one that I planted a few months ago and the flower is huge. It smells as gorgeous as it looks.

Sitting on the garden bench was lovely but I decided to lie down on the lawn and I soon nodded off and spent an hour or two dozing in the sunshine which I think did me the world of good. Thomas thought it was great fun so he lay down too! 

After a phone call to Heather, my sister, I decided to make the effort, get ready and walk back to Church for a Songs of Praise service in the early evening. On the way there a group of teenagers ahead of me were dropping all their sweet and crisp packets on the road as they walked along so I pulled them up about it. Of course, I just got the usual jeering and I picked up the litter and put it in the bin myself after telling them that they didn't deserve to live in such a lovely place (not a very original remark I know!). 

This came up in conversation after the service....we were all treated to some sparkling wine at the back of Church.....and I was told "you were brave, tackling teenagers", which is something I hear a lot. It never seems that way to me, it just seems better to say or do something than to let things go. I was pondering on this as I made my way home, back through the park, and recalled how I've often walked that way on dark evenings in the Winter months. I rarely feel nervous though, and, when I do, I have a quick word with "Him upstairs" and ask him to look out for me! 

I was having all these scatterlogical thoughts yesterday as I entered the park and then spotted the teenagers that I'd had a go at earlier. I had no thought that they would do me any harm, but I was expecting to have to "run the gauntlet" as I went past them. Just as I thought that, I saw a male figure coming in my direction and then realised he was wearing a dog collar. He said "Good Evening" to me and the teens focussed all their attention on him, asking if he was the new Vicar, the old Vicar, or who was he. I heard him say that he was a Priest from the Catholic Church. I haven't seen him before and it made me smile that I'd just been thinking about how I always feel that I'm being looked after and protected and I encountered the Priest just as I was anticipating some heckling. 

This reminds me to say that I've decided not to continue with my second blog (My Rambling Spirit) which I'd set up in order to have somewhere to talk about more spiritual things. I never seem to get the time to post in two blogs and I also decided that, as my faith and spirituality have always been a huge part of my life, I shouldn't feel the need to keep them separate as if I'm somehow embarrassed  or worried that I'll alienate anyone. So, please feel free to skip over any part of my posts that don't appeal to you! I do try to make my blog quite encompassing rather than just being about art, craft and things creative.

When I got home last night Thomas was waiting for me by the gate and he decided he wanted me to go for a stroll up the lane with him so we had a nice wander and watched the Swallows racing each other round and round the big tree in the field - they are racing each other I'm convinced of it! The bats were also out and about, even though it was still quite light, and it made for a lovely way to end the evening, watching them swooping and dipping over the garden. Just lovely.

I had a great night's sleep and woke to another gorgeous day here. This was a day to do very little! I mowed the lawn, did some washing, cut back some Foxgloves and Snapdragons that had gone over and did a bit of weeding and feeding of plants. Then it was time to sit outside and read for a few hours. I've been reading Life of Pi since early 2013 and still not finished it! Terrible I know! I just haven't been able to focus long enough to really spend time in a good book, even though I had been enjoying it. As I'd suggested the film for one that some friends could come over and watch, I decided I really must finish the book first. So, I've got through quite a lot today and really enjoyed myself. This photo pretty much sums up the kind of day it's been.....

....Tom likes the bench as much as I do!

Later it was watching the tennis and egg and bacon sandwiches for dinner - yum! A refreshing shower and freshly laundered PJ's and I'd call it a pretty relaxing and enjoyable day.

Tomorrow I'm meeting Heather in Blackpool for some window shopping and to return the shoes that I bought a couple of weeks ago which disintegrated the first time I wore them! 

To go back a bit, on Saturday I went to Daisy Jewels and Crafts near Coventry to teach an all day workshop. This involved me getting up at 5.15am in time to get ready and then walk round to the station and catch the early train to Preston for the first leg of my journey. Imagine my horror to be told that the train was cancelled (due to staff shortages...I ask you!) and that, instead of arriving at 9.20am it would now be 10.53 am when I got to Bedworth! Thankfully, the ladies were all very patient and spent time looking round the shop until I arrived. We tagged the time onto the end of the day but it was a rotten start I can tell you!

A great time was had by all (so they told me!). We made several projects.....

...including a wall plaque featuring a Doo lally Pip character and roses made from rolling up spirals of ink sprayed dictionary paper. 

I used my "Frayed Around the Edges" character, but the ladies all had a choice of which stamp to use....

....here's one in progress using my "Keep Dancing" set, before any flowers were added. I liked the way the burlap was cut out as a heart shape.
Here's one of the cards made on the day...

...lovely and cheerful!

Everyone was kept hard at work to get through everything....

.....including Zendoodle Owl cards....

....complete with stripey branches of course!

The shop has two amazing dresses on display which were made by DCWV for one of the trade shows. Just look at this fantastical creation....

....wow! Thanks to Wendy and all the ladies who came to the workshop for making it such a fun day and being so patient when British Rail let me down...again! Gggrrrr! I'll be going back there in October and will post more details nearer the time.

Well, I told you this was going to be a long post and I was telling the truth! It's almost 11.30pm now, so I should make a move, get the two terrors in and lock up the house before getting to bed. A nice day with Heather to look forward to tomorrow and then, on Wednesday I am assisting with a funeral at Church in the afternoon before our second Les Mis study group meeting in the evening. So, busy even when I'm having a few days off!

I'm waiting for my new Christmas stamps to be sent to me so that I can start getting samples made up with them, so will share those as and when of course. I won't post any more of my new designs tonight though!

You may like a couple of cute Tara pics to finish with instead! On Friday she was sitting on the chair facing into the corner and looking for all the world as if she'd been a naughty girl and was in trouble with the teacher. I couldn't resist making a little something so I could take a photo...

.....she didn't move at all and hardly seemed to notice her new attire! She even posed for a lovely close up for me....

.....cutey pie!

Right, I will now sign off before anyone still reading this missive drops off! Enjoy the sunshine everyone.