“Move slowly and not often” is our cat’s recipe for longevity and looking young.
I should be used to unusual presents by now. In the past I’ve got a wheel barrow, a strimmer, work bench… For my birthday this year I got a moisture metre for wood – very useful, to test if a piece of wood is dry enough for working on. The second present, (at the time still in the post) was going to be very useful I was told. What could be more useful than a moisture metre?? It was an owner’s workshop manual for a Vulcan Bomber. Yessss… I do like the shape of the plane – awesome, as they say. I even wanted one in the back garden as workshop when they were being decommissioned. No good, I was told, you wouldn’t be able to stand upright in it. Landing it would have been a problem too. Ah well, I don’t suppose there is any point in waiting for the courier to bring me one then.
With the vim and vigour of an arthritic sloth I finally started working again. After the Spring Fling and summer deliveries I felt drained of energy and ideas. Sales everywhere have predictably been slowing down which doesn’t inspire to make much new. And the weather doesn’t help, we had another rubbish summer and it’s still raining. Maybe I should start building an Ark. Anyway, I managed to make amongst others a Goat of Many Colours and two Copperweed Creek works, the weeds being wavy verdigris copper wire which I find beautiful and very versatile. Christmas is looming large and if I want to have my works included in the Christmas exhibition invitations and gallery websites the pictures have to be sent by end of October. Hm. First of all one has to have an idea what to do – preferably a new one, then make it, fire it twice, assemble, make a box. How many weeks till end of October..?
I was being a (lesser) domestic goddess, again, and made covers for the dining chairs. I had had curtain material in a bag for a year or three, waiting to be taken to the sewing expert and I was going to use the left over material for the covers. They are just simple round covers for the existing cushions. Well, they get one point for being there and another for being the right material. The measuring and sewing was of dubious accuracy. The same Gung-ho team of Soft Furnishings shortened two curtains for the No 1 Daughter. Curtains need to be slightly too long anyway to keep off draughts, don’t they…
Technologically I have now moved into the 21st century. I inherited an iPhone from No 1 Daughter when she upgraded hers. AND I got an iPad – brand new. I never thought I’d be quite so keen on gadgets but these two are proving to be very useful. All my work pictures and documents are in the iPad. It’s small enough to carry about, show what I do. I can check my e mails on the move, play Patience… The computer talks to the iPad too. Like magic, pictures appear from the camera to computer, from computer to iPad. Wow. Explain that to your granny. Grannies nowadays though are likely to be up to speed in technology so try finding something more complicated to impress her!