Here are...

...a few of my elephants...

A Wet Weekend

My lack of presence recently is due to lots of crazyness at work. In the last month I have worked until 9pm 6 nights, stayed away at a conference for 2 nights, been out of the office for 4 days and I have just got back from a 3 day trip to London with three of our Young Carers. Phew. What a busy old month!

I was a bit aprehensive before going to London, it being my friest trip away with them by myself and the word daunted does not even to beging to sum up how I felt. Its quite scary really to think that your supposed to be totally responsible for three other people, especially when most of the time I feel I only just managed to get me and Martin from A to B in one peice!

Despite my worries everyone had a lovely weekend dispite the torrentious rain and grey skies. The three I took were aged between 16 and 18 and none onf them had been to London before so They were really excited.

The main reason for the trip was to visit the launch of a film they had made in conjunction with True Tube last month. We spent a great day on Saturday at the British Film Institute watching a handful of the films made by different youth organisations around the country. We also got the opportunity to attend 'Question Time' with some MP's and Richard Taylor (Damilola Taylor's Father and founder of the Damilola Taylor Trust) to discuss the issues and problems in today's youth society.

We also saw Big Ben and the Houses of Parlement, We stood under the London Eye in the dark and took pictures and we mosied around lots of christmas stalls on the South Bank hunting out bargains for Christmas.

The train journy back was pretty hellish though - 2 1/2 hours sat on the floor of a stupidly over crowded train is not my idea of a fun Sunday evening!

I was instantly cheered up however when I got home as these...

...were waiting for me on the table from Martin.

So now I'm back home, Martin is off in Liverpool tonight with some friends (I haven't seen him since Thursday) and I am contemplating whether or not I should treat myself to a takeaway?!

Hope everyone is okies?

x x x

I have....

...18 elephants in my house. Not real ones but ceramic ones, fabric ones, tin ones and many other types. I have pink ones, blue ones, shiney ones, sparkley ones, big ones, little ones, matching ones and spotty ones - i think i'm bordering on obsession!

Random but true!

x x x

Busy

My camera has broken so I STILL haven't been able to take pictures of the lovely goodies I made the other week, I am working 13 hours days all this week so I have no desire to try and fix the camera!

Maybe next week will I will be more productive =]

This week I have...

...mostly been making:

2 bags
1 apron
1 scarf
1 butterfly brooch
1 cushion cover
and a pig!

After my rant about the lack of 'making' I have been doing recently I have gone into overdrive this week.

Pictures to follow later this evening!

x x x

Where has my 'creative mojo' gone?

I have not been posting much at all over the last few months, mainly because I have not really done anything that is blog worthy, i'm sure no one really wants to read about my day at work, or about me doing house work or generally rushing around like a mad woman. I haven't even been creative enough to make anything worth blogging about.

I think that the whole leaving university and getting a 'proper' job has knocked me slightly off track. I realised how bad it had got last night when, while hunting for a scarf, i found my sewing machine at the bottom of my wardrobe totally hidden from sight. My boxes of beads and buttons have been hidden away in cupboards and my stash of felt is sitting in a box in the utility room looking very un-used and un-loved. Even my friend commented the other week about the lack of 'making' I have been doing declaring that my 'creative mojo' seemed to have done a dissappearing act.

I am also missing reading about what everyone is doing, saying and making.

So I will say it on here so that I can make no more excuses, I will make at least one new thing each week, something different that I have not made before and that will keep me feeling happy and creative and help me to find my 'creative mojo' again!

Any suggestions/tutorials are welcomed - I'll have a bash at anything!

Love to every one from a very bad blogger

x x x

Aching legs and a bruised bum!

I think i've mentioned before that i have two horses (well one and a half really!), Monty and Rhona, but due to a serious lack of space (my gardens not really suitable) they both live in Cumbria with my parents while im down here in Preston.

Its not an ideal situation but at least it meant i didnt have to sell them when i moved to Preston to uni three years ago.

Just after starting uni i had a fall and broke my arm (for the second time in the exact same place) which meant that i could not ride and by the time it was healed enough my poor Monty had grown to quite like the life of leisure, munching grass all day and generally being an inactive pig! So now they are living the life of reily and I have put on 3 stone since i stopped riding =[

A couple of weeks ago i decided that i had to do something about the lack of horseiness in my life and a quick search on the internet turned up a riding school not too far away. I rang on the off chance that they could fit me in for a lesson today and they could!

The lesson was great - just like riding a bike - and i loved every minute of it (i think some people are just meant to be on a horse! I can still ride pretty well, if i do say so my self, but i just need to get my head around the technical stuff again and try and look a bit prettier.

Surfice to say not riding for three years tends to lead to extreemly sore legs and a very bruised bum after the first time back in the saddle!

I have also started goiung to a yoga class on a monday night so i dread to think how stiff i will be come Tuesday morning!

I've booked another lesson for next week and can't wait - I love it!