ER and alternate Universes

Well it would seem that the flying start to the year that I had hoped for is experiencing a few bumps. This past week was almost a total loss except for the progress made when my intern came in. It was the jolt I needed to finish off a large pile of owls and begin some new projects. On Tuesday 3am, the husband started feeling excruciating pain otherwise known as acute sciatica down one leg. We ended up in the ER on Friday after the pain killers failed to make a dent. We struck it lucky as we were seen pretty much instantly, it was pretty empty when we arrived and we were the only ones checking in. I can't say that has ever happened when I've been to the NHS casualty where many an hour goes by in crowded waiting rooms. So after he had some pain medication administered he fell asleep and I was left trying to keep awake. I am so glad to not to have had back issues and touch wood it will remain that way. Fast forward 3 days and as we wait for a scheduled procedure this week, pain management has been the overriding priority.

On a positive note I have begun working on a Spring Line and signed up for a craft fair in Silverlake, Los Angeles in two weeks time so I need to get sewing.Here's some of the Valentine inspired Owls that have been finished.

 What an appropriate stitch ?

Love is in the Air

I think I'm going to need another week to catch up on the lost sleep. Boss, the oldest dog who sleeps in our room has started to snore really loudly and I haven't really got the heart to chuck him out. I think he would be a bit upset, so I've been trying earplugs that I found (they're for shooting with and we had a whole packet) they apparently go up to 30 decibels which means Boss' snoring is louder than that as I still hear a faint sound, but if I lie on my side and bury one ear in the pillow it improves a bit. When living in London we had these noisy neighbors from hell, we are talking Beyonce singing "irreplaceable" so loudly on repeat that the walls vibrated. It really put me off Beyonce in a big way and to this day I have flashbacks of sleepless nights whenever "I hear to the left to the left..."

With earplugs you enter this alternate universe where your own breathing becomes really, really loud.  Speaking of alternate universes I found myself in a laundrette having amassed so much washing that it would have been about 6 loads. The speed queen (honest that's what the washing machine is called) wasn't slow but when all you're doing is waiting for the spin light to come on it seems like an eternity. For those whose minds conjure up early 80's Nick Kamen Levi's Ads I can assure you that the likelihood of that happening in this particular laundrette were pretty slim. It was like an anthropological study trying to work out whose pale green towels were spinning around in the dryer. A bearded man apparently. I wondered what my washing load revealed about me, other than the obvious observation that I hadn't done laundry in a while. I had bought a book to read but I opted to watch the clothes spinning in the dryer. Those are 2 hours that I will never get back, how sad is that ?

Curtains, procrastination and Hulu

Well it's midway through January and while I started strong and focused I waned a little. The sunshine came back and what with the enforced non-surf due to rain, and a cold there was nothing for it but to get in the ocean. It felt glorious although there were a couple of Niagara Falls moments of nose diving, put it down to rustiness. Back in the craft world I made a 2011 calendar as I couldn't find one that was just right. Today I re-organised the craft room and moved tables and made a pair of curtains which are a work in progress. I'm looking for an inspiring quote to applique onto them.  It feels so roomy. I think it's just what I needed to do, I finally finished my couch potato cushions. I can't even remember when I started making them it was so long ago so it's nice to finally see the end product.

Heavy noisy doors

Messy cupboard

Curtain pole up

2 hours later ta da curtains (mess still inside).

couch potato a long overdue project

the original couch potato

Mine

As you can see no sooner is a craft project completed, Sanford is ALL over it. I don't know why it took me so long to finish it, I was waiting for a zipper and procrastinating I guess. The other spanner in the works has been the discovery of Hulu and Season 2 of Lipstick Jungle. In my next post I'll be revealing some Valentine's Day inspired Owls and some other projects I've been working on so stay tuned.