Merry Christmas everyone-

I hope you all find a bit of peace and happiness during the holiday season

I will be back in the New Year, raring to go!

Sophie passed away this past February after 15 years - we were together longer than I have known my husband. She travelled with me from Portland, Oregon to Herzogenaurach, Germany and finally to Lewes, UK.

After I came back from the vet (alone), I could not believe how quiet the house was. For days afterwards, my husband and I sat across from each other in silence.......looking at one another, blinking occasionally. We realised, we had never been with each other alone.......it had always been the three of us.

The reason I am bringing this up is that lately, I have been seeing a black shape now and again out of the corner of my eye. A few times I have almost turned and said hello. Then I realise.......she is gone......she is not there......it couldn't possibly be her coming up the stairs.

I thought this would happen right afterwards......but all there was was silence and emptyness.

It isn’t a bad feeling or a scary feeling....it just is

But then it is a little deflating......I think my shoulders might sag a tiny bit when I realise nothing is there.......or its just a pile of clothes......or a creaking floor board of a very old house

Why now?

Monday - a grey, spitty day

if the temp drops, then we will probably have freezing rain or snow.........hope they can get the sidewalks cleared a bit sooner this time

not much artwork going on today - but some loose-end tying up instead

went and removed the signs around town about my Xmas Fair - and now things are piled up around the studio

think I might (when it isn’t raining) put my tree ornaments outside so that people going into the café will see them

just a few days this week before going to the in-laws in Suffolk

am still trying to decide whether I should jump into the Sea on Xmas Day! (the North Sea......so it will be FREEZING!) thought it might be a good start to a new year

or......what is the probabilitiy of having a heart attack doing something like that? hmm

well, it actually snowed! not that much, mind you - but enough to send everyone into a semi-panic

trains a bit off, flights cancelled (even tho there is a clear blue sky today) and more snow forecast for tonight

am going home early today to get things done but am back in the studio tomorrow for the last day of my studio Xmas market - lets hope it will be worth it!

Sunday, I have a meeting with a local business to do some signage for her (did I mention I am a designer and also do large format digital printing?!)

after that;

back to fiber art!

am planning a large format abstract piece - so will see how that goes and will be showing you all (I say all.......is there anyone out there?) photos along the way

all for now.....

a chilly day, but not as cold as yesterday!

I took some photos of my table this morning - my new cakestand that my friend made for me for my birthday - topped with old ornaments I picked up at a local antique shop for £3! I have another bunch at the studio that came with them......a pretty old blue colour

think this might be the extent of my decorating as we won't actually be here for Xmas - the dilemna I have every year - decorate or not

we are hardly ever home during the holiday; either with my family or my husband’s

this year, most of my decorations are at the studio -

another frosty morning - the plants outside my studio have frozen....poor things

oh - had so much to say last night as I stared at the ceiling and even this morning on my way here.....now all gone

I am still set up for the Xmas Fair and will be until this Saturday, so am not doing much in the artwork department (except in my head) but after that........hope to get some pictures out of the pieces I hope to get to soon.....the start of the pieces, I mean

am trying to read more, instead of sitting dumbly in front of the tv, especially as there is never anything on worth seeing! (especially with only 4 channels)

right now I am in the middle of Iris Murdoch’s The Nice and the Good, plus The Book of Silence and a book of essays by Zadie Smith

I took Monday off to finally get my house clean......it has been a while and now

sitting in the top room, candles lit and reading is a lovely way to end the day.

I have to admit; I am finding this writing slightly difficult - really got out of the habit of writing

so am feeling a bit off-kilter

but really want to continue and start adding my artwork and thoughts......

am also still trying to figure out how to get the blog the way I want it to look - guess that will take time too

one exciting thing that I noticed while cleaning; my christmas cactus is getting buds on it! first time and I have had it for years.......(smuggled it over from my mother’s plant)

another day at the studio Christmas Fair - a couple teacup candles and some prints so far

my mulled wine has been a bit of a hit too

waiting for it to get a bit darker so I can light all the candles outside and make it look warm and cozy

I have been working hard to bring together a few local artists and myself to put on a Christmas Art and Hand-made Gift Fair in my studio

So far, it has been a little slow, but I hope this weekend will bring a few more people in to see what we have!

hello!

yikes, ok........here I go

this is my first attempt at this blogging business - so.........

I am hoping this helps me stay a bit more focused and gets my work out there into the air

I follow several other artists and find their posts, insights, work and pictures so inspiring and exciting.

Hope you like what I write and show you

__anne