Day 59 - another idea brewing along with soy wax.

Thursday 28th February

Almost another month of blogging completed - who would have thought this was even possible.  I fill each and every day to the brim and I suspected that a daily blog would be a challenge too far but I have actually managed to adopt it as part of the day. 

The sun pokes through the curtains earlier and earlier now and so I wake much earlier.  Today I had my breakfast in my studio just because I could.  As I walk up the steps an already familiar feeling of calmness takes over and what a perfect way to start the day.  I love working from home and I couldn't go back to a daily compete now; it would probably kill me.  My gentle commute to my polytunnel or studio will do for me. 

Home school was a joy.  Max, George and I completed our research into the nine different aspects of world poverty and analysed what the European Union was doing to help combat each aspect.  Poverty, especially in Africa, is a complex debate and I was pleased to see the boys taking some time to think it through for themselves.  It is very easy for those living in the west to think we know the answers and to over-simplify the problem.  In summary the boys drew their own mind map as a way of remembering the complexity of the debate.  From there they had to choose the three aspects that they thought were the most important.  They differed in some of their choices and so that led to a healthy debate where I could clearly see just how much they have learnt in a very short period of time.  More than that, I could see how they were both capable of extracting the essential or fundamental information.  Max continues to show the most interest in this topic and we are now going to spend some time looking at a couple of international charities that work with the EU.  A short but important piece of writing allowed the boys to express their personal views and begin to measure what they knew against the millennium goals.  There is clearly much more to do.

Once I had set the piece of writing as a task I could get on with other things and I so needed to do some housework.  But I am never far away and I can listen.  It is always so rewarding to hear them discussing the subject that we are studying rather than chatting about the latest computer game.  As a teacher you know they are fully engaged and the learning is of the highest possible quality. 

Harry has had a couple of days away from studying as we have employed him and his friend to do some jobs on the smallholding.  It is amazing just how productive two 17 year old boys can be!  They have walked about half of the property collecting dead wood to store for the fire.  They have also cut down dead branches and broken up an old piece of trellis that is getting replaced.  At last I have a wood store that looks like a wood store. 

As soon as possible I escaped into the tunnel to finish potting on the last of the herbs and sow some more seeds.  It was a glorious sunny afternoon and it is so important to make the most of this fine weather.  I am thrilled with the way this season has got underway a little earlier and I hope that will pay off as the year progresses.  On the way back towards the house I spent a swift half an hour on the back wall preparing it for its paint job.  I love scraping paint off walls. I am a strange creature.  Typically, I saw a pattern emerging that I liked so I took a photo so I can transfer it to a silk painting at some point in the future. But look at the mess I made....

Still I had a couple of boys to help me clear up.  A very late lunch was had on my studio porch where I probably feel the happiest before dashing back to the house to set up for candle making.  I promised to show a friend of mine how to make candles and she was due up any minute.  We spent a lovely hour or so burning soy wax and mixing with rose essential oil before pouring into containers and molds to make the candles.  My candles are 100% natural and the whole experience is so incredibly therapeutic.  She was pleased with her efforts and, armed with a supply list, off she went to get organised to make them herself. 

Apologies for the poor picture I took it too quickly but at least it proves the sun shines on Arran.

So another full day on Hazelbank but hugely enjoyable.  My Mother's Day gifts are selling well and I am turning my head towards the floral designs for this year.  I have a flower school to run a week on Saturday and I simply adore these events.  I love passing on my skills with flowers and seeing what people make.  It promises to be a fun afternoon and George is making us a cake stand full of cupcakes especially for the occasion. 

I have an idea brewing to offer experience weeks on the smallholding for young people (or young at heart) who would like to learn about horticulture and smallholding.  We have a spare bedroom for most of the summer with Molly being away on professional placements so we offer full board accomodation for a week in return for some help on the smallholding and a chance to share our skills.  I am passionate about our young people and I do not think they are necessarily having an easy time of it.  Building up some work skills is so important these days.  Molly is being given her opportunities so maybe we could offer something on Hazelbank.  If any of you know of anyone who might be interested in trying their hand at horticulture or even changing their lives in some way do drop me a comment and we can chat more.  I think this might be one of my better ideas and I am going to give it some serious attention.

Until tomorrow. xx
Photo is of our soy wax melts with beach fragments.  One of our biggest sellers. xx

 

 

Day 58 - Fiona goes pop and that is never a surprise.

Wednesday 27th February

Not such a glorious day, at least in Whiting Bay because the shroud of mist didn't lift all day.  Brodick was a different story as the mist had retreated enough for some blue sky.  It never fails to amaze me just how 'local' the weather can be on the island.  I am hopeful for a better day tomorrow because I miss my sunshine. 

Despite the chilly mist I went about fitting out my new studio with my usual enthusiasm and began by painting the rustic planks of wood that we are reclaiming for shelving.  While waiting for them to dry I dashed about like a woman possessed picking up all sorts of bits and pieces that 'would just be perfect for my studio.' 

Lots of trial and error but I ended up putting things in that have some sentimental meaning to me. Pride of place went my dad's easel which will act as a stand for my notice board.  I miss my dad every day and to have something of his with me seemed vitally important.  He was a painter and a writer so I am relying on his inspiration. 

Once I had started including things with personal meaning the fit out became a much easier job and things just found their way into the space.  Pinned to the back wall is a painting that my soul sister Donna did for one of our new homes along the way.  My studio feels like home so it was only right that her picture joined me.

 

I almost disappeared under stuff as I emerged from the house with a renewed sense of determination.  Although no day bed has appeared and the shelves never looked like drying today, the rest was obvious.  In went a desk which belongs to Pete and he has refused to get rid of it and now we know why.  On the desk appeared a very old pencil box that I found at a car boot sale and loved instantly.

In the corner appeared a Victorian school desk that I picked up at another car boot sale and could never part with and to my delight essential tea making equipment perched on top.  Apart from keeping my own tea levels topped up I do hope to run small bespoke courses in my studio and tea and cake is an absolute must. 

I have made a huge sacrifice today and moved my beloved blanket box from my bedroom into the studio.  Regular readers will know that my Grandma made wonderful blankets and I store them in this box when they are not in use.  But the box doubles as a seat so you will understand my logic.  Now all I have to do is decide which blanket will make it through the doors. 

The vintage looking suitcase is not what it seems.  It came as part of a hamper Christmas present to my mother and her partner and it snuck through the door when I wasn't looking.  Clever suitcase.  Despite the fit out being incomplete I couldn't resist pinning some of my inspirations to the walls.  I am a vintage girl at heart.  I especially love the 1940s and 1950s and this greeting card has pride of place on my wall and I suspect it will stay there for evermore.

My pegs on my pin board and peg bag hanging from the ceiling meant that I had the perfect excuse to put my new cushion on my seat. Never has a girl been so excited about a cushion going on a seat.

So plenty still left to do tomorrow and the next day and so on....
The plan is to fit it out just as it needs to be before then spending some long afternoons making art and craft to decorate the space.  I will then do a complete photographic journal of this work in situ and, no doubt, feel very pleased indeed.  The measure so far is quite simple.  A thing can stay if I feel the sense of peace is preserved.  So far so good.  This space will say so much about me that it will tell a story all by itself and I couldn't be more thrilled.  I actually thought I was going to 'pop' today with all the excitement.

Until tomorrow. xx

Day 57 - toilet strawberries and sea blue chickens.

Tuesday 26th February

What an amazingly wonderful day.  The sun blessed us with its presence and I have finished painting the studio.

Not only that looked what arrived today......

The very lovely Angie from Sugar and Spice delivered them and I could not be more pleased.  I am quite fit to burst!  You may wonder why the peg bag and pegs?  I am going to use pegs to hang my cuttings off so that I will be surrounded by my inspirations.  I will be making matching curtains and some bunting as well.  We did so well to find this fabric with the sea blue background and the chickens - genius!

I am thrilled with the colours of the studio and tomorrow we begin the fit out.  I want my desk in first and then the day bed and space for a heater.  Then we shall see..... Over the next few weeks I am  going to be making bespoke pieces of art and crafts for the space and then the first sunny Saturday in April and I am having a tea party to officially open my little space.  I have decided on a name and I will be announcing it soon. 

I have been outside all day.  Apart from painting the studio floor and door I have been busy in the tunnel.  All my herb gardens have had a top dressing of fresh compost and feed and I have put together a spring container garden that visitors will see as they walk up the path.  Pete and the boys have been clearing that dump area I told you about.  Pete delivered a toilet to me that had been dumped and this is what I did with that...

We can't miss an opportunity to grow something.  I am not altogether sure about eating strawberries that have been grown in a toilet but I will cross that bridge when I come to it!  Speaking of strawberries I planted 3 alpine strawberry plants in a trough last year and today I made 34 plants out of them.  How fantastic is that?  All the runners had rooted so I now have lots of alpine strawberries to sell this year. 

Someone emailed me a fantastic job today on the Isle of Mull.  An arts promotion job with a very good salary and, in another life, perfect.  What was interesting though was the job description as it showed real vision.  I have stored it away and it is adding to my thinking about arts and crafts on Arran.  Lots to ponder at the moment. 

Harry passed his assignment, George is baking something with chocolate and Molly survived her first driving lesson.  Told you it was a good day.  The best thing was a wee chat I had with Max as he asked some more questions about international charity work.....told you it was a beginning.  I can spot beginnings at 50 paces. 

Speak tomorrow xx
PS Almost forgot to say (!) this little blog has just gone over 3000 page views.  How thrilled am I?  xx

 

 

Day 56 - hair like a bird's nest and photo to prove it.

Monday 25th February

What an absolutely glorious day on the island.  The sun glinted off the sea turning it sapphire blue and spring has most definitely sprung.

Home  school was a fairly rapid affair so that I could make the most of the sunshine.  That said, Max and George continued their studies on the European Union by asking what impact it has on world poverty.  I think that behind the question was probably the question 'what is the point?'  Armed with a relevant and timely question we began our investigations.  Evidence began to take shape supporting the work of the EU in what is a difficult area.  We broke the issue of poverty down into parts and then investigated how the EU has made a response to each part.  Some areas were more convincing than others but I think the boys understood the complex nature of the debate.  They very quickly realised that throwing money at developing countries was not necessary the answer.  George was the first to pick up the need for the native people to be fully involved in any developments in their country.  We looked at health, food, water and the environment and we have human rights and education to go. 

It is when we are locked into such discussions that I realise how much the boys now know about the world in which they live.  My understanding at their age was pitiful by comparison and I do think home school has allowed us to focus on understanding the complexities of the modern world and their place in it.  When we were looking at a video clip of a charity working in an African country I suggested to Max that he would be good in that sort of role.  Max is a people person.  People fascinate him and he has the biggest heart in the world.  He nodded agreement and asked that we might find out more about the work of international charities.  This might be a beginning....

Harry successfully completed assignment 5 and emailed it off.  We are leaving drugs in sport behind and moving onto injuries.  Looking ahead I can see body systems coming up so we shall see how much I can remember and what has been lost in the years since my PE and dance degree.

Today a whole load of my handmade gifts went into the village shop so the mothers of Arran should be well catered for by the time my flowers go through next week.  I hope to write a piece on the village shop in Whiting Bay because it is quite something.  There is a community focused story there as well.

Speaking of stories....four of us Arran ladies are whipping up a lovely little story on facebook all about goats.  We are comparing notes on our goat experience and we have Assja tending goats in Switzerland in her youth, Lynn fighting them off at the local newspaper office and Angie and me talking about how lovely our skin would be if we made goats milk soap.  I do love a good chat on facebook and it is often the source of my tales.  I have yet to share my experience of walking our three goats in the far field.  I had one and my mother had the other two when suddenly mine took off down the hill.  I had no idea goats could move that fast.  Any sensible person would let go of the rope but I have never been sensible.  As I am dragged through the mud at a ridiculous speed I can hear my father shouting from the other field.  Eventually I could  make out what he was shouting and it referred to my red coat.  He told me to take it off because the goat didn't like red.  Really?  Well this no longer mattered because my coat was now a wonderful shade of muddy brown.  Once the little jaunt down the hill was over the goat starting grazing lifting its eyes to see why I was sat on the ground with a look that could quite easily kill on my face.  There haven't been goats on Hazelbank for many years and I do wonder why?

I have been feeling very guilty about my front cut flower border which was seriously overgrown and neglected. I knew there were spring bulbs under there but they stood no chance.  We grow grass very well on Arran and if we don't keep an eye on it it invades everywhere.  Today was the day my guilt vanished as I tackled the border.  Lots of huffing and puffing and a pretty red glow to my face.  It was pure joy when Harry shouted out the window 'are you getting a bit hot mum?'  I shot him a look that said all I wanted to say and staggered off to the compost bin.  I have uncovered lots of daffodils, crocuses and grape hyacinths so it was an hour well spent. 

Giant cup of tea in hand I snuck round to my new studio to catch the late afternoon sun.

I think I will sit on my little porch often.  I have trained in meditation and it is a perfect spot for that.  Of course Lottie had to attempt to block out the sun......

I finally figured out how to take a picture of myself with my phone.  Hours have been wasted in the past trying to do what was so glaringly obvious today!  Here we are then make up free, post sweaty glow and hair looking like a bird's nest.  Lovely!!

I won't need to use that particular phone function again.

Pottering about in the tunnel I get so excited about all the new growth.  Max's mint I mentioned last week continues to shine the brightest.

I do find myself chatting away to the plants and the dogs give me strange looks.  I like strange.  Tomorrow the studio will get the last of the painting and then we start the fit out.  I can't do diagrams because that bit of my brain doesn't work so I found myself lying on the floor just to check that I can get a day bed in there.  As I lay on the floor I did think 'bonkers'.

Until tomorrow. xx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 55 - the old man with the beard that we throw on the fire.

Sunday 24th February

With a gentle whimper winter is beginning to shed its coat and spring is nipping at its heels.  The island is beginning to shine again and there is a peace and calmness in the air.  It is a lovely time of year.  Winter is my favourite season but I am never sad when it starts to close its curtain because I do love the new growth that heralds spring. 

I wanted to take one last journal of photographs on Hazelbank as a tribute to winter. 

We collect the 'old man's beard' that grows on the trees to use as natural fire lighters. 

I do so want to introduce you to a very special writer who influences me enormously.  Waverly Fitzgerald is American and she is a writer and a teacher.  Her book 'Slow Time' changed my life as she taught me how to enjoy my life at a gentler pace. Her seasonal website Living in Season is a delight and you really must read it when you have a mo.  She writes about the changes in the season and where we might get our inspiration from in life.  I don't have many ambitions left but one of them is to write for her website.  I will feel that I have achieved something very special indeed.  Her book 'Slow Time' teaches us to establish a new relationship with time and teaches us to appreciate quiet times where we may recharge.  I use her techniques all the time.  I am blogging in bed today after a lovely walk over the fields. On the way back from my walk, while carrying a ridicuously heavy bag of firewood, my body told my mind that it was very tired.  There was a time when I would fight that fatigue but not any more.  Waverly has convinced me that I do that at my peril.  So now I give in to the tirdness and rest and, of course, am all the better for it.  If I could recommend one book for everyone to read I would probably struggle so I am going to cheat and say two!  'Slow Time' would absolutely be one and the other would be 'To Kill a Mocking Bird' as it teaches empathy and, in my view, there is not nearly enough of that in the world. 

I might be slighter later than normal but my Mother's Day products are ready to go into the local shops. 

For me these gifts are all about detail.  From the vintage curtain that many mothers out there will remember to the ribbon roses and beading on the make up bags.  Being a mother I am clearly biased but I do think Mother's Day is important.  It is our chance to say thank you.  Every year I drive myself slightly nuts trying to come up with new ideas but this year I am really pleased with the velvet make up bags.  You just know I am going to keep one of them!  My flower arrangements are my biggest focus for this occasion and from the Wednesday before the big day I am surrounded by flowers making up the orders. My vintage tea cup arrnagements are probably my most popular gift and this year there will be far fewer than normal as I have almost run out of cups and saucers.  I do, however, have a plan....

Today I made a tea cup arrangement for a regular customer.  She wants one for a new mother of a baby boy.  This gave me a welcome shot of inspiration as I avoided the normal finishing touches.  From nowhere I had the idea of wrapping a piece of blue seaglass in wire to make an accent for the arrangement.  The new mother might want to keep this in her baby box. 

I just hope the new mother likes it. 

I am going to snuggle down with Sarah Water's novel 'Fingersmith' which is a glorious book every bit as good as Dickens and set in a similar time.  Well worth a read. 

I am leaving you with some more pictures for my tribute to winter jouranl.  Hope you enjoy them. 
Until tomorrow. xx

 

 

Day 54 - Assja is perhaps the best of the best.....

Saturday 23rd February

The most glorious day on the island as the sun burns through. We had winter flurries this morning and I could have watched them drift to the ground all day. But no time for such luxuries as I am in the middle of a very busy day. I have just posted a lovely collection of Mother's Day gifts on my With Love from Arran facebook page. This year I have invited three other craftworkers to join me and the collection is truly special. One of the ladies is Assja. I have known Assja for years. In my view her creativity knows no bounds and her work imprints a memory that will never fade. There is something incredibly unique about Assja and I do so want you to meet her....

I started to design my own jewellery when our blog host, the lovely Fiona, had a small shop on Arran. For a while, I had made some textile shawls and bags for her. But with running a small hotel, having a wonderful son and a husband, there was not that much time for creativity. Although I dabbled in all kinds of skills over the winter. To quote my husband, there was the year of the quilt, the year of the bag, the year of altered art, the year... You get the idea. As one day, an expected jewellery delivery for Fiona's shop was announced to be delayed, I had this idea of trying my hand on jewellery. I have never stopped since.

My well of inspiration is the Isle of Arran. Alone the colours! The yellow of goarse and daffodils covers the island in late winter and spring, everything seems to turn hot and soft pink when the Rhododendrons are flowering. There's the blue of the bluebells and the bright outburst of colours in summer which finally eases into shades of yellow, gold and brown in autumn. It's followed by winter's more monochrome palette on which the red hawthorn berries glow with intense fire. I love to design jewellery that thrives on colours.

Our island is a place of extraordinary beauty; it is also a delicate eco system which is very fragile. Therefore, sustainability is important to me. I try to use more re- and up-cycled materials, to avoid or replace poisenous chemicals with biodegradable versions when it comes to metal work. Reusing, reforging and reshaping of old silver and copper, jewellery bits and other objects have their own rules of creativity.

My absolute favourite is sea glass. Our shores are littered with glass and ceramic pieces which have been tumbled by the sea. What I love about them is the fact, that I can't simply sit down and plan a necklace or bracelet, go to a shop and get the matching ingredients. On the contrary, it is the material which dictates the form. It is the pebble, the shard, the glass which has to inspire me. It's always a challenge, sometimes a fight between what I want it to be and what it lets me to turn it into, but it is always an immense satisfaction to create a piece of jewellery. A piece that can't be replicated. A piece, which captures a bit of the spirit of the Isle of Arran.

You can view Assja's work on her website Arran Gems by Assja B. and this includes her etsy shop. For me Assja draws on the island perhaps more than most of us and it is her true inspiration.  This is what I take from the lovely lady.  I hope that you will visit her web site and the next time you need something for a special birthday Assja is so you girl!

All pics today are from Assja.  Many thanks Assja.

Until tomorrow.xx

Day 53 - a wee problem to solve but the prize is chocolate!

Friday 22nd February

I have had such a lovely day today and even the Co-op experience was fine. There must be something in the air. Let me tell you what I would like to be in the air.....positivity.  I am fed up with doom and gloom.  I visited James of Arran chocolate shop today to get you guys a lovely box of their chocolates for my give away (more later) and got into a lovely conversation with Cath who manages the shop.  We quickly agreed that it is time for some positivity around the island.  Local press does not always paint the best picture of the island and the feedback on my blog is the complete opposite.  On the drive home I made a personal pledge to try and have as many conversations with islanders about businesses and places that they are impressed with.  No place for doom and gloom in those conversations and I hope to be able to share some of them with you.  As a community we get a lot right and it is high time we shared that with the world.  End of sermon!

A cold but dry day greeted us this morning but sadly lacking in frost so I couldn't go walk about with my camera to capture some frozen spider webs.  No matter, I took the dogs up the track to collect firewood and on the way down it occured to me that I do not, as yet, have many photos of Hazelbank on my blog.  I love Hazelbank, not just because it is my home.  It has a calmness about it and I think this comes from the trees.  We have lots and lots of trees on the smallholding and when the breeze blows they whisper to us.  Their gentle rustling is very captivating.

 My new studio is cradled by trees and I just wanted to share.

I love the way the studio has already started to blend into its environment and with spring growth around the corner I sense a place of great peace.  I love my family dearly but I have wanted a space where I can be truly alone for a long while.

We have 10 acres on Hazelbank but activity focuses around our growing tunnel. 

This is where you will find me a lot of the time and this is one of the places I am happiest.  The joy of growing was passed down from my mother and I have passed it onto my children.  I love this time of year because the new growth is so small and fragile and it is my job to help it establish itself.  My favourite growth at the moment is from mint cuttings that Max took last year.  Simply cut off small, but healthy stems and place in a jam jar of water and place on your windowsill.  Over the next few weeks you will be rewarded with roots and you can then plant them into pots with compost.  Max's cuttings are shining the brightest in the tunnel at the moment. 

Our vegetable and herb gardens are close to the main house because we don't want to tramp over muddy fields to harvest.  Plant to plate is less then 20 metres and that is just how we like it.  The exception to this is the pea crop because Pete eats those before they reach the plate.  Beyond the new willow plot are two large fields.  Our fostered alpacas will take up some of this space but the rest is space to extend the willow ventures as required. 

We do have lovely views from Hazelbank and it is important to have your 'stop and stare' moments.  Our next project is to clear an area that has become a bit of a dump zone.  I am not sure how that happened but it so needs clearing.  Not least because it is the area that has been reserved for the new chickens.  Pete will build them a lovely warm house with laying boxes but the first job is to clear the space and repair the fences.  Ducks lived here once upon a time but not it is the new chicken home.  That is because I stole the chicken house and made it into a studio!

It might not have been shining on Hazelbank today because the sun refused to shine but I did see new growth as the dafodils are preparing to flower.

For me yellow is the colour of spring and this little patch is right next to my studio.  Lovely! 

Now to the all important give away that I promised last week.  I have the most gorgeous box of chocolates from James of Arran chocolate shop to give away to the first person that tells me the answer to the following -

What am I?

Fiona is completely obsessed with me and I am always a feature in her garden.  She takes good care of me by laying a straw bed under me to keep me from going soggy.  I am less impressed by her plans this year though as I understand she wants to slice me up and dry me out slowly in a low oven.  If I burn I will not be best pleased.

If you know the answer write it in the comments box below and the first person to get it right will receive a box of chocolates, assuming I haven't eaten them on the way to the post office. 

It is Friday and my favourite day of the week.  I do hope you all have a lovely weekend and that we all see some sunshine.  Concluding my first round of guest bloggers tomorrow is the wonderful Assja.  I have known her for years and her creativity knows no bounds.  When I say all Arran women are fabulous I do mean it and Assja may be the most fabulous of us all.  Look out on my With Love from Arran facebook page for the first Mother's Day gallery offering some of the very best gifts from the island.  With a good wind behind me it should be up this weekend.  Lots to do, always lots to do.

Until tomorrow. xx

Picture was taken yesterday as I approached the beach.  Love the contrast between the yellow and blue. xx

 

 

 



Day 52 - a sneek preview and a cocoon for Fiona.

Thursday 21st February

What an absolutely glorious day on our little island. When the sun shines Arran sparkles and I am quite sure you could see us from space. Regular readers will know that meant a dash down the beach to photograph some of the Mother's Day collection due for release at the end of this week. Talk about cutting it fine! No matter, the job is done and you can see the previews at the top of this blog. So at With Love from Arran we are officially off and running for another season. I can feel it in my waters that this will be our best one yet.....

Eating marmite toast while typing might not be the best idea I have ever had.

For our Mother's Day this year we have focused on vintage meets bespoke. An old vintage curtain has been transformed into lavender bags, dream pillows and head and eye soothers and we have contrasted that with one off scarves, cushion covers and make up bags. The bespoke pieces have all been handmade using velvet and velour fabric, opulent colours and ribbon and beaded detail. This is very much a limited collection and I am sure the mothers who get these pieces will feel very special indeed. All our pieces will be listed on our facebook page and our With Love from Arran website by the beginning of next week. When they are gone they are gone!

The sun might be shinning but it remains cold. I am hopeful for another hard frost because I want to do a photographic portfolio of spider webs. The one that I posted on blipfoto has received some lovely feedback. All this with my phone camera at the moment but my new camera should be with me soon. From these photographs I am going to create an original pattern to use on a mixed media piece that is brewing in the back of my mind. From a handpainted silk base I want to create the web using silk threads and beads but through an abstract view finder. I will no doubt blog the stages and I think I am going to transfer the project into home school as well. Max and George have fabulous imaginations and they can both paint silk, sew and bead. As pieces of art I hope they will draw a line under winter and welcome spring.

Harry and I have hit a boring module in his diploma in health and fitness so we are charging through it as fast as possible. He knows all the information already so it is a bit of a waste of time. He is about to go onto a module on the effects of alcohol and drugs on sporting performance. This is far more interesting and it is also an area that he might want to focus on in his career. Harry remains focused on his studies and he will complete the qualification on time and with some excellent feedback. I am not sure we can ask for more than that. We caught up with Molly on Skype last night and was quite lifted when I realised she will be home in a month. How fabulous is that?

I have booked my cocoon on the Isle of Eigg for the end of July. Do click on the link because you must see them as they are wonderful constructions. Complete with wifi I will be able to write up notes and blog to you all from a truly magical place. My focus is community projects as this little group of people have achieved so much that is worthy of sharing. They have created a way of living that is sustainable and, I am sure, brings great happiness. Using my writing the aim is to 'bottle' some of it and see if our bigger island can learn from their ventures. I already know the answer to that! I hope to tell their stories in a way that we can all take something from them and adapt it to make our lives richer. I may, of course, never leave the island!

Yesterday evening I successfully started my two adorable nieces off on embroidery and knitting projects. They both did so well and we chatted while we worked in front of the open fire. I am not sure it gets much better than that. I will be a teacher until my last gasp and I am always thrilled to see skills being passed across to a new generation. I am rushing to finish my early blog because there will be a knock at the door soon and two little faces will appear clutching their sewing and knitting ready for our next session.

I heard from a friend in Derbyshire today that she too is getting wonderful weather so I do hope you are getting your share of it. Until tomorrow. xx