Saturday
14th September
How long
does it take to get to Hereford? Too
long would be the answer to that. Giddy
aunt the journey went on for ever but I was not relegated to the very back. This was mainly because none of us could
figure out how I was going to get over all the luggage to get in. Then, once in, how would I ever get out? I may never have got out. So, I ended up in the middle seat with poor
Max squashed in between two divas.
George managed to climb over the luggage and then I rather feel he had
the best seat. I found myself looking
back wishing I could have got over the luggage.
One of my older children so needs to pass their driving test soon so
that we might take two cars. I can no
longer drive on the mainland so it is time for a child to step up.
The bonus
of the day was the cloud watching though and they were particularly
spectacular. I am currently quite
obsessed with skys and they rarely disappoint.
This morning we were all up so early that I managed to capture this
beautiful sunrise. Mother Nature at her
most stunning and a joy to behold to start the day.
I had
another joy waiting for me in my inbox when I woke up but I am keeping that one
to myself until the launch of one soul many hearts. I may have overstated the waking up bit
though because I didn't actually sleep last night. The nights are so long when sleep is beyond
me and we are slightly concerned that the pain killers are not always working
now. It is the strongest pain relief
that I can be on as I am allergic to morphine.
Two fiends have made very timely interventions though by suggesting
alternative strategies that I have not, as yet, explored so we are not beyond
hope. We will never be beyond hope.
Even
squashed into one car I do love time when we are all together. Molly returns to university next Saturday and
is more than ready to Begin her final year.
We shall have to make the most of our time with her this week. Harry is usually either working, out with his
friends, training or sleeping so family interaction is scarce. We are a tight family though and all enjoy
these times that we make for each other.
Of course, I have had to leave my beautiful cat at home but we had
better not dwell on that. A dear friend
is house sitting for us and that has made a huge difference as we can leave
secure in the knowledge that the animals will be well cared for.
I have
brought a new embroidery to begin when on holiday as I find sewing so
relaxing. I am a member of a small group
of ladies who support each other through the ups and downs of life so I want to
sew a piece dedicated to them. I know
all of the women in the group so I am using the journey to think through design
ideas for individual motifs that first their personality. It has been a while since any new work
entered my studio so this will be a good thing to do. I am acutely aware that on my return my
sabbatical is officially over and I will be constantly torn between my writing
work and crafts for Christmas. Writing
this blog every day for the year seems to have made the pace of time more acute
and I can not believe that we are heading towards Christmas once more. Christmas is a big deal for our family. I am at my busiest and that means it is all
hands on deck to get all the crafts ready for the christmas sales. Beyond that Christmas is such an important
family time. Every year we make a new
range of handcrafted presents for special people in our lives and we also make
a lot of our decorations. Then there is
all the baking and so the list goes on.
It is a time when we call come together and work side by side in both
business and family pursuits and, I think, that has come to define us as a
family. We work very well together.
This year
we are adding in the new dimension of introducing our own willow to our gift
collection so there are some hasty sessions to fit in in order to practice the
new skills. It will be next year before
we have even a half decent crop but what we coppice this year will be used for
small natural decorations. I once did a
wedding where the theme was willow and it was probably one of my favourite
weddings of all time. The simplicity of
it was quite mesmerising and we managed to twist the willow into a lovely
collection of shapes that became the highlight for the decor. I have not worked with willow for quite some
time so it will be liberating to return to this most rewarding of crafts.
I have so
enjoyed my sabbatical and I have kept some careful notes about the
experience. I would like to create a
sabbatical manifesto that takes account of lots of different ways of taking a
sabbatical. Underpinning all, though, is
the determination not to take on anything new in that time. This is easier said than done, especially if
your work is freelance. However, I
believe I have been more productive as a result of my sabbatical and it has
helped to clarify options for the future.
I think we should all be entitled to a sabbatical every now and then and
the idea of a manifesto is for people to pledge their support for it and take
the ideas into their own workplaces and lives in general. I see a sabbatical as an investment in the
rest of the year and I have now managed to erase all thoughts of sabbaticals as
I once knew them in my academic life.
These were not often well managed and I grew slightly resentful of
them. My sabbatical model should allow
individuals to create their own sabbatical experience and I think that is
important in a diverse world.
So as I
head to Hereford and Ross-on-Wye I am determined to play in the forests, take
long walks and spend time with my lovely family. There will be time enough for the rest of it
on my return.
Until
tomorrow. Xx
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