You know what? I feel a bit sorry for my man. Not only has he been stuck with me for longer than I care to admit, but, when he stayed with me down here in London last week, it appeared that the gods were against us. On Monday we hit Soho to check out Time Out’s vintage shopping trail followed with a goldfish bowl of gin at Star in the Sky – only to discover on our arrival that it was closed. On Saturday we headed to the Natural History Museum to see the Wildlife Photography Award – but tickets had sold out. The following day brunch was scuppered by some black pudding that had decided to grow a slimy grey coating whilst still within the use-by date and our Sunday matinee was cut short when my DVD player decided to have a hissy-fit halfway through Three Lions.
The poor lamb. But, you know what? These unfortunate incidents turned out to be less disastrous than I thought. In fact, you could almost call them happy accidents. Rather than admitting defeat, we swapped gin in Soho for beer in Finsbury Park, and Soho Joe’s for Papagones, who make up for any shortfalls in the pizza department with chocolate and hazelnut ice cream to DIE for. Photography was replaced with a rather successful shopping trip (especially as HMV had started to accept gift vouchers again), black pudding with the much healthier option of grilled tomatoes (which incidentally go very well with a bit of pepper sauce) and the movie with a games of cards – made all the better by my inevitable victory (ha!). So, my point? Well, just because things don’t always turn out the way you hoped doesn’t mean that other good stuff won’t happen. Last Friday I had a horrendous interview for a job I really wanted. Needless to say my impersonation of a rabbit caught in headlights did not impress the interview panel and I was not successful. I admit I was gutted – and telling my workmates was excruciating, especially as everyone expected me to do well. But, you know what? Maybe it wasn’t meant to be. Just like it wasn’t meant to be for me to find a publisher last year, or for me to be discovered by a best-selling glossy, Charles Saatchi or a hip and happening craft shop in Shoreditch. But that’s okay. Because something much better is just around the corner. And I fully intend to have a bit of fun whilst I find it.
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It’s Sunday afternoon, it’s snowing, and despite my initial reluctance, I’m quite enjoying a bit of Teenwolf whilst hibernating underneath my new patchwork throw. I’m debating getting out my knitting as my sister has set me a new challenge – cable knit – but first I thought I’d reflect a bit on what I’ve been up to over the last couple of weeks.
In other news – I now have a pair of Hers and Hers cushion covers ready to fly over to Canada – and another chum has commissioned me to make a draft excluder. I am just waiting for her to send over the measurements before I get stuck in. I’ve also decided to solve my carrier bag storage issue by making myself a holder with draw strings at the top and bottom – and I might just put a couple on Etsy too... dried – call me a bit of a kid, but I like to get my hands dirty and use wallpaper paste! Okay, so not exactly a fine artist’s material, but it works for me...
So, other than being busy getting covered in glue, I admit I haven’t been up to much, other than applying for a secondment at work (fingers crossed) and pulling a muscle in my back whilst putting on some body lotion. Yes, really! Oh, and for anyone thinking about putting down roots in London, check out my latest blog at Anglo Info http://blogs.angloinfo.com/underground-overground/2013/01/15/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go/ to see how the capital works for some people but not others... And, no matter what you do, keep warm – and stay safe! Readers... I have a plan. It isn’t particularly cunning, but it enables me to keep focused on what I want in life and where I want to be. My plan is haphazardly divided into three parts; Plan Part A is to be a published novelist (which I rambled on about last time I blogged), Plan Part B is to pursue my other creative pursuits and Part C is to sort out the rest of my life. Keeping them separate stops me getting too overwhelmed and, most of the time, they bumble along quite nicely without bothering each other. But the other week my desire to buy a flat (a la Plan C) inspired my dream to create things for a living (see Plan B) – and escape the rat race. You see, when I last looked into it, I discovered that I could just about afford to buy a flat in Walthamstow. Having already explored it a month or two ago, I recently returned to have a look around the Lloyd Park area. I was pleasantly surprised – the surrounding streets looked nice enough, the park itself had a lovely community feel and, to top it off, it was the home of the William Morris Gallery. I admit that, unlike my mum, Mr Morris’s designs don’t really excite me, but what I love about him and his contemporaries was their creation of the Arts and Crafts Movement – the rejection of mass production in favour of carefully crafted wares made by skilled artisans. It’s a concept I very much admire – and one that I feel is having a bit of a revival at the moment. However, these days, your average person has more free time than the working class Victorian and many of us are embracing craft into our own lives.
Whatever the reason, I will not be defeated! I have already created accounts on both the aforementioned websites and shall be getting some of my stuff on line for people to buy asap. So, if you need a little bit of something different to stuff your stockings with, watch this space... or, if you see something you like on the site, just drop me a line via my contact page and I’ll see what I can do!
Hello there! Sorry it’s been a while but, as usual, I’ve been super busy updating the new website, producing a newsletter (hope you liked it?), applying for not one but TWO secondments at my day job and writing reviews for the recently re-launched Capital Life. Yes, that’s right, another blogging string to my bow! Take a look at www.capital-life.co.uk – and watch this space for further news on what I’ve been up to with their big sister, Urban Life... Unsurprisingly, all this wonderful work is leaving me a wee bit tired. Last weekend I caught up with a few friends who told me off for taking on so much. Okay, I admit, they may have a point – so I have been making sure that I make time for a bit of R&R too. Last weekend I found myself in a spa and, after a manic hour in the gym, I turned my attention to doing very little other than alternating between the sauna and Jacuzzi, reading my glossy and enjoying views of the Thames with a glass of wine over an admittedly mediocre lunch. By the time my chum joined me at 2pm I was nearly comatose. Last week I also went to a bonfire and firework display in Wimbledon – a ritual that for me is almost as integral as Christmas when it comes to unleashing my inner child. Fun was also has this Saturday at Biscuit in Greenwich www.biscuit-biscuit.com where I took a bunch of chums pot painting. Despite a bit of a mix-up with our booking, Mr Biscuit himself saved the day and gave us access to his party room downstairs – result! – and I was soon, I quote, “grinning like a child in a sweet shop”. Speaking of results, my (mainly non-artistic) friends amazed me with their wares – take a look for yourself below. Well, that’s it from me for now. Except – are you at a loose end next Saturday? Fancy a spot of Christmas shopping and a swift pint? Then come and see me at Wonderhill Market www.wonderhillmarket.co.uk in Tooting! I’ll be the one with lots of cushions crying into my mulled cider because no-one has bought anything...
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THE JUICEHere you will find my latest news, including what I have been up to and what I have been writing (and making). Hopefully you'll like what I have to say - and perhaps I will motivate you to get creative too... Archives
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