Tales from a Toymaker

Thame Fair Preview - 2

2012-02-14T17:29:00.000Z

PP has been hard at work on a new wicker toy pram kit, which was completed today and will be available at the Thame Fair on Saturday, and online from next week.

This kit has taken several weeks to research design and we're very pleased with the result.

It features a fine plain basketweave pattern, new-style metal wheels and a lace parasol.

Here it is with one of our tiny 1" toy baby dolls, dressed and nestling inside.....

The boxed kits, which are priced at £18, contain everything needed to complete the pram, along with an 8-page fully illustrated, step-by-step instruction booklet.

Tiny toy baby dolls are available separately, either ready to dress, or as a kit to make the dressed doll shown in the pram.

Yet more anon......

Thame Fair Preview - 1

2012-02-14T13:03:00.000Z

With just three days left before we leave for the Thame Fair, I thought it was about time to give you a some sneak previews over the next few posts, of some of our new items which will make their debut at the fair on Saturday.

First up, these started out as a bit of stress therapy.....

I make no apologies for the fact that handling, pleating, sorting and organising my vast collection of pure silk ribbons gives me great pleasure.

OK, so pleating takes quite a long time, requiring precision and concentration, but it has to be one of my all-time favourite silk ribbon related activities (I don't get out much). Which is why I thought I'd make up some packs of pleated ribbons for sale.

Each pack contains 3 lengths of the hard-to-find 13mm wide silk ribbon in three different shades of a colour, carefully formed into 40 pleats, sufficient to make skirts and bonnets for at least three toy dolls. The packs all come with instructions for using the ribbons, as well as a FREE 'Hints and Tips for Dressing Microdolls' A4 sheet.

At present I have 9 different colours in the range and the packs will be available on the website next week at the introductory price of just £3.00 each.

More anon.......

Plodding on.........

2012-02-13T10:06:00.000Z

A full-on working weekend has duly been ticked off my 'to do' list but predictably there still seem to be an awful lot of tasks left.

Lots of finishing off to do today and I'm planning on setting up our display stand in the dining room to plan the layout. Might even get to start on packing up our stock boxes, although that's pencilled in for Wednesday so I'm unlikely to get that far ahead of the posse.

Now all I have to do is ignore the clarion call of the displacement activity goblins, get off the laptop/internet and go and do some work.

Straight after I've checked my emails......

What the Dickens.......

2012-02-11T13:30:00.000Z

It cannot have escaped anyone of a literary bent that this week marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens.

I am ashamed (although I suspect I am not alone in this) to admit that I have never actually read any of his greatest works, apart from A Christmas Carol, and a few Ghost Stories.

As Radio 4 has been awash with wonderful adaptations, and the media generally has been in raptures of ecstasy one of our greatest writers, I feel suitably chastened, and in a mood of contrition decided to redress the balance and take advantage of the plethora of free Dickens offerings for the Kindle.

For the trifling sum of 99p it is possible to purchase his entire works, but I felt that would be a tad too daunting, so I settled for a few of his less well-known books, including The Cricket on the Hearth, for no other reason than it features a toymaker, albeit an evil one.

"Tackleton the Toy merchant, pretty generally known as Gruff and Tackleton—for that was the firm, though Gruff had been bought out long ago; only leaving his name, and, as some said, his nature, according to its Dictionary meaning, in the business—Tackleton the Toy merchant was a man whose vocation had been quite misunderstood by his Parents and Guardians. If they had made him a Money Lender, or a sharp Attorney, or a Sheriff's Officer, or a Broker, he might have sown his discontented oats in his youth, and, after having had the full run of himself in ill-natured transactions, might have turned out amiable, at last, for the sake of a little freshness and novelty. But, cramped and chafing in the peaceable pursuit of toymaking, he was a domestic Ogre, who had been living on children all his life, and was their implacable enemy. He despised all toys; wouldn't have bought one for the world; delighted, in his malice, to insinuate grim expressions into the faces of brown-paper farmers who drove pigs to market, bellmen who advertised lost lawyers' consciences, movable old ladies who darned stockings or carved pies; and other like samples of his stock-in-trade. In appalling masks; hideous, hairy, red-eyed Jacks in Boxes; Vampire Kites; demoniacal Tumblers who wouldn't lie down, and were perpetually flying forward, to stare infants out of countenance; his soul perfectly revelled. They were his only relief, and safety-valve. He was great in such inventions. Anything suggestive of a Pony nightmare was delicious to him. He had even lost money (and he took to that toy very kindly) by getting up Goblin slides for magic lanterns, whereon the Powers of Darkness were depicted as a sort of supernatural shell-fish, with human faces. In intensifying the portraiture of Giants, he had sunk quite a little capital; and, though no painter himself, he could indicate, for the instruction of his artists, with a piece of chalk, a certain furtive leer for the countenances of those monsters, which was safe to destroy the peace of mind of any young gentleman between the ages of six and eleven, for the whole Christmas or Midsummer Vacation."

I suspect that he may come to a sticky end. Either that or be redeemed.

So as soon as I've finished reading the current tome on my Kindle, I shall thoroughly immerse myself in the eloquent verbosity of the undisputed champion of social justice and the king of Victorian literature.

Groundhog day........

2012-02-10T10:54:00.000Z

I know that the official Groundhog Day was on Feb 2, but I'm experiencing the Groundhog Day phenomenon of re-living the same day over and over, with little prospect of transcending it.

Every morning I wake up and scuttle into the workroom, to begin anew the round of tasks awaiting completion.

In fact, to continue with the rodent analogy, I feel a lot like a hamster in a wheel.

Hopefully though, there is an end in sight, as this time next week we will be packing the car and heading off towards Oxfordshire, leaving Small Dog in the capable hands of her two designated house/dog sitters for the weekend. She did put in a bid to come with us but was overruled, two to one.

So I will be working through the weekend, putting finishing touches to the various toys and tiny dolls on my desk and I'm cautiously optimistic that by next Wednesday I'll be ready to start packing up our stock boxes and organising our display.

In other news, it's bitterly cold, and we still have a generous covering of snow in the garden, which shows little sign of thawing anytime soon. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we don't have more snow and that temperatures will rise enough to keep the ice at bay.

Right..... back to it then.

*sigh*

Out for the Count......

2012-02-08T18:02:00.000Z

Apparently St. Leonards on Sea is about to have a Transylvanian-themed restaurant on the seafront.

I know nothing about Romanian cuisine, so I'm not sure if I'll be gorging myself on 'Dracula's Head' or blood-red wine.

Think I'll play safe and just have a stake.......

*groan*

Is that the time already....?

2012-02-08T11:17:00.000Z

No, I haven't slipped into a hypothermic coma following my sub-polar expedition on Sunday. I've just been working like a demon trying to get back on track for the Thame Fair, about which, I'm sure, you're sick to death of hearing.

Aside from feeling tired, the only lingering ill effect is a crop of burgeoning cold sores which are making my life a misery. Anyone who suffers from cold sores will know that a combination of stress and extreme cold, will bring the little buggers scuttling from whichever nerve ending they're using as their lair, to create painful pustules, which form into crusty scabs, inevitably cracking and bleeding several times until they finally disappear.

Yes.

Yes I know.

Eeeewwwww doesn't even come close.

The entire process from warning tingle to all-clear can take up to two weeks. I thought I might have caught them in time, as I always treat with anti-viral cream and/or patches at the first hint of a tingle, but as my face was one big tingle all day Sunday, I obviously missed the optimum time to treat.

Buggrit.

I do hope they've gone before Thame, otherwise I shall have to carry a little bell and wear a sign round my neck like a plague victim.

Also there's the chance that some kind-hearted soul will reel back in horror and exclaim:

"Ugh.... what's that thing on your lip?'

Bit of a conversation stopper that.

However, I didn't come here today to reveal more of my myriad defects.

No.

Instead I came to try to gain some perspective on what I should be doing. This is because, when faced with a rapidly approaching deadline, instead of staying calm and methodically working through the tasks at hand, I start to panic and spend 10 minutes on one thing before I suddenly decide that it's a waste of time and start something else.

This cycle is repeated several times until I am trapped in a downward spiral of defeatism, culminating in my lying slumped across the desk, face-down in a dish of glue, cocktail sticks and feathers stuck in my hair, twitching sporadically and showing every indication of being a mad woman.

No change there then.

So today I am going to really, REALLY try to stay focused and work in a calm and methodical way.

Now that I've committed that pledge to print, and sent it out into the ether, I will have to stick to it.

The incredible journey.........

2012-02-06T13:21:00.000Z

I certainly picked a good weekend to visit my daughter in London. Rail links between Hastings and London are fairly diabolical at the the best of times and trying to get home yesterday was definitely NOT the best of times. After spending a lovely few days in my daughter's cosy flat, I anticipated that the substantial snowfall on Saturday evening might present a few problems with my getting home, but we left for the station, we checked online to find that trains were indeed running and that only minor delays were anticipated.

HA!

I won't bore you with the gory details. I've calmed down significantly since I arrived back home early yesterday evening after a 6 hour ordeal which entailed spending almost 2 hours on a freezing cold station platform at London Bridge, followed by being turfed off the so-late-it-went-from-delayed-to-cancelled train at Tonbridge with no explanation or expectation of getting any further, getting even colder waiting for a replacement train, then having to complete the last leg of the journey from Robertsbridge by bus, which had no heating.

When I finally got to Warrior Square Station there was nary a taxi to be seen so I had to wait a further 20 minutes for one, which was then unable to to get up our road so I was deposited at the bottom and had to trudge slowly up, step by painful step, almost in tears with sheer exhaustion and excruciating pain.

PP spotted me coming and met me a little way down the road, relieving me of my luggage and offering me a steadying arm. I have never been so glad to get home.

In the sitting room there was a roaring fire, on the sofa a cosy duvet to help me thaw out, and on a little table, an empty glass beside a miniature of single malt, all of which helped to bring me out of my hypothermic trance.

Not to mention the ministrations of Small Dog, who methodically licked every inch of exposed, blue-frozen skin and then settled down with me under the duvet to add her body heat to mine.

It took the best part of 1 1/2 hours to get any feeling back in my hands and feet, by which time they felt as though they were on fire. I've no idea how long it takes to get frostbite but on my final frozen trek up the hill to get home I was beginning to hallucinate about removing my boots and leaving all my black, frostbitten toes inside. If that had been the case, I resolved to package up my gangrenous appendages and post them to the Chief Executive of Southeastern Trains as irrefutable proof of the suffering that a mere 6 inches of snow can wreak upon their long-suffering customers.

I have regained a modicum of equilibrium today, although I've been just too tired to even think about getting into the workroom to do some work. However, I really should go and try to do something useful while awaiting the thaw which will render our road passable again.

*sigh*

Small Dog's mini-me.......

2012-02-02T17:22:00.000Z

It is absolutely freezing here today. So cold that I have an awful splitting headache which refuses to submit to painkillers so I've been tinkering around today, doing stuff which doesn't require me to have clear vision and rock-steady hands.

That aside, Small Dog and I received a heart-warming package in the post this morning, which contained this......

The miniature likeness of Small Dog was created by the very talented Catherine Black from France, whose blog/website I showcased not long ago. It's beautifully made, with a sweet little red leather collar and even has a swivel head. Just like the real thing in fact.

Small Dog is particularly pleased because her mini-me has what she calls a 'paw-span waist'.

*cough*

Even smaller Small Dog is now installed in my day nursery, gazing longingly at a plate of minuscule French Fancies on the doll's dolls tea party table.

Surely a case of art imitating life.....

Balancing act..........

2012-02-01T16:02:00.000Z

As a child, I always loved to watch those entertainers from a bygone age on tv, usually jugglers, whose grand finale was always setting plates spinning on a row of thin poles.

I'd be on the edge of my seat with excitement as they'd notice, from one end of the long row, a plate at the other end, slowing down and threatening to fall off, so they'd have to dash back, wiggle the pole to get the plate going again, then back to the other end to finish placing the pile of plates.

The anticipation of impending doom, mixed with unbridled anxiety and the hope that not a single plate would fall and smash before the final plate was spun wreaked havoc with my young emotions, and to this day, similar endeavours sweep me in and I'm back to being a child, gripping the arms of the sofa and yelling encouragement.

So these days, when I'm performing the role of plate-spinner myself, I can appreciate just how alert and focused those jugglers really were, in the guise of light entertainment.

Today, and for the next two weeks, I shall be in a constant state of nervous agitation, trying to keep umpteen plates all spinning safely, while continually adding more.
I like to think I'm quite good at multi-tasking and while things are going more or less to plan I'm usually happy to add more to the mix.

However I need to be constantly on my guard, for I only need to take my eye off the plates for a nano-second, for them to begin to wobble precariously before crashing to the ground and invariably shattering into a gazillion pieces.

This morning was a useful taste of things to come. I had to simultaneously juggle two rather complex financial transactions, compose two letters related to same, catch up on emails and snail mail correspondence, deal with several urgent admin-related matters and design and execute an online survey related to our January Home Workshop Pack project before dovetailing some micro-wigging with preparations for a new batch of exotic animal pullalong toys.

I'm now in a bit of spin myself, so I'm taking a few minutes out for a tea break.

When I return to the fray shortly I shall be revising my 'to do' list and working out what is realistically achievable in the next 10 full working days before we pack up for the Thame Fair.

I can confidently predict the onset of a run of 12-hour days...... hope I don't run out of plates.

A last goodbye........

2012-01-31T17:21:00.000Z

Since yesterday we've been away to attend PP's nephew's funeral. His family live deep in the Cambridgeshire countryside, in the midst of flat, featureless fens. It's an area of the country I've never visited before and I was astounded at how foreign it felt, in comparison to the gently rolling green hills and woodlands of East Sussex.

I'm sure that on a warm, bright, summer's day, the fens feel very different, but in the bitterly cold and bleak, dying days of January, they presented a rather desolate vista. With few trees and hedgerows, there is little to deflect the force of gales blowing in from the North Sea. The occasional hardy trees which dot the landscape bear the brunt of the winds and seem to be vainly struggling to cling on to the rich, peaty soil, which is a startling, universal black.

This landscape seemed to reflect the universal sadness felt by everyone who attended the service yesterday. By their very nature, funerals are always immensely sad occasions, but I have rarely experienced such an emotional and deeply moving ceremony, perfectly judged, simple and heartfelt.

A fitting valediction for a kind and gentle man who was so obviously loved and held in high regard not only by his family, but by his friends, neighbours and work colleagues, so many of whom packed into the crematorium to celebrate a life well lived, and say a final goodbye........

The clock is ticking......

2012-01-29T12:58:00.000Z

Work continues on our preparations for the Thame Fair in just under three week's time. Due to the sad events of the last two weeks, my schedule has, inevitably, gone slightly awry, but no matter.

There are far more important things in life than work.

I'm aiming to get back on track this week and I'm hopeful that I will have at least one new mini kit ready in time for the fair.

We're also working on the next Home Workshop Pack, details of which will be announced in February.

Lastly, time is running out on our January Sale which expires on Tuesday. There are still a few bargains to be had.....

Microwigging........

2012-01-25T17:40:00.000Z

I've been working on a new kit today, aimed at demystifying the process of wigging tiny microdolls. As a result I am covered from head to toe in a fine layer of viscose.

It's on my eyelashes, up my nose, in my mouth.....the fine filaments seems to get everywhere.

However I've managed to amass a tray full of a variety of different wigmaking sections, which will go into the kits, hopefully in time for Thame.

In other news, it's Burns Night tonight. Sadly we won't be tucking into the traditional dinner of haggies, neeps and champit tatties, although I may well succumb to a wee dram of a very acceptable single malt before the night is out.

Meanwhile, Small Dog is doing a very good impression of a wee sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beastie, having been hunting up the garden, under the hedge and in the long grass, getting cold and wet in the process. She is most upset that I won't allow her to use my lap as a heated towel.

January sale......

2012-01-24T17:34:00.000Z

My tidy up today has turned into a full-scale clearout, so I've listed some old stock or discontinued toy dolls, books and games on the website HERE at up to half price.

These sale items will be available until the end of January but it seems that the word has already got out and things are going quickly.

I also have some bigger items for sale which can't be posted, including a 1/12th scale conservatory, a doll's house basement kit, and an 8-roomed display mounted on a turntable. These are only available to pick up either from my home or alternatively can be collected at the Thame Fair next month. I'll sort out details and photographs for those tomorrow.

I've still not finished sorting out the workroom though, so more 'surplus to requirements' treasures may yet come to light.

Sisyphean task.......

2012-01-24T10:58:00.000Z

As a child I lived in the world of fairy tales and myths. I still have a book which belonged to my mother when she was a small child, Tales of the Arabian nights, and even just looking at the coloured plates can instantly transport me back to being curled up on the sofa in front of the coal fire, following the exploits of Sinbad or Aladdin.

Similarly I was fascinated by myths and legends, particularly the Greek myths, where a miserly king could turn his beloved daughter into gold, and gods and goddesses plagued the lives of mortals.

I must have had a maudlin mindset though, as the myths which particularly captured my imagination were ones where the hero was set an impossible task which they would invariably overcome, or even more to my liking were the ingenious punishments meted out in Hades, such as the one eventually endured by King Sisyphus, who spawned his own adjective.

He had a long-running feud with the gods which was bound to end in tears. First he angered them by telling Asophus that Zeus (who admittedly did have a reputation for such things) had carried off his daughter, Aegina. Not content with that, when Death came for him, Sisyphus chained him up, temporarily granting immortality to all of humanity. When he was finally brought down to the underworld he instructed his wife to leave his body unburied which served as an excellent excuse to travel back up (primarily in order to punish his long-suffering wife) and live for a long time before dying again. However, by that time, inevitably, he had built up a lot of bad blood in Hades, so when he finally arrived he was given a cruel and unusual sentence.

His punishment was to endlessly roll a massive stone up a hill. As soon as it reached the top it would fall all the way back to the bottom and he would have to start again.

He must have been a bit of a tourist attraction in Hades, as Homer wrote:

And I saw Sisyphus at his endless task raising his prodigious stone with both his hands. With hands and feet he tried to roll it up to the top of the hill, but always, just before he could roll it over on to the other side, its weight would be too much for him, and the pitiless stone would come thundering down again on to the plain.

The Greek myths are littered with cracking stories like this, such as the daughters of Danaus whose task was drawing water in a sieve, or poor Tantalus (who gave us the word 'tantalising') who had to stand in a pool, his chin level with the water, eternally thirsty, as if he bent his head to drink the water immediately drained away. As if that wasn't bad enough, he was also surrounded by fruit laden trees but if he tried to pick any, the winds whirled the branches high above his reach.

So, the moral of these tales is fairly obvious...... don't aggravate the gods.

But I digress.

This morning I am tackling a similar ordeal.

Namely.....

There is not a single square millimetre of useful space on any surface anywhere in the workroom. Likewise the floor, which is piled with boxes, bits of display stand etc. A bit of mess is to be expected in the run up to a fair but this is ridiculous.

So I intend spending the next few hours attempting to restore some semblance of order to the chaos.

My very own Sisyphean task.......

*sigh*

How small is too small.......?

2012-01-24T09:56:00.001Z

Having moved down a scale, from 1/12th to 1/24th, I can appreciate the extra effort which goes into the smaller micro scales.

I spent several hours yesterday working on the kit of a very elaborate 1/144th scale 'Tower House', for hopefully obvious reasons, so I can only imagine the trials and tribulations of this 'uber micro' artist.....

Absolutely amazing work and such a modest, self-effacing genius.....

Creative endeavours........

2012-01-23T13:24:00.001Z

I just can't seem to get warm today. My hands are absolutely freezing, which makes working on my 1/144th scale Tower House a bit tricky, so have abandoned that until the heating comes back on later and have been concentrating instead on some new Alice in Wonderland toys.

My carefully planned work schedule for Thame has gone right out the window so I've decided to work on things I actively enjoy doing, rather than those I feel I should be doing.

At least for this week.

I had also been intending sorting out our February home workshop pack project but in the current circumstances, and with the Thame Fair also in February, I may not have time.

No matter, I have plenty of ideas to be going on with........

Equilibrium.......

2012-01-22T15:49:00.000Z

The past 5 days have been extremely difficult and highly emotional. Although I'm not family, I've been with them every step of the way and it is impossible not to share the emotional impact.

As always, the family is pulling together, with everyone looking after one another and trying to come to terms with the overwhelming shock and grief, each in their own way.

Creativity has been beyond me this week, but I've been trying to keep busy, mostly doing mindless admin-related tasks...... anything which doesn't require a great deal of thought or imagination. Over the next week though I need to try to get back in the saddle and get back on track with preparations for the Thame Fair in 4 weeks time. It's good that I've got something to focus on otherwise I'd just be faffing around achieving nothing and feeling more and more ineffectual.

I'm going to have to radically prune my 'to do' lists though, which is probably no bad thing......

So sad........

2012-01-20T13:27:00.000Z

It's been a very sad week....

PP's nephew passed away on Wednesday.

Only two years younger than me, I knew him as a loving and devoted son, husband and father, totally committed to his family... a kind and gentle man.

In such a short time he had so much to deal with.....neurosurgery, chemotherapy, aggressive drug treatments, a gruelling course of radiotherapy...... all of which he bore with an indomitable spirit and as much humour and good grace as he could muster.

Sadly, despite a herculean effort, the disease proved too cruel and relentless.

Those left behind, his mum and dad, wife, son and daughter, his relatives, as well as his many friends, are now struggling to come to terms with his sudden loss.

So, very, very sad......

Delusions of grandeur......

2012-01-16T10:54:00.000Z

With less than 5 weeks to go till the Thame Fair, I called an impromptu business breakfast meeting this morning, in order to rally the troops.

Small Dog is always a reluctant attendee at business meetings, especially if there are no tempting treats, but give her her due....... she was there, right on time, bright eyed and bushy-tailed.

After running through the To Do lists, and allocating the various tasks for this week, Small Dog asked for an item to be added to 'Any Other Business', which we allowed.

Taking centre stage (well, the middle of the rug) and commanding our full attention, she suggested that we initiate an 'Employee of the Month' award, and put herself forward for January.

After we'd finished laughing uproariously for a good ten minutes, during which Small Dog eyed us contemptuously, I pointed out that her track record as an employee was less than glittering, and enquired why she thought she merited the award.

This was playing right into her paws.

Straight off she recounted her 'brilliant' marketing idea for 'Dog Eared Dolls', which admittedly we had scotched immediately.
Then she reeled off her current 'onerous' duties within the company..... Business Mascot, Sleeping Partner, Clapper Dog and Tea Dog. There followed a spirited discourse over the latter, and the fact that she had never, ever made either of us a cup of tea, which, after an increasingly acrimonious altercation, she did finally accept.

Although she did point out that she was always there, or thereabouts, if there were ever tea (and possibly biscuits) so surely that counted for something.

It is gratifying to know that Small Dog is putting so much thought into ways to increase our business revenues, not to mention morale-boosting ideas, but I have to admit, I'm not too sure about this whole 'Employee of the Month' malarkey.

However, I'm sure I haven't heard the end of it..........

Is it just me............

2012-01-15T19:53:00.000Z

..... or is there something very, very wrong about this video?

So much for no displacement activity this weekend. Reminds me of the cautionary tale of The Lion and Albert

I've never liked zoos..... or circuses *shudder*

Working weekend..... again

2012-01-14T11:22:00.000Z

Really crisp, hard frost this morning. We need several really cold days like this to harden up our front lawn so that we can move the caravan off the drive and into its spot over by the fence.... the ground has been too soft and muddy and we don't want to risk it sinking up to its axles again!

Will be working today and tomorrow. With the Thame Fair just 5 weeks away I need to buckle down and get on with my hopelessly optimistic 'To Do' list.

I don't really know why I call it that. There are several more appropriate list titles.

Such as the..... 'If I Can Get Round To It' list
Or the...... 'Would Be Great If I Could Manage These' list
Or even the...... 'Not A Cat's Chance In Hell Of Achieving These' list

However, 5 weeks is a relatively long time so I'm cautiously confident that I'll be able to tick off at least 25% of the list contents.

More likely 20%

Almost definitely 15%

*sigh*

In other news, orders for the wee kiltie toy doll kits end tomorrow so if you've been trying to make your mind up which tartan to go for, or need any further information, just send me an email. Purchasers of the kits will also have access to a video tutorial, plus interactive online session on 31 January.

Right.... I'm off to huddle by the radiator in the workroom and get some work done. So no displacement activity for me today......

*ahem*

Breaking news........

2012-01-12T19:48:00.000Z

Small Dog takes a keen interest in stories about Yorkshire Terriers around the world. So when this popped into her 'inbox' earlier this evening she especially asked me to share it with you.

While Small Dog is not unhappy for her namesake to wear the crown of World's Smallest Working Dog, she has expressed the opinion that surely the number of working hours should count towards the accolade and has decided to write to the Guinness Book of Records to see if there is an award for 'Small Dog who works the longest number of hours per week'.

According to her, she holds down two full time and one part time jobs, namely Business Mascot (full-time), Sleeping Partner (full-time) and Clapper Dog (part-time).

She is now a dog with a mission...... and we know what she's like when she gets the bit between her teeth.

Small Dog Productions presents............

2012-01-12T19:29:00.000Z

After a number of false starts this morning, including ditching the flexible tripod thingy which kept falling off my lap, PP and I managed to solve all of the many unforeseen problems which arose, and I finally managed to complete the filming for our video tutorial.

However, first I had to make something vital to help things along........

I had to do that because experience has taught me that every time I start to do something which requires complete silence I can absolutely guarantee that the phone or the doorbell will ring, or Small Dog will suddenly decide to practice her barking exercises?

Granted, my video tutorials might be a bit rough round the edges, but extraneous noise on the soundtrack is a definite faux pas.

Speaking of Small Dog, she did enquire if there were any vacancies for Clapper Dog. She was duly interviewed and performed so well that she was offered the job on the spot.
We settled on a remuneration package of 1 treat biscuit per scene, with a half hour break for walk and wees, plus invitation to the wrap party. She was a bit miffed that there wasn't a uniform but we compromised by putting on her scarf so that she could demonstrate she was part of the production team.

So, all in all, a good day's work. Tomorrow we'll start on the editing and Small Dog can apply for the position of Tea Dog if she likes.......

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.......

2012-01-11T18:23:00.000Z

That rhythmic banging noise you can hear is the sound of my forehead repeatedly hitting my desk.

And the reason for this self-flagellation.....?

Well today I decided to take a run at the video tutorial for the little toy doll's doll in tartan, which has to be ready for the online session on 31 January. So I tidied my desk, carefully positioned the lighting and started to set up the video camera.

I recently found a rather nifty flexible tripod which I thought would make it easier to film things in closeup, with the camera, on my desk.....

It really is quite a well made piece of kit. Each of the light coloured sections can move independently through 360 degrees in any direction and the rubbery feet means that it can 'grip' onto slippery surfaces.

So, I played around with it for a while, trying to find the perfect position where it the camera could capture exactly what I was doing with my hands. I should mention that I already have a full height adjustable camera tripod, but it takes up a lot of space, which is severely restricted in the workroom. If I do manage to prop it up behind me so that the camera films over my shoulder, invariably it gets knocked over, or because the viewing screen is behind me I don't get the work centred properly in the viewfinder.

In theory, the small desktop tripod ticked all the boxes for solving my problems.

In theory........

In practice, things weren't quite so straightforward. With the camera positioned to the side of my workmat, I had to work at a very uncomfortable angle which was impossible to sustain.
I then tried it at the back of the workmat but the viewing angle was completely wrong.

Putting it right in front of me on the desk, I had problems seeing over the top of the camera to what I was doing, although the angle was much better.

Finally, I tried wrapping two of the tripod legs round what I laughingly call my waist, with the third performing the function of steadying the camera against the edge of the desk. This did work.

Sort of.

I could see the screen, the distance and viewing angle were perfect. The only problem was that my hands kept wandering out of shot if I looked at what I was doing rather than watching the viewfinder.

So far so good. Nothing a little practice won't fix. With the first section completed, I then had to transfer it into the computer for editing.

This was when the fun really started.

My laptop doesn't have a firewire port, so I have to first transfer the AVI video onto the desktop computer, then put the video into a shared network folder which I can access from my laptop.
I've done it loads of times, but because I don't do it frequently or regularly, I can never remember exactly what to do each time.

There followed a frustrating hour or so while PP and I tried various combinations of ways to capture the video. My video camera is several years old and records onto mini DV tapes. Modern cameras record directly onto digital media, SD cards and the like, which are simplicity itself to transfer from the camera into a computer.

Eventually, by dint of switching off the computer and switching it back on again (go figure) we did manage to persuade the camera to communicate with the computer and eventually managed to transfer the video file into the editing software.

All of this took all afternoon, just for 4 minutes of video!

Hence the thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.........

However, I now know what NOT to do, so I'll have another go at it tomorrow.

Because you're worth it.........

2012-01-10T19:56:00.000Z

Forget detox, diets and dermabrasion.

So long exercise, enemas and electrolysis.

Say goodbye to botox, body buffing and bogus beauty claims

If only we'd known it was this simple......

Fotoshop by Adobé from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

Lost in translation...........

2012-01-09T21:59:00.000Z

Despite the fact I'm supposed to be completely focused on work at the moment, with no time at all for displacement activity, I did get sidetracked over the weekend by a rather marvellous blog.

Apart from the lovely toys I was particularly taken with a certain couple of small dogs, which you can see if you scroll down the page.

So I got in touch with Catherine to let her know how much I enjoyed her blog and website, especially the dogs, and mentioned Small Dog too. In a few email exchanges, each of us trying our best to communicate in each other's language, me in my schoolgirl French and with the aid of an online translator for the words I couldn't remember, and she in much better English, I described Small Dog as 'délabré' intending to mean 'scuffy'.

I had an email earlier this evening from an amused Catherine, saying that "In French it means that she is like an old house damaged by time, everything is broken and it is difficult to stand up"!

I have refrained from relaying this information to Small Dog. She would be insulted enough by my description of her as scruffy, let alone a derelict old house

I think I'll steer clear of online translators from now on.....

Warm, fuzzy glow........

2012-01-09T17:54:00.000Z

Having kept my head down, working, working working all day today I now have a warm,fuzzy glow of satisfaction. Which is just as well as it's been really cold all day and our heating has only just come on. I'm seriously considering a pair of fingerless mitts as there were points today when my hands were so cold I could hardly hold a sewing needle.

Nevertheless, progress on orders for our January Home Workshop Pack has been steady and I'm hoping to be ready to make a start on the video tutorial tomorrow so I'm keeping my frostbitten fingers crossed that we will have a bright sunny day tomorrow to add to the natural light in the workroom.

Thus far, 75% of people who have ordered a kit have chosen Royal Stewart tartan, which I must admit is my favourite too. When I was doing a bit of background research I discovered that it is the best known tartan of the royal House of Stewart, and is also the personal tartan of Queen Elizabeth II. As such it is appropriate for all her subjects to wear the Royal Stewart tartan in the same way as clan members may wear the tartan of their clan chief.

To say nothing of its patronage by ageing rocker Rod Stewart.

In other news, there are now less than 6 weeks until the Thame Fair so I must guard against any hints of complacency, to which I am chronically prone.

38 days might sound like quite a long time, and indeed if you are counting down to a much-anticipated social event or holiday those days will just crawl by. However if you're counting down to a work-related deadline they will zap past in a flash. It seems like only yesterday I had a whole 70 days in which to completely redesign and prepare a stunning display while simultaneously creating lots of new miniature toys and dolls.

Might have to start burning the midnight oil..... at least it might help warm me up.

New year, same old..........

2012-01-09T11:45:00.000Z

Despite the fact I worked all over the weekend, today has a definite Monday - first day of the working week feeling. It's cold and resolutely grey outside and I'm trying to get myself organised so that I can make a stab at achieving the frankly ridiculous amount of stuff on my 'to do this week' list.

Having worked through the weekend, I should be feeling positively virtuous, but in common with probably most of the population of the UK, I'm facing this first full working week of the New Year with a definite sense of 'meh', swiftly followed by a hearty helping of 'bleargh' and a side order of 'whatever'.

Perhaps I should take up a new hobby.......

SENSE OF FLYING from Goovinn on Vimeo.

January Home Workshop Pack available now......

2012-01-06T15:29:00.000Z

I'm delighted to announce the release of our first home workshop pack of 2012.....

Create a free slideshow

Full details are on our website and we will be taking orders until Sunday 15 January on a first come first served basis.

I'm really quite excited about our new Home Workshop Packs. We used to offer them several years ago, in conjunction with our one day workshops, but thanks to the march of technology we can now produce a video tutorial and embed it in our cosy virtual classroom, which also has live video and audio links. This means that students can actually see how the various projects are made AND participate in an interactive online session without leaving the comfort of their home, wherever they are in the world!

Not only that, they can revisit the video tutorial whenever they like, and of course we offer full email support on a continuing basis until students have completed their project.

We have lots of exciting ideas for miniature projects in the coming year so keep a lookout for updates on this blog and our website.

In other news, the friendly countdown timer on my desktop informs me that I have just 40 prep days left before our first (and very possibly only) fair of 2012 at Thame in Oxfordshire on Saturday 18th February. A quick glance at my 'to do' list of new toys and kits to have ready in time for Thame does nothing to reassure me.

I sense a full-on working weekend in prospect....

It begins............

2012-01-04T14:19:00.000Z

It would appear that my premonition that 2012 is beginning badly is being borne out.

Our post was late today, arriving around lunchtime, and contained a letter from my bank informing me that they had identified some unusual activity on the business current account and that a member of the security and fraud team wished to speak to me URGENTLY.

Slightly worried, I called the designated number and had my worries confirmed when none of the security information I supplied on the automated transfer system was accepted. Despite having done nothing wrong, by the time I worked my way through to speak to a member of the fraud team I was in full 'guilt mode' and convinced that the FBI, CIA, MI5 and Interpol would all be hacking into the call to witness my confession to major financial fraud.

Apparently my account had been 'compromised', despite nothing having been taken, and, so far as I could understand, no attempt having been made to use my debit card information. However the fraud chap was adamant that their system had flagged up that the card was on the cusp of being used for nefarious purposes, and they wanted to check on three transactions in particular, made on 20 December.

One was for an online payment to a supplier I've used for many years, another was for £1.97 to the Post Office I always use for sending out orders, and the third was for a cash withdrawal of a relatively small amount, just four days before Christmas.

Now, call me pedantic, but I'm fairly sure that fraudsters wouldn't make use of my card to buy a small packet of craft PhotoFabric, then pop round to the Post Office in Battle Road to carry out a transaction for £1.97. I'll grant that the cash withdrawal directly from the business account is relatively unusual, but surely not enough to warrant a fraud investigation given that it was taken out from the ATM inside my usual bank and well within the daily withdrawal limit.

Having solemnly sworn in triplicate that the three suspect transactions were completely authorised and above board, the fraud chap equally solemnly informed me that in any case they would be cancelling the suspect debit card and issuing me with another which would be with me in 5-7 working days. Leaving me with the problem of how to make payment for some due bills for which I'm going to have to do an online transfer to another account then pay using a different card.

Part of me is pleased that my bank is working so hard to keep my account safe and secure, another part of me is annoyed that I'm being inconvenienced for no apparent reason. And yet another more paranoid part of me is becoming convinced that 2012 has it in for me and there's still 361 days to go.......

Ouch.......

2012-01-04T12:17:00.000Z

As predicted, following my physical exertions yesterday, I can barely move today. Absolutely everything hurts and I'm forced to move around like Mrs Overall playing a hunchback dwarf.

I may also have been a tad over optimistic about setting the workroom to rights..... it took me nearly 10 minutes just to drag the partly deflated guest airbed and all the bedding out of it and into the sitting room.

Thankfully, I don't have to tackle taking down the Christmas decorations today as I had it drummed into me as a child that it was incredibly bad luck to do so before Twelfth Night, which is tomorrow.

Twelfth Night is defined as "The evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking".
Oxford English Dictionary

So, 5th January is when all Christmas decorations should be removed so as not to bring bad luck upon the home. If they are not removed on Twelfth Night they should stay up all year.

So now you know.

Actually, after the day we had yesterday it was comforting to snuggle up in the glow of all the festive lights festooning the sitting room. It always seems a shame to take them down at the very moment, early in gloomy January, when they would provide most cheer.

I'm normally a 'glass half full' kind of girl, but even I don't have very high hopes for 2012. Already this year my DAB radio and electric toothbrush have both given up the ghost and since these things generally happen in 3s I'm nervously awaiting the next electrical demise.

Also, 23 January marks the Chinese New Year which will be the Year of the Dragon..... universally acknowledged to be very 'challenging' for those born in the Year of the Dog, which includes both myself, my daughter and (most notably) Small Dog.

Not that I believe in any of that superstitious nonsense.........

*cough*

2012....... meh

2012-01-03T17:39:00.000Z

And so we have returned today from a Twixmas sojourn in our little caravan, along with camping friends to celebrate the New Year. It was a most enjoyable short break until the early hours of this morning, when gale force winds assailed the campsite and at points during the night I genuinely feared for our lives as the van violently shook and shuddered and potentially deadly debris flew around the site.

The weather deteriorated even further this morning as the already gale force winds stepped up a notch and rain came down in horizontal sheets. Motorhomes and campervans were able to leave, albeit gingerly, but all the caravanners had no option but to wait it out. Even the most experienced caravan towers would think twice before hitching up and setting out in such high winds and having canvassed opinion from friends on what to do, the advice was firm and unequivocal...... 'stay put'.

Thankfully, after a bravura finale, during which I thought the storm was going to physically lift the caravan off our pitch and hurl us into the sea, the wind suddenly died down, and although it was still raining heavily we decided to make a run for it. Packing the car and hitching up in the pouring rain isn't much fun at the best of times but we were so grateful that the gales had died down that we didn't grumble ~~much~~.

The journey home was uneventful but several days of heavy rain have left our steeply sloping front garden sodden and waterlogged, so getting the caravan off the road and up onto its allotted space was an absolute nightmare. The electric mover couldn't grip the caravan tyres and a combination of the gradient and the weight of the van resulted in the wheels sinking practically up to the axles in mud.

After 90 minutes of struggling to try to push it bodily into place, our garden looked like the Somme and I was practically sobbing with pain and exhaustion. Eventually we had to abandon trying to get it onto the garden and put it on the drive instead. This means that we will have to attempt to put it where it should go later in the week, hopefully with the aid of a few fit and healthy young helpers who can help manhandle it into position.

So, not the most propitious of starts to the New Year.

I am avoiding making any resolutions this year, as they invariably fall by the wayside by the third week in January. We still have food to eat from the Christmas glut but that's fine in the gloomy, cold, dark days of early January. At least I shall be drought and famine resistant for the next few weeks.

It's back to work for me tomorrow, or it will be when I have packed up all the guest bed paraphernalia from the workroom, and relocated all the stuff temporarily stored in there for the duration of the festivities. I'm actually quite looking forward to getting back to it and having some proper structure to my day. A wealth of Christmas stationery has provided me with the wherewithal to record my creative thoughts and ideas and I've been using some of my festive holiday period to indulge in some forward planning so I will be calling a business breakfast meeting tomorrow morning to discuss work issues. Small Dog has been informed that her attendance is compulsory and aside from giving me a long-suffering "do I have to?" and "will there be crispy bacon rolls?" look she has refrained from further comment.

It only remains for me to wish all my loyal blog readers a belated but sincere Happy New Year. Let's hope it's a good one.......

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.......

2011-12-24T13:35:00.000Z

So, all of our house guests have now arrived and we've done the obligatory trip to Tesco to get all the last minute forgotten bits of shopping, just in case the bulging fridge, overflow cool boxes and groaning dresser in the dining room didn't provide enough sustenance.

I am fairly confident that we will be drought and famine resistant during the 24 hour period the shops are shut.

All the presents are wrapped and under the tree and I'm just about to get into relaxation mode with a glass of something festive.

So it only remains to wish all my faithful blog readers a very merry Christmas holiday.

What passes for normal service will be resumed after the festivities.

Oh no no no no no no no no no no no.......

2011-12-20T20:51:00.002Z

My lovely daughter and I share the same peculiar sense of humour.

So I make no apologies for this, which I was introduced to yesterday.

Apparently it is the cat's reaction to meeting a small child for the first time.

Go figure.......

Going over the top.........

2011-12-20T17:43:00.000Z

The title of this post doesn't refer to anything immoderately extravagant.

No.

It owes more to WWI trench warfare.

Having managed to do most of my Christmas shopping online, the remaining 10% required a hands on attitude, which necessitate us going into town and braving the hordes.

As predicted, Hastings was heaving. The area around the festive ice rink was 6 deep with children desperate to risk life and limb by donning skates and gripping onto a safety penguin before being launched out onto the icy wastes.

It wasn't much better in any of the shops, as we were swept along in the melee, occasionally surfacing momentarily for air, before being submerged in a sea of harrassed looking women bearing armfuls of carrier bags filled to overflowing.

A few bemused-looking men stood helplessly at the perfumery counters, eyes out on stalks at the price of Chanel No. 5 and doubtless wondering if they could get away with a small bottle of Yardley's Lavender Water instead.

As is traditional at Christmas, I had to run the gauntlet of the annual panic attack in the pound shop, which resembled nothing so much as Dante's seventh circle of hell, with queues right round the shop and legions of screaming children throwing their umpteenth tantrum.

Four hours just flew by* and we were then able to stagger back to the car and come home.

So with just two days to go before the family converge for Christmas it just remains to do the main food and wine shop, enough of both to last 6 people for three days......

Oh, and the present wrapping.

And the house cleaning.

And the bed changing.

Ho ho ho.......

*insert heavy irony here

Christmas Competition.....

2011-12-15T16:01:00.001Z

I've just posted a competition over on the Miniature Christmas blog!

Deadline for entries is 24 December..... good luck!

Apocalyptic weather........

2011-12-13T18:06:00.000Z

Down here on the south coast we've been relentlessly buffeted by gale force winds. A house just along the road in Bexhill had its roof blown off last night and there were times when I feared for ours.

Aside from the gales we had a thunderstorm today, just to add to the whole 'end of the world' scenario.

The weather is set to get even worse towards the weekend and being on the top of a hill I worry that we might wake up in Kansas.

See what I did there....?

Anyhoo, Christmas preparations are proceeding at a snail's pace. Cards have been bought but not written. House has been half decorated. Present shopping has ground to a halt. Every year I pledge that I will arrive at Christmas Eve thoroughly prepared and serene.

Yeah right.

We have finally managed to pin down the various family members and they're all going to be here for the duration. Usually we have a combination of any number of them coming and going at various times from Christmas Eve till Boxing Day.

So we have three days of meals for 6+ to plan and prepare for, and as usual we're debating whether or not to have turkey on Christmas Day.

Is anyone else suffering from pre-Christmas stress?

Just in time for Christmas..........

2011-12-11T15:55:00.000Z

CDHM has been having a bit of a makeover so getting into the spirit of the thing I've revamped my gallery and listed a few little toy dolls at very special prices, just in time for Christmas.

So if you're considering self-gifting this Christmas, you can view my CDHM gallery HERE.

Redressing the balance.....

2011-12-09T16:27:00.000Z

This blog is often accused of being completely dog-centric. While there may be some justification in that, in my defence, there is also the odd squirrel, guinea pig or other motley rodents.

However, perhaps it is time to redress the balance and present something for all you cat lovers out there.

Whoever you may be.......

Countdown to Christmas........

2011-12-08T17:32:00.000Z

After a final push to get all the outstanding commission orders completed this week, then packaged and posted out this afternoon, I feel as though I can finally start to get into the Christmas spirit.

I have designated Saturday as house decorating day, which necessitates getting into the loft tomorrow and doing battle with the legion of enourmous spiders who guard the Christmas decorations.

Once all the boxes are down, I'll be all set to transform the sitting room, hallway and dining room with all their festive finery. When it comes to Christmas, I'm firmly in the traditional red, gold and green camp, disdaining whichever current fad dictates this year's colours and absolutely NO tinsel, glitter or lametta.

This year turquoise and purple must be the 'must have' shades, if the selection in Tesco is anything to go by. Each year, we buy a special decoration to add to the tree, and it was a struggle sourcing one today which was both traditional and in my chosen colour. However, I did manage to find one so all is well.

So, I'm going to make a start tomorrow by cleaning and tidying downstairs in preparation for decorating on Saturday. If I'm really lucky there will be some old films showing on TV on Saturday afternoon which I can watch while I'm doing the tree.

Sounds like a plan........

Ay Carumba.......

2011-12-06T11:19:00.000Z

Surfacing today after several days of full-on nose to the grindstone.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Miniature Christmas Fayre over the weekend. The last of the orders will be packaged today then I have to tackle the unholy mess that is the workroom.

There are boxes everywhere, drifts of tissue paper, bubble wrap, and all the associated paraphernalia of order packaging. Not to mention all the stuff related to our two online sessions, which were a useful test of the technology. We had 'visitors' from as far afield as Russia, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and the US, most of whom got to meet Small Dog in person!

Speaking of Small Dog, the rest of her dressing is now off, revealing her stitches in all their gory glory. I will forbear posting photos just in case anyone has an over-sensitive gag reflex.

I'm also aware that Christmas is inching inexorably closer.... houses up our road are sprouting illuminated reindeer on their front lawns, flashing icicles hanging from their roofs and 8 foot Christmas trees in their sitting rooms.

So far we have one, lone card performing the function of Christmas decorations. I can't quite muster the energy or enthusiasm to drag all the boxes of stuff down from the loft but I suppose I'll have to do it before the weekend. When I was a child (and even when my children were little) we used to put up the decorations ONE WEEK before Christmas Day.

These days it's not unusual to see domestic decorations in situ in November, which rather takes the shine off it as far as I'm concerned.

Better go and get on before I come over all Bah Humbug.......

The trouble with young people today........

2011-12-04T18:35:00.000Z

As I edge closer to old age *cough* I find myself, against my better judgement, becoming ever more reactionary and curmudgeonly.

Which is why I was delighted to discover THIS WEBSITE.

I suspect that good ol' Don Mills may not be as old as he purports, but what the hell. He writes a damn good blog.

Christmas Fayre.... last chance!

2011-12-04T12:46:00.001Z

Our website is rather like Cinderella today..... on the stroke of midnight tonight all of the special-priced miniatures will revert to full price!

If you are tempted to treat yourself, or a mini-loving friend, remember that orders over £50 will qualify for a £5 gift voucher which you can use against future orders.

Also today, at 4.30 pm GMT, Small Dog and I will be online in our virtual classroom to answer any questions you might have and let you have a closer look at our range of miniature toys and dolls.

To join us simply FOLLOW THIS LINK at 4.30 (the session will not open until that time!)
Make sure your speakers are switched on otherwise you won't be able to hear me. If you have a microphone you will be able to talk to me directly, if not, don't worry, you will be able to type your questions or comments in the live chat box. This session is scheduled to last for one hour but you can pop in for just a few minutes if you like.

Hope to see you there......

Tower House Dolls Christmas Fayre.....

2011-12-02T15:35:00.000Z

Please join us this coming weekend for a touch of Christmas cheer.

No need to worry about the weather, travel delays, parking chaos or braving the crowds. Just settle down in front of your computer with a comforting mug of hot chocolate, or glass of warm mulled wine and do your mini shopping from home.
From midnight tonight till midnight on Sunday (GMT) we will be hosting our very own

Tower House Dolls Christmas Fayre!

Over the next two days there will be a range of one-off specials right across the website.

In addition, on both Saturday and Sunday you can join myself and Small Dog in the workroom, where we will have a live audio and video link so that you can see our miniature toys and dolls in detail and have a chat with us.

We will have two live video sessions as follows:

Saturday 3 December at 1pm GMT - Follow this link

Sunday 4 December at 4.30 GMT - Follow this link

There is a World Time Converter HERE for international visitors.

We will be sending a £5.00 Christmas Gift Voucher to anyone who places an order to the value of £50 or more (excluding P&P).

We do hope you can join us!

The spirit of Christmas....

2011-12-01T10:58:00.000Z

Another wonderful doggy-themed video.......

Just finished...........

2011-11-30T21:16:00.000Z

Well, the online class has just finished, and despite a few minor technical hitches, actually went quite well.

Tonight I had students from Belgium and Germany, both of whom, fortunately, spoke excellent English. I hope my Scottish accent didn't cause too many problems!

I have several ideas for how to develop and improve these online sessions for future workshops, but until I'd actually tried one for real, it was impossible to gauge how well (or otherwise!) it would work.

So, off to bed now with a welcome mug of hot chocolate and Small Dog to act as a hot water bottle.

Online workshop photos.....!

2011-11-30T20:43:00.001Z

As I type the online workshop is running and here is a photo of Sonja's finished doll.

Sonja is in Belgium!

Lights....camera...... action!

2011-11-30T18:57:00.000Z

It's been a fairly frenetic few days.

Small Dog has regained her joie de vivre with a vengeance and is resolutely refusing to stick to the regime prescribed by the vet, ie no excessive exercise, no jumping, no running up or down stairs etc. I'm assuming that her leg isn't causing her too much pain or she wouldn't be carrying on like an overwound clockwork toy.

In other news, December is just a few hours away and despite my best intentions I still haven't started my Christmas shopping.

*sigh*

In my defence, this is not entirely due to my woeful lack of organisation and planning, but also owes something to the fact that I've been rather pre-occupied with preparations for our first online workshop later today. This has entailed exhaustive testing of my audio and video equipment, not to mention uploading information to the virtual classroom and generally making sure that I've done everything I can.

I have absolutely NO IDEA if the technology will work as it should, therefore my first students will be performing the role of guinea pigs. I'm cautiously optimistic though, after my pre-class dress rehearsal earlier today, during which the sound and vision were exemplary, and the information displayed beautifully.

So, fingers crossed for later.....

If this initial class goes well, we will be offering a whole new programme of online classes starting in January. I already have lots of ideas, but if there is anything you'd particularly like us to feature, do let me know and I'll see what I can do......

Work, work, work.........

2011-11-28T13:45:00.000Z

With Small Dog on the mend, I can now turn my attention back to work, and have spent this morning catching up with all the unfinished stuff which built up last week.

Ordinarily, at this time, I'd be in major, free-fall panic about the Kensington Fair next weekend, but as I've decided not to exhibit this year I can relax.

Slightly...

Since we're not at KDF on Saturday we've decided to host a mini event from home instead and are busy planning a programme of hopefully interesting stuff which will take place over the weekend. Further details will be along shortly, but I can promise you at least one impromptu appearance by our world famous business mascot.

Yes Small Dog has been persuaded to put in a special guest appearance!

So I'd better get back to work..........

Things are looking up........

2011-11-27T17:25:00.000Z

Small Dog had her first 'proper' walk since her op, along Bexhill seafront today. She's only supposed to walk for up to 5 minutes intervals but she seemed to enjoy the bracing sea breeze in her fur, not to mention the attention from people who noticed her poorly leg.

She's been putting some weight on her bad leg today which is very good, after hobbling around on three legs since last Monday. Her appetite is much better and she's very much more her normal perky self, which is great.

After 6 nights of disturbed sleep I'm looking forward to life returning to some semblance of normality which is just as well as I have a full-on working week in prospect.

Thank you to everyone who has sent Small Dog 'get well soon' wishes.... I've passed all of them on to her individually and she sends her own special thanks for thinking of her.

Plan C......

2011-11-25T19:07:00.000Z

I've had my suspicions over the past three nights, but last night they were confirmed.

The airbed has a slow puncture.

Every now and then over the three days, we've 'topped it up' with the electric inflating thingy as it seemed a bit spongy. Each morning we seemed to hover mere millimetres above the floor and there was an uncharacteristic and unseemly rush to be first up so that the remaining sleeper hit the floor with a thunk.

Even Small Dog, who was quite keen on the airbed during the day, disdained to lie on it in the mornings until it was fully inflated.

So after three increasingly uncomfortable nights we've thrown in the towel, deflated what remained of the air in the (mis-named) airbed and are back to square one.

Thankfully, Small Dog does seem to have rallied somewhat today. She was particularly down and depressed yesterday and I feared her spirit was broken, which I'd hitherto believed to be indomitable. She was hardly eating or drinking and refusing to go outside. But worst of all were the sad, accusing looks she kept giving us, over the top of her bad leg.

She seems to have regained the will to live today though and has even eaten her dinner, in which we had cunningly concealed her medication. Granted, I had to hand-feed it to her, morsel by morsel, taking care not to wax too lyrical over the bits which had the pills secreted in them, but at least she has eaten.

In other news, I have belatedly realised that Christmas is looming ever closer. Aside from work-related festive preparations my personal preparations are still in the starting blocks.

I have done absolutely NOTHING.

No planning, no lists, no shopping.....

*sigh*

Perhaps I'll take a run at it this weekend........

Plan B.........

2011-11-23T16:11:00.000Z

After a mostly sleepless night on Monday, last night we hit on an alternative Plan B in an effort to maximise Small Dog's comfort and in the process hopefully ensuring a reasonable amount of sleep for all of us.

So, we unearthed the inflatable mattress we got on Freecycle years ago, and have never used, along with the rechargeable inflating thingy and decided to set up camp on the floor in the sitting room at least until Small Dog is less distressed and more mobile.

We did this once before, when she was just 6 months old and had been spayed. We dragged a huge mattress downstairs for that particular escapade and spent three nights camping out in the sitting room while Small Dog convalesced. All would have been well had we not been awake trying to comfort her in the small hours of the first morning, and turned on the TV. Just about the only thing worth watching at 3.30am in those days was a shopping channel, and having just obtained Freeview we had never before seen anything like it.

We were completely entranced.

Entranced and mesmerised.

So completely mesmerised, that after 45 minutes of ~~brain-washing~~ watching an in-depth section featuring a steam cleaner, we decided that our lives simply wouldn't be worth living if we couldn't have one and phoned an order through on the spot.

In the few days before the steam cleaner arrived we daydreamed about just how clean the house would be. Grimy tiles would be a thing of the past. We could dispense with all the cleaning products cluttering up the cupboards under the sink and save hundreds of pounds. Utilising only the power of steam we would have floors you could eat your dinner off, and kitchen surfaces more hygienic than most hospital operating theatres.

Those few idyllic days before it arrived were among the best of our lives. We were living in blissful ignorance.

Within a few hours of its arrival we had indeed cleaned most of the hard surfaces in the house. We gasped at how it cut through soap scum in the shower cubicle. We thrilled to how quickly it dissolved dried on muck on the kitchen floor. We laughed with joy to discover just how easily it dealt with baked residues in the oven and on the gas hob.

Yes, the house was beginning to resemble a Turkish bath courtesy of the gallons of vaporised water in the atmosphere but that was a small price to pay for such sparkling cleanliness due to the simple power of steam.

Hindsight being a wonderful thing, if only we'd stopped there.

If only we'd just called it a day and opened a celebratory bottle of wine to toast our success.

But no.

In a final, fatal flourish, we set about steam cleaning the front of the kitchen cupboard doors, which were a glossy white. It started well enough, with no hint of the horror to come. We'd done three of the wall units and were just about to start on the fourth when we happened to glance back at the first. All over the door, the glossy coating which had hugged the curvy mouldings, had shrunk and either gone completely flat or all bubbly.

We gawped open-mouthed in horror, as all the coating on all the other doors slowly started to melt and deform. It didn't happen instantly, in which case we would only have ruined a small section. Instead it happened slowly, several minutes after the initial application of the steam, so that by time we noticed what was happening we'd already destroyed the front of every wall unit door along one wall.

Buggrit.

So rather than save a small fortune on cleaning products, we ended up spending more than a small fortune on a new kitchen. Needless to say, the steam cleaner has been banished to the back of the understairs cupboard from that day to this. I do sometimes consider getting it out to deep clean the bathroom, or the kitchen floor, but the memory of that day is so seared into my psyche that I can't even bear to look at it.

So, over the next night or two, while Small Dog is still immobilised, we are assiduously avoiding watching ANY of the shopping channels, just in case we get the red mist and order another completely inappropriate bit of useless kit.

Small Dog is still not quite herself. She's not eating or drinking without a lot of persuasion, so getting her to take her medication is proving a challenge. However, she came with us to the Post Office earlier today, and on the way back we took a slight detour to a nice flat playing field, where she had a tentative slow walk (well not so much a walk as a hobble) for 5 minutes, as per the vet's instructions, before she went all wobbly and had to be carried.

She's currently all tucked up in front of the fire on the inflatable bed in the sitting room but here are some photos from earlier.

1000th post......!!!

2011-11-22T16:17:00.000Z

In all the trauma of Small Dog's surgery yesterday I completely overlooked the fact that yesterday I published my 1000th post!

I've been keeping an eye on the blog post count for the past week or so, and was hoping that the 1000th post would coincide with my blog's 5th birthday on December 4 but I couldn't just NOT post for a few weeks to engineer such a happenstance.

Every now and then I take a trip down memory lane and just click on a post at random from the past 5 years and more often than not I either hit upon a tale based on Small Dog's adventures, or more likely, a rant about how untidy the workroom is. This recurring theme is a testament to complete inability to keep either of my desks tidy, or maintain any kind of organisational clarity in the workroom.

Indeed today, as I'm sleep deprived and feeling decidedly under the weather, the limit of my creative endeavour has been to tidy my desk in the workroom AND my desk in the 'office'. I will restrain myself from posting any more 'before and after' images as regular readers of this ~~drivel~~ blog will be only too aware of just how messy they usually are.

However, just because I'm not going to reveal my own detritus, doesn't mean I can't 'out' other similarly afflicted persons, courtesy of a great cleaning company blog.

Here is just one example of a desk which reaches the pinnacle of messiness.

And there are more HERE.

Thankfully, neither of my desks are EVER as bad as any of those. So they're something to aspire to........

Oh, and before I forget, I will be having a joint 1000th post/5th blog birthday celebration on the weekend of 3/4 December so look out for details coming soon.

Night Nurse..............

2011-11-22T11:30:00.000Z

As predicted, last night was not a restful one.

Small Dog started off OK, in her crate next to the bed, but as soon as the light was switched off she started whimpering. After just a few minutes we put the light back on to see what was wrong, to find her staring through the bars of the crate with an expression which clearly said "Free the Robsack One".

So I gently settled her back down, gave her a few strokings, closed the crate door, got back into bed and switched the light out.

Whimper, whimper, whimper......

After several goes at trying to settle her, we finally had to relent and hit upon a plan which would guarantee at least one of us some sleep.

So we put her soft, squashy bed on top of the duvet in the middle of the bed, with pillows packed all around so that she couldn't abseil out. PP then relocated to one of the spare bedrooms and I was left with Small Dog.

The rest of the night went something like this......

Me: Ok, now settle down.... here, let me make this blanky into a pillow for you. That better?

SD: thancs mum. Kan yoo just do sum stroakings on mi nek.

Me: Ok, for a little while. I'm going to put the light out now so settle down to sleep. I'm very , very tired.

SD: (non-commitally) hm. Doant forgett mi stroakings.

Light out, just drifting off to sleep.....small kerfuffle on middle of bed accompanied by squeaks and whimpers.

SD: MUMMMMMMM! mi badd legg is cott up in my blanky. hellp mea!!!

Me:(groggily) Shhhhhhhh little one. (gently disentangles leg from blanky)

SD: thancs mum. moar stroakings pleez.

Similar scenarios are repeated at roughly 20 minute intervals throughout the remainder of the night......

As a result of these nocturnal shenanigans, this morning I look and feel like the Wreck of the Hesperus. Similarly, Small Dog isn't too bright either. She has refused to take her painkiller medication, despite it being wrapped in all manner of delishus treats. Even dissolved in a small dish of milk, usually her favourite tipple, she disdained to drink, turning slowly away from it with a look of sad resignation.

She has to walk for 3 x 5 minute intervals today, but when we stand her up she just flops over as if she's convinced that none of her legs are working, instead of just the one. We had some visitors this morning and instead of racing to the door to greet them, as she normally would, she lay in her basket, weakly wagging her tail.

Hopefully, as the effects of the anaesthetic continue to wear off today, she will feel a bit better.

*fingers crossed*

Poorly pup........

2011-11-21T16:37:00.000Z

We just got Small Dog back and settled in her crate. She sat on my lap in the car all the way home, trembling and shaking, making little whimpering noises in her throat. She's asleep now and we're keeping a close eye on her to make sure she's ok.

She walked out of the vet's surgery, but is very wobbly and keeps falling over which is heart-wrenching to watch. We have to administer super-strength painkillers for the next few days, as well as antibiotics for a week, but the good news is that all her stitches are dissolvable, so she won't have to go back to have them removed.

So we're on full-time nursing care for the next 24 hours then hopefully she'll look and feel a bit more like herself, rather than a small, partially-shaved zombie.

Thanks to everyone who has sent Small Dog 'Get Well Soon' messages. She will post a reply as soon as she's able. In the meantime I'd better go and tuck her in with her blanky in case she gets a chill in her poorly leg....

V.E.T. Day.......

2011-11-21T12:28:00.000Z

Up early this morning to take Small Dog to the specialist orthopaedic vet in Tenterden. She was initially extremely enthusiastic, especially when she saw we were taking her carry basket, which usually heralds a camping trip.

Her enthusiasm waned though, when we reached the vet, and the realisation dawned that she was not camping after all. Both she and a little beagle pup were scheduled for surgery today. The beagle got under one of her owner's chairs and pressed herself as far back against the wall as possible. Small Dog sat on PP's lap and trembled fit to bust.

She is probably undergoing the surgery as I write. The vet explained that he will have to deepen the groove in her leg bone, relocate the kneecap, re-attach the ligament and secure it with a metal pin. I made a cardinal error yesterday and looked online for information on luxating pattela surgery, which produced a barrage of horrific looking images of sorry-looking hounds, some of whom looked like canine Edward Scissorhands, they had so much metalwork in, on and around the leg.

We have to ring the surgery just after lunchtime to see how she's doing, then hopefully go and pick her up late afternoon/early evening. In the meantime I have to try to keep myself gainfully occupied. I suspect that any creative endeavour is probably beyond me, so I'm going to tackle the workroom and give it a thorough tidy up and clean.

Further medical bulletins will be posted later today.........

Countdown to Monday.........

2011-11-18T16:51:00.000Z

I'm feeling just a tad trepidatious about this weekend as on Monday we will be taking Small Dog to a specialist orthopaedic vet with a view to her having surgery on her luxating patella.
We picked up her (very expensive) X-rays from our vet this morning and will take them with us on Monday...... depending on what the specialist vet decides, she may actually have her surgery on the day.

Apparently she will have to stay in a crate for up to 6 weeks, which she will HATE! I'm not looking forward to any part of it either, especially Monday and the prospect of waiting to pick her up following her operation.

Poor wee mite.......

Tempis fugit..........

2011-11-16T17:19:00.000Z

So, here we are, halfway through November already. Doesn't time fly?

I spent a large chunk of today doing battle with the toy shop lighting, the results of which can be seen over at my Miniature Christmas blog.

What I SHOULD have been doing was designing a new working marionette puppet, with strings and a proper wooden control thingy. My first two prototypes were less than edifying but I'm determined to get it right and had a sort of 'Eureka' moment this morning, possibly prompted by Archimedes messing about in the puppet theatres. I often find that the best way to unblock creative log-jams is to do something completely different, rather than bashing away at the problem indefinitely.

However, the whole lighting debacle took longer than I expected so I'm now debating whether to go back to my languishing marionette or call it a day and declare yardarm.

It's a tough call.

*cheers*

Is it Monday already.....?

2011-11-14T11:32:00.000Z

It's a dreary, damp November day here on England's south coast. Small Dog has disdained the offer of a run round the garden and is doing the only sensible thing on a morning like this..... curling up in her warm, comfortable bed with her blanky wrapped snugly around her.

Sadly I have no such option as I have to get down to some serious work involving a mini drill, soldering iron and teeny tiny electric sockets.

I've been called out by Albert Lowther, proprietor of the vintage toy shop, to see to his electrics, which have developed an intermittent fault.

I just hate intermittent faults. They're a real bugger to deal with. Having failed to track down the source of the problem last week, I botched up a stop-gap solution. Needless to say, Albert wasn't happy.

I don't blame him.

He not only still had an intermittent lighting fault, but his erstwhile 'electrical engineer' had engineered a temporary solution of such mind-boggling stupidity that even Heath Robinson would have disowned it.

So today I have to do a complete and thorough inspection and testing of every single tape run and electrical socket in the entire shop. Which, if you remember is a very lot of testing.

Exhibit A - post from September 2007 demonstrating the scale of the problem. It's my own fault for deciding to electrify every bay of every display unit, leading to a spaghetti tangle of wires and plugs on every floor. Looking for an intermittent fault in that lot makes finding a needle in a haystack a piece of cake.

However, I have to sympathise with Mr Lowther. Ever eager to embrace new technology, he was at the cutting edge when he had his ancient gas lamps replaced with new-fangled electric light bulbs and when fully lit his shop is a sight to behold.

Don't say anything to him but I strongly suspect that his pet rat Archimedes is not blameless. He has a penchant for chewing through just about everything and if I find any evidence of ratty teethmarks on the wiring his fur will be on a slack nail. *

So here's hoping I don't electrocute myself, get second degree burns from the soldering iron, or set the shop on fire.

I may be gone for some time.....

* Scottish expression - yer jake-ett's ona slack nail (your jacket is on a slack nail)

English translation - You're about to get fired. (This means the hook your jacket is on is loose and your jacket is about to fall to the floor. The phrase is just a metaphor...
Note: sometimes the word "shooglie" is used instead of slack.

Miscellaneous musings.....

2011-11-10T18:02:00.000Z

As with most collectors, I don't stop at collecting just one thing. Aside from my passion for all things miniature, I also collect vintage ephemera and delight in discovering illustrations and images, particularly those which relate to my interests in childhood and toys.

The interweb is a rich hunting ground for vintage images, and the other day I came across this, which has me completely intrigued....

As a child, I always liked to imagine the back story behind illustrations in my books, and would spend hours weaving a tale sometimes only tenuously connected to the one related to the original story. So when I saw this picture, I just couldn't resist.

To the untutored eye, it's just a drawing of a dog riding a goat but on closer inspection there is SO MUCH more going on.

For instance, why is the dog wearing a suit? Surely he would have much more control without it, as is evidenced by the fact that he's already lost his hat, possibly in a bucking incident.

Also, it's not just any old suit.

It's a particularly fine suit, with fitted breeches, lace trimmed shirt and cropped jacket. It's probably silk and the lace is almost certainly handmade.

So the dog is either very wealthy, or he has stolen the suit from a small child. This latter hypothesis may explain why he is making his escape on the goat, which is possibly also stolen, compounding the felony.

I'm not entirely sure what sort of dog it is, but it's definitely a terrior. Possibly only a terrior would be foolhardy enough to ride a goat bareback, disdaining the relative safety of saddle and stirrups.

Certainly, the expression on the dog's face and the fact that you can just see the tip of his tongue sticking out, suggests extreme determination and concentration.
He is obviously a confident rider, as is evidenced by the fact he's using string for reins, and keeping a very light hold on them. If I were ever to ride a goat I'm sure I'd be gripping onto the reins for dear life. I suspect that he's 'steering' the goat by use of his knees, which are firmly gripping the goat's sides.

In contrast to the relatively relaxed demeanour of the dog, the goat is most definitely not a willing participant. Possibly buoyed by the fact that he's managed to dislodge the dog's fine feather hat, he's head down, desperately trying to unseat his rider. I'd wager this goat has never been ridden before, although the presence of the halter may suggest otherwise.

I'm slightly confused by the position of the hat on the ground. The goat looks as if it's travelling at a fair speed which would mean that the hat would fly off backwards. However the hat is to the side and slightly to the front which suggests that it fell off earlier and either the goat is running round in circles, or the dog has deliberately ridden back in order to retrieve the hat, possibly by leaning over and grabbing it his mouth as he passes.

I wouldn't put anything past that dog.

Also, note the position of the dog's tail. You can tell a lot about a dog from its tail...especially if the dog in question is a terrior.

That is one relaxed tail..... moving in harmony with its owner. However, its presence raises yet more questions. For instance there must be an opening in the back of the breeches to allow it through. So perhaps they were specially designed for the dog. Also, while it may be possible for a well co-ordinated dog to wriggle into a pair of breeches, tucking its tail down one of the legs, it takes some precision to get a tail through a hole. While I'll admit I'm in awe of the dog's multi-faceted ability, I'm not convinced he would be able to get dressed himself.

Which means he must have had an accomplice. Presumably NOT the goat.

I feel that the answers are tantalisingly within reach but I'll have to give it much more thought. Feel free to chip in with any thoughts you may have.

I would also like to point out that because I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time for any displacement activity whatsoever.....

No siree.

*cough*

Oopsadaisy......!

2011-11-08T12:53:00.000Z

If you've been trying to order an Online Workshop Pack from the new website and have hit a problem during checkout, then I owe you a grovelling apology.

There I was, thinking I knew it all, merrily lah-di-dah adding a free shipping button to the listing without testing it thoroughly. How was I to know I had to go into the bowels of the back end admin and 'enable' a whole load of other stuff?

*sigh*

You'd think I'd know better by now.

But no.

So much for my high-falutin' "I'm-so-down-with-the-website-posse" ideas above my station.

That'll learn me.

So anyway, I have now correctly configured the ~~sodding~~ free shipping module so that you won't get confusing messages saying you're in the wrong zone. And thank you to everyone who flagged up the problem.

I feel suitably chastened and will now go and consider my actions.........

Online Workshop.........

2011-11-08T10:28:00.000Z

It's still early in November but thus far it's been a whirlwind of activity, with the unveiling of our brand new website, as well as my seasonal blog A Miniature Christmas.

But I'm not quite finished yet.

No by no nonny no.

There's even more! I'm really quite excited about starting my new series of online miniature workshops later this month.

Some of you will be aware that I originally trained as a teacher, and until just a few years ago, I ran workshops at various venues in the south east of England, including miniaturist clubs/societies and a few prestigious fairs including Thame and the Kensington Dollshouse Festival as well as regular monthly one day workshops and longer courses from home.

Unfortunately, primarily due to limitations imposed by my MS, I had to cut right back on face-to-face teaching about 3 years ago, and I do miss it, especially the direct contact with enthusiastic students!

So, for the past few months, I've been working on the best way to manage a return to teaching, and I'm hopeful that I've found a solution which ticks all the boxes......

I now have access to a fully-featured virtual classroom, which is even better than the real thing. For a start, as students, you don't have to go anywhere.... no travelling by car, bus or train, lugging boxes of tools and materials in all weathers.

Through the miracle of the interweb, you can sit in the comfort of your own home, cup of tea and chocolate biscuit in hand,( in your dressing gown, curlers and slippers if you wish and no-one will be any the wiser), and I can come to you.

The classroom is sound and video enabled (so I won't have the luxury of sitting in my pyjamas!) and has file-sharing, interactive whiteboard, live chat and many other exciting bells and whistles, including a full transcript of each session which can be emailed to students.

Clever stuff eh?

I have way too many ideas for interesting and unusual projects to offer as online workshops so it was difficult to decide which one to choose for the first trial session. I wanted to offer something seasonal, not too complicated, but which would appeal to a wide range of miniature toy or microdoll collectors.

So here it is.....a little Christmas tree fairy scaled to fit on the top of a 1/12th tree. For full details or to order, click HERE.

All of our online workshops will include the following:

Complete kit to create the featured project
1 hour interactive online classroom session
Ongoing email support
Worldwide shipping

For this first session I have a limited number of places available and the class will be scheduled to suit students' location/time zones wherever possible. If you need more information on any of the above please contact me and I'll do my best to help.

Oh, and as an added incentive, Small Dog has generously offered to put in a personal appearance during the session.

What more could you possibly want......?

Small Dog's travails......

2011-11-07T17:16:00.000Z

Small Dog is not a happy bunny.

She had to go to the vet today for X-rays on her luxating patella, which has been troubling her more of late. Whilst under sedation, she also had her claws trimmed, ears plucked and anal glands evacuated.

Ewwww.

It was with some trepidation that after several hours we went back to collect her, and to discuss the results of her X-rays. Unfortunately the joint has degenerated, and there are early signs of arthritis. In addition, her 'kneecap' is permanently disjointed, which means she cannot straighten her back leg and is very probably in constant discomfort. Initially, several months ago, her vet had recommended that we treat the problem conservatively, with anti-inflammatory medication and rest. However it hasn't worked and she is now being referred to an orthopaedic specialist with a view to operating on the leg.

It's a big operation for such a little dog and we're loath to put her through it, but her mobility is becoming restricted and she is very likely in some pain much of the time.

She's still a bit woozy and currently curled up in her basket by the radiator, recovering from the trauma.

Poor wee scrap.......

And there's more.......!

2011-11-05T10:33:00.000Z

To coincide with the launch of our new website, we also want to announce the beginning of our seasonal Miniature Christmas blog which you can visit HERE.

Throughout November and December we aim to celebrate an old fashioned miniature Christmas with our online vintage advent calendar.

During November, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, we will have features, competitions, giveaways, how-to's and lots more! Then from 1st December through till Christmas Eve there will be a new page every day with some wonderful festive surprises including exclusively designed miniature toys and dolls.

Oh, and just one other thing..... when you visit, do make sure that you click to follow A Miniature Christmas. Becoming a follower is A Good Thing, as I will be offering a lovely giveaway to one lucky follower selected at random later this month.

Good luck!

Tah dah.........!

2011-11-03T12:26:00.000Z

There is an old English proverb which would serve well as my epitaph.

"Better late than never"

Indeed, prevarication could be my middle name, along with 'What Deadline?' and 'You Want It When?!

However in this instance I can legitimately plead mitigating circumstances and in my defence I have to counter with "All Good Things Come To Those Who Wait".

So, without further ado, I give you......

Yes, the new Tower House Dolls website is now live.

It is still a work in progress but we'd be grateful for any feedback or suggestions for improvements.

Yet another announcement in the pipeline very soon.........

Clearance Sale.....!

2011-10-28T09:01:00.000Z

In preparation for moving Diminutive Dolls to its new home we've been busy having a glorious clear-out to make way for some exciting new miniature toys.

So from now till November 1st there are some wonderful special offers in every category on the website, with toys, dolls, games and playthings reduced by up to 50%!

http://www.diminutivedolls.co.uk

Orders placed between now and Monday (November 1st) will be despatched from Tuesday 2 November onwards.
There are some unmissable bargains but they're already going quickly so don't delay if there's something you covet.

More information about the new home of Diminutive Dolls, along with details of an exciting Christmas project will be announced next week.

Exciting times eh?

End of Days.........

2011-10-26T10:34:00.000Z

We had some apocalyptic weather here yesterday afternoon.

Namely this.....

Apparently it wandered along the seafront from Hastings to St. Leonards then made off towards Bexhill. Now that's not something you see every day.

We also had a very sudden, dramatic thunderstorm, which seemed to appear from nowhere. Sunny blue skies one minute, huge black thunderclouds the next. Small Dog is not a great lover of thunder so she retreated under the blanket in her basket till the storm abated.

Startling stuff.

In other news, Christmas catalogues are now forming the bulk of our daily postal delivery and while idly leafing through one of them at breakfast this morning I came across this....

Apparently it's written by a quantum physics expert (go figure) who adopted an extremely bright 'talking dog' who took to quantum theory like a quark to a gluon. She (the dog) uses quantum tunnelling to get through the neighbour's fence to chase rabbits, and muses on the potential of quantum teleportation to catch squirrels before they climb out of reach.

Now.

Small Dog isn't the sharpest knife in the box (although she does have us extremely well trained to do her bidding with the merest tilt of her head or the application of Cold Wet Nose to any exposed skin surface) but she's the only other talking dog I know, so I thought I'd run a few theories past her to gauge her reaction.

To paraphrase, she was fairly certain about Heisenbergz's Uncertainty Principle. And by the time we got to Schrödinger's Cat she was definitely on a roll, and all geared up to apply for a research grant to prove the theory that if you take a cat, and stick it in a box with a thing that will kill it 50% of the time, before you open the box, the cat is both alive and dead at the same time.

She is of the opinion that anything to do with putting cats in boxes, with things that might or might not kill them is a genius idea, and completely in line with her thoughts on quantum physics.

And there was me thinking that quantum physics was dull and incomprehensible. If Small Dog can get a handle on it there may be hope for me yet.

Website update...........

2011-10-25T10:20:00.001Z

Work continues apace on the latest incarnation of the Tower House Dolls website. The site was first registered in January 2000 and over the last 11 years has undergone many, many changes.

The first available archived version is from August 2000 when the site was in its infancy. Since then it has evolved in an organic although not necessarily methodical way (version from July 2005 ).

Last year PP completely redesigned the site in its current form making it much easier to update and administer. This also coincided with my decision to stop making 1/12th doll's house characters, which I'd been doing for over 20 years, and concentrate full-time on smaller scale toys and dolls for doll's house children.

During the transition period we had two websites running simultaneously, one winding down the 1/12th dolls and kits, the other showcasing my miniature toys - Diminutive Dolls. However now that we no longer need both sites, we will be dispensing with the more costly option and closing the Diminutive Dolls website when the hosting package comes up for renewal in a few months time.

So, next week (fingers crossed) the new Tower House Dolls site will re-open with our new ranges of miniature toys, games and playthings, along with some exciting new events in the offing.

However in the meantime both PP and I still have LOTS to do to the new site so I'd better go and get on.

No interweb-based displacement activity for me today.

No siree.

No by no nonny no.......

Relative calm.........

2011-10-25T09:21:00.000Z

Poorly Daughter arrived safely yesterday, looking pale and ghostly but having survived the rigours of what passes for rail travel these days. She was duly installed on a 'little bed' on the sofa, with Small Dog in close attendance in order to hog the blanket and they both napped on and off throughout the afternoon.

This morning she is looking much better and even has some colour back in her face which is a Good Thing. She's planning on doing more nesting today, which is just what she needs after a particularly painful and stressful week.

So, in between nurturing duties I am cracking on with work on the new website, more of which anon.........

Monday, Monday.......

2011-10-24T10:15:00.000Z

Well, the good news is that my daughter was eventually discharged from hospital yesterday and is currently making her way down here to stay for a few days while she recuperates.

I don't envy her the journey by train from Essex down to Hastings but I'll be at the station to meet her and the Healing Paw Dog is on standby, having fortified herself with some breakfast cereal and milk purloined from my bowl.

I also need to step up a gear or two this week if we have any realistic possibility of the new website being up and running on 1st November, which is only next Tuesday. We keep discovering things which need to be tweaked, and of course, the temptation to keep tweaking until something breaks is ever present.

Incidentally, over at Diminutive Dolls, I've been having a clear out and over the course of this week, in many of the categories, there will be bargains galore with toys and dolls reduced by up to 30%. I'm still working my way through the site but there are already some opportunities to snap up a toy doll or animal at unmissable prices.

Right, must get back to work in advance of nursing duties this afternoon. The Healing Paw dog is already gearing up......

Bad to worse..........

2011-10-22T12:31:00.000Z

Just when you start to think that things are looking up and getting back on track, something unexpected will sneak up behind you and whack you over the head.

My lovely daughter, who had an appendectomy last weekend, was supposed to be coming down here today to complete her convalescence over the next few days, giving me the opportunity to do some hands-on nurturing, make dippy egg and soldiers, install the Healing Paw dog and generally do what mums always want to do whenever their children are poorly.

However, she has had to be re-admitted to hospital with post-surgery complications so she's stuck 150 miles away, back in limbo again, in pain, worried and completely stressed out. She's been on and off 'nil by mouth' twice in the past 12 hours, is still having IV fluids and just waiting, waiting, waiting to be told what's going on.

Worst case scenario is that they may have damaged nerves to the lower bowel. Blood tests have allegedly ruled out an infection, although apparently there could still be an abcess. She was due to have a diagnostic scan first thing this morning but they've moved the goalposts and are now saying Monday.

It seems that if you're going to be ill enough to need hospital treatment, make sure it's on a weekday (and preferably not a Friday) so that all the relevant staff are on hand to sort you out. She had the same problem last weekend, with her 'emergency' surgery delayed for a day due to lack of staff/theatre slots etc.

Also, being in hospital is a stressful enough business at the best of times, but it's the total inconsistency which is hard to bear. Told one thing by one person, then a different thing by another. Expecting to have one procedure imminently, then not being informed that the plan has changed.
I phoned the hospital myself this morning to try to find out what's happening (or to be more accurate what's NOT happening) and they seem to know about as much about her care plan as Small Dog does about simultaneous equations, which isn't much.

So I'm just hovering by the phone, waiting for news, unable to concentrate on anything at all. I should be working on the website but that's not going to happen. I might try and do some light dusting, or rearrange the bookshelves, or tidy up the workroom. Something, anything just to try to keep the free-floating worry at bay.

Buggrit.

Brrrrr..........!

2011-10-20T09:57:00.000Z

Really cold and frosty this morning..... we even had ice on the car windscreen! Hard to believe that only a few short weeks ago we were basking in (admittedly unseasonable) temperatures up in the high 80s.

So autumn has now arrived with a vengeance and temperatures have plummeted. What better time then, to have to have all your windows open due to them being re-painted. Good timing or what?

Small Dog has taken to her bed in disgust at the icy blasts blowing in from all directions and I don't blame her. We finally cracked last night and put the central heating on for the first time since early April. Admittedly the sun is shining from a mostly cloudless sky, but it's only 6 degrees outside at the moment so it can reasonably be described as 'cold'.

With all the windows in the workroom wide open, I've retreated to the 'relative' warmth of the office, to put in some work on the new website. Time is ticking away and we have just 11 days to get it finished before it (hopefully) goes live on November 1st.

To coincide with the relaunch of the site, we will also be inviting miniaturists worldwide to join us in celebration of an old-fashioned miniature Christmas with our online vintage advent calendar.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during November we will have festive features, competitions, stories, giveaways, how-to's and lots more, not to mention a very special online Christmas workshop.

Then from December 1st right through till Christmas Eve there will be a new page every day with wonderful festive surprises, including a selection of new miniature toys and dolls, designed exclusively for the event.

Hopefully you will find much to inform, interest, amuse and entertain you, so look out for your special invitation in just 11 days......

How it's made....bisque firing

2011-10-19T09:48:00.000Z

The next stage in the making of a microdoll is the most critical.... the bisque firing, during which the soft-fired, relatively fragile castings are vitrified into porcelain.

The vitrification process literally melts the molecules in the greenware so that they fuse together, forming a strong, impermeable material with the properties of porcelain.

During this high-temperature firing, each piece shrinks by up to 10% so careful loading of the kiln is very important. I first place a thin layer of firing sand on each shelf. This serves two purposes. Firstly the pieces can be slightly embedded in the sand which stops them rolling around, and secondly, as the pieces shrink during firing, they may 'grab' onto the shelf. The sand acts like millions of tiny ball bearings, moving under the pieces to prevent them sticking.
Every single piece must be placed carefully on the sand, not touching its neighbours.

This can take some time!

When the kiln is fully loaded, I set the programmer for a high-temperature porcelain firing. The programme varies according to how full the kiln is, the type of porcelain being fired (different flesh tones require slightly different firing schedules), and the age of the kiln elements. Over time the elements deteriorate and the firing time gradually lengthens. Eventually they will struggle to reach the top temperature, taking longer and longer to achieve a full bisque firing. At that point it's time to replace them.

I replaced the elements on my kiln just a few months ago, and this firing is only the second full bisque firing since then so I have had to adjust the schedule to take into account the speedier firing time.

As it reaches the top temperature (1200-1215 degrees Celsius) the firing chamber glows white hot. It's possible to see this through the gap between lid and kiln chamber.

I keep a close eye on things as the kiln nears the end of the firing, checking every 15 minutes to see the final few degrees temperature rise then the soak time, where the top temperature is maintained for a set period to fully mature the porcelain.

This last bisque firing took 6 hours. Before I changed the elements a bisque firing was lasting 10-12 hours. Once the firing is complete the programmer displays 'END' and switches off. The temperature falls slowly over many hours. I usually leave the kiln for at least 12 hours, by which time the internal temperature should be low enough to open the lid and check the firing. If the lid is opened too soon, cold air rushes in to come in contact with the hot porcelain causing thermal shock. This has never happened to me (thank goodness) but I understand that it is quite spectacular, as the porcelain pieces shatter, scattering like shrapnel, and possibly causing serious injuries. One of the main advantages of my kiln is that even when the kiln is off, the internal temperature shows on the controller, so I always know exactly how hot it is.

However that is not always the case.

An underfire happens when the top temperature required to vitrify and mature the porcelain hasn't been reached. As a result the porcelain has a chalky look and feels rough to the touch.
This is disappointing but not disastrous, as it can be re-fired to maturity.

An overfire however, is irrevocably catastrophic. The porcelain will look shiny, often with tiny bubbles all over the surface. Any flesh tones will have fired out to leave a ghostly look.
In the worst cases, the castings will completely collapse.

In order to avoid both of the above scenarios I keep a careful record of each firing, adjusting and fine-tuning subsequent firings as necessary.

And so to the next stage...... china painting

A Mother's Tale.......

2011-10-17T10:33:00.000Z

I had intended to post the next exciting instalment in the 'How It's Made' series over the weekend but I was rather overtaken by events.

Saturday was a really lovely day, sunny and warm, so we headed off down to the seafront with Small Dog for a walk along the promenade. That done, we set off for home and en route I had a sudden awful feeling of foreboding as if something bad was about to happen.

No sooner had I shaken it off and tried to dismiss it as nonsense, than my phone rang. It was my daughter, ringing from hospital, where she had been admitted for emergency surgery for a badly inflamed appendix. She was in the Emergency Assessment Unit, and having been assessed, was 'nil by mouth' and prepped for surgery, which she was assured would be done early evening.

However, a serious road traffic accident then took priority, so she was put on hold, pumped full of morphine and antibiotics and kept in EAU till midday yesterday, when she was finally taken to theatre to have her appendix removed.

I am well acquainted with the concept of triage, and prioritising limited resources on the basis of clinical need, and the mothers of the RTA victims must have been even more stressed and worried than I was, but when your child is sick and in pain, it's very hard to maintain a balanced, reasonable viewpoint.

Thankfully her surgery went well, the offending organ was removed and she will be discharged from hospital later today to rest and recuperate.

I could do with some rest and recuperation too after a stressful weekend, unable to be with her, and relying on telephone updates from her partner throughout. Worrying and wishing there were something, anything, I could do to help. You never, ever stop worrying about your children.

So my odd feeling of foreboding was borne out. I won't be so quick to dismiss them in future...

Small Dog shops till she drops......

2011-10-12T19:33:00.000Z

We popped into Pets at Home today to buy a present for our friend's new puppy, and took Small Dog along with us as it's one of the very few shops which welcome dogs in store.

She was absolutely fascinated by the sights and smells and had to peruse every aisle, closely scrutinising the doggy apparel, squeaky toys, collars & leads, canine accouterments etc.

All was going reasonably well until some fool started testing out the squeaky toys.

It wasn't us. Honest. We were three aisles away, trying to persuade Small Dog that a rawhide chew the size of a brontosaurus leg was probably a bit ambitious. However as soon as she heard the cacophony of squeaks she forgot all about trying to pull the 4 foot chew out of the display and headed off to the dog toy section to give her consumer viewpoint. She had to be lured away with a pig's ear.

Such was her excitement that she subsequently wee'd in the dog travel accessories aisle, which we shamefacedly soaked up with a pack of tissues before we spied the bucket and mop strategically placed for just such a (presumably frequent) fox's paw.

She was enjoying herself so much that we had to literally drag her outside. As soon as she realised that we were leaving she planted her paws, locked her legs and refused to budge. Thankfully, she doesn't have the staying power of a rottweiler so to spare us further embarrassment we picked her up and hurried off.

Here are some of her favourite bits......

Small Dog makes a start on her Christmas list

Don't they have anything in Eau de Nil....?

Burberry is sooooo last season dahlink.....

Checking out a cheeky little dog beer.....

No joke! It really is Dog Beer.

Decisions, decisions..... sausages or pig's ears?

A little after-dinner snack.....?

A chew bigger than Small Dog. She loves a challenge.....

No such thing as a free lunch.........

2011-10-11T19:33:00.000Z

It's often said that there's no such thing as a free lunch.

I beg to differ.

Today PP and I attended a 'learning lunch' organised by our local 1066 business enterprise centre and it did indeed include a free lunch. Not to mention a wealth of information on using social media for business which was useful, relevant and engaging.

Something of a win-win situation.

We came home energised, inspired and full of ideas for the new website, which is now just 20 days away from its launch. PP, wearing her webmistress hat (a rather fetching poke bonnet if you must know) has been hard at work, completely redesigning and restructuring the old site, which will be unveiled on 1 November.

So earlier this afternoon, when I heard anguished cries from the office, I hurried through from the workroom to discover what was amiss. Apparently our new website had completely disappeared, along with the back-end, leaving a completely blank screen. We both made a few abortive attempts to discover its whereabouts, without success.

Reasoning that it couldn't just have vanished into thin air, and suspecting a server outage, we checked our hosting provider's website to see what was going on, again to no avail. Fortunately they have a 'chat to a real person' facility on their site, so PP quickly established that the problem was indeed with the server, which was down for over an hour undergoing emergency repairs.

After a nerve-wracking wait, the server did eventually get up and running, and thankfully the new website was restored, much to PP's relief, given the many, many hours she's spent on it thus far.

I don't really understand how the interweb works (does anyone?) so it's a constant source of amazement to me that emails go where they're supposed to, and that the entire knowledge of the world is available at the click of a mouse. So servers, and their arcane workings are a complete mystery. I usually just press 'Send' and hope for the best.

So I'm keeping everything crossed that we don't experience any further alarms and excursions.

Edit: I tried to find an interesting image of a server but they're all deadly dull and boring so you'll just have to conjure one up for yourself.

Sanity restored.....

2011-10-10T16:16:00.000Z

I sincerely apologise for the outrageous rant in my last post.

It was completely unprofessional to give vent to my feelings in such an unnecessarily violent way. My outburst was a complete overreaction and ~~mostly~~ completely unwarranted. I've calmed down and given myself a good talking to and it won't happen again.

The fact that I can plead mitigating circumstances, not to mention provocation above and beyond human endurance is neither here nor there. I shouldn't let Humpty Dumpty, or any other inanimate porcelain character, to wind me up to such an extent that I lose all sense and reason.

So.

Moving on....

Following that ~~Humpty Dumpty debacle~~, regrettable incident, I tidied away all the soft-cleaning equipment, then decided to do something uplifting and life affirming. Last week I'd been working on some little shabby chic toy dolls, some of which just needed their final finishing touches.... a curl here, silk ribbon bow there. So I spent a happy half-hour making some tiny silk ribbon bows and arranging mini coiffures.

Et voila........

Here they are waiting to be photographed individually for their certificates, before settling into their boxes.

I take pains to ensure that they look as good from the back as they do from the front.....

I really enjoy making these little shabby chic toy dolls. They make a refreshing change from my more structured Jumeau style dolls in their pleated dresses or silk jackets.

They also provide soothing balm for a troubled soul.

Enough is enough.........

2011-10-10T14:41:00.000Z

And so, after what feels like a lifetime of soft-cleaning, I finally completed the last tiny castings just before lunchtime.

For no good reason I left all the worst bits till last.... tiny limbs of fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters. These are especially tricky partly because of their small size, but also because some of the characters are holding things in their hands, which makes the soft-cleaning process rather more hazardous. For example, one of the musical mousies holds a bugle. Another grasps a pair of maracas.

Don't ask

However, they pale into insignificance compared to Humpy Dumpty whose spindly little legs I mentioned before, and which have an unfortunate propensity to ping off just as I'm so carefully cleaning the last nano-millimetre.

He's a right pain in the hoohah, is Humpty Dumpty.

Not only do his legs fall off at the drop of a hat, but during the initial casting stage, his egg-shaped body tends to retain liquid slip, which blocks the stringing holes. In addition, he has spindly little arms , which are also a nightmare to soft-clean, as either the top of the arm, just above the stringing hole will snap off, or his hand will break at the wrist.

I can completely empathise with the frustration which must have been felt by all the king's horses and all the king's men. Although quite how the horses were expected to help with the re-assembly escapes me. Quite honestly, I'd have pushed him off the wall myself, just for the satisfaction of seeing him shatter into a zillion pieces, knowing full well that putting him back together again was an impossible task. This is borne out by the fact that at the end of my mammoth soft-cleaning marathon, I now have a small box full of assorted broken Humpty bits.... feet legs and arms, plus one body which cracked while soaking in the water.

As a result, I am suffering from barely suppressed Humpty Dumpty rage. He makes me sooooooo MAD! Sometimes I could quite easily punch him in his smug, superior, supercilious, smirking face.......

* Note to self..... in future, do not attempt to complete a week's worth of soft-cleaning in just three days. Think of your sanity......*

Sod's Law.......

2011-10-09T19:56:00.001Z

I have been soft-cleaning FOR EVER.

I have the hands of a drownded corpse, fished from the river after 10 days. Grey, puckered and wrinkled doesn't even come close to describing them.

Prune-like would be a compliment. At least prunes have a modicum of juiciness. A combination of soaking in water and the dehydrating qualities of porcelain clay dust have sucked all the moisture out of my skin, giving me the hands of a 90-year old.

And judging by the state of them she won't be wanting them back any time soon.

I estimate that I have about another 6 hours of soft-cleaning before I've finished the two trays of tiny castings. Even so, I don't think there's enough to even half fill my kiln, which is a bit of a blow. A full bisque firing takes a minimum of half a day and adds ££s to our electricity bill, so it makes fiscal sense to ensure it's full. In order to achieve this, I would have to do another full week's casting and go through the whole soft-fire/soft-clean rigmarole yet again.

I'm not sure I have enough life left in me to do that. Although the upside would be that I'd probably have enough stock to last for the 6 months.

Except I just know, that whatever I haven't cast, will suddenly become extraordinarily popular, and despite the fact I've got oodles of other toys and dolls, there will be an overwhelming demand for ones I haven't got and I'll have to go through the whole thing again.

Life's like that......

*sigh*

Small Dog bites back.......

2011-10-08T11:02:00.000Z

I received this from a friend yesterday, with a request for comments from Small Dog.

From a Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favourite thing!
9:30 am - A car ride! My favourite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favourite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favourite thing!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favourite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favourite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favourite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk bones! My favourite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favourite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favourite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favourite thing!

From a Cat's Diary

Day 983 of my captivity. My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of `allergies'. I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now... Will keep you posted.

*********************

Small Dog has indeed requested a right to reply, so I have noted her comments verbatim.

"helow. i hav konsidrd mearly ignoaring this, butt on reflekshun i hav deesidid to resspond. The mane thing i objeckt two is the implickashun thatt dogs ar wun dimenshonal, shaloh kreetchures. thatt is a fowl kalumni witsch i refewt uterli.

olso, catz ar knot all that.

i wil admitt i hav nevr aktewli mett a cat fais two fais. if i evr sea wun inn mi gardn (thay yoosed to kum inn to wee and poo inn mi mumz beatch gardn of stoanz. Disgusten) i hav two chais it sew the moast i evr sea is there bum disapieren ovr the fens.

Howevir, i do knott think thay ar veri intelegent.

Or highjeanick. Thai yews there porrs to wosh there faises butt thay yews ther tungs to wosh there bits. Ewwww.

Olso thai kil small kreetchures jusst for funn, espeshulli mise and burdz.

Okai, so i mite ockashunali chais a skwirl or pijon, butt i nevr catsch them and eaven if i didd, I doant think i wood kil them.

eksept for rats. i am a ratten terrior and that is mi job. i do knott think a cat kood kil a rat eniwai becos rats ar veri danjerus and kuning so reeli onli ratten terriors ar upp to it.

Allsew, catz smel funi. Funi strainj, knot funi hillarius. mi mum is alerjick two catz witsh is kwite normall. Yorkshire Terriors ar highpoalurjenick as eni fule knos.

Thank yoo for this opertewniti two poot the rekord strate. i am kwite tyred now so i am goen to hav a napp. wun of mi favurit things.

yores afekshunatli

Small Dog

xxx

How it's made.....soft cleaning

2011-10-07T16:04:00.000Z

The third stage in miniature porcelain dollmaking is the most tedious, boring, monotonous task in the entire process.

Soft-cleaning.

This follows on from soft-firing, and although it is my least favourite task, it is one of the most important, as it ensures a smooth surface, removing seamlines and any other marks and blemishes left over from the casting stage.

Here you can easily see the seamlines on a soft-fired casting.

I always approach soft cleaning sessions with a mixture of resignation and dread. Although the soft firing strengthens the greenware castings, they are still very delicate and easily broken so must be handled very carefully to avoid damage. As a result, after half an hour or so, I have to make a conscious effort to relax my shoulders down from my ears. Then there's having to sit with my hands in water for hours at a stretch. I start off with it as hot as I can stand it, but it soon cools and I don't notice until my fingers start to turn blue.

The upside of soft-cleaning is......... well to be honest I'm struggling to think of any, except perhaps that I get to put my brain in neutral and give myself over to Radio 4 for the whole day.

Before I start I assemble everything I need - towel, double basin, used scalpel blade, fine cleaning pads, natural sponge, china glaze and extra fine paintbrush. I also use a magnifying lamp to help with cleaning the tiny faces.

Firstly the soft-fired castings are soaked in water, which must be no warmer than lukewarm. If they are immersed in water which is any hotter, air which may be trapped in cavities inside the bodies will expand, and the piece will explode. This happens with quite a startling, loud POP when you least expect it! I use a double basin so I can have my hands in warm water for the cleaning, while the castings soak in cold water.

Soaking the castings in lukewarm water. Most air bubbles escape though pouring or stringing holes.

After soaking for 10 minutes or so, I can begin the cleaning process, as all of the castings will have fully absorbed the maximum amount of water. Prominent seam lines must be fettled with a scalpel blade. I prefer to use a blade with has been used to trim castings and which as a consequence will not be too sharp. New blades have a tendency to cut into the castings.

Carefully removing seam lines with a bluntish blade

Then using a special very fine abrasive pad, the remainder of the seamlines are smoothed off, along with any blemishes on the surface of the greenware.

Smoothing lines and blemishes with abrasive pad

The 'dust' from the greenware is held in the water on the surface of the casting in the form of a fine paste, which acts like micro scouring powder to gently remove lines and marks. I then add my initials to the back of the doll using the point of a scalpel.

Incising my maker's mark

Each soft-cleaned casting is set aside on a towel to dry slightly, until the sheen of water has evaporated from the surface, making it easier to check the faces. Any blemishes on the faces are removed by rubbing my thumb over the area. The ridges which make up my fingerprints are just abrasive enough to smooth the surface without obliterating tiny details such as noses and lips. Faces will be checked several times to ensure they are as perfect as possible.

I prefer to use a special underglaze for the whites of the eyes, which is added at this stage, when the castings are not too wet and not too dry. Being left handed, the left eye (as I'm looking at the doll) is easy peasy, but painting in the right eye is not. So have to turn the doll at right angles to achieve an almond-shaped eye. Obviously both eye whites must be the same size and shape, which is where the magnifying light comes in useful. Even so, it sometimes takes several attempts..... if I make a mistake I wash off the glaze with a natural sponge, let the casting dry out slightly, and try again.

Glazing the eye whites

Bear in mind too, that the biggest doll heads are roughly the size of a pea, while the smallest are only marginally bigger than a peppercorn.

Mad or what?

The soft-cleaning process also applies to the tiny toy animals and nursery rhyme toys which I make in porcelain. The most difficult of these are the little Humpty Dumpty toys, which have spindly little legs attached to the egg-shaped head/body, which can ping off unexpectedly despite the very gentlest cleaning. Out of every 10 Humptys, perhaps only 2 will emerge unscathed from the soft-cleaning stage.

But it doesn't end there.

No by no nonny no.

For every little toy doll, there are two arms and two legs, which must also be cleaned to remove seam lines and blemishes. That's 4 tiny limbs for every one of these.......

There's 92 different dolls, so that's 368 individual limbs to carefully clean. From dainty ballerina arms and pointed toe legs and tiny 1" babies, to a brand new range of marionettes, with specially modified arms and legs.

It can take up to a week to soft-clean enough castings to fill my kiln by which time I have invariably lost the will to live and make a solemn vow NEVER to soft-clean EVER again.

Groundhog Day........

2011-10-07T08:36:00.000Z

I know it's a hackneyed phrase, but doesn't time fly?

As I get older, whole days, weeks and months just whizz past. For example it seems as though no sooner have I put the Christmas decorations away from one year, than it's time to haul them all down from the loft for the next.

As if all that's not bad enough, time goes even faster when deadlines are looming. I have several self-imposed deadlines all inexorably ticking down at the moment, fuelling a rising sense of panic and claustrophobia.

It's not even as if I'm faffing around (much). I've been reasonably well focused (for me) and have achieved a fair amount in the past few weeks. But no sooner have I ticked one thing off my 'to do' list, than another five mysteriously materialise.

No matter.

Stuff will either get done or it won't, and if it doesn't then I've no-one to blame but myself. I've actually had a very productive week and in a mood of self-congratulation last night, I set to and created this exciting vista......

A clear workspace may not be very exciting to you perhaps, but to me it opens up a world of tantalising possibilities, most notably the prospect of filling it all up again.

Also it's not something I get to see very often, so it has undoubted rarity value.

So today I will be mostly tackling a mountain of soft-cleaning, one of my most loathed and detested tasks.

More of which anon.

Favourite tools..... tweezers

2011-10-06T14:35:00.000Z

Sometimes the simplest tools are the most useful. There are few tools I use EVERY day, and this pair of tweezers is one of them....

So far, so simple.

But there are features about these precision tweezers which make them indispensable.....

Firstly they have lovely angled points which are very fine. In addition, the inside edges of the points are finely ridged, which help provide a firm grip to any tiny item.

They are nicely weighted and balanced, and easy to use. The 'springing' is very light and consequently they aren't tiring to use for prolonged periods.

I've had this particular pair for nigh on 20 years and have only been able to find only one other identical pair languishing in the Hastings Sewing Centre several years ago. It was from old stock and despite extensive internet searching I have never found another, so I guard my two pairs very closely.

Over the years I've tried many other tweezers, including the dreadfully counter-intuitive 'reverse tweezers' which have a default closed position, and have to be squeezed to open them, but always return to my old favourites.

They have a multitude of uses, including turning tiny sleeves, placing individual silk bows and roses, and of course creating miniature wigs.

The Day the Earth Caught Fire......

2011-10-04T12:11:00.000Z

At last the madness of the unseasonal weather has abated and temperatures are much neared to the seasonal average.

Of course I had to choose the hottest October days in the history of ever to spend the weekend in London, parts of which were eerily akin to that film about the earth heading towards the sun after it was shifted off its axis by H-bomb explosions.

HOT?!?

It was ridiculously hot. Even the breeze was hot, as if it had come straight off the Saharan sands.

It felt as through the entire population of London was out on the streets, in the parks and gardens, spilling out of pavement cafes into the roads and everyone had a faintly baffled expression, as through something not quite right was going on.

This was borne out by the fact that the trees are wearing their autumnal colours, and the leaves are falling in drifts. It just didn't seem possible that summer had returned with a final, blistering flourish so late in the season.

No matter, the weather has finally got a grip and is behaving in a much more rational manner.

So, back to work today and if I stop to think about what I have to do this week/month then I will probably have a fit of the vapours, so I'm breaking it down into bite-sized chunks in the hope that tackling it a little bit at a time won't seem quite so impossibly daunting. However I keep catching sight of the hugeness of the task out of the corner of my eye which isn't helping my equilibrium one bit.

Right, must get back to it. First thing on the list this afternoon?

Yes, you've guessed it. Tidy my work desk.

*sigh*

The heart of the matter............

2011-09-30T16:20:00.000Z

Spent a large chunk of today in a private hospital in Eastbourne, undergoing a CT Coronary Angiogram.

No...I don't have private healthcare, but apparently our local NHS Trust is so far behind with diagnostic testing that they're shunting work out to the private sector, hence my elevation to the exalted rank of the private patient for a few hours.

I've visited friends in private hospitals before but have never experienced one from the sharp end, so I was intrigued to find out what it was like. Once past the sumptuous reception area, with deep pile carpeting and comfy sofas, there actually wasn't much difference. Yes there were fewer people in the waiting room, and yes there did seem to be a higher staff-to-patient ratio, but other than that, the actual scanning suites looked much the same.

I can't say I was looking forward to it, but I must admit I was mightily relieved to be having a non-invasive CT scan rather than the traditional method which involves inserting a catheter into the groin which is then threaded through the largest artery in your body (the aorta) until it reaches the coronary arteries of the heart. A special contrast dye is injected and x-rays are taken of the blood vessels as the dye moves through them.

PP had a traditional angiogram a few years back and had the most dreadful complications afterwards, so when I found I had to have one too I was dreading it. However the only minimally uncomfortable part of the procedure was having a cannula inserted into a vein in the arm, through which the contrast dye was injected. I've never experienced that before and had been warned what it might feel like.

And by Jove it did.

Nanoseconds after the dye goes in, there is an overwhelming whoosh of warmth in the nether regions, which feels for all the world as if you've wet yourself.

Not an entirely unpleasant sensation if I'm honest. I could be worse...

At the same time there is a strange metallic taste and smell, which is a little unnerving but soon passes. Other than that, and having to hold my breath several times inside the scanner while it whirled around, it wasn't at all bad, and after some recovery time in case I reacted to the contrast dye, during which I was given a cup of tea (proper bone china cup and saucer!) and biscuits on a tray I was allowed home.

Now I have to drink as much water as I can to flush the dye through my kidneys, and aside from a lingering headache I'm none the worse.

The unseasonal heatwave continues unabated with temperatures due to reach the mid 80s in London over the weekend. This would normally be only of passing interest to me, except I'm going up there to spend the weekend with my daughter and see her new little studio flat. The London Underground will be hotter than Hades so I'm trying to find a bus route with the minimum number of changes.

30 years ago I lived and worked in London, learned to drive there, passed my test there, drove in and out of the city centre on a regular basis and was completely au fait with all modes of public transport. However, nowadays I so rarely go there I feel completely lost, so what with that and the heat I will be so relieved to see a familiar face when I step off the train.

Meanwhile PP and Small Dog are staying home alone, although they do have a campsite BBQ AND possibly beach picnic to look forward to, so they will be fanned by seaside breezes.

Right..... off to hydrate myself further.

Summer's last hurrah..........

2011-09-28T20:12:00.000Z

Another gorgeous day weatherwise, made moreso by coming so late in the season and after a lengthy period of cold, wet and windy weather.

So, we finished work early and headed off down to the seafront with Small Dog, to savour the warm sun and balmy breeze..... it's not often you can wear a sleeveless top, shorts and sandals in late September in the UK without feeling just a tad chilly.

Even the normally quiet beach at West St. Leonards was busy and there were lots of people swimming in the sea and sunbathing on the shingle. It was lovely just strolling along the promenade, although it wasn't so much of a walk as a 'drag', since Small Dog has to pick up 'wee mails' at every pillar and post, and leave her contribution to the thread.

After our walk, with the sun just beginning to dip down towards Eastbourne in the west, we just sat in the car with all the windows open, shooting the breeze. Sometimes it's the simplest pleasures in life which mean the most........

Driven to distraction by fractions.......

2011-09-28T12:33:00.001Z

I had an email yesterday informing me that an article on realistic miniatures featuring my illuminated toy theatres is currently in Doll's House and Miniature Scene's Doll's House Projects magazine.

They asked me for the information ages ago, and to be honest, what with one thing and another I'd forgotten all about it. The theatres take quite a long time to make so I generally prepare them in batches of 10 or so but they do tend to sell out almost as quickly as I put them on the website, so a new batch has been on my current 'to do' list for a few months.

This delay has been due to running out of the very fine stripwood I use to make the theatre boxes, and the very sad demise of the lovely Alan Borwell of Borcraft Miniatures, whose wood I've been using ever since I started making miniatures over 25 years ago.

As well as being a wizard with wood, his kindness extended to supplying me with wood in the exact lengths I needed, saving me the trouble of cross-cutting them myself. He has been sorely missed.

Following extensive enquiries, I have hopefully found an alternative supplier, who will (fingers crossed) perform the same service, but first I have to carefully work out how many pieces of each length I can get out each strip.

This is where the division of fractions come in.

The majority of miniature artisans I know, work in imperial measurements in preference to decimal. I suspect that this is primarily because we are all of a certain age, and were educated in the pre-decimal era. I still think in feet and inches, rather than metres and centimetres, and no amount of EU regulation to the contrary will persuade me otherwise.

However, when you also consider the fact that we work in scales of 1/12th, 1/24th, 1/48th and even the mind-bogglingly small 1/144th, it becomes apparent why imperial is simply the most sensible unit of measurement to adopt.

Until you start trying to work with fractions. And having to divide the buggers. Which is an arithmetical nightmare. Numbers aren't my forte at the best of times but fractions drive me demented. This morning I've been trying to work out a variety of sums involving 16ths and 32sths which has only served to highlight my myriad defects in the fraction calculation department. I was transported straight back to when I was at primary school, struggling with fiendishly complicated sums and hating numerators and denominators with a vengeance.

Nothing has changed........

Yeah..... right.

So if you're on my waiting list for an illuminated toy theatre, please, please bear with me. Once I've resolved the fractions debacle, and confirmed my order, it won't be long before I'm able to make a start.

Promise......

Giving it laldy......

2011-09-27T10:37:00.000Z

Another glorious morning.

Sun shining from a cloudless blue sky, gentle breeze ruffling through the trees, birds in the garden forming an orderly queue to use the newly refilled bird bath......

All was delightfully peaceful until an unearthly squawking shattered the calm and prompted both Small Dog and I to hurry out into the garden to see what was occurring, fearing that internecine warfare had broken out between rival gangs of magpies and crows.

However, I was astonished to discover that the raucous racket was coming from a lone squirrel, perched on top of the fence, gesticulating wildly and obviously in a right strop.

Small Dog was instantly galvanised into action and threw herself up the steps, barking her head off, in an attempt to give chase, adding her own vocal contribution to the mix. The squirrel merely threw her a contemptuous glance and disappeared down the other side of the fence, leaving Small Dog to prance around, sniffing furiously and grumbling under her breath.

I've never heard a squirrel make such a horrendous noise before and haven't a clue what all the fuss was about.

Unless it just wanted to torment Small Dog......

Monday, Monday.......

2011-09-26T12:36:00.000Z

A gratifyingly grey, dismal Monday morning, after a gloriously sunny weekend during which I didn't get nearly enough of my to do list cleared. However I did manage to load the kiln with several weeks worth of greenware in order to do a soft-firing, although I haven't yet mustered either the energy or enthusiasm to unload the soft-fired ware yet.

I really must tidy up my work desk, upon which, as you can see, there is barely enough space to squeeze in a waffer-thin mint.

Yes, I know.....

I am ashamed of it. And I will tidy it up AGAIN but I can assure you that by the end of today it will be back as bad as ever. I call it creative chaos in an attempt to justify my complete inability to maintain a clear workspace.

Highlights of my weekend include getting to grips with Google+, which for my money, knocks Facebook into a cocked hat. I also managed to solve an apparently insoluble problem on Blogger with the aid of a very kind chap from one of the help forums who pointed me in the right direction and used words of one syllable to explain what I had to do. In the end it was so easy I had to laugh at my own incompetence at being unable to work it out by myself.

This morning we girded our collective loins to tackle the installation of a new wireless router, to replace our ancient one. In the end, despite all our prognostications of doom, the process was reasonably straightforward and I must admit I already really notice the difference in the speed at which browser pages open. Only PP's laptop was strangely reluctant to join forces with the new equipment, having apparently forged an enduring relationship with the old one, but we eventually persuaded it of the error of its ways and everything now seems to be tickety-boo.

Still in new gadget mode, we've also replaced our ancient home phones (which can't keep a charge for any longer than 10 minutes), courtesy of a timely money-off voucher and a less-than-half-price offer on a new set. They're currently on charge so we'll try them out tomorrow.

Phew. All this grappling with new technology has worn me out. I just might have to join Small Dog for a restorative nap.......

How it's made..... soft firing

2011-09-25T13:05:00.000Z

When I've cast enough tiny dolls and toys to (hopefully) fill the kiln, or lost the will to live, whichever comes sooner, they are set aside to air-dry completely.

The dry greenware is very fragile and can crumble to dust so must be handled very carefully. However, the casting process leaves seam lines where the liquid porcelain slip seeps slightly into the gap between the two halves of the plaster mould. These seam lines must be removed, along with any blemishes on the surface of the casting.

It is possible to do this with a small piece of abrasive fabric (such as nylon net) but dry cleaning produces lots of dust, which contains silica, and is harmful to breathe in over a long period of time. Also, as the greenware is so very fragile, it is extremely difficult to avoid breakages, especially when cleaning tiny pieces.

Years ago, I used to dry clean my castings, wearing a special mask to avoid breathing in the dust. However the fine dust gets EVERYWHERE, so inevitably it is impossible to avoid inhaling it as it permeates clothing, fabrics, rugs etc.

Eventually, some bright spark discovered that if the greenware castings were fired to a very low temperature (approx 650 degrees, which is still much hotter than a domestic oven) any moisture remaining in the porcelain would be completely driven out, resulting in a casting which could be immersed in water without dissolving, but still be soft enough to be able to be cleaned. And so the dust-free soft-cleaning procedure was born.

Soft firing does not vitrify the castings, so they can be loaded into the kiln with less precision than for a bisque firing. They won't fuse together so the pieces can touch. The castings will also become lighter and stronger, although they are still easy to break so require careful handling.

Here a selection of castings are placed on the bottom shelf in the kiln, with the shelf supports in place to support the second shelf.

After the soft-firing is complete, and the kiln has cooled down, the castings are removed and stored in boxes. Soft-fired castings can be stored indefinitely with less possibility of damage than unfired greenware.

They are now ready for the next stage - soft-cleaning

Favourite tools... electric kiln

2011-09-25T13:00:00.000Z

I have many favourite tools, but the one which is completely indispensable, and without which I simply couldn't carry on the business, is my electric kiln. In simple terms, a kiln is a furnace, or oven for burning, baking or drying something, or more commonly for firing pottery.

This is the biggest top-loading kiln I could find which would operate via a 13 amp standard UK electric plug and still reach a top temperature of 1260 degrees Celsius, the temperature required to vitrify porcelain.

Inside you can see the thick, insulating kiln bricks, which help keep all the heat inside, and running in channels around the inside edge, the spiral, metal kiln elements, which glow white hot at their top temperature. Within this firing chamber I can place up to four shelves, one on top of the other, separated by shelf props, in order to maximise the firing capacity.

This is only my second kiln in 25 years. The first, which I had for 15 years, was a Cromartie Hobbytech 40, slightly smaller and a manual kiln. When I decided that I wanted to upgrade to a computer controlled kiln, I was able to sell my old for the same price as I bought it.

Cromartie kilns are THAT good.

Sadly, Cromartie, a UK firm based in the heart of the potteries district of Stoke-on-Trent are no longer making kilns, but due to their excellent build quality, existing Cromartie kilns will continue in use for many years to come.

My firing schedules consists of three different stages - soft firing, bisque firing and china paint firing, each of which has different ramp times, temperatures, soak times etc, which I have programmed into the computer controller. Once it's set to fire, the computer takes over and regulates the whole process, which takes the guesswork out of things.

However, skill and experience are required in order to get perfect firing results and I have worked out my own set of firing programmes, gleaned from hundreds of firings over the past quarter of a century. These programmes have to be adjusted according to the type of porcelain slip I'm using, the size of the castings and age of the kiln elements, among several other factors.

Having only recently replaced the kiln elements, I've been able to knock several hours off a full bisque firing, as the new elements can reach the required top temperature much more quickly. However this means that I have to reduce the soak times and adjust the top temperature to suit the tiny pieces I'm firing, otherwise I risk a catastrophic overfire.

Information on the various firing schedules will be found in the 'How It's Made' category on the right.

Working weekend......

2011-09-24T15:46:00.000Z

Gloriously warm and sunny day today but I've been ensconced in the workroom and office doing useful stuff and trying to psyche myself up to start loading the kiln.

Even my displacement activity has been useful, as I've been tidying up the website, adding some new toys and doing some planning for an upcoming 'event', which is currently under wraps and very hush hush.

However, I can't put off loading the kiln any longer........I may be gone for some time.

Butterfly brain.......

2011-09-23T15:40:00.000Z

I've spent a lot of time today flitting from one task to another then back again. This is despite having a comprehensive 'to do' list in front of me, some of which is time sensitive, which would usually help to focus my attention. However for some reason I'm incapable of concentrating on any one thing for longer than a few minutes.

This is undoubtedly a Bad Thing.

I'm hoping that as I have to work through the weekend (having had two days off this week) this butterfly brain thing will sort itself out quick smart, otherwise I'll start the week on Monday way behind.

In other news it's been a really lovely day today. Warm and sunny with only a light breeze. This is in stark contrast to earlier this week when we stoically caravanned in a raging gale accompanied by tempestuous rain.

*sigh*

In other, other news we're having friends round this evening so I've been concocting a (hopefully) delishus boeuf bourguignon with horseradish dumplings, while PP is busily creating equally delishus Boulangere potatoes with rosemary.

Meanwhile, Small Dog is wandering round with a hopeful expression in response to the tempting aromas tantalising her taste buds and insists on getting under my feet while I try to wash up after having used EVERY pot, pan and dish and bowl in the kitchen.

Hopefully order will soon be restored and we'll have time to slip into something fetching before dinner.

As if.......

Disgruntled in St. Leonards.......

2011-09-22T10:29:00.001Z

It's always the same when I get back from a short break away (this time it was to celebrate PP's birthday). It takes me ages to settle back into a routine and first off there's all the 'stuff' to deal with which has built up over just a few days. Unpacking caravan, post, emails, laundry, phone messages etc etc etc.

I actually took some time out yesterday afternoon to escape to the workroom and finish off a little toy doll which had been languishing since last week so that I didn't have to tackle the mountain of emails awaiting my attention.

Also, what in blue blazes has happened to Facebook? I can't do a thing with it. Mind you, I don't have much time for it anyway, so it's recent reincarnation into something I like even less than the original has prompted me to try out Google+.

Thus far just one person has 'found me' and I've added that intrepid soul to one of my 'circles'.
The rationale behind Google+ is that you have different circles - family, friends, acquaintances, work colleagues etc and can add individual people to one or more circles. Anything you want to say, you post just like Facebook, but you can choose who you want to share your post with.

So far, so simple, so NOT like FB. I find the constant barrage of posts on FB unmanageable, and as a result I read hardly any. I like the prospect of being able to easily filter incoming information into separate circles. Things I want to share with 'friends' might be different to that which I want to share with 'family' or fellow miniaturists. Google+ makes it easy to do that.

So, if you want to be added to one of my 'circles' (Friends or Miniatures, or both) just let me know. I'll need your email address to send you an invite.

Edit: Apparently if you click HERE you'll be able to find me on Google+

Time off for good behaviour.............

2011-09-21T20:09:00.000Z

It may have escaped your attention that I've been away for a few days.

Well I'm back now so whatever passes for normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

Or more likely tomorrow.......

Snakes and ladders............

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000Z

When I was a child I had a lovely games compendium in a wooden box, which contained a beautifully illustrated selection of traditional board games, including Snakes & Ladders.

I must have been very impressionable, because I never really liked the game. The snakes were a tad too realistic for my liking, with sneering expressions and gaping mouths filled with venom-dripping fangs. There also seemed to be far more snakes than ladders, and the higher up the board you got, the more they proliferated. Games often lasted for what seemed like several increasingly frustrating hours as player after player almost reached 100 only to land on a snake and plummet back down to the mid-30s.

Most of this week I've felt as if I've been in a real-life version of Snakes & Ladders. Trudging along, step by step, with an occasional spirit-lifting 'ladder' to give the illusion of making progress, only to be confronted by an unexpected 'snake' and slipping right back to the start.

I hate it when that happens.

I don't mind making slow progress, as long as it's steady. However, unexpected setbacks, which render much of the previous progress null and void, really get my goat.

*sigh*

Keeping it wonky......

2011-09-09T09:55:00.001Z

A new force is at work in St. Leonards, spreading like a wonky wave through the town.

Women everywhere are dusting off their pinnies, capping their jam jars and slamming the oven door on their victoria sponges in their haste to to join a new branch of the venerable Women's Institute.

The WWI.

No, that's not a typo, the group's official title is the Wonky WI and they held their inaugural meeting on Tuesday, with almost 70 keen acolytes turning out to see what it was all about.

Sadly I only got to hear about it yesterday, too late to attend, but I've registered my interest and will definitely be at the next meeting.

Incidentally, the 'Wonky' bit has apparently been sanctioned by the WI.

Brilliant stuff.......

Are we nearly there yet.....?

2011-09-08T15:13:00.000Z

This week has felt interminable.

Some weeks just whizz by. One minute it's Monday, next minute it's next Monday. The days in between pass in a blur.

This week the days have moved at a glacial speed. It's only Thursday but it already feels like an age since Monday.

I'm not quite sure why this is. I've been very, VERY busy this week, which usually means that time passes very quickly. Certainly individual minutes seem to have gone in a flash but the days themselves have appeared to be twice as long as usual.

Strange.

However, I'm comforting myself with the fact that tomorrow is Friday and notionally the end of the week/beginning of the weekend. Of course in practice, the concept of 'weekend' is rather tenuous when you're self-employed and it's really only when we're away in the caravan that weekends are completely work-free.

Despite my business this week, my to do list is growing. It's my own fault. I keep having Ideas.

I've started 3 (that's THREE) new projects this week, in amongst all the casting. Two involve new kits in development, which as I explained just the other day, is a l-o-n-g ongoing process. The third is an idea which has been on the back burner for some time but which I've decided to take out of mothballs to see if it's viable. I did actually spend quite a bit of time on it at the beginning of this year and was going great guns but I hit up against a problem so I put it aside hoping that a solution would suddenly materialise while I wasn't looking.

It hasn't, but I might be able to solve it by thinking outside the box. Which is rather apposite as the problem is inside the box.

If you see what I mean.

However, I really need to focus and avoid getting sidetracked (yeah right!) so I put one of those 'helpful' countdown timers on my desktop this morning, which is cheerfully informing me that I have 53 days till my next 'event'.

Can you guess what it is yet?