The birthday dog!

Small dog embraces life with enthusiastic vigour. No less on her birthday, which was yesterday.

As a special treat she was taken to our nearest beach at low tide and let off her lead to run like a lunatic up and down the sand, nosing in rock pools, tugging at seaweed fronds and generally having a high old time.

She even threw caution to the winds and paddled in some of the larger pools, right up to her knees, which admittedly is only about 2 inches, but since she's not usually keen on getting wet under any circumstances this merits special mention.

Stupidly, I didn't take my camera, so you will have to use your imagination to come up with a mental image.

So, eventually, a small, wet, sandy dog, tired out by her exertions, travelled home in the car, wrapped snugly in an old towel. It was only later yesterday afternoon that we noticed how gritty the floor felt underfoot, and after further investigation the culprit was indeed found to be small dog, who rather in the manner of 'The Great Escape' was surreptitiously depositing large amounts of sand which had been stuck to her furry legs and tummy.

Nothing else for it.......she would have to submit to a shower. Much to her disgust. It was her birthday after all and she's not keen on being washed at at the best of times.

So, I give you one freshly laundered small dog..........

I'm not the only one........

....with an ambivalent relationship with ebay

Ebay blues............

I have a love/hate relationship with ebay.

I love searching for that elusive miniature marvel and the thrill of bidding to win it.
I love the way I can keep track of all my 'doings' in the one place.
I love the fact that I can have a shop window open to the whole world (if they know where to look)

However, for all the positives (and there are many more) there are just as many negatives. And ebay often has me tearing my hair out with frustration.

For example, today ebay uk have had a 5p listing day. As with all ebay offers there are strings attached and there is a long list of do's and don'ts which must be adhered to.

Fair enough.

As I've been otherwise occupied for the past month or so, my ebay selling has been rather neglected, so today I wanted to take advantage of the cheap listing to put up a few more items, on auction and buy it now.

So far so good.

Took photos and settled down to list a fairly modest batch of around 12 items which I anticipated would take 2 hours at most.

The process took almost 6 hours.

6 HOURS!!! To list just a dozen items!

And that's using mis-named Turbo Lister, which is the least turbo-charged tool I have ever come across.
I can't be the only one who finds the whole listing process tedious in the extreme. Which is why I tend to put it off till cheap listing days. When of course everyone else is trying to list their stuff too so the whole thing system slows to a crawl.

Catch-22

Still, at least I managed to finish without Turbo Lister crashing my laptop (which it is wont to do) or freezing solid so I can't close anything down and have to resort to taking out the battery, which requires finding a small screwdriver and struggling with 4 microscopic screws. So I suppose I must be thankful for small mercies.

However I have most certainly had enough for today so I'm downing tools early to indulge in some displacement activity.

With the aid of small dog.

Enuff said.

Is there life after Miniatura..........?

So the dust has finally settled and I've even got round to unpacking all our boxes which have been littering the hall and workroom since we got back home on Monday. Of course the workroom does still look like the set of 'Armageddon and the Four Riders of the Apocalypse' so no change there then.

I've been easing myself back into work mode, slowly and carefully, aided and abetted by the odd glass of something cheering. The evenings are lighter for longer and all the signs are that winter is over and spring is well and truly sprung.

So, new ideas, new plans, new projects have been swirling round in my head like a primordial soup, full of interesting organisms, which may or may not evolve into fully fledged life forms.

Of course there are some pressing concerns, such as preparation for the two vintage toy workshops I'm doing for Kensington Dollshouse Festival.
Not to mention the end of the tax year this Saturday, which means I have to spend 3 days submerged in drifts of paperwork, completing our end of year accounts.
Plus there is the small matter of my 50th birthday later this month, for which I am anticipating at least three weeks of celebrations.

I have requested a birthday party, a proper one with balloons and stuff. In all of my nearly 50 years I have only ever had one proper birthday party.
This was when I was 8 years old. It was held at my grannie's house, but I had to be taken home early, in tears, after a fat boy fell on me. I probably suffered birthday post-traumatic stress for the intervening 42 years, for I have never since experienced the desire for a party.

However, apparently 50 is the new 40 so a party is practically compulsory.

In the midst of all this birthday euphoria, we mustn't forget that it will be small dog's second birthday on Friday. Last year she had a proper doggy birthday party but this year she will be celebrating quietly at home.

Wagons roll..........

And so to Monday, and the journey back home. Not quite as traumatic as the journey up to Birmingham, not least because the sun shone most of the time, and the only shower of rain was thankfully light and brief. However the M25 section of the trip was as hair-raising as usual, especially the stretch from M40 to Heathrow Airport and beyond, which is always a complete nightmare.

On the way, I was in charge of maps and directions, second in command to our Sat-Nav, which is often, frankly useless. Known as NavWoman, she has a pronounced lisp. Anyhoo, whenever we take a wrong turn, which is quite often, she intones:

"Perform a U-turn ath thoon ath pothible"

This is only hilarious for the first few times, mildly amusing for the next few times, then downright irritating forever.

But I digress.

Maps.

I love them.

I think perhaps I should have been a cartographer but I was always rubbish at Geography so that wasn't really an option. Give me a map, (and if it's Ordnance Survey so much the better,) and I am happy for hours.

So I am always first to volunteer for map-reading duties on long journeys. Britain is a haven of odd place names, and one which particularly caught my eye on our way home was the macabrely named Gallowstree Common, which I imagine must be a spookily eerie blasted heath, with a single twisted tree in the centre of a wasteland, populated by big, black crows.

So, while I pored over my maps, the conversation turned to holidays, in particular our summer holiday, which is still unplanned.
Personally I favour a trip to the land of my birth and a tour round the Highlands and Islands. This would have to be in June to avoid the plagues of midges which will turn out to eat me alive, but that aside, there are few places in the UK to rival the west coast of Scotland, with its perfect sunsets, unspoilt beaches and jaw-droppingly stunning scenery.

Perfectionist partner is understandably unenthusiastic about the epic journey required to get from the south coast of England, all the way up to the Scottish west coast. So she suggested the West Country, Dorset or Devon where there are some wonderful campsites with sea views, plus the added attraction of clotted cream teas just in case our cholesterol levels fall dangerously low.

Small dog, who is allowed a vote as we are a democratic household, put forward a strong case for holidaying in Barking, which we suggested is probably less exciting than it might sound. Undaunted she then proposed Dog Village, (Yes it does exist. Look it up on Google Maps) which isn't far from Dartmoor and 'Hound of the Baskerville' country. Sensing that a theme was developing, we duly agreed to note her request. Her final suggestion was the rather disgustingly named Lickey End which sounds less like a holiday destination and more like something which would require an emergency visit to the vet. Nevertheless, small dog is entitled to her opinion so it was carefully minuted.

All suggestions will be thoroughly researched and discussed at the next meeting of the aptly named Holiday Enablement And Destination Action Committee (Heartily Endorsed). Maybe we should think of a snappier title..............

Day Two..........

On Sunday, day two of the fair, we woke to brilliant sunshine, which set the tone for thewhole day.
Arrived early again, as the hour before opening to the public was designated for exhibitors to browse and shop with each other. This was a godsend for me as perfectionist partner had spent most of the time on Saturday in the van dog-sitting, shuttling across to the hall every few hours to bring me refreshments and allow me 'comfort breaks'.

However, even the shopping hour on Sunday morning wasn't nearly long enough and there were still lots of my favourite makers I didn't get the chance to visit.

Doors opened at 10am and a flood of eager miniatures enthusiasts were released into the hall and from then till lunchtime there was a steady flow of visitors to my stand. I talked myself hoarse, explaining how the little toy dolls are made and chatting with visitors about their (and mine) dollshouses. By lunchtime I was seriously flagging, and throughout the afternoon the excitement and exhilaration had taken their toll and I was fit to drop. 4.30 pm rolled round and the show was pronounced closed........time to pack up and ferry the remains of our stock back to the van, where small dog was once again in fine fettle and looking forward to getting back to the campsite for her walk.

It was something of a challenge trying to fit everything back into the van so that we could actually move around in it, but once back on the site, with the late afternoon sun glinting on the lake, a sense of peace and calm descended.......aided by a glass of Merlot to celebrate our success.

So, all in all, a very worthwhile experience.

Oh, and just to prove our credentials.

All's fair.........

And so to Saturday, Day 1 of the Miniatura International Doll's House and Miniatures Show.

Had to get up at stupid o'clock in order to stow all loose articles in the van, shower, get dressed and drive the 3 miles to the NEC early enough to bag a good parking spot.

When we arrived at 7.30am the hall was already bustling with exhibitors setting out their wares. Unfortunately our business mascot wasn't going to be allowed into the hall, so had to stay in the comfort of the van. She was not amused at the early start, not being an early riser at the best of times, so she was somewhat disgruntled at the prospect of staying in a car park all day. Even when I took her for a quick constitutional around the car park, she disdained chasing a particularly large and probably very unfit squirrel, who had been scavenging in a bin and was breakfasting on a large sticky bun!

So, on the stroke of 10am, I was settled behind my stand, nervously awaiting the start of the fair and the arrival of our first customers. I didn't have to wait long, as one of our online dollclub members, Jenny, soon appeared along with her two grandsons, ready for a day's browsing and buying. Having a chat with Jenny soon dispelled my nerves, especially as she'd brought a gorgeous hand-made card to cheer us on. Miniaturists are such nice people!

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur. I didn't even get the opportunity to slip away and attend to some of the items on my own shopping list.

One of the highlights of the day was the interest shown by the editor of Doll's House and Miniature Scene magazine. She took lots of photos and then asked if they could feature my Vintage Toy Doll Kit in the Kit Review section of the magazine during the summer. What a result!

Modesty forbids me from repeating the glowing feedback from customers and browsers alike, but it was wonderful to know that all our creative endeavour was appreciated. Sale followed sale, leaflets flew off the stand and I finished the day at 5.30pm exhausted but exhilarated.

Thankfully, small dog's morning frostiness had thawed sufficiently for her to greet me enthusiastically when I got back to the van, footsore and weary, but brimming with ideas and plans for future projects. Even the rain didn't cloud our euphoria, and the evening was pleasantly spent over a delicious dinner with a bottle of most acceptable Sauvignon Blanc.

We even remembered about to put our clocks forward by one hour to herald the start of British Summertime, which was somewhat ironic given the continuing deluge, but a very early night would hopefully make up for the loss of one hour..........