So today is the last day of February.
Which leaves just 28 days till the clocks change, with the hopeful promise of spring just around the corner.
Today is also the first day in over a week I've felt relatively normal which hopefully means I'm emerging from a self-inflicted period of overwork and stress.
Of course feeling 'relatively normal' is all relative.
I have a burgeoning crop of cold sores on my upper lip and if sleeping were an Olympic sport I'd be a multiple gold medal winner.
But the good news is we have no major deadlines looming over the coming few months so the heat is off workwise for the time being. Of course the ever-present ravening wolf has still to be kept from the door, but thanks to a combination of hard work and serendipity over the past three months, we do at least have a bit of breathing space.
Which in turn means that I can take some time out to work on my projects, which seem to be multiplying at an alarming rate. There are also a number of new toys and games on the drawing board which have been neglected, and which I'm keen to pick up and review. Not to mention some commissions which have come in recently, on which I'm looking forward to making a start.
So all in all, over the next month or two, I'm anticipating a period of recharging my creative batteries and getting on with stuff I really enjoy doing.
Woo and indeed, hoo!
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Friday, 26 February 2010
The Twilight Zone..........
I seem to have lost a whole day.
I'm not talking about Wednesday, the day before yesterday, which passed in a blur of activity in preparation for the murder mystery dinner..... cleaning, cooking, titivating, drinking, eating, more drinking, laughing, singing........ the jollity went on into the small hours.
Apparently.
No I'm talking about yesterday, when despite having had guests stay overnight, and therefore being up and about and nominally sentient in the morning, by early afternoon I finally capitulated and decided to have a lie down on the sofa with Small Dog, to watch a film. Three hours later I woke to find that Small Dog had somehow snuggled herself down under the fleecy blanket, in the crook of my knees, and that having missed the entire film I had no idea whodunnit.
Or even who was dunnit to.
Despite my impromptu mega-nap, I was flagging again by dinner time, and retired to bed at 7 pm, sleeping right through for 12 hours.
However, even that marathon sleep hasn't recharged my depleted batteries, and I'm fighting the urge to slope off for another nap on the sofa, a suggestion of which Small Dog thoroughly approves.
The good news is that we have absolutely NOTHING planned for this weekend. I can sleep, snooze, nap etc to my heart's content. Thanks to our cleaning blitz on Monday and Tuesday the house is sparkling clean and tidy, so I will feel no pangs of guilt if displacement activity claims me.
What luxury to have a few days of doing only what I feel like.
Bliss.........
Normal service will however be resumed at some point. Probably Monday.
Possibly.
I'm not talking about Wednesday, the day before yesterday, which passed in a blur of activity in preparation for the murder mystery dinner..... cleaning, cooking, titivating, drinking, eating, more drinking, laughing, singing........ the jollity went on into the small hours.
Apparently.
No I'm talking about yesterday, when despite having had guests stay overnight, and therefore being up and about and nominally sentient in the morning, by early afternoon I finally capitulated and decided to have a lie down on the sofa with Small Dog, to watch a film. Three hours later I woke to find that Small Dog had somehow snuggled herself down under the fleecy blanket, in the crook of my knees, and that having missed the entire film I had no idea whodunnit.
Or even who was dunnit to.
Despite my impromptu mega-nap, I was flagging again by dinner time, and retired to bed at 7 pm, sleeping right through for 12 hours.
However, even that marathon sleep hasn't recharged my depleted batteries, and I'm fighting the urge to slope off for another nap on the sofa, a suggestion of which Small Dog thoroughly approves.
The good news is that we have absolutely NOTHING planned for this weekend. I can sleep, snooze, nap etc to my heart's content. Thanks to our cleaning blitz on Monday and Tuesday the house is sparkling clean and tidy, so I will feel no pangs of guilt if displacement activity claims me.
What luxury to have a few days of doing only what I feel like.
Bliss.........
Normal service will however be resumed at some point. Probably Monday.
Possibly.
Tuesday, 23 February 2010
Too much information......
Well.
I now know far more about 'shapewear' than is good for me.
I am of a vintage that still remembers roll-on girdles and corselettes but nothing prepared me for the plethora of highly engineered undergarments designed to subdue and contain excess flesh on the female form.
Ordinarily I tend to favour rather utilitarian underwear, particularly when it comes to knickers. While I am not quite in the Bridget Jones 'big knickers' category, neither am I a skimpy thong girl.
Similarly, beaded sheath evening gowns don't feature prominently in my wardrobe. My usual garb of shirts and jeans doesn't necessitate highly structured undergarments. So it was with slight trepidation that I ventured tentatively into the 'shapewear' section of our gargantuan Tesco superstore. Thankfully, it was tucked discretely in a corner of the lingerie area, so I was able to peruse the offerings in relative seclusion, free from the voyeuristic glances of curious onlookers.
In my naivete I had supposed that there would be one, or at the most two, varieties of magic knickers.
But no.
No by no nonny no.
There were racks and racks of them, in a bewildering range of shapes and styles. I quickly discounted the mega-heavy duty variety, which claimed to reduce EVERYTHING by at least a full dress size. They seemed to start somewhere below the neck and ended just above the knee. I thought they represented desperate overkill and frankly marvelled at how anyone could either bend, or breathe while wearing them. I suspect that it came down to a choice between bending OR breathing.
Then there were ones which claimed to give you the thighs of a gazelle. I did briefly consider those, purely in order to give me the satisfaction of taking the manufacturers to court citing the Trade Descriptions Act.
Then there were hip-slimmers, with reinforced mesh haunch panels. Not to mention the tummy tamers, which apparently immediately 'slim and shape rounded tummies'.
I thought that 'round' WAS a shape. Just shows what I know.
Then there was the conundrum of what size to go for. Do you buy the size you'd realistically like to be, or the size you know you are. While I was considering this dilemma I was astounded to see that they all came in size SMALL!
Blimey O'Reilly..... why on earth would any skelf-like, size 10 stick insect want or need magic knickers?!
I held up a pair in complete disbelief. They were TINY! Even Small Dog would have struggled to get them over her sylph-like hips!
After some time I eventually decided on a Magic Waist Cincher (Firm Control) with added Tummy Control Lycra.
They don't actually look too bad, although they have parlous little support in the derriere area. Still, you can't have everything can you? If my waist and tummy are reasonably restrained then my bum can look after itself. It's a reasonable trade-off.
I haven't actually tried them on yet. Small Dog has requested a ringside seat to watch me wriggle and squirm my way into them, but I suspect she only wants to snigger behind her paw. Also I will probably have to have a lie down afterwards and I don't want her trampolining on my newly taut and spandexed tummy.
Besides which she is apt to make comments about my 'pink suit' which she refers to as being strangely tight and baggy at the same time. She a master of the back-handed compliment, although discretion has never been her strong point.
As to requests for photographs of the aforementioned garment, the answer is a resounding NO. Some things are just best left to the imagination.
I now know far more about 'shapewear' than is good for me.
I am of a vintage that still remembers roll-on girdles and corselettes but nothing prepared me for the plethora of highly engineered undergarments designed to subdue and contain excess flesh on the female form.
Ordinarily I tend to favour rather utilitarian underwear, particularly when it comes to knickers. While I am not quite in the Bridget Jones 'big knickers' category, neither am I a skimpy thong girl.
Similarly, beaded sheath evening gowns don't feature prominently in my wardrobe. My usual garb of shirts and jeans doesn't necessitate highly structured undergarments. So it was with slight trepidation that I ventured tentatively into the 'shapewear' section of our gargantuan Tesco superstore. Thankfully, it was tucked discretely in a corner of the lingerie area, so I was able to peruse the offerings in relative seclusion, free from the voyeuristic glances of curious onlookers.
In my naivete I had supposed that there would be one, or at the most two, varieties of magic knickers.
But no.
No by no nonny no.
There were racks and racks of them, in a bewildering range of shapes and styles. I quickly discounted the mega-heavy duty variety, which claimed to reduce EVERYTHING by at least a full dress size. They seemed to start somewhere below the neck and ended just above the knee. I thought they represented desperate overkill and frankly marvelled at how anyone could either bend, or breathe while wearing them. I suspect that it came down to a choice between bending OR breathing.
Then there were ones which claimed to give you the thighs of a gazelle. I did briefly consider those, purely in order to give me the satisfaction of taking the manufacturers to court citing the Trade Descriptions Act.
Then there were hip-slimmers, with reinforced mesh haunch panels. Not to mention the tummy tamers, which apparently immediately 'slim and shape rounded tummies'.
I thought that 'round' WAS a shape. Just shows what I know.
Then there was the conundrum of what size to go for. Do you buy the size you'd realistically like to be, or the size you know you are. While I was considering this dilemma I was astounded to see that they all came in size SMALL!
Blimey O'Reilly..... why on earth would any skelf-like, size 10 stick insect want or need magic knickers?!
I held up a pair in complete disbelief. They were TINY! Even Small Dog would have struggled to get them over her sylph-like hips!
After some time I eventually decided on a Magic Waist Cincher (Firm Control) with added Tummy Control Lycra.
They don't actually look too bad, although they have parlous little support in the derriere area. Still, you can't have everything can you? If my waist and tummy are reasonably restrained then my bum can look after itself. It's a reasonable trade-off.
I haven't actually tried them on yet. Small Dog has requested a ringside seat to watch me wriggle and squirm my way into them, but I suspect she only wants to snigger behind her paw. Also I will probably have to have a lie down afterwards and I don't want her trampolining on my newly taut and spandexed tummy.
Besides which she is apt to make comments about my 'pink suit' which she refers to as being strangely tight and baggy at the same time. She a master of the back-handed compliment, although discretion has never been her strong point.
As to requests for photographs of the aforementioned garment, the answer is a resounding NO. Some things are just best left to the imagination.
Death in Venice....
We're organising a special birthday dinner for one of our bestest friends tomorrow, and to add some spice to the proceedings, decided to host a murder mystery evening.
The theme of the evening is Death in Venice, but I can't give too much away. Mind you, that's not difficult as I know nothing about the identity of the murderer.
It might even be me.
Although hopefully not on account of the rather ambitious menu. Death by Botulism has an unfortunate ring to it, in addition to probably carrying a hefty jail sentence.
The evening is supposedly set in an opulent Venetian palazzo in 1946. An air of decadent opulence is proving a challenge to achieve in a modern house built a mere decade ago, but we're going to do our best.
Thankfully we already have gothic overtones in the dining room, so with the aid of a zillion candles and no electric lighting, we just might get away with it, so long as guests squint on their way to the loo.
In any event, candlelight is so flattering to women of a certain age.
*ahem*
Naturally, in keeping with the theme of the evening, everyone has to come in character, dressed to the nines.
The cast list comprises a powerful and ostentatious Hollywood producer, a fading German pre-War movie star, a beautiful but naieve Italian starlet, a flash Italian-American 'businessman' with probably connections to The Mob, in impossibly handsome Italian war hero, and a politically ambitious but morally suspect war widow.
That's me that is.
I have to squeeze myself into a floor-length beaded sheath dress (a serendipitous eBay find) to play the part of the glamourously wealthy but grief-stricken widow. I am concerned that the lasting impression may be more akin to that of a weeping burst sausage.
This is primarily due to the fact that the dress is rather unforgiving in the bulge department, so there's nothing else for it but to raid Tesco's later for some 'magic knickers'. I am reliably informed that these wonders of underpinning perform the function of non-surgical liposuction, and compress all the renegade bits of 'avoirdupois'*, thereby sculpting and skimming a bulge-free, sylph-like figure.
Hmm.
They're going to have their work cut out with me then.
I don't need magic knickers, so much as absolutely, amazingly, astoundingly, miraculous knickers!
* EDIT: I checked the spelling of avoirdupois, and just to be on the safe side, double checked the definition to ensure that I had the right word.
It appears that I was right, although I was hoping for a slightly more gentle and forgiving description.....
Main Entry: avoirdupois
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: heaviness
Synonyms: bulk, fat, fatness, heftiness, hugeness, ponderosity, ponderousness, weight,
adipose, corpulent, fat, fleshy, gross, heavy, outsize, fat, paunchy, plump, porcine, fat, portly, pudgy, rotund, stout, fat
*sigh*
The theme of the evening is Death in Venice, but I can't give too much away. Mind you, that's not difficult as I know nothing about the identity of the murderer.
It might even be me.
Although hopefully not on account of the rather ambitious menu. Death by Botulism has an unfortunate ring to it, in addition to probably carrying a hefty jail sentence.
The evening is supposedly set in an opulent Venetian palazzo in 1946. An air of decadent opulence is proving a challenge to achieve in a modern house built a mere decade ago, but we're going to do our best.
Thankfully we already have gothic overtones in the dining room, so with the aid of a zillion candles and no electric lighting, we just might get away with it, so long as guests squint on their way to the loo.
In any event, candlelight is so flattering to women of a certain age.
*ahem*
Naturally, in keeping with the theme of the evening, everyone has to come in character, dressed to the nines.
The cast list comprises a powerful and ostentatious Hollywood producer, a fading German pre-War movie star, a beautiful but naieve Italian starlet, a flash Italian-American 'businessman' with probably connections to The Mob, in impossibly handsome Italian war hero, and a politically ambitious but morally suspect war widow.
That's me that is.
I have to squeeze myself into a floor-length beaded sheath dress (a serendipitous eBay find) to play the part of the glamourously wealthy but grief-stricken widow. I am concerned that the lasting impression may be more akin to that of a weeping burst sausage.
This is primarily due to the fact that the dress is rather unforgiving in the bulge department, so there's nothing else for it but to raid Tesco's later for some 'magic knickers'. I am reliably informed that these wonders of underpinning perform the function of non-surgical liposuction, and compress all the renegade bits of 'avoirdupois'*, thereby sculpting and skimming a bulge-free, sylph-like figure.
Hmm.
They're going to have their work cut out with me then.
I don't need magic knickers, so much as absolutely, amazingly, astoundingly, miraculous knickers!
* EDIT: I checked the spelling of avoirdupois, and just to be on the safe side, double checked the definition to ensure that I had the right word.
It appears that I was right, although I was hoping for a slightly more gentle and forgiving description.....
Main Entry: avoirdupois
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: heaviness
Synonyms: bulk, fat, fatness, heftiness, hugeness, ponderosity, ponderousness, weight,
adipose, corpulent, fat, fleshy, gross, heavy, outsize, fat, paunchy, plump, porcine, fat, portly, pudgy, rotund, stout, fat
*sigh*
Monday, 22 February 2010
Brief de-brief..........
Despite an epic sleep last night I still feel zombiefied today, following a full-on working weekend.
I'll post properly later when I'm hopefully able to put my brain in gear, but in a nutshell, the Thame fair on Saturday was a triumph. Our takings were almost double what they were last year and they were very good last year so we are delighted. It was busy all day, with collectors willing to spend on high-end pieces rather than our more affordable offerings.
Thame has carved its own niche in the volatile world of specialist miniature fairs. Many customers commented on the fact that the quality of the exhibitors made it feel akin to a more manageable Miniatura or KDF. All of the high standards without the logistical problems inherent in visiting a really big fair.
Celia Thomas, the fair organiser did a wonderful job of balancing a wide range of top quality exhibitors, with no more than two of any miniature speciality, which ensured a varied selection. Also, every exhibitor was an artisan in their own right, which meant no imported tat, and the resulting same items on stand after stand.
Not only that, the fair raised over £3000 for Breast Cancer Research, which is a fantastic result.
Our post-fair workshop session yesterday was also a great success. Students worked hard to create a little wicker pram and I'm hoping they'll send me photos of the finished pieces to post on the blog in due course.
However, for the moment I'm in recuperation mode, so today will be a day of gentle pottering, with a modicum of rest and relaxation thrown in for good measure.
More anon.......
I'll post properly later when I'm hopefully able to put my brain in gear, but in a nutshell, the Thame fair on Saturday was a triumph. Our takings were almost double what they were last year and they were very good last year so we are delighted. It was busy all day, with collectors willing to spend on high-end pieces rather than our more affordable offerings.
Thame has carved its own niche in the volatile world of specialist miniature fairs. Many customers commented on the fact that the quality of the exhibitors made it feel akin to a more manageable Miniatura or KDF. All of the high standards without the logistical problems inherent in visiting a really big fair.
Celia Thomas, the fair organiser did a wonderful job of balancing a wide range of top quality exhibitors, with no more than two of any miniature speciality, which ensured a varied selection. Also, every exhibitor was an artisan in their own right, which meant no imported tat, and the resulting same items on stand after stand.
Not only that, the fair raised over £3000 for Breast Cancer Research, which is a fantastic result.
Our post-fair workshop session yesterday was also a great success. Students worked hard to create a little wicker pram and I'm hoping they'll send me photos of the finished pieces to post on the blog in due course.
However, for the moment I'm in recuperation mode, so today will be a day of gentle pottering, with a modicum of rest and relaxation thrown in for good measure.
More anon.......
Friday, 19 February 2010
Hi ho, hi ho..........
It's off to work we go........
Huge pile of stuff is currently sitting in the hall, waiting to be packed into the car. By the time we're finished it will be nigh on impossible to squeeze in even a wafer-thin mint. If push comes to shove I may have to make the journey strapped to the roof!
Small Dog has got wind of our impending departure and is resolutely ignoring us, as she has been informed that she must 'STAY'. She hates the 'STAY' word and is curled up on her blanky with her face to the wall and her back to us.
Thankfully the weather seems to be fine, which bodes reasonably well for our foray onto the M25/M40 later. Hopefully by mid afternoon we shall be safely at our hotel and looking forward to a relaxing evening before the fair tomorrow and the subsequent workshop session on Sunday.
I'll tell you all about it on our return.
Right.
Must get on. We have a very small car to pack full with a very lot of stuff!
Huge pile of stuff is currently sitting in the hall, waiting to be packed into the car. By the time we're finished it will be nigh on impossible to squeeze in even a wafer-thin mint. If push comes to shove I may have to make the journey strapped to the roof!
Small Dog has got wind of our impending departure and is resolutely ignoring us, as she has been informed that she must 'STAY'. She hates the 'STAY' word and is curled up on her blanky with her face to the wall and her back to us.
Thankfully the weather seems to be fine, which bodes reasonably well for our foray onto the M25/M40 later. Hopefully by mid afternoon we shall be safely at our hotel and looking forward to a relaxing evening before the fair tomorrow and the subsequent workshop session on Sunday.
I'll tell you all about it on our return.
Right.
Must get on. We have a very small car to pack full with a very lot of stuff!
Wednesday, 17 February 2010
Packing hell............
Packing for a miniatures show is always a fraught business. All the delicately tiny and often incredibly fragile items have to be carefully nestled in protective packaging in order to withstand the rigours of the journey over pot-hole infested roads.
I've spent most of the day so far packing all our wares into boxes by category, then packing those boxes into one humungous box. I'm almost done but haven't yet started on the workshop boxes. I just know that there will be one absolutely vital tool I forget to pack, or that I'll leave the carefully collated instruction booklets.
Also, because we'll be away for two nights, we will also have to take enough stuff for the weekend, smartish clothes for both days, overnight stuff etc etc. Quite how we're going to fit everything, including the display stand, into our extremely small car is an as yet unsolved mystery
Small Dog is going to have dedicated dog-sitters in the shape of two (nominally) adult offspring who have beenbullied, goaded, bribed talked into staying with her, on the basis that the fridge is fully stocked and they have unrestricted access to the Wii.
Unsurprisingly, Small Dog is enchanted at the prospect of having them at her beck and call, although she is under strict instructions not to initiate any games of 'break the furniture' or similar.
Ok, back to the fray.......
I've spent most of the day so far packing all our wares into boxes by category, then packing those boxes into one humungous box. I'm almost done but haven't yet started on the workshop boxes. I just know that there will be one absolutely vital tool I forget to pack, or that I'll leave the carefully collated instruction booklets.
Also, because we'll be away for two nights, we will also have to take enough stuff for the weekend, smartish clothes for both days, overnight stuff etc etc. Quite how we're going to fit everything, including the display stand, into our extremely small car is an as yet unsolved mystery
Small Dog is going to have dedicated dog-sitters in the shape of two (nominally) adult offspring who have been
Unsurprisingly, Small Dog is enchanted at the prospect of having them at her beck and call, although she is under strict instructions not to initiate any games of 'break the furniture' or similar.
Ok, back to the fray.......
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)