The Wendy House

Why did I say yes?

Do you ever find yourself in those situations where someone asks if you would do something, and before you know it you have said yes without really thinking about the outcome. Well that's what I did. We went to a party a few weeks ago and were talking to a friend who is a farmer. Tim mentioned to him that I had always wanted to drive a tractor, in response to this he said he had three places booked for training with an examiner in November but only had two members of staff suitable to train so would I like to fill the last place. Obviously without a second thought I said of course I would. I must just add this training was not for a tractor but for a fork lift truck! which carries tonne boxes of potatoes in a large storage depot.
As the weeks passed I forgot all about it until last Tuesday when I received an email informing me of the start time of 8am for that Friday. I had a slight panic and tried to think of ways of getting out of it before I resigned myself to the fact that I had agreed to do it.
So off I went to the farm for a prompt start and met the two other chaps who were taking the course with me. They had already been driving these trucks at work and needed to complete the appropriate safety training. The instructor/examiner arrived and introduced himself, he raised his eyebrows slightly on hearing that I had never even sat in one of these things, not really helped by the fact I was female. We watched two videos which showed how we could be crushed if we tipped the thing over, we could break an arm off if we held it out of the cab when passing something or just receive a few minor injuries in other circumstances. So filled with confidence, NOT, I followed the others outside. I opted to go second so I could watch and learn.
The training involved a full safety check of the vehicle first, ensuring such things as masts, forks and chains were all intact. I also learnt about rated capacity and other wonderful terms.
The steering I didn't find too much of a problem but  I found it difficult remembering which lever did which and kept forgetting to put the hand brake on each time I stopped. So things went up when they were supposed to go down and move to the left when they were supposed to move to the right. Well, I managed to stack 4 boxes on top on each other then lift and stack a box on top of 6 others which was then 6 metres/ 18feet high, all of which I found very nerve racking.
After our lunch break we were informed we would have a written and multiple choice exam with the aid of a booklet then we would do the practical test. As you can imagine I couldn't wait :o(

I was second to take the practical test. By this time the instructor had done away with pleasantries and  was in full examiner mode! To add to the stress he wanted me to move and stack these large boxes in TWO's not singularly like we had done in the morning. I did manage to complete the test but not without some faults that he quite sternly pointed out. Anyway having told you all of the above I PASSED! I couldn't believe it. Looking back I really enjoyed the day and it gave me the opportunity to see a different kind of working life.

Thank you for all your good luck wishes they were really appreciated.

Why do I blog?

I know many of you mention you have lurkers that hang around your blogs, well I don't think i have many due to the small number of visitors I get, but I know I have one. So Alison this post is for you. I went to book group last week which was held at Alison's house (a lovely venue I must add), she does admit to reading my blog when I see her and that her husband had looked as well. Her husband had asked her why I blog, so that question was then put to me. I gave a few reasons but for the following few days I did give it some consideration.

I have never been one of life's great academics and never will be, learning to read for me was a struggle, therefore it  has never been a great pleasure.The main reason for joining the book group was to change that. Talking on the other hand is a different story. My parents patiently spent hours trying to teach me to read at home and never compared me to my sister who seemed to take to it like a duck to water. My written work was the same, at school when the teacher put a title on the board and asked us to write an essay about it, I had no idea where to start, yet others would scribble away beside me. I would be lucky if I achieved a C grade however much effort went into the work. I have also realised in later life that people comment on how neat my writing is, sadly it does not have an artistic flair but it is always legible. I think it is because the little bit I could get down on paper I did slowly and carefully to make what rubbish I had written look nice and also to take up more time during the lesson. What I found so frustrating was that in my head I could talk through an essay but what I wrote on the paper did not match it.
I seem to be running on a bit here but the point I am trying to get across is that all of this led to a fear of people reading what I had written. By starting this blog I was going to expose myself and the way I write. Tim would edit everything for me to start with, but now I just press the publish button when I'm ready. Through writing this blog I have overcome that fear and no longer care what people think of my grammar and use of words because this is who I am.

Other reasons are:
I can look back over the year and see what happened and what we achieved rather than thinking that we hadn't done much because we had forgotten about it.

I can say things in writing that are difficult to say to someone face to face.

It has filled a gap that work colleagues fill, after leaving work last year I missed people to chat to.

It has improved my computer skills.

It gives me a more positive slant on the world, there is so much awful news in the press that you begin to think everyone must be awful. I have met some wonderful people from all over the world that I would never have come across otherwise.

It makes going to collect the post very exciting at times, I receive such lovely things which somebody has kindly given up their precious time to make for me. This in turn inspires me to do the same for others.

These arrived from Christina this week. Who wouldn't be thrilled with these. Thank you very much.

This is so lovely I am too afraid to use it at the moment.

So Alison I hope this explains things a bit more and thanks for making me think about it. (also thanks for a great evening last week)

Finally if anyone has a spare moment on Friday could you send some good luck wishes my way. I am doing something and I have no idea why I am doing it so I hope no one asks why. I will post about it next week.

Unexpected Gifts

Just as I finished writing my last post, 2 parcels dropped through the letter box. One was just some more badge bits Lucy had ordered for me, but the other was a gift out of the blue. Becky creates the most wonderful things and seems to produce so much, she attends a place called Red Lead which sounds so inspiring, I would go if there wasn't such a huge expanse of water between me and it.
We had not organised a swap so I was delighted to receive something unexpected. So kind, and thank you very much.

Beautifully wrapped.

Some lovely vintage pieces, and tags created by Becky.

It is a shame about that huge expanse of water because if it was quicker and easier to cross I would most definitely be going to this.......

I think if you click on the photo you can read it. If not pop over to Stephs blog for the details, because some of you lucky bloggers will live near enough to go. She is another very talented person. I love her work and would love to have been able to go to this. Thank you for the invite though and I wish you lots of luck ( not that you will need it)

The surprises didn't stop there. I managed to finish all of Lucy's roman blinds and went over to hang them last Friday. First of all I was told off for being too earlier and was not allowed in the back room. There was alot of rustling and snipping coming from that room and then I was presented with this....

Copyright Lucy Buck 2006
I was delighted to be given a prototype. I have to report back any faults or problems and will need to part with it for opening night next Wednesday. I absolutely love it, I really appreciate the time that was spent on this. I can't complain about making those blinds now, can I?
Lucy is beginning to settle into a routine at her studio and held her first creative session for others to join yesterday. We all took our knitting but I know she would like people to bring anything they are working on. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, and it made me crack on with my project that has been ongoing for a few months. I have promised myself not to buy any new yarn until it is completed. I still have beautiful yarns to try out that Rebecca sent for the one skein SP.

Finally we have had some lovely bright autumn days so we can still get into the garden. We have one last big project. We need to build a retaining wall between the side of our house and the neighbours garden. For some strange reason their garden is about 1m higher than ours, so if we clear the soil away to allow us to walk behind our house we may find our neighbours have slid into our garden overnight. This is going to be heavy work moving the soil and positioning old sleepers, but will be worth the effort.

Random items

I am writing this in a purely selfish manner to allow myself to offload a huge amount of guilt. I greatly admire those bloggers who are send me lovely emails in response to any comments I have left. Quite often they are bloggers who have a large group of followers and therefore receive many comments, and yet they still are able to answer each comment. How do they do it? I am going to make no excuses for not doing the same but I just don't manage it. What I want to say is I appreciate and value each and every comment I receive. They offer support, encouragement and humour. When I see I have a new comment it is as exciting as receiving a letter in the post. So on that note THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all comments I have received since I started this blog.

On that subject of comments and leaving them, does anyone else struggle with the codes to be typed in as security to prove you are not a robot. I have often wondered if I may be dyslexic. If these codes were any form of assessment, then yes, I most certainly am. Firstly I find myself trying to make a word in my head from the obscure choice of letters given. Next I type them in carefully, often saying them out loud as I type, only to find that I am being told off in RED ink because I have done it wrong.
Type the letters as they are shown. It always makes me feel that I am being shouted at, because I thought I had typed them in as they were shown. It just gives me a little extra challenge when I leave a comment and a sense of satisfaction when I get the code right first time.

Fridges
I noticed on Katie's blog the other day that I had been tagged  to show my fridge. I can't say that showing my fridge is something I do on a regular basis, and normally the only people that see my fridge are those who pop in for coffee or those who join us for a meal. I admit that it is a new fridge because we have just redone the kitchen. The old fridge was Tims which was one that fitted under the worktop. Being quite tall I found it annoying having to stoop down each time I opened it. This fridge also had been adapted by Tim in what he felt was quite a clever way. He had raised the front feet slightly, which meant the fridge was tilted backwards,this made the door always close itself. I hated this because you only had to turn your back for a second and the thing would be shut. Anyway that fridge had served it's owner well for many years and it has moved on to pastures new.
I am going to reveal the inside of my fridge only because it doesn't look like this often. Mostly it seems to be quite empty, I did a shop a couple of days ago so much to Tim and Lucy's delight we do have some food.

Do go over to Katie's blog for a look, she has just made the most wonderful sets of Juggling Balls. I am going to tag Zoe, Julie and Steph to expose themselves through their fridges. As Katie said though, don't feel you must.

I have managed to find time for a little crafting and once this post is finished I am off to do some more. I bought a kit at the knitting and stitching show a few weeks ago. It didn't take long to complete and I think if I get all the pieces cut out in advance I could rattle a few off.

She looks a bit shocked, I think it was the flash that startled her. Exciting things..... the postman has just been and I have 2 parcels. I wasn't expecting anything so I am off to do a bit of ripping of paper.

Luce Stitch

This is the first time I have had my computer on for days. I know I keep harping on about how quickly the time flies but I feel a bit like a hamster at the moment whose running round and round at top speed in it's wheel  and every so often I fly out of the wheel and land up somewhere else. Having said that hopefully things should calm down a bit now. We have painted, cleaned, polished, carpeted, sewn, shifted furniture and worked late into the night. But that is nothing compared to the hours Lucy has put in. So at last she has launched herself on to a very scary journey. Luce Stitch opened it's door for the first time yesterday.


This little business has been set up on an extremely tight budget with lots and lots of effort from it's creator. Sadly I fear some people may be quick to say to her " well it's alright for you because of .......... whatever" but I know this has taken a huge amount of courage to do this. I have never understood why people do this and having been on the receiving end of this too often I am always prepared for it. Good things happen in your life usually due to hard work or spending a great deal of effort holding on by the skin of your teeth during bad times.  Watching the weight fall off Lucy and her eczema make a return visit has not been enjoyable, but this is what she really wants to do, and now the time has come for her to get on with it and see where it takes her. Tim and I wish her all the very best and as far as we are concerned she deserves to enjoy your journey.

I have managed to make two blinds and the door curtain so far. The remaining blinds are all lined and hemmed but just need the rod pockets and velcro attaching. As I have been roped in to man the unit on Saturday (no pay apparently) I thought I could get them finished and hung up then.  Maybe I will even finish the last one of my own for the kitchen.

Honestly, they do pull up and down, but you can't see much of them if we pull them up, so they are down for demonstration purposes.
One thing that worries me is the knitting machine. I hadn't seen what Lucy trained on at university, so when this enormous thing arrived it made me think of equipment from the industrial revolution and that my daughter was going to be working in one of the cotton mills. Slaving away and developing some awful lung disease. She loves it though and informed us tonight that the scarf she created today had 1200 rows of knit, which means she has pushed it back and forth that many times. One thing for sure is she won't develop any of those baggy arms known as "bingo wings"

This piece of knit was not created by Lucy but done by the man who lovingly reconditions these machines.
Anyway that is enough of me running on about Lucy for now, I promise not to keep on about it like I did with my crocs. Talking of crocs though I do have a little show and tell but I will save that for another day.