This was little Ewan the last time I saw him when he was all of one week old. A whole two weeks have gone by and I'm missing him like mad. So I jumped on to the Easyjet website and booked another flight down to England - that's the third trip in six weeks - and I'll be giving him a cuddle again on Tuesday. The bank balance is taking a hit, but what the hell... we won't see them at Christmas this year - just too far to bring a little one - so this is the next best thing.
He's sporting a beautiful little cardigan and hat ( slightly squint) knitted for him by his Auntie Babs.
We ventured out for our morning walk again on Friday to calm serene water and peaceful colours, less than 24 hours after the famous storm which swept across Scotland on Thursday (known affectionately on Twitter as Hurricane Bawbag!) This was the first proper walk we've had in weeks, months even and it's a sign that things here at Embroidered Originals are beginning to get slowly back to normal.
Ever since the beginning of August it's been non stop. Everything apart from work has been suspended and we've been like two little hamsters on our treadmill.
This year for some reason has been busier than ever with orders to supply our ever growing list of stockists and it has been almost impossible to keep up with demand.
However we've made it this point and all of our shops have received their Christmas card orders and re-orders and re-orders...
I'm now beginning to emerge from the tunnel and look around, mainly at the devastation that constant work leaves in its wake - neglected house, garden, office etc.
But with the energy and excitement to tackle this mountain of cleaning and sorting.
End of term feeling.
Preparing for the new year.
Flicking the switch in my brain to turn me into Superwoman.
Home baked Christmas, beautifully wrapped presents and trimmed tree.
Just who am I kidding!
Although I'm crawling to bed at 3am and dreaming of polishing floors and washing windows, I know that 20 minutes with a duster and I'll be bored to tears.
Twas ever thus.
And I'm even getting, ever so slightly, the urge to be creative again. If you read this blog, you'll know it happens to me every year at this time. Just when the pressure of work eases I find myself reading blogs by talented people again and mulling over tiny grains of ideas.
But then January comes round, and the Trade Fair, and we're off again. So nothing ever gets past the "thinking" stage.
But then what's this picture above all about? Is it something I've just knocked up between packing orders? Nooooooo..oo..don't be daft. This is a not very good photo of part of a nursery picture I made THIRTY YEARS ago for Laura when she was a baby.
So it got me thinking... I now have a grandson.... and I'm ashamed to say I never even sent a card to the poor little mite. Maybe, just maybe I'll sit down over the Christmas break and make something for him.
Not promising anything, but you never know.
So the last Craft Fair of the year for us was today, the Perth Christmas Craft Market and after the storms this week we were blessed with a dry still bright (but cold) day. I say "we" but really it was just Bob. I just turned over and went back to sleep when he crawled out of bed at 6 this morning to set off.
It was his turn anyway.
