Meetings, Rain and Florence

Yesterday morning I had my introductory meeting with a Creative Launchpad advisor: a very knowledgeable-without-being-patronising man called Andy. Having been previously told the meeting would be approximately three hours I was imagining this to be excessive, but as it turned out three hours was very much required and packed full of information for me to digest.
Bizarrely nervous about the whole thing, mainly because I didn't really know where I was going, I hopped on the train, as hoards of my bemused students flooded off the opposite train on their way to school and wondering loudly why I wasn't! It was bitterly cold and lashing down with rain in Birmingham on Friday morning and in my explorations to find the Custard Factory (where was Mackay when I needed her!) I got drenched and any prior attempts to look composed and in control washed swiftly away.
There was no need for the apprehension, some kind passers by pointed me in the right direction and the meeting itself was hugely helpful. Got me thinking about a host of things from how on earth to fill in a tax form, e-commerce, marketing, insurance, networking, an artist called Robert J Ennis, whose work is stunning, websites, receipts, press releases and a stack more!
Glad I went - even managed to pop to the shops on the way home and bought a new pair of shoes. Plain, black, flat, for school, not very exciting.
Today, I've made some more teal and silver jewellery but haven't got good photographs yet as the sky was dull by the time I'd finished and the photos were a bit pants. I love teal. It's a beautiful colour. We went for a dander to post a manuscript off to an agent (fingers crossed) and it was very chilly, this Siberian cold snap is clearly on it's way. Have been back in for hours and am still wearing my hat and scarf, brrrrr.
Checked flights for Florence - we are planning to go back this Easter - and prices look good, phew, so we should be booking tomorrow, yay!