Yesterday was a day for the sort of tasks which need to be done but don't really stoke the fires of excitement.
Although there was plenty of fire and smoke as R made a garden incinerator and we burned the garden trimmings which were too big for the compost bin. I'm still trying to get the smoke out of our clothes, crikey the mundane tasks have leaked on into today!
Having only recently set up the compost bin it needed a bit of a mix around. This proved to be slightly more challenging than I thought due to a big tangle of too long twigs, so I ended up with my head and arms stuck right on in there chopping and mixing. I was an aromatic vision of smokey, twig-haired delight let me tell you.
A bath accompanied by a programme on the radio about people who had changed careers in their 50s made me feel a lot fresher! Interesting to note that many of the people featured on the programme expressed the wish to have changed their careers much earlier; confirming in my mind that despite the challenges of self employment we have done the right thing.
With the first Christmas fair coming up at Springwood Hall, Kelso over the last weekend of October I thought I would pause in the making and do the fair related tasks which I always seem to leave to the last minute.
Thanks to my years as a teacher I am pretty handy with a paper cutter and I now have a plentiful selection of business cards, all printed on lovely recycled card, a set of pretty pillow boxes all glued up, gift bags stamped and price lists updated with new pieces.
Which means today I have been able to crack on with some more earrings having tweaked the design to remove the lower loop replaced with a small hole in the bottom of the heart for wire wrapping the sea glass. As for this afternoon, I have a mug of tea and some rings to finish.
Did I mention I think we've done the right thing?! I love my job!
Hooray for festive fairs! I'll be one of many stalls exhibiting over the weekend so if you are in the Borders come on over! We went over yesterday afternoon to set up so this morning would be less of a rush and there is a giant Christmas tree - I know it's still months away but I'm feeling festive! I'd hoped to post this earlier but the internet wasn't playing yesterday.
A well designed and thoughtful treasury by Susan E. Meyer rich, as you would expect, in illustrations by Meyer's favourite children's book illustrators. 
Yesterday involved a lot of filing and shaping so today I have to finish off this sea pottery ring. It's a really cool little blue and white piece of sea pottery which looks a small bit like the Scotland flag! 
A quick shot of last Sunday's collection from a trip to the beach still all sandy before the first wash and sort. I can spot at least one piece which has been used in a piece of jewellery already.
Two weeks to go until Christmas fair number one and there is still an awful lot to do! My new battery powered lights arrived today and are rather splendid so I will have to have a practice set up once I've finished making my new display stands - I hope they work! If they do I'll post pictures; if they don't we shall never speak of them again.
This week's update from the workbench brings you little silver stars and hearts all ready to be brushed, filed, sanded and combined with some pretty sea glass droplets to make earrings.
Taken last year in Dawyck. Fiddled with today after a leaf crunching walk down by the river made me think of this folder of beautiful yet still unexplored photos I took when we were up here house hunting during half term.
