school trip

The little one has been away on his school residential this week. He's been on zip-wires and giant swings and climbing walls and assault courses. All very outdoorsy. And all very quiet without him. No-one for the big one to argue with. 
He's back now.
And in other news our 3 year old niece has arrived for the weekend.
Not so quiet any more..

harvest festi

It was the little one's harvest festival service in church this week. I was volunteered to walk down with the kids. As soon as his teacher says the words "Does anyone have a parent who...." the kid sticks his hand up and volunteers me.
Anyway, this was no ordinary harvest festival...it was the LAST harvest festival. Next year the little one will be at high school. No harvest. No volunteering of parents who can walk. No nothing.
I've been going to the school harvest service for 10 years now. Ever since the big one was in Reception. So it was a bit sad that it was the last one like EVER!
However...
After sitting through an hour of a million kids reading a sentence each (which was barely audible and largely DULL) I was feeling pretty glad that it was the last one!
Turned out walking to and from church with the kids was the best bit! Put my name down for Christmas kiddo!

day trip to London

We had a Dotty Wren day trip to London on Friday. It was fab....but waaay too short. What we really needed was a week in London. Actually what we REALLY needed was a couple of weeks in Ibiza. Maybe next time...

september 2014

If September was a repeat pattern it would look something like this.... 
Now onto October people...

great outdoors

It's the big one's birthday. She's a big 14 today! And somewhere along the line I appear to have agreed to her and her mates sleeping in the tent in the garden!! Well THAT was a great idea. Wasn't it....

hands free

There's only one good thing about cold weather. I have to wear a coat to walk the dog. And my coats have pockets. This means I don't have to juggle the phone/keys/poobags/dog treats/other assorted crap that I carry round with me. I'm all hands free and everything!
That's the only good thing about cold weather. The rest is pants.

ps...thanks for all your comments, emails and messages on my last post :) x

plan B...the update

So I expect you're all wondering how it's going with plan B? What with it being a year ago since plan A got kicked into touch and everything? Thought so....

I have to say I felt really sorry for all those GTS hopefuls today who didn't get through to the finals. Cos that was me last year. And it was awful!
At first I was gutted...Then completely flat and fed up...Then really annoyed with myself for falling for it all...
Then I got on with plan B. 
And as luck would have it plan B turned out to be even better than plan A could possibly have been.
I'm busier than I've ever been with my commissions. And I am totally loving being part of the Dotty Wren Studio. Those girls are just ace. Life would be so dull if I didn't get to moan with them every day! We don't need an agent. We can do it ourselves. Turns out there's this thing called the internet these days. You can contact people on it and everything! Sell designs. Sort out commissions. Show people what you can do. It's totally revolutionary! AND no agent's fees. Who knew?!

So if you're a sad loser from this year's comp I'd just like to tell you that you don't have to be the winner to win. Stop moping about and go get yourself a plan B! You'll love it x 

ps....My big dream? Kid's books? It's happening :) Watch this space...

goodbye summer...hello lots of clothes

Summer's over. It's cold. I've got the heating on. And socks. That's me wearing 14 layers of clothing for the next 10 months....

wedding bells

We had a rather lovely night away on Friday. Me and the other half left my Mum and Dad in charge of the kids and zipped off to York for an overnight jaunt and a wedding. Not our wedding. Someone else's. An old friend. 
We had a super lovely time and it was nice to catch up with people I haven't seen for years. And, as one of them pointed out, probably won't see again till there's a funeral. Looking on the bright side...
Anyway, big congratulations Liz and Tony xx

back down to earth

Did I go on holiday? Must have done cos there's still a suitcase in the middle of the living room floor waiting to be unpacked. Five days after we arrived home. But as it's all summer clothes and we are in the middle of Autumn in Yorkshire there's no rush....might just leave it all in. Save myself a packing job next year!
Why is it that 2 hours after landing at the freezing airport it's as if you never went away?
We had a fab holiday.
But we are back to normal life again now. With no time to unpack a flipping suitcase. And no use for summer clothes...

on my jollies.....

I have worked extra-very-bloody-flipping hard this year. I haven't stopped. At all. 
I was dead busy in the run up to Surtex. And I've been dead busy since.
So I'm having a couple of weeks off. In the sun. With my family. Who can't remember what I look like.
Expect some smug photos on Instagram. 

Adios amigos, see you in September! x

found a minute...

We were meant to be going to Whitby today to see the Red Arrows. But at the last minute our nephew decided he wanted to celebrate his 18th birthday after all. So we had to ditch our plans and go out to stuff our faces instead. Lucky escape as it happens. It has lashed it down all day and it's proper blowing a gale. Standing outside in the horizontal rain waiting for a 20 second fly past isn't my idea of a good laugh. 
It also meant I had another spare minute to use my birds from this week. I found the plants I drew in MATS last year and added them in for good measure, no point wasting them...

watch the birdie

I've been so busy with proper work lately that I haven't had chance to do any of my own stuff. But I sneaked in a bit of sketchbook time this week and drew birds... I'll do something with them...one day...when I get a minute...

jungle

We have this massive garden. And a distinct lack of interest in gardening. It's not a good combo. I spent 5 hours last weekend just cutting stuff down. It still looks like a jungle. 
But who has the time or the patience for gardening. You chop and prune and get covered in nettle stings and insect bites and it looks good for about 10 minutes...then it all grows back again. Bigger than before.
We need one of those guerilla gardeners to pop by...if anyone knows one...

july 2014

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun....here's July in one easy to understand repeat pattern...