Soup and Line Dancing

It comes to something when you need to go to work for a rest. As you know I love my work, and I also seem to love to agree to work when I don't want to . I really need to get more strict with what I agree to doing. I've agreed to work a shift tonight, even though it's not really convenient. Well, I say "a shift" what I actually mean is that I'm taking a partially sighted lady line dancing! And getting paid for it! I know! How could I refuse?!?

The members of the craft group have dwindled and I'm quickly realising that not only can you not please all the people all the time, but you can't please any of the people any of the time. I'm not going to pack it in though, there's a little hardcore group of us that are using the time wisely, making things for the community fun day in June, at the moment making miles and miles and miles of bunting for the streets. We're having a band parade and EVERYTHING, so I'll be able to stand there looking at my old bedsheets flapping about on a lamp post thinking "I remember having that on the bed!".

This afternoon, I'm babysitting my Stepmother's shop. It's the most peace and quiet I've had for ages. Which isn't that peaceful or quiet because I've just made a nice big sale and taken a load of orders. I am glad now for five minutes peace because I don't seem to have had 5 minutes to write for ages.

So the festivals are looming and I'm getting thinner. I need some more peace and quiet so that I can get on with my clothing alterations. I now have very few pairs of trousers I can wear and only one pair of jeans. I have another pair that I can get away with when I pull my belt tight enough to keep them up but there's inches of squashed up fabric around my waist. I'm not bragging about it, it's been slow and bloody hard work, It's just that I can't just pop out and buy some new jeans or anything, so I have a plan.

Seeing as I'm in the market now (Pontypool Indoor) I'm going to go and have a chat with the nice lady who has the Make, Do and Mend stall and see if we can come up with an arrangement to take in my jeans. My machine simply can't cope with the fabric, and I don't think I'm quite THAT brave to try with jeans anyway. A few of my pairs will nearly have to be cut in half, I'd think! I'll enjoy wearing the smaller versions.

The beetroot soup went down a storm. Ms. Brooks had pink teeth for a week, so I believe! Roasted a load of tomatoes yesterday and I'm going to blend them all up when I get home for some soup. As Download is looming SO fast I have embarked on a punishing gym routine in order to get some more pounds off before then. I have to go to the gym once I'm done her (the 8th time in 8 days) and then home for some soup and line dancing. I'm so rock'n'roll :)

Mend and Make Do - The Return; well, the start actually.

Today was the first meeting of my "mend and make do" craft group at the local community hall and I'm thrilled to say that 10 people turned up despite the fact that as yet we have not put up one poster or advertisement anywhere!

It's going to be a really nice group. We're collecting patterns, knitting needles, anything really so that we have a lot of stuff to hand to be able to work on our individual projects, but we're collaborating with the community centre in making things to be sold at the family fun day in June. One of our ladies has already made a fabulous head start in making clothes for Barbies and she's come up with some belters.

Some of the ladies have really proficient skills, some want to develop their skills. We can all do things that the other ladies would like to learn, so skills we shall share! Most importantly though, it's bringing the community together, and we need as much of that as we can get. Older ladies are sat chatting with younger ladies; that's the way!

I have been promised dome wonderful supplies for the group, and we're still collecting, so don't forget! Keep your eyes pealed for things we can use!

I'm off out tonight with my daughter and I'm itching to put my new top on. I made it out of an old top that made me look, er, portly, so I'm looking forward to that. Let's just hope the stitching holds!

An email was received today from Radio Wales. Looks like I'm back on there on Friday! How exciting! Amongst other things, I'll have to mention the fact that we're just coming up to our 2,000th page view in 15 countries! I never for a second thought that I'd get here, so, to all you lovely peeps that keep coming back for more punishment - "me love you long tiiiime"!