Back to Work ...

(Very rough sketch of my new textile piece)

I haven't much felt like working over the past month. Other things & circumstances have dictated such BUT I started back in earnest today.

I'm struggling again with knowing what to concentrate on. I was sooo 'Princess & the Pea'd out at one point I really started to feel quite stale about what I was doing. Actually, the right word is probably bored ! Sounds very ungrateful but I did start to resent her ...

She was itty bitty and very fiddly foo to make so I withdrew her. This is a fault with me I know. However hard I try I just cannot make something in half an hour hence, I take hours and hours to make something and by the time you've totted up the number of hours , you have to ask the question, is it really worth it for what customers are willing to pay ?

Anyway, as far as I know she's still wallowing in her bed, lucky mare !

So, what to do next ? Do I stick with textiles, should I pursue painting again ? Shall I have a go at ceramics? I did pick up a book on Papier Mache in the library yesterday. I thought it'd be fun to make something with Miss Boo but I did do some Googling last night and found some amazing sculptures made purely of mushed up paper so it's quite versatile !

(One of the sisters - all cut out and ready to go )

In the meantime I have a textile commission to make. There is a poignant story attached to this piece and all I will say is that there are two sisters involved and one has blonde hair and the other dark hair. There is also a moon involved along the way too ...

From something sad comes ...

Boo next to the awesome 'Desert Orchid' statue

Happiness & pride, slowly ...

Today, Mr Boo, Boo, my sister & I all went to Kempton to watch a very special horse run.
The horse? Fenix.
Why so special ? He belonged to Mr Boo's late brother whom we tragically lost before Christmas.
It was his first run since we lost Jonny and his first run in over 800 days after a very bad injury. Mr Boo has taken over the mantle on behalf of his brother so today was our first adventure as racehorse owners.

I've loved horses all my life, I've loved racing since the age of 13, it is my passion. Nothing evokes more emotion than seeing a horse run his heart out. These beautiful creatures are a sight to behold in full flow ...

It was a very, very tall order but we were hopeful of a good run as he was very fit and crying out for a run.

Mr Boo & I in the paddock after saying bye bye to Fenix before the Off ...

We waited in the saddling enclosure to meet his trainer Lucy Wadham from Newmarket. No horse. No trainer. What had happened ? had he thrown a shoe ? become ill ? refused to come out his box? We didn't know. Mr Boo & I walked back to the paddock thinking "Did we miss him somehow?" Nope he wasn't there ... No declared Non Runners so we ran back to the saddling boxes.

Phew ! we spotted Lucy's bright blue scarf waving about. He was there, safe and ready. And he looked amazing. Fit and bouncing.

Fenix finally in the paddock

His race was the Lanzarote Hurdle, a very good Class 2 race, 2 miles 5 furlongs in Heavy ground. Fenix likes it soft but the ground today was pretty desperate. It was going to be tough for all the horses.

In a nutshell, Fenix did not win, he didn't even finish the race. Pulled up 3 hurdles from home. Safe and at no risk of a tired fall.
He was way to keen and pulled like a train having led or been 2nd for a very long way. He was enjoying himself, having a ball and just wanted to fly. The poor jockey's arms are now twice as long as they were before the race but the opinion was that Fenix ran a very very good race, jumped well but was way too keen. Just got puffed out from all that pulling and fighting his jockey.

Imagine a child being cooped up in a classroom for a month and not being allowed out to play. That was Fenix today.

We met him after the race and he had a huge smile on his face, in fact I am sure he winked at me, as if to say "I bloody well enjoyed that, but I'm a bit pooped now if you don't mind".
Even though you knew he had had a race, his ears were still pricked and he just looked happy.

I hope Jonny was sat up there on his cloud, fag in hand, watching with pride as his little brother & horse mad sister-in-law represented him. There will be many more days of racing and many more clouds a watching ...

Is it a Film Set ?

Peepo ... tis me, back again.

Today we went to Narnia ...
No, seriously, we did. I even thought I saw a glimpse of Mr Tumnus, scarf and all.


The woods opposite truly looked like a scene from 'The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe'. Eerily so.
It looked like someone had sprayed fake snow all over the shop. It's so pretty over there and not a bit of grey wet sludge anywhere, which is normally the case with our English snow after a day or so.


Me, Boo and Archie having a little resty. We walked for ages today and Archie eventually developed Snow Bumbles on his coat. He loved bounding about in the snow and Tilly did so well walking such a long way in the deep, deep snow.

More snow is forecast tonight so our friends are walking round tomorrow for Sunday lunch. What a lovely way to spend a a grey, freezing cold Sunday.

We'll be needing these then ...

For a few more days ! These are Boo's wellies and welly warmers. An essential form of dress here in Berkshire lately. How much snow ???
I'm a bit bored with it now. School is shut & believe it or not Boo is a little bit bored, roads are dangerous and it's flippin freezing !

Still there are plus points. No early wake up calls for school for one ... and we've been able to spend more time with friends.
Plus, just look at these piccies of Archie out in the woods and fields. We've had so much fun, but it's all a bit surreal really. One big Christmas Holiday !


Archie is well camoflauged ...

Off to retrieve his tennis ball .... but yes, we did lose it later on.


More, more ... give me more tennis ball retrieves please mum !


Way Hey ! I can fly ...


Me and my special boy.

Blimey, that was a bit deep mum !


Hah ! had to burrow for that one ...


A little while before the snow came ... but still really cold and frosty.

Archie gives me so much joy. Yes, he can be hard work but we've worked very hard with him and with maturity comes a little bit of calmness - but not for long.

Can I please ask ...

Even if you are not religious or believe in a higher being, that you might pray for the little boy, Tommy, who fell through the ice this week and who is in a critical condition.

He is a lovely sunny little boy and so please God, if you do exist, bring him back to his mum, dad and little sister.

God bless you Tommy, we want you back at school ... xxxxxxx

Best Friends

On their way home ...


From a brisk walk in the forest. I love these photo's of Boo and Archie. He is so good when walking with Boo. It was really icy and slippery so even more important that he didn't pull her over.
Boo is quite firm with Archie, very authoritative for a 5 year old !

What you can't see is the fact she is almost up to her knees in icy water. I swear she's half Springer Spaniel, never happier then when she is in water or dirty puddles.


Good job she has her wellies on, I don't think there was one puddle 'unjumped' in on our way through the forest. We walked a heck of a long way so as long as she was happy ....

The funeral has come and gone and so we are getting back to normal after a horrible few weeks.
Mr Boo's brother had a lovely send off, if that's the right term. It was a very, very sad occasion but the services were very heartfelt and personal, I hope Jonny was looking down on the day and felt right chuffed at the turn out ... he may even have had a chuckle at seeing three of his ex-girlfriends turning up at the same time !

I don't know how Mr Boo & his parents got through the day. It all seems so surreal. The shock of losing your son & brother aged just 42 from heart failure is almost too much to deal with. One day you say "Night, night, see you in the morning", but that morning never comes. No warning, no clues, nothing. Just gone ...

Mr Boo has been so brave and has been dealing with the practical aftermath that a death generates too. No easy feat when you have to grieve too. Hopefully the New Year will help with closure and acceptance will come in time.

Good to be back blogging. Happy New Year to All !

How do you cope ...

With a sudden death ?
Especially at such a young age ?
Especially when it's your husbands brother ?

Blogging will be on hold for a bit but I wanted to wish everyone a
Very Happy Christmas and lots of love and luck for the New Year.

Bye, Bye for now x