Well my chums, isn’t time flying?! Almost a week into the new year and I will soon be back on the road however I thought that I had better bring you up to date with the last few weeks.

So, where did I leave you last? Oh yes, I left you in Hull. What a lovely weekend that was!

Anyway, from Yorkshire I had intended to head down to Plush Addicts in Cambridgeshire however due to issues outside of my control I had to postpone this one so if you were waiting for that, hang fire and I will relist as soon as I know a new date.

The next stop there was my home county of Lincolnshire in which I had two workshops planned.

The first was a lovely group in Stables Card Emporium, Hayborough.

My venue surprise for this workshop was that one should never judge a book by it’s cover.

Nestled in a stately home estate was this little gem – The Stables Card Emporium.

Attractive yet unassuming on the outside, this wonderful treasure trove of goodies was packed to the rafters with hard to find craft supplies and inspiration galore!

The store owner, Kim, and Trudy met me as I arrived at the shop.

Kim showed me the important things. Like where the log fire and kettle were. I also squeezed in a quick browse of the shop before setting up for the day.

Working with MDF kits was the order of the day here but that wasn’t going to be it – the owner had all sorts of things planned from Christmas games to a lovely finger buffet lunch.

I think that the ladies enjoyed themselves …

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… don’t you?

Is it me or do the workshop days seem to be going by quicker and quicker just lately – or is it the shorter days?

Either way Maisy and I were heading off to our next destination in Bishop Norton.

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Lesson learnt from the last workshop and I did not make any assumptions on arrival at the Bishop Norton village hall.

Mind you, if you look at Maisy’s mucky backside we are not in any position to judge anything or anyone!

Inside I met Alison.

Alison works with the Steps2Change NHS free talking therapies service. A fabulous resource which I have personally used during my most difficult times. If you ever find yourself in need of their services, you can find them on their dedicated website.

Anyway, Alison had gathered some friends and organised a few technique demonstrations which I also took part in!

Here are a few piccies from the day. Sorry there weren’t more but I was having too much fun and forgot, lol ;) Whoopsie!

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Once again the end of the day came and it was time to mount Maisy and head off into the sunset. Well, sunset had happened a while back so it was more like heading off into the misty, cold dark night but you get the idea.

Next stop … oh, no workshops until January…? Hmmm, time for me to go and do some work me thinks. It would have been nice to have had a break however the bank manager would have frowned at me for wasting this opportunity to refill the account.

Next stop – Peterborough!

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Back at C&C HQ!

Anyway, time to get ready for a couple of weeks of bedlum. Not easy when the mornings are starting to introduce you to what living outdoors in winter feels like.

That feeling of dread as you lift back the nice warm duvets, yes duvets, and slip a toe out into the cool (ruddy freezing) morning air. Then bolt to the toilet hopping and skipping so that your feet don’t freeze to the floor, or the toilet seat.

Possibly over-exaggerating a little there but I think you know what I mean.

Got me a tea cozy hat tho ….

… and been cooking fancy soups, so keeping warm at least. :)

Scan N Cut shows filled the first week and then it was onto the post Christmas sale shows where anything and everything was available and anything and everything could happen, and inevitably it did.

The Dean/prunes impromptu sketch, the totally random laughs at the silliest things – that’s what makes telly what it is though, right?

The two weeks shot by and I realized that I’d best get my but into gear and get sorted for getting back out in tour!

This however started to worry me. Three months to go and nowhere near complete.

Grateful that the fund raising target is racing ahead at this point though with nearly £15k in the pot. Confident to achieve the £20k target at this stage.

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Workshops start up again in just over a week so please do make sure to check out the itinerary and see what has been added recently. This will also be updated on a frequent basis over the coming weeks as I race to the finish line so keep on checking if you can.

In the meantime I think I’d best go get sorted – or make my tea – buttery bagles and soup tonight – mmmmm :)

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Thanks for taking the time to catch up. See you again soon! :)