An afternoon out!

After a poo-pants day yesterday and this morning, I took myself off to Market Harborough for some coffee, cake and much needed bustle.
I wont rant on about Kettering, but it is quite possibly the pit of the earth. I don't think I'm ever going to go there again. (I don't mean to offend anyone who happens to love Kettering, but you gotta admit, it's gone downhill!) Harboro's only an extra 10 minutes drive and is lovely!
The slice of heaven that you can see below you is, wait for it, Toffee crunch cheesecake.
I treated myself, (and of course I have the excuse of nursury bookshelves to stock!), to a few picture books from Waterstones. I also bought two lovely roomy, bump accomadating jumpers for £20 the pair. One in raspberry, the other in plum, (as modelled in photo below).
I just love Harboro. It just feels more academic/coffee shoppy/boutiquey, as apose to Kettering's chavvy/sports shop/supersaver pound shop/scuz-bucket atmosphere. (oops, I wasn't going to rant).
I also bought the Autumny issue of "Country Living" magazine, and will spend the rest of the evening plonked firmly on the sofa, fire roaring, reading and dreaming of moving to my Perigordine farmhouse.

Slow and messy worker, but end result is always good.

That was what Mrs Morgan wrote for my third year Home Economics report when I was about fourteen years old.
It's scary how that comment sits so well with every element of my life, not just cooking!
Everything from growing up, finding love, my career (still messy work in progress)...everything.
I remembered this comment this afternoon whilst making JAM!



hmmm, now where did I put that packet of jam making sugar?






It's been a dull old afternoon, and not alot has been accomplished. I reeeeeeally must do my tax return. I WILL do it on Saturday, you heard it here, now I have to do it.

The last layer of hay has been stripped off the field and the farmer is muck spreading today. I can't wait until it's ploughed, I love ploughed fields. Anyway, I leave you with yesterday's hazy Autumn sunshine and haystacks.

Button Boutique

The BEST shop in Kettering is closing down.
It's been selling buttons, ric-rac and fabric for nearly 50 years and hasn't changed a dot in all that time.
Button Boutique, what am I to do without you??
I'll have to remember my camera next time I go...

I popped in today just to top up on a few bits



Then, popped around the corner to Burton's, another really old fashioned shop, and found these little pretties!



I don't think the shop lady quite "got" my excitment. There was a whole box of them on sale, left over from last Christmas. Apparently they didn't sell very well due to the rather peachy tone of their breasts, not red enough for the festive cakes of Christmas 2006. I kept telling the shop lady that they were charming in their own little, special way. But she just looked at me, like I was mad, and then continued to criticise them. I only rescued three, I may go back and collect the rest. The self esteem issues with the three little ones above are heart breaking. Horrid lady. Just look at their gorgeous little faces, how could anyone say anything derogatory?

So, inbetween painting 'Flutterbugs' and spells of incredible fatigue, look who came a visitin'!



Please allow me to introduce you to Balancing Beatrice of Bordeaux.
She is staying with me here in Northamptonshire for a few days as, being famous for it's cobblers, she could think of no place better to come for some new satin slippers.
I shall put her on the bus into town tomorrow.




I'll leave you with some pictures of the butterfly tree in my garden....

Baby mags

Happy Friday folks!

Here are this months editorial jobs...

Zzzzz

Thanks for all the suggestions regarding headaches...I appreciate it so much!

Here's my body's response to my "list"...



Yes, asleep at my drawing board...again.

Of course, if I'd known you were going to be looking, I'd have adopted my 'usual' sleeping pose...




I've got a head full of inspiration, and a calender full of deadlines, but most importantly I have a little life inside me, making me very, very, v-e-r-y tired.

I wish I could, like sleeping beauty, sleep for one hundred years.

The Long List

Back to work down't shed today, and I'm waiting to hear about a potential project with Random House.
I was asked to submit a "test piece', ( I can't remember what the formal title is). Here is a detail...



I'm working on the roughs for 'book two' of the four set, (for another publisher), it's a HUGE amount of work and detail in each piece. I wish I had more time to work on them, the deadlines for this project are mega tight!

So, I'm compiling a list. I do this everynight in bed, so thought a good idea would be to write it down and share...


1) - Finish the mice in your spare time.
2) - Design those greetings cards and start selling small scale.
3) - Get those killer mailshots you've designed, painted up and mailed off to every magazine you can find.
4) - Tax return.
5) - Develop your picture book style.
6) - Write some picture books!
7) - Sort your finances and figure out if you can afford to support Nick & Baby in France.
8) - Move to France.
9) - Finish that junior fiction series your working on, or at least work on the black & white illustrations that go with it.
10) - Oh, yeah, and have a baby in February...

Oh my LORD!!!!!

I've had a headache everyday for about two months now, peppered with a twice weekly migraine. I've tried Paracetamol, glasses and lavender oil. Does anyone out there have any other ideas?

Right, back to work.

byeeeee!

Hesitant Pussyfooting

I'm dithering, dubiously.
These mice could have been finished by now, but I'm scared of putting them on Etsy.
Still, never ventured, never gained as they say.
I found the most amazing piece of crimson Edwardian velvet in an antiques shop on Saturday, you can just about make it out in the background behind Etoile. Perfect for the next theme...circus mice!