Fighting With...

I cannot belive such a long time has gone by since my last post, especially as I began the year practically blogging every day!!  Sometimes there's loads to report on, and other times not so much, though this quiet period in my blog has mostly been caused by health issues - my Rheumatoid Arthritis has raised its ugly head once more and I just haven't had the energy to blog recently, and hey, who wants to hear about this bone hurting more than that one?  I sure don't and I'm pretty sure you don't either.  I've just been doing quite a lot of burrowing into my pillows and bed, reading and not a lot else, though I did manage to sneak off to my favourite health spa, Ragdale Hall last week for some much needed TLC.   It was lovely as always and I felt a lot better mentally if not physically for having had a bit of pampering.

I had thought I'd get away with sneaking off without anyone noticing, only to be updated by Mark that I had an avalanche of orders stacking up...this made me feel really guilty for being away, but he managed it and I want to thank everyone who was willing to wait a few days whilst I was away.  Usually I put a big message at the front of the site, and to be honest I forgot.  Apologies.  In any case, the avalanche is dealt with now, and I'm clear of outstanding orders so my conscience is salved.

I've been doing loads of cooking in the past several weeks, I suddenly got the bug for it and its nice to do other creative stuff, and I do think of cooking as creative.   I made the most AMAZING chocolate cake for Father's Day and had Mum and Dad over for dinner - alas I forgot to take any photos, so you'll have to take my word for it, but I love to cook....eventually we plan to knock a wall out to the side of the kitchen and make a much larger one but that's all in the pipeline under 'Manyana' because I have a horror of home construction projects as its a strong childhood memory that my parents must have been the original property developers; we moved a lot, and every house we lived in, my Dad was always knocking down walls, building extensions and putting new roofs on....its not at all that it was awful, its just anytime I think of all that dust and mess I start gibbering.

Well, we've adopted ANOTHER new pussycat; we had a bit of a tragedy as you know when lovely Blue died a while back and we adopted Harley who is lovely and cute but he immediately bonded to me rather than to Mark; so Mark was on the look-out for another cat and we've adopted Bailey, previously 'Ghost' who needed rehoming as the little boy to whom he belonged was allergic to him in a major way - Bailey is a Tiffanie cat (no, we'd never heard of the breed either) and as you can see from the pics, he is beyond beautiful.  Apparently Mark is a cat snob, because all the other three are mogs - the three have all bonded to me of course, and Mark is working on Bailey to get him to bond to him.  Bailey isn't actually living with us as yet because it turned out he had some sort of cat virus which we didn't fancy giving to our other cats so at present he is at Mark's Mum's on quarantine until we get the all-clear which shouldn't be too long away now.

The one thing I do know about my cats and Merlin my horse is they all instinctively sense when I am not well and do their own thing to try and look after me.   Harley likes to lie right against me and purr very very hard into me; it does make me feel better, because that sort of unconditional love is very very special.

So, its four cats now, and that is absolutely the limit - its a nice number and certainly the three we have in the house now make it feel full, like a home, as there's always something going on, and they bring warmth and happiness to the house.

I have been doing some new work and although I can't make promises as to when it will go on the site, where it does there will be lots of new pieces to look at - I've also got lots of fresh vintage stuff as well, but of course the progress of all that is health dependent.


I hope you'll forgive the total silence, and hopefully I can make up for it soon.


Love, Stephanie x

Braver than brave

This is Oscar from Jersey who came to grief last October under the blades of a combine harvester whilst snoozing in a field; in a terrible state, his human rushed him to his vet who had read about state of the art prosthetic limb surgery. Oscar was referred to Noel Fitzpatrick, a veterinary surgeon in Surrey who agreed to make him the first subject of his ground-breaking plans to fit mechanical implants into bone.

The three hour, £4,000 operation was a world first; his new paws were developed by a

Blue, making a flipping nuisance of himself again....

As everyone knows, this is Blue.  Blue loves to run up the pull out stairs to the loft (and then hide), he loves to drink from the toilet and he loves to sit in boxes, any box he can find.   He IS a pain in the derriere but we wouldn't have him any other way.....

This is Blue...

This is our Burmese boy, Blue, who likes to sit under the lights in our photography area, as he is doing here, which prevents any work being done.  He also likes to sit in front of the television screen, mostly when you're trying to watch something you're following like FlashForward.  And he likes to sit on any chair you might like to sit on, and he likes to sit on your car bonnet so you can't drive off.   Yes, this, everyone, is Blue. 

The Ultimate Traveller

Some cats like to roam and others like to travel the world, like Charles the tabby, who went on a 1300 mile adventure.

Charles, who lives in New Mexico, USA, made the astonishing journey to Chicago when his owner Robin  had to go away to work, and left him in the care of a friend.
She said: "I found out (he had wandered away) while I was away volunteering. I was so upset because I was in New Orleans and there was nothing I could do."
Luckily for Charles, he had been fitted with a microchip, so the rescue shelter in Chicago traced him to his human - eight months after he went missing.
Not content with being a four footed wanderer he's on his way home via American Airlines who are giving him a free flight home (presumably he'll not be grounded by ash like us!).
The rescue shelter's director said: "He's in good condition though needs a good brush, he's got a bit of  an upper respiratory infection but otherwise he's fine."
His owner Robin said she had no idea how he could have made the journey to Chicago. "I've moved around a lot. It seems destined that my cat would also be a traveller."

Terror Strikes The Post Office

Posties have stopped delivering mail to a house because they are afraid of being attacked by an elderly family cat of 19, though his age hasn't stopped him terrorising the local post office staff.
During the last month the cat is said to have attacked 3 postmen after lying in wait behind the cat-flap. 
His owner stated "Royal Mail said they will not come near the house because the cat is dangerous. It was funny at first but it is going a bit far now - Tiger is 19 years old. When he sleeps he dribbles, he snores in his sleep and he sleeps for 20 hours a day. If he climbs up a tree he is done in for the rest of the week. I find it really hard to believe."   It begs the question whether they are men or mice, and whether mice would have an easier time of it with Tiger.

The owner has to collect her post from the local sorting office.  Perhaps it is all the postie frightening that has him so worn out.   I'm going to have to say it, aren't I? The great big soft jessies, scared of a pussycat - they'd probably be braver if they were mice, because I can't believe men would be scared of a cat.

Something to make us all smile

Now, if my cat could do this, I'd be impressed.....
I adore the way his little paw waves in the middle of the film. 

Its a hard life...

Just wanted to share this picture of Her Royal Highness Mia....it is a hard life, being a cat, isn't it?

Its So Cold...........

Oh my goodness, how cold is it?   Yesterday I took the car out to the stables and I was pleased with myself when I took a photo of the temperature at minus 7 degrees.   Last night I went back to the stables and it was minus 13 degrees (I'd forgotten the camera). 

My pussycat Mia just looked at this white stuff for a few days and crossed her legs, and now she goes out, does whatever a cat has to do and comes in looking quite disgusted - there are little paw tracks across the nine inches of snow we currently have and we are forecast about another ten inches tomorrow - if that happens she'll just sink into it - its a good thing she's got some black on her or I'd never find her (and of course, she has been offered the convenience of an indoor loo its just she prefers to go outside).     

Link: Its Colder Than A Freezer In Cheshire UK
The days are so beautiful - I have never seen such wonderful blue skies in the winter time - Mark tells me this is what it is like when he goes ski-ing (it always seems completely crackers to me to go out in the cold voluntarily, throw yourself down a slippery slope covered in ice and call it fun - on the other hand, it probably seems crackers to other people that I get on half a ton of unpedictable animal who could throw me off at any moment and call THAT fun....) - I just saw a report that claimed that the UK was colder than the South Pole.

Currently reading...

Books I am currently reading...

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell - this is so beautifully written, a story about a young woman who finds out she has an aunt who has been in a mental institution most of her life, just as the institution is about to close.  Despite not wanting to, she becomes drawn into the story of Esme and the resulting story is wonderful, happy, tender and so worth spending the time reading.
Creative Time And Space by Rice Freeman Zachery - Rice's books are always a visual treat, and this new one is no exception....the writing is pretty darn good too!  I have a billion and one things to do for work right now, and all I have managed to do is flick through and bookmark here and there but I am constantly distracted by it...visually it draws the reader in; it truly is a work of art in itself, I managed to read a bit of it whilst the equine dentist was looking at my horse's teeth a few days ago (which is probably a first for this book generally!) - this is a beautiful book that artists of all kind will enjoy and use constantly.Goodbye, Dear Friend - Coming To Terms With The Death of A Pet by Virginia Ironside...I am sad to be once again reading this book; I am struggling with grief following the death of my beautiful pussycat Cleo who was my constant companion.  This book has gently guided me through the loss of other deeply loved feline companions in the past, and I am working through its wisdom again.   I miss my pretty girl every day, and my heart is breaking from the sadness.   This book is a much needed resource; this is one to remember for times like these.    
Becoming Queen by Kate Williams...this author writes wonderfully - her style is faultless, beautiful and readable...I loved her previous book about Emma Hamilton, the mistress of Lord Nelson and this one is every bit as good...the book, whilst about Queen Victoria, begins with a the fascinating and tragic story of the previous heir presumptive, Princess Charlotte which was a rather unusual start to a book about Queen Victoria...but as I had not read anything on Charlotte before, I found this in itself very interesting.  The ensuing work on Victoria is very good too. 

This Always Makes Me Smile....

Adventures of The New Fur Baby

Mia is settling in well, she loves to snuggle up next to me in bed, which will be handy in the wintertime if we have no electricity when the entire nation goes on strike.  

10th September 2009 - The Saddest News

Today I had to have my beautiful pussycat Cleo put to sleep. For weeks Mark and I have been trying to keep her alive by wrapping her in a towel and feeding her with a spoon, but today I lost her - despite only being 11, she had some terrible tumours in her tummy which meant she was in pain and was dying...she had an ultrasound and the vet rang me with the news, I went up there to be with her for one last terrible, hideous, heart-rending, touching hour - she sat on my lap wrapped in a blanket, pushed her face into the crook of my elbow and purred constantly - I sang her her song 'You Are My Sunshine' and too soon, the vet helped her slip away...this lovely little cat whom I loved as my child, who would sit with me in my studio whilst I worked, who comforted me every time my arthritis hurt, who purred me to sleep each night, my funny little black and white cat who followed me everywhere, is gone.

My Pussycat Cleo is Very Ill

It seems that it is 'Pet Trials and Tribulations' year because my lovely little pussycat Cleo is very ill - current thinking is that she has a heart problem and she has given up eating and is very unwell indeed - she is on a regular drug regime and we are having to force feed her several times a day which sounds dreadful but I guess its better than her starving to death - Cleo is the nearest I will ever get to having a child of my own, and this little cat is my constant companion, she sleeps on her own chair to keep me company in the studio when I work, wherever I am, she is, we snuggle up at night together and she always gives me love and cuddles when I am not well so seeing her this way - and she is only 11, is very very upsetting...its breaking my heart that I cannot seem to do anything for her and she seems to be so sick - she has been coming to me recently and making a special point of sitting on my knee and giving me a lot of love.  I sort of deep down know what she is saying, and I just don't want to hear it, I just want to make her better so we can have another 11 years together.  

Where does time go?

Phew, where on earth does time go? Answers on a postcard, please....

I have lots of new work to go on the site but it will have to wait a week or so because I am taking my Mummy to New York - she's not been well and its a treat - she has never been to the States before so she is probably dizzy with excitement - I will get a chance hopefully to look around the New York jewellery scene and take inspiration from that. We set off tomorrow morning, so early it should be illegal. I guess that makes me chaperone to my Mum - I am hoping she will behave herself! We will visit Ellis Island, maybe go to the theatre (I am hoping to get tickets to see 'Wicked'), go and look round the interesting neighbourhoods, shop, shop, and shop, go to some Museums, and take a look at the Statue of Liberty. I am looking forward to this as I haven't been on holiday this year, and this has been made possible by my improvement in health.