Hi there I hope you are all well. I hope you all managed to have as good a Xmas and New Year as possible under the circumstances. We were lucky enough to have two teenagers in the house over Xmas. Yes I DID say LUCKY TO HAVE 2 TEENAGERS IN THE HOUSE! OK they can be troublesome, what with finding out they have their own opinions etc, but they do, in general liven a place up a bit don’t you think?

I have to be honest, this Post is a revised version of the ORIGINAL, sometimes I get a bit negative before I see the positive, but I do always, in the end, see the positive and discard the negative. But who wants to read a New year post with negative stuff in eh, Sod Apple I will never buy off them again, customer service stinks etc, you know, that kind of negative.

So no, a Changed blog, but I will keep some of the original content, so here we go.

Where have I been during COVID? I can hardly answer that one myself so let’s ignore the fact that I have been missing in action and look at what is going on Now – there is nothing like starting afresh with part of your routine, (what routine?) is there? So instead of apologising for not being around on Social Media, or loosing my crafty arty self for a while, I think I will concentrate on the fact that I AM BACK! That is supposed to be the Positive bit by the way!!!!!

Doesn’t it feel strange starting off the New Year without really making any plans, no thoughts of Holidays or Craft Fair Weekends away? I mean it doesn’t mean any of that won’t happen but right now I don’t feel like planning any of it and that way I won’t have to deal with the hassle of cancelling it?

But anyway I am more of a “Live in the Moment” type of person and don’t like to be planned too far ahead so I can cope fine with that. But I do believe that you should always have at least one thing to look forward to at all times. Weather that is looking forward to sitting in a Cafe again eating a nice chunk of Cake and drinking a professionally made Latte, or having a camping trip to look forward to, or maybe just a planned visit to the local beach or countryside “to walk your Dog”! Just something, ONE thing to look forward to at all times. I think if you have that your mind is drawn to that future thought of happiness when it can’t cope with what is happing or not happening on this day.

Not that there is anything bad happening today for me personally, but there are a lot of people who are suffering in all sorts of ways right now. I think of those people every day. I looked to see if I could volunteer for something but there wasn’t much option, and under the circumstances we are in, I need to “Stop In” like most other people.

I used to feel quite isolated when everyone was at work or school and I was here at home on my own. But I always had my Crafting to throw myself into wholeheartedly, sometimes feeling isolated is a good thing too you can just drift around in your day with little pressure from the outside world!

But this year I have been surrounded by my Husband and Kids (on a DAILY BASIS!!!) So instead of feeling isolated I feel disorientated! Happy to have them around, but on hold with my own stuff while I try to be a Mam and a Domestic Goddess!!! I say try because my Kids are too independent for me to Mother them and my Hubbie is staring at his Computer all day every day in meetings poor thing. So I feel a bit like a redundant spare part sometimes, or a redundant spare Goddess???

I can’t get my routine going, I have bought more PJ’s than I have ever owned, what’s the point of wearing tight jeans and Bra’s that dig into your Ribs when you are not leaving the house?? I got myself a nice Sports Bra and a few good pairs of PJ’s and a couple of warm Dresses for the days I want to “make an effort”. But I don’t know what I have done with myself in all this time? I mean when the Lockdown ended the first time, we went to the Lake District but now that seems like it was last year!

Ah Ha, this is a Happy New Year Blog so IT WAS last year. But you know what I mean.

I have been a bit poorly here and there but nothing serious. I have slept in a lot, I have stayed up late a lot. I am definitely a Night Shift Worker type of person!

I did a good set up for my Daughters Birthday in December even though should couldn’t have a Party for her 16th she was allowed a few school friends in our Garden & Conservatory, so we bought her an outdoor Projector to make things a little more exciting, bought lots of popcorn, made a screen out of her old Ballet Bar and a sheet and filled the table with food for about 15 guests! I did Xmas like I always do Xmas too but with a lot less food. We normally do Xmas Tea for the Family, have my Sis & Bro In Law over Boxing Day and Host the New Years Eve Party. But we just did it with the four of us this year and the odd visitor in the garden, when it was permitted, and joined a few Zooms here and there.

When I was Sorting the Conservatory for our New Years Eve drinks I realised I had set up the Bar as I normally would, Laid out glasses for about 20 People and put as many dips and crisps on the table for the beginning of the night as I always do. A little too much for 2 Adults and 2 Teenagers! Still, we had a good night and sang Ald lang syne arms as we do every New Year, while our Friends did the same on the Zoom Screen. We even got our Son to First foot and handed him a piece of coal as always.

My Sister asked if Matthew had First Footed last year and pointed out that he didn’t bring us much good luck!! I don’t think Covid could be his fault though so I gave him another chance this year!

So Crafting, OMG the longest dry spell I have ever had. Just nothing there at all at one point. You would think I would have taken the chance to get lots done, but when your family are home you don’t get to just go to the craft room at times that suit you and you don’t get to sit there all day messing around looking for inspiration either.

I have changed my room around umpteen times, I have re-fitted my wardrobe (made a video of that – I love it, the wardrobe set up that is) and I have paid for some great Apps to do FB Lives, and double and triple camera Workshops online. But have had self doubt about weather I have anything to teach anyone? NO I am not looking for compliments or encouragement, I appreciate support from you all as is, its just the truth. I doubt myself all the time. I often feel like I have fudged my way through all this and one day someone will realise that actually, I DON’T REALL HAVE ANY TALANT!!!! Shush someone might hear you.

But I feel it all coming back again, slowly, but at least it is coming back – the will to Craft that is. I have finally got my IPad Pro Back after a long dispute with Apple, I got my Broken Apple Pencil replaced at Commet, and my Ipad replaced by them in the end too. Disgraceful Customer Service From Apple I must say.

So I can carry on with my Drawings and videos etc now. Of course I got it back just before Xmas and didn’t get chance to pick it up till last week. And now its my Birthday Weekend looming. Blimey I can’t even bring myself to say what Age I will be. Normally it doesn’t bother me but for some reason this one does! The only consolation is……….. Mmmm there is no consolation for 60!!!!!

I have had problems with my Stomach over the last year but especially before and during Xmas on and off, a few times I have woken up with liquid in my throat so I couldn’t breath, normally I jump out of bed gasping for air, the liquid goes down (Einstein was right) and I can breath again. One morning last week though I woke up already out of breath, with something blocking my throat so that I couldn’t get any air into my lungs at all, I ran to the end of the bed realising this wasn’t going to clear quick and I was starting to panic, if I couldn’t take in a breath soon I might pass out, I hit Paul on the legs, I turned on the En-suite Light as he dived out of bed wondering what was going on. I pointed to my back and looked at him so he would see I couldn’t breath. He hit me on my back several times and finally I could breath again. I think I was in shock for a few hours after that, I didn’t feel too good and just stayed in bed “sitting up” and caught up on my sleep.

It reminded me that we take waking up each morning and breathing for granted. And that is what my impending Birthday was doing to me too. As I say I am not normally bothered. I have always said that you should embrace whatever age you are, when you are 40 you will wish you are 30, when you are 50 you will wish you were 40 etc etc. But 60? Blimey thats a hard one to swallow. It didn’t help that the RAF have totally duped me over my Pension too. Oh bloody ell, did I just say MY Pension????

So I have been a little stressed about going to bed on a night in case I wake up choking, I am upset with the RAF, and Apple and everything else that has let me down in the last few months, like my Oven just before Xmas, my Washing Machine at the same time, my Ipad, my Pension and most of all myself for letting it all get to me.

So that is the negative SH*£T out of the way! I don’t believe it I have just found the – £ – on my new Keyboard, I thought it didn’t have one but its under the Hash Tag Sign? I wonder where my Hash Tag is – !@£$%^&*()_++ }{POQWE<>?”: Nope can’t find it?

¡€#¢∞§¶•ªº–≠æ…¬‘“ – ###### there it is #### under the same key but with Alt instead of Shift.

Sometimes when you write a Blog it seems like it is all ME, ME, ME! Well I suppose it IS my Blog and this IS a Catch up, so I will forgive myself for this one. The next one though will be all Paint, Stamps and Gel Plates.

Thanks for dropping in, I will be back in a few hours/days with a Craft Blog.

Should I admit it, I forgot to get this posted so here it is at last!

Sam Crowe. Xx