TIME TO STOP AND TAKE STOCK.

WELL HELLO MY FRIENDS, COME, PULL UP A CHAIR, IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE LAST MET FOR A CATCH - UP. DO YOU FANCY A BREW? MILK? SUGAR?

IT'S BEEN A FEW DAYS SINCE WE FINISHED THE STROUD '08 OPEN STUDIOS. I DIDN'T REALISE HOW MUCH IT WOULD TAKE OUT OF ME BUT I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.

ANDY WAS A TRUE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR AND FINISHED MY WORK ROOM AND THE GARDEN, I WAS SO PLEASED. THERE WERE FIVE OF US EXHIBITING, IT ALL WENT TOGETHER VERY NICELY I THINK.

PHOTOS HAVE BEEN TAKEN, BUT ALAS, THEY ARE NOT ON MY LAPTOP, SO MAYBE I'LL HAVE SOME FOR MY NEXT POST....

A MAJOR HIGH POINT OF THE EVENT WAS MEETING MY BLOG FRIEND, MICHELE ( COWBOYS AND CUSTARD ) AND HER LOVELY MR. CUSTARD. IT SEEMED SO NATURAL TO BE GREETING THEM AS IF SEEING OLD FRIENDS AFTER A LONG SPELL APART, WE HAD NEVER MET BEFORE , HOW STRANGELY MAGICAL . MICHELE WAS JUST AS I IMAGINED, HAVING NOT SEEN ANY PHOTOS ON HER BLOG, JUST A TANTALISING SHOT OF HER HAIR OR A BACK VIEW, HER VOICE ON THE TELEPHONE....... IT'S LIKE FINDING THE FINAL PIECE OF AN ON-GOING PUZZLE, BUT THERE IS NO ANTI- CLIMAX, JUST HOPE, THAT WE WILL MEET AGAIN...

SOME OTHER EXCITING THINGS HAPPENED DURING OUR OPEN STUDIO, BUT I CANNOT TELL AS YET, WE SHALL SEE....

THESE PHOTOS ARE A FEW WELL OVERDEW MINUTES OF FUN WITH MY POPS, THERE'S ALWAYS AN ELEMENT OF GUILT INVOLVED WHEN I'M PUTTING ALOT OF TIME INTO MY WORK, THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THIS IS THAT THE CHILDREN SEE ME MAKING AND ARE EAGER TO HAVE A GO THEMSELVES. GEORGE LOVES FELTING AND POP'S HAS JUST STARTED SEWING, I COULD DO WITH SOME HELP!!!!