The third FHFTEAM giveaway

If you forgot to enter the first and second time, here's a new chance to win. This time these prizes are up for grabs:


Please visit the FHFteam Blog to enter the competition, winners to be announced on Friday 24th of September.


I am still working on my swirly beads - here's the latest set I made using this technique:



Have a great Tuesday!

Julie x

Big FHFteam giveaway competition!!

Woohoo!! Fhfteam on Etsy is giving away prizes for the next fortnight!! Here's what is up for grabs today, kindly donated by FHFteam members Ingrid, Glenn and Helen:



Please visit the FHFteam Blog to enter the competition!

Have fun!!

x

I'm back!

I'm back, not only to look after my neglected blog, but from our annual holiday in Norway. Oh, what lovely three or so weeks we had. Only one day did we not take the kids to my sister's beach (not that the weather was that fantastic, they just didn't care - and I was told I could sit inside the boat house if I was bothered by the rain...)
Beach life:


On a kayaking trip:


Last summer in Norway I got a bit frustrated, missing my glass a lot, and so this year I decided to not think of glass at all, and not bring any glassy magazines or books. Instead I embarked on another craft that I used to love - crocheting. I asked mother and sister for some leftover yarn, of which there are loads hidden around in their various cupboards, and set to making myself a shawl in warm, lovely wool. It had to be a colourful design given the many small bundles I had to work with. I carried my work with me every time we went to the beach, and here's the result:



Another week or so and we're back to "normal" (i.e. school starts), and I look so much forward to spending time in my workshop. I switched on my kiln the other day, and to my dismay it didn't want to heat up. Luckily my husband is pretty clever with his meter, and it didn't take him long to realise a relay was broken. A quick call to Robin at www.electrickilns.co.uk, and I had a new relay the following day. So all is now good and ready to go!

I hope you all have had a lovely summer as well!!

Snow, H&S and Attitudes

We had an inch of sleet, and my kids' school was closed for three days, as sleet turned into ice. School was closed partly because staff was not able to get into work, and partly because it was deemed too dangerous for the kids. Most pupils live within walking distance to school.

We had more snow, but on the fourth day school opened for part of the day. The playground was covered in a layer of snow over the frozen sleet. When I picked my kids up they told me they had not been allowed out in the playground at all during break time.

I come from the West Country of Norway, and these conditions are normal during the whole of winter: It snows, it thaws a bit, it freezes etc. My mother told me that d/t great amounts of snow followed by frost they had poured water over part of their school playground and made a skate rink for the children to enjoy!!

Do I blame school? No, of course not! But I do think that something is seriously wrong with the "Accident claims legislation" in this country! We are advised to not salt or grit or remove snow/ice from the pavements outside our houses, as if we do we can be liable if someone happens to fall over. The council doesn't do anything with the pavements for the same reason. School is held responsible if a child falls over in the playground. And so on! I have been approached in town and asked if I have had an accident lately, and if so, I should claim compensation... Mad, and very, very sad if you ask me!

A huge sum of money is needed for a country to invest in the resources necessary to be prepared for the amounts of snow we have seen this year, and maybe for counties like Devon it is not worth making that investment. I do react strongly to the fact that necessary services stops functioning, though, and that there needs to be lives lost d/t a bit of snow! Ambulance services, police, nursing and caring services should definitely be equipped for winter. And maybe, just maybe a bit of winter driving instructions to the common man would be worth considering. I have been scared to see several near misses on flat roads!

Enough ramblings - snow is nice and fun and bright and pretty.... but I hope it only falls on the countries that can deal with it in the future.

Here's a set of winter sparklies I finished the other day. Hopefully I'll get it on Etsy soon. I have received a couple of new bead presses as well, and there are a few new shapes from me cooling down in the kiln :-)




Happy New Year to you all!
Please walk carefully, and don't claim unnecessary ;-)