On Change

Change. It's always difficult. 

A few people I know seem to be having unexpected things happening in their lives right now, forcing change upon them whether they like it or not. 

Storm Clouds

Let me tell you a little story about change as I see it:

We had a car, which we loved- quite irrationally as it was an inanimate object, but it was reliable, comfortable, it drove smoothly, it was classy. We thought it was very 'us'. We felt loyal to it. It served us really well, especially when we stuffed it as full as we could and ratcheted a chair to the roof to drive across the whole country to get to Cornwall. 

Then, one pleasant afternoon a couple of months ago, this happened: 

Unforeseen Change

The first thing to say is that fortunately nobody was hurt. It was just a silly thing, which I saw happening but was powerless to prevent. I was shocked and shaky.

The second fortunate thing for me was that the other driver immediately admitted responsibility and phoned his insurance company. 

There were many other positive things which happened in those early moments- offspring could be contacted in round-about way (thanks Tilda!). Other parents rallied round. It was a sunny afternoon so I wasn't waiting in the rain. There was a warm coat in the boot of the car, which I needed in my state of shock. Phone calls were fielded on my behalf at home. The recovery guys (Tonkins- if you live in Cornwall you will know them) were absolutely brilliant... there were so many things that I could have considered lucky, or in fact good at that point in time, but I didn't feel particularly grateful.

The Storm Lifts

I will spare you the whole saga, but just skip ahead to the fact that our lovely car, being 10 years old, was considered a write-off. We were aghast- how could our faithful friend with minor damage be good for nothing? We only have one car, so we were left with what we considered to be an extremely freaky hire car on a countdown to when we had to return it, and then potentially no transport at all. The situation was problematic. We spent a lot of time chasing all possible solutions, but we were getting nowhere, except closer to meltdown in a wasteland of used cars.

Cactus in the Wasteland

It was then that a strange thing happened. We developed a crush on our hire car. Freaky became beautiful. Space age gadgets began to seem like they were right for 2017. And in short, dear reader, we bought one. 

So, this is not a car advert but I will quickly tell you a few things I love about our Citroen Cactus: it is fun to drive, it is extremely economical, the tax is currently free, it is roomy, it has all sorts of modern gadgets... and it just has that je ne sais quoi. We certainly did not know how inefficient our old car was until we saw how little we now spend at the petrol station.

New Wheels

Now, not every change is as simple as finding a new car. But my point is that this situation seemed so bad, such a puzzle in the moment, and kind of desperate. And once it was resolved all of that worry seemed so trivial. The best outcome happened for us.

Blue Skies Eventually

We resist change- it is stressful and unsettling, sometimes even shocking. But, if you're going through something unforeseen, please remember that change is in fact the natural order of things- it's more natural than any kind of status quo. 

You Can't Always Get What You Want

We did not realise we needed a new car until one was thrust upon us, for which I am now, with hindsight, grateful. Changes come in all magnitudes. Whether it is cars, jobs, houses, relationships, lifestyles or whatever, sometimes we don't know what we need until we are confronted with it, which invariably means we have to let go of the old. If you're enduring a traumatic development in your life I can't promise that you will be fine, that things will be great, but sometimes things might just turn out for the best. And, human nature being what it is, I am sure we all need reminders to look for the positives hidden in our difficulties. 

You might just end up finding the cactus in your wasteland.

Lovely Things Linky

Lovely Things!

I've been approaching both of my blogs with fresh interest over the last few weeks, and consequentially I've decided to take part in a couple of 'Linky' events. When selecting which ones to join in with, the fantastic positivity of 'Lovely Things' really appealed to me! so, here are my first three 'Lovely Things', listed with gratitude:

Thing 1: Cornwall

If you have read my blog before you will have seen my snaps of the area I live in. I am so unspeakably grateful to be able to exist in this paradise, that my first 'Lovely Thing' just has to be Cornwall.

Cornish Sunset

Thing 2: My Family

Everyone loves their family. Everyone knows their partners and kids are really something special, there are thousands of blogs devoted to the topic, so I'm well aware of this fact. But these guys, well they really are something!

I never blog about them, or put them on instgram... I figure that their lives and their privacy are their own, and I'd rather tell them in person than over the net how awesome I think they are. But maybe a little public shout out once in a while really won't hurt: these two are the best company imaginable, and they give me so much that is positive. They always, without fail, cheer me up, they make me laugh so so much, they show me that they appreciate me, and they believe in me. I consider myself extremely blessed to have them both, as I am in complete awe of them both. 

The best guys in the world

Thing 3: Paws

This member of my family, on the other hand, is something that I do plaster all over instagram. After 5 years I am still completely besotted with her! Before I had a cat I never knew what funny, charming, entertaining and loving little personalities they have. She definitely enriches my life: having a purring, lolling, and at times demanding little heartbeat for company is another gift. Usually to be found asleep on my work table, she never lets me forget that the purpose of being a crafter is to make cosy beds for her, whether I am in the middle of an urgent project or not. 

So there are my first 'Lovely Things'. I look forward to reading yours, and I promise that next month they will be more frivolous and fun! 

Personal Anniversary

I am the first of our little clan to have a birthday in Cornwall, our new-ish part of the world. And what an amazing few days I have been treated to! 

Amongst my many pleasures there was a few sneaky yoga poses on a deserted beach we had walked to. 

This was followed at home by lime cake with clotted cream, and a pot of lapsing souchong- what an indulgence! 

 The weekend also gave me paella, which I would happily bet is the best paella in the UK, cooked by my honorary Spaniard.

There were lovely presents (including an extremely thoughtful 'Running Songs' cd given to me by my nearest and dearest, a fantastic cable cardigan, and a new nightie with proper Victorian-style trimmings- just how I like them!), heartfelt birthday cards which drew the odd sentimental tear, there was coffee from a thermos in a cave watching birds, some great workouts, breakfast in bed... it's embarrassing how spoilt I am! 

But also impossible to describe how lucky I feel and how grateful I am to all the lovely people in my life, as well as to the circumstances that have given me so much in terms of health and good fortune. 

Crafty Cornwall

I'm delighted to be thinking about my blog again!

There are so many hours to be whiled away just looking at the sea (before touching on any of the other wonders of this beautiful place) that having much of an online life has slipped down the list.

I am hoping to bring you news very soon about some craft classes in Cornwall, too.

I have been doing some teaching, but it has been concentrated at the big trade shows. Now that the year has turned, though, I am ready to think about getting back to it. If you have any requests for crochet/knitting/sewing classes, do let me know as I am very open to locations and topics at this stage.

Project-wise I am a little stuck on my Cornish guernsey- it is a much larger project that I had really thought about, and the tiny needles require good daylight. I am almost up to the point where I can join at the shoulders, and then I will consider myself roughly halfway through.  Pictures to follow...