French Knots

What a night with The Alarm!

Last night was French Knots Craft Studio's long awaited Christmas do! 

 Oh it was good, Mike Peters and the guys gave their all and were clearly having a brilliant time. I also had a brilliant time, transported back the the first time I saw The Alarm when I was 17. There was just as much passion and energy both from the band and the crowd, though after 2 hours of leaping up and down like a lunatic I was a bit of a sweaty betty to say the least. While belting out the anthems, jumping up and down with my arms stretched high in enjoyment I had suddenly had a clear though ' The Big Sister would be horrified if she could see me!' Ha ha!!

It was the most fun I have had in a long time, loud and raucous, the music vibrating in your body as well as your soul. This knackered middle aged Mum hasn't felt so alive in a bloody long time!

Thanks to the boys for loving what they do and taking us along for the best ride in town last night.

Mike Peters is a cancer survivor and uses his passion for rock and his platform to make a difference through his Love Hope Strength Foundation We signed up for the bone marrow donation database and lots of other fans were signing up too, they are promoting Get on the List - sign up, get swabbed and save a life. Perhaps you could too?

Perfect Christmas do, I think I'll do the same next Christmas,

 

Missing

I have been missing my blog but my motivation seems to be missing too!

Late last year I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and had to take some medication which made me feel ill. I persevered as I was told it would make me feel less exhausted, it didn't and during February I started falling asleep during the day if I sat down for more than 5 minutes. So now I am stopping the tablets and am feeling dreadful. Hurrah, that was a total waste of time. Hopefully once they are out of my system the symptoms they created will stop and I'll just be back to the fibromyalgia symptoms. Which are pants too but better than nodding off just after breakfast.

Pah.

Anyway.....

Signs of spring are cheering, the forsythia in my garden is beginning to bloom with it's bold brash flowers and there hasn't been a drop of rain in about 3 weeks - in Manchester this is unheard of! Well apart from the heatwave summer of '77 that I remember from childhood. These daffs have been brightening up mu studio with their nodding heads. The studio has been very busy and I've been teach workshops 3 or 4 times a week, which I love. Sharing something you are passionate about with other who love it too is just the best job in the world. I've been teaching children how to use sewing machines, converting lots of new people into crochet addicts and have launched Vintage Crafternoon Tea Hen Parties in conjunction with my partner in crime Baking genius Gwyn. It's dreadful - I sometimes have to eat left over cake!

I've got plans for new kits, childrens sewing parties, magazine articles and lots of new creative workshops - it's a shame one of the main symptoms of fibromyalgia is exhaustion otherwise I'd get even more done!

 My lovely Mum would have been 70 last month. Even after so many years I still miss her everyday and the older I get the more unfair it seems that she was only in her 50s when she died. How she would have loved hanging out with me in my studio, my inspiration and example of creative, loving motherhood xx