Catching Up - and Thinking About Jewellery Tutorials

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Beginning Again

Goodness, the sun is trying to shine. Well, of course it is shining constantly and that’s always been a reminder to me that the clouds, metaphorical and actual will pass, eventually.

Ah, everything seems magical through my window. The condensation, which is always there because it’s caught between the double glazing panes, suddenly makes its presence worthwhile, as each drop is a prism of colour and if I tilt my head they shift and change through the spectrum briefly. 

Little things mean a lot.

 It’s been a funny year so far, as we say when things are really hard going. My daughter had a near fatal car crash at the end of January, when a very drunk driver hit her at 60mph in a 30mph village as she was driving home from work. Her car was a write-off but miraculously, she was more or less ok.

Twelve hours later we got a phone call to say that my husband, as in ex-husband of 50 years ago, had suddenly had a heart attack and died.

 

I think we were already emotionally primed or at least on guard as we all seemed to navigate the journey without falling apart. In family terms we were the only ones left standing to pick up the pieces.

 

He was my son’s father and we were all very, very fond of him. We loved him and we certainly didn’t expect him to have a heart attack, as a year previously we’d been told by his doctor that he had a very strong heart.

 

I have been exhausted in a way I didn’t realise would happen. My memory has visited a thousand places. So lovely and sometimes so confusing, so sad… and everything in between.

 

Plus, we had only a short time to sort out all his things. There were a lot. A lifetime’s. Things I had no idea about, and memories shared and kept.

 

Life in perspective. Again.

 

So, I’m trying to rebalance my life and, as I have a wealth of collected inspiration and beauty and ideas to share, and because technology has changed so much since I started this blog, I thought I would try to divide my time and rebalance my life.

 

In the last year I have been writing full time, as I had previously been writing part time for 25 years, and there was a lot to sort out and work with. That’s all going well, but I can see I need more balance now.

Different things I do need different sorts of energy and, as I have had a habit of going all out on whatever I’m doing, some 

  are overlooked. Things that I really want to do.

 

This morning, I thought about tutorials. I don’t think I have done enough. I love making them and as I’m going to be exploring more of the U.K this May and sharing that I want to see if I can link them.

 

It’s all going to be on my terms, as I’m the one doing it.

 

Does that sound rather bolshy? Probably. But it’s true.

 

Papier-mâché beads. Also including pendants, brooches and rings, plus bracelets. So, we keep it in the jewellery arc at least.

 

They can be worn and they can be sold. I have done both.

 

Nowadays I like to make them into objet d’art.

I have had a Wordpress for years that I haven’t really used called The Golden Acorn that I am going to use for a new venture.    

 

Walter’s Way, Lewisham

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London - January 2026.

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The Bus Pass Diaries. 

 I’ve been preparing for 2026 in a few gentle ways. Reconnecting with old friends and family members who I haven’t been in touch with for years. Testing the waters really. Nothing to lose. We will see if there are any responses. So now I have this sense of a little gently pulsating beat, an extra pattern in the background, like a new life forming. It’s really quite exciting. The wise old owl - does that represent me?

                                                                                                

Yes. I see kindness and wisdom there and patience, independence and the ability to survive and thrive. The gifts of age perhaps. I’m going with the flow. In December I also finally got around to applying for a bus pass and apparently I can travel all round London with it for absolutely nothing, so, my plan is to discover London by bus - by travelling on the top deck at the front if possible and taking photos, making videos and sketching, writing down ideas etc. I’m already writing every day and sorting out the stories and thoughts that accompany me wherever I go,  but now I’m giving myself more time to focus. To get into the flow. I’ve decided to create something along the lines of My Bus Pass Adventures or Diaries though diary implies everyday which I doubt they will be as ideas spill over into lives of their own and take over. As usual I’m doing this entirely for myself and for anyone who might find them of interest. I hardly ever travel by bus as I have a very reliable and comfortable car but I do remember the excitement of looking down as I took the No. 6 bus to Warrington Art School and the way the seasons and the weather changed every journey into an adventure. And going to school on the bus way before that too. Yes I do have a love for public transport that needs reviving. And people talk to one another on buses. Or do they? Certainly not on the Tube which I am really fed up with. Almost everyone is on their phone in the underground. I’m hoping being able to look out of the windows changed that somehow for people. 

My first destination will be The British Museum on Monday 5th January. It’s going to be a pretty cold day.  Tomorrow I return to London with my daughter and will stay with her for a week. Hopefully I will do one journey at least every day. I want to get the feel of the place and meet people. And learn and see what is happening. Of course the journey is actually inside ourselves. Step by step.