The Christmas Rush

It's been a hectic few weeks for us in the run up to Christmas. We have done 17 days of craft fairs, markets and events since the end of November. This works out at 4.25 days every week, but most done on Saturdays and Sundays with Dave and I doing separate events on the same day. This of course means lots of time spent in the workshop making things for the next show and not much time for anything else. This is why there have not been many posts but I will try to catch up with all that has been happening in the next few days.

Our last show was on Sunday at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and we were both looking forward to having a bit of time to relax. Sleep has been an item on my whiteboard 'To-Do-List' all week, and the only Christmas present Dave has asked for is a day off! However, since Sunday I have made 52 wedding favours, a rush order of 50 bars for Jamesfield Farm Shop, done all of my Christmas shopping and written all of my Christmas cards. We will deliver these tomorrow, using our 'Just In Time' management principles again! Maybe next year I will be organised! So it is safe to say we are still looking forward to some time to relax.

Soundtrack to work this last month has been: The Wombats - Is this Christmas?, Vampire Weekend - A-Punk (great tune at 2am to keep your spirits high). Anything Christmassy, from good ol' Bing to The Waitresses, including Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You (I mean, for goodness sake!). And for the record... always Jeff Buckley, never Alexandra! You all know what I'm talking about.

It Never Rains But It Pours

Our central heating boiler packed in about a month ago. Now usually we'd find the money somehow and get it fixed but this time it died a death and it's never to be switched on again. So a new system for our wee cottage is now going to cost around £800 just to get the boiler, nevermind the gas conection charge. Finding the type of system and the money is the the easy bit sorted out (we'll not the money side, so much) we now need to find the time for David to install it. The run up to Christmas is our busiest time and we really never have a moment to spare. Dave and I have managed to heat ourselves by our open fire (which badly needs swept) in the living room and a wee electric fan heater in the bedroom (I woke up the other day and the room thermostat flashed 7 degrees. It flashes under 10 degrees to warn you there's a hypothermia risk!). So we've been coping and trying not to mump too much, I just keep thinking about how my grandparents managed to lived without double glazing and central heating. I must admit that I love wearing my fantastic 'Icebreaker' thermals - Don't laugh. They were bought for our travels to Spitsbergen and I now wear them as an extra layer at our Winter markets. My Icebreakers are the best thing since sliced bread, especially the boxer-shorts.

Then...

On Sunday the washing machine went wizz, bang, wallop, FLASH while I was standing looking at it wondering why it was making a funny scrapping, gurgling, static noise. Bloomin' fireworks came out of the top as it came to a grinding halt. You've never seen me jump so high! So I've been through my whole wardrobe of clean clothes and I'm now on to the bizarre mix'n'match of clothes that really shouldn't be seen out in public together.

On top of that my cooker (inherited when we bought the house has decided to only allow me to use the smallest ring and half heat one of the large pot rings. The oven thermostate burst many months ago so I haven't baked for ages.

So, the new washing machine is getting delivered tomorrow, the cooker has been ordered and the boiler, well it been ordered and I hope that we will find some time before Christmas to get it fitted. I now have to go out and sell a hell of a lot of soap to pay for it all.