Spring has well and truly sprung with the wild garlic out in force, the weather getting warmer and the garden, well, still needing attention I have not given it. I've been on two weeks annual leave from my main career - much needed after an emotionally draining period of managing redundancies - and it all started well. First week I visited Lunan Bay and collected some sea glass but mostly just strolled and unwound. Decaff coconut milk latte and cake were consumed and even got a touch of reorganisation done ahead of the youngest turning 18 and their weekend celebrations. All set for week two and jewellery making! Or so I thought....
Week 2 of my holidays started well, getting business cards organised, and craft fairs applied for - I am pleased to be heading off for my first craft fair experience with The Yard Market in Dundee on May 25th - but I had a bit of a scratchy throat starting. I absent-mindedly wondered if the recent warm weather was bringing on some sort of pollen related misery, not that I have ever suffered from that before, but my positivity refused to acknowledge any other possibility. Waking on Tuesday, I sounded like Barry White! I had a brief work meeting to attend, and we all laughed at my voice. That done, it was time for blow torch fun and work to be done on a couple of sterling silver pieces I had on the go. After an hour, my concentration was shot, I was sweating like a racehorse and someone was using the inside of my forehead to motivate a particularly slow marching band to get wherever it needed to go. I reluctantly reached for a COVID test and the twin lines of doom appeared.
Wednesday - slept and shivered.
Today I actually showered and felt like going out for a walk in the sun however, walking up the stairs soon demonstrated that was a daft idea - I think I will sit and enjoy the garden instead. So here I am, on Thursday and my second productive week has been well and truly derailed but, on the plus side, it has focused me on SEO, promotion, and other bits and bobs that need doing. Having a parallel career takes time to get going as the majority of my free time, by necessity, revolves around my main employment and family. Saying that, necklace display boards, a ring display case and some faceted stones (white topaz, moonstone) arrived today. Some new punches also, for patterning my creations (thinking about a series based on my time in the Philippines) and finally got my business email working properly! So, being laid up ill hasn't been a total bust. Also, my sense of taste has never left me every time I have had COVID so, unfortunately, the snack to mouth ratio has remained stubbornly high.
Hopefully you are well and if you are not, I hope happier days lie before you - I'm counting down the days till the test is negative again, and I can spring into action fully... again!
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