Back from Kefalonia

I arrived back from my holiday today so this is just going to be a short post.  Debby and I were so busy before I went away, and didn`t have time to update the blog.  In the meantime, I have been away for a fortnight, and Debby has been holding the fort, and sounded rather tired when I spoke to her this afternoon! 

I can`t tell you much about what has been going on in Dotty Dolly`s world for the last two weeks, and I won`t know until I go in tomorrow, but I am assuming things have been going along like a well oiled machine!  So while Debby has been busy, I have been sunning myself in the lovely island of Kefalonia.  We arrived to a heatwave, it was very hot, and then had one day of rain - that wasn`t supposed to happen.  Finally the weather settled down, as did we.  We developed a lovely routine of basically lying round the pool on a sunbed, lunch, lying on a sunbed again, and then John my husband would go off late afternoon for some snorkling while I would go back to our appartment for another lie down to get out of the heat.  The day would finish with drinks on our balcony, before going out for a meal, and back to the bar for drinks with all the lovely people we met - bliss!  I took some sewing with me, but didn`t take if out of the bag.  I read lots of books and generally we just chilled out.  We were very lazy, and hardly saw any of the island, although one day we went to Ithika a small island nearby and where Madonna has a villa, lucky her.  Anyway enough about that!

I think we have said that  we are going to Malvern at the end of October, so our next task is to start to get ready for that.  We are hoping to launch some kits which we have been working on, we just have to get our act together.  I have a feeling I might need a kick start. 

Just before I went away we recieved a delivery of some lovely Michael Miller fabrics, no photographs I`m afraid, but they are very bright and contemporary, but with a slight retro feel to them, if that makes sense!

The weekend before I went  we went to a lovely exhibition at Come 2 Quilt. If you want to know more about it look on Stitcherydo, Shirley has written about it with lots of lovely photographs.  It was a really lovely exhibition, and we were made to feel very welcome.  We met lots of our lovely friends and customers there, and quite a few new people as well.

Our First Birthday

It`s back to me writing the blog again this week as Debby is busy doing important things on the computer, like getting the accounts ready for the accountant, and working on the website.  I have had the easy bit for the website as I have taken the photographs and Debby is doing whatever it is she has to do before they go to Mel the lovely lady who is actually building the website for us.  I have taken loads of photographs and have one more lot left to do on Monday.  It has been very difficult because of the lighting in the shop, and they aren`t brilliant, but it`s still easier than Debby`s job.  I shouldn`t go on about it really because I feel very guilty that Debby is the one who is doing all this.  She tried to show me what she was doing the other day, but I just don`t have a clue what she is talking about most of the time.  I know I will have to learn how to do it, and I will, it`s just going to take a little longer than she thought!  Heaven help Mel when she trains us, or me at least.

We have had a fairly eventful week as we celebrated our first year of trading on the 1st September which was exciting.  We were rather overwhelmed by the response of our customers, we had cards, and even flowers!  Lots of people came into the shop to say hello which was great.  We told everybody that there would be tea, coffee and cake, which there was, but there were so many people that we kept forgetting to offer them any - sorry Pat!
If I am being fair, Debby was on her own in the morning as I was at our regular Thursday morning class - we had plenty of time for cake and tea.

It`s been an interesting first year, hard work, but much more enjoyable than my old teaching job.  I did enjoy working with the students, but I had less and less time with them because of the volume of the paperwork.  I felt I had become more of a manager than a teacher. I never mind taking work home with my new job, but I certainly did when I was teaching. Really the only thing I really miss is the salary!  My life is much less stressful now.  Debby is a much calmer person than me, and I must drive her mad at times.  I still don`t seem to have time to do everything I want to, but that`s because I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head for new projects.  At the moment I am trying to finish bags for the workshop in October.  They are all cut out and ready to stitch, and they will be in the shop next week.  They absolutely have to be completed before I go on my holiday!  I have also got some Christmas projects that I need to complete, because if I don`t do them now they will never get done!  The busier the shop gets the less time we both have, which is great, but doesn`t leave enough time for everything else.  We have made some lovely new friends, who have become loyal customers, and met some really interesting people since we opened.   We have introduced the craft to new people who are now addicted - they know who they are!

Finally I must show you another  photograph of the fabric cake that Debby made for our window.  A few weeks ago Martin from the carpet shop down the road, who started trading on the same day as us and asked what we were going to do to celebrate, and we said we weren`t sure. He came up with the idea of making a cake.  When I told Debby she embraced the idea wholeheartedly which is just as well, because I really didn`t have a clue where to start, and below are the results, which I am sure you will all agree with me are great.  I can bake cakes, but I`m rubbish when it comes to decorating them.  In another life Debby belonged to a sugarcraft group, and decorates cakes beautifully. It`s amazing what you can do with a bit of calico, suffolk puffs and circular cake tins!

Back to normal again next week.  Once again thank you everyone for the loyalty and support you have shown us, it is much appreciated.  Hope you all have a lovely weekend - weather permitting!