Time Flies . . .

Has it really been 3 weeks since I updated the blog? Well, according to my last entry on 28 July, yes, it has been. You might be thinking that I've been so busy making beads and/or having fun, that I simply haven't had the time. Unfortunately, it's neither - other than walking Toby each morning, I haven't left the house for at least 4 weeks, and I haven't fired up the torch since the first weekend of July. As a matter of fact, other than opening the door to my studio yesterday morning to look for my MP3 player, I haven't even been near the studio.

Anyway, I figured it's probably about time I posted something. So apart from my total lack of beadmaking, what have I been up to? Well for one thing, my back is still giving me grief, so last week I cut my hours back in my job from 45 hours per week to 32 hours. So instead of working from 9am-6pm Monday to Friday, I'm now working 9am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, and having Mondays off. That works out perfectly - I've found that having 3 days off in a row has helped me to work a little more comfortably on the other 4 days. My back still plays up, but at least I'm not spending every 30 minutes crying my eyes out with pain. I've also moved my 'office' - well sort of. The office hasn't actually moved, but I'm now spending my work days typing on the laptop at the kitchen table, which for some crazy reason is much more comfortable a position than the so-called ergonomic design of my office desk.

I'm happy to report that Suri, Mum's Bengal kitten, has finally started to settle in. She still tends to be a little skittish around us humans, but she's comfortable now with the other cats and Toby. She's also finally started to investigate the house, and it's hilarious to watch her chasing our fully grown cats up & down our hallway. The hallway in our house is very long and runs in a straight line from the kitchen up to the front of the house (where the bedrooms are situated) and she's having a ball. I've also managed to capture a lot of photos of her, and when I boot up the PC again, I'll upload some of her to share with you.

My stepdaughter, Lauren, and her boyfriend, Jay, are in the US at the moment. They flew out last Tuesday, and judging by the 2 emails we've received from her, she's having a fabulous time. She started off in LA, is now in Anaheim, then is off to San Francisco, Las Vegas, up to Canada, then over to NYC. After they finish in the US, they're heading over to London to start a Contiki tour through Europe. They won't be back home until October. I am totally jealous of her, but I'm really pleased she's having such a great time. The truth is that even if I had enough $$$s to go overseas, I couldn't handle the plane trip at the moment, so, I'm just going to enjoy living vicariously through her.

So, that's been the past 3-4 weeks of my life. I am starting to really miss beadmaking, but I don't dare try firing up the torch until my back has improved a little more. Maybe next weekend.

Stop by a little later in the week if you would like to catch some photos of Suri - hopefully I'll get a chance to upload them. I'm now off to have a shower and think about opening a tin of soup for dinner - a nice easy Sunday meal. Have a good week, and hopefully I'll catch you again soon.

Oh, and many thanks to those who have emailed me to inquire how I am. I know I've been terribly slack & have not answered anyone. In order to help my back, I'm trying not to spend any more time in front of the computer than is absolutely necessary. However, believe me when I tell you that I very much appreciate your concern, and every single email has helped put a smile on my face. You guys rock! :)