Wild and Windy

The weather here has been wild recently. While we've not experienced the structural damage sustained by many, at times it has felt like the house will be swept away. We live in quite an exposed spot, and there's not much shelter as the wind whistles up the valley and hits the end of the house. I don't feel like I've had a good nights sleep in a few days, and the noise during the daytime has driven me batty. We're just inland from Aberystwyth where the roof was peeled off the National Library of Wales by the high winds.

Another downside of the wind is the rate at which the fire burns wood. Normally the fire glows away gently, but with gale force winds drawing it you end up with something similar to a raging inferno!



Tonight the wind has dyed down a lot, thank goodness, maybe I can get a good nights sleep, now would it be too much to ask for some properly cold winter weather?

Here's to 2012

2011 was a year of big changes, I'm sat writing this post on a friend's sofa in Sheffield, it seems slightly appropriate, given that the biggest change I made this year was to leave Sheffield where I'd lived for the past 7 years, and move to Wales.

At times I miss it dreadfully, mostly when I have a craving for takeaway food, but I think the things I've gained more than make up for it.

This will be the view from the upstairs window of my new home (once the builders have finished with it), my Mum says Wales is good for the soul, and I think she's right, everyday the view from the window changes, and inspires me, I'm willing to put up with alot to live somewhere as beautiful as this.

It was also the year I left teaching, I still have a lot of friends who are teaching and the feelings of hurt, pressure and anxiety weren't just things I was feeling, but I was lucky to be in the position to be able to leave. I am very fortunate that I could go and live with Mum and Dad in Wales and launch in to a new career. Selling something you make is scary, even after 6 months of people telling me how wonderful they think my fibre is, I still worry about someone out there who won't like it. I can honestly say though, that I am proud of what I do, I'm proud of the business I'm building, and I'm happy and glad I made the choice to change my life.

Proudest moment of this year though, has to be seeing my own name in print and my pattern on the front cover of Yarnmaker, I'd only ever dabbled in writing patterns, and I'll probably continue to only dabble, but this front cover was one of the best endings to 2011 I could have hoped for.


Happy 2012 everyone, Thank You for all the support and advice I've been given, may the New Year treat you kindly.


The New Year also brings new challenges, I just signed up for Photo Stash, it's a slightly more flexible, free and easy version of the 365 photo a day challenge, organised by the lovely Natalie from the The Yarn Yard, and Ann (Pixeldiva). Natalie's blogpost explains far better than I could.