It's over a month since I last posted on my blog. There just seems to be so much going on in my life! The main thing is that my husband, the Great Golfer, and I have decided to retire! He is 74 and I am 67, so retirement shouldn't be a surprise. With no immediate family in the UK, nowhere to live and very little money, we have decided to return to South Africa after 12 years of living my dream here in England. My emotions are a little like a yo-yo but I guess that is to be expected.
Besides having to decide about what to keep and send to South Africa and what to get rid of, I have been busy sewing. I had a table at a little craft fair on 24 May, so that kept me busy. I have had a number of orders to do as well, and managed to complete those today: a cushion cover and a toilet roll holder. Just when I think I'm getting on top of things, I am asked to make an urgent birthday present for a lady turning 104. Then there's our church Garden Party to prepare for; it will take place in our garden on 21 June and I am helping with the craft table.
I will finish work at the end of June and, hopefully, I will have time in July to sort out our possessions. We plan to leave the UK in the middle of August, first going to Bahrain to spend a couple of months with our son and his family there, before continuing to Durban, where we are hoping to settle near our other son and his family.At the moment I am trying to decide whether to take a table at a local craft fair and see if I can sell some of my left-over bags. As I said in the title for this post: I feel as though I am juggling too many balls in the air!
Here are some of my recent makes:
A zimmer frame bag for the lady who turns 104:
A back pack for a lady who walks with two sticks:
A couple of Knotted Bow clutch bags for a colleague; here's one of them:
I have my sewing goals set for tomorrow: two waist bags for a colleague (the bags that gave me the name, 'The Bag Lady') and a shopping bag or two for the Garden Party. With the Government about to charge 5p for a plastic bag, I hope we will sell some shopping bags! I know that the house needs cleaning but it's all I can do to keep up with the laundry! If I could just close my eyes and open them in two months' time, it would be wonderful!
Besides having to decide about what to keep and send to South Africa and what to get rid of, I have been busy sewing. I had a table at a little craft fair on 24 May, so that kept me busy. I have had a number of orders to do as well, and managed to complete those today: a cushion cover and a toilet roll holder. Just when I think I'm getting on top of things, I am asked to make an urgent birthday present for a lady turning 104. Then there's our church Garden Party to prepare for; it will take place in our garden on 21 June and I am helping with the craft table.
I will finish work at the end of June and, hopefully, I will have time in July to sort out our possessions. We plan to leave the UK in the middle of August, first going to Bahrain to spend a couple of months with our son and his family there, before continuing to Durban, where we are hoping to settle near our other son and his family.At the moment I am trying to decide whether to take a table at a local craft fair and see if I can sell some of my left-over bags. As I said in the title for this post: I feel as though I am juggling too many balls in the air!
Here are some of my recent makes:
A zimmer frame bag for the lady who turns 104:
A back pack for a lady who walks with two sticks:
A couple of Knotted Bow clutch bags for a colleague; here's one of them:
I have my sewing goals set for tomorrow: two waist bags for a colleague (the bags that gave me the name, 'The Bag Lady') and a shopping bag or two for the Garden Party. With the Government about to charge 5p for a plastic bag, I hope we will sell some shopping bags! I know that the house needs cleaning but it's all I can do to keep up with the laundry! If I could just close my eyes and open them in two months' time, it would be wonderful!
Wow, exciting times for you, try not to overdo things, and good luck x x x
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joy! Exciting and a bit daunting! I get the feeling that Ian and I will never lead a very quiet life! Bless you. xx
DeleteHi Margaret,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your retirement! I'm sure you'll be very busy with your upcoming move to South Africa.Good luck to you and your husband. I hope you'll continue to post about your sewing projects as you are an inspiration to me.
Virna
Virna, thank you for your very kind words! I'm sorry I haven't replied to your comment sooner but I haven't even opened my blog since my last post! Getting ready for our move was stressful and exhausting but we are in Bahrain now and feeling more relaxed. I'm doing a bit of sewing on my daughter-in-law's machine. I'll try and blog about it. One of the best things that has happened to me here is that I have become friends with a lovely lady from Canada! She is from Manitoba (is that right?) and has joined her husband here as he works here and in Saudi Arabia. We have a lot in common and get on very well. We are soon going to be doing some sewing together. Bless you and take care. xx
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