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My Papery Week…

Oh Coo-eee, hello, is that you? Do come in, have a seat at the table. How are you? The Little Houses and I have been waiting for you this morning as we’ve been up early with the spring light and, one or two of the little devils may have woken me shouting loudly about needing a roof…

My friend, Orange Anj (Meadow Yarns) has been doing a thing called #mywoollyweek over on the social media. She makes the most beautiful yarns, so if you’re a knitter, do head over and see…

Anyway… I thought I might try and do a #mypaperyweek where I show you how the week looked and give a little insight into my papery world and inspirations… Do have one of these fancy chocolate biscuits and some tea whilst we chat…

I wasn’t quite sure how to arrange this but I’ve numbered the pictures and done the best I can, battling technology the entire way… Intuitive My Eye I say once again! If you look on Instagram some of the pictures are moving in the post…

1; A visit from a new friend, Miss Biggie Smalls, so adorable, cuddly and tiny…

2; I had a go at making Dr. Rupy Aujla’s No-Knead Chia, Flax and Oat Bread. A dense bread but I really liked it…

3; Spring arriving with the camelia flowering and Little Houses of the ceramic kind… Instagram for video…

4; Some little KLM Bols Delft Houses that sit on a shelf in my kitchen and comment on my cooking, in Dutch, so I don’t know what they’re saying…

A trip up the garden stepping stones to the see more Little Houses…This is where the Instapost might be better for viewing…

6 & 7; Treasures from the Cheltenham Craft Festival a couple of weeks ago… Earrings by Gosia Weber I love them and they weigh nothing, so no lobe ache! And 8; sparkly, magic bracelet by Yen Jewellery, I love this bracelet, it’s like a string of fallen stars…

9; More Little Houses of the ceramic kind who live out on the garden typewriter in constant fear of the T-Rex who also inhabits the space…

10; A hot air balloon in the making. Powered by the hot air the Little Houses talk… Again this is where the Instapost might be better for viewing…

11; Hot Air Balloon taking flight… Cheeky devil can’t wait to leave me. And after all I do for them…

And that was my-papery-week or a few snippets there of… How has your week gone? Oh, as a quick heads-up, I will be opening my online shop soon… I’ll keep you posted…

Have a lovely weekend and I shall see you soon… xxx

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Living on the Edge 229; The Abyss…

Well Hello Everybody! Are you fine? Following last weekend’s little field trip, the Little Houses and I are safely ensconced back at the table once more. It was so lovely to meet everyone at Cheltenham and put names to faces, thank you for and all your support and for following along with us over the ether. Also thank you Craft Festival for organising the whole wonderful shebang!

You might think that, given the exhaustion brought on by such an event, the little Houses might be easing off the gas pedal and looking for calm… Not so… Have a seat. I’ll pour the tea. Do have a shortbread finger – I drizzled that chocolate on by hand – whilst we hear the latest news…

Living on the Edge 229; The Abyss…

Although it is often talked about, nobody truly knows how deep the ravine is. There have been various attempts to answer the question with extra-long tape measures, trigonometry and all manner of mathematical formulae. A small team of scientists with expensive sonar equipment set out a few months ago but they’re still not back… So, the definitive answer is yet to be discovered…

During the day the village is a bustling hive of doings, chit-chat and general happy hubbub. Being careful is just part of daily life; everyone is used to it, especially near the sheer drops.

But, when the evenings fall, something in the air changes. It isn’t simply the usual dip in temperature; it is a palpable uneasiness. A frightening darkness descends that feels as if it has fingers. Cold fingers. Voices are louder, echoes more eerie and tales of terrifying falls, monsters and disappearances abound.

This evening, as the last birdsong faded into the dimming sky, issuing from the mouth of the ravine came a scream so bloodcurdling that it stopped everyone in their tracks. Once silence returned a quick torchlight headcount revealed that Renee was missing… And no one was about to believe that she’d just walked away… xxx

Photos by Richard Allenby-Pratt

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Living on the Edge 228; High Fliers…

Hello Everybody, happy March! I was reminded earlier this week, by Richard of The Suffolk Project, that it’s not always obvious how big, or indeed small, the Little Houses actually are when they are not seen in person. People are often surprised by their diminutiveness when they happen across one of them… So, I thought, especially seeing as how there have been quite a few new people joining us at the table lately  – Hello, welcome, there’s tea in the pot and custard creams on that plate over there, please do help yourself  – it might be a good time to revisit the facts…

Never let their size lull you into a false sense of safety. They are rebellious, feisty and not to be tangled with…

Richard was here, by the way, to do a photo shoot, the poor man left exhausted. There were nigh on a hundred Little Houses present, more than enough to try the patience of angels. We are awaiting the results… The Little Houses are quite unbearable with their incessant witterings about it…

Meanwhile, there’s only one week to go now until the Cheltenham Craft Fair and preparations have reached fever pitch… Luckily there’s a little respite in the other corner of the table… Let’s listen to this pair, they are in a world of their own…

Living on the Edge 228; High Fliers…

Having been in a meeting all day, a meeting that was scheduled to last half an hour, let it be said, Peter and Mark were, not surprisingly, feeling very cheesed off. They had no need to verbalise this feeling; they had known each other since childhood and, most of the time, they functioned as one being.

Feeling like lemonade in a shaken bottle, they burst from the stuffy office and climbed up to the plateau. Considered dangerous, on account of the numerous craters, it was always deserted. But it had always been their favourite hideout, high above any troubles, a place completely in the now. Mark excitedly unfurled the kite and its tail while Peter snapped a bar of chocolate into pieces.

The kite billowed up into the sky taking the weight of the office, the meeting and the bad day with it and, the more distant they became, the more perfect Mark and Peter’s life felt… xxx

PS… There’s a little reel clip here if you have a minute… xxx

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Living on the Edge 227; Sad Moon Rising…

Oh yoo-hoo! Are you there? Just before I start wrangling the Little Houses into boxes and birds on to wires, I thought we could have a quick catch up and, of course, a cup of tea with biscuits. I bought chocolate today; thought you might need it… I know I do…

I also thought it might be about time to show my face on here, not something I relish doing but apparently people like to see who they’re talking to…

On the plus side, it’ll mean that, if you’re coming to the Cheltenham Craft Fair, you’ll know who you’re looking for. Do pop by if you’re going, it’d be lovely to see you in real life. Tickets are available here (reduced rate for prebooked!)

So, this is me at my table. I do clear it before you come so there’s room for the tea tray. Followed by some snaps of this week’s little share of the latest troubles to befall the Little Houses…

Living on the Edge 227; Sad Moon Rising…

Tired of having her pearls of wisdom ignored, the moon retired sulkily to a quiet corner of the night to read for a while. To emphasise her absence, she left a space behind her where she ought to have been. Just because hers was the late shift and fewer folk were awake, it did not mean that her opinion was any less valid.

To be truthful, most of the village was asleep by then and had no idea any of this was happening. But Victoria was more than aware; she was sitting high above the village. She’d watched the moon leave and heard her muttering to herself about leaving things in the dark…

“You look like an engagement ring without its stone” said Victoria to the sky.  Blankly the sky looked back at her. With the moon as a companion during her insomnia, Victoria had taken to walking up in the hills late in the night and sharing her thoughts. Clearly that wasn’t going to be possible tonight what with the current mood in the heavens… And talking to the stars simply wasn’t the same. They were fickle and flickery and only interested in whining about wishes.

“I sure hope this all gets sorted soon,” said Victoria lighting a cigar, “But if you want my opinion I think the moon is right; she does deserve a raise”… xxx

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Living on the Edge 225; House Music…

Good day to you! How are you? Sorry I didn’t make it yesterday. I was having another tussle with technology, still am truth be told… Intuitive, my eye! Endlessly frustrating… It does mean I didn’t get time to put the kettle on. Not to worry, I’ll do it now while you have a seat at the table. Shall we have Earl Grey? The biscuits are still in the tin, we’ll have to take pot luck with what’s in there…

Preparations for the Cheltenham Craft Fair are well underway now, I shall be at stand number 58, March 8th– 10th, probably looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights whilst trying to keep the Little Houses from disrupting proceedings…

At the moment there’s a group of them trying to get an album released in time. There is shouting, growling and outright panic. I don’t think it’s going to be ready but now is not the time to float that idea…

Living on the Edge 225; House Music…

Linus and Abel shuffled to the right as far as they could. It was difficult to get the balance just right and they’d been to-ing and fro-ing for hours and hours with the photographer shouting incoherent directions from some way back.

This was an important photograph because it was going to be used as the album cover and, naturally, they all wanted to look as good as they possibly could.

Sebastian, Jules and David always managed to look cool. They were triplets, not identical, but they were all tall Linus and Abel, arguably the better musicians – but never say that to the triplets, were uncomfortable posing in the limelight. This aspect of the music industry annoyed them made them feel that they were surplus to requirements.

With the number of unusable pictures mounting, the band were becoming tetchy…

“Let’s just wear paper bags and be done with it” huffed Abel flippantly. And right there, the problem was solved. Immediately… xxx

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Living on the Edge; Update…

Ohh hello Everybody, how are you? Do take a seat and I’ll pour some tea. There’s also chocolate soup or coffee, if you’ve a notion for them instead. And the biscuit supply has been replenished you’ll be relieved to find. Help yourself to a Jammie Dodger!

As you see there’s absolute bedlam over on the table what with everything. Four pieces left yesterday on their way up north to the fabulous folks in Hebden Bridge’s Heart Gallery. I think they were relieved to go because the atmosphere is, to say the least, a little fraught…

There are only 4 weeks to go until the opening of the Cheltenham Craft Fair… Did you get your ticket? It is cheaper to buy in advance so I’ve put the link in my linktree bio malarky if you’d like to visit, t’would be fabulous to see you there.

The table is in work-work-busy-busy-crash-crash-bang-bang-mode with Little Houses getting hopping mad with each other and I for the slightest thing…

Today’s share is the line up of ‘Reel Lives’ playing on the twirler ready for the fair. I’ve told them to be careful but you know what they’re like… It’ll end in tears…

If you would like to offer a home to a reel before March or can’t get to the fair, there are a few available with the beautiful Made By Hand Online. I’m off to the roofing department for a short spell now with some of the Little Houses. They will parade about deciding which roofs suits whom best… Actually, thinking about it, I’ll be there at least all afternoon and probably in to the small hours…

 See you soon… xxx

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Living on the Edge 217; Pier Pressure…

Well good afternoon Everybody, happy Friday! Thank you for your help last week. The votes have been counted, a list has been made and my head is down getting the making underway…

Speaking of heads, do you ever have the feeling that important information might be dropping out of a trapdoor at the back of your head? I have that feeling often. Sometimes I wonder if I could retrace my footsteps, finding all the thoughts lying on the floor behind me and stuff them back in where they belong. But, alas, it’s not possible. Although, it does seem as if some of the more worrisome thoughts do seek me out in the middle of the night having found a sharp needle to waken me with…

Anyway, be all this as it may, there have been more pressing matters afoot on the table recently… I’ll pour you some tea whilst we lend an ear to Craig and his troubles. I’m afraid I ate all the biscuits yesterday. Sorry…

Living on the Edge 217; Pier Pressure…

From the beach I couldn’t tell what was going on. It looked like three friends playing silly games. Had I known, I think I’d have headed their way and said something…

“Please don’t make me,” whimpered Craig. “it’s dangerous!” But the twins weren’t listening. They were only interested in how much weight the last section of the derelict West Pier would take. And how hilarious it would be when Craig fell into the water below.

“But it’s haunted!” stammered Craig clutching at any excuse he could muster up that would dissuade them from goading him any further.

“Haunted! Listen to him! Big baby!” jeered Stetson.

“It’s a beautiful evening for a swim, especially with the ghosts of those who’ve gone before you!” interjected Stefan, unable to hide his cruel sense of humour.

“But I can’t swim!” wailed Craig…

And that was it. I need not have worried. The birds had seen and heard enough. They took flight and prepared to dive bomb the insufferable pair. They would not have bullying. Not on their watch… xxx

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Living on the Edge… Latest News…

Well, hello Everybody, welcome to a very chilly table. The heating is on but you might want to keep your coat on for a bit, until you become acclimatised. I know, that thing about not feeling the benefit when you go outside and all but it is extremely cold…

Do have a cup of chocolate soup; I’ve made some festive oaties (again, I know, it’s not the right season, but it’s a great thing to do with the jar of leftover mincemeat that’s languishing in the fridge… Let’s call them January Oaties to keep things sane…) with a recipe from knit designer extraordinaire Kate Davies.

So, today, I have an invitation for you from the fabulous Heart Gallery in beautiful Hebden Bridge inviting you to the launch of their exhibition ‘Paper’. Some of the Little Houses have travelled there to take part. It’s this Sunday (January 21st) 11am – 4pm so do go if you can. If you can’t make Sunday, but want to see, the exhibition will run until April 21st.

There’s one more thing I wanted to share with you… I will be doing Craft Fair Cheltenham from March 8 – 10th at Cheltenham Town Hall, another very splendid venue. The Little Houses are quite beside themselves with excitement, and, now that the Hebden Bridge ship has sailed, those left behind are already arguing about who should be allowed to go to Cheltenham… If you want to go to this, tickets are cheaper if you buy in advance, here

I will be there of course, trying to keep order, so if you can come it would be so lovely to see you.

Right, I’m off to marshall some common sense into proceedings about how many of who is coming with me. Do you have a favourite type of Little House? Ones with legs? Ones with hot air balloons? Houses in cages? (Safest for all concerned…) Or ones on cotton reels, or driftwood or wooden building blocks? Or something else? … Or is it the one-off Little Houses that have a place in your heart? Please let me know in the comments. I won’t tell the Little Houses, they don’t need any fuel for their one-upmanshipping shenanigans…

See you next week, keep warm xxx

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Living on the Edge; Work in Progress…

Oh Hello Everybody. I didn’t think I would be able to speak to you today, what with one thing then another. But I’ve made it to the table. Do join me. I think we might need a fortified wine this evening. For medicinal purposes, you understand. You see, there’s been an accident…

Far be it from me to say I told you so; but I did tell them. Several times…

“Someone is going to get hurt” I said.

“Please calm down and stop playing silly beggars” I said. But to no avail.

I didn’t want to be right but, in those kinds of circumstances, I usually am…

I didn’t witness it actually happening but a loud yelp issued from behind me and, when I turned, Postlethwaite was lying on the floor completely still. I kept wishing there’d be a kind of popping sound as he regained his shape and bounced back to life. But he isn’t Wile E. Coyote and no such magic was present at the table today.

The other Little Houses ceased all activity immediately and stood agog. I stooped down and gently picked Postlethwaite up. He lay in the palm of my hand, silent and misshapen. He’d had so much potential, so many adventures to ride. All gone.

In the background I could hear the recriminations beginning. I shushed them. There was little point in throwing accusations around. Then the police arrived, accentuating the gravity of the situation, at which point all became very quiet and very obedient.

And so it is that on Monday the Health and Safety at Work Team will be visiting and, no doubt, implementing changes. Will heads roll? Or maybe roofs? I’m not sure but it will be a difficult morning…

I leave you with a picture of the scene on the table this evening. Please be careful out there… xxx

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Living on the Edge 218; Sea Change…

Hello Everybody and a Happy New Year to you! How have you been? We kicked off 2024 in the workshop on Tuesday when a bunch of Little Houses, excited and ready for travel, left the table. Not before a multitude of complaints about the tightness of boxes and who they were put next to etc… etc… You know how they are…

Once the usual kerfuffle had died down, they were on their way to the beautiful Heart Gallery in Hebden Bridge to take part in their exhibition ‘Paper’ It will run from January 21st until April 21st 2024. Heart is 18 this year so we wish them happy birthday and a fabulous 2024.

Today’s share is one of the pieces making the voyage, the tale of which will now follow… Cup of Tea, anyone? Chocolate digestive?

Living on the Edge 218; Sea Change…

It had taken years for the inhabitants to get the landscaping of their beloved Half Horseshoe Harbour just right. Years of drawings, years of meetings and years of wrangling with the planning department.

And now, at the eleventh hour, for the sea to decide that he no longer wanted to be part of it and opt out, was too much for them to take… The villagers stood in their allotted plots, many of them close to tears, staring into the void where the sea had once been…

They’d known the sea could be an awkward fellow when he so chose. He was unpredictable, unreliable, moody and even violent at times. But they loved him and truly believed that they had him on side and fully committed when they spoke of the future they would have together.

By now though the sea was already miles away, viciously kicking up the pebbles on another shore and grumbling to himself about liberties and being taken for granted. He was wild and free, if a little lonely, but in no way was he ready to settle down. Not he. And, in truth, he never would be… xxx