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Hooray - I’m giving up the day job at last!!   I applied for voluntary redundancy and last month they said YES!!  I can’t believe the added enthusiasm and momentum it has given me knowing that this really is it.  No more life-line to hold on to - glass is the future!!  And just to make sure I don’t forget it, life has just got busier and busier on the glass front.  Bookings on courses are picking up with this month being my busiest yet and I’ve even got fully booked courses as far ahead as February 2012.  I was at Gibson Mill at the end of October for the 3 day craft fair run by the National Trust.  What a fabulous location at Hardcastle Crags and the mini-bus ride from and to the car park every morning was highly entertaining - a great way of bonding with the other designer-makers.  I’ve just given a 2 day glass fusing course which was great fun but combined with a really horrible cold has left me shattered. 

But I don’t have time to rest as I am at Essence of Christmas at Harewood House in less than two weeks and this is in a different league to the usual fairs that I do.  I’ve got loads of things to make, and lots of final prep for all the bits I need to display everything.  I’ve drawn the layout on paper, but bringing it all to life is going to be challenging in the timescales.  I applied for a mobile payment machine two weeks ago and just hope it all gets processed and arrives in time for the fair. 

My Confetti Flowers  and Hearts of Glass have proven popular in recent months so they are what I will be focusing on displaying on the walls.  I’m also going to have a display of my wave heart pendants and some of my wave trinket dishes.

But otherwise the emphasis will be on my Gift Voucher Boxes for my courses.  For each of my main courses (One Day Stained Glass, Two Day Fused Glass and Fused Glass Taster) I have a gift voucher which is valid until the end of December 2012.  This comes in the form of a small gift box with a sample of either fused glass inside or some some glass and lead as appropriate for the voucher.

Should you be interested in attending one of my courses please don’t hesitate to get in touch

But finding time to get it all done is going to stretch me!  I’ve got 4 days a week at the day job to fit in as well as a stained glass course to run next weekend and an evening class in glass fusing tomorrow night and  I’ve still got work from my students at the weekend to fuse in the kiln!  And I mustn’t forget that I have 2 kids to try and look after and a partner to entertain.  All this and I’m a Celebrity comes on to TV provide a major distraction (very sad I know, but it is one of my not-so-secret guilty pleasures in the run-up to Christmas!)  And as for my running, well that is proving somewhat difficult to fit in and I have too many quite valid excuses!  I’m just going to have to eat less mince pies this Christmas! 

Got to go - Pete’s just got back from shopping, the oven is on and I’ve got salad to make - well past 7pm, it’s a school night and the kids have not yet had dinner….