I thought I would give a mention today to the best friend I ever had, my old dog Klyde. It was on a sunny sunday morning just like this a few years ago that my best mate fell into his last long sleep, he was a great age and had lived a great life, always happy and never once nasty to anyone a real family pet.
Yesterday evening as I sat under my greengage tree watching the sun go down with a book and a drink my head was full of memories of Klyde as he now sleeps there in that spot and most evenings in the summer I sit and wish he was laying there at my feet watching the birds in the garden and chewing on the odd fallen apple he had found earlier.
We went through a lot together and I can't really remember a time when he wasn't by my side, we gardened together, walked in all weathers and most evenings after a long cold day working outside, we fell asleep by the fire together, I think I'll always miss my old mate. I wrote a poem a few weeks after we lost him and I thought you may like to read it, I'm no poet so I apologize if you think it's not that good but it was just something I wanted to do at the time.
Klyde
That last special night, my old friend not well,
and those dark eyes asking for love.
Into the night we sat together.
I held him, stroked him, talking soft.
I knew this was to be our last
and I treasured every second.
The vet would come in the morning,
bringing sleep for my pal, his old body
worn and frail.
For the first time, a tear rolls down my face:
I'm losing my best friend,
a friend who asked nothing
but gave so much love.
He knew when I was sad
and never left my side.
The morning sun arrives,
he feels ready to sleep:
his body gives in as I hold him.
His eyes close, I kiss him for the last time.
Now my Klyde sleeps under greengage and apple,
and I sit there too, and all I wish is to hear his bark
and feel his soft noble forehead:
I miss you so, my friend.
Now it's sunday, some would say a day of rest but what will this beadmaker be doing ? Well I could cut the grass or wash the car, I could laze around on the sofa reading the sunday papers or even visit a few garden centres and have lunch out, but no, I think most of you already know what I'll be doing, yes working. I must say I'm having an easy day with a few beads to be made, both lampwork and ceramic so I hope this afternoon I get to do some garden jobs. I was up early this morning listing lots of ceramic beads in my etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/pebbledreams some of which are the disc beads I tried, so I guess I've been working a few hours already. It's funny, if I was working in a factory or office and the boss asked me to work at 6am sunday morning I think I know the answer I would give, yet when you work for yourself it just seems normal, you take no notice of the hours you work, the only signs I ever get that I'm pushing a bit too hard are those evenings when I fall asleep after my dinner or feel like going to bed at 8pm.
I guess like a lot of people we are finding things hard at the moment, yet another part of being self employed, you never know where the next pound is coming from, no weekly wage that you know will arrive in your bank every friday to count on or holiday pay to look forward to and to be honest in our case no holiday full stop haha !
Don't get me wrong, I love working the way I do and if I didn't I would be looking for another career road to go down, it's just hard at times, I think every beadmaker who earns his or her living from beads will tell you the same. I know a lot have a partner who has a good steady job that helps take way some of these worries but for those who have to pay all the bills from making beads, who have to pay tax on every bead we sell, you just have to put the hours in, you need to work out in your mind what your next move is and what new ideas you can come up with to bring in custom.
I better get off to my flame and leave you all to enjoy this wonderful sunny sunday, it's cuppa time here and so I don't want to miss it.
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