Another Sunday, Another Fen Wind

Winter Winds Return


   How quick the weeks seem to roll by when your enjoying yourself and man did I enjoy myself this last seven days, the ebay shop was cleared out and the start of the new trios and orphan sets were listed, with a lot more to come this week I may add, the new interest in my etsy shop is growing by the day thanks to a little hint on sale techniques from a friend and with the barn now being warmer due to the wood burner stove I installed, it's a delight to be in there working once more.
   Yet again those fen winds are rushing over us this morning but I guess we are lucky it isn't the snows or the rains, tho there are warnings of snow in East Anglia this coming week so lets see if any arrives here in the flat lands. Those remarkable little gold finches are riding the niger feeders again feeding on the last of the seed, I hope I can get more this coming week as the wild bird seed feeders have now gone over a week without being filled and if only you knew how much I hate that, fingers crossed we can buy a sack in a few days and my little mates will forgive me and return.
   So lets get on to the subject of the wood burner and working in the warm. We were so lucky that a friend who comes from the same village as me and who grew up in the years I did, well a few years younger maybe, knew of a guy who makes wood burners from old gas bottles, well, now a few weeks later we have one sitting in the barn keeping us warm and I'll always thank her for her help, we would have been facing yet another winter working with hot water bottles on our laps is she hadn't of known this guy.
   We managed to obtain most parts for the flue and a few we couldn't I found parts that did the job and now the barn is a very nice warm place in which to work, it makes the thought of going to work every day one of excitement again and just showed us how much the cold was getting to us both. We had been searching online auctions etc looking for a wood burner for nearly two years but the prices were just out of our reach and I must admit it was beginning to seem that we were to face the cold months wrapped in layer upon layer for years to come but now sitting at my torch without my feet freezing and knowing the roof is water proof again makes this bead maker one very happy one.
   I know we have gone without to make this happen and there is a very good chance Christmas won't happen here this year but it's so important that we can work in a dry warm place and in the few days we have had the stove going it has given me so much love back for bead making, to be honest those cold dark mornings unlocking the barn and walking into that freezing work place was not that great and it's no wonder in my eyes I was making less than standard beads, in the last four days this silly old sod as returned to making what he makes best, the beads he loves and the beads that others love too, a born again bead maker  haha !
   Ok I better get off to my torch, I'll try to get a picture on here this evening of the stove and some beads I've been making, I hope you all enjoy your Sunday and look out for that snow !