Past = Future

I've never been a planner. I'm not one of those people with a grand life plan in which certain targets have to be achieved within a particular timescale. This is partly because this involves being super-organised, and I'm just not, and partly because nobody knows what life has in store and what is, or isn't, around the next corner that could throw your carefully-made plans into disarray.

I've always kind of bimbled along, doing life as it happens, the way I want to do it, rather than adhering to the 'norm'. Why do things because others do them, or because I feel I should do them? I've never wanted children. I just don't. I've got nothing against kids, but having my own is just not for me. I don't drink. I've got no problem if you do; it's just I hate the taste and effects of booze and would rather have a cup of tea or an orange squash. I don't drive a car. Being behind the wheel of one makes me so nervous and anxious it's not worth my stress and worry. I never went to university. I was going to; I had a place to study graphic design at the University of Portsmouth but when the time came it just didn't feel right and I started a mailing and print finishing business with my mum instead.

I've only just got married. Chris and I have been together for ten years and we got wed in November. Again, it wasn't your 'normal' wedding because neither of us wanted to do that. We didn't want fuss and fanfare. I wore blue, we had thirteen guests, a civil ceremony that involved the Terry & June theme tune, a meal at Jamie's Italian, no speeches or toasts, and then drinks back at the Premier Inn bar. And it was lovely. (This paragraph was mainly my way of telling you that I finally got married.)

We got married, see?

What I'm saying, in a long-winded way, is that I wait for stuff to happen in its own time, rather than trying to make it happen. I quite enjoy letting my life meander and unfold, letting one thing lead to another, a bit like listening to one artist or band, reading and learning about them and seeing which artist or band that leads me to listening to next. I've always been the same with my beads. I started off faffing with seed beads, reading bead books and magazines, then reading about how glass beads are made, then slowly gathering kit and glass and knowledge and skills, learning from the glass and my mistakes, growing my collection of tools and equipment as I went. I'm still learning from the glass and my mistakes, and I can't ever see that changing. Just this week I had an "A-ha!" moment (not in the Morten Harket or Alan Partridge sense) when an encasing technique that has long eluded me clicked into place.

And so to my impending degree course in Archaeology. I've always loved history. When it came to choosing my GCSE subjects, History was one of my second choices but ultimately ended up being the subject I enjoyed the most, even more than art. I did an Art History A-level at college which combined two things I love but that is where my formal history education stopped. I've always been partial to historical telly programmes and books. I love finding out how we got to where we are today. The history behind everyday objects—basic things like cooking pots and clothing fasteners and buckles—really fascinates me. I've forever been interested in our language and how the words we use today link back to our past too.

I've lived in Cambridge for over six years. We live here because Chris has a very good job here and as long as I have a shed, I can work anywhere. Cambridge is great; it's a lovely city and I like living in it. However, Chris aside, I have no family or friends here, so I don't see many people on a day-to-day basis which is sort of fine for me because I like my own company, and seventy-eight percent of humans irk me anyway, so it's OK. Last year I realised that I spend far too much time on social media talking to people in a virtual sense. That's great and it has its place, but I find that social media is becoming more poisonous and real-life-affecting with every Facebook check, browse of Twitter, or scroll through Instagram. I don't want to read constant, long, angry rants about Trump or whichever person has done or said a bad thing. I get it; you're a decent human being with good morals – if you weren't, I probably wouldn't be following you on social media. I also don't need to know that someone is having their second coffee of the day and to see a photo of a Starbucks cup to prove it. Anyway, in short, I find myself annoyed by social media more often than I am entertained by it. That video of the cat being dragged around a house in a cardboard box to a jaunty Japanese pop song, whilst wearing a hat made out of its own fur, though? That's FINE.

So yes, I'd reached a point where the internet was giving me rage and annoyance on far too regular a basis, and Chris aside, Diane and Karen who work at the local Post Office were the real life people I spoke to the most. Nothing against Diane and Karen, I mean they're just lovely, but I needed to do something about my lack of interaction with other actual people. So I Googled about for local history groups. How better to learn about the place in which you find yourself living, than to discuss it with other people? In searching for local history groups I stumbled upon a very local (like a seven minute walk away local) community archaeology group. It reminded me of seeing the ad for the 'make your own glass beads' lampwork kit in the back of Bead & Button all those years ago and I was all "What? I can actually make beads? In my home? Me?" Yeah, it was like that but "What? I can actually dig up olden stuff? Without qualifications or having to apply to Tony Robinson? Me?" instead. So I emailed them and went along and joined the group.

Well, that was it.

Those archaeology people are my people! Once a month we meet up and drink tea and talk about historical stuff. And in between those meetings we go to talks by other people who like and know history. And sometimes we go to see people who've dug up stuff. And sometimes we get to do the actual digging-up of stuff!

There it was. Years and years of bimbling along through life not knowing that archaeology was a thing for me but suddenly realising it is. It really is. All those television programmes, books, looking-up of things, and that need to know how and why we are the us that we are (that makes sense in my head) all coming together and making an electrical brain circuit of BINGO!

My first dig at the Leper Chapel in Cambridge. I helped to unearth a medieval trackway. Those light patches of stone are the track. Lots of trowel and brush action required.

After a few months of group meetings and talks, and after my first archaeological dig in a field next to a medieval leper chapel, I decided I needed to learn more. Properly learn. And so I applied to study for a BA in Archaeology at the University of Leicester. It's a full-time distance learning course which incorporates a few weeks of practical experience. I'm fully aware that doing the course alongside my beads is going to be hard work (people love pointing that out to me) but I'll be studying a subject that fascinates me and that I love, which is more than can be said for the degree course I didn't do when I was eighteen, and I've never been one to shy away from a challenge or hard work, so I shall see how it goes and adjust and re-jig my other life stuff accordingly.

Does this mean that I'll eventually give up the beads? I don't know. Nobody does. Like everything I've ever done since the age of eighteen, I shall see where it takes me. If I get a good degree, maybe I'll go part-time with the beads and get a part-time job in one of Cambridge's many museums. Or maybe I'll get into development-led archaeology for a living. Or perhaps archaeology will just end up being A Thing That I Know A Lot About. Who knows? As the first four paragraphs of this blog post demonstrate, I am one of life's bimblers. For the next three years I'll be bimbling with a purpose. I don't know for sure where I'm going with the archaeology but I'll know I've got there when I get there and when I am there, I'll let you know.

Wicked Weekend

Chris took me to London for the weekend to celebrate my birthday.  On Saturday afternoon we went to see Wicked which was absolutely brilliant!  Afterwards I kept wondering about Elphaba's make-up.  I reckon Rachel Tucker must have a heck of a hard time getting rid of all that green!

We stayed in a swank riverside hotel on Saturday night.  I like to judge a hotel room by its tea and coffee making facilities and these ones were great - big mugs, a variety of Twinings tea and Walkers chocolate biscuits, no less!  Yesterday we had a wander along South Bank and ate lunch in the pub where we went on our first date and then we caught the train home.

We had a really great weekend!

New Look

My eyes are all skew-whiff and my mind is a tad scrambled but I'm happy to say that the website revamp is now complete. Please click here to have a look.

Chris did the banner and footer - he's a bit of a clever computer geek, you see. I told him that I would like red and white as my colours and he came up with the groovy glassy-looking logo which I am just loving!

Chris and I hope you like the new look too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Project De-Weed

Chris and I went and bought gardening gloves and de-weeding potion yesterday but the afternoon was way too hot for gardening activity so we tackled the front garden this morning instead.

The photo above shows the 'garden' before we started - just gravel and a bazillion weeds including dandelions, nettles and some fluffy lightweight green stuff.

Here's a picture of Chris in his gardening gloves - I never thought I'd ever see him in a pair of those!

About an hour later the garden looked like this :

Much better! Okay, it still has a few green bits but the weedkiller will take care of those. It looks much neater now. We think we'll grass the area eventually but for the time being it's nice to be in the kitchen and not be looking out at a mini jungle.

Almost There

While I was travelling home from Cambridge yesterday I started doing some rough calculations in my head. Maths and I do not mix and we try and avoid each other as much as we can but I found myself working out a few train-related stats.

I have been travelling to see Chris every other weekend for almost three and a half years. That makes :

• About 90+ return train trips, not including random ones here and there
  
  
• Approximately 340 hours of travel
  
  

• About £3,100 in train fares (thank goodness for my Network Railcard!)

I have also consumed umpteen travel sandwiches, bottles of water and packets of Wine Gums while journeying. I have read many books on my travels too. I've got through two little wheely suitcases - a wheel fell off the first one and the second case is hanging on for dear life but I can't complain as it was only a tenner from Tesco.

I have also discovered that :

• A lot of people do not understand the concept of 'Keep Left' and 'Keep Right' when using the escalators and walkways around the London Underground.
  


• The idea of letting people off the train before you get on seems like a pretty simple one but it challenges many people.
  


• Some passengers on trains do like to sit and call everyone in their phone book and relay the same story over and over beginning each conversation with 'Yeah, I'm on the train' with no awareness that the person sitting next to them might not want to hear about their relationship woes or office-related talk. This is where I heartily thank Apple for inventing the iPod.
  


• It is actually quite satisfying to ask someone if you can sit in the seat next to them, upon which they have carefully arranged their bag, coat, laptop case or shopping in an attempt to stop anyone sitting next to them. Why do people do that? Everyone deserves a seat on the train. Stick your luggage up on the luggage rack and prepare to interact with fellow passengers - I've had some really good conversations with total strangers just because the seat next to me was free.

So what's with the calculations and train talk?

Well, pretty soon the regular train travel will stop.

Like, next month.

I feel that we're pretty much through all the niggly might-go-wrong stuff now so I can tell you that Chris and I have bought a house in Cambridge. Almost. All the big things are done and we're waiting for the solicitor and contract malarkey now. The survey, mortgage and other big scary things are all sorted and we're in that house-buying limbo. We put in our offer about ten weeks ago and I've managed to keep quiet about it all this time - I didn't want to jinx it, you see.

So that is why I was compelled to work out all that train stuff. Obviously I will be using trains to travel back to see Dad and everyone but not on a bi-weekly basis. I think I may have to make about two more Cambridge trips before the move and that is such a bizarre feeling, I can tell you. I'm almost there .....

An Official Chocolate Day

There are four days of the year when it's perfectly acceptable to eat chocolate for your breakfast. Those times are your birthday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and Valentine's Day. I have been known to eat chocolate for breakfast on other days but we won't talk about that .....

So first thing this morning I revelled in the fact that's it's an Official Chocolate Day and I broke open a beautiful box of Hotel Chocolat loveliness that my fantastic fiancé sent me for Valentine's Day. The chocolates are so pretty - there's lots of pink and dashes of red and they are utterly delicious. Thank you, Mister G!

Finally!

Here's my engagement ring! It now fits perfectly and I can't stop looking at its spangly sparkliness. The ring is white gold with nineteen tiny diamonds. I know it's not your traditional solitaire but the minute Chris pointed it out in the jewellery shop window I knew that it was the engagement ring for me!

Exciting!

I've got some news.

The newsworthy event took place on Sunday but my mind's been all of a whirl ever since and I knew I'd have to blog it and this might sound a little bit silly but I didn't quite know how to say it.

It hasn't really sunk in yet.

I'm just going to come out with it and tell you .....

I'M GETTING MARRIED!

Chris proposed to me on Sunday morning and I said yes!

Nope. Writing it down still doesn't make it feel any more real. It feels like some kind of lovely magical dream.

So that's made my Christmas ..... and then some.

This will probably be my last post before Christmas as I'm off up to Manchester to spend it with my fiancé (yes, fiancé) and his family so I wish you all a very Happy Christmas. Eat much turkey (or nut-roast if you're a Veggie), lots of chocolate and many Twiglets. Have a good'un!

The Red Shoes

I first saw this pair of shoes while I was out shopping with Nicky a few weekends ago and I wasn't able to get their loveliness out of my head. I'm very wary of pretty lady shoes (I live in Cons) as I'm a size seven and am not the daintiest of people. I've never been able to wear a pair of high heels for longer than an hour without moaning about my feet aching or without developing painful ball-of-the-foot blisters. So when I saw these glorious red patent shoes in Schuh I immediately dismissed the idea that they would ever be mine.

Whenever I've bought lady shoes in the past I've always needed to buy them in a size eight (and once in a nine) as my feet are quite wide so for a comfy-as-possible fit I go for the next size up. The thing is, not many places stock size eights and above. It's normally a case of 'We can order them in for you' but to be honest you want to try the shoes on before you pay for them and you want to try them on there. In the shop. Plea to shoe shops - please carry size eights and above. Most of you have them in storage somewhere but please don't be feetist against the larger footed ladies!

Anyway, after spending too much of my life thinking about The Red Shoes, last week I Googled about and discovered that they are available in red, black and navy blue but they only go up to size sevens in the red. I nearly ordered them online but I wanted to make sure that a seven would fit. So at the weekend I dragged Chris into Schuh in Cambridge and showed him The Red Shoes. Sensibly he said that the black would be more practical and would go with more things. I reluctantly agreed, knowing that they didn't have an eight in the red anyway so I asked the sales assistant if I could try on a seven and an eight in the black.

About five minutes later she reappeared carrying a pair of the red ones and said to me 'We haven't got any sevens or eights in stock in the black but you could try these red sevens and if you like we can order the black ones in for you?' so that is what I did. I was wearing striped socks (very attractive while trying on lady shoes) and even with those on The Red Shoes fit me. I looked in the mirror and instantly fell in love with them. Chris gave me the thumbs up and the sales assistant nodded with a big grin on her face! It was like in the movies when the lady tries on the absolutely right wedding dress and everyone just knows it's perfect. Yes, it was like that but with shoes.

And that was it. The Red Shoes were mine. And they're a size seven. And they don't have a high spindly heel but a slightly chunkier one instead so I shouldn't get blisters. I wore them on the walk home from town to Chris's (that's quite a walk) and only had minor, normal new shoe rubbage. They do up with satin ribbons which makes me think of tap shoes. I always wanted to do tap dancing as a kid but Mum said no as I think she knew that I only wanted to do it because of the shoes. But the best thing of all is, and you can't see this in the early morning light of the pictures, they have a very fine, subtle copper-coloured glitter in them which gives them a beautiful shimmer. Amazing!

Year-round Laurabeads

Chris and I may not have filmed any beadmaking movies this weekend just gone but instead we designed a Beads By Laura 2010 calendar. Erm, I say 'we' but in actual fact Chris did all the Photoshop designy stuff and I just sat there occasionally saying things like 'Too bright!', 'No. I don't like those beads!' and 'Can you crop that one there?' Mind you, I did decide what pictures to use for each month. I tried to theme them. For example, January has frosty blue Luminobeads, there's my Poppies for November and some pretty Starburst beads for December.

I ordered one copy of the calendar to see what it looks like. It arrived this morning and I am SO pleased with it! I used to work in the printing industry (so I kind of know what's good and what's naff) and this calendar really is top-notch as far as small-print-run type printing goes. It's printed on nice thick 200gsm satin paper and is wirobound for easy hanging.

The photograph at the top of this post is of the actual artwork Chris did and shows the beads that are pictured inside the calendar and the other two are of the real thing.

The calendar is A4 size so it's not too big but big enough to give a kitchen, studio or wherever a nice splash of colour. And the really good thing about it is there are no country-specific holidays and dates (like Bank Holidays) marked on it so the calendar will work wherever in the world you may be.

I'm going to order some of these for relatives and I thought I'd ask you if you'd like one too? They're a tad more expensive than your usual Clinton Cards Cliff Richard ones but that's because I'm not printing nine bazillion of them. The price will be £15.00 per calendar including postage to the UK and it'll be an extra £2.00 for overseas postage. Please email me if you'd like to buy a calendar.

A big massive thank you to my wonderful fella for spending aaaages making my first beady calendar. Love you, Mister G!

Bead Movie : Stringer Demonstration

This afternoon Chris filmed me making a stringer bead. I should point out that this movie isn't a tutorial as such. It's more of a demonstration thing so you can see how I apply stringer. Of course, you get a load of my waffle which you may find useful. Maybe. Chris played around with various camera angles but we went with this one as you get an almost Laura's Eye View of the beadmaking action. It's important that you see not just the bead but the positioning of it in the flame and also where my hands are. At the start you also get some Laura-swinging-around-and-fidgeting-on-her-chair action too! Sorry about that. We hope you like the movie. There is no step-by-step version of this one as there really are no steps to stringer application. It'd go something like "Step 1 - Make bead. Step 2 - Apply stringer." See? Doesn't really work. So I may well write some hints and tips for stringer application instead.

Spooky Saturday

As you can probably tell by the lack of bloggage I've been a tad busy. My sister Sally and the kids came up on Thursday to stay for a couple of nights. Much fun was had!

Chris also came down for the weekend and on Saturday morning he and Robyn did a touch of Halloween pumpkin carving. Chris had never made a Jack-o'-lantern before (can you believe that?!) and I think he did a superb job. We put the lit pumpkin outside the front door last night and waited for an influx of trick-or-treaters. Yeah, that never happened - we got a grand total of three visits. So now I have a big bowl of fun-size Twix left. I guess I'll have to eat them. Shame .....

I'm on the YouTube!

Following the great response to the Basic Thick Encasing tutorial I thought I'd do one on regular encasing. Chris was down here for the weekend and I asked him to do my step-by-step photos for the written tutorial and then we had the brainwave of making a little bead movie.

So, after Chris got all Spielberg he edited the footage for me and we're now pleased to present my first how-to video. It's of me showing you how I make a basic encased bead. Please excuse my burnt workbench, Hampshire accent and occasional slightly stern instructions ..... "DON'T touch the mandrel!" Anyway, I hope you like the video and that it is of some use to you. I'd like to say a big thank you to Chris for helping me with all the technical video stuff. If you like the movie do let me know and we may well make some more . Please click here for my YouTube channel.

I will do the written version of this later so do check back for that tonight.

Early Birthday

It's my birthday on Thursday but the celebrations started a little early. Chris and I went up to visit his family in Manchester this weekend and we had such a fab time!

On Saturday we had a lovely barbecue. Chris was head chef and he did a great job. The weather was just right and we sat outside until gone 9pm. We even saw bats flitting about at twilight which Chris's Dad and brother found a little bit perturbing.

I got some wonderful birthday pressies from Chris's Mum and Dad. Lynne made me this fantastic hat, scarf and gloves set. They're crocheted in a beautiful blend of pinks. Isn't she clever? When Chris and I get a place next year I'll probably have a shed for beadmaking so Lynne thought that the fingerless gloves would come in useful during the winter lampworking months and she's not wrong - from previous shed experience I know that they are very chilly places from November through to March. Chris's parents also gave me a pair of china mugs featuring a pretty poppy design for the Chris And Laura Box.

The long journey to Manchester and back meant that I got a lot of sock-knitting done so I'll have another pair to show you in the near future. I do like Manchester - I've been there several times now and everyone is always so jovial and friendly. Great place!

Please can I have my blog back, Mister G?

The relief! I have missed the internet. Almost three days without it was crazy-making. I knew I was addicted to it but cor blimey, I didn't realise just how much I use it. I really did feel like Alex Drake trapped back in 1982. I could see my blog on my phone but I couldn't get to it. The frustration!

But thanks to my other half, you 'Beadmaidens' (and Beadfellas - I know there's a few) weren't left without a blog to read. Mister G seems to have caused quite a stir! It would appear that you all want him to do the occasional guest post and I think that would be brilliant. His 'Sock Of The Day' feature had me crying with laughter! I've been telling Chris to write his own blog for ages because he has me in stitches with his hilarious television and movie rants. I really think he could be the next Charlie Brooker. I'll pester ask Chris and see what he thinks about maybe posting something here every once in a while.

I haven't quite forgiven Chris for putting that terrible fairground-mirror style photo of me up, though. Oh, and his Mum emailed to comment on his blogging debut :

"Mr G, you're not the blog saviour, you're just a very naughty boy. Laura has my permission to kill you for the photo, and as your mother I must admit that you can't spell."

But apart from that I think he did a stellar job with the blogging! Thank you, Mister G!

So without being able to access the interwebs I've been knitting socks and making beads. I've just been taking photos of those polka dotty ones up there. Goodness knows what the neighbours think. I mean, I go out, put some paper on the patio, spend ages arranging a pile of beads and then I lie down on the patio like some kind of commando photographer and take about a bazillion pictures, swearing when the sun goes in or when the wind blows my carefully-arranged-paper-and-bead-set-up across the garden. It's worth it all for a nice photo, though.

I know I owe many of you an email and I will sort that out throughout the day.

Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Camera Shy

This is Chris modelling his new fingerless gloves that I made him. I should make it clear that he asked me to make them and I haven't forced my hand-knitted goods upon him! Chris totally detests having his photo taken so I feel pretty honoured that he let me take this picture and then allowed me to blog it.