Alright?

I'll not lie; I'm finding it flipping hard work keeping up with all the digital places I'm supposed to be. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, mailing list, blog, website - it's crazy, this cyberwold in which we live!

Anyway, I'm here. And I've got two lots of new glass beads to show you. The 'Vanilla & Honey' ones up top ...

... and these 'Midnight' beads are available in my shop right now as I type.

So what's happened since I last blogged?

Well ... Nigel got ill but then he got better and then Martha, one of my guineas, got ill but she didn't get better and all in all I've spent far too much time at the vet.

Nigel is due to have his manparts operation next week so I'll be back there again but hopefully that'll be quite straightforward. For me. Nigel, not so much but it's for his own good. He's also being microchipped (I'm referring to his vet appointment as his 'Chop-n-Chip') as the bugger will NOT wear a collar. We've got through four collars and tags since he came to live with us and he only wore the last one for a couple of hours.

I've caught up with all my bead orders (there were moments there where I thought I'd never reach the end of them but YAY I did!) and I'm now working on a couple of new bracelet designs. Hoping to have those ready by the end of the week.

Lots of other life stuff has been happening but that's not for here. I think it's all on the up now, though, so that's good.

OOOH, I'm expecting the arrival of a new laptop this week! This is very exciting. You know mine broke yonks ago? Well, I've been borrowing Chris' one but it's a work machine and I don't have full time access to it. Also, I'm unable to download any software or useful stuff (like Acrobat) without Chris getting it authorised at work which is a pain. The laptop won't talk to my laser printer either so it's all been very annoying and irksome and I'd be right up the swanny without my iPhone. But yes, I have ordered a lovely Dell Inspiron 15R laptop which is due to arrive on Wednesday. I was after a red one but it was an additional forty quid and I figured that most of the time the lid will be open, facing away from me and I didn't see the point. So it's black and silver which is fine by me. It'll just be amazing to have my own computer again. We seriously do not realise how much we need these things until they're not there.

I've not done a discount code for a while so here you go - just enter AUGUST10 at checkout to get ten percent off anything on my website. (Code is valid until midnight on 22/08/13)

I think that's pretty much it from me. I hope all is dandyfine in your world?

Have a good rest-of-your-Monday,

I'm not superstitious but .....

..... Friday the thirteenth turned out to be a really naff day all in all. Last night even my computer joined in on the whole let's-annoy-Laura-today thing. So, my apologies to anyone who was refreshing the Freshly Baked Beads page last night but to no avail. I was trying my best to get things to work but they just wouldn't. I think I've fixed my computer troubles and now the beads pictured above can be found in the usual place.

Semi-sorted. Kind of.

The website saga continues. My hosting company called me this morning to tell me that my FTP server had been hacked by some people somewhere in Russia and as such there was a niggly bit of code on my site directing people elsewhere, thus making my site unclean, hence anti virus warnings etc.

Whatever the hacking people/software did has somehow affected and limited my website editing capabilities so for the time being I'm going to have to do site updates in a very long-winded fashion. I'm hoping that Chris can help me sort things out at the weekend - no pressure, Mister G! ;o)

The good news is that I've cleaned away all the nasty code so my site is once again clean and sparkly and I will try and upload last night's beads at 8.30pm tonight. They'll be on the Freshly Baked Beads page ..... fingers crossed, that is.

This is all a pain in the rear end but at the same time I have learned a lot. I've been doing FTP stuff, HTML editing, changing passwords, installing stuff, uninstalling stuff and having lots of 'Uh-oh!' and 'A-ha!' moments. I feel like a right computer geekette!

Tech Stress

This is a quick post to let you know that I'm having website trauma. A corrupt bit of code has attached itself to my site (again - have these internet vandals nothing else better to do?!) but I only found out about it this evening by which time the helpline people at my hosting company were just going home. I'm trying to sort it out myself and as such the beads that I was going to sell tonight will have to wait until my website is back up and running.

In the meantime, if you do visit my website and your anti virus software pops up with a warning message or it won't let you view the site then fear not, the corrupt code is not malicious - it's just annoying so nothing nasty should happen to your machine.

I'll call my hosting company first thing tomorrow and hopefully they'll put it right.

I'll keep you posted.

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!