A Headless Chicken from Warwickshire

Hello readers, by the time you read this, I shall be airborne, on my way to see my family in India. Excited to meet old friends, and to run my third show next week. There's something nice about a show - it's all about instant gratification as there's no waiting around for people to write back ( or  not ) with feedback about the pieces they have bought - you get to hear about it straight away. 

You've seen this invitation for the show a few times by now, but do bear with me - this will be one of the last times, as next Friday I will have the show up and running. Once again, I ask that you share it with friends in Bangalore, and of course, stop by yourself. 

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Headless chickens have had nothing on me this week, as I've rushed around like a mad thing, putting the final touches on all the stuff I leave behind at work, labelling all my work at home, packing my bags and putting together little gifts for my family. I am exhausted now, and look forward to a long rest on the flight to India. By the way, do you know the story of Mike The Headless Chicken - if you don't, click on the link and read on.

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My friend Shekhar has brought me a new bowl to make a central piece for - he says there aren't too many people combining woodwork and polymer clay in the UK and he wants to display his bowls at a woodwork show in Daventry later on in the year. Here is his latest bowl, it isn't finished yet and still has the chuck attached to the bottom.

I decided to make a mosaic out of polymer clay and armed with a class taught online by Sylvie Peraud, I made two pieces. Shekhar can take his pick and perhaps he will make a second bowl to use up the other piece - a retrograde design, this time around.

Here are a couple of pictures of my project from Bead and Jewellery Magazine - people have started to write in to tell me that they loved it, isn't that nice of them? I am due to post my second project out to the Editor before I go on holiday as it needs to be photographed so it can go out in Issue 70, which will be out in a couple of months.

I thought I had finally packed everything away, and sat down to watch television. Sad jewellery addict that I am, I only went and picked up my pliers without a second thought and made a little pendant. Since I had made it, I strung it with some lovely purple beads and Layla came into being.
​I've had it with myself and my crazy addiction, and I've given myself a stern talking to. No more now, until I get back home from India. 

Having administered myself a stiff bollocking, I went on to enjoy our seventeenth wedding anniversary and spend some quality time with Mike who will not be accompanying me this year. 
My packing all done, I heaved a sigh of relief and hopefully after the long journey I will have a quiet time with my mother, whose first words will be to tell me how much weight I've put on since the last time she saw me, and the very next will be to ask me what I want to eat - yes I know, Toc Toc Toc! but as it happens every time I know what's coming at me.

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Have a great week, and I'll try and get to you next week, same time, same place, until then, take care
​xx