Jordan's Mill

As a child my parents took us along to the breakfast cereal people, Jordans Mill, for a visit. The venue was basically a little shed type shop selling cereal. Well, how things have changed! The venue now is amazing. The cafe is by the water which is such a relaxing place to sit by and enjoy a coffee and natter. I did have some photos of the venue but my laptop and wifi are currently getting divorced and I can’t find them - grrrrrrrrr! But anyway………this weekend I took a lovely little girl for a walk around the sensory garden and by the water before heading inside for a drink and a slice (large) of cake. The venue is very accessible with automatic doors and an accessible car park.

I have also taken a couple of friends there. Who are both eager to return and enjoy the amazing venue to relax in. There is also a lovely shop and the gardens are beautiful. I suspect it’ll be spectacular in the summer.

Anyway, if you want to go the address is: Jordans Mill, Langford Road, Langford, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9JY

If you do go along let me know how you get on :-)

The magic of loom bands

Who knew that little coloured elastic bands could be so calming and rewarding…… Until recently I never knew the joy of making a loom band bracelet. I love crafts and being creative. And as I’ve previously stated my enthusiasm tends to greatly outweigh my skill but I find making things so good for my wellbeing. In the weekly Girls Group sessions I run loom bands were mentioned and my friend reassured me that the students would know how to ‘loom-band’. So I trotted off to the session with this plastic tub of small coloured bands (without a clue how to use them myself) and wow……….the students were amazing. They sat around on the floor helping and teaching each other how to join the bands so that a bracelet could be made. They taught me and some of my colleagues and before long a calmness took over and we sat together, chatting, making jewellery out of these bands. Whenever I bring in the loom bands the students are always really happy and love them……they make a bracelet quickly so it’s a quick win. Almost instant results. They make them for each other too and their family. And the staff supporting the session, often being taught by a student, comment how calming it is.

So the message from me today is: always have a tub of loom bands available. You never know when you’ll need them and you’ll be amazed as the students pick up the skills and support each other.

Happy loom-banding!

Getting back into routine

I have had a lovely summer and supported some amazing children and adults to access a variety of different places……..but I’m so happy to be back in my routine. The summer holiday was great; visits to the seaside, cinema, farms, parks, restaurants and the the list goes on. But I feel so much more secure in my routine. I look forward to the break from routine so much but, in hindsight, I prefer to be in my routine. It makes me feel safe and secure. I’m a creature of habit and like predictability so routine is so important to me.

So my week now looks a bit like this:

Monday - admin and supporting a child (1:1)

Tuesday - supporting a child (1:1)

Wednesday - day in school and then supporting a child

Thursday - day in school and then supporting a child

Friday - supporting an adult (1:1)

Saturday - supporting a child/day off

Sunday - supporting a child/day off

My hope is to have a day off over the weekend if it all goes to plan. This will enable me to work on my new college course and have dedicated time to focus on it.

So……back to routine: today is all about admin and then meeting a friend for coffee before heading off to work :-)

Have a lovely week!

Thank goodness for Costa coffee…..it has kept me going ;-)

Summer holidays 2019

So, why is it that the moment things get busy, the first thing I drop is my blog? Yet I’m actually really enjoying trying to write a blog and how I can use it to develop my skills in my work…..so I’m going to try and focus on the blog…….how many times have you heard that? Fair play, but I’m going to try…….

So this summer holiday I have been busy supporting children and adults with learning disabilities to access the community and enjoy the break from school (and to give their families much needed respite).

SENSORY - I have been exploring the senses through all the situations we have accessed; from the farm, to home to the park. Lots of textures, smells and sounds have been explored…..the manure at the farm certainly got a reaction!

RELAXATION - I am really keen to focus on wellbeing for the individuals I support as well as their families. So whilst I’m out and about I hope the family relax and enjoy their time together without distraction and worry. Meanwhile I am also keen to promote a sense of calm in each of the people I support. It’s great to have fun and be busy and boisterous but the ability to calm and enjoy what is around is also an essential part of growing up and preparing for adulthood. We have been out for lunch, enjoyed a cuppa and had a chat, sat people watching at Willen Lake and watched TV after a busy day.

GLOW-IN-THE-DARK BOWLING - well, this was a roaring success. Initially a risk (but if you don’t try new things you’ll never know). We went to Go Bowling in Dunstable and played a game of bowling in the dark with disco music, a disco ball and glow in the dark balls, pins and lanes. This was such fun and definitely to be repeated! The sensory experience enabled the young person to focus on the game and ‘shut out’ everything else. Plus we had hot dog, chips and a slush drink afterwards :-)

BAKING AND TREATS - Baking is such an amazing sensory experience; from exploring the ingredients to the smell of it cooking, to (the best bit) eating it. We have also been to have ice-cream at various places and loved every mouthful. Now prepare yourself as I’m going to sound very old……but…….can you believe how much a magnum ice-cream is nowadays??!! We paid £2.50 at Willen Lake today and this seems to be average. Like I said, I’m sounding very old…….and son’t get me started on the cans of drink for £1.50. LOL

OUTSIDE FUN - We had a great time at Dunstable Downs (one of my favourite places) kite flying in the extreme wind. The kite I use does not have any plastic poles in it so if it comes down it will not hurt anyone……we can sometimes be very ‘enthusiastic’ so this is a great ‘top tip’. It was so lovely seeing children and adults at the Downs flying kites, having picnics and being happy together. It warmed my heart. Wile Lake has been another great place to visit. The train was a success (even though the bench seats do cause a numb bum) and only cost £2.00 a person. There are great outside gym equipment there too which we may not have used correctly but certainly enjoyed.

I won’t go one anymore as I know I am the Queen of Waffle but it’s fair to say I’m loving the summer holidays and having a great time. When you love your job it’s not like work :-)

Off to the seaside tomorrow….in the rain……………

Ice-cream is the perfect treat in the summer…..even when it’s raining ;-)

Chocolate cupcakes with mini smarties. The smell of these cooking was sensational and really added to the session.

Yes! You see correctly: that’s a doughnut on top of a milkshake with extra cream, sweets and sauces. A total treat….but utterly delicious. This is from Blend in Biggleswade.

Sensory play and postural seating - great session and physic all rolled into one.

Glow-in-the-Dark Bowling - a roaring success and definitely will be repeated!

Relaxing with a cup of tea and a chat.

Relaxing and watching TV in postural seating. Great to support digestion after a meal.

It’s off the ground!! This was quite rare as the string was more interesting than the kite.

Colour sorting to support wellbeing and promote calmness.

It’s all about yellow here!

And then I turned 40.....

So, after making a bold promise that I’d blog weekly, I’ve already broken that promise. Sorry. But I was busy turning 40 and all that it entailed. As this has been a monumental part of this month I thought I’d share my activities on here for you all to read (well, you Jane to be honest).

The children I support all have complex needs and very rarely, if at all, get invited to birthday parties. This is surely a rite of passage of a child growing up. The families I work with are all fully aware of this but acknowledge that their child’s complex needs means ‘parties’ are hard work and a worry. So in a bid to offer an inclusive service, I hosted a farm party for the children and their families, to celebrate my birthday. The rule was…..there was no rule and no one had to apologise or excuse their child’s behaviours. Everyone was accepted for who they are. I have to say, it went really well and Wycombe Pastures provided an excellent opportunity for everyone. Everyone was brilliant and experienced the event in a way they could manage…..except Marvin (the goat) that ate my Aunty’s dress. Well, there is always one…. ;-)

After hosting a farm party I went on to have a family curry on my actual birthday, then a meal out with my friends before an eventful family BBQ (1 broken deckchair, 2 people on the floor after falling off the picnic table and vomit in the lounge….). But it was an amazing 8 days and I was thoroughly spoilt. I find accepting gifts really hard as I never think I deserve them or am worthy of them but I’ve been given some amazing things. I am truly lucky and happy to have the friends and family I have in my life.

Back to work stuff in the next blog but thanks for reading :-)

Farmer Ian walking the goats in…..on a lead……as you do

An adorable skinny-pig

Mini is the well behaved black goat and Marvin is the cheeky, dress-chewing, grey one.

Here I am with Farmer Ian collecting my party bag

This is the chicken that went on an adventure and ended up under my sofa…..

The traditional family birthday cake - thank you, Mum xxx

Meal out with my friends……bestie

Half term fun

Now, before I start waffling on about half term, I need to stress that I like to accompany what I write with photographs. I’m a visual learner so photos really help and I think they make things more interesting. But. For some unknown reason my laptop is not showing recent photos…..I’ve asked my IT guru for assistance…..she has replied with ‘ok’ so hopefully by next week photos will be available. Anyway…………

So May half term has been really good fun and I have to say, I owe a lot of the success to the £1-£2 activity packs from The Works. We have made a mermaid, painted a bird box and coloured-in. These activity packs are only pence and are great for filling time……at the end of a meal, whilst the rain eases, to focus attention away from a possible trigger. I’ll definitely keep buying these (and I obviously have some great photos of these items to share - shame!).

We access a local leisure centre (Flitwick). It’s been newly refurbished and from arrival through to the pool, the journey flows beautifully. This is great for children and adults with autism as you don’t need to go back on yourself. I love this as this allows independence and an easy step-by-step process to get from the reception desk to the pool. We are soon going to be introducing shower gel to our shower routine. Yep - little steps but all in the right direction.

Obviously a lot of junk food has been consumed as well as various visits to extremely busy parks……I like an empty park. I can’t lie. The emptier the better to be honest. But I think that’s more to do with my anti-social skills rather than anything else! There has also been a trip to the cinema to see ‘Pets 2’. Having not seen Pets 1 I was unsure what it was about but the child I supported clearly enjoyed it. Now. Here is my soap box moment…….Films that are PG or U are great but I find 12A a tricky one. Sometimes I think that what is considered suitable under this category should be a 15. And now I sound really old don’t I? To be fair, I think my challenge is that just because someone is chronologically a certain age does not mean they are emotionally that age or able to cope with topics that are addressed. So, I tend to stay with PG and U films as the children I support all have complex/severe learning disabilities.

Finally I supported a child to access Wycombe Pastures mobile petting farm at The Olde Water Mill in Barton. Now, being totally transparent I need to declare that Farmer Ian (who owns the farm) is my cousin and he is really good and passionate about what he does. The child I supported loved it, especially the chickens that were roaming freely. And the pony was very tolerant of having her mane brushed backwards. And the sheep coped well with the child’s enthusiasm of exploring their woolly coat. And…….the list goes on but all the animals are so well supervised and as a result the child calmed beautifully and had an amazing experience. And carers go in free……bonus!

An excellent half term………and onto the next week and only 7 weeks before the summer holidays…..gulp!

Thank you to Jane (who I've known my whole life)

So, there I was, meeting up with my lovely friend, Jane. I’ve known Jane my whole life….in fact our Mum’s have known each other since school so we have known each other for-ever! Anyway, Jane is lovely and has had a blog for years and years. She is a big supporter of mine and I of her. So, we were at our local pub catching up and we were unable to sit on the bar stools as they were busy…..this threw us but we found a table and started our catch up. I’m digressing…….to cut a long waffly story short…..Jane reminded me that one of my goals for 2019 was to focus on my blog and to put it bluntly I’ve not been. I sat and admitted that my writing is not as good as my talking……although to be fair my talking isn’t that much better. I have a huge fear that my writing is poor and that no one wants to read it or be interested in anything I have to say…..but in 2016 I took a huge leap and became self-employed. I’m now remembering that and I’m going to write something on my blog every week. I promise.

My blog will consist of stuff I’ve done at work, things I think and anything else I like…..

So, thank you, Jane. My friend forever, even if we don’t see each other regularly we pick up where we left of…..and that’s what friendship is all about. Love you x

Cheers to Jane and thank you x

Sensory Tray - Shaving foam and cotton wool balls

As the weather is cold and frosty……and snow is being threatened……we decided to explore a snow scene using similar textures: shaving foam and cotton wool balls. Unfortunately I don’t have any photographs of the finished ‘snow scene’ due to being covered in shaving foam but here are a few that I did manage to take before it got really messy. The little girl absolutely loved the experience so we will be repeating this again. Next time I might animals too to create a different texture. …….

Girls Group - Clothes horse and sanitary towels

This week we continued to practice putting sanitary towels in our knickers. In one group we matched the underwear and the sanitary towel together from the clothes horse.

Some of the girls are embracing this opportunity to practice with their friends, in a safe classroom setting. I must stress that we practice this fully dressed and participation is not compulsory. Some of the girls can only practice in the bathroom which is absolutely fine and others are mortified that we are doing this! But through making the topic of periods and sanitary towels ‘ok to talk about’ I’m hoping that the girls will develop some self-awareness and confidence in their own bodies.

Next week we are talking about washing our bottoms and what to use……

Sensory Tray - Pasta and Shaving foam

This week we added having foam to the dried pasta. The cooked pasta had been binned the day after but the dry pasta kept fine so shaving foam was added to create a contrasting texture. This sensory tray went down really well as some of the food colouring turned the foam a little bit green. Plus the added bonus was the smell of the shaving foam…..it is a smell I love as it smells clean and fresh so the room had a great aroma. At the end of the session all pasta and shaving foam was thrown away. This turned out to be another great, cheap, sensory session that will be repeated.

Girls Group - Sanitary Towels

In Girls Groups this half term we are focussing on sanitary towels; how to use them, when to use them, how to dispose of them, personal hygiene, packing our school bag and focussing on our feelings.

The younger girls are finding this topic quite fascinating as some of them have not started their periods so it feels very grown up. The older girls are less impressed as they know about them. However all the girls and staff put on knickers and practised putting a sanitary towel in place. The staff were fantastic at supporting me to get the message across that this topic is ok and part of life.

Some of the girls preferred the hot chocolate and biscuits but everyone participated……lets see what next week brings…..

Even ‘fancy pants’ are private

Sensory Tray - Pasta

Last week the sensory tray on offer to the young people with SEND was a 3 sorts of pasta tray. One bag of pasta was cooked, one was raw and one was dyed green (and raw). I tried to dye the cooked pasta blue but, as you can see from the photo, this did not happen…..I managed to dye the water blue so if anyone knows how to dye cooked pasta please let me know. Thank you.

The session was a great success as the different textures and colours allowed for great exploration of feelings. Definitely one to repeat….next time I might cook all the pasta and provide scissors so the pasta can be cut up as that can be quote a relaxing activity too.

You need:

• Pasta

• Food colouring

• Tray

Let me know if you try this sensory activity and how you get on…..

Take care and have fun!

3 sorts of pasta: raw, green and cooked

New Year - welcome to 2019

Like everyone else I welcome the new year as a chance for a fresh start. I’ve got my usual list (the list I have had for quite a few years but I’m slowly working towards….) of things I want to achieve. So here is my list for 2019:

• Turn 40 with style

• Become a size 12

• Focus on my wellbeing and mindfulness to be the best version of me I can be

• I have a few work ones but the one linked to my blog is: stop thinking I can’t write and write a weekly blog post about things that interest me. (Hence why I’m here today but we are on week 2 of the new year so I’ve got to focus on this one and not let my lack of confidence stop me……work in progress I think……..).

Last week I was in a meeting with a lady I respect greatly. She is teaching me how to ensure a clear audit trail from discussion, to minutes, to actions, to outcomes. She is very logical and calm (things that I am not!) so I love learning from her and challenging myself to develop my skills. She said she had read my blog. My blog! I suddenly felt a wave of self-doubt and panic wash over me but she continued to say that she was inspired (yes……inspired!) by my focus on wellbeing and she had sorted out her craft room, which was being used as a dumping room. She had undertaken some craft activities and spoke of how positive this had made her feel. I think she said some other lovely things too but my heart was beating so loud that I couldn’t hear her. I was so eager to not cry and look like an idiot but I’d achieved one of my goals…….to have a positive impact on someone through a focus on wellbeing. DONE! So whatever happens with the blog going forwards in 2019 is a bonus as it has created change and a focus on self. I’m very happy about this and a huge thank you goes out to Emma for being the person in question.

So, with that in mind onto 2019….. :-)

Welcome to 2019 - lets make it a mindful one xxx

Connected by yarn

There I was, wearing my orange sundress, red sandals and pink cardigan (my lovely Aunty Nora would have said “you look bootiful duck”) crocheting a green blanket. The colour combination was ‘interesting’ to say the least…… I was sitting in the hotel lobby with my Mum and we were waiting for the rain to stop so we could pop out for a walk along the seafront to the harbour. I should probably say that I’m currently in Majorca.

Anyway……..getting to the point (finally)…….a lovely lady wearing a beautiful handmade knitted tank top asked me about my crochet. She’s currently working on an amazing sounding project: you crochet the doll, 20 outfits and a suitcase that turns into a bed. Obviously I want one. I mean who wouldn’t? She said the doll’s body was lopsided so I suggested she turn her work after each row. I also suggested she watch ‘Bella Coco’ on YouTube as I find her tutorials so clear and informative. We then chatted for ages about crafting and the ‘feel-good’ factor that comes from crafting as well as an inner sense of calm and self-care. The lady said that her husband knows when she is knitting as the house feels calmer.

Crafting allows for a calmness within the individual and this impacts on their environment and those around them. I’m a true believer ‘craft for wellbeing’ has, and will continue, support me and I hope that in the future I can branch out and support others to benefit from crafting.

Oh! And the lady with the beautiful handmade knitted top also has her own craft room……jealous!!! ;-)

3 ingredients - banana pancakes

This is one of my favourite breakfasts so I thought I should include it in my '3 ingredients series'.

You will need:

• 1x egg
• 1x banana
• 1x large spoon of natural yogurt

1. Peel banana and mash it with a fork in a bowl.
2. Crack the egg into the banana and mix together with the fork.
3. Heat a small, non-stick, frying pan on the hob.
4. Add the banana mixture so it fills the bottom of the pan.
5. Cook for around 2 minutes.
6. Either flip the pancake over or turn it over with a fish slice - depends on how brave you are.
7. Cook the other side for around 2 minutes.
8. Slide onto a plate.
9. Add the natural yogurt and eat!

3 ingredient - banana pancakes - banana, egg, yogurt

Haul for September 2018

As the summer rolls on I'm starting to think of September and the sessions I offer to young people with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities).  Whilst out and about I grabbed a few bits for my sessions (photos below)........

• I thought the unicorn jewellery making set would be a great addition to the activities I offer in Girls Group and provide an activity to focus the girls whilst, perhaps, they are talking about issues which are important to them.  I brought this from Sainsburys and I think it was only around £3.00 so a real bargain.
• The wiggly eye rings are from Flying Tiger Copenhagen and will make a great addition to 1:1 interactions where a young person needs distracting or needs an opportunity to off-load their thoughts.
• The magnetic pegs (from Flying Tiger Copenhagen) will be used on the radiator to show the schedule for the sessions.
• And the lama sandwich bags (also from Flying Tiger Copenhagen) were just too good to resist!  I have no real reason for purchasing these other than I liked them and thought the young people would.  Ha ha ha.
• Finally I purchased a little notebook from Sainsburys (I love stationery at Sainsbury's - very quirky and pretty) for a family I am working with to record their thoughts and feelings and start to focus on improved mental health and wellbeing.  This is in conjunction with a variety of other interventions but I thought the note pad was very appropriate so though I'd mention it here.

And I'm off the Hobby Craft soon so watch this space..........

Yours Clothing & Accessibility

Desperately seeking a pretty dress for my cousin's wedding I headed into Yours Clothing in The Andale in Luton (yes I know it's called the Mall now but it'll always be the arndale to me and, for the record, I miss the flamingoes!). Anyway.........I found a beautiful green dress in Yours which I tried on and I was impressed to see the changing rooms had three rooms, one was an accessible space with enough room for a wheelchair/mobility aids.  I was so impressed and was saying so to my friend when I suddenly wondered how on earth anyone in a wheelchair would be able to access the space???  It's fair to say that the shop is packed to the rafters with clothes and the rails are tightly packed in.  As I wandered around my bag and bottom managed to move clothes around the rails so I'm not sure how a wheelchair or walking frame would be able to access the accessible changing room at the back of the shop............a good idea, Yours Clothing, but perhaps a little tokenistic in being useful.

A large changing space but how do you get to it.......?

Fact!  I absolutely love this sign and think this may be my new mantra........ ;-)

Jonathan Bryan

Sometimes you read something and it inspires you to rethink how you work and how you communicate with others.  I have just read an extract from a book called "Eye Can Write - A Memoir of a Child's Silent Soul Emerging" by Jonathan Bryan.  This book will be ready to purchase later on this week and I for one will be purchasing it.

Jonathan Bryan is a young man with a long list of medical and physical conditions.  His early years were spent trapped inside himself until a communication system was used which enabled him to express himself.  His voice and thoughts are articulate, clever and intelligent.

I have spent the past twenty years supporting children and adults with learning disabilities and feel very strongly about age appropriate activities and treating people in a person centred manner. Jonathan beautifully articulates the horror of being aged eight and having to do Maths to nursery rhymes as well as having to listen to such songs for relaxation.  This made me think of how awful it must be for young people in secondary schools and in adult placements who are supported by staff and families who view them as young children.  I feel very strongly that age appropriate activities are the way forwards and we need to face the challenge of appropriate resources head-on.

The other point Jonathan raises is that he and his peers were never able to touch each other.  Why is this?  Why are children, young people and adults with complex needs not able to touch each other, yet carers and staff often have full access to their bodies?  I feel very sad reading his comments on this and will reflect on my own practice going forwards to ensure I do not react quickly to people being friends and being friendly.

Jonathan Bryan is a remarkable young man.  I will add him to my list of 'inspirational people' I would like to meet.  My Mum was the person who found the article inside the 'you' magazine which comes along with the 'Sunday Mail' (dated 08 July 2018).  My Mum was incredibly moved by Jonathan's words and his desire to support others in reaching their full potential - whether that is because of their disability or because they are carers/staff supporting people with disabilities.  

A great read and one that will inform practice going forwards.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Girls Group

"If you can be anything, be kind" - taken from a post on Instagram.

I love this statement and what it stands for.  I think that kindness is underrated and the impact it has on the individual and who they come into contact with is never focussed on enough.  Part of being a female in 2018 is trying to balance and juggle so many different things; from work, to house work, to relationships, studying, hobbies, families, the list goes on and on.  Sometimes I feel we run the risk of forgetting what being a kind or nice person can be or feel like.  I'm trying to focus on my kindness.......to myself and others.  I like it when people are kind to me so why not reciprocate?

At the moment I'm supporting a fantastic group of girls, aged 11-18, with SEND, as part of a weekly Girls Group.  I absolutely love hearing their thoughts about themselves, their lives and the world we live in.  And I feel part of my role is to encourage them and inspire them to become polite, kind, strong, empowered young women.

For the next academic year I'm hoping to work on their self-advocacy skills as well as introducing them to inspirational women and enabling them to hear their stories.

The session is one hour long and we meet weekly.  If follows the same pattern each week:

• Welcome and get a drink
• 'How are you feeling?'
• Topic for discussion - different each week and undertaken as a group
• Break with a snack and another drink if wanted
• Activity - 1:1 focus such as nail painting, bracelet making, colouring etc.

A few photos are below.......

I use different ways to encourage the girls to think about their day, how they feeling, strengths and challenges.  The M&M Feeling Game is a definite favourite!

Each week the topic to discuss is on the cork board.  At the end of the session, the speech bubble is pinned to the large board of future use.

Some of the girls like to have a sensory object in their hand to support them in the group and in their interactions with others.  

The light speech bubble is a new addition to the Girls Group resources but I really like.  It enables the girls to access information in a variety of ways.  And snacks are a key part of Girls Group.....we have recently tried olives too.

I try to use as many different resources and visual aids as possible to support the discussions and engage everyone.

Learning from the Craft Fairs.....

I finally plucked up the courage and attended two completely different craft fairs.  One was the local May Fair on the Village Green and the other was a Table Top sale in a Church Hall.  Both were fantastic opportunities to learn and meet other like-minded people.  I have no expectation that I will make any money this year (or even make even) but I'm hoping to learn how to do it next year.  Before the fairs my lovey friend, Jane, contacted me to say I needed to take pegs (in case of wind) and coffee as well as a friend so that I can nip to the loo and the stall is not abandoned.  So I roped my best friend into this and off we went........

To be honest the thing I was dreading the most was the gazebo.  I had brought a gazebo off the internet 18 months ago and it had remained in its box, in the garage, unopened the whole time.  As my garden is tiny I thought I'd just have to blag it on the day so the box was bundled into the car and off we set.  Josie had repeatedly told me that it would be ok but her eyes did not say the same and as we entered the Green she could be heard commenting that if we parked by the trees we probably wouldn't even need a gazebo.  Once parked the moment had arrived for the gazebo reveal and tentatively I opened the box and then the bag.  At this point Josie could be heard to cry "it's a pop up" and set about with gusto to build it.  Her face was filled with relief and smiles as she told me she was dreading having hundreds of poles to put together.  So without even realising it I'd picked a good gazebo.......

So, before I waffle on for any longer, which I could do but fear you're getting bored already, here are my initial thoughts of how I need to improve my stall going forwards:

• I need to invest in an old-fashioned clothes horse to display blankets and scarves (you know the wooden ones).
• I need a banner which says: Marjorie & Me for the stall front.
• I need to stop getting gazebo envy and be happy with my little green number.
• I need to develop an order form and payment plan for people who want customise items which I can make but that are not on the stall.
• I need to add some items to my crochet baskets to stop people thinking they're hats!
• I need to have photos of my work so people can see what else is available or what other colour combinations look good.
• I need a sign which says:  Handmade as people were querying if I'd made the items or was simply selling them on.
• My business cards need updating to include my website.
• I need a fake small tree for hanging keyrings etc on for display,
• I need a small tailored jacket to display the brooches on.
• I need a receipt book
• I also think I need to add a price list of my items on my social media sites so people are aware of what things cost prior to attending.
• I need to make small 'pocket money' items for children as they were interested in my crafts too.

I met some local fellow crafters and have been invited along to their monthly session so hopefully that'll help me develop better links locally and get to know other like-minded people.

But.......the highlight was selling one of my cushions.  I'm so happy that I'm still grinning from ear to ear.  And now onto the next one and making more items.......