Monday 5 October 2009

2 days away, I am so excited!

Goodness me I have been so busy, and I have been given so many wonderful things by some lovely wonderful people....

I believe in a good deed being re payed later in life and the balance of both sides of the coin... I had a pretty poor time of it at the beginning of the school term and it was a real struggle but it paid off in the end and Jamie got a place on the school bus...

since then I have been scrabbling back some control over my life I am standing down from the PTA on Thursday and I even managed to say no to a request to chair the Pre-School committee... ( I am not usually good at saying no! ;D) and I have been asked to start a craft club at our village hall, something like a knit and natter but you can bring any kind of craft you like... I have also said no to running it but that I am happy to go along and teach people to crochet if they would like to....


I then exchanged a few emails with a lovely lady called Susan Ashman and I arranged to pop down to Brympton D'evercy House near Odcombe

where she is working at restoring the interior of the country house which is currently being used for weddings and will be the venue for residential courses


Mum, Danny and I had a wonderful morning looking around the house and mum told Susan what each room use to look like and who it was used by back in the 1960's when my Nanny and Grandpa Tucker where housekeeper and caretaker when it was a boys school... Mum had also found photocopied receipts that dated back to the 18o7 and paperwork from when my Great grandfather on my dad's side was a Carpenter for Sir Clive Ponsonby Fane


plus a very interesting letter my great uncle had written to Charles Ponsonby Fane telling of his memories of when he was a carpenter with his father at the estate



My brothers use to play in the house and the whole family use to spend Christmas's there as Nanny and Grandpa had a flat in one of the wings, it was amazing to think that my nanny use to cook for all the boys in that very kitchen where they now prepare food for functions and weddings

Well Susan will be running 2 day residential courses teaching interior and exterior design from Medieval to present day, using hte house as a visual aid every month after Christmas and she has asked me to be an assistant (nothing grand but with my family connection and fabric design background I might be helpful to have around, I hope! :D), I am stunned and so very pleased only the week before Mr P and I had been chatting about what we wanted to do when we were about to leave school and I wanted to get a job working as an interior designer... Mr P wanted to be a farmer... but our respective parents had other ideas and I went to art college studying surface pattern design and Mr P started working as an electronic apprentice...

So it would appear that fate has given me the chance to redirect my life and I am so pleased to have been given the chance to work in a place that my grandparents loved living and working in

Perhaps fate will also assist Mr P sometime in the future.... mind you he will need to do something to change his direction as if I hadn't started a blog I would never have gotten to know Susan. Last week she rang and invited me to a tester/taster 2 day residential on Tuesday, my initial reaction was "wow, yes definitely but I won't stay because of the children...." then after I had hung up I thought " I am not indispensable and I am sure Jamie who is 11 will be fine and Danny who's 3 will be with mum on Tuesday and Wednesday so staying the night in between won't hurt... "

but I still felt so guilty that I was considering doing something just for me... I won't lie I did ask Mr P if it would be okay, I think I needed someone to give me permission to abandon my parenting duties for 2 days...

So after I received permission and I ummed and ahhhed for about 2 minutes I decided that everything happens for a reason and I emailed Susan to accept the invitation to stay and now I am so very excited

I have to go and find my suitcase and the wash bag lovely Nicola sent me in a swap and work out what to wear and get some batteries for my camera...

the anticipation of a night without having to put Danny to bed and all the other rituals of being a mum, cook and houskeeper will be left in other peoples capable hands for just one night .. it feels like I have won the lottery!

Other thoughtful gifts I have received this week were from 2 lovely ladies at the village cafe on Thursday, one gave me a pattern book for crocheted socks, and I have been looking for one of these for months and then another lady gave me a bag full of wool... I seem to be receiving so many thoughtful gifts of late

So I must apologise for my lack of popping by and I promise to catch up with you all at the end of the week but now I am off to dig out a suitcase and get myself packed and ready for my 2 day break, even if its dull and drizzly the sun will be shining because for once in my life I am grabbing hold of an opportunity of a lifetime and living for the moment and its exhilarating

hugs to you all
take care
Alex
x




20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now that is really great news! Have a wonderful 2 days off and good luck with the new direction.

Ella

Unknown said...

I think this is all so wonderful, I am so pleased for you, and I think you are right to pamper yourself and go and stay. It will be a great battery recharger for you. You will come back refreshed and new! The house looks amazing, I am a follower of Susan's blog, so I have been reading about it! Have a wonderful time and above all enjoy every minute wihtout any guilty feelings. Every Mum deserves to get away now and then!
Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog, I especially liked your method of getting to sleep, lovely! Suzie. xxx

Unknown said...

Oooh, I forgot to say too, you are right, so right to grab this opportunity. I think you are brilliant! Suzie. xx

Rachel said...

Wow! Congratulations on this exciting new direction your life is taking - I really hope it turns out to be everything you have dreamed of. This post was really interesting to me as Susan is my partner in the letter-writing swap! I hope you have a wonderful time at the taster course.
Rachel xx

Lesley (Notesfrommydays) said...

wow what a busy time you have had but congrats on the assistant position its so nice to have something for you away from "mum" mode isnt it?!
Lesley x
(oh, and not so many spiders but still some!)

lisa ridgeon said...

What an amazing project to get involved in. Very well done to you, with your creative background you'll certainly be an asset to them. Have a great time.
X X

JuliaB said...

Hi Alex. What a great turn up for the books!! Wishing you HEAPS and heaps of luck!! xxx

menopausalmusing said...

How absolutely fantastic is all that...... GO!!!!!!!!!! AND ENJOY! (And come back and tell us all about it!).

The sewing room said...

Congratulations and well done, you go girl you deserve it.

Taz said...

Ah good old karma, good things will always come back to those who deserve it.
It all sounds so exciting and you so deserve something for 'you' ;)

Jenn said...

Congrats, Alex!!!! I am so happy to hear such good things are happening for you. And enjoy those 2 days away.
Hugs,
Jenn

Jackie said...

Well Done Alex ~ a wonderful opportunity for you ~ ENJOY!! :O)

Unknown said...

Oh wow, sounds like a whole new adventure is starting for you, I am so pleased and happy for you! YAY.

You will have to tell me when the craft morning is....haha.....I soooo wish I could learn to crochet! :o(

Have a great couple of days, and hope to catch up with you soon.

Lots of love xxx

Anonymous said...

It is very kind of you to offer to teach people how to crochet. xxx

Sarah said...

That's great Alex, I'm sure you'll have a fab time! Will look forward to hearing all about it on your return.
x

Anonymous said...

Good for you well done, I wish you well thanks for sharing with us. best wishes Julie.C

menopausalmusing said...

Second attempt at leaving this message: Have a wonderful time! Glad you are grabbing this wonderful opportunity, you will be a great asset! x

Jo said...

it sounds great, don't feel guilty, we all need some "me" time.
can't wait to read about it.
Josie x

Renaissance Grace said...

Hi Alex,
Thank you so much for attending the run through of the course rehearsal ,I don't know about you but we drove back to Essex late Wed shattered but exhilarated that we'd survived !!
Thanks to your input and the other guests we can go forward and fine tune for the commencement of the course in Jan, I thought you and Your friend were delightful and made it for us all with your family's stories .
Thank you again Susanxx

A Bun Can Dance said...

Dear Alex
Oh my oh my!!
Firstly, just file me under "bonkers" as quite clearly I should have read the posts in date order and I would have realised that by this time, you have already had 2 days at Brympton!!!
Putting that aside, let's focus on this amazing post of yours!!
Hoorah for doing this one thing which is just for you!!!! Fabulous!!! I hope you get a real taste for it all and that you can find more moments to focus on Alex and enjoy yourself.
I loved all the family history connected with Brympton - amazing - you are meant to be doing something there, for sure.
Can't wait to hear how you got on - good for you!!! Happy, happy, and happy some more just for you dear Alex and your chance to do something different,
Denise x