All my fabrics are packed, I have washed all the dirty laundry and all there I have left to do is packing out suitcases and cleaning the flat. At least as far as my jobs are concerned. Alan is in charge of packing the car. I just have to place everything we want to take with us outside the front door. However, I cannot start packing the suitcases or cleaning the flat until tomorrow and my hands are itching to start with my latest idea for a bag and the earliest I can do that is after Easter as we are leaving for Holland on Tuesday and will stay there until Easter Sunday. On the way down to France, we will spend the night in Metz and arrive back in Oberlarg on Easter Monday. Then of course, there will be the unpacking of the car, putting everything where it belongs and of course picking up my car from Zunzgen. Therefore, it will take until the end of that week before I can start doing anything!!!!!

I know, I have not been very active lately on this blog but many things have been happening since we are in Scotland. We were hardly here when I had to go to Holland. My mother passed away while I was there and I was very pleased that with nearly 95, she did not have to suffer for too long and in the end she died peacefully.

However, in the few weeks I have spent in Scotland I have been busy sewing bags and setting up my shop at Etsy under the name Page Hirst. I have now a stock of eight bags. Shop opening will be as soon as we are back in France. I am still finishing off the last bag and then I will pack up all my bags, fabrics and other utensils so that I can continue sewing in France.

I have also started a blog specifically for my shop: https://pagehirst.blogspot.co.uk/ and as soon as the shop is up and running I will look into setting up a page on Facebook. To see all the bags, please have a look at my blog.

We are back in Scotland and I finished the bag I started in Ireland. I had to stop because I ran out of interfacing and I did not find this in Ireland. Interfacing is a medium used to stabilize the fabric. Normally you can iron it onto the fabric. In the meantime, I have also finished a small black bag. This one is more for going out in the evening. It turned out very nice but I still want to put some embellishments on it.

I will have to stop for the time being because I will be flying over to Holland tomorrow and I am not sure, when I will be back. This will also postpone the opening of my Etsy shop.

How do you like my latest bags?

I am in the process of setting up my own shop under Etsy.com. I will be selling handmade bags and jewellery under the label of Page Hirst.

Doesn't time fly? I clearly remember 1999/2000. We had a great New Year's eve party that time and it's already 13 year ago!

I just wanted to show my best buy last year. A bag insert organiser! I don't know how I ever lived without one. I love bags but changing bags always meant getting every bit and piece out of one and putting it into the next bag. That is all solved now. Just take the insert organiser out and put it into another bag!

Wishing you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and all the best for 2013.

We are back in Ireland and after a few days of hard work we are more or less up and running again. Of course, there were some problems when we arrived here. We had no water! Alan had a look at the pump and found the problem but it was not something he could fix himself. Some electric part had completely burnt through and had all sorts of melted cables hanging out of it. It looked more like a piece of modern art! Fortunately, it was still early enough in the afternoon to call the company that installed the pump and they promised to come early next morning. Which they did! The part was exchanged and, hey presto, we had running water again.

The next problem was the TV. The power cable did not want to stay in. The plug kept moving so there was something wrong with either the plug or the socket in the TV. We took the TV to the shop, which is quite a long drive. We explained the problem. The shop assistant had a good look at the cable, took it and pushed it in. It worked! We felt like idiots. However, you really had to push hard and Alan told me not to force it. I am also very pleased to say that he also tried to push the plug in and did not manage! So, all problems solved.

However, I am very pleased with the state the house is in now. It was not as damp as it used to be.  Even though last winter was very wet and apparently, summer wasn’t  much better either. We left all windows tipped open just a few millimetres so that the wind could blow through the entire house! It was cold but did not smell damp.

The internet connection is not very good. There are long periods without any connection at all and when it is available, it is very slow. However, I can still remember the days before the mobile telephone! Things have changed a lot since then and the internet has really changed my feelings about spending time in Ireland. I no longer feel cut off when I am here. I can still have contact with my friends and family, by either email or Skype and I can order things over the internet (that is when it is working!).

The house is finished upstairs and I have made a nice little workspace for myself on the landing, which is the warmest place in the house. When the sun shines, I have wonderful light on my worktable as it is standing just under the skylight. The worktable is not optimal yet. It consists of two shelves on some trestles but it works.

The garden needs a lot of attention as it is completely overgrown.  It really looks like a jungle.  It took Alan the best part of half an hour to get to the firewood, which he keeps at the bottom of the garden. The weather is not too bad now, so he has gone out with the strimmer and chainsaw to get rid of some of the growth. We cannot even let the dogs into the garden. You cannot find them again when they get lost in the montbretia which grows like weeds here.

I have made a nice little workspace for myself on the landing, which is the warmest place in the cottage in Ireland. When the sun shines, I have wonderful light on my worktable as it is standing just under the skylight. The worktable is not optimal yet. It consists of two shelves on some trestles but it works. On the table is also my latest project. A bag that is already looking very professional but it not quite finished inside.

My Christmas bag is finished now and I think this will be the last bag of the year. It turned out very well I think. It has an internal pocket as well as a key clip. I called it my Christmas bag because of the black, beige and gold colours and I want to use it at Christmas

We will be travelling to Ireland next Sunday. Three weeks later than expected but due to Aischa not being well, we had to postpone the trip. I have now booked the ferry crossing to Dublin and I have booked my flights to Basel, Amsterdam and back to Cork. Therefore, this week it will be a matter of cleaning the flat and deciding what I want to take with me to Ireland to keep me occupied there.

We have been very busy the past few days. Alan has replaced the utilitarian wall light next to our front door by a small wall light with two candles and glass drops.  It goes beautiful with the wallpaper. It is a bit difficult to see properly on the picture, as I had to take the picture against the light. It was no use to switch off the light  because the entrance is too dark and the light has to be on all day.

I have just finished my second bag for next summer. It turned out beautifully but it was difficult material to work with. It was fraying all the time and the flat looks a mess so I have some vacuum cleaning to do now.