Busy May engraving

Guy's & St.Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust Awards, London.

It was an interesting challenge, transforming  the massive commissioned statues outside the hospital (created by Rick Kirby) to a relatively small piece of engraved glass and still represent the artist's technique well enough for his approval. The figures are sandblasted and hand engraved on the back with the main lettering on the front and more lettering under the base front.

Several awards and presentation this month, football, Masons, golf... and the usual anniversaries, so many 50th anniversaries, it is always so nice to know that there are couples out there getting that far!
I am off on my annual vacation therefore will not be able to do any engraving until early June, however please email me if you wish, I will keep up with emails as much as I can. I will be back in the workshop from 8th June and already have a number of jobs lined up so please don't leave it too long if you need something then.

Last week I met up with a dear old friend of mine in London, the last time I saw her was at the airport as I left Zimbabwe in 2001. It was a special day and we laughed and cried throughout. I do miss my friends terribly. Thank goodness for the internet! I think this is a wonderful time to be on the planet for technology.

talking technology... I was thinking the other day about how these days they have paper thin massive TV screens....and I very clearly remember the old black and white TV that took ages to warm up and then we only had 3 hours of tele to watch.....but then again that was in Rhodesia. We were a little behind. I also remember my youngest son asking about records...he wanted to know which end the needle would have started the middle or on the outside....I remember stopping school and listening to the radio when they landed (if they actually did) on the moon. My great granny never ever believed it anyway ;-)...well why have they not bothered to go there much again and why are they only planning to in about 2020???? I must check up on that one. I so wanted to be the first lady in space. I even wrote to NASA when I was 10 years old and got a lovely reply, and envelope full of Q's and A's and loads of A4 size glossy photos...sadly that was lost in my dash from Zimbabwe. I had kept them all those years, till 2001, c'est la vie!

Well you have to think about what is important in life, and "life" is important, health and freedom. Look after what our maker has given you, fill up with the correct fuel....NOT chocolate cake, and especially don't breathe in black nicotine when we were given such beautiful lungs and delicious oxygen.

Sun is shining...out there

Let me see...it is already the 29th April, I turned 47 on the 7th which came and went so fast, as usual just another day with absolutely nothing special about it at all. I had to remind Brian over morning coffee. Sigh... we eventually had dinner several days later as we were both so busy at work, long gone are the days of presents and flowers, maybe that was another life somewhere on another planet. Sometimes I wonder about life and if there is actually something more to it. I am not being very positive here so I had better lighten up.

I still have not managed to update my photos on my website so I have quickly added this one, rather fun as I had never engraved an Asian Ele before (only African) , this was for someone at a Safari park.

Great news is that my youngest son, Gavin, is finally out of Afghanistan and I wait now to hear about his arrival back in New Zealand. That has been 6 months of dark cloud over my head. I feel very deeply for every mother who has a son in a war zone. Wives, girlfriends and children too, it is a deep subconscious worry.

April has been by far the busiest month I have every had in my business, I remained fully booked throughout and am still catching up but am almost there. I have managed all deadlines with some clever juggling and luckily I have a number of super-duper suppliers who have just not let me down, whether it is for glass, masks or presentation boxes.


I had a wonderful wonderful time last weekend when I caught the train, very early in the morning, to London, where I met up with my Godson and his sister, visiting from Zimbabwe both of whom I had not seen for 7 and a half years....I have known them since before they were born and so they are very very special to me, their parents are amoungst my closest old friends who I miss so very much. We had a wonderful time being tourists in London, doing the usual things like the London Eye , Tower Bridge, Bucks Palace. I was shocked however to see the prices to get into some of the attractions so we gave them a miss, but really it was a very memorable day and I feel very privileged to have been able to do this. They have both grown SO much I felt like a little "titch".
AS I type this an ice-cream van has just pulled up outside my office. Temptation is so strong but as yet I have not bought anything and long may that strength continue. Unless you have a great metabolism and these things don't make dramatic changes in your body and you don't get pimples from the rich creaminess ....Just DON'T do it. The pleasure is only for a moment.

I will be on leave from 24th May - 7th June so please keep this in mind when ordering. I will however be keeping in touch by email.

Count your blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.