Getting nowhere fast....

....well, it feels like it anyway! Not my fault really though as I've been unwell with women's troubles, then a bug, which I still have, but have been able to do a little bit on the Pool the last day or so. Apart from the usual, incessant health issues, I'm finding this one difficult and unwieldy. It's hard to do freestyle in such a large frame (14"), although I didn't have that problem with the dog when I was doing that in a 12" hoop. Add to that that it has to be done and finished up by close of play on Saturday and you can see why this one is turning out somewhat of a thorn in the rear quarters! I can't believe this is all I've got done over the last week and now I'm having trouble with the rayon thread I've started doing the dragonfly with. That stuff looks great in the skein and even in any project you have the patience and endurance to manage to stitch with, but it's a nightmare to work with! I used to think metallics were a bit challenging, but even silk is well behaved compared to rayon.... Grrrr!

The threads and fabric for the next 2 projects have still not arrived either, which is really annoying. I e-mailed the on-line store (who usually despatch within a day or two) and she said she is waiting for the threads to finally come to colour match with the fabric, but as I then told her, some of the threads are not to go with that fabric, but still nothing has come. I really wanted to be able to take a certain project with me when we go away on Monday, but it looks like it's going to have to be the one I planned on doing after these two! Oh well, at least that will make September more relaxed, but the next one is needed for mid-August, then the third for mid-Spetember! Then there's a wedding in November to do something for. Honestly, my hobby is becoming a task, not a thing I do for fun.=( Ugh! I need our forthcoming holiday!

I've finally added my donation to the campaign I've got the widget for. I don't think that charity work is the real solution to the mental/emotional health problem (although it if manages to save one person from killing themselves, it's worth it), as they are deep symptoms of a sick society and it will take God himself to sort that out. However, I wanted to help those ladies reach their goal as I know how important it is to feel that you're doing something for the person who's died, especially as, with suicide, you always feel you've in some way failed them and need to compensate for it.

The new counter part way down my bits and bobs bar is progress on the using up of things I've had hanging around the place for years! I counted up the personal care products that needed using up, some of which I've had for more than a decade already, and they came to about 100! Some are just sample sachets, travel sizes and hotel shampoo thingies that DH has brought back from business trips, but they need using up out of the way. Saves money in the short term too as I won't need to buy soap, shower gel, bath 'additives' and so on for many months to come!! DH is helping by using up the shampoos and sharing the soaps and I hope to get the total to at least 20 by the time we go away for a fortnight on Monday and to deal with another 5 or more whilst we're away. We're probably going to be moving, likely internationally, in early 2010, so the fewer things we need to pack and move then, the better! The next thing will be to go through the cleaning cupboard and see what needs using up from there.