Good morning and welcome to Friday From Home!
When Robert Burns wrote this famous verse:
The best-laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
…he knew what he was talking about!
I know I’m mixing my literary allusions here, but I can never think of mice – Burns’s mouse, or any mice – without thinking of the Beatrix Potter’s adorable mice and especially, this drawing from Tailor of Gloucester.
And I can never think of the Potter drawing without thinking of Elza Bester DeJager’s embroidered version – which you can view on her Facebook page here.
And I can never think of Elza without thinking of her embroidered tortoise eating a strawberry – which you can read about here.
But What’s It All About?
Well, you know how it goes! It’s the little surprises along the journey of life.
Today, we were supposed to resume normal work in the studio! And hurray for that! There is much to be said for Routine and Productivity!
Alas, with the last of company departed yesterday and all the plans for today’s studio work and kit launch, our best-laid schemes have gone amuck!
Anna came down with the Stomach Bug a day ago, and I am nursing a knee injury and seeing the doc later today.
We know how to have fun, golly!
Therefore, the felted heart kits I mentioned here are not ready to launch. Shipping is not going out. And all our plans for an efficient and effective re-focus, planning, and work day so that we can hit the ground running on Monday – these are all on hold.
Will they happen by Monday? I hope so! I hope Anna recovers completely, I hope my knee is a matter of ice and elevation, and I hope that by Monday, the sun is shining, sleep is had, we’re all moderately re-energized, and life can flow again along the path of Normality.
Whatever that happens to be!
In the meantime, feel free to explore Beatrix Pottery embroidery, the stitched tortoise, and, if you’ve a mind to, the poetry of Robert Burns.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Gosh, I hope you’re both feeling much better SOON!! Hugs! 🙂
Dear Mary,
Now this is such a nice surprise. I did not expect to be featured today in your newsletter, complete with links. It really brightened my day no end.
I know that feeling all too well. I get up with all kinds plans for the day, only to discovered the day had other plans for me.
I hope my embroideries brightened up your day as well as all your members to this news letter. Those are two of my favourite embroideries. To crown it all l got a letter from the Beatrix Potter Society asking my permission to publish my Mice at Work in their regular newsletter. Of course l said yes. What an honour.
I wish you and Anna both a speedy recovery.
Lots of love. Elza from Cape Town.
I love that picture and I love that book! I love all of you tricks Potter’s books her illustrations were absolutely beautiful. So I got lost in gloucestershire right outside the cathedral. And I thought I’m near a cathedral I should go look. So I started walking toward it and suddenly realized I was standing in the book. The archway is still there, the shop is still there, and you can still see the view of the Cathedral through the archway. The shop is now a Beatrix Potter Museum. But I was absolutely thrilled at the fact that I could see exactly the same view that Beatrix Potter did when she did her illustrations of the Tailor of Gloucestershire!!
Oh, do feel better soon, both of you!