Friday 27 February 2009

An end



I'm sitting here feeling very low as our vet has just left after putting our beloved Mouse to sleep. Mike couldn't be here with us as he's finding this all incredibly difficult and couldn't put himself through it. I understand completely. I would give anything not to have had to do this but Mouse was diagnosed with a terminal throat cancer in December and has gone downhill over the past few days.


Apparently these tumours become excruciatingly painful and we wanted to save him that. The last two evenings he's had real problems eating, despite obviously wanting the food so we decided that it was best for him to ease him from life now rather than waiting until he was in obvious constant pain. We could probably have left the decision for a few more days but really that would have been for our benefit I think, rather than his.


I felt terrible doing this to him as he had a good morning. He actually managed to eat quite a bit of food and went out for a wander round. I am concerned I made the wrong decision but this was not an illness he would recover from and he could only get worse. I know from personal experience that often animals (and people) have a really good day just before they go seriously downhill and I'm guessing that was the situation here. But I feel completely shitty.

Mouse was the most loving cat I've ever known, and would nuzzle into your neck when you held him. He was also a cheerful and stoical little soul, despite nearly dying twice from a blocked urinary tract and suffering a number of operations for other issues. He always bounced back immediately and never bore any grudge. I WISH HE WAS STILL WITH US.

Sorry, feeling a bit too emotional to carry on. I will blog later today or tomorrow about something far more positive but I just needed to let some of this out. Don't expect anyone really to read this but needed to say how much I loved Mouse and how much godawful pain I'm in now he's gone.

Sunday 22 February 2009

You're standing on my grass


You're standing on my grass, originally uploaded by publicenergy.

I'm very fond of cows... well, all creatures really. Cows seem to have an air of independence and intelligence that has bypassed (most) sheep. My brother, who was a herdsman for a while, told me stories about cows who could break out of locked byres and bypass complicated feed systems to gain an extra snack. He also told me about an unlikely relationship between one heifer and the farm cat, who used to ride around the fields on the cow's back.

If you share my fondness for farm animals do take a look at Dave Wild's photos at www.notsowildlife.com. His images are candid and funny and capture the innermost thoughts of these domesticated beasts. You can also order prints and more from his site.

Saturday 21 February 2009

Decorating with natural paints




Things are moving on in our new clothes shop.  The seagrass matting is being fitted again today (after a slight delay) so we are on schedule to move in next week.  There's still lots to do, including finding that new desk and installing the racks and rails, but hopefully we'll be ready to open the following Tuesday, 3rd March. 

Most of the painting has been done using Earthborn paints but there is still some to be touched up.  I'm currently debating what colour to paint my office upstairs.  It's south-facing, overlooking Hope churchyard, so has fantastic light and could therefore take quite a strong colour.  Or do I opt for something light and fresh?  I shall wait for a few weeks to see the new range of Earthborn Claypaint colours I think, and also choose some photos or art for the walls to guide me.  Alternatively I'll use some Auro emulsion and their colour concentrates to make the exact colour I want.  I've always been happy to mix paint shades, having worked for a while creating decorative paint finishes on walls and furniture, but there are risks; you need to mix enough to complete the job and you can end up with a colour you hate but with no way back.  My advantage is that I can just wander round the corner to our Eco Eco Home shop to select what I want on the day!

The paints are wonderful to use - no odours - and the Claypaint has a fantastic ultra-matt finish.  It's like painting with liquid slip.  It also covers brilliantly.  The ProAqua eggshell is extraordinary, drying to the touch in about 10 minutes depending upon how heavily you apply it.  It's re-coatable in two hours which means all the woodwork can be given three coats in a single day if necessary.  It's also odour-free.  Obviously both the Earthborn and Auro paints are eco-friendly and non-toxic, like everything we choose for our shops.  

Perhaps when we've finished these new premises we'll finally get around to decorating at home.  It looks a bit sorry at the moment as we've been so busy with the business that our house hasn't been receiving the attention it deserves.  Come the spring there's lots to be done, including a new fireplace and a new porch.  There will be plenty of opportunities to use the natural paints there too.  Can't wait.

Saturday 14 February 2009

It starts here




The new clothes shop



Welcome to our new blog.

We'll be using it to discuss developments within our business, along with musing on green living, sustainability, creativity, and anything else that tickles our fancy.  We'll share projects, links, recipes, niggles and delights.  Do please contribute.
 
Our first update is on our clothes shop which will be moving around the corner to a new premises in Hope, Derbyshire (see above).  The building has been a pub (The Durham Ox), a bank and a cobbler's workshop and parts of it date back to the 17C.  We're busy with the decoration which will use our stock range of eco-friendly paints by Earthborn.  The seagrass matting will be fitted next Monday, and we've installed Marmoleum flooring in our kitchen area.  Marmoleum is the trade name for what is basically old fashioned linoleum, made from sustainable ingredients such as linseed oil, woodflour, pine rosin, jute and limestone.  It's also completely biodegradable but it is a bit pricey.

I'm currently working on sourcing low-energy light fittings and toying with LEDs, which have improved dramatically in the past year or so.  We haven't quite decided what to do for a desk as yet.  The existing one is made from reclaimed timber but will be in use up until the move; also it needs to be a bit bigger.  I would like to buy an old Victorian shop counter like the one that I managed to find on Ebay that adorns our Eco Eco Home shop, but the access to the shop area is limited so we will probably have to build something in situ.  I'm waiting for inspiration to strike.  The dress rails will be mainly recycled timber, painted in ProAqua eggshell, again by Earthborn.  It should be a nice place to work.