Jingle Gnomes!

Hello Everyone, I do hope all is well with you, but if not, I'm sending kind and healing thoughts that you will feel better soon.
There are some nasty bugs going around, but thankfully we are keeping clear of them so far.

We had a fabulous Carolthon on Saturday and raised £1,557, and still the choir sponsor forms and gift aid to come in over the next month. However we are £300 up on last year's Carolthon.  The Befriender's team were brilliant, and for me it was lovely to see some former clients who wanted to volunteer as they knew I would be singing. 

 The other lovely thing that happened was that I met another former client who I have not seen since I left work and have often wondered how he was getting along.  I had a real soft spot for this young man who had a horrendous childhood with sexual abuse that has left him so damaged and a self harmer, and who has tried many times to do away with himself, even to jumping of the Kessock Bridge.......to survive but pretty broken up.  To meet him on Saturday was like an early Christmas present, and to see him so well. In a lovely relationship of four years with his partner and his loving family. Alistair too had a soft spot for this guy and took him up mountains and fossil hunting, trying to give him good experiences. So Alistair was delighted to hear that he was still alive and doing well. Especially good as I know quite a few of the people who used our project have indeed died. and strangely enough, everyone of them have suffered from family sexual abuse.  Anyway, enough of this but it just made my heart glad.

I'm still making Christmas cards, not that they are needed this year, but this stamp I've been dying to use and the card is earmarked for a friend for next year;

This is a Whimsy stamp and I've coloured it with Copic markers. Now I've cased this card from one that the fabulous Faye Wynn-Jones of Stampin Fluffnstuff did a couple of months ago. Her colouring is outstanding. Unfortunately, I didn't have the same colours so did the best I could. I would love to go to one of her Copic colouring classes, but they are in Englandshire. The snowflake die was gifted from Mrs. Duck the other year so I don't know it's brand. I've matted on to glitter card and some papers from LOTV, and added a few clear gems.

I'm still recovering from my long day on Saturday, my knees were killing me by the end of the day, and my voice all but gone as, because of illness quite a few of our singers had to call off so I sang in three sessions, that was three hours phew!! It was all worth it though.

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my last post.
That's me for now, take care of yourselves and see you soon,