seething pot, mixed bag

Morning all!
Sorry for the lack of communication this week... not sure quite what happened... or rather didn't happen... perhaps I just didn't have much to say. Anyway here I am.
It's heading into a long weekend here and I am hoping I get some customers today (long weekends can be slow for little retailers) just to keep me awake, I have the slight snoozes happen and it is barely 9.30. Before I forget I should mention that the Cottage won't be open on Monday, of course if you are in town and had planned to visit and can't make it today you can always give me a call to make an appointment for an out-of-hours time.
I had the usual pile of things I needed to do this week but somehow got sidetracked by lovely floral linens and playing with the new shipment of striped raw linen that arrived. Not exactly the weather for linen but the temptation was too great, my excuse was that I needed to make it into something and see how much it would shrink when I washed it, quite a bit it turns out but oh how lovely it is! The projects I had planned for it now have to go on hold until I get the rest of the linen in, my fingers are itching to start work. Mind you I have so many other things to do as well that I should be patient... but new fabric, new projects, squeeeeal!
We had a new box of Oleana arrive late yesterday so we have more cardis in stock and Celia sent down some of the gorgeous little tank tops as well and some beautiful scarves. We only have a limited number of the scarves, they are gorgeous and made from the same wool/silk yarn as the cardis, if you can't splash out on a garment then these are the way to go.
We are waiting on more sock stock to arrive and have three boxes floating in the ether somewhere between Pennsylvania and little old Fitzroy. We've got more of the cute-turned-up-to-11 baby socks coming and we've ordered men's socks as well as we've had so many requests, just in the dot pattern at the moment but we will see how well they sell and might get some more designs in if you come and buy them!
I've also made some more hot water bottle covers, a few have gone out for a photo shoot but we still have a nice selection available. I was just thinking a hot water bottle is a perfect friend for a Winter long weekend... along with an enamel hot chocolate saucepan (the red ones boil faster you know joke) and a couple of enamel mugs... am I making you feel all toasty warm and snuggly? Chuck in a couple of Welsh blanket cushions and a vintage blanket quilt in front of a blazing wood fire and we have a fabulous ad for the 'Cottage in Winter'.
Ha ha.
OK hard sell over. I really hate just blathering on about shop shit but sadly I don't have much else to report. Life is pretty boring around here, it's all studio and shop and that's it. Oh, we had one of those Gertrude Street/Fitzroy weird crimewave weeks, like buses they all come at once. The elderly Asian man trying to palm a counterfeit $100 note off, the old man who asked for the police to be called as he intended to commit suicide (he was seen two hours later with a bottle of port), the whacked out thief at Amor y Locura who attempted to stuff his pockets with stuff and then yesterday morning the woman who had her phone snatched and chased the culprit down the street, she got her phone back and the police arrested the two thieves. All this makes Gertrude Street sound really dangerous but funnily it isn't for the main part, our usual deros are pretty harmless and we all nod and smile and have a chat to one another but we get these spates of the weird that happen every now and then, then it all settles down and everything ticks along sweetly. It's one of the joys of Fitzroy, a melting pot full to the brim of all sort of different people, seething away and occasionally bubbling over!
Ok, time to do the shop chores and have a chat to Jethro about his cheeky behaviour. He loves long weekends as he gets two full days of shop possession, not that he will spend those two days in the shop but that he knows he can if he chooses to, it's a cat thing.
Come and visit. I'll be in the shop until 5pm.