Design Dilemmas

I think we sometimes take for granted how much effort designers, artists, creators put into their work.  The bracelet above took me many hours to get to an acceptable design with many mistakes made along the way.  I suppose I could say that the bracelet is a prototype and already I can see loads of areas for improvement.  I think the crystal beads for this design are too weighty for the micro macrame and tend to tip the bracelet forward.  It also needs another two 'bead stations' to put the design in proportion.  All these trials and tribulations are needed in order to grow and improve each time we do/make something.

My garden has been a bit of a trial and tribulation recently.  The slugs and snails have been overwhelming in their presence this year and on one occasion last week I collected 205 slugs and snails from around the garden in one hunting session.  I am saddened that just a few woody stems are all of what remains of my dahlia 'Happy Days' after the gastropods took a fancy to it. Happy Days for them indeed!

I am getting the urge to retreat.  There is no holiday again for me this year for various reasons and I really do need a break away from routine and people.  My 'retreat' may have to take place in the form of meditation.  I just need to take my mind elsewhere if not my body.  I make sure that I am the first up every morning so that I can enjoy the house in peace.  I really do enjoy solitude and to be honest a regular family holiday with beach, noise and partying really isn't my thing.  A tranquil hideaway with a babbling brook, a cosy cottage and nearby places to explore would be my ideal getaway but it remains just a dream.