The GWCT Scottish Game Fair

​Hot, Hot, HOT and Hot Dogs sums up the GWCT Scottish Game Fair weekend earlier this month.  Too hot for comfort and really too hot for sales.  No-one could be bothered to make a decision, unless it was whether to have an ice cream!  However, it was great for dog watching and the stall two down from us did a roaring trade in cool jackets for dogs, and they had a paddling pool especially for dogs, we did, briefly, consider going to stand in it too!  

A very full trailer full of stock, tent & shelving, & why I didn't drive fast!

Described by one customer as being like 'a very elegant and eclectic gift shop'...

Sitting Bear - a weekend away from the Studio Barn!

Doors are opened ready to welcome the hoardes!

The Homestyle Argyll marquee looked very elegant, and we received many compliments for the wonderful display of cushions, lamp shades, animal heads, seascapes and pretty tinkling glass in the faint breeze we managed to conjure up by opening up the sides of the tent, but mostly I was about the dogs.  ​

​All ages and sizes and breeds from Scottish deerhounds to dachshunds and everything in between. Wirehaired German pointers; English and Douglas setters; every type of spaniel; a Rhodesian ridgeback; whippets and greyhounds; Vizslas – smooth, wire haired, and long haired; retriever's – golden, flat & curly coat; Labradors by the barrel load; a pack of nine Irish water spaniel's; Collies; a pug; Jack Russell’s; a couple Fox terriers and several Borders; a standard poodle or two; a Bloodhound, a great Dane; even a wirehaired pointing griffon, and lots more besides.  Given just how many there were I was initially astonished at how incredibly quiet it was, until it was pointed out to me that gun dogs are trained to be quiet! And there wasn't a fight to be seen, thankfully.  I manged to get to see a wee bit of the Agility trials in the main ring which was great, and as we were situated next to the Scurry we saw lots of retrieving going on (& some not retrieving but having fun anyway!)

We moved some of our stock out into the sunshine on Sunday in order to attract a few more visitors to the marquee.  Everyone was happy to wonder around just looking at things in the sunshine.  It was far too hot to be carrying handful of shopping bags.

I did do some lampshades and lanterns with the Game show especially in mind, the fishing ones were popular.  Huntin' Shootin' Fishin' lampshades

Being thoroughly spoiled, a bowl of crisps and a glass of ice cold sparkling water - not gin sadly! - whilst sitting in the evening sun.

Highland Homewares Catherine & I were staying with B’s cousins nearby which was lovely.  We were able to sit in the garden until 9:30pm without midge’s only going in when the last of the sun had left the garden.  There wasn’t anything else I felt I should be doing, no dialysis, no washing to process, or dog walking to do, or just feeling like I should be doing something other than sitting doing nothing!  It was simply perfect, a super weekend and even hough I was 'working' it felt like bit of a break.  

The drive back west to home on Sunday evening was beautiful, even after I realised I’d missed my turning and ended up going home via the very scenic route, which took an additional hour and a half!  Ugh! Towing a fully laden trailer meant I wasn’t going much above 40 miles an hour.  It was a looong drive, eventually arriving home at 20 to 1 I collapsed into bed!

Now it's back to work, some more sorting out of my cabin going on, concentrating on my sewing room this time as I’ve discovered that my lovely old school drawers were absolutely riddled with woodworm and needed to be thrown out.  Yet more organising, rearranging, and consolidating of stuff has been going on this week. 

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Coming up … there’s a make your own lampshade workshop this month on the 18th and 27th of July.  Due to demand I've been asked to do an extra SWI Fabric Collage weekend workshop one will be in September and another in October.  

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Then I’m out and about with lampshades again with the Homestyle Argyll girls locally this time as we are having a week-long pop up ‘Summer House’ shop in Bellanoch at Smithy House, a bit like the Christmas one, only in the summer and for a week.  That’s from Sunday 29th July to the 3rd of August.  I was delighted to have been invited to judge the Homecrafts section at the Mid Argyll Show this year, that’s on the 11th of August, then it will be Artmap Open Studios weekend before I know it.  It's all go and there seems no time to relax, so it's back on with the sorting then I can get on with the making of some new shades & lamps, and I must also remember to finish off writing my fourth sewing booklet which was promised sometime last year…!
More again soon
Kx

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