Demob Happy?

As the bitter-sweet reality of the final weekend approaches L-S Dave and I are both experiencing little tides of sadness. This will mark the end of our first open house and there's never another first is there? And we have become very attached to my troupe who have worked so hard to keep this wobbly enterprise going. It's hard to imagine them dismantling their pitches and trundling off (will Kenneth bring a pram, I wonder?). Heavenly, a generous soul, has offered to move in every weekend to help ease the transition.

Meanwhile my delightful crew - egged on by Voluptuous - is all for forming a small enterprise to keep the whole esprit de corps thing going. Effervescent, true to form, is especially keen - although her train of thought runs more towards creating a catering-cum-party-business (she knows this market the best). Hmm ... not sure what an accountant would make of it, although I suspect L-S Dave has his ideas.

So, to take my mind off things today I'm finishing off my Gordon Brown whoopee cushions (no I wasn't joking, this is a more enduring lunacy - although, as yet, I've not finished the artwork for the much anticipated Boris Johnson variation). 

Earlier in the week I set off, armed with vibrant silks, to BIP - an amazing establishment awash with creative and supportive types -  to be inducted into the art of textile printing by founder and screenprinting legend Jane Sampson. 

My 'fart trumpet' inserts (remote controlled whoopee cushions these, six different sounds and a range of 10 metres!) arrived yesterday and, having dug out my old sewing machine and accomplished the light engineering necessary to get it going, I completed two by evening. Tasteful - although I wouldn't advise standing too close to the silver one with a lit match.

Sewing and me are not natural bedfellows and I've noticed that L-S Dave takes flight when the machine comes out. Yet, on sight of the first sample, Heavenly and her family were much impressed and rather optimistic about sales potential. Perhaps it was carefree abandon that led Heavenly's husband to suggest that I farm out any repeat orders ... either that or I've found out where L-S Dave goes to unburden his soul.