Whoa. Where has the summer gone? Or rather, why didn't the summer turn up in the first place? That said, today and the previous five days have all been glorious. I expect that summer will now stretch right through September and it'll probably still be near 20 degrees come October.

I'm not really a fan of summer. OK, I like the golden evenings with long shadows and hazy clouds, and the fresh, crisp sunlight through the curtains first thing in the morning, but I'm not a hot weather person. August, even though it's my birthday month, has now come to mean loneliness coupled with a desperate desire to see the back of it. Lovely Jon has just returned form his third August in Edinburgh. I never went up there myself this year, so today was the first time in three weeks that I have seen him. Right now he's asleep. He didn't manage to make it to bed last night as he was frantically cleaning his Edinburgh flat on his lonesome, as all the other flatmates had already gone back home. I keep sneaking down there just to look at him, or to stroke his face, just to check that he is really is there.

This August hasn't been too bad, though, really. I've just spent the previous two weeks with my mum and sisters (one week of them here, the second with me there) and I had a great pirate-themed birthday and some fabby presents, including these excellent Converses:



(Now is the plural Converses? Or Converse, like "one sheep, lots of sheep"? I prefer Convi, meself.)

And some mega-inspiring craft books:



I have to say I'm feeling more positive right now than I have for a long time. It's amazing what a new hair-do and being able to fit into a pair of jeans in your regular size can do for you!



I also have a meeting tomorrow with a local publisher. I'm not getting myself het-up about it or over-excited. If no work comes of it, then that's OK, but I think it'll really help my confidence in my work just to have someone else look at it. I'm planning to send out a new promo card by the end of this month, too, and the prospect of creating something new is really exciting. Who knows, I may even get some of that bounce-out-of-bed-because-my-job-is-great enthusiasm back!

For me, September is New Year. I still like to work on an academic year basis. Right now it's that shiny shoes, new pencil case feeling of a new term that's getting me all powered up and ready to work. Let's go!

Any minute now my mother and sisters will be swooping down on me for the following week, so Lovely Jon and I have spent the last few weeks (and just me for the past two) getting the once vibrant-purple room ready. Here's what we've done:

I have amazed myself with my productivity today. Four windmills made and up here on etsy. I even persuaded my camera to take some decent pictures:

Round our way, the postman usually comes at 10am. I waited and waited and waited for him, but in the end I just had to get in the shower. Of course, the very moment I jumped out, the doorbell rang, so, swathed in my towel-turban and my - thankfully - all-encompassing bath sheet, I answered the door somewhat shyly to find the postman, not only with our post, but eight - EIGHT!- other packages for next door, too.

But embarrassment aside, he did bring me my new supplies, and a fab pressie from the lovely Cat:





And a batch of safety eyes I ordered also arrived today, so it's back on with the monsters.

Since last Sunday I have been by myself in the house as Lovely Jon has been working up at the Edinburgh Festival. It hasn't been too bad - not nearly as terrible as I thought it was going to be - but he came back yesterday to spend a couple of days with me before going back up to the grindstone. It's been lovely not actually doing any work at all for the past day or two. A bit weird, but lovely. I can't remember the last time LJ didn't make his excuses sometime during a "day off" to go and check his emails or answer the phone, so it's been really nice to have him all to myself. Speaking of which, must get in the squdge (cuddle) time while I can.....