In which all is not quite lost ...

I thought my lifeline had been cut yesterday after another horrid day of computer frustration. I feel so cut off from the world at large when my internet connection bombs out on me, leaving me at a loss as to how to reinstate it. It is definitely the bain of my self-employed life when things go wrong. I bumbled my way through setting after setting and after a long, painfully squinty-eyed, shoulder aching day, an expensive and annoying call to AOL's technical support line (whose staff, based overseas, are so very difficult to understand over the telephone) I finally switched everything off at bedtime last night, in a sulk guaranteed to repel all anxiously hopeful smiles from my poor family. I know, shame on me.

'Rodney'

This morning I woke with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach at the thought of another wasted day fiddling with rotten router settings. I trudged dejectedly to my swivel chair, plonked myself down, sighed heavily, booted up, re-set the miserable thing yet again and .... bingo! Here I am, none the wiser, but here anyway! Hallelujah!

20" Rodney, a centre-seam 'Timeless Ted', pictured on my new wicker chair ... I wouldn't mind a little chillout time in this chair myself right now!

So, after eagerly catching up with my email and forums this morning, I spent the rest of the morning finishing 'Rodney' for the show at Stratford. I now have three 20" bears completed, two more smaller bears in progress and three and a bit weeks to finish the rest. After my disasterous day yesterday, all is not quite lost. Phew!