Sandy toes & Sea-Salty hair

Well hey hi hello there, how are you doing this evening? As you’re reading this, I’m (for once in my life) out and about being the social butterfly we all know is hidden (deep deep deep) deep down inside me! I’m (hopefully) currently all dressed up (maybe even wearing heels?!!) sat in Manchester having drinkies with my gal pals (or sat stuck in traffic on the M56, trying to get to where I’m going, which is probably the more likely case, let’s be honest!). I hope you’ve all had a fab week enjoying the lovely weather we’ve been having, and I hope that none of you have been suffering from the hayfever-y hell that I have. Although, the best news I’ve heard all week, and this is a top-actually-scientifically-backed-fact for all my fellow sufferers out there - drinking gin helps combat hayfever! I haven’t actually tried this yet, but I read about it on an article, so google it or better yet, have a big ol’ gin and tonic and please let me know the results! (Maybe I'm even sipping gin as you read this...I certainly hope so)

This week marked my first swim in the sea of the year, and it was jellyfish-tastic and pretty damn cold. Not to complain, though, it was actually really nice and refreshing and a lovely cool down after spending the evening at the beach with one of my best pals. Yet another Anglesey perk that I’ve missed! It’s that time of year when all my clever-clogs friends who are still studying at different universities across the country finish up for Summer and come back home to Anglesey. We like to spend our evenings at various pretty beaches on the island chatting and watching the sun go down, and if we’re feeling brave and it isn’t cold or raining, sometimes even venture into the sea for a swim!

Aside from frolicking on the beach, this week has been a very busy one with commissions and secret projects, neither of which I can write about here just yet! I’ll be writing about a few commission processes soon though, so look forward to those in the upcoming weeks! Alongside all these things, in the (few) spare minutes that I’ve had (that weren’t spent with sandy toes and sea-salty hair) I’ve been working on my website! You regular readers may (or may not) have noticed an extra tab on my options menu, which is a page for stockists! It’s a little page I’ve added so you can find out some of the places you can buy Puffin Prints products and also a little bit of info for those looking to stock our puffin pals. If you do think there’s anywhere our pals should be nesting, please let us know! They’re terribly curious, our puffins, and they like to find new places to roost whenever they can...

I’m also testing my limited programming skills on my website this week and trying to install new payment methods as well. I’m always striving for improvement on my website, I really am my own worst enemy because I’m never satisfied with my own work, I always have to be working to make it better, be that art, myself in general or even my website! So watch this space, hopefully by next week I’ll have sorted it out, if my skills are up to snuff. If not, know that I will be very cross with myself indeed. If there’s something you think my website is missing, please let me know! Now, I’m afraid I should be packing ready for my mini-trip away this weekend and so I think I’ll have to cut this blog post a little short, but I promise next week’s post will be longer! At least this one should hopefully go up on time - I meant to tell you about last week’s posting nightmare! A fortnight ago, the post unfortunately went up late, and so last week I was determined to make sure it went up at 7pm on the dot. So, I had the post all written and formatted and ready to go, all I had to do was hit post. I got home from work a little after 6pm, so there was just enough time for a cuppa before I had to post it. I got in the door, put the kettle on and went to set everything up when I logged onto my laptop and realised there was no internet connection! I spoke to Mum who said that the wi-fi had been off all day and that it was a fault in the line affecting the entire North Wales and Cheshire area (for those on the same internet providers as we were), and that there was no news on when it would be fixed!!! By this time it was half past six and I was in a tizz - it sounds ridiculous, I know, but like I said, I’m my own worst nightmare, so I made Mum get in my car, and we both drove down the road to a lay-by next to some recycling bins where I posted the blog from my mobile in my car using my 3G connection. That is true dedication folks, and I bet no-one even realized it was online a few minutes early!

Thanks for reading everyone, and I’ll catch you next week, Rachel x