I’ve booked a stall at the local christmas bazaar for the first time so I’ve been madly preparing. I helped at the bazaar the first Christmas I had on Paros but never had my own stall. Plus this is the first time I’ll be on Paros for Christmas in ages.

Since I got back from Athens I’ve spent all my time pretty much preparing for the market. Bazaar. Whatever.

Firstly, I had to bring all the craft stuff in from outside where I’d stashed it in plastic boxes for the summer, or up from the basement – moves necessitated by having to make space in my tiny home for another person to live (mom) for months.

Now mom is in Athens and happy to be back in her own home with her friends and neighbours around her, and I can convert my home back into a studio. Which I’ve done.

Well, to be more exact, I’ve mainly converted into a mess.

I brought so many boxes of paint, paper, fabric, glues, beads, wooden objects, stones collected from the beach, cardboard boxes and anything and everything you can think of out of storage and scattered them around every inch of floorspace that poor Vincent has to hop from one place to another. It’s an obstacle course in here.

Oh and since its been impossible dry clothes outside on the line (which collapsed last week) I’m also using my home as a chinese laundry.

Mind you, I did do a bit of organising and tidying as I went along, but mostly I just worked and added to the mess.

I brought an outdoor ikea shelving unit into the bedroom to hold supplies after spraying it pink just for fun. That is now holding a lot of paint tins I had outside for ages… well, the ones that hadn’t dried out already.

I used a few temu clear plastic bags to store my felt, wool and fabrics so I can see what’s in them and put them in the wardrobe which used to hold mom’s clothing. Mom’s clothing has gone into plastic boxes and to the container for safe keeping till she returns. Then I’ll do a swap. Again.

My life is about constantly moving things from here to there, back again, then a smidge to the left.

There’s still a ton to do, but until the bazaar is over my life exists in two stages: BB and AB. Before Bazaar and After Bazaar. Nothing will get done (other than bazaar related stuff) till AB.

Then I’ll tackle the house – Clean first: Sweep the floor of all the glitter and bits of fluff and paper. Mop spots of dropped glue or glued glitter off the floor. Put away materials, paints, glues and whatever into wherever their homes will be from now on once I figure that out. Take out the easel and canvases and start on some new paintings. Maybe make some more felted critters…

So much to do. Such a short lifetime.

And I’ll start on other home things… like removing the disgusting mouldy grout around the bathtub and replacing with new. Moving stuff from the basement (which smells of damp and mould) to the container to keep it safe(r). Plus countless other things I am too tired to remember right now.

And yes. I’m tired. Some nights I’ve been up working till 2 or 3am. Not on purpose. I just got into the zone and didn’t realise the time.

Anyway, later. I’ll be sharing stuff I’ve made for the bazaar and photos from the days/nights.

On a related note, I’m still going for a swim and aqua aerobics almost every day. The weather had been pretty amazing. Then, after weeks of glorious weather, we have rain on the horizon for the bazaar.

That will be fun.

z