Good people can win!

Today was the day the scammer was due to call on my Mum.  Yesterday  there was a knock on the door and it was our local police checking that I was OK with the whole thing, making sure I had the numbers for Trading Standards and to offer me advice on Mum staying safe.  No sooner had he left than the phone rang and it was the police woman who covers Mum’s area again offering help and reassurance.  This morning came and I got over to Mum’s for 9.00 a.m., ready to send the chap on his way when he arrived between 10.00 a.m.  and 11.00 a.m.   Time passed and several cups of tea later the engineer still hadn’t arrived.  I decided he wasn’t coming and I would go home.  Before I did I explained to Mum’s neighbour what was going on.   She was horrified and said they would keep a look out.  I said I had hoped to find out which company he worked for and the police had asked for the vehicle licence number if I could get it.  Off I went and, as I arrived back home and was walking through the door the phone was ringing; it was the next door neighbour.  The man had arrived about 15 minutes after I had gone – about an hour late for the appointment – and she had dashed out.  She got his name and the company details and said we were very concerned about the appointment.  He said he knew nothing about this and only went where he was told to go.  The lovely neighbour then followed him down to his van and took the number.  She was very kind – Mum didn’t even have to come to the door – and very brave.

I rang the police to update them and then the Trading Standards people.  I couldn’t talk to the person “dealing” with this as he was tied up but I noticed how excited the two people I did talk to sounded.  Within five minutes the right chap called back.  I started to give him the information and could hear his excitement too.  He thanked me and said they had been having complaints about these people for some time but because of the type of people they scammed and the way they did it they had no details of the company.  They would now be contacting them to deal with it and, if they didn’t stop, they would be prosecuted.   

So hopefully, thanks to the help of a lovely neighbour, we may have achieved something good today!

If you go down to the woods today …

I have made my first teddy bear and I have a feeling it could be addictive.  Here he is:

As he is pink and flowery I am not sure why I think he is a “he” but it feels as if he is.  He is just a prototype so I could learn about making him.  He isn’t a jointed bear but is joined through the arms and legs by linen thread which goes through the buttons.  I have learned so much making him.  Firstly, I now covet a rather lovely carved stuffing stick.  However, at the moment, the blunt end of a pencil will do!  I also learned about massaging the stuffing once I had filled the bear – particularly the head.  I used this on a heart I have been making and it really improved the finished look.   I also watched a really useful YouTube video about stuffing into points and small spaces; it was very useful and there are loads of tutorials out there.  I did think it seemed a bit spooky putting “how to sew a bear’s head to its body” into Google and this is when all the information about making jointed bears came up.  I think I may have to try it ... 

Can I, while I am chatting, draw your attention to Joanna Sheen’s blog “County Days”   It’s not about her sales side of things but more the diary of a country crafter.  It has made me think about telling you more about lovely North Yorkshire so you may find odd things coming up in my blogs.

Joanna loves gardening while I, it must be said, love gardens.  I decided to get out on Sunday and make a move towards the new design I have planned for my garden.  The garden at Granny Crafting Cottage is very small but can take quite a bit of work or it becomes overgrown.   I am going to make it as low maintenance as possible to allow for future inability to do as much.  Did I say future inability?  Gardening seemed a long way away by the time I had finished as I was cleaning the drive.  Unfortunately it was long overdue and very mossy so I ended the day with no wafting scent of roses or extra baskets and pots of flowers but very, very stiff joints and a lingering smell of Jeyes fluid!

Have a happy crafting week (or gardening or even drive cleaning)

Can I just add a PS to this weeks blog.  Yesterday my mother was called by "Dyson" to arrange a service for her cleaner.  She thought it odd because it is only a couple of months old but they insisted in making an appointment so she put them off until next week.  Well done Mum!  They said it would cost £15 which seemed very odd indeed.  I rang Dyson and they said they had been on Watch Dog on TV and advertised in the papers but these people were still able to approach vunerable Dyson owners and, saying they were from Dyson and capitalise on the name.  She said they would charge the £15 but often they would put other parts on the cleaner, saying it needed them and charge anything up to £90 and also negate the Dyson warrenty.  They have also, recently, been signing people up to a monthly payment scheme to cover the cleaner.  The lady I spoke to - who was extremely helpful - said Dyson would never cold call.  They have a free phone number and a very good warrenty so you ring them is there is a problem.  I just thought you might want to warn anyone you know who is vurerable to this sort of thing.

Difficulty with Blog Spot

Hi all, I am really sorry I haven't blogged for such a long time but I have had difficulty getting onto the site since I changed the look!  I have now changed it again and I have the driver's buttons back that I need to update things ... is it technology or is it me ... answers on a postcard please, etc.

I have got some new crafted goodies to show you but at the moment my main theme is de-cluttering.  I have had a clearout and this

was the result!  Currently an auction on Ebay.  I am sad to part with many of the stamps but you will see how many say new and unused (tut tut) and I really don't have the time now I am doing more sewing (and knitting, etc., etc.,)

I will be back soon with Katie Chucklemouse items to show you.

Happy Crafting