Upbeat .. Onwards and Upwards !

Hi everyone .
I am going to try to be upbeat tonight as it has been a good day today for Robert .As i previously mentioned , he has a rare form of lung cancer which unfortunately has also spread to a lymph node . This is not good news as im sure many of you will be aware . You can imagine how we both felt when this was diagnosed after all we have been through in recent months with test after test as they tried to work out what was going on with Robert .
He has now been in hospital for five weeks today and he is likely to be in some some time to come .
Robert is entirely upbeat and in a very positive frame of mind and everyone at the hospital from the nursing staff to his consultant are quite amazed at his positive attitude and his fighting spirit .
If there is a way to defeat this you can be sure we will try.
Next week Robert is about to begin an intense 11 days of Radiotherapy three times a day . This course of action has been decided upon due to the attitude Robert has shown to his condition and his inner strength and his consultant has decided therefore to do all she can to help Robert .
No one knows how his body will react to all of the this , but they are very upbeat in the hospital for a more positive outcome given Roberts fighting spirit.
After this 11  days of treatment he is then being moved to a specialist unit with his own room and a team of physiotherapists dedicated to help him get some of his mobility back and especially the use of his legs again.
Today Robert managed to stand up for the first time in five weeks with the help of these wonderful physios and they are very sure they can be of help to him , so Robert is in great spirits today as am i .
He is in wonderful hands and he is still crafting from his bed with his journal and Zentangling which he loves to do.
Things are progressing with cancer treatments all the time and who knows what may come along .If anyone can defeat this horrible desease Robert can and we are both sure of this despite the fact we know the odds are against us .
Robert is delighted to have received many cards from you all as well as your kind thoughts and wellwishes , we both thank you for this.
Seeing what goes on in the hospital has also made me think of things such as wheelchair access to premises and to this end i have now invested in a ramp for the shop to make access easy for anyone coming along in a wheelchair , i now know more about the difficulties involved .
It has been a good day today for Robert and a very positive one for both of us .
Life goes on , onwards and upwards .
Unfortunately , I have to end on a sad note , by sending my very best wishes to our lovely friend Sandra . If any of you attend the Stevenage show you will know Sandra as she looks after me at the show and manages both me and  the stand .  Sandras wonderful husband , Tony , sadly passed away yesterday after a long fight with his illness . He was a lovely gentle man and we will not forget him . Sandra you are very much in our thoughts and we are proud to have you as a good friend.
Lets keep smiling everyone !
Gordon

FURTHER ALTERATION TO SHOP HOURS

Due to the ongoing seriousness of Roberts health we have decided to alter the shop opening hours as follows :

MONDAY - FRIDAY : 10.30AM-12.30AM
( CLOSED TUESDAY )

SATURDAY : 10.30AM- 2.30 PM.
( CLOSED SUNDAY )

Web orders will continue to be processed on a  daily basis .

We apologise for any inconvenience , but we appreciate your understanding of the situation.

Thank you.
Gordon

NEW SUMMMER OFFERS

I have been asked to clarify our latest offers :

SPELLBINDERS :
ANY 2 DIES ( UP TO £16.99 ) : £30
ANY 2 DIES ( £18.50-£19.99 ) : £35
ANY 7 DIES ( UP TO £19.99 ) : £100 : THIS IS OUR SUMMER MEGA DEAL !

GRAND AND A4 DIES : ANY TWO SETS : £55

A4 MAGNETIC MATS : 4 FOR £8

A4 CLEAR PLATES FOR THE GRAND CALIBUR & TROUVAILE :
BUY BOTH PLATES FOR ONLY £20

CRAFTERS WORKSHOP 6 X 6 TEMPLATES : ANY 4 FOR £10

AS ALWAYS DISCOUNTS WILL BE APPLIED AFTER YOU PLACE YOUR ORDER
AND WILL BE SHOWN ON YOUR RECEIPT WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR GOODS.

FREE POSTAGE FOR ALL SALES OVER £10 WITHIN THE UK .

AS ALWAYS WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR CUSTOM !
THANK YOU.

COMING SHORTLY TO OUR WAREHOUSE SHOP : THE GREAT SUMMER SALE WEEKEND , WATCH FOR DETAILS.

cards for robert

Hi everyone
I have had lots of people asking where they can send a card for Robert . Could i ask that they be sent in to the shop adress which is on the web site . Mark them for Robert and I will make sure they all reach Robert in hospital. They mean a great deal to him to see all of your wonderful efforts on his behalf , this really does help a great deal . He is in great spirits despite his severe illness , but that is all i want to say until he feels able to tell you in his own words about his ongoing problems . Robert has a way of puting things that dont come easy to me.
Gordon

robert

Hi all
Just to let you know that Robert will be posting a little message to you all later today to update you on his condition. Robert has asked to do this , so i am taking his laptop to hospital to let him write it himself.
Once again thank you to you all for your messages of support and kind thoughts at this time.
Gordon

Robert

I will have an update on Roberts condition for you all later this week when we will have more information on the next step. Robert is out of pain which is the most important thing for the moment and he is maintaining his journal from his hospital bed and i will have pics of this for you all to see shortly. Gordon

NEW SUMMER OFFERS

Thank you to everyone who took advantage of our very special JUBILEE DEALS.
We now introduce our new SUMMER DEALS throughout the website , be sure to look out for these and we have taken the decision to maintain FREE POSTAGE to anywhere in the UK and NORTHERN IRELAND. If you order from anywhere outside of the above , postage is now charged at cost price on all items.We regret we can no longer offer free postage outside of the UK. Thank you everyone . Gordon

THE GREAT DIAMOND JUBILEE DIE OFFER

To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of her majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd , here are our great Jubilee event offers :

FROM : Midnight tonight ( FRIDAY ) UNTIL : Midnight Tuesday 5th June

OFFER 1 :
ANY 8 SPELLBINDERS  DIES ( UP TO MAX PRICE £16.99 )
YOUR PRICE : £100 !
OFFER 2 :
ANY 4 SPELLBINDERS DIES ( FROM £17.50 UP TO £19.99 )
YOUR PRICE : £60 !
OFFER 3 :
GRAND AND GO KREATE A4 SIZE DIES ( FULL SETS ONLY )
ANY 4 SETS ( FROM £29.99 UP TO £33.99 )
YOUR PRICE : £100 !
OFFER 4 :
MARIANNE DIES ( SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY )
BUY ANY 4 AND WE WILL ONLY CHARGE YOU FOR THREE
( CHEAPEST DIE WILL BE GIVEN FREE AND REMEMBER THESE DIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED )
OFFER 5 :
A4 MAGNETIC MATS :
FIVE FOR ONLY £10 !
OFFER 6 :
15% DISCOUNT OFF ALL OTHER NON DIE CUTTING PRODUCTS FROM OUR WEB SITE

IN THE COMMENTS BOX WHEN YOU ARE PLACING YOUR ORDER YOU MUST STATE :
BLOG OFFER
PLEASE NOTE : ALL DISCOUNTS WILL BE APPLIED AT THIS END WHEN YOUR ORDER HAS COME THROUGH TO US , THIS WILL NOT SHOW UP AT CHECKOUT . YOU WILL RECEIVE A RECEIPT SHOWING THE DISCOUNTED PRICE WITH YOUR CRAFT ITEMS.PLEASE DO NOT PANIC WHEN YOU DO NOT SEE THE DISCOUNTS AT THE CHECKOUT , THEY WILL BE APPLIED BEFORE  WE TAKE YOUR PAYMENT.

Have fun , we hope you like our offers and make the most of them. Be sure to tell your friends about these great offers .

Over the bank holiday , our warehouse shop is open on Saturday only between 10.30 and 2.30 pm .

Have a lovely Jubilee bank holiday !

Gordon and Robert

Thank You.

Just a very big thank you to all of you who have expressed your kind thoughts and good wishes for Roberts recovery .
We both appreciate all of your kind comments and Robert takes great comfort from everything you say.
I will keep you informed of any developements .
A great big thank you from both of us !
Have a great DIAMOND JUBILEE bank holiday .
Gordon and Robert x

ONCE UPON A STAMP DIAMOND JUBILEE EVENT

Hi everyone.
In celebration of the Queens Diamond Jubilee we are pleased to announce we will be holding a very special offer event on SPELLBINDERS DIES beginning midnight tonight ( friday ) running through until midnight ( tuesday ).
Watch the blog and the web site for details later tonight .
You will not be disappointed !
This is mainly a web event as the shop will be closed from Saturday until Wednesday . We are open for anyone wishing to come along this Saturday from 10.30 am until 2pm.
Gordon

Birds and wildlife of our new garden

baby starlings

Harrys friend ( not ! )

goldfinch

adult male pheasant

woodpecker

guess who ?

moorhen on bird table..would you believe it !

willow warbler

britains smallest bird : the tiny goldcrest

Hi everyone .
Today on a lighter note i have decided to let you see some of the wonderful wildlife in our new garden , one of the reasons why we love our new house ...we certainly did escape to the country. Being in the countryside with a river at the bottom of the garden certainly attracts the wildlife and i have been trying to take some pics for you to see . Last night we had rabbits on the driveway , an owl at the bottom of the garden and best of all we have a Cookoo who regularly visits the trees in the garden. Robert is also able to look at the blog on his iphone , so this too will cheer him up a little. You will notice an very unusual black creature with his Iggle Piggle toy , well this is of course our lovely little Harry gaurding his toys from those pesky birdies.Harry,s favourite tv show is called " In the night garden " He loves his new garden and is amazed at all the sights and sounds around him. I will try to keep up with the blog and i will let you all have another update on Robert shortly.
Gordon

Hi everyone.
I took these pics last night in hospital to show everyone that Robert is in high spirits . He is doing a daily journal in his own way about what is hapenning and how he feels each day . He is holding the first page he did and the other pic was to reflect and explain to the doctors the problems he is having with his feet and legs , they found this incredibly helpful and commented that wouldnt it be great if all patients could explain themselves in this way .
Robert had more news yesterday following his body scan for cancer . First all of all nothing else in the way of cancer has been found in his body , but they have detected something in his other lung which has them puzzled as they dont think it is cancer . They are operating on robert next week to take a sample of this mysterious thing they have found and then they will take things from there . Roberts doctors are very confident they can do a lot for Robert so things are looking much brighter today . Robert wanted me to show you he is doing ok and once again he sends his thanks to you all for your good wishes. Regards the business , we are now pressing ahead with our next venture on create and craft and i will have more details of this very soon . Regards to you all..Gordon

shop hours

Please note that the shop hours are currently operating as follows :

10.30 am - 2pm

During this time our great team of girls are available to help you with placing orders and answering any questions you may have . Why not call in to see them and have a chat and a cuppa , they will make you feel most welcome.

Thank you.

Gordon

Update on Robert

Hi everyone.

First of all a great big thank you to everyone who has expressed there good wishes to us at this awkward time . Robert has asked me to post a quick update on his situation. He is currently back in hospital in a specialist cancer ward awaiting some test results after a whole body scan to see if there any further signs of cancer hiding anywhere .
He has virtually lost the use of his legs due to the problems with his spine which we are told is a very rare and puzzling condition which is not helping.
If the test results are as we hope for ( if nothing else is found ), they will soon operate on Robert to remove the lung cancer and see how this afects his spine and the other things going on , with luck things may slowly begin to return to normal . This is a best case scenario which we are hopeful of .
Robert is out of pain and in excellent hands with a great team looking after him in the hospital.
We are both in a very positive frame of mind today .
You know i also have to mention the community nurses in our area where we live , they are a wonderful bunch of caring people and we owe them a lot of gratitude , they are simply wonderful in the help they have provided to Robert at home.
A great big thank you also to our wonderful team of girls who are looking after the business for us , what would we do without them i simply dont know , thank you !
Thats now for now , just to keep you all informed . As i say today we are very positive and in good spirits .
One last thing , our thoughts and best wishes go out to our friend Sandra whos lovely husband Tony is in a critical condition , Sandra all of our thoughts and love are with you at this time.

Gordon x