We now live and work in a small hamlet in France, unfortunately we still have to earn a living, and we do this by selling our beads, beadwork and kits at Artisan fayres.
Our children have all grown up and 'flown the nest', so we are able to indulge our hobbies more than most folks.
Jean: My interests are primarily art and craft orientated, and cover a wide range of media, including beadwork, polymer clay, glass an ceramic painting, silk and fabric painting to name a few. As an HIA CPD (Certified Professional Demonstrator), I used to demonstrate a wide range of products in retail outlets, and at trade shows, both in the UK and internationally. I used to work full time as a civil servant in central government service, necessitating between 4 and 5 hours commuting, per working day. So, when the chance of early retirement came up I said 'YES PLEASE' when can I leave. It still took a couple of months.
Clive: I'm a musician, playing all styles of music, but have a preference to play country music. A keen chef, specialising in exotic oriental, Indian and Mexican cuisine, but also good traditional English fare. I also inevitably get caught up in the art and craft activities, as they pervade every available space in the house, and outside workshop. Also an HIA CPD, I've demonstrated paper-making, encaustic wax art, faux finishes, metallic waxes, mould-making and plaster and resin casting techniques. I've also dabbled a little with glass painting, but it's not my forte. In England I used to work full-time in a distribution warehouse, here, I usually work more hours but it's a lot less stressful. So what with household chores, car maintenance, gardening and a list of outstanding jobs as long as your arm (and then some), I don't have a lot of spare time either.
Needless to say neither of us suffer much from boredom.
Why Eagle Spirit?
Jean: My western astrological star sign is Scorpio, whose 'higher self' is represented by the Eagle. The scorpion lives mostly in inhospitable climates, and when cornered is reknowned for it's self defence mechanism. In past years, I have also lived in 'inhospitable' relationships and environments and self-defence and survival became a daily routine. Clive's had a lot of negative experiences in life as well - so when we got together, we needed a 'totem' to represent our new life and aspirations together. So what better than the Eagle? This majestic bird is revered by the Native Americans as the embodiment of sprituality, and is capable of soaring way above the mundane and less pleasant aspects of life. So we both identify with the 'Eagle Spirit', in our lives, our beliefs and our ambitions.
We both enjoy going to New Age camps. For our entrance fee we run workshops of Beading, and either Glass Painting or Plaster Casting.
We have included a link to our photo site (via Galleries page) to let you see what we get up to. Great fun!
