Wow, a few weeks and no update. Something big must have happened....afraid not but I did go away for a week’s holiday and the pain of getting back in to the swing of things again is real. But I'm back.
Whilst away I took part in Sweden's (and apparently the worlds however there is a longer one in Canada when I Google search but then again it also says the one I did was the longest - anyway I transgress) longest cross country ski race up in Dalarna, north Sweden. Its 90km's long and we had the best conditions they have had in 20 odd years. It was an utterly fantastic experience to be there with thousands of people all moving along like a pack and fighting the pain till the end. The last section was just magical, the light of the day was fading, the last stop (with 9km left to go) was lit up with soft street lighting and candles and they fed you up with warm sugary coffee and buns before you set off for the last time toward to the finish. As I set off the path was lit with candles for about 1km, it was twilight and I felt this overwhelming sense of satisfaction and pride that I was actually going to finish this course (before they close it off as they have cut-off times). It made the pain disappear for a few minutes and I just thought of getting to the finish line to see my husband and know he would look after me from there on. 12 and half hours after I started that morning in minus 15 degrees, I finished. It was minus 8 again!!
And the rest as they say is history! We then spend the next few days in a spa hotel which totally put me back together again (can't tell you how much a sauna does for you after being cold for soooo long)and then we got on a plain to Riga in Latvia for the hubby's birthday surprise. I think the surprise was that it was sooooo cold!!!
So back to jewellery....after all this is a jewellery blog. In actual fact the week before we went on holiday I was in London (quietly so apologies to all friends if you read this but it was not a social visit - it was a job hunting one) and whilst there I took advantage of delivering an order. Here are some pictures of that one:
Pear shaped name pendant
Free form moonstone and blue tourmaline pendant
Natural Turqouise set (window set dome pendant with dome stud earrings)
This week I am working on order for 2 rings. One of which I will be setting, a navette shaped Tanzanite stone that is stunning, as a family heirloom. Pictures to come.
So personal tax time is just around the corner but for companies here in Sweden we had that done and dusted in February. It is very hard to tell how well you are or are not doing when you don't have a full year of operation to reflect upon however with a little help from the accountant we could see that I made up a little of the debt the company used to start up which is a great sign. It is not a profit and that may not happen for a number of years but the figures are going the right way already and that is a great sign especially given that silver prices are going up. With that in mind I realize that my charity donations may be very long in the coming so instead I have decided to give a donation from the company every year anyway and not wait for the profit to come (that was rather too hopeful of me to think I would achieve profit within 6 months!!). So donate I will do. Having said that I have briefly researched this and found this article..
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703787304575075400171203026.html
..I will do a little more hunting around however I feel the donation may not be tax free. Well, it's not for my benefit but this is an interesting subject that I didn't realize about Sweden.....and if I am honest, it's not a deal breaker for me donating. One way or another if they get some cash and can do well with it then that is my goal. If in the process I get a tax break that is a bonus, if not...c'est la vie.
Until next time - when I hope to let you know about my experiences with some new Argentium silver and rubber polishing heads I have ordered. Just gadgets or are they time saving devices?
Don't forget to click on the title of this page to see my web shop ;o)
