Negative to Positive - can only be a good thing - right

Out of every negative there has to be a positive - right ! well this is one of those situations.

I know a lot of people are well aware of what has happened here in the UK and even over  in the US, and I hadn't commented about it on here, partially due to not wanting to add flames to the fire and partially because it knocked me and left me feeling gutted.

Basically, I and others had booked onto a Retreat and it has been cancelled and we lost all our money, that said there is a refund package set up that we will be getting our money back over a period of time - it will take 28 months for me to receive a full refund.  So you can image how I felt when receiving the email late one evening and having to go to bed with this on my mind.  The following days where awful, finding out how many people where effected! how much money was involved! how much others had lost! and generally feeling completely crap - I will not add having to tell my hubby about the lost - well he was mad ! to say the least.

I do try not to dwell on the past and what has happened and try and look forward, sometimes this is really hard, other times I'm like 'OK ! done with that - let's move on'.

So that was the negative …. now for the positive ...

Mrs Tracie Hudson stepped in and has done herself proud, I really don't know how she managed it … but a salvaged retreat has been set up … this had nothing to do with the one that was cancelled only that it is being held at the same place (due to the hotel being so understanding of the situation), with the same people attending … everything else is like its a brand new retreat.  It had to be a 'closed retreat' with only people who had lost out attending, and we had to pays small fee before it could go ahead.

From what I can gathered a few manufactures/companies have stepped in and found out about the cancellation and all the hard work that Tracie has done and given products, prizes etc - so very kind of them.

I am very grateful to Tracie for putting herself out and making this happen, for getting talented UK designers -  Jane Dean & Morag Cutts - two designers I love - to come and teach, for getting Jen Gallacher from the US to get back onboard and come over - my God - ain't crafters lovely - but I'm also grateful for the fellow retreaters who have rallied round and are keen to put this negative situation into a  positive one and move forward.

Looking forward to meeting up with some old friends and most definitely making some new ones.

Here's to a fantastic weekend of crafting and laughing.

Watch out for a couple of blog post when I return.

Thanks for stopping by ...