So, after baffling myself with my beadwork the other day I once again settled down to bead a new version and this time it was obvious from the start how to do it.

Except although I think I got the technique right, my bead count was way off. I forgot it was a 6-petalled flower I was meant to be making and only picked up enough beads to make 5. Fortunately it was only a couple of hours in that I noticed the error, and not as I attempted to sew up the whole thing.

I guess the peyote variation took 7-8 years so this one might be a while too...

Still this variation does seem to be resisting being made. In addition to getting it wrong 2 full times, I keep making small errors and my thread is fraying and fluffing up like mad. But a bit more perseverance and patience and I might get there.

I've had a busy couple of days with two roller derby bouts yesterday (I was on the losing team both times- I seem to be a bit jinxed these last few days) and today frantically writing and editing instructions, taking step-by-step photos, beading samples and drawing diagrams.

Still I am feeling super efficient as I have managed to deal with 136 emails today and got most of what I had planned for the day done. A bit more beading, writing and diagramming and I may even be ahead of myself. I hope so as I suspect I have once again hugely under-estimated the time it will take me to get all I need to get done this week, so getting ahead of myself today would be great.

Thanks to those who contacted me here and on my Facebook page about my mysterious plants. It seems the first one may be a fig palm and the second is in the Euphorbia family. I'm hoping I can fit in a bit of googling and pin down just what there are some time this week too- any excuse to look at colourful plants photos and procrastinate about work!