Some time ago I conceived a fairly vague plan to do “something special” on Easter Monday this year to mark the fact that Mabel’s Fancies first opened its virtual doors on Easter Monday 2011. Yes, that’s right, Mabel is celebrating what in her native land is called her first lustrum, a period of five years or a celebration held every five years.

But as most of you will know by now, there hasn’t been much posting – or stitching or designing – recently because of my mother’s illness, and my travelling to Holland a lot to be with her. She passed away just before the Easter weekend, and suddenly there were other things to arrange than lustrum celebrations.

Still, I didn’t want to let the occasion pass altogether without notice; not least because my mother was very proud of Mabel (she had the original Peacock Feathers hanging on her wall, and no visitor got away without having a good look at it – mothers, eh ?) The solution was to go by the date rather than the day: Easter Monday 2011 fell on 24th April, which means that Mabel’s first lustrum could be celebrated equally well on 24th April 2016.

So this Sunday I will raise a glass to Mabel Figworthy’s Fancies, and from Monday 25th to Saturday 30th April there will be a special 5th Birthday Offer on the website:

• buy a pair of embroidery scissors and choose a chart pack up to £3.49
• buy a pair of squissors and choose a chart pack up to £4.49
• or buy a pair of each and choose a chart pack up to £5.49 plus one up to £3.49

Here’s to another 5 years of designs and kits – Hardanger, Shisha, freestyle, even goldwork perhaps? Who knows!