☯ not drowning but waving

as the decade closes it's time to appease the demons 

and think of resolutions for the coming year :

twice this week, those little signposts pointed me here ➳

onelittleword

my word for 2010 is 

and for me to look there ~ I have written this ➳

*the title is a play on one of my favourite poems by Stevie Smith

not waving but drowning

♫ you make my heart sing

there's been lots of this ....

oh I have been spoilt!

I adore my greeny boots from Libbie❤

and chocs + treats for every eventuality

*thanks Ab, Cheryll, Rossella & Sue*

and the beautiful Conchita hanging in the hall

*thank you to the Browns*

and gifts with me in mind

*thanks Hayley and Alex the fine stitcher*

and books books delicious books

*thanks Libbie❤ & Samantha+Jack*

divine foldy paper goodness

*thanks Zoe & Andy*

and bling createD especially for me

*thanks Sue*

and practicality in mind

*thanks Mummy*

so I'm wearing my disco socks

*thanks Stanley & Edward*

and settling down by the fire ....

to make a new cover for my sewing machine

happy holidays!

∻ happy holidays

thank you for all your kind thoughts and wishes :

for dropping by and taking time :

wishing you all a magical new year :

see you there

^_^

❤

♲ it won't stop me from recycling

it's easy to feel that whatever you do ~ it won't be enough :

the results of the Copenhagen climate summit this month have been given negative press from all sides :

Greenpeace, as ever, rallying up and pushing for more :

* big support from here *

*picture from greenpeace

 it's easy to think that sorting your paper, glass and tin is but a microbe in the ocean 

when some newly industrialised countries ~ like Malaysia and South Korea, now have emissions higher than many European countries :

Malaysia's emissions are four times what they were in 1990 ~ per head of population, that's equal to the UK's:

Saudi Arabia's emissions have doubled ~ per head now beats all European countries except Luxembourg:

Qatar's per-capita emissions are four times those of the US:

it's easy to get gloomy over such statistics :

what we need is some balance :

the richer countries helping the poorer ones with all aspects of their environment :

stepping up to the plate and admitting they need change too :

*photo thanks to artofthestate

⌔ rip it up and start again

as you know ~ we've had some snow :

just look at my washing line 

hanging like a long snow sausage!

far too icy and dangerous to drive anywhere :

so we have stayed at home for the last four days :

it's been just the thing after the pre-festive madness :

time for us :

I finished Gracie's pinkyblinky :

made an amigurumi creature >

her name is flo and she fell from a fluffy snowcloud :

we had to eat cake for breakfast as we ran out of bread :

an adapted recipe perfect for it's old fashioned

frugality and store cupboard ingredients >

220g plain flour

1+half tsp baking powder

175g dried fruits *we used sour cherries, mulberries & raisins*

90g nuts *we used pecans*

125g butter

170g caster sugar

60ml milk

2 eggs

demerara for sprinkling

set oven to 160c/gas 4

line a loaf tin with greaseproof

sift flour + baking powder into a bowl

stir in fruits, nuts and sugar

melt the butter + pour in the milk

mix gently into dry ingredients

adding the slightly whisked eggs

*don't over mix here*

pour into your tin, adorn with demerara and bake for 1+quarter hours

*test for doneness after an hour*

I've been sticking and glueing and tearing up some

wallpaper that I bought in a sale that didn't quite

work on application to the wall *it bubbled terribly*

it's the palest of blue *not that you'd tell from my photo taken 

on this overcast day*  

with threads running through it like silk :

I've been sticking it to an old shelving unit that I rescued 

from our shed : 

a relic from the previous owners :

Libbie looked at me in disbelief as I hauled it out 

looking all pleased with myself :

dusting away old spiders webs and carcasses

I could see it's potential :

after screwing on some found castors and covering it in paper

it has a new lease of life :

but I can't think what to do on the new hardboard slidey front :

something to take it from drab to fab :

paper it the same as the rest?

apply an adage or saying in amazing font?

but what?

a photo?

a retro paper?

ideas anyone?

☃ we ❤ snow

this morning we woke to a blanket of snow

silence and white

the familiar transformed

everything smothered in soft puffy clumps 

the world forced to s~l~o~w

and the sound of darlene love singing

'walking in a winter wonderland' in my head

a resounding thumbs up 

^_^

❄ zero degrees

there's nothing quite like a crisp December morning

scraping ice from the windscreen of your car

when the light is golden

and my neighbours roof has icy mossy mounds

it may well be 80 degrees in Florida, Auntie Christine ....

but for me, December has to be cold!

✖ don't look back

it's nearly the end of a decade  

already people are starting to compile lists

magazines will be full of best music/event/photo/film

____ insert missing thing here

ten years ago I was a married Mama to two girls living in a big house

studying at college as a mature student

juggling life 

now I'm a single Mama to one growing teenager

living in our little haven

working three jobs ~ being creative

juggling life

there are parts I miss and those I don't one iota

instead of looking back

I shall be facing forward

∏∐ conquerers

today we took our cameras to the country park

chasing the looming clouds and holding onto the

last rays of saturday sunshine

we tried to moo like cows

but they did it better

 the clouds rolled in behind us 

the castle glowed ancient and proud

we gazed out to the river

the last piece of blue sky

 gave us the longest shadows

ↂ exposed

yesterday was a cleansing day 

getting rid of rubbish

doing all those niggly little jobs and errands

then coming back to earth as I set my eyes on a beautiful little baby girl only 2 days old

so fresh that I dare not lift her

then evening comes

and a private view of exposure

 a brilliantly curated show of photography and video

well done michaela!

the best one *for me* is the last image below ☟

love love love it

     

 victoria j dean

            emma emmerton                            

         

ruth naylor

 

 lucia pizzani             

        

millie burton 

        

ruby wallis              

kate peters

✬ accumulate

there's a rule I have, for newly acquired or bought clothes

if something goes into the wardrobe,

then something has to come out

there is good reason ....

my poor heaving rail could take no more yesterday

when I dutifully put away the ironing

the rail has always been slightly too short for the fixing

so when it was full to capacity *and weight*

it flexed and ≪crash!≫

*well actually it was a sort of 'phlumph'*

dresses and trousers in a heap

setting to pull them all out and re-hang those that had come adrift 

I noticed a pair of old wooden hangers

they were left in a cupboard, in a house I lived in as a little girl

since then they've travelled with me from wardrobe to wardrobe

I've always kept them, not for sentimental reasons

but because they are so damned durable!

one of them has a name on it

she must have lived in that house too

thank you elsie james

⧺ coExistmas

on sunday we went to a fair at our favourite local gallery

it was full of beautiful things 

like this

and these

but I forgot to remember the name of the artist

then I had to dash home to feed my chicklet

* I have since discovered her name is Lydia Hardwick*

⎈⌇gathering shells and thoughts

today I set off to the beach

I can walk to the river from my house

but I wanted to visit my favourite place 

which is a little drive away

walking along the row of huts I collected shells 

cockles and mussels 

stones with holes through, 

pieces of sea glass ~ green and frosted white

the tide lapping at my feet as I grabbed small pieces 

of smooth driftwood

I love to come here at this time of year

it's a place to think and daydream

breath in the salty air

and listen to the 'clink clink' of ropes on masts

while the seagulls cry