Thursday 31 December 2009

☯ 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 ➳
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

Monday 28 December 2009

♫ 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!




Thursday 24 December 2009

∻ 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
^_^

Wednesday 23 December 2009

♲ 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

Monday 21 December 2009

⌔ 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?

Friday 18 December 2009

☃ 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 
^_^

Tuesday 15 December 2009

❄ 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!

Monday 14 December 2009

✖ 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





Saturday 12 December 2009

∏∐ 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

Friday 11 December 2009

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

Tuesday 8 December 2009

✬ 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

Monday 7 December 2009

⧺ 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*

Saturday 5 December 2009

⎈⌇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