☼ how's your summer?

daydream under a tree:

coriander flowers will turn to seed:

purple buds ready to burst:

while bees buzz and busy and fly:

❣ sew so

found these beautiful old wooden reels

in a charity shop:

I wonder what the large ones were for?

and a tin of 'buttons white':

at home, I made a roll for my silks:

 freeform embroidery is on my mind:

stitching without bitching:

⸖ taking part

our town has been a buzz of art by the sea:

artside gave us collaborations and

installations: 

performance and participation:

we met up with Jane Sealy to add our part to her

Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef:

choose a colour and a hook:

six chain, form a loop:

2 double crochet into each stitch:

continue and chat:

Jane patiently helped new learners:

try finger knitting she said:

even Libbie had a left-handed go:

I'm already hooked:

organic forms united:

☼♆ dig it

a visit to Nicola's allotment in Coggeshall:

she loves to grow her own:

we love to raid help:

you can't beat pick your own:

❤♡♥ summerloving

yesterday we made our annual visit to

the lovebox weekender

at victoria park, london:

plenty of footwork:

welcome the return of the fabulous

NYC downlow:

a touch of downtown dereliction 

with fabulous dressing up!

the sun shined on:

you could learn to hula:

play bingo:

whizz down the helterskelter:

eat and drink:

mmmm churros and 

oh yeah:

not forgetting the bands!

Silver Columns, New Young Pony Club &

Cut Copy had real energy:

Chromeo were funktastic:

we danced and sang

at the front of the Gaymers stage:

then hot footed to the Main stage ....

and after a delay ....

Grace Jones will see you now:

alas we couldn't quite see her:

but that amazing voice we could hear:

a new costume for every song:

eat your heart out Gaga:

☂ we don't have to fear the rain ☁

₪₪ watching them

I've not heard the new Prince album yet:

it was given away for free with the Daily Mirror this weekend:

reports are mixed:

there's something about the purple man that's compelling:

his charm, musical seduction, self-assuredness:

Libbie and I have been watching the last ever series of

Big Brother on Channel 4:

it too is fascinating and we are strangely drawn to their self-absorbed personalities:

at first:

then we learn what they're really like:

what drives these people to put themselves into the BB house:

to be scrutinised and watched by thousands?

they are dependant on others for admiration:

inside the house and outside from the viewers:

these self-lovers make an impression on us:

look good, sound confident, charming:

hang on.... {grabs dictionary}

narcissism: noun    excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance. extreme selfishness,     with grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterising a personality type
in real life, we come into contact with such characters:scratch the surface and all becomes clear:we find them out and move along: who needs arrogant, self-absorbed, exploitative reality show players, friends or lovers?but do they learn?behaving selfishly or arrogantly seems to bring them a warped admiration:they love it, as long as they're being listened to:the wise step aside:the narcissist goes to seek out new worshippers:
real narcissists don't see this cycle:they're too wrapped up in the new congregation:and if you pointed it out they wouldn't see it:
but life without them wouldn't be so colourful:in this media rich world they are everywhere:your social circle, family, work:get used to them?as long as we enjoy them when we want:and switch off when we don't:

𝄆𝄇 pick our own

first pick of our pot grown crops:

from plant to plate in under 40 minutes:

☆★ no calorific content

now this is my kind of showering:

---- needle and thread

what did ladies do before television?

they got creative:

knitting, sewing, crochet, darning and embroidery:

I learned to sew at school:

we tackled knitting {I was rubbish}

I watched my Mama crochet and picked it up:

now embroidery ....

a little gingham needlecase, with a blanket stitched edge,

made at junior school:

do children learn such things anymore?

on my Summer holiday I want to create

a freeform embroidery:

fabric, silks and needles will take up little

room and weight in my suitcase:

Trudi {my late mother-in-law} was a prolific

embroiderer:

her twin sister Lottie was too:

their pieces are beautiful:

all sewn on the best German cotton:

with colour changing silks:

and divinely muted colours:

they made cloths for each other:

 table mats with applique

and the tiniest tiniest neatest stitches:

real inspiration:

{if anyone knows how to remove ancient food stains 

from such delicacies, please tell}

⸬ now it feels and it should be

a new show at the Tap:

now it feels as it should be:

a large green cube vibrates:

 the sounds of place:

this place, your place:

the superb Vibe Cube, 

by Stuart Bowditch and Damien Robinson,

allows us to feel the sounds donated by anyone, everyone:

without visual reference, the vibrations of the cube

expand sensory imaginings:

we loved the feeling of sounds from near our home:

another sound from the winch room:

robotic sculptures by Mark Davey:

moving lights arc and scrape as we look up:

around the rim, we crane to see:

while a ghostly shape moves up and down:

light is usually a beacon:

here it disturbs and unnerves:

at first these lights by Eva Rudlinger 

shine like stars:

she told me it's a map of dense light pollution,

as seen from the sky above:

from a satellite that fuels the need for information:

'piss poorly' by Edward Morris:

yellow shapes and intricate biro lines:

feel the tension in that thin channel:

dark repetitive lines & shadow:

'hyperchondria'#3 {detail}

those niggling

pains like evil eyes:

blood red ink and pen in spiky swathe:

as we talk and look, Ann Harvey performs:

her mask breathes as she draws on the walls:

face hidden, a small light shining:

our pick of the show:

a moment in time, captured in graphite:

drawn and isolated:

no context, no background:

just white paper:

floating or falling?

suspended in time:

things are not quite as they should be:

go see > until 23rd July