☯ end and begin

today will see me

finishing off these

 & beginning this blanket for my Auntie Christine

happy new year to you all

x

❑❒ gifted

our usual low key Christmas was even more 

so this year ~

it wasn't meant to be!

the first time we had been invited to my

Aunt & Uncles for the 25th

and I got a dose of salmonella poisoning from

a meal in a restaurant the night before

my beautiful girl was so understanding at our

change of plans

we had a lazy day, just the two of us

watching films, all cosy by the fire

she also gave me beautiful treats

I adore those little green earrings

and an ostrich feather duster I've always wanted

brilliant plant markers from my little sister

I do like a practical gift

sweet scented herbes gathered

and beautifully packaged by

my lovely friend Suzie

{oh I can't wait to be in Sonnac again!}

chocolate chocolate!
you know me so well

this crazy knitted scarf from Robert

I've named it the seaweed scarf

and this amazing vintage picnic set from my 

bezzie, Sue

inside too ~

a bar of choc, a gorgeous hipscarf for belly dancing

and a Vajazzle

oh she is a hoot!

ps. you'll be pleased to know I am almost back to

normal {whatever that is}

and a complaint has been sent to the food safety 

department who will be visiting the restaurant concerned

in the next week!

☯ brighter days ahead

tis the season and as the

Winter solstice passes

my thoughts go to those 

who are not where they would like to be 

and those no longer here

the days will begin to lengthen

and the light strengthen

as usual I make no resolutions to break

just a phrase

for the coming year

it is ~

get real

have a happy holiday 

and see you on the sunnier side

x

♥❤ sunday

sometimes life throws the unexpected your way

 like bumping into a friend you haven't seen for ages

and being invited to lunch

then drinking chai lattes

and realising that you're not the only person

with bumps and grinds in your life

⊗ two surfaces and an edge

a sunny Autumnal day in Hadleigh

and a visit to HOFS for the

Book Arts Fair

it's not often we get something so

good in my locale!

here are my personal goodies

Keep Out by Miranda Campbell

delicate pages of bark and paper

bound objects and text by Margaret Cooter

she asked visitors to write their names on paper 

and bind them within this ongoing piece

 photographic images, text and written words 

on canvas squares by Triss Norman

the disjointed calendar of mixed feeling

Bunty by Karen Apps

I love Karen's work and how she twangs the

strings of motherhood, attachment and memory

Haptophobia

glass and text 

imprisoned with a box

there was so much to adore and admire

on Sally Chinea's table

her delicately stitched works have a dark side

within the brown paper wrap 

the pattern to stitch your very own

silk grenade

Al Mutanabbi Street Remembered

by Gwen Simpson

Smell the Coffee 

tensile strength of everyday objects

culled books from her partners bookcases

by Jane Woollatt

the covers stripped and red ink dipped

violence and remembrance 

The True Edge of Creation

by Chris Ruston

these vibrant raging pages

soaked in good inks 

layered strata

flickering in the November light

something unexpected conjured from the mundane

constructed deconstructed

bringing new responses

wonder disgust intrigue

િ doubles and singles

a few weeks ago I showed my friend Jenny

how to crochet granny squares:

she wanted to make a blanket for her 

sweet girl:

it has been a while since I picked up my hook

and I got blanket envy:

so I decided to use up all my odds and ends

and hook a blanket to use at my yoga class:

it gets pretty chilly in the hall where we

practice each Friday:

I sort of made this pattern up although I'm 

sure it's been done before!

it has been my meditation ~

5 doubles into the same space

1 single into the top of previous shell

count, hook, yarn over

then all those ends to sew in

long enough to cover me when I'm in Savasana

going to miss the crochet rhythm

what shall I make now?

☼ summer's gone

it was only short time ago

we strolled through a town of 

galleries and ateliers

 ate lunch in the sunshine

cheese and proper bread

homegrown tomatoes

 took photos of yet another wall 

window

washing line

or each other

rummaged in dusty brocantes

sat in this space

gazing through the window

and walked through the orchard

oh how I miss that!

≈ on the wing

what to do on a cloudy Saturday afternoon?

drive to Rainham Marshes

visit the RSPB visitor centre

they are very helpful

knowledgeable

and will give you a map

{which your friend will later lose}

there are hides

for the twitchers

and a beautiful hour long stroll

through this old rifle range

with glimpses of it's past

and the presence of the new

as nature reclaims

then a well earned cup of tea

and handmade cake