Monday 31 December 2012

☯ end and begin

today will see me
finishing off these
 & beginning this blanket for my Auntie Christine

happy new year to you all
x

Friday 28 December 2012

❑❒ 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!

Sunday 23 December 2012

☯ 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 18 November 2012

♥❤ 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

Sunday 4 November 2012

⊗ 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
Smell the Coffee 
tensile strength of everyday objects
culled books from her partners bookcases
the covers stripped and red ink dipped
violence and remembrance 
The True Edge of Creation
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

Friday 26 October 2012

િ 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?


Monday 24 September 2012

☼ 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!

Saturday 22 September 2012

≈ on the wing

what to do on a cloudy Saturday afternoon?
drive to Rainham Marshes
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