As the world gets weirder…

Every day feels a bit stranger than the one before.

Watching my strawberries grow is providing enormous excitement.

The internet is stepping up for those who may have a bit more time on their hands.

In April for the first time ever I will be doing my O.W.L.’s at the Magical Readathon (because why not! and a bit of Harry Potter fun never hurt anyone). There is lots of information on her site, and if I have more time then a bit of reading fun sounds good.

Robert Macfarlane (@RobGMacfarlane – author of the wonderful Underland and The Wild Places) is also running a more serious reading group on Twitter – focusing on the fabulous Nan Shepherd’s book The Living Mountain. I read this book last year and enjoyed the descriptions of the Scottish mountains (so far from my everyday life). I am looking forward to diving back into this book.

Finally – starting on April 7th is the 100 Day Challenge. If you haven’t heard of this the idea is to make something, play something, do something for 100 days. Last year I attempted to create a page a day in an old diary – painting, cutting paper, drawing. I know I didn’t manage every day, but I had fun doing it. This year I am thinking I want to stitch a flower a day. Still trying to work out the details for myself.

None of these projects will change the world, but they are a bit of fun. Hope that you are able to find a bit of fun in your world today.

A long time away

Hello. How are you?

If I could see you now I would offer you tea and a chocolate biscuit and we could sit and catch up on just how crazy the world has become since I was last here. We would talk books and travels, kids and pets. How you survived the crazy Australian summer (or winter – depending on where you are in the world)? And how you feel in the face of news that is increasingly dire each time I flick the tv on.

But, right now, that is not possible. And so I simply say hello. It is good to be here. I tried this once before, and it feels like the right time (for lots of reasons – some global, others private) to step out into this world of putting thoughts and words online.

It was a crazy summer here in Australia. Unbelievable heat, days full of smoke where everyone waited to see which way the wind would blow – and how that would affect the fires. And then a weekend of rain that flooded the street for two days and had a tractor come in to deal with the debris so the bus could get through. It was a bad time to decide to take up gardening!

But I had a go. Through the endless days of unprecedented heat I bucket watered my lone strawberry plant and gardenia bush. Not much, but a small start.

Now my gardenia bush has a few flowers. I adore the smell, and am surprised by their appearance, but am so grateful for the joy they give me.

 

 

In a few weeks I hope to harvest a few berries from this little plant that just didn’t give up.

 

I have been reading Emma Mitchell’s “The Wild Remedy” – a walk through nature and winter, in preparation for our own winter here. She talks of the restorative benefits of being outside, of seeing nature. This is my own little attempt to force myself out of my shell, into the world to notice, onto these pages to record. I hope you will join me.

Monday Motivation

In honour of Lord Alfred Tennyson (who would have been 109 today), one of the few poets I had ever read before this year.

 

On either side the river lie

Long fields of barley and of rye,

That clothe the world and meet the sky

And thro’ the field the road runs by

To many-tower’d Camelot;

(from The Lady of Shalott)

Reading

Where do you read? Do you have a book in the car and your bag? Do you have a different book for bedtime?

I always have a book in my bag. I even took a book to Disneyland many years ago, much to the surprise of the security guard at the gate, who told me it wasn’t something he often saw. I tend to keep one that is easy to read in my bag, one that doesn’t require lots of concentration, or a re-read because often I am reading where there is a lot of noise. Thicker books, or ones that require a bit more concentration I read at night, propped up in bed with a cup of tea. It is my favourite part of the day.

I came across the Tea and Ink Society list for “Improving your Reading Life” and realised that while I have often made reading time special, and will savor a good book I have never matched my books to the seasons. I am now intrigued. We are coming out of a dry winter, so any suggestions for books that might match this season are welcome.

Loving stationery as much as I do, I can’t believe I had never heard of a commonplace book, but am loving the idea of starting a book to record not just what I have read, but all those bits that I want to remember from the book. It probably beats my current method of just fulling the book with post-it notes that I then forget about until I go to loan the book to someone. Best of all I now have an excuse to go out and buy a beautiful notebook.

Happy weekend friends.

WIP – Skill

Happy Wednesday friends.

Not a skill that I have learnt this month, but a series of videos that I stumbled across, that make me want to delve into making more and more. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is an astonishing, wonderful place full of amazing design and clothes, and ceramics, and is the sort of place that I could spend days in. I was lucky enough to have a couple of hours there, nearly 20 years ago, and have been dreaming of a trip that would take me back to London with a couple of days (without kids and husband) to just explore all that the museum has to offer. I was thrilled to discover that they have a YouTube channel, and went on a very pleasant afternoon exploring dyeing of textiles and making clothes out of paper and all sorts of fabulous creative content.

Have a fabulous time exploring, and be inspired by some amazing artists out there.

What I learnt in July

An odd collection of some of the weird things I learnt over the last month.

1. The Queen of England has an astonishing brooch collection, and nearly always wears one when she is out on official business. This is according to @samuraiKnitter on Twitter. I have not done any more research, but the idea that The Queen is carrying a silent message through her brooch choice has had me telling everyone I know about this, and if I can ever figure out how will feature in a story someday.
2. There is an amazing town in Japan where a woman is making life-sized figures of people who have left town or died, so the town doesn’t feel so empty. The work she puts into each one is astonishing. I am not sure if it is scary, but it is definitely one way to embrace change with creativity.
3. A bunch of my favourite authors (J.M. Barrie, A.A. Milne, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G.Wells, P.G. Wodehouse and G.K. Chesterton) were part of an amateur cricket team that played from 1887 till 1913. Supposedly talent was a bit mixed, but how amazing would it have been to watch them play.
4. I was reminded this month, how much I love watching the sunrise.
   

   

   

It doesn’t quite look right

My son is just home from a school trip. Lots of photos. Lots of “Sorry, it’s a bit blurry”, “That was spectacular, but you can’t really see it in the photos”, and so on. I can relate. The art of getting what we see before us to translate into photos or art is an art itself. I see amazing creations on the web or tv, but turning that into reality, well it is never quite the same. There are websites and tv shows devoted to getting it wrong too. Shaun Smuker has written this lovely piece on when art disappoints. The struggle rings true, the desire to hide our art because it is not quite good enough.

Putting our creation out into the world, that takes courage and laughter.  Waiting for everything to be right, might just mean we don’t do it at all. I love this quote I came across in Emily Freeman’s “A Million Little Ways” by Henri Matisse (p. 132).

“Much of the beauty that arises in art comes from the struggle an artist wages with his limited medium”

We all have struggles and limits, but creating something, or capturing a vision we can’t quite see – even when it is not quite right – that is art.

My attempt at an ‘arty’ photo. Hope it makes you smile!!

Armchair Travel

I am reading Seabold’s  “The Rings of Saturn“, supposedly a walking story of the East Coast of the UK. It is unlike any other travel book I have ever read. Each chapter starts with an ” I went from here to here”, and then spirals off into a fantasy realm of story, of people and history with tenuous connections and fantastical detail. In just a handful of chapters, he has talked about the history of herring, eccentric landowners, the Irish troubles, Ancient China and the history of silk. It is a mad journey that feels ethereal and fantasy, but each time I have checked is somehow true. Unlike the travel books I have read, I have no clear concept of place, but an amazing connection with these astonishing people, many of whom now feel like if not dear friends, at least the crazy aunt who comes to every family event and tells the stories of her youth, littered with people I have never met, but know well through the stories. It is a crazy astonishing read.

What are you reading?

Weird and wonderful books

There are lots of weird and wonderful books out there. One I really love the idea of is “The Edible Game Cookbook“, a Kickstarter for games and food. I love the idea of food you can play with (unless you have toddlers, then it is just messy). When my little people were little we built 3D shapes out of matchsticks and marshmallows, we cut up brownies to learn about fractions, and for a long time, my daughter did subtraction with jelly beans or M&M’s. But this idea takes this to a whole new level. Tetris, where you nibble the cookies to make them fit! I can’t wait.

Have a great weekend.

Embracing moments

We had a few days break last week. It was a wonderful time, near the beach, where I could watch the sunrise each day.

Part of my favourite thing about being on holiday is that you get to just live in the moment. So much harder at home, where there is always a to-do list. On holidays I could watch the sunrise, and not be worried about what else I had to do. Time became less important.

That is hard to hang on to at home, at least for me. In the midst of thinking a lot about time, I came across this post on Mindfulness. A wonderful help, reminding me that taking each moment, be it hanging the washing or playing taxi can be just enjoyed for what it is. A moment to be aware.

Happy Wednesday Friends.