No action yet (though believe me I'm checking every day), but I hope they'll eventually look more like this...
1. Growing Basil, 2. Parsley, 3. leeks
Yum!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Planting seeds
I finally got around to planting some seeds on the weekend: Basil, parsley and leek.
No action yet (though believe me I'm checking every day), but I hope they'll eventually look more like this...
Yum!
No action yet (though believe me I'm checking every day), but I hope they'll eventually look more like this...
Yum!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Eye Spy... something red!
Something red?
Oh yeah, it's red alright!
I've spent a lot of time staring at this little red dot all weekend as I tear out the seams from my refashioned skirt: 90% finished I said? Ha! It was all wrong, it had to come apart. And the icing on the cake? I set about ripping out the wrong seam!!!
More red somethings can be spied at Cindy's! Thanks Ellieboo for this week's theme!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
My Creative Space
I'm joining Kirsty's My Creative Space this week. The sewing bug has got me again, I am feeling the pull towards the sewing machine and I'm finding knacky little things at op shops like these colourful buttons and this vintage pattern.
Just excuse the dodgy applique above, it had been a while since I'd done any so I was a bit rusty and I rushed into it of course. The T-shirt below was more successful.
And here are a few little things I picked up on my recent trip to Blighty.
I thought it would be nice to bring home a few sewing things so I'd be reminded of the trip when I used them. I never indulge in glass head pins at home but when it's a souvenir I can justify it!
Just excuse the dodgy applique above, it had been a while since I'd done any so I was a bit rusty and I rushed into it of course. The T-shirt below was more successful.
And here are a few little things I picked up on my recent trip to Blighty.
I thought it would be nice to bring home a few sewing things so I'd be reminded of the trip when I used them. I never indulge in glass head pins at home but when it's a souvenir I can justify it!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Eye Spy... inspiration
I take so much inspiration from what I'm reading that it was the first thing I thought of when I read Cindy's Eye Spy theme for this week. So that, and the idea that she might decide to stop eye-spying has brought me out of the lurkers closet to join in Eye Spy... for the first time.
So this is my inspiration - the stack of books by my bed - warts and all.
Top to bottom:
Jung: a Biography, Deidre Bair (current read - see below)
The New Buddhism, David Brazier (library book, not started)
A multitude of Sins, Richard Ford (short stories, sat untouched on the bookshelf forever, kind of interesting)
Buddhism for Mothers, Sarah Napthali (I went straight to the chapter on anger, good book, fits with my values)
You are your Child's First Teacher, Rahima Baldwin Dancy (bought as a reminder to myself and to gain some tools but not as inspirational as I had hoped)
The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents, Deepak Chopra (the only one in the stack I've read twice. Deeply inspirational, a must read.)
Madame Brussels: This Moral Pandemonium, LM Robinson (I'm friends with the publisher, a really interesting, compact read)
Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino (A favourite author but not my favourite of his books)
Homesickness, Murray Bail (likewise)
Vehicle Maintenance for Women, Charlotte Williamson (WTF? No it's not a novel, it's one of those $5 pick-ups from a work book club. Unopened.)
The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery (I read this as a kid and didn't get it. As much I would like to say I found it life-changing now that I'm older I'm afraid to say I still don't get it.)
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain (Having worked in restaurants years ago I was engrossed from the first page but somehow put it down half-way through and haven't picked it up again.)
Needless to say some of them have been sitting there for a long time. Most have been started, only one has been finished.
The one on top is my current read and I'm only about 100 pages in. It's from the library. I think I'd better check out how many times I can renew it before I have to return it.
Fascinating but physically quite a chore to read due to the sheer size of it. I'll say a bit more about it when I finish it (if I finish it).
Of the list above it is definitely the Chopra book that I found the most inspiring, however Italo Calvino's Marcovaldo and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller changed the way I thought and felt about literature; and Murray Bail's Eucalyptus resonated deeply with me for the way he uses language and for where I was at physically and emotionally when I read it.
I'm hungry for more literary inspiration so I'd love to hear what your all time must read is!
So this is my inspiration - the stack of books by my bed - warts and all.
Top to bottom:
Jung: a Biography, Deidre Bair (current read - see below)
The New Buddhism, David Brazier (library book, not started)
A multitude of Sins, Richard Ford (short stories, sat untouched on the bookshelf forever, kind of interesting)
Buddhism for Mothers, Sarah Napthali (I went straight to the chapter on anger, good book, fits with my values)
You are your Child's First Teacher, Rahima Baldwin Dancy (bought as a reminder to myself and to gain some tools but not as inspirational as I had hoped)
The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents, Deepak Chopra (the only one in the stack I've read twice. Deeply inspirational, a must read.)
Madame Brussels: This Moral Pandemonium, LM Robinson (I'm friends with the publisher, a really interesting, compact read)
Invisible Cities, Italo Calvino (A favourite author but not my favourite of his books)
Homesickness, Murray Bail (likewise)
Vehicle Maintenance for Women, Charlotte Williamson (WTF? No it's not a novel, it's one of those $5 pick-ups from a work book club. Unopened.)
The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery (I read this as a kid and didn't get it. As much I would like to say I found it life-changing now that I'm older I'm afraid to say I still don't get it.)
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain (Having worked in restaurants years ago I was engrossed from the first page but somehow put it down half-way through and haven't picked it up again.)
Needless to say some of them have been sitting there for a long time. Most have been started, only one has been finished.
The one on top is my current read and I'm only about 100 pages in. It's from the library. I think I'd better check out how many times I can renew it before I have to return it.
Fascinating but physically quite a chore to read due to the sheer size of it. I'll say a bit more about it when I finish it (if I finish it).
Of the list above it is definitely the Chopra book that I found the most inspiring, however Italo Calvino's Marcovaldo and If on a Winter's Night a Traveller changed the way I thought and felt about literature; and Murray Bail's Eucalyptus resonated deeply with me for the way he uses language and for where I was at physically and emotionally when I read it.
I'm hungry for more literary inspiration so I'd love to hear what your all time must read is!
What I made today
A pretty top for a friend's daughter.
I copied something I'd seen and thought would be easy.
It wasn't easy for me (but it should have been).
It should go a bit smoother next time...
...I hope.
I copied something I'd seen and thought would be easy.
It wasn't easy for me (but it should have been).
It should go a bit smoother next time...
...I hope.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Change is in the air
It may still be mid-winter but I can see and smell and feel that Spring is on it's way. I enjoy the start of Winter, the early sunsets, the warm fires, the blanket on my knee in the evenings and the inclination to knit, cook hearty meals, and generally hibernate.
from here
However by this time of year I am overjoyed by the first signs of blossom on the trees, the occasional balmy day, and the gradual easing back of sunset until after I get home from work: all signs that nothing stays the same for very long - winter will pass and spring will be here again soon.
from here
So today I am coming out of hibernation and having a wonderful catch up day: mending things that have been broken for ages; clearing out cupboards; and taking a big load of unwanted stuff to the op shop. And it feels great!
from hereHowever by this time of year I am overjoyed by the first signs of blossom on the trees, the occasional balmy day, and the gradual easing back of sunset until after I get home from work: all signs that nothing stays the same for very long - winter will pass and spring will be here again soon.
from hereSo today I am coming out of hibernation and having a wonderful catch up day: mending things that have been broken for ages; clearing out cupboards; and taking a big load of unwanted stuff to the op shop. And it feels great!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Rapt...
...as in rapture.
Meaning I'm in rapture over my new converse high tops.
OK maybe rapture is a bit strong.
I heart my new converse high tops?
My projects are at a standstill, but I did get out into the garden on the weekend and did some much needed weeding. That beautiful moist rich soil is going to waste with nothing growing in it which prompted me to think about raising seeds for planting in Spring. Just thinking about it makes it feel closer, yay!
Hmmmm what should I plant this Spring?
Meaning I'm in rapture over my new converse high tops.
OK maybe rapture is a bit strong.I heart my new converse high tops?
My projects are at a standstill, but I did get out into the garden on the weekend and did some much needed weeding. That beautiful moist rich soil is going to waste with nothing growing in it which prompted me to think about raising seeds for planting in Spring. Just thinking about it makes it feel closer, yay!
Hmmmm what should I plant this Spring?
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
New things update
We're half way through the year so I thought I'd do a round up of how my '12 months of new things' projects are going:
Jan - sew a padded seat cover for our new bike. I did this and am very happy with it. I even completed it before the end of January!
Feb - make my own pasta dough. Didn't happen at all but I did substitute this with another project - learn to applique, which was very successful and has held my interest.
Mar - learn to crochet. I had a good go at it but I ended up with several tightly twisted scraps of yarn that I could no longer get the hook through and decided it would be better to learn from a person... and haven't tried again since. I can't say I get it at all and therefore my enthusiasm has waned.
April - sew an item of clothing for myself. I watered down this project to what I thought would be a more achievable refashion job but it's turned out to be quite tricky (naturally). I'm about 90% there I think, just need to gather strength for the home straight.
May - knit a vest for Angus. Well it's early July and I'm still going strong. I didn't touch it in June but last week I finished the back and immediately cast on for the front. I'm enjoying this.
June - make my own bread (learn how to do it and keep doing it). Didn't even try but the trip kind of took over June so I will get to this at some stage... maybe this month?
July - try quilting. I think I'll shelve this one until I have an idea of what I might like to make. I'll make July the bread thing instead.
Verdict: My commitment to the timeline has slackened considerably, I need to get back on track. But I love having a plan and look forward to what is coming next on the list.
I need to decide what my August project will be; at the start of the year I just said something to do with photography but I need to work out what. Perhaps it should be to finally read the darn manual and set the camera up how I want it instead of always using it on auto settings and being disappointed with the results!
Jan - sew a padded seat cover for our new bike. I did this and am very happy with it. I even completed it before the end of January!
Feb - make my own pasta dough. Didn't happen at all but I did substitute this with another project - learn to applique, which was very successful and has held my interest.
April - sew an item of clothing for myself. I watered down this project to what I thought would be a more achievable refashion job but it's turned out to be quite tricky (naturally). I'm about 90% there I think, just need to gather strength for the home straight.
May - knit a vest for Angus. Well it's early July and I'm still going strong. I didn't touch it in June but last week I finished the back and immediately cast on for the front. I'm enjoying this.
June - make my own bread (learn how to do it and keep doing it). Didn't even try but the trip kind of took over June so I will get to this at some stage... maybe this month?
July - try quilting. I think I'll shelve this one until I have an idea of what I might like to make. I'll make July the bread thing instead.
Verdict: My commitment to the timeline has slackened considerably, I need to get back on track. But I love having a plan and look forward to what is coming next on the list.
I need to decide what my August project will be; at the start of the year I just said something to do with photography but I need to work out what. Perhaps it should be to finally read the darn manual and set the camera up how I want it instead of always using it on auto settings and being disappointed with the results!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Today I...
...danced around the house with my two boys playing music and singing and pretending to be horses and aeroplanes etc.
...enjoyed a picnic morning tea party on a blanket outside in the bright sunshine on this beautiful winter's day.
...had a quiet cup of green tea while knitting a few rows of Angus's vest and contemplated how totally awesome my trip to England was and how glad and thankful I am that I was able to go.
I've been back for a few weeks but I have been letting the experience brew within me, I haven't talked about it a lot and I haven't put any photos up. Last night I re-read my notes for the first time and was reminded of stories I had already forgotten.
The wedding was brilliant - a simple ceremony in a stately home followed by a high tea, and later a party with a steel band in a marquee. It meant so much to be there to share my friend Alison's special day. It also meant a lot to me to be back in London which is so dear to my heart, I soaked it up and filled up on it as much as I could in the short time I had.
When I got back I just stared at the boys all day, I had missed them so intensely and they seemed to have grown six months older and six inches taller in the ten days I'd been gone.
A few weeks later and the holiday doesn't feel so physically real any more, it's settled down to memories and photographs, but I am still feeling refreshed and inspired and changed by it.
...enjoyed a picnic morning tea party on a blanket outside in the bright sunshine on this beautiful winter's day.
...had a quiet cup of green tea while knitting a few rows of Angus's vest and contemplated how totally awesome my trip to England was and how glad and thankful I am that I was able to go.
I've been back for a few weeks but I have been letting the experience brew within me, I haven't talked about it a lot and I haven't put any photos up. Last night I re-read my notes for the first time and was reminded of stories I had already forgotten.
The wedding was brilliant - a simple ceremony in a stately home followed by a high tea, and later a party with a steel band in a marquee. It meant so much to be there to share my friend Alison's special day. It also meant a lot to me to be back in London which is so dear to my heart, I soaked it up and filled up on it as much as I could in the short time I had.
When I got back I just stared at the boys all day, I had missed them so intensely and they seemed to have grown six months older and six inches taller in the ten days I'd been gone.A few weeks later and the holiday doesn't feel so physically real any more, it's settled down to memories and photographs, but I am still feeling refreshed and inspired and changed by it.
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