Close up! 

Quietly dying!

I am not well! For days now I have been trying to shake off a cold picked up from my grandson who arrived with a sniffle and a hacking cough. To begin with I thought I had cracked it and wasn't going to suffer but then the croaky voice arrived and after that the tight chest quickly followed by the tickly cough and the cotton wool filled head. I have been trying to do things but to no avail as I have no interest in anything, not even dyeing with an 'e' as opposed to dying which is how I feel. And as soon as I go to bed the tickly cough starts up and eventually in desperation I have to get up in search of a remedy. Can you see that I feel really sorry for myself? That is why I am blogging because it is taking my mind of my immediate misery! The only thing that I have achieved is to cut up lots of strips of fabric in preparation for a Magic Squares quilt. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow full of vim and vigour and miraculously cured so that I can make the quilt! Well I can always hope. I'm going to put up some pictures of beautiful Falmouth and environs and then I'm going to try going to bed ...again! Hopefully to sleep!

Calm after the Storm

Sometimes one needs to be forced to stop and do something completely different to be able to see that one is going down the wrong path. This is what the past few weeks have done for me....made me re-evaluate what I want to spend my time doing. For a start I was unable to use the computer on a daily basis and the freedom that getting away from the screen was amazing. I no longer felt compelled to read my emails first thing in the morning nor to look at blogs and follow up interesting links, thus wasting a good part of my limited time. And although at first I got withdrawal symptoms as time went on I grew to like my freedom. I didn't feel I had to write something in the blog every day, especially if I really hadn't anything of note to say. I didn't and don't feel that I am compelled to do something arty every day. I began to get a life again which wasn't controlled by the urge to create something/anything. The only thing I found that I really missed doing and was a lost soul about was my dyeing. That is something I will never give up!

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So what did this tell me? That I'd been mistaking busyness for creativity. Losing the good things among a collection of also rans. And the outcome of this flash of blinding light was that today I got up early, cleaned the house and ironed some shirts and didn't feel deprived. Instead I got a great sense of satisfaction that I'd achieved a lot and it was obvious. Even Martin was impressed! Ruthlessly I threw out the junk of ages and made space for new things I'd bought in Truro on one of our visits. I'm a sucker for Lakeland stuff! And with all this activity I still had time to sit down and work out what I want to teach for next year's classes and fill in the relevant forms for Adult Education. I'm not going to do masses of long term teaching. (30 weeks) Instead I'm going to offer mini workshops on different subjects running the gamut from art and dyeing to patchwork and quilting. This will keep me interested and on top and give the students a chance to try out lots of techniques. I love teaching and know I do it well. So I don't want to give it up. I will work around it and set myself mini goals each day. For the first time in years my finances are on a more stable keel and I don't have the anxiety about income that has been my lot for longer than I care to remember. This makes such a difference. It is very true that saying...Beggars can't be choosers!

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I know where I am going and I know what I want to do. And I've had a chance to understand what it is I'm good at and what things I don't want to do...ever again! Also I've been reading the book Eat that Frog by Brian Tracey. This is a brilliant book and it has given me new direction and life. All things that at various times I've done but not collectively and that is the secret. Standing back and taking the time to sort through the varied activities has been good karma. I'm not worried as to whether my work is naturalistic or abstract I'm just concerned that I give it my best shot and do what makes me feel happy. I'm going to expand on the things I do best and make sure that I learn as much as I can about the techniques that interest me. Instead of being a Jack of All Trades and a Master of None....I'm going to be a Master of a couple of things at least! I think it was Lisa Call who said in one of her blog writings that experimenting was a good thing to find one's path...or words to that effect, but then it was time to get down to serious work. Well I agree with this and although there will be experimentation I'm going to train myself to work through projects and build up a body of work. The size of a piece of work isn't going to intimidate me. If its small that's OK. If it's big that's also OK though it will be a struggle as I don't have space. But I've no doubt I'll find a way round the lack of space. I feel very relaxed now that I am not forcing myself to be on a treadmill. I know that one will never accomplish all one wants to in this life time but with good organisation the important things can be achieved! And now to eat my stew and dumplings! The picture by the way is Charleston harbour nr St Austell.

Close up of previous picture 

Loanhead of Daviot Aberdeenshire. My favourite Annabel Carey piece. The use of light was magnificent. Pity about the reflections in the glass.  

I'm back!

The house seems to be very quiet....like a morgue! It is always sad to see Caroline and children leave but then again it is good to get my house back to normal and to know that I will be able to get into my workroom and get on with stuff. This has been a very meaningful visit for me as I've been re-evaluating what I want and in which direction I want to go. I don't think I'm going to be doing as much of some things as I have in the past as there are things I want to do and I intend to make time for them. It is very good for the soul to be forced to stop and take a break. The stepping back has been useful. More of this in future blogs. I have to get back into blogging and will be feeling my way for a bit.
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A very big thank you to Marja-Leena Rathje who wrote to me with news of an exhibition in Truro Museum of Annabel Carey who is a batik artist. I was unaware that this exhibition was on and would have missed it! Annabel Carey was born in Manchester just over fifty years ago and is a textile artist using batik to portray landscapes and architecture. The work on view was of a twenty year project entitled Spirit of the Stones. These pieces celebrate prehistoric stone circles of the British Isles, several of which are in Cornwall which is why it was such an important exhibition to see.
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Chun Quoit Penwith Cornwall

The Merry Maidens Penwith Cornwall

Men an tol Penwith Cornwall

I will put a few more up using Picasa. It was really good seeing this collection and greatly inspired me with the subject matter. My favourite piece was a wonderful study in the use of light. It was brilliant. I will post a not terribly good picture. The problem being the light reflecting in the glass as all the works were framed as pictures. I couldn't use a flash but they were very well lit anyway.

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Today has been spent cleaning up and finding all the things that have been forgotten and will need posting on. Fenella told her mother that she was going to stay with Granny for ever and ever! Made me feel good! Grin!

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Now I must go shopping and fill up the depleted larder. They will be down again at the end of June so I needn't feel bereft. In fact I am full of joy at the thought of playing with my Lutradur eventually!

No peace for the wicked!

I have found over the past few days that I have been able to get more done at work than I have at home. I haven't entered my workroom in nearly a fortnight and I am beginning to get withdrawal symptoms which is bad. Oh I have passed over the threshold to find stuff but haven't actually been able to do anything. Nothing new, nor anything old. This is such a sad state of affairs, especially as I have a package containing a roll of Lutradur waiting to be opened and played with. How I have been able to contain myself and not lock myself in and play I don't know. But the end is in sight. By Wednesday of next week I shall once again be able to indulge in all the things I do, such as blogging, quilting, painting, etc. Oh joy of joys! Don't get me wrong. I have very much enjoyed seeing my daughter and the delicious grand children but I have also missed the creativity, especially the dyeing. Just as well I had a large stock in hand. So I shall make the most of these last few days and then will plot a new course. It will be like being re-born!

=

Nearly time to go home and also the end of the week. I love weekends! Thank you for all your kind comments. You have been very patient with my enforced idleness!

The new maritime museum in Falmouth.  

Determination!  

Cold rough sea!  

Superb piece of driftwood.  

Little Elf having a quiet moment!  

No time, no time!

I feel like the White Rabbit in Alice and Wonderland. There is no time for me! Wah! I managed to escape yesterday as I had a workshop to do locally with members of the local quilting guild. It was a cold but dry day and there were ten altogether so it was very cosy. The workshop was on handstitching and seam embellishment for crazy quilting. I took along loads of samples and we had a great day. There are about six or seven stitches that I use constantly so we concentrated on these and then I showed them how to amalgamate stitches to make complex embellishments. Some great work was done and I think they all really enjoyed it, even though it was very cold! It was good to get out and talk to adults again! Grin! Last week was half term so I didn't have my usual Friday class even.

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I have seen more of the beach in the last week than I ever do at this time of the year. Fenella is unphased by the bleakness of the weather and can make sandcastles for England. Fred is usually warmly wrapped in his pushchair with only his eyes showing and fast asleep. And Caroline aka Mum, is a fiend for shell collecting. In fact she would be there for hours if we let her but usually Fenella and I end up in the beach cafe with super hot chocolate and home made Brownies.

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I have been unable to do any stitching but I have lots of ideas and I've taken lots of pictures of rocks and stones. The shells are of the small variety and really quite ordinary but collectively look quite interesting. I can't remember now where I saw it but somewhere I saw a sculpture that had been completely covered in shells and it looked magnificent.

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Another week to go and then the family go back to London. I shall miss them but on the other hand my workroom is calling me and I need to do more dyeing. This house is too small!

Still here!

I haven't disappeared off the face of the earth ...I am still here in spirit if not in the flesh. I'm not being able to do anything at all with textiles but I'm having fun and the reason is.....

Fenella and Fred! A rare peaceful moment!

Getting Grandad involved while Little Ted looks on!  

Fenella on the beach 

Keeping on Track

So far, so good! I have quilted the small quilt for Fenella. Nothing spectacular and not the most wonderful of quilting but it is OK. I set my MP3 player up and put my headphones on and had a couple of mindless hours doing some free machine quilting. In future I must quilt things when they are ready as I need time to ponder and work out what I'm going to do not rush in all gung ho and turn out something that just manages not to be a disaster.
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My list now is as follows:
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1. Have a cup of coffee! a
2. Generally tidy up. a

3. Have lunch. a
4. Start dyeing. a
5. While waiting for dyed fabric to cure
------a) Hoover and dust upstairs and clean bathroom a
------b) Make up beds a
6. Wash out dyed fabric. a
7. While waiting for fabric to wash out
------a) Go into attic and put boxes in and take toys out a
------b) Make sure house is child proof a
8. Take fabric out and iron while damp I'm doing this now!
9. Tidy up kitchen a
10. If I'm still up start on embroidery samples and handouts
otherwise start this tomorrow morning. This will be
tomorrow's Frog
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I may never blog again! I can see my time just being eaten up by that Frog! Grin

Close up. 

Unfinished notebook cover