Blog Archives

Simply.. rainbows and flying foxes....

6/1/2015

January just got brighter!

What are you doing to make your January brighter? (Apologies to southern hemisphere readers who are getting too much sun!)

Capturing rainbows, playing with garlands (50p Ikea and I think I should get safer battery-powered tea lights for this), moving paintings, swapping cushions around, flowers, candles, lights which are wintry but not Christmassy, or just getting out for a brisk walk, or eating this delicious wake-up-your-tastebuds salad.

With a new commitment to a big solo show, January just got busier too....

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Simply..a glass of wine and a good book....

5/1/2015

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A couple of years ago, trying to simplify shopping, and tired of standing in dismay in front of 600 bottles of wine trying to choose just one, I decided to join a wine club. The simple aim was to find a few red and a couple of white wines that I really liked.

It's been a great pleasure, and not an expensive one. I was sent a mixed box of twelve bottles two or three times a year. The first was a 50% off deal (though I don't think they do that now) and you could cancel at any time. (M&S if you are in UK.)

In a recent box was this wine, Le Rouge et le Noir 2009, one sip of which made me stop in my tracks. So full of complex flavours, it made me want to stop and think about it, and savour each mouthful. I looked up the name on Google and found an interesting story, and that the maker, a woman called Patricia Atkinson had written a book about how she became, from necessity and through some extremely hard work, a winemaker.

Courtesy of Amazon, the book was with me before the bottle was empty and I enjoyed them both together. A bottle and the book would make a good present don't you think?

That is if you can find a bottle. I've bought up the stock. (Only kidding, though I have ordered 12bottles.) Other wines are made under the label Clos d'Yvigne of course, and I'm looking forward to trying some of them.

You might enjoy this article about Patricia Atkinson, although it is more than a decade old.

I know a little more than I did about wine, but that little has increased my enjoyment of it a lot.

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On the 11th day of Christmas....

4/1/2015

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I took down the tree.

There is always confusion about when the twelfth day of Christmas is exactly, but someone pointed out it is when you have received your twelve drummers drumming (this one's for you Swiss Rose) from your true love - and you could hardly miss the racket - so that makes it the 5th. ie tomorrow.

But tomorrow I have a gallery owner coming to look at paintings, so I'm doing it today.

The house always looks very bare after taking the decorations down, and I always notice that it needs decorating. I say this every year, but don't decorate it. I disguise it with flowers instead! Wonderful tulips, daffodills, hyacinths move me forward....

How do you feel when the decorations get taken down and talk is of cold and cough cures, summer holidays, slimming diets, getting fit and broken resolutions?

It's a funny time of year.

How about I do a Marie Kondo post each week? Say Fridays?

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Simply..the sweet spot....

3/1/2015

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Marie Kondo in her book The Life Changing Magic Of Tidying (I'm still working with this!) talks of the 'click point' when you finally have your stuff whittled down to the point where you have 'no more than you can properly handle'.

Don't you think that sounds sane?

I think I am very close that point in the sittingroom. It is the room I can best relax in - calm, peaceful, pleasurable. I know what's in it (only things I love) and I can lay hands easily on what I want. It's not perfect. It is good enough. Good enough to function well and to give us real comfort and pleasure.

I plan for all the rooms to feel like this in 2015.

I also plan to visit Harris again, see the Audrey Hepburn exhibition in London this summer, open the studio at weekends from Easter to October and to do something special in February (my writing month).

I like making plans.

They mostly work out!

Do you have plans for 2015?

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Simply..a very rough crossing....

2/1/2015

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What a contrast to yesterday's serene photograph!

Thirteen Ways of Looking at Rain - Six

Through waves!

On the ferry...

Taken from the bus on the ferry. The waves were mixing with the rain, and yes, that little green thing on top of some optimist's car is a kayak! But tomorrow he may well be paddling it in the sunshine on a loch as smooth as glass.

What a climate!

PS I spotted this on the outward journey while waiting for the much delayed ferry. Perhaps I should have turned back then....