Outside
And in..
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Try clearing off one surface and just putting one thing back.  I tend to have more things around in winter - ornaments, cushions, pictures, throws etc. It gives a cosier feel to the house, but there always comes a day in January when I want the calm feeling I get from a clear surface, or a surface with just one thing on it. There are two here but as one is a white folder against a white wall it hardly counts..
Does this work for you? Does it give you a feeling of spacious calm? Does it bring you a little sigh of pleasure? More film noir than Christmas cheer in Dunoon today!  The Old Coal Pier Christmas tree  Looking back towards the town A satisfying task. I still have bulbs to plant too! Elemental, basic, simple. No need for government guidance or mandate, no online registering or mitigating protocols. I don't even need to wear a mask! Whew. While I have so little to say (imagine!) you might like to browse my 10 year archive. I think that's what I will do.....  ..things about November! Roaring 50mph winds from the north, ferries suspended and power cuts from mid eveining thrugh the night. I was cosy with stove and candles and the power went on long enough to make a hot drink at one point. Earlier in the day I opened the window to fill the bird feeder and a strong gust of wind blew down a large painting which was sitting on the table, propped against the wall. It knocked off plants and papers and a lamp all of which ended on the floor - nothing broken thankfully, but the birds had to wait till this morning for more seed... Pots blown over and a bit of fencing down but no other damage. It would seem we got off quite lightly. I hope you are all safe and well wherever you are.  ..about November. There is hygge, which I associate with winter, though the book How To Hygge shows lots of summer scenes. As I batten down against strong winds and dire forecasts, it's time to bring out my favourite throws and dishes and biscuits. I am listening to The Snow Child on Audible and feeling very grateful for the positively luxurious levels of comfort most of us enjoy today, compared to those early pioneers in Alaska.  ..abut November. The fragrance of quince. Cool, and sweet and unlike anything else. A bowl of them in a warm room scents the whole space. When I come down to the sitting room in the morning it's the first thing I notice. I love it.   ..even the tiniest bit of nature brought into the house gives pleasure.  My friends finished wreath. I've not decorated mine yet..  Playing around with table decorations, listening to Tamsin Edwards climate scientist Ted Talk and reading her blog All Models Are Wrong, anything but housework!         One o the most interesting things abut COP26 I think, is that we have heard from some new voices - inventors, scientists, negotiators, investors and activists as well as the politicians and journalists. A more complex and nuanced picture emerges... What else can we do after all? As MaryB said it's too soon to hunker down, but I love her idea of stocking up om preserves and harvesting. I helped a friend lift potatoes yesterday - very satisfying. And the path to the shore is thick with brambles. A few apple and bramble puddings in the freezer would be very satisfying too. Any other ideas for keeping melancholy at bay would be most welcome...   There is still honeysuvkle to pick and summery drinks - elderflower cordial and limoncello, but the weather seems to have turned. Is it the ssame where you are? A full day's painting today. The weather was good for that! Or not! The garden has collapsed, the birthday cake for a friend collapsed, but I am still standing.  The cake didn't collapse as much as overflowed and burnt on the floor of the oven. Same recipe, same ingredients, same tin as I have always made it in. Does this ever happen to you? The cake turned out all right in the end, but it took a while to get rid of the smell of burning and cleaning the oven wasn't much fun.   There is still some honeysuckle and summery drinks - elderflower cordial and limoncello, but the garden seems almost over and the weather on the turn as MaryB pointed out in yesterday's comments. Is it the same with you? A full day's painting today. The weather is good for that at least! ..of power-hosing! A decades-old Habitat bench repaired and restored. I am so pleased with it, and it has been fixed in exchange for a petrol strimmer which was sitting in my shed, too heavy for me to use.   I picked a huge bunch of buttercups from the road verge, and felt vaguely guilty (you're not supposed to pck wild flowers, right?)  Next mornng the council came along.......I wonder if the man with the machine felt guilty?  I would never pick flowerss which are raare, but it is so easy to make us feel guilty, don't you think? About evereything! Are you feeling guilty about anything right now? Is it really warranted? Guilt is a fascinating topic.. The bench and chair have been power-hosed and treated with Cuprinol 'Silver Birch ' stain. I am looking for deep magenta scented roses to go either side...  ..there are bluebells too. I am so lucky to live in this spot.  ..there's a lot going on. As long as the weather holds it's walks with friends and tea and scones or even lunch in the garden. Joy.  A new scone recipe - flour, cheese, milk and soda! Quick and easy though I'm not sure I like the texture as much as my other recipe...... Have you tried lemonade scones? Flour, cream and lemonade.       On the theme of beautiful things we can buy for very little money, it is astonishing to remember that in the 1630's a single bulb of a tulip such as this might cost 100 times a skilled man's annual wage! I can buy a bunch of them for a mere £3. I am so spoiled! After watching this film this morning (before washing my hair or making the bed - such is lockdown) I realised I have a nice collection of bowls, which probably started with these Bernard Leach soup bowls. I bought a set of six of them when I was 19 and working as a waitress for the summer in a hotel in St Ives.. They have been well used! I had done some pottery at Glasgow School of Art but I wasn't any good at it. It did however give me an appreciation of ceramics which I have always enjoyed.     I didn't set out to make a collection, and none of them are expensive (although the Leach ones might be expensive now! The last time I saw any of them was in a glass cabinet in the Victoria and Albert Museum.) Two of the best ones came from IKEA. The quite large and very elegant one above has a crackle glaze, a subtle oriental looking colour and was made in Portugal for IKEA. I love it. Do you have a 'collection' of anything in your home that you particularly enjoy? |
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January 2022
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