Sunday 31 January 2010

stash

Most of you know I have a weakness for string, so when Kemps had boxes of turquoise twine on offer, I was powerless to resist.


I already have single balls of turquoise, red and purple, purchased locally. What I hadn't realized was that this is in fact crochet thread, made from hemp and linen. I don't crochet (yet?), but am happy to use it for tying up parcels and other decorative purposes. After all, it looks like string to me.

Wednesday 27 January 2010

morning

Much as I like winter, I'm not a fan of dark, grey mornings (is anybody?), so it's a joy to open the curtains to this. The day ahead beckons.


Have a great one!

Saturday 23 January 2010

eternity

Cast off last night.


Spent a while in front of the mirror this morning 'arranging it' every which way.
Admired it.
Dreaming of more projects using Malabrigo.


Worn it all day.
Love it.
Eternity Scarf.
And now Kristina's knitting one.

Wednesday 20 January 2010

stamp love

I love these new stamps - have you seen them? I've mentioned before that I like a good stamp.


Ten iconic album covers from the last forty years. Can you name them all at a glance? The one that stands out the most for me is The Clash with London Calling - they were the first band I ever saw live. I still have the album, too, not that I've played any albums on vinyl for over twenty years.

Monday 18 January 2010

knitting to eternity

A quick and snuggly knit has been on my needles this last week. I've been snatching a few rounds here and there, in between my very focused 'unprocrastinating' moments where the to-do list is most definitely being done.


I'm using some of my malabrigo (stone blue) and the pattern is the eternity scarf.


I love this pattern - three different stitch patterns provide enough knitting interest, yet it's simple enough to relax into the knitting without having to be totally on the ball. Nearly finished.

Thursday 14 January 2010

help for haiti

I know I'm not the only one who's thoughts keep drifting to Haiti, and the scenes of devastation in that tiny impoverished country.

What can we all do to help?

Please donate to Shelterbox - every penny, every pound, will help make a difference.

Shelterbox is a cornish-based charity who respond instantly to natural and man-made disasters by delivering boxes of aid to those who are most in need. Each box supplies an extended family of up to 10 people with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.

Find out more about the boxes here, and donate here.

Each Shelterbox costs on average £490. I would love to think that via my tiny blog we could raise enough money to pay for one shelterbox. Please consider helping.

Tuesday 12 January 2010

colour in a white world

So much snow, so much white. I'm in need of a little colour to brighten things up.


Subtle, simple and beautiful.

Thank you to everyone who joined in with my last post. It seems there's a lot of procrastinators out there! I will let you know how I progress....yesterday and today have been super-productive. Somehow, writing that post, and just putting it out there, has made a little shift.

One of the books by my bedside is The War of Art. It is worth picking up - this quote really hits home:

"There never was a moment, and never will be,
when we are without the power to alter our destiny.
This second, we can turn the tables on resistance.
This second, we can sit down and do our work."

Steven Pressfield

Sunday 10 January 2010

one word

It's taken me a little while to get around to writing this post, which is slightly ironic, as you'll see. As I mentioned, I've chosen a word, a theme really, to focus on throughout the year. My word is not in the dictionary as I've made it up, but somehow I think you'll understand. It's 'unprocrastinate'. This single word resonates for me deeply, and perhaps it will for some of you, too. Or is it just me? The dictionary is pretty clear about procrastination:

pro⋅cras⋅ti⋅nate 

-verb (used without object)
1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.

-verb (used with object)
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.

In a nutshell, procrastination stops you really living. I am forever putting off things I don't particularly want to do right now, leaving them to the very last minute when the threat of a deadline spurs me into action (usually work related things, but not always). So I get there in the end (often after several very late nights and a lack of sleep). But those moments faffing about and not getting on with whatever needs doing, are times wasted. Those times when I put something off because I know I'd rather knit/read/walk/make something/cook etc....well, even when I sit down and do what I think I'd rather be doing....it's not one hundred percent joyful because there's this little voice nagging away at me saying I should prioritise the essentials, and then, and only then, will I truly relax.


So there you have it. Does anyone have any tips? How do you organise your time? Do you make lists? (I'm better when I make lists, it gives me focus). How do you make yourself do the necessary things, when you'd rather be doing something else? I think it's also fair to say that I'm also very good at putting off things even when I do want to do them. Like making christmas presents, or participating in a swap.....

Still, I'm aiming to really make some changes this year - to take action, rather than defer action.


(In a roundabout way, life gave me a very strong lesson this week. After several days of increasingly strong chest pain, I ended up in casualty. I faffed around before going in, and of course the more I faffed, the more anxious I became. I even vacuumed the house and did the washing-up, just in case I was admitted, and needed to call on a neighbour to see to Walter! Anyway, I was making up all sorts of extreme stories in my head about the ghastly fate that was about to become me, when a very loud voice pops up and says "hang on a minute, I want to LIVE, I have so many more things I want to do with my life". As it happens, I have not had a cardiac event (as the hospital called it) but have something called costochondritis. I was pleased to be told it tends to occur in fit, active people!)

So really, two words spring to mind: rocket and arse.

all photos: the sea before the snow came

Life is for living, not procrastinating.

Wednesday 6 January 2010

pausing for snow play

Last night when I went to bed, it started to snow and my world fell silent. All sounds from outside were muffled and this morning I woke to a beautiful blanket of white. This is cause for excitement when you live at sea level and almost as far south west as you can go. My week of slowly-easing-myself-back-to-normal was firmly put on hold while I headed out for some serious snow play. Or rather Walter did most of the playing and I was the laughing spectator on the sidelines, camera in hand.








My boy loves snow. I think you can tell.

Friday 1 January 2010

the beginning

The beginning of a new month...
The beginning of a new year...
The beginning of a new decade...

I love New Year, as I've said before. It's the potential a fresh start brings and the opportunity to re-assess one's life and tweak things a little. Last night, new notebook and pen in hand, and a bright blank page before me, I started to write. I wanted to set my intentions for the coming year, and start to think about what I would like to focus on. I have a word in mind as my theme for the year.....and I'll share that soon.


It's also time to hang the new calenders. Yes, a little indulgence has gone on here, to satisfy my love of paper, letterpress and photography. Christmas money spent in advance. I find it hard to resist the allure of a beautiful new calender - these are functional works of art that will inspire me thoughout the year. I also have a write-on calender in the kitchen (which is meant to remind me of birthdays and important things, only last year I forgot most of them as I never filled it in....) and one of these (essential cornish kit).

Time now for a large bowl of 'a velvety soup for a clear, cold day' (from January 13, The Kitchen Diaries). It has been just that - a clear, cold day where I was walking on the beach at 5pm and there was still light in the sky. And I feel rejuvenated and energised, ready to embrace all that 2010 may bring.