{quilt} while you're ahead

37 **2013

Poetry Monday.

(Because I seem to be surrounded by news I don't like and need to re-gain a good perspective on things)

 

Wild Geese

  

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting --
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

~ Mary Oliver ~

 

 

16**2013

from "the sun" by Mary Oliver

" ...

do you think there is anywhere, in any language,

a word billowing enough

for the pleasure

 

that fills you,

as the sun

reaches out,

as it warms you

as you stand there,

empty-handed -

or have you too turned from this world -

 

or have you too

gone crazy

for power,

for things?

15**2013

Two books Wednesday

Magical in places.

Delightful.  I've always been a fan of Clare Balding.  Utterly English (do you know what I mean?)

9**2013

Two books Wednesday

(Short stories.  Some amazing. Some less so)

(Absolutely Sherlock.  Brilliant)

129//2012

Once upon a time on a weekend

- I had a delicious breakfast with fresh blueberries

- I nursed a nasty cold kindly 'donated' by Mr M who, on previous days, had decided to work from home so not to infect his colleagues at work.

- ...

- Nice to know where one stands in his priorities.

- Because I'm not bitter I hired No 3's help and baked mini mince pies

- AND a jam tart

- I don't like mince pies.  They smell. Not in a nice way.  BUT they seem all the rage at this time of year and I bowed to peer pressure.  Actually, as I was bying a jar of 'mince meat' (nothing to do with meat... if you're not English you'll be confused, like I was when I first moved over here) a lady behind me told me it's bad luck making them before December.

- Also, my friend H told me I shouldn't be eating brussell sprouts before the first frost.

- Sigh.

- I've been living in England for 21 years and I still get things wrong.

- Speaking of being here for 21 years... I'm reading "Night walks" by Charles Dickens.  Oh dear.  I didn't realise there are so many words I don't know either.

- On the up side I managed to do a little bit of quilting, and crochet

- (cashmere how I love thee)

- and I blocked and assembled all but one sleeve of my record breaking sweater (more on that soon)

- I also bought some Christmas ornaments, YES, it's November ... AND?

- There was also lots of washing and big cooking, games of UNO and Monopoli... and I painted my toenails.

- Have a good week!

122//2012

- Autumn, glorious Autumn.

- There is a massive spider on my door

- and a basket of pinecones in the hall

- there's a fabric pumpkin under a belljar

- the glass beads around my neck are the colour of the sky

- and I have a crochet hook in my hands

- later I have a rugby match to watch, a boy to pick up late after a school trip, and soup to make.

- and you?

 (Paul Auster, Winter Journal... a beautifully written book)

117//2012

A random catch up, mainly about food.

- I'm craving spelt bread

- We went through two jam tarts in 4 days.

- No 2 baked cupcakes all by himself without any help apart from the oven part.  There are no surviving specimens; the last few have gone to school under the pretenses of 'snacks'.  Apparently because they're homemade they're 'healthy'... mmmhh jury is out on that one.

- The brownies recipe in the first issue of The simple things, is brilliant.  Even if you decide to omit the raspberry because they're way too sophisticated for your offsprings' basic taste.  A small warning: it makes an enourmous amount of brownies... which is good or bad depending if you're trying to squeeze into last winter's clothes or not.  Just saying.

- These crisps are simply divine. Go out and buy some now. NOW. GO.

- My oldest friend came to see me this week (we first met in primary school and were pretty much inseparable for the five years we lived in the same town but we kept in touch ever since).  She's pregnant with her first.  How exciting is that???? I'm getting to sew pretty baby things again... and knitting tiny socks...

- And talking of sewing my handheld blender needed a new suit; I obliged with a little help from Lotta:

- Have you got your copy of this yet? I've only read one chapter... but it's gripping.  She's such a great story teller.  (Not keen on the cover if I have to be honest though).

- Europe won The Ryder Cup (golf) yesterday.  Soooo exciting.

- Don't you think pears are the prettiest fruit?

42//2012 {{Modern Quilts Traditional Inspiration}}

by Denyse Schmidt.

Let me start by saying that I think that Denyse Schmidt is a genius.  Her first book "Quilts" has been my favourite since it came out years ago and the one book I can always pick up when I need to find my creative mojo.

This latest one? oh my.  Even better.

(a stamped wholecloth quilt - genius - my favourite)

Denyse takes traditional quilting blocks and by playing with sizes and colours turns them into most modern of designs

(Shoeman's puzzle - my favourite)

I don't normally follow patterns for my quilts, I like to make my own and risk the not always brilliant results

(a simple Irish Chain - my favourite)

but leafing through this book I can assure you that I could make most of them 

(sawtooth stripes - genius again - my favourite)

In fact I have a strong urge of sitting at my table and make millions of half square triangles in shades of yellow - except I don't have many yellow fabric in my stash and what I have instead is three children in three different geographical location that at some point will have to be brought together again.  And fed. Sigh.

(ocean waves - my favourite)

I keep looking and looking through the book trying to pick a favourite, but there is one in every page.  It's like asking to keep a favourite amongs my children.

(streak of lightning and orange peel - my favourites)

I just can't.

I'll have to make them all.

31//2012

Rambling randomly on... on a Friday

- It's sunny.

- It's been unseasonally warm for the past two days.

- I'm not complaining.

- I've been doing some 'free' embroidery and I'll show it to you soon.

- I bought a light pink sweater to celebrate the oncoming of spring.

- I've had my hair done and booked an eyebrows appt.  Spring cleaning has started!

- No 1 has been given a big project to do at school.  He's chosen the history of "Ferrari".  When I did mine I choose the American war of Independence.  It's obvious that school isn't what it used to be.

-  'o tempora o mores'.  My dad used to roll his eyes and say that to me on a weekly basis.  Now it's my turn to unleash it on my offspring.  A bad case of history repeating itself!

- I have got about 4 loads of washing waiting patiently for me (name the song AND the artists)

- I've painted my nails blue.  Just because.

- Tonight Mr M and I are going to the cinema to see "The Artist"

- Tomorrow Mr M will disappear all afternoon on a rugby fuelled afternoon/evening. 

- When you step into No 3's bedroom his robot/money bank speaks to you and its eyes lit up.  Very scary.

Money banks should not to that.

- Do you ever read the last page of the book you're reading to see what will happen?  I do.

- Yes, I agree it's stupid.

 

Have a good weekend.

 

 

155/2011

Today I met a friend and had coffee and cake and wondered through antique shops and charity shops (I must show you the treasures I found soon) and lots of time in here

I believe very few things smell more reassuringly than an antique books store

there are so many crazy and wonderful books out there... and so little time to read enough of them

I found a couple of more of these gorgeous things for my collection:

They're Penguin Poetry books from the 60's and they have the most divine covers.

Maybe I should start reading them too?

(who said don't judge a book by it's cover...)