Idleness

My mission this week, should I choose to accept it, is to be idle.
Yeah baby!
This week's course material is simply a call to idleness. And, as I am currently on holiday it should be a doddle.








The dogs seem to have settled to idleness quite nicely in this lovely sun filled holiday cottage. A good race around on a vast and empty beach helped them find their way.




My first beach find was beautifully covered in barnacles when I spied it. Turns out are they were not robust enough to survive a journey in my hand bag.......disintegrated.
Much like the accretions that were clinging invisibly to me......those fell away and were carried off on the salty breeze. My insides and my outsides relaxed and softened in the warmth of the sun and I felt myself restored by the blue sky and turquoise sea.








Sufficiently restored and stirred to get out my paints and play, idly of course.




And it did feel very idle. We are not watching the clock. Not eating 3 square meals a day. Our days are not defined in any way.




I leave these materials out and we eat whatever we fancy when we fancy in amongst the colourful chaos.




I am very blessed with a beloved who takes me just as I am.




So blessed by his patience.
When I found an albatross skeleton on the beach ( either an albatross or pterodactyl, not sure, it was huge) I did actually listen to his reasons why taking the, not completely finished rotting, skull with me was not necessarily an altogether bright idea. I think he may have had a point.
It was awesome though.
If you like that sort of thing.




I am liking idleness.
Like there was ever any doubt that I would!




Idleness leaves gaps, space between thought and activity where you can hear those things that are usually drowned out by busyness.




You can really hear yourself think. And blow me you can really hear what it is that you have to say back.




Fruitful!

More things to do with a duvet cover

Or.....wearing a duvet cover and loving it!
Now, I like to think that I have style.
Quite what that style is defies description much of the time.




There exists in me remnants of the girl who took pride in a tartan sleeved, Bay City Rollers crombie.
For any readers who do not parlez that lingo just accept it was a fashion "must have" that existed briefly,a long, long time ago.
It has to be said,for a particular, small group of pre and pubescent girls that probably had no dress sense but did care about what they wore.
And somehow in the intervening years I went from that to this picture above.
It took the attrition of green issues, the increasing desire for post menopausal comfort, the sheer delight in doing it for oneself, and the open mouthed horror at the price tag of £80,in a bijoux boutique,for a simple shift dress to get here. But, here I am.

Would I lie to you....

From red to blue.
Tho something that I notice is that the 'grumpy red' of my previous post had a stillness to it that the 'blue calm' does not.
So it would appear - I lie!



But, I was feeling calm and very happy when I did this in the early morning, 30 minute , pre work, arty slots.



There may be an element of crowing in this post.....please forgive it.
It is just me being cheer leader to myself lest I forget what I can achieve in a week alongside using " the skills that pay the bills".
Oh, I should add, when I also forgo cooking, cleaning, TV watching ( no pain there in football season), and laying in bed till the very last minute.


These journal pages were a response to a comment about the "blue calm" being reminiscent of willow patterned china. And also a vehicle for me to use the hexagonal lid to a cheese-spread pot that was languishing, squeaky clean, on the draining board.


Et voila! Willow patterned patchwork to hold the patchwork of my thoughts.


The week began with the love notes postcard project. Never having participated in any form of art swap I was a little.....anxious.
So I stuck with what I know and collaged a card.


The words were prompted by ' begin each day.....'
I can only hope that the recipient will have as much pleasure in getting it as I did in making it. Another occasion when my inner 5 year old let rip.


I had to take this photo.
My dog and I communicate telepathically and he clearly was saying 'ere this is me best side, go on, take me photo'
He might also have said ' tummy in...*!!*s out' but a plane went over and I lost the signal for a bit.
Deranged!? Moi?
Of course.


The dusty muppet again. Woken from his nap by me hanging the two dresses that I have been hemming on the wall to photograph.
His patience knows no bounds.

Melancholy baby.

I have made discoveries.
Two to be exact.
It transpires that I am a melancholy bird.
I knew that.
Mostly I resist it, because from melancholy to morose is hardly a leap, it is just an itty bitty step. One that I take all too often, all too easily.
F.Y.I an easy typo to make leads you to Morse.......the inspector.....who was morose.
I made that particular typo in a forum this week where the link between depression and art making was discussed.

Munch. May not have been a happy chappy, guessing this was on a good day.

Now, I have me ups and I have me downs.
 I have known heartache as have we all.
And there is an artistic fuel to be found in the sadnesses we experience to be sure.
But, just how far do you take it?
Keep it real.
Don't be fake.
Advice worth heeding. Clearly advice many have taken.
And I commend all those who are out of any closet or prison that they were once in but I said in one of my very first posts that I believe what the world needs is more light not more darkness. Sharing the darkness can be very healthy, can be very good I can't deny that but I don't want to do it.

Van Gogh, he had his ups and downs.

 There is something febrile in his painting.

 Standing before one, I cried. I will love him forever simply because he could do that.

So in a way this is a preemptive apology for all those times that my work is tinged by sadness, or darkness.
Bless you Frances for the reassurance that you find my blog humorous....although you didn't sound too sure that you were supposed to!
I am greatly relieved that you do.

My second discovery was more the confirmation that less is often more.
And then I completely threw that lesson out of the window and made myself an enchanted necklace inspired by the weeks activities on the days of enchantment course.



Also course led was the creation of an enchanted space the focus of which was this lovely piece of art by Holly Sierra on Etsy



And looking further at symbols....my personal ones; I rediscovered the ironing board. Symbolically.



Long story, probably boring story, short ; it reminds me to keep personal boundaries and to not let my energy seep away where I do not wish seepage to occur.



Just to contradict my sunshiny little self I am going to admit that I got angry this week and.....and.......I did a whole episode of grumpy.
But the thing I learned from doing some journal pages about the who and the why and the where and unfair of it all is that I like to make pretty. Even with the ugly.



Not too sure if that is healthy. I have a psychoanalyst friend who could probably get much mileage out of that. But, I have my fingers in my ears...la,la,la,la,la.



This pinky splodged affair is me letting my inner 5 year old out to play with paints. Intuitive drawing was the remit. Face splittingly smiley fun was the result.
I hope your face splits with a smile, that grumpy stays underground with the other dwarves and and that your inner 5 year old gets out to play with whatever floats your boat. Xxxxx

A week in images

It started with hedge trimming or what is more commonly known as a haircut; much overdue.
That was last Friday.

Personal symbols were  the subject of this weeks coursework from Jani Franck which started on Sunday.



How cute is this rook bead? Don't you love the call of rooks from their untidy nests high up in the trees. Such a harsh but evocative sound.



Summer visited today and urged me outside to see what was happening in the yard.
Mother nature will not be denied will she. And yet whenever I've tried to replicate this kind of planting she has laughed in my face and refused to play ball.



The dogs were also keen to be out warming in the sun. A tad too much warming for Hairy Herbert Senior who took shelter in the greenery.


Hairy Herbert the younger has been re named ' the dusty muppet'.
Dusty from rolling on the gravelled drive and muppet for lying full stretch and baking like a biscuit. They say, don't they, that it is mad dogs and Englishmen that lie out in the midday sun.

And inspired by the project 100 Acts of Sewing, using the pattern I bought from the Etsy shop of the same name I made a dress.
Summer dress.
 Just in case this weather lasts.

Here's hoping.