Dogs among adders

I talk a walk on the wild side today. I have had a phobia about snakes since about age 8 when to win the heart of my first freckle-faced boyfriend I feigned an interest in slow worms. A long story that ended badly all round. Now, my favourite dog walking spot is marred only by the fact that adders love it too. In fact much of the countryside here is adder territory.  These days I am more fearful of the Hairy Herberts getting bitten than anything else and rely heavily on the shy nature of the snake, with piriton on standby and our vets number as VIP contact on my mobile phone. That said many dog walkers say they never see them! So am I lucky or unlucky to have seen 3!? Despite the fact that I look carefully as I walk ,and to take in the view I stop, I very nearly stood on this young one yesterday. The photograph is testament to how far I have come in conquering my fear. However I confess I did squeal.  The last photo is all red and badly lit because it was taken late last night in the bathroom when I realised that the 'kill' feather ( in the manner of an Iceni warrior) that I had put in my hair had stayed all day. In my mind I retraced all my steps and wonder now if I can face the nice man in our local hardware store!  The feather marked a metaphorical kill lest you worry that I would harm a snake. It marks a victory over fear.

Craft group night

Friday night was craft group night. This year we have dwindled. We have met infrequently and not always in our entirety.
Consequently the studio/ shop has seen quite a few changes and a there has been lots of making since we last all got together. This was commented upon. The quantity of the making not necessarily the quality.
There is nothing heroic about it. I neglect many things in order to have time to create




One of the things that the e course has brought to the fore is that prolific might be a fitting word to describe my creative output but focused?..... not fitting at all.
I am a dabbler.
If asked ' what do you do', 'what is your 'thing''? I could waffle out an answer given time. In truth I don't really know.
I aim to find out.
Finishing all the 'half mades' is a must. Space clearing physically and mentally.




I have had a spring clean in the studio and reshuffled my storage in readiness.




These earrings fulfil my promise to Maureen to give her a momento of her mother's beads which is one less item on the 'to do' list.






Collages, started recently, are something I love to do. It's very playful. I get into a seriously sticky mess, bit like a 5 year old. I want to do more of these and try and find my own style with them.





And moving on with the sardine tins will be another ongoing project.

Going on a pilgrimage

Continuing with the e course.
Among the homework set for this week was the task of going on a pilgrimage!!




My understanding of the word is that it means a journey to a place, commonly a shrine, of moral or spiritual significance to the pilgrims beliefs.
I had help from Wikipedia with this.
Needed to pare down to the bare bones because a trip to an ashram in India was out of the question.
I don't attend Church and whatever I did had to fit in around the normal working week. So yet again I though of the car park that I use on those days of 'the skills that pay the bills'. It happens to be a Church car park. Very apt. And the meter has significance and symbolism for me.
I felt it appropriate to make an offering, perhaps to appease some deity, so I took a pansy and laid it on top.




The following morning my pansy lay face down on the concrete. Adorned by raindrops. Taken there by the wind I am sure.




I posted the photographs on the student Facebook page and someone commented.........on my shoes!

The following morning without my intervention the pansy was face up.








Now you may ask, as I have asked myself, what purpose did this serve?
And as yet I am not too sure.
But, things are a changing.

The Hero's Journey fuelled by chocolate.

I signed up for an e course on a whim. Trawling the Internet, as one does, I came across someone called Jani Franck who charmed me into doing one of her courses for arty farty types. The one I chose to do is about accessing and unleashing your creativity. It also usefully provides a community of like minded people by connecting the students via a Facebook page.
Through a series of downloadable materials and online videos there are prescribed exercises to do. Before I say anything about those
let me just state for the record that these kind of things are apt, in my opinion, to bring out the preciousness in folk, myself included.
So when I say we are encouraged to identify and describe our inner artist I do so all too aware of how this sounds and what it may provoke.
However! There has been some benefit.
I now know that My Inner Artist ( hereafter known as Mia) needs chocolate!
And she needs an organised friend.
For organised friend read moi! The thing is I discovered that all the chores that create order and structure to my life and my home,that I do with reluctance and little commitment, actually fuel my creative life rather than keep me from it!!!! Which enables me to do housework with gusto. Who'd have thought?
When I say discovered I suppose I mean I have had a shift in my perception.
I think shifts in perception is what this course is all about.

On instruction I have written a letter to myself. Weirdly enjoyable. Can't divulge the contents.......




....and been documenting the everyday.
I thought my biggest challenge here would be to document the walk from the car park to my place of work where I use ' those skills that pay the bills'. A short distance that often feels like the slow walk to the gallows because it is so far removed from where I really want to be. Tad over dramatic.
My heart sinks every time.
Though again it's all about perception.
I feel that on these days Mia languishes like some unstrung puppet back in my studio while I go about the "serious"stuff of making a living.




This parking meter has a terribly solid, sentinel, quality that silently pronounces the Monday doom.
Like a mean school prefect that says 'there will be no fun from this point on".




But when I looked and bothered to record what I actually saw my heart lifted.
The sun shone down creating some wonderful shadows that under other circumstances would have been overlooked.








It isn't just the noticing the details that is important. You can notice and so easily let the fleeting image slip away. Locking it down, recording it in some way or perhaps just noticing and being fully present in the moment seems to change the colour and feel of the day.



I realised that Mia comes with me wherever I go. Yay!
Getting precious now. And borderline schizophrenic!! But I am comfortable with that.
The course is linked heavily to Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey so references to archetypes abound. I do find this way of thinking immensely helpful.


Alongside all of this 'homework' I have been continuing to accrete







And making another doll.



And filling sardine tins.



And generally having a jolly good time. Hope you all have enjoyed the week and will enjoy the week to come.
Xx

A family of dolls

Do you remember Cecily? Bought for next to nothing in a charity shop.
You may notice that shoe number two never did get made.
Anyhoo, it matters not. What I really wanted to tell you was that she now has a friend. Also from a charity shop. I took pity on her because she was naked and had fishnet tights! Wholly inappropriate I thought.
I have been thinking ,for a while, about making some soft toys and with that in mind I had picked up a book from the local library: Knitted Dolls with a designer wardrobe by Arne and Carlos. That's where the pattern for the skirt and cardy came from.
The new tights are a pair of socks revamped.




Arne and Carls employ a very clever technique for constructing their dolls. All knitted in the round and stuffed as you go. So after the last cast off, voila! You have a doll. I love this because I hate, hate, hate, sewing up fiddly little bits. I made a few adaptions to their design but that is the beauty of their book, you can add your own tweaks.
And this is my first attempt with felted hair.




Now I have a family of dolls.




And I will be making more.