in on my own on wednesday evening

I was looking back through old blog posts this evening, not something I do often really, unless I'm looking for something specific that I've written or made or seen, which I wasn't. Just feeling nostalgic I suppose.


From the age of 14 to around 19 I kept a diary. On and off, nothing serious, a few lines to a page every night, what I was thinking that night, before I went to sleep. And it's funny to read back through it now, interesting, to see with hindsight, to reflect. To try and look at the things I think now through the eyes of myself in the future, try and see life with wisdom, the bigger picture, something like that. And the other day I had the thought that I wished I still kept a diary. How could I forget my blog?!

So this must have been on my mind. And I looked back to three years ago this month. Found this, about my hopes for the future, or perhaps I was just complaining... But something hit me in the face when I realised. I've got pretty much exactly what I thought I wanted, right down to the paper stored flat, the wooden floor. The funny thing strange thing sad thing is I don't have the energy to use it.

How about that.

tuesday

I could do with a new fence.


And some time. (and some inclination).

adventures

Over Easter we travelled to Ireland for the wedding of one of my best friends. To the south west coast, through the green hills that reminded me of home, on to the mountains...

This is the view from our bedroom window, sunshine every day. And the view up (and down) Knockatee mountain...


You can see the harbour where we stayed and the wedding took place, in the distance, and the Atlantic... it was beautiful...


(shhh. that's me on the rear left :) ) The reception was in this amazing old barn, the walls hung with multi coloured scarves and hangings, candles and rose petals and weeds creeping in at the windows...


Reminded me a little of my latest screen prints... Perhaps it's all the weeding I've been doing recently...


Happy days

thing is the garden

some of them moved from other places, other gardens, some bought, and some sprouted up from what seems like nowhere...


Rain and sunshine and bird song. Plans for fences, lawns, sheds, paths, an apple tree or two... Dirt under my finger nails.

box...

phew

Where to start. I got lost in a book making swamp for a while there. Every night going up to my studio instead of sitting about downstairs... it's not a pace I could keep up I don't think, not at the same time as a full time job at least (and I have a cold and vague feeling of brain loss to show for it) but it's good to know it's there, waiting for me.


I suppose its a while since I've really concentrated on making work. On developing an idea and sustaining it to a finished thing, a finished thing I'm happy with at least. It took a few weeks to stop feeling stressed out; to stop jumping from one idea to another and to feel comfortable with what I'm working on. I sometimes forget that it takes time to quiet that voice in my ear... its not worth it... its rubbish...it'll never work... Sometimes that feeling is right, but if instead of stopping working I can just keep going, keep folding and cutting and drawing and making, then sometimes the answer comes in a flash. Things occasionally fit together. And that's when I can be happy with something I've made. When every element is in it's place and right.


It doesn't happen very often :)


There are some pictures of our stall at the book fair on Caroline's blog (and whilst you're there you can admire some of her beautiful prints patterns). When I'm at home in the day light (not long now surely, Spring) I'll take some pictures of the books I made :)

a bit of digging

This weekend me and my dad made a start on the tangled mess that is my garden. An overgrown hedge ran down the side of the house and it seemed like a bit of a waste of space. It surrounded a patio (another patio! There's a theme emerging here. hmmm) Anyway, we clipped back the hedge, dug it out, dug up the patio, tuned over the soil. I have plans for vegetables...

before


and during (my dad is ace)...

and 5 hours later, after!


Now I just need to go seed shopping...