Cats in the Kitchen, Flora in the Garden

The mailman knocked on my door at 9.15 this morning, with a lovely surprise for me. The 6x6 DL Friendship Piece that Lottie made for me. I really like it, it reminds me of my of how my garden was in summer and I can look at it in winter when I feel blue. I have uploaded a picture of it opposite. I got so involved in organising the project and making my piece and ensuring they went out on time, that I completely forgot the fact that I would be receiving a piece myself.

I am really pleased with the way the project is shaping up and I feel that everyone seems to be enjoying it. I am sure that at some point next year someone will perhaps feel like organising something similar.



Kai posted a lovely piece on her site about where in your home you feel serenity and asked where abouts in our houses we felt it. This got me thinking and I decided there are two really serene rooms in my home. The first is the living room we spend our evenings in. The walls we left white and it being an old room, we also left the plaster with all its bumps and lumps because that added to the ambience of the room. I just have very thin muslin curtains at the windows in cream. The carpet is a plain dark green which veers towards blue. On top of that in the centre of the room we have a flokati. Our settee is brown our club chair is black and our reclining chair is cream, believe me those colours work. The colours in the room come from cushions and throws in rich winter colours gold and burdgandy with textures such as velvet, satin and silk. The highlight of the room is a painted chinese screen. We have a low coffe table chest with 12 tiny drawers, which is covered with books, buddhas alabaster eggs in a bowl and other trinkets. We always burn candles in the evening and insense. You come in and sit down and a great air of tranquilty overtakes you.
Nearly all the ornaments are exotic bits and pieces I have collected or being given as gifts. All year round I have a vintage jug of branches in the window with fairylights twined in them to add to the magical feeling. Of course, the Green Man hangs above the fireplace watching over the house. If you are interested you can see parts of the room in an old posting I made in September, I think, with my daughter photographed, in the room wearing her beautiful pink dress.



The other room I have almost got fitting the state of tranquility I love, is our bedroom. This is painted a pale bluebell and above the bed I have hung a row of blue fairylights which give a beautifully relaxed light. I have a long string of beautiful pink fabric butterflies hanging down one wall and a string of mirrors and pewter fairies with peacock blue wings on another. Bunches of lavender hang all around as do hooks with my beads on. I also have a small wall of my embroidered handbag collection. The window in my bedroom never fails to calm me. It is an old casement window with a deep window ledge, the wall is about 10inches thick. I don't have curtains just a drape of pale shimmering blue voile wound round and round the curtain rail and hanging down at one end. I have some really soft windchimes hanging in the window, that gently chime in the night when there is a breeze and crystals and a mini mirror ball that makes magic orbs all around my room walls when the moonlight hits it. I have a large papier mache crescent moon hanging at the side recess of the window. The room is nearly in the state I really want it. I must get round to taking some photographs of these two rooms and posting them on here.



I have finally finished the Time Traveller's Wife. It was a wonderful book, if any of you haven't read it do so as soon as you can. It is just so good, both on the level of an beautiful inspiring romance and for the questions it raises about reality and time. I just so enjoyed it, definitely one to go on my books that influenced me list. I have now started Wicked by Gregory Maguire, it has taken me ages to get hold of this book. I wanted to read it because it is the book that the musical Wicked is based. This has just opened in London and I am hoping to get to see it next year sometime with Sweetpea. It is one of those books that you just fall straight into and know you are going to love it. Has anybody read this or know anything about this Gregory Maguire?

I went to visit my mother today and was very naughty, I had to pass a charity shop on the way and whoops, well I just had to stop but I scored some cool things, a deep blue casserole dish with lid for my yellow kitchen. A lovely painted pottery Portugese plate for my dining room, and a small blue and white ginger jar and four blue and white rice bowls. All for £5. Can't be bad. I must behave myself for a while now with two charity shop raids and a glitter blowout within the last week.

Don’t forget to join in Daisy Lupins’
Halloween Ghost Story Posting
Post a ghost story, something strange that happened
To you or a tale you want to tell
On 31st October, or as near to before
As possible.
Let’s have a Giant Story Circle