Time to explore

Chris is very good at finding places that I just adore. The Weald and Downland Open Air Museum is a collection of very old buildings that have been moved here from all over the country and preserved as a complete town. The scent of woodsmoke drifted over the village, and I sat in the winter sun and sketched until bits of me went numb. 

There were people here whose whole purpose was to wander round in costume and talk to visitors. I think this might be my dream job. And I just love those timber framed buildings and interesting brickwork.



My other current obsession is fungi (see previous posts) and I was pleased to add a couple of new ones to my collection, including these Jelly Ears.

There were some charming little scenes set up in the houses, and you could imagine that any moment the gardener was going to walk through the door. It appealed to my love of preserving garden produce - the strings of onions and garlic hanging up and the neatly stacked fruits are a bit of a dream of mine really. One day I would love to have a pantry where I can store dried vegetables and jars of home made jams.

I can't help comparing life then with our lives now: rushing from one thing to the next, sending emails and writing reports, so busy that we have to do our shopping online and get it delivered. Don't get me wrong, I love the life we live and I am very lucky in so many ways. And I wouldn't change our centrally-heated home with electricity and running water for any of these cottages, however charming they are. But I think there is a lot to be said for living in harmony with the world around us, following the pattern of the seasons and using our natural resources wisely. 

I thoroughly enjoyed our morning exploring here, and I'm glad that we get the time to do things like this. Maybe modern life isn't so bad after all.

Sunnier times

It feels like it hasn't stopped raining since we got back from South Africa. (Spare a thought for the people who have been really suffering). So I've been scrapping a few sunnier photos just to remind me that the sky isn't always grey.

Those bits of blue in the text are an interesting design technique that also conveniently covers up a mistake. Then once I'd done it once, I repeated it a few times to make it look deliberate. Only now I've told you, so that kind of defeats the object of the exercise.

I don't want to think about what the rain is doing to the garden and the allotment. Well, I only have to look outside the door to see that the garden is rapidly turning into a quagmire. Nothing is planted yet and it's too wet to do anything. We can't even inspect the bees when it's raining. When we had a brief sunny moment last weekend; so many bees flew out of the hives in the garden that we thought something was wrong - but they just wanted to enjoy themselves and make the most of it.

And so do we. As soon as the sun comes out again we will be outside digging, planting and growing new things. However wet and miserable things get, there are always sunnier times ahead.

His & Hers

Sketching outdoors is incredibly intimidating. It's really hard to choose my subject, to place things on the paper, to get the proportions and perspective correct. I am working on it - taking my little sketchbook out and trying to do a few sneaky sketches when people aren't looking. It's quite tricky to avoid people looking at your work. I'm told I do a good 'stern face' though, so that will come in handy. In the meantime, I am working on drawing from life in the safety of my own home.

Chris and I have desks which are opposite each other, so we can work on our many hobbies while still being a little bit sociable. This is his side. Mine will be slightly harder to sketch because I will have to stand in the kitchen doorway to do it. It's a small house, but it's home.

Moments in May

Enjoying: the sight of animals and their young.

Appreciating: every blossom and flower.

Savouring: the vivid blue sky and green spring grass.

Relishing: the challenge of our first long walk in the sunshine this year - and the ice cream at the end of it.

Learning: about honeybees and becoming enchanted by them. (This camellia is in the garden where we keep our hives...it was much too busy to be taking photos while we worked on them today. Don't worry, there will be bee-related posts later).

Feeling: the sand between my toes.

Looking: forward to many more moments like this.

Distractions

It feels like forever since I've written a blog post. Sorry about that. Actually, it's only been a couple of weeks but life has been rather full of distractions of late. Three distractions, in fact.

We were on our usual Sunday afternoon outing to the local Pets at Home for cat food. We had been keeping an eye on these degus since before Christmas, and every time we went to the store we'd have to go and check if anyone had taken them home. This time, they were still in the shop and being utterly adorable. Normally, when either Chris or I starts thinking about how we could take them home, the other one of us will have their sensible head on and rein it in. After all, we live in a small house and already have a cat and a chinchilla. How could this possibly work?

Apparently, what happens is that as you wander away someone else will start looking at the degus and I was overcome with the fear that someone else would take them home. And so that was it. I had a serious case of longing, and Chris wasn't in the mood to discourage me. A quick mental re-shuffle of the lounge and where on earth we were going to put them, and we were decided. The degus would be ours!

We picked up a cage, and some toys, and a bag of food, and before I knew it we were heading home with three degus in cardboard boxes. Oh my word. 

Chris has had degus and other rodents before, but I've never experienced anything like them and wasn't really prepared for the level of overwhelming cuteness that comes with having these three guys in my life. They are utterly engaging, charming and adorable. After a few days we started to notice their distinct personalities, and although we are still getting to know them they are already part of the family.

I can't help but smile each time I see them. Their friendly chatter and the fact that they are so interested in you and everything you do makes them the perfect companions. They get braver every day and will come out of the cage to greet us - now we have to work on training them to go back in when we want them to. Indy, pictured here, seems to like sitting on top of the radiator and keeping his feet warm. He's also started to 'groom' me by gently nibbling my fingers. Apparently this means I'm one of the gang and I love it.

Pep the chinchilla is distinctly disinterested in them, even when the most adventurous degu tries to make a bid for freedom by dashing across the lounge. Morpheus, on the other hand, thinks we've bought him his own live TV. Now if only he could work out why they are so interested in him... (and no, we don't let the degus out of the cage while Morpheus is in the house.) 

This time last year, if you had told me what my life was going to look like, I would have called you a fool. It's funny how things work out and I certainly never imagined a home full of furries. Every day, we do something that makes this home even more special and right now I couldn't be happier.

Still scrapbooking

Is it really November? The last couple of months have passed so quickly; it feels like summer was just a few days ago and now we are preparing for Christmas. I think I am ready for winter - I have a stack of crafty projects lined up and am looking forward to some rainy weekends that might give me the chance to work on some of them. I also have a big juicy pile of photos just waiting to be scrapbooked...

If this was a proper lifestyle blog, then I would have done a tour of my home by now and shown you lots of interesting details and carefully posed ornaments. A proper craft blog would have done a tutorial on crochet blankets and how to make your own candles. Since this blog is neither of these things, I don't have any of those to show you. The shameful truth is that I still have things in boxes and I buy my candles from gift shops. But what I do have - is a house that feels like home. Far more than anywhere else I've lived, and despite the fact that this place is rented, I've managed to make a space that works for me and feels unbelievably cosy. When I come in from work and close the door behind me - I am safe, warm and comfortable.

There is still a lot to do. Unpacking those boxes for a start. And maybe one day I will get around to putting something on the walls. In the meantime, I have come to realise that what makes a place 'home' for me is not stylish design or fancy furniture. It is about having a space that works for the things I love, that I can feel in control and comfortable in, and sharing it with people I care about. This house definitely feels like home.

Seasonal fun

An art holiday at home

This week has been quite lovely. Staying home from work without any plans to go anywhere...it's nice to have time just to be.

One of the things on my lifetime to-do list is an art holiday - preferably one of those ones somewhere in Europe that's warm and sunny with great food, cheap wine and lovely scenery. That's not really in the budget this year, so instead I am making an effort to make art at home - starting with getting out the watercolours and experimenting.

Hopefully I will have some finished works to show you by the time I go back to work...

Creativity is not dead

I've had a bit of a shuffle around on my desk. Do you ever find that you never use the stuff that's neatly put away? EXACTLY. I've been saying this for years as my reason not to tidy up. Anyway, I realised that the reason I wasn't using all my fabulous embellishments was because they were carefully hidden on a shelf. So I've changed that:

A friend came to my house the other day, and remarked 'You have enough to scrapbook forever!'. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she was only looking at my scrap paper basket. (It's in the top right, off the edge of this photo). The good stuff is tucked away so the cat can't sit on it. I do, though, make a point of going through my folder every time I need a piece of paper, so at least it gets used.

But the rearranging has paid off, with a great crop of pages lately. I've been having a real urge to scrapbook and haven't been able to do anything about it, because I'm just so busy right now. But there's always next weekend, and I have a few days off work lined up. All this rainy weather is perfect for staying inside and playing with paper.

Stuff I make: the lampshade project

One of the joys of renting is that I can't really do anything permanent. Or more accurately, I could but then I would have to leave it behind when I inevitably leave. I'm not generous enough to do that, so I settle for making things that can be packed in a box.

Using a plain lampshade from Ikea and my trusty butterfly punches, plus some Glossy Accents (which I am praying is strong enough to withstand the heat from the bulb, otherwise I could wake up with dead butterflies falling on me.) 

I spent a pleasant couple of hours sticking it all together, grouping one or two large butterflies with lots of smaller ones. I decided not to go for all-over coverage for a couple of reasons - firstly, I didn't want it to look like my room was being swarmed by insects. And secondly, I got bored punching out butterflies. I am a lazy crafter.

And here it is in place. I'm kind of pleased with it, and I've found a legitimate use for my endless crafting supplies. Win all round :)

Ah, that's better

Surprisingly hard to photograph (isn't everything at 8am?)

I am 23 rows in and loving the colour combinations here. And the more I do, the more snuggly it is across my lap. Perfect.

Loving this life

I am seriously loving this house. It's the first time I've ever had a garden that feels like part of the house - the back door opens straight onto it. It's only small and yes, the grass needs cutting. But it's been totally worth it these last few days as I come home, open the door, let Morph out to play and enjoy the evening sunshine while I cook dinner.



This tree is totally gorgeous and I don't even have to look after it - it belongs to next door. Despite living in the centre of town, my garden isn't overlooked at all and I hardly even hear my neighbours. There is a family one side and an elderly couple the other - very similar to my last house. The difference is that no-one here seems to be trying to kill each other.



Having to move house was really hard - stressful and exhausting both physically and mentally. At the same time, though, I sort of knew that it was for the best. I was leaving a house that was full of memories of being ill, and moving somewhere new just as I start on a new life as a 'well person' not a 'sick person'. As it turns out, it was the best thing that could have happened. This house is nicer, newer, better laid out and more comfortable.



I hate it when people say 'everything happens for a reason'. I don't believe that. But I do believe that you can make the best of what you're given, and sometimes the opportunities you weren't expecting turn out to be the best of all.



It would be too easy for everything to turn out perfectly just like that. There are still some changes happening and most of them are out of my control. For once, they're not even all health-related. Weirdly though, I don't feel worried any more. The sense of rising panic that I have experienced so much over the last months has gone, and I am feeling much more peaceful. I am learning to live in this moment and enjoy it, and it feels good.

Yes, it does.

Settling in

Moving house was infinitely more stressful than I was prepared for, but it's finally done and three weeks after moving in we are beginning to feel settled...this is a good home for Morpheus and for me.

I had a lot of lovely helpers who made the whole thing possible. 'Thank you' isn't really enough but it will have to do for now. They did all the lifting, carrying, moving, hauling, fixing and other things that I'm not supposed to do, but are kind of essential when you are moving every single thing you own.

All the furniture is in place and now I just need to keep going with all the boxes. I've reached that horrible stage where I've unpacked enough to live on a day-to-day basis, but not enough to actually consider myself finished. In my last house (and the one before, actually) that lasted about two years. I have high hopes that this time it's going to be different. Don't laugh.

I kept Morpheus in for three weeks and had dreams of turning him into a house cat....it was never going to work. Despite spending a small fortune on cat toys and things to keep him entertained, yesterday I had to give in and open the door for him. He lasted about ten minutes before he came in, and this morning he wouldn't go out at all because it was raining. Spoilt?

I am not dead, just buried (under a sea of boxes)

I had to move a tower of boxes to even get to my computer to write this.

I get the keys to my new house on Friday. I am alternately excited, and terrified. I am looking forward to living in a new house (open plan! bigger kitchen! brand new refurb!) but despite the best efforts of the people who helped me clean and pack today I am still worried (not enough boxes/too much stuff, co-ordinating everything).

Moving will be good for me. I'd just rather not have to do it. All my craft stuff is packed away and I should probably have packed the computer as well by now. Oh, and as I am back to work full-time now I am finding out how to push my body through previously undiscovered levels of tiredness.

Somehow, I just have to make it through this week. Then I get four days before my Open University course starts. Did someone say 2011 was going to be easier?

Home's best

It's taken nearly a year but I am back in my own home.

I am endlessly, eternally grateful to my family: for letting me stay with them, for looking after me, for making me cups of tea, for putting up with my stuff all over the place, for coming back to my house to feed my cat when I couldn't.

But it is such a wonderful feeling to be back in my own home.

I have always liked this house, but lately it has been making me smile every time I come through the door. I walk into my craft room (studio, I mean) and my heart lifts a little bit. I sit at my desk surrounded by paper, paint and glue, and I get a warm fuzzy feeling that makes me giggle. I work at the computer and I am joined by my boy who is so pleased to have me back.

I am living my life again. And it is so very good to be home.