'tis the season

A beautiful warm blue sky day so we are in and out of the 

garden, putting it to bed, so to speak.

the beech tree is tall and beautiful

not entirely sure what this little shrub is called

it's been in the garden for ages and this year

it is very red, which is just what it said on the 

now lost label

food for the birds

the holly trees are also loaded with berries

sign of a bad winter?  hope not

I had a mad idea yesterday - I joined Instagram.   Hours were spent trying to paste

the 'button' on my blog.  I gave up.   Today, as if by magic, there it is.     

Only a 'testing' photo right now, however, we are off to India at the end of

the week and I thought Instagram might be a fun way to record our trip.

Blogging on the go just takes up too much time, that is if you can get

a good connection to start with!

October Happenings

My last Summer 2015 workshop 'Messy Day' also known as Chaos Printing.   I like the sound of that.    It is messy, but in a creative way!    Stamps were made from thin foam, potatoes and found objects.

evidence of potatoes and foam printing blocks

printed papers using a variety of tools 

it was a great day

I dyed up a special order for threads - a little different than usual

Earth tones

the colour palate

the threads

loved the results

meanwhile

fish are swimming

a little kantha stitching for quiet moments

see how the needle is bending nicely!

about time I hear you say

What have I been doing - not blogging obviously.

My room is transformed from a mess to an oasis of calm.    No piles of things to do, 
or boxes containing 'stuff'   All is pared down to essentials.  It's a good place to be.

It calmed me down.  I took the slow road through August, no rush.

Reading, gardening, relaxing by the sea and a little stitching

summer flowers

there was an indigo workshop 

hot and humid, just perfect 

the vat at the end of the day

it was still going strong 

In September, the String of Elephants workshop and some birds too.

that was fun

Little kantha bags with the lovely ladies, and young

embroiderers of Frome Embroiderers' Guild

followed by Canford Needlework Festival

a fabulous day meeting old friends and new

(had to jump of the slow road that weekend)

on my birthday we discussed perhaps a week on a Greek Island or

a few days in Normandy, instead we went on a day trip to the 

Isle of Wight to visit Osborne House.  

We found the paintings of Rudolf Swoboda who, in1886 was

commissioned by the Queen to paint a series of portraits illustrating 

the nationalities of India.  They are stunning, painted on wood

panels measuring 30x20 cm.    In 2002 the National Gallery, London

exhibited the portraits, the only time they have left Osborne House.

I found a copy of the catalogue (An Indian Encounter) on Amazon,

 and so did Keith. 

 Snap!