Seagull No.5

I've thoroughly enjoyed my charcoal seagulls and this is the one we've decided to frame.

He's large, the card is A1, and I think that, with a hardboard border and painted wood frame, it'll be the perfect piece for our dining room wall.

So, I'm back

from the sunny South of France and I'm wondering if I should be worried...

It seems, that somewhere in that glorious haze of heat and food, swimming and books, that I have lost my voice.  Though not literally, of course.  But, I have been back since Friday, laptop at the ready, and the sharing voice that I have enjoyed writing with these past few months is staying resolutely silent.  It's not as if I don't have anything to say either.  I have had a glorious two weeks, full of wonderful shared times (no TV, internet, radio, news: instead, games, reading, exploring, silly hats, an epic battle of Monopoly as the rain fell, the nightly game of Scrabble, the joy of watching the 10 yr old experience ET for the first time!), great friends, good food and drink shared at a table in the sun, and nature at its most beautiful best.  Somewhere in all of that, I also made some serious decisions about how I want to live my life, what I want to do, the people I want in it.  Decisions that would normally leave me with plenty to say: but, just as these decisions have been made without the usual noisy, messy, internal cogitations; so too the results sit quietly, calm and resolute.

In the meantime, however, I am abuzz with things to make and do.  I am drawing again and working on a seagull, in charcoal, for the dining room.  I have dolly to make right... my Victorian Jacket to sew... ideas for a stitching project... a thousand ideas for Halloween.  My mind is overflowing and it just doesn't feel like there are enough hours in the day!  It is wonderful to feel this alive with possibilities.

The South of France, here we come..

Well that's it, one website built and waiting for comments; work all as sorted as it can be; the bags are packed, the animals all to be cared for by some very kind folk; and all I have to do now is get some sleep and be prepared for the long drive south.  My only regret is that Dolly (who has a head now, but oh! what a head....) does not have a face or hair; it feels a little mean to leave her thus for a fortnight, but as I'm not sure of what I'm doing I'm equally sure that the thinking time will be worth it!

Meanwhile, I've been promised, no wifi/broadband or washing machine just good food and wine, sun and a pool, and as many books as I can read.  I've also decided that the 10 yr old is old enough to watch a few old favourites, we are going to France with ET, Dirty Dancing, Gremlins and the original Fame, just to name a few... the 1980s are making a serious comeback in the G&G household!

So, have a lovely fortnight all, speak to you in September x

Dolly gets a body

Having been awake at 3am this morning thinking web-stuff, I decided that a change would do me good; Dolly would get a body.  I marked off the openings for the legs and arms and sewed the body together, turned it inside out and got a surprise... one of Dolly's arms would be hanging out of her neck!  A little unpicking later and we had some fun deciding how to place the arms.  

"Hallelujah! I have a body!"

Feeling a little down....

And a little Mexican wave!

I whip stitched each arm into place, stuffed the body and pinned the legs into place.  However, as I propped Dolly on the laptop, whilst I ate dinner, that I realised what was bugging me.  The joints were sewn vertically not horizontally... I give up on the instructions for this doll!

I unpicked the joints, resewed them in and Dolly's knees now bend down rather than outwards!  The arms are still not quite right, I am going to pull the elbow seams into a ball joint so that they bend more fully.  However, I had run out of my allotted time, so the joints and sewing in the legs will have to wait.

Meanwhile, Dolly may be headless but she's at least in (more or less) one piece, even if she suffers from wonky feet, arms and shoulders...!  She is giving off hints of a personality and getting a nickname "haphazard" :)  I wonder how I can turn that into a name?

This one's for Lon...

I read it today and may, one day, see it on Dragon's Tea Cup accompanied by beautiful picture?

Peace.  

It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work.  

It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. 

~ Unknown.

And, for the other days:

Fall in love or fall in hate. 

Get inspired or be depressed.  

Ace a test or flunk a class. 

Make babies or make art.  

Speak the truth or lie and cheat.  

Dance on table or sit in the corner. 

 Life is divine chaos.  Embrace it.  

Forgive yourself.  Breathe.  

And enjoy the ride... 

~ Solbeam.