~ documentation of events and activities from daily life ~
After yesterday’s dusting, today we are blessed with winter sunshine, two in the afternoon and the snow is just starting to melt. We have our little Chappie happily burning and our home feels cosy. I made cinnamon porridge for breakfast and I am now drinking green tea. Could ‘wintery-ness’ be any lovelier?
Earlier this week Richard and I found ourselves at a Charity Event which involved dressing up and reminiscing with Abba songs. It was rather like being transported back in time, almost fun, but slightly distasteful. And yet, in a moment of highlight Richard donned a large Afro wig and was reborn as a man of the ’70’s. It made the Mama Mia’s all worthwhile. We’re really diggin’ your style….
Its a grey old day today, a day for snuggling in cashmere, drinking cups of tea and baking pear upside-down cake for a good friend’s birthday tea. Its been drizzling all day, the garden will be very happy. On the weekend we worked on installing our new (old) fire. its a little French multi-fuel enamel tower. I am looking forward to sitting by it in the evenings, it will be beautifully warm when it’s working.
Today we are packing up our tent, some supplies and our hiking boots and heading off to the forest for an end of summer camping trip. The sky is blue and not a cloud in sight…..perfection.
What a joy it is to have friends who believe in you. I had a great conversation with a friend today about a project idea of mine, which is very beautiful but verging on mad impossibility. But, if it could work it would be an extraordinary achievement and an excellent excuse to work together. Sometimes you need the enthusiasm of someone else to remind yourself just how great you could be.
Its clean-up day in my studio. Clearing the decks once again for the next round of working. Always a pleasure once its done, always challenging to get started…
I am cleaning my studio in preparation for new works. I enjoy the sense of anticipation in the tidying process, procrastination also comes to mind but the cleaning is like putting brackets around what has gone before. Its pleasing to make a new start.
This morning faced with a moment of indecision I typed “what to do next’ into Google and came up with an article by William Raspberry from the Washington Post. The following lines reminded me that without striving there is little satisfaction. “It scares me that the parents of so many young children today don’t believe in the magic. It’s almost as if they are afraid to believe in it, afraid to dream of success because they’ve become convinced that only failure is real. They may fantasize, but they don’t strive. What’s the difference? Fantasy imagines success; striving asks: What do I do next?”. I like the sentiment and feel I have had my question satisfactorily answered. What a wonder a search engine can be.
On July 19 2009 Richard and I arrived in Santiago having walked 254 kms to complete our Camino de Santiago. What an extraordinary journey it has been and what delightful people I have met along the way. People who have inspired me to be better in the world by demonstrating high levels of humility, determination and generosity. Walking is a wonderful way to spend time, it provides room for thinking and expansion whilst moving with purpose, what could be better? Except perhaps the siesta after a day of hard walking. Thanks to Roland, Laurie, Darren, Joy, the French family, the senora who gave us juice for breakfast and all the others we met along the path. A beautiful adventure.
Summer light, filtered through textured glass. A lovely feeling to have warm air in the evenings once again.