Amethyst

As my first love in gemstones is, and always will be, amethyst, I decided that I needed an amethyst necklace but with lots of sparkle and reasonably delicate in design.  Here it is.  Very simple, symmetrical pattern, two faceted rectangle creating a pendant and the beading wire as part of the design, plaited up with two amethyst beads near the clasp. There is also a small amount of silver (in beads) and two fluorite squares to add a different texture.  I have already worn it at work and I am very pleased with it.  I think I shall make more like this, possibly using jasper or botswana agate and definitely amazonite.

Chris has sorted the comments issue for me - thanks, Chris - and it turned out to be a compatibility problem.  Hopefully all is now well.

Winter Blues

 I bought these hyacinths at a cut price supermarket for very little money, convinced that they would become the deep, rich, lapis blue that hyacinths seem to be.  So, waiting for them to flower and watching them develop every day became a ritual.  Imagine my surprise when they opened and revealed the delicate china blue of wintry skies, with the hint of pale lilac, like the lightest amethyst.

 They really are quite beautiful.

The colours seem to be reflected in a necklace I made from blue fire agate, with the blues and whites in a random pattern throughout the stone.

This kind of winter blues is one I can really enjoy.

Jewellery (and problems with comments)

 Although I haven't been doing much felt making at the moment, I am making jewellery.  I love the way you can create a piece of jewellery and wear it the next day.  Above is a bracelet I made for my friend from Canada who has just been visiting England for the first time for three years.  I used amazonite, mother of pearl, labradorite, botswana agate, shell and zebra jasper, all in neutral shades.

The necklace is for me and is completely different from anything I have made before.  Usually, I have much more delicate designs, but I was trying to make a chunkier piece.  Initially, I tried to make an assymmetric design, but it just wasn't me at all, so I had to revert back to symmetry.  This design has a lot of different gems in it; lapis lazuli, keishi pearl, jade, blue-green jasper, shell, fluorite, labradorite, turquoise and kyanite.  I hope it will complement a lovely blue-green cardigan that I wear for work.  I am going to make an amethyst necklace next, leaving the wire showing at the back and maybe even plaited.

Incidentally, just to let my lovely followers know, I am having trouble with the comments on my blog.  For some reason, they seem to disappear and just show a white screen when you click on them.  I am hoping to find out what is happening and get it sorted as soon as I can.  (Technology, eh?  Brilliant when it works and a complete pain when it doesn't!)

Winter images

 The above photo was taken when I was visiting my friend at her Granny's house.  This was once a beautifully espaliered pear tree (I think) and the training of the branches was easy to make out.  However, it hadn't been pruned in quite a while and had developed this fantastic tracery of branches, making their wayward growth towards the sky.  There was a lovely bright blue sky behind them, but I think it would have been even more effective against a dark stormy sky, or with a full moon.  I think this would make a great book cover - something like Wuthering Heights or perhaps a gothic horror.  Very atmospheric.

 This morning, I was out in the garden, battling with the strong wind, and there I saw these brave little snowdrops, looking so delicate, but able to withstand the winter weather.

They are one of my favourite flowers and seeing them immediately puts me into a more positive frame of mind - Spring isn't all that far away.

And finally, the picture of contentment has to be this one of Scruffy, taken last night.  We had the fire on, the curtains drawn and had settled down to watch a film.  Does life get any better?

The Artist - What a film!

I had been wanting to see this film since I caught a tiny snippet of it on the BBC 'Culture Show' before Christmas.  As it was a 'niche' film, I didn't think it would be shown by the big cinema companies.  However, owing to the influence of winning a few Golden Globes recently, it seems to be getting a wider screening, and so it should.  I'll try not to be too gushing, but it was one of the best films I have seen in a long time.  It has elements of A Star is Born and Singin' in the Rain, is filmed in black and white, is almost silent all the way through, and is by turns funny, moving, poignant and thought provoking.

There is a really good review from the Guardian newspaper which says everything I want to and more, so here is the link:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/dec/22/the-artist-film-review

It is an affectionate homage to silent films and the stars of the time and is a must if you enjoy film history. The acting is absolutely pitch perfect throughout with a great ensemble cast too.  I thought it was incredibly brave to make something this different and put it up against the blockbusters we are all used to now.  I hope the Golden Globe awards are the first of many.

As for a star rating - it HAS to be 5 out of 5!

(Photos from www.dailymail.co.uk)



Churches and decorations that make me smile

 We visited the local church to my friend's Granny's house on Saturday too.  It is a beautiful little church made from the local mellow brown stone.  Inside, there are some lovely pieces of stained glass, apparently made in the ' Low Countries' and probably medieval.  I thought this Nativity scene above was particularly beautiful, especially with the sun lighting up the colours.

 Looking round the church, I noticed two small faces which made me smile.  The first was this little cherub, at the base of an eighteenth century memorial on the wall.  I liked his pudgy cheeks and the way his wide open eyes have been carved to give them a lot of life.  He looks a little unsure in his expression, but I thought he was a real character.

The other face I noticed was above the pulpit, at the base of an arch.  He looks very happy, but also somewhat enigmatic as we'll never know what he was smiling about.  He gazes out at visitors, as he has done since he was carved, with a big welcoming smile and long may he continue to do so.
Unfortunately, the church has suffered the fate of many small village churches and is in the process of being closed due to falling numbers and the costs to keep it going.  I don't know when I shall be able to visit it again, so am pleased that I had the opportunity on Saturday.

Winter frost and Winter inspiration

Outside, yesterday morning, I was drawn to the sprinkling of frost around the garden.  It was glittering and sparkling in the sun and looked beautiful.  The hydrangea flowers and rose leaves were particularly impressive.

Later, we visited a friend who was staying at her Granny's house, and in the dining room,  there was a basket of fabulous blue hyacinths with their shadows being cast on the wall behind.  I particularly noticed the contrast between the cold, frosty garden with the predominance of green, brown and grey and the exuberance of the indoor hyacinths with their pungent fragrance and brilliant colour.

While visiting, we went into the local church and I found some lovely things to photograph.  More to come tomorrow...

Garden Thoughts

 I thought I would have a bit of a garden review for this post - how last year went, what were the highlights? and what I need to do this year.  Pictured above is Hydrangea AvantGarde, still in flower, and with the flowers looking as though they are made from icing - at least, that's the thought that came to me when I looked at them this morning.  So, how did last year go?  A mixture of highs and lows, as always.  Highs were the gorgeous tulips, the magnolia, the clematis and roses.  Lows were the unpredictable weather (not that any of us can do anything about that, of course) and the lowest low was the battle with the fungus in the soil (this fungus is normally present in all soil and helps to break down debris,  but has decided to run amok through the border for some reason.)  (Incidentally, I think I have lost that particular battle and am going to have to retire gracefully - or not so gracefully).  I think I am going to dig up all my asters and the perennial sunflower and transfer them into large pots.  It is not practical to keep replacing the soil and anyway, the fungus will go where it wants to.  I think deep rooted plants will survive, but the more shallow rooted perennials will need saving.

 On a more positive note, here are the first signs of snowdrops, which is always cheering.  I applaud their tenacity to grow no matter whether covered by snow or ice, or blasted by freezing temperatures or  Arctic winds.  Spring isn't too far away, although I have the feeling the winter will still throw a few surprises at us yet.

 Two brave little violas, adding a splash of colour to the rather bedraggled and sad looking garden.

So, I shall try to remain positive and save my asters.  Then I shall have a long think and do some research about tough plants. I wonder what 2012 will bring for the gardeners amongst us?

A Triptych of Cats

 Although we had some fantastic presents for Christmas, my favourite one just had to be this triptych of our cats; Scruffy, Ginny and Gonga.  The portraits were painted by Rachael, my colleague at work, who is an amazing artist as well as being an excellent singer and an all-round good egg!

 Scruffy was the most difficult to paint, Rachael said, because he is all black.  The portraits are done in watercolour and ink.

 Ginny looks very serene and peaceful, as she does when she's just had a plate of liver or some leftover chicken or turkey. 

Of all the portraits, I think this one is my favourite because Rachael has managed to capture Gonga when he is feeling rather fed up (to say the least). He really does look this grumpy on occasions! 
The only thing is, now that we have these portraits, I rather think we need portraits of the cats we used to have too - Sammy and Mrs Cat.  I think I feel a commission for Rachael coming on...

New Year thoughts for 2012

Hydrangea Fireworks flowering away happily today to welcome the New Year

Firstly, may I wish you a rather belated Happy New Year!  It seems as though the years speed up as I get older.  It doesn't seem very long ago that I was writing my thoughts (not resolutions, because I don't seem able to keep them) for 2011.

So, a review of last year's thoughts. 
To try and be a bit tidier - well, this really hasn't worked at all.  In some ways, I am very organised and have efficient filing systems, but general tidiness seems to elude me.  This is one that I need to work at.
To sort out my website - again, this hasn't been done yet.  I have worked out the way I would like to pages to be, but that is as far as it has got.  So, another target for this year.
To continue felt making - this is something I have managed to do and would like to continue with this year.
To continue reading interesting books - Hoorah!  This is something I have succeeded with and is something I shall definitely continue this year.
To exercise more - well, I have exercised more than I did last year, but it is something I need to do this year too.
To buy a dressing gown - this is one thing I achieved in the sales last January.  (It is good to have a real positive in this list).
To complete at least some of my on-going craft projects - not a great success really, although I added a new hobby to the list (jewellery making).  This is something that I can carry on through this year too.

Hmm, not a great deal achieved here.  Perhaps I can do a bit better this year...

Granny's Christmas part 3

Interior of Crayke Church

The third and final instalment of Granny's memoirs follows below.

Mother and Father went to church at 8.00 am and we children got up then and were dressed and ready for breakfast at a quarter to 9.00 am. There was church once again at 10.30 am and Christmas Dinner at a quarter to 1.00 pm. The dinner table always looked very gay. We had a brown basket with holly and a robin on it in the middle filled with fruit. There were silver dishes with almonds and raisins and crystallised fruits and sweets. At a party we went to we had each been given a little figure with a nodding head, a man with a wire pigtail, a fluffy dog and a black cat, a plaster puppy with a blue shoe in his mouth and a little fellow called “Billiken”. We liked to see whose figure would keep its head nodding the longest. I think “Billiken” usually won. The same kind friends had also given us a set of huntsmen complete with jumps and hounds and a fox. We used to take care that the fox was well hidden from the hounds. Father carved the turkey and Mother served the plum pudding which was always brought in alight with the brandy. Mother put the little silver charms in at the table. She liked to give Foss the sixpence, Mary often had the thimble and Brooke the bachelor’s button. Margie and I perhaps a 3d piece or a little donkey. Father usually had to go without. 
At 2.00 pm we had a carol service and then home for an early tea. Mrs M and E from the Hall always came to tea. We waited for Foss to ring the bells when everything was ready in the drawing room and then we all rushed in for the great event of the day. There was always a bright fire of logs, the standard lamp stood by the piano, the tree with its shining tinsel and coloured glass ornaments was lit up with its little candles and round the room stood the tables with our presents on them. First we had to sing a carol. We always sang, “Come to the manger in Bethlehem”, which was Mother’s favourite. One year, Father told me to be the page in “Good King Wenceslas” and he was the King. I managed to sing my part quite creditably because I knew it so well. Sometimes the choir boys came round singing carols and were invited in to see the tree. They were given an orange each and pennies. Father kept a bag of pennies to give to the carol singers. Some came on Christmas Eve and some very early on Christmas morning. “A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and please will you give us a Christmas Box”, was a familiar cry on Christmas morning.
The celebrations do sound lovely, don't they? Wouldn't it have been nice to have been there?

Granny's Christmas part 2

Granny looking very smart

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas Day.   Here is a little more from Granny about her Christmas celebrations.

Foss and Mary decorated the Christmas Tree and we little ones were not allowed into the drawing room till after tea on Christmas Day when we had our presents. We went to bed early on Christmas Eve with our empty stockings at the foot of the bed. We each had one of Father’s golf stockings which could hold a lot. We often woke during the night and felt at the bottom of the bed to know if our stockings were filled. Yes, there it was bulging with odd shaped parcels. It was too early too look at it yet so we got under the clothes again and went back to sleep. When Mother heard us talking in the morning she came in with a lamp and then the joyous excitement began. There was always a cracker at the top, an orange in the toe and an apple in the heel with nuts in between. We generally had a small book, perhaps a Beatrix Potter for the young ones, something for our dolls’ house, a fireplace, a little piano or a bird cage. Often we had a game or a pack of cards, crayons and always some sweets or chocolate. Our stocking presents kept us happy till the evening when we had our big presents.
Mother always chose our presents for us. The Aunts and Uncles must have sent money. We girls usually had something for our dolls, a high chair, a cot or a tea set. We were always surprised and delighted with our presents. Mother seemed to know just what would please us most and we never wanted anything that the others had. As a rule, we each had a book, Fairy Tales or an E. Nesbit, or a children’s classic like “The Water Babies”, “Peter Pan” or “Treasure Island” and usually, there was a box of chocolates for each of us. Then perhaps we had hoops or skipping ropes. The boys had trains and soldiers, tools and puzzles. Brooke generally had a wooden box of tangerines. We took our pile of gifts up to bed with us so that we could gloat over them again in the morning.

Some things don't seem to change that much.

Granny's Memoirs - Christmas

Granny and Margie

Granny wrote a lovely description of a typical Christmas for her and the family, so, over the next few blog posts, I'll add her Christmas celebrations to my blog.

The few days before Christmas were a very exciting time for us. We children never sent cards or presents to friends and relations as children do now, but we were very busy decorating the house, fetching the Christmas tree and making chains of holly leaves for the church. We threaded the separate holly leaves on to a fine string which was threaded through a needle with a very big eye. It was painful work and damaging to the fingers but there was a great satisfaction in seeing the prickly snake grow and it looked very handsome twined round one of the pillars in church.
The morning of Christmas Eve was taken up with decorating the church, some of the children from the village used to come and help. We collected baskets of moss and trails of ivy, fetched cans of water, handed up scissors and wire and put little bunches of red flowers amongst the holly and blobs of cotton wool to look like snow. There were two big placards hung on the wall at Christmas and Easter. The Christmas one, “Christ is born” on a red ground and the Easter one, “Christ is risen” on a blue ground. We made a good deal of mess with the moss and the evergreens and tried to tidy up when all was finished, but the Church cleaner must still have spent a busy afternoon in the church. All the decorators came over to the Rectory for a cup of coffee and a mince pie. The children had cocoa and biscuits. We were always very tired and dirty and were glad to get clean and tidy for dinner.
I am sure that everyone is busy with all the things that need to be done and that in some ways, things haven't changed very much since Granny wrote this. However, the over-dependence on materialism that we seem to suffer from these days has left its mark on current Christmas preparations.

Christmas Baking (part two)

 I shall redeem myself a bit with this post as the baking really is Christmassy!  These are iced star biscuits, made for a vegan friend, and they are yumptious.  It is a very simple recipe where all the ingredients go into the bowl and are kneaded together (even the golden syrup), rolled out like squishy pastry and cut into whatever shapes you would like (or have the cutters for).  The recipe is reasonably economical too as you can get lots of biscuits (depending how big the cutter is) out one one batch.

The end result is crunchy on the edges and chewy-ish in the middle, with a flavour of ginger, so perfect for this time of year.  I added an icing outline on the top but how you decorate them is up to you.  When I worked in schools, this recipe was a great one for the children to make and the toppings they put on the biscuits were quite a sight to see. More was quite definitely more!  The only limit to decorating them is your imagination and possibly your budget.
Here is the recipe:
4 oz butter (or vegan margarine - this gives a much stickier end mixture)
4 oz light brown sugar
4 level tablespoons golden syrup
8oz plain flour (you will need more than this if using margarine - add at kneading and rolling out stages as necessary)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Gas 5, 190 degrees C, 375 degrees F

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and knead.
2. Roll out mixture onto well floured surface and cut into shapes. (The thicker you have the dough, the chewier the biscuits will be)
3. Place on greased baking sheets/trays and bake for 10-15 mins max, or until golden brown.  They are really easy to overcook.
4. Take them off the tray while still hot - they will be very floppy but will harden as they cool.
5. Decorate if required when cold.
6.  Enjoy!

Christmas baking (part one)

Having called this post 'Christmas baking', I know these little butterfly cakes don't look particularly Christmassy.  However, they were baked as a Christmas thank you for the Porters, Maintenance and Gardeners team at work, to let them know that what they do is appreciated.  I was going to give them a box of chocolates, but Chris suggested that they would like these cakes much more, so I undertook a baking session yesterday.  They are a simple sponge recipe and the icing is butter cream (in my book, it has to be butter - margarine just doesn't taste anywhere near as nice). 

They do look quite appetising but I didn't even taste one - usually I have to test everything I bake to ensure that they are up to standard, but I forgot.  No doubt Chris will let me know!

Christmas Holiday (and into 2012) reading and my thoughts on Kindles

Here is a lovely pile of books, just waiting for me to dive into them.  This is the plan over the next two weeks!  There's an interesting mixture of fiction (mainly Elizabeth von Arnim, but also including Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel) and non fiction, such as The Lady's Maid (servant to Lady Astor), A History of English Food (which looks fascinating) and Roy Strong's Visions of England (which will hopefully be a positive view of things to be proud of).  I am hoping that Chris is going to buy me a Kindle for Christmas, as there are lots of free classics which I haven't got, but are downloadable, and e-books which aren't available any other way.  My friend in the Netherlands has just epublished her second novel so I am looking forward to getting hold of that too.
I would just like to add that there is no way at all that the Kindle will usurp my precious real books.  I love the feeling of a real book and being able to dive into it and escape totally.  There is also the physical-ness of books (not sure that is actually a word, but I like it - it probably should be physicality) with the feeling of being able to turn proper pages and hold the book. These books are like old friends who it is a joy to meet again, no matter how long it is since you last saw them. Then there is the art, craft, children's books etc. issue - a Kindle would be absolutely useless for any of these, not to mention the large glossy books filled with good quality photos, and... you get the picture?  My Kindle will just be an additional tool to help me enjoy reading even more.  For that reason, I am really looking forward to receiving it.

Jewellery design

This is my latest jewellery design, made as a commission for the friend of a friend.  I tried several different versions before arriving at this one.  It has an amethyst pendant and the necklace itself is made from fluorite, amethyst and labradorite.  The greens and purples of the fluorite complement the amethyst very well and I have used various sizes of stones to add some interest.  I also used a weave technique as the necklace was too heavy with the beads threaded on singly.  I think it is quite eye-catching and am going to make myself some fluorite jewellery next. ( Incidentally, I do like the way that the fluorite reacts to the light - I have only seen this effect in photos so far.)

I was on TV (and a lovely cat picture)

Well, what a surprise!  I was watching a regional news programme last night, called 'Look North', as I usually do and they were showing a film about the Christmas Market and saying how it was one of the best years ever.  There were shots of the Cathedral, the Castle, some stalls and then the Carousel/Roundabout/Gallopers.  Who was there, on the horse, smiling away merrily...me!  Now I think about it, I did spot a large camera but hadn't really taken much notice of it really.  What are the chances of it being focused on me at the very time I was there, on the roundabout? It was a 'blink and you miss it' appearance, but it was great fun!
On the way back from the market, we stopped at a gallery on Steep Hill  called Harding House, http://www.hardinghousegallery.co.uk/ which is an artists' co-operative and always has a wide selection of art and craft work for sale.  We were looking at various prints when one in particular made us both say, "Scruffy!"

It is a print by Alison Read, who creates very quirky printed animals.  Scruffy really isn't that thin, but there is just something about the image that reminded us of him.  She doesn't appear to have her own website, but here are a couple of links to other galleries if you'd like to see more of her work.

http://www.julianjardine.co.uk/alisonread.html
http://www.starkgallery.co.uk/c113-4825-4825/Alison+Read/0

Lincoln Christmas Market

 Chris and I have just got back having been to the Christmas Market here.  It is the last day today and we usually go on the last day as the crowds have eased and things are a little quieter.  However, not so today!  We were jostled, joggled and squashed.  I think this was because we went a little earlier than we normally do, so the crowds were still there.  Last year, the Market was cancelled due to being up to the knees in snow, so people have definitely made the most of this year's event.

 I was happy as I had a ride on the Gallopers which took me back to my childhood.  This was my very favourite fairground ride - and still is!  I sat on the middle one of these three horses.  It really made the visit for me.

The Cathedral looked lovely in the floodlights, despite the building and conservation work currently going on.

 The Bishop's Palace had a Medieval Market in the grounds, but there was a massive queue to get in, so we gave that a miss.  We enjoyed the changing lights projected on the building though.

Looking back towards the Cathedral...

 ...and over to the Castle.  Busy, busy, busy!  I bought a present for my friend in Canada and a little Scandinavian fretwork snowflake for our Christmas tree.

The best thing about getting home - a lovely milky hot chocolate (in a very appropriate mug!) with some chocolate finger biscuits.  Mmm!

Latest reading - Vera

I have just finished Vera by Elizabeth von Arnim, which I really enjoyed.  It was the second book I have read by the author (the first was The Enchanted April) and it was almost the complete opposite.  Elizabeth von Arnim was the cousin of Katherine Mansfield, moved in similar literary circles as her cousin and was married unsatisfactorily twice, to a Count and then an Earl.  Her first marriage provided the inspiration for Elizabeth and her German Garden while the second was the inspiration for Vera.  I wonder whether Daphne du Maurier knew this book, because there are some similarities to this story in Rebecca.  However, this book concerns the relationship between a young and innocent twenty-two year old heroine who has just lost her father and the older man who befriends, looks after and then wants to control her.  The reader is drawn in very quietly but can see all the signs that Lucy misses.  In the introduction, it says that the author thought that this was her best book and it certainly kept me totally engrossed.