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wicked witch of the west....

just like Dorothy's arch nemesis, I am melting.
It is hot.
And humid. In England.
Everyone warned me about the British summer -brief, unreliable,perhaps even a non- event.
I most certainly didn't expect to have to worry about sunblock, sunhats and most certainly not sunburn!
Yet here I am, like any sun smart Australian doing the 'slip,slop,slap' routine whilst all around me I watch the natives soaking up the sun.

I hate the thought of any of us getting sunburned( English sunburn too, I'd never live it down) so it's hats and light long sleeves for us all. All of our fair skinned neighbours have their shirts off and their faces turned towards the sun. Haven't they heard of the dangers of too much sun?

So on a very hot day, what else to do but head off to Kew gardens with Maggie and Grace to  walk around in the heat.
I leap frogged from shade patch to shade patch and managed to keep both Grace and I out of the sun. Everyone else strolled around in full sun, seemingly oblivious to just how hot it was.
(Now what is it they say about mad dogs? Surely the same applies to the English midday sun as it does to Australian?)

It was worthwhile braving the sun though - the allium and the beds of lavender were simply stunning.

You can see from my photos that I am drawn to round ball like structures. I forgot to record the names of most of the plants I photographed so feel free to tell me what they are! Next time I will remember to take a few less shots and a bit more notice of names.

Here is one I do know however - blue brooms. The colour was just too lovely to pass by unremarked. There were a few puzzled looks directed at the crazy woman surrounded by beautiful flowers, busily photographing the brooms.
Obviously too much sun.....

 

Here is Maggie waving to Grace waiting below - and Grace proudly showing off those new front teeth.

Just makes that cute smile even cuter....

inspiration....

Krishna frolics with the Gopi girls (detail), folio 2 from the Krishna Lila, Jodhpur, c. 1765; 63.5 x 136.5 cm. © Mehrangarh Museum Trust

During the week, Maggie and I took Grace up to London.Our destination was the British Museum to see the exhibition, 'Garden and Cosmos- The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur' .
Grace played sweet baby and fell asleep almost as soon as we entered the gallery which meant that not only could I take my time and actually look at the paintings- I was also able to do a little bit of sketching. The paintings were simply amazing- beautiful meticulous detail and vivid shimmering colour. I was especially inspired by the intricately rendered trees and plants.

Most of my sketches were an attempt to capture a little of the detail to that later I could attempt to recreate a little garden of my own.
I did buy the catalogue from the exhibition -however I find that sketching from the actual artworks helps me to appreciate and remember the details so much more than if I just work from an image.

Here is my first tree based on some of the sketches I made. No colour yet - just my favourite black super fine pigment liner.

chasing my tail...

it feels as though this is what I have been doing for the past six months. And not very successfully, I might add. There are still boxes to be sorted through and two rooms to be organised.

If I focus too much on the things I haven't managed to get done, I get quite frustrated and annoyed. So, possibly more useful to look at what I have achieved so far.

I started this last year, just before I began packing to move to the UK. All it needs now is to weave in the end( artfully hidden in the photo) and lightly block it.

 

A simple charcoal cowl....
I decided halfway through knitting it, that it would be perfect for a friend,so the fact that it is summer here and rather hot isn't really important.
It is my own pattern ( if you can call it that) using a Jo Sharp silk,alpaca and merino mix. I find that this type of knitting suits me perfectly - in the round, so no seams to sew and a few cables to make me feel a little bit clever without trying to hard.

This little girl is now sleeping from around 7.30 pm until 4.30 ( or 5.30 on a really good day) - which is quite something,considering she was waking every two hours and needing attention( mine!) back in January.
It certainly hasn't been quick or particularly easy but I held firm to my resolve to avoid the controlled crying regime and I think we are both the happier for it.
Now I have to work on going to bed a little earlier so that I can catch up on a little missed sleep.

My big girls are trundling along quite nicely as well - all good here.

If I can work out what is happening with my broadband connection ( painfully slow to the point that I can feel myself aging as I wait for pages to load), I aim to start posting a little more regularly. Once every month or so does not a good blog make. 

See, glass half full kind of stuff.

What I have done, rather than what I haven't. That would be me, Pollyanna all the way.

Tail is in sight. At least I think that's my tail.

three things to celebrate...

I am celebrating my second Mother's Day this year ( I joined in the UK celebrations too).For the first time in  about 20 years, I was able to make my own mum a cup of tea on Mother's day and take it to her in bed. Quite a novelty for both of us.
To all of the mothers, motherly types and  to anyone who has ever stepped up to the plate and filled the role of a mother - enjoy your day!
You are special, you are needed and most of all you are loved!
Happy Mother's Day!
( I used the same words last year and the year before- for me it says what I want to say simply and perfectly. I will probably post exactly the same thing this time next year as well.)

 

The little boy for whom this is being made has arrived safe and sound, half a world away.

Welcome to the world Billy, and happy Mother's Day CJ!

The project is progressing well except that I have run out of blue thread.

The online store that I ordered it from is waiting for more stock as well....I will have to be patient or try to find another place to buy the same shade thread.


Last but not least- a birthday portrait of me taken by Charlotte.

This was one of the years that my birthday coincided with Mother's Day - we celebrated with a yum cha feast (dim sum here) in London's Chinatown and a tour of London for my Mum. Loads of fun finished of with cheesecake and a glass of champagne.
Perfect.
(Now, if I can just hunt down some more thread....)