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finding my green thumb...

...in the search for inspiration for my front garden, I have discovered the work of Nicole de Vésian

Her amazing use of colour, texture, and shape in the garden of La Louve (The She-Wolf) in Provence makes me want to attack every plant in my garden with  shears.

I have been dreaming of a space with an abundance of cool stone and a soft grey/green palette-  this magnificent garden captures it all.

I am impatient to see my garden come to life - but I am trying to move slowly and thoughtfully forward. I  find that perhaps the process of making my garden a reality is as rewarding an experience as standing finally, in the finished  space.

It is a growing,evolving thing; a constant work in progress.

I'll sharpen the shears anyway -something to keep me busy while the plants are growing...

 

suddenly 10...

 One day 6 months old...

and the next thing you know she's ten years old, with an amazing imagination and the courage of a giant.

Happy birthday to my girl who is brave, strong and full of joy.

Never give up on the magic.

xxx mama

 

a weakness for packaging...

I almost couldn't bring myself to open the package. I was quite happy with it exactly as is.

 Glad that I did though.

My new friend and constant companion.

Now I just have to bring myself to make a mark on that first page....always the hardest part.

useful and beautiful...

 
A good thing to be.

Some of my spoons found in a stall at the Portobello Markets.

Everyday special.

 

one foot after the other...

I've often wondered what happens to those balloons that break free and sail off into the sky. I came across this one,yesterday, lying quietly in a field along the banks of the River Thames.

We were on the final 10kms of a 50km training walk so it was a welcome distraction, if only for a few minutes from aching legs and sore feet.

I'm training with three neighbours to take part in Oxfam Trailwalker 2011. We have 30 hours to complete the 100km walk through the South Downs - we are aiming to finish in 24 hours. Knowing now what 50kms feels like, I am beginning to feel a little daunted at the prospect of 100. I suspect  it's going to take a lot more than a pretty balloon to keep me going...

( Any tips from anyone who has completed Trailwalker or a similar distance most gratefully received!)

 

one day, one moment...

I am reading 'Drawing from Life- The Journal as Art" by Jennifer New. Only midway into the book and already I feel inspired to pick up once more several notebooks that have been started and then put aside, when other more pressing projects arise.

The idea behind the first journal that I want to attempt, is to capture one single image from each day- a small moment that reminds me to stop, look and really try to see what is in front of me.

The first three days look like this...

School holiday baking with the girls...

Small hands painting...

 
Peonies from my front garden...

I'm going to print the photos out- I am still trying to decide whether I want to put them into a book or stick them all up onto a wall. At the moment, the idea of a wall filled with images from my day appeals greatly.

Small moments that might otherwise pass by unremarked...

lucky me...

....look closely. The one in the black dress. That's me, in Venice crossing the Grand Canal just like a local, using the traghetto. I even stood up, although I had to admit I was secretly quite relieved to reach the other side without any embarassing tumbles into the water!.

Such a wonderfully colourful place to visit - it's definitely on my list of places I want to return to some day.

colours and flavours...

Istanbul was an intriguing place to visit - the colours, smells and sounds seemed very different and  exotic compared to other places I have visited. I did a crash course in the history of Istanbul (and completely confused  myself!)  before the visit, which helped me to appreciate a little better what I was seeing and experiencing. Certainly a place I could return to again and again.

My new tea obsession...fresh ginger and apple tea served with cinnamon, cloves and honey to sweeten....

The food ...couldn't get enough of the minted yoghurt or (what I think was called ) Sigara boregi - a cigar shaped pastry made with feta cheese and filo pastry.

I braved the unknown of a hamam (Turkish bath house) by myself - a most memorable and relaxing experience (especially as I had the whole bath house to myself except for the three attendants!) This one has been operating since 1481. That's 530 years.....

And of course there were the tiles..

( For anyone visiting Istanbul, who wants to know a great book to read before hand or two or three lovely places to eat, just let me know...happy to share my good fortune in stumbling upon these places)

 

stuck in my head....

I heard this song when I was browsing in a small ceramics shop in Istanbul last weekend. I had just had a perfectly simple and simply perfect meal in the bar/cafe upstairs then wandered down for a quick look in the shop. This song was a favourite in the 90's - and still is today.

 

All we need is an elf...

Found by the girls on a little wander around the woods of the Great Windsor Park (much to their very loud amazement and with apologies to anyone nearby trying to enjoy the serenity of a woodland walk early on a Sunday morning! )

Even before the Hipstamatic app did it's work, the mushroom still looked as though it had appeared there by magic. 

They spent the rest of the morning trying to track down the fairy folk who might have planted it there. They didn't spy any but did get in a spot of fishing with the help of a  sturdy stick and a bit of reed.