When I go away later in the year, I will need to look good.... Try to scrub up a bit. I do have some nice outfits but I have never made jewellery to go with any of them. I have always liked it before when I had specific pieces to go with certain outfits. matching colours, selected shapes. It feels good.
And now I feel better and am making jewellery again, what is stopping me?
Tomorrows Enchanted Lake workshop will see me making a necklace for my sister, but I also brought a fancy stone around which to base a version for myself. I chose the stone to match the long silk jacket I wore for my wedding.
But I have other outfits. I have a stash of patterns, a pile of books and an internet full of patterns and beads to buy. They don't all have to be expensive crystal based designs either. And not every outfit will want bracelet and necklacke.
52) Butterfly top jewellery
53) Pink Zandra Rhodes top jewellery
54) Snake print top jewellery
55) Multi coloured dress jewellery
56) JB Red and Blue top jewellery
57) JB Wrap top jewellery
58) JB Black top jewellery
59) Purple wedding clothes jewellery
Saturday 30 April 2016
Plants
I like to write about my plants, how they are doing, the good and the bad.... I am just learning to look after them really, trying to understand them and some are easier than others.
On the stairs my Spider plant hangs and it is doing pretty well. The main plant is not as bushy as it could be and there are some brown tips but I mist it more now as I have learnt they like things humid. The babies are growing away like mad and I like seeing them hanging there. Some of them have little root nodules now to.
My aloe veras are OK. I am not sure putting them in great window boxes and expecting them to multiply madly and happily was a great idea. I think they like to be a bit more pot bound. All that compost (even though it is succulent compost), holds water and gives them cold roots and encourages rot. That said, they are fine..... I think they are better now I have stopped watering so much too.
The golden pathos on the stairs is OK, mostly. It has been trained up a stick and I looked behind today and discovered that the leaves at the very back have died. Lack of light I should think due to it's position. But there are new leaves sprouting and it looks healthy.
So does the palm in the bedroom. It likes things better now the radiator is off. I may have to move it in the winter, because it just dries out the air too much. It grows slowly but there are two new leaves and three spikes on their way up. Once my cactus shelf is up, it will take over the window where some of my cacti and succulents are. A nice window it can sit in the middle of with no radiator.
My Ivy however is not happy. I have been overwatering it. Brown leaves on ivy do not mean, please water me more it seems. It still has plenty of healthy leaves, so I am just going to slow my watering up, by a lot... In the past those brown leaves would have scared me and I might have given up on it....
The Mother in Laws Tongue seems fine and my Tradescantia continues to grow at a million miles an hour. It was the last of it's kind on the shelf when I brought it and it had a battered, woebegone look to it.
My cacti and succulents are all looking OK, surprisingly. And my sickly Euphorbia has three little tiny buds! How amazing is that! The main plant still looks a little unhappy but maybe it is a seasonal thing. Maybe last seasons growth changes just before it shoots forward new life. I was thinking it needs a spot on the cactus shelf when I get it and that I should make it a little tiny cloche to reduce cold drafts in the winter.
So all in all, pretty good. My grand plant adventure has been going on since February I think and I have not killed anything yet.
On the stairs my Spider plant hangs and it is doing pretty well. The main plant is not as bushy as it could be and there are some brown tips but I mist it more now as I have learnt they like things humid. The babies are growing away like mad and I like seeing them hanging there. Some of them have little root nodules now to.
My aloe veras are OK. I am not sure putting them in great window boxes and expecting them to multiply madly and happily was a great idea. I think they like to be a bit more pot bound. All that compost (even though it is succulent compost), holds water and gives them cold roots and encourages rot. That said, they are fine..... I think they are better now I have stopped watering so much too.
The golden pathos on the stairs is OK, mostly. It has been trained up a stick and I looked behind today and discovered that the leaves at the very back have died. Lack of light I should think due to it's position. But there are new leaves sprouting and it looks healthy.
So does the palm in the bedroom. It likes things better now the radiator is off. I may have to move it in the winter, because it just dries out the air too much. It grows slowly but there are two new leaves and three spikes on their way up. Once my cactus shelf is up, it will take over the window where some of my cacti and succulents are. A nice window it can sit in the middle of with no radiator.
My Ivy however is not happy. I have been overwatering it. Brown leaves on ivy do not mean, please water me more it seems. It still has plenty of healthy leaves, so I am just going to slow my watering up, by a lot... In the past those brown leaves would have scared me and I might have given up on it....
The Mother in Laws Tongue seems fine and my Tradescantia continues to grow at a million miles an hour. It was the last of it's kind on the shelf when I brought it and it had a battered, woebegone look to it.
My cacti and succulents are all looking OK, surprisingly. And my sickly Euphorbia has three little tiny buds! How amazing is that! The main plant still looks a little unhappy but maybe it is a seasonal thing. Maybe last seasons growth changes just before it shoots forward new life. I was thinking it needs a spot on the cactus shelf when I get it and that I should make it a little tiny cloche to reduce cold drafts in the winter.
So all in all, pretty good. My grand plant adventure has been going on since February I think and I have not killed anything yet.
Monday 25 April 2016
Occuli
It has taken hours. Lol
I went and chose beads today for enchanted lake. This is for my sisters version. The fancy stone is crystal AB and I am going to play on the purples with my bead selections.
I have a fancy stone coming for me. Falling leaves.... I don't want to buy accompanying beads until I have it.
It's an expensive necklace with all the crystals and miyuki. Good job some of the beads can feature in both versions....
Round the Wheel
I follow the Medicine Wheel teachings of Tisa F Tardiff. It's a process. A lifetimes journey. Our wheel has four anchors, one in each direction. I want to spin through the anchors....
I also need to look at Danger and how it relates to me and my wheel.
These are not processes I will conduct in this blog. Some stuff is private. Some stuff involves teachings and information that isn't mine to post publicly, that shouldn't be out there publicly. I want to go deep.....
But these processes matter to me, so they go on the list too.... :-)
I also need to look at Danger and how it relates to me and my wheel.
These are not processes I will conduct in this blog. Some stuff is private. Some stuff involves teachings and information that isn't mine to post publicly, that shouldn't be out there publicly. I want to go deep.....
But these processes matter to me, so they go on the list too.... :-)
A Little Rattly
So we went away this weekend to make rattles.
It was an interesting process. I learnt a lot. I learnt how to soak hide, shape it, pack it with sand. I learnt the feel of it, making holes, sewing it together, working the handle into the holes. Although we did over two days so there was plenty of time for drying, I can imagine doing it even more slowly. I got to use a variety of tools and I now know what I need to get to do more and have some idea of what to do when I start...
My rattle turned out to have a forked handle, so it enters the head of the rattle in two places. The shape created by the fork and the head is lovely. Just below the join is a knot in the wood that looks suggestive. With all this going on, the rattle feels very feminine. Then it turned out that it had a bird head on the end.... I was talking with S this morning and we ended up thinking it might be a Thunderbird.
Energy, propulsion, the north. All good things for me.
I want to bead three white bands of delicas. at the joins as it were. I was also gifted some blue tit tail feathers. I might also use some blue duck wing feathers
It was an interesting process. I learnt a lot. I learnt how to soak hide, shape it, pack it with sand. I learnt the feel of it, making holes, sewing it together, working the handle into the holes. Although we did over two days so there was plenty of time for drying, I can imagine doing it even more slowly. I got to use a variety of tools and I now know what I need to get to do more and have some idea of what to do when I start...
My rattle turned out to have a forked handle, so it enters the head of the rattle in two places. The shape created by the fork and the head is lovely. Just below the join is a knot in the wood that looks suggestive. With all this going on, the rattle feels very feminine. Then it turned out that it had a bird head on the end.... I was talking with S this morning and we ended up thinking it might be a Thunderbird.
Energy, propulsion, the north. All good things for me.
I want to bead three white bands of delicas. at the joins as it were. I was also gifted some blue tit tail feathers. I might also use some blue duck wing feathers
Friday 22 April 2016
Enchanted Lake And Occuli
My Occuli bracelet is nearly done. I just need to do all the ends and do the catch
. Hours of beading....
So I signed up for another beading course next weekend. Michelle de Miguel's Enchanted Lake. Full of unusual amd hard to find swarovski.
My sister wants one too. In fact she was the deciding factor in going. It spreads the workshop cost a bit. I have ordered a falling leaves stone from the states for the centre. It's so pretty....
. Hours of beading....
So I signed up for another beading course next weekend. Michelle de Miguel's Enchanted Lake. Full of unusual amd hard to find swarovski.
My sister wants one too. In fact she was the deciding factor in going. It spreads the workshop cost a bit. I have ordered a falling leaves stone from the states for the centre. It's so pretty....
Sunday 17 April 2016
Gardens and Boats and Lighthouses
Yesterday, visiting such a grand garden made me think of the other grand garden I really want to take my hubby to. Wrest Park. It is very different from Tregothnan but just as stunning....
We also really need to visit Lanhydrock. I have never been, which is a shame as it is one of the grandest National Trust places in miles....
39) Visit Wrest Park
40) Visit Lanhydrock
We were also talking about ferries. Cornwall has a number of them and I have not been on most of them. Cornwall Council lists 15 of them here. Of these I have been on the King Harry. That's it...
I have caught party boats on the Fal.... They begin and end at Falmouth and I don't think I should count it as a ferry. I also have done a boat trip from Truro to St Mawes, which isn't on this list, but then it isn't really a ferry. I also did a boat trip from Falmouth to Trelissick to see a Miracle Theatre performance.
The list isn't complete either. I know a ferry operates from Looe out to Looe Island. Not done that one either....
Maybe when my parents are down we can get the ferry from Meva to Fowey. My mum likes boat rides. It shouldn't be a hard sell. Then too, I have never been to Fowey.
41) Cornish Ferry Rides
42) Visit Fowey
43) Meva to Fowey ferry
This also reminds me of another cool thing I had on my list before... Lighthouses. Cornwall has a few. So it isn't possible to see all of them. Some of them take a lot of effort to even see, such as Bishop's Rock which is out near the Isles of Scilly.
Others are easy. Godrevy can be seen from literally miles of coastline and the Lizard is a tourist attraction open to the public. There are 8 around Cornwal and 3 around the Isles of Scilly.
44) Visit Lizard Lighthouse
45) Cornish Lighthouses
We also really need to visit Lanhydrock. I have never been, which is a shame as it is one of the grandest National Trust places in miles....
39) Visit Wrest Park
40) Visit Lanhydrock
We were also talking about ferries. Cornwall has a number of them and I have not been on most of them. Cornwall Council lists 15 of them here. Of these I have been on the King Harry. That's it...
I have caught party boats on the Fal.... They begin and end at Falmouth and I don't think I should count it as a ferry. I also have done a boat trip from Truro to St Mawes, which isn't on this list, but then it isn't really a ferry. I also did a boat trip from Falmouth to Trelissick to see a Miracle Theatre performance.
The list isn't complete either. I know a ferry operates from Looe out to Looe Island. Not done that one either....
Maybe when my parents are down we can get the ferry from Meva to Fowey. My mum likes boat rides. It shouldn't be a hard sell. Then too, I have never been to Fowey.
41) Cornish Ferry Rides
42) Visit Fowey
43) Meva to Fowey ferry
This also reminds me of another cool thing I had on my list before... Lighthouses. Cornwall has a few. So it isn't possible to see all of them. Some of them take a lot of effort to even see, such as Bishop's Rock which is out near the Isles of Scilly.
Others are easy. Godrevy can be seen from literally miles of coastline and the Lizard is a tourist attraction open to the public. There are 8 around Cornwal and 3 around the Isles of Scilly.
44) Visit Lizard Lighthouse
45) Cornish Lighthouses
1001 Days
I started this blog on the 7th April 2016. 1001 days takes me to January 3rd, 2019. I like that it comes at that time of year.
Saturday 16 April 2016
Garden of Delight
Well we decided to go today.
The Boscawen family have lived there hundreds of years and still do
So the garden is their garden. They ask you not to publish any photos to respect their privacy. There are very few out their online but there are a few on their website.
Although late on in spring here, there were still some camellias and magnolias in flower. Add to that rhododendrons and azaleas and the gardens were a riot of colour.
Huge old specimens. Plants so different from what you find in the UK that the garden feels magical and otherworldly in places. in one place trees so tall and thin that there were no branches until way way up. Walking through an airy open forest.
What else can I say?
A camelia maze with a beautiful cow in the middle.
A series of ponds flowing down the hillside.
The smell of the tea garden.
Old dogs by a granite bench built for a giant.
Cake and tea to follow a venison burger.
My feet ache but my heart is happy.
The Boscawen family have lived there hundreds of years and still do
So the garden is their garden. They ask you not to publish any photos to respect their privacy. There are very few out their online but there are a few on their website.
Although late on in spring here, there were still some camellias and magnolias in flower. Add to that rhododendrons and azaleas and the gardens were a riot of colour.
Huge old specimens. Plants so different from what you find in the UK that the garden feels magical and otherworldly in places. in one place trees so tall and thin that there were no branches until way way up. Walking through an airy open forest.
What else can I say?
A camelia maze with a beautiful cow in the middle.
A series of ponds flowing down the hillside.
The smell of the tea garden.
Old dogs by a granite bench built for a giant.
Cake and tea to follow a venison burger.
My feet ache but my heart is happy.
Friday 15 April 2016
Tregothnan
So, Tregothnan is a garden but not just any old garden. 100 acres of normally private estate garden. Home of many rare plants including the wollemi pine. The uk's only tea plantation.
If you can afford it, private garden tours are available. Otherwise there are monthly garden tours of limited availability and still pricey. One weekend each year they open their gates to the hordes for charity.
I have wanted to go for years but with one thing or another I have never made it.
But we have tickets for Sunday!
Really looking forward to it. :-)
If you can afford it, private garden tours are available. Otherwise there are monthly garden tours of limited availability and still pricey. One weekend each year they open their gates to the hordes for charity.
I have wanted to go for years but with one thing or another I have never made it.
But we have tickets for Sunday!
Really looking forward to it. :-)
Wednesday 13 April 2016
Dream Catcher
I have been off the last couple of days and I made a dream catcher.
Black leather from a charity shop skirt. A variety of feathers and beads.
I made the felt which hides the feather ends.
I got distracted part way through. I realised I was muddling two different designs together and that this one didn't want to be anything complicated at all.
Black leather from a charity shop skirt. A variety of feathers and beads.
I made the felt which hides the feather ends.
I got distracted part way through. I realised I was muddling two different designs together and that this one didn't want to be anything complicated at all.
Monday 11 April 2016
Cacti
So today at work I found myself in the vicinity of a good garden centre which labels it's cacti and succulents. So I brought four little ones.
Astrophytum capricorne aka the goats horn cactus
Mammilaria painteri
Copiapoa tenuissima
Astrophytum ornate aka the star cactus
Astrophytum capricorne aka the goats horn cactus
Mammilaria painteri
Copiapoa tenuissima
Astrophytum ornate aka the star cactus
Sunday 10 April 2016
Seals and Beads
The dreaming is reminding me that I need to go see the seals. I considered doing this a few weeks back but put it back. Then my sister posted a video of seals at Godrevy on my Facebook. I know where she is talking about, it is a well known haul out point. It was one of the two seal related things I intended to do but didn't....
We have a seal sanctuary in Cornwall and every winter they appeal for towels. I intended to take some down there as sorting through things I found a number of old towels suitable for seals. :-)
Today isn't a day for visiting seals. The waves are wild and chances are the seals are safely in the sea.
36) Go see the seals at Godrevy
37) Take towels to Gweek
Amalfi is a bit of an idle dream. I have no idea of when or how but I REALLY want to go there. So I went on line this morning and by chance discovered that there are two cruises by Fred Olsen next year that actually leave from Falmouth. One of them goes to the Amalfi Coast. I love these little confirmations. Bits of dreams,
The Occuli Bracelet is still moving along. Three domes and two lozenges complete. I need about six of each. The design is by Heather Kingsley-Heath. It is a fiddly design. I will be glad when I actually get to put something down as completed. Lol. Mine has black dome beads and purple and turquoise other beads with metallic pink.
We have a seal sanctuary in Cornwall and every winter they appeal for towels. I intended to take some down there as sorting through things I found a number of old towels suitable for seals. :-)
Today isn't a day for visiting seals. The waves are wild and chances are the seals are safely in the sea.
36) Go see the seals at Godrevy
37) Take towels to Gweek
Amalfi is a bit of an idle dream. I have no idea of when or how but I REALLY want to go there. So I went on line this morning and by chance discovered that there are two cruises by Fred Olsen next year that actually leave from Falmouth. One of them goes to the Amalfi Coast. I love these little confirmations. Bits of dreams,
The Occuli Bracelet is still moving along. Three domes and two lozenges complete. I need about six of each. The design is by Heather Kingsley-Heath. It is a fiddly design. I will be glad when I actually get to put something down as completed. Lol. Mine has black dome beads and purple and turquoise other beads with metallic pink.
Saturday 9 April 2016
Making and Doing
I like crafts. I am a Dreamer. I follow a shamanic path.
No surprise really then that I make dreamcatchers. Each one I make is a dream that grows and takes shape. They are often made for specific people but some grow all by themselves and then find homes. They are all different.
I have a list of people I want to make for and I have no idea which ones will actually get done. LT, JA, CA and WW in Canada. Suzi up North. L in Wales who made me my first. My sister who needs something more fiery. My husband who has one of my early ones but a new one is growing in my head for him. The Cactus Man and Fairy Girl (the other colleague coming to the cactus show - she looks good in elf ears). Another colleague at work who is having nightmares...
She works in a charity shop and friday I challenged her to get me some materials to make her one with. It will be interesting to see what she picks from the shop. She loves quirky colourful things with history.
In a few weeks time J and I are going to go to a workshop to make a rattle each. I am looking forward to this. It will be a new skill for me. We have rattles which I picked up years ago at the Eden Project. At the time I thought I was going to be working in schools and I thought they would be useful. They have been very useful but in an unexpected way. But it's time for rattle we connect to more deeply.
We have drums. I dreamt mine for months before it appeared. When I went to Canada the first time I brought J one home. Then when we went together last year he learnt to make them and he made a small one (not enough time to dry a larger one).
My drum appears in my dreams sometimes. It did this week. It wants to go to the sea. I talked it over with friends. While salt would dry a hide out badly, so no getting it wet, a few drops, cleaned off quickly should be fine. My drum wants to be held just above the water.
Now my community has set a challenge for it's crafters (our first one) around the theme of keys.
I also bead. I am currently working on the Oculi bracelet but I brought some other patterns. Butterfly, Beetle and Owl. I intend to make the Beetle first. It requires a glass cabochon and I brought some from Amazon which arrived yesterday. I am still thinking of colour schemes etc. I have time, the oculi will take me a while.
26) Dreamcatchers...
27) Make a rattle
28) Take my drum to the sea
29) Complete a key project
30) Make a Beetle
Just after Christmas I began an exploration of incense. I brought some charcoal and some resins and have been enjoying making smoke. but I realsie that the charcoal burns a bit hot. I need something else.... I have been researching but have not settle on an option yet. An electric incense burner. An incense burner with a little tripod so you can place the incense above the charcoal instead of on it...
There is more I want to learn about smells..... Ironic really given I have a very poor sense of smell.
I read. i intend to keep a list of books I read here too. I like looking back.... I have not finished Future Falls yet - but I will.
What else....
I want to go to Bude. The far end of the county and not really near anywhere.
I want to go to the Isles of Scilly. I went once years ago but I want to go again.
I want to visit gardens. We have a lot of them and they are very beautiful.
31) Incense exploration
32) Books, books, books
33) Visit Bude
34) Visit the Isles of Scilly
35) Visit gardens
No surprise really then that I make dreamcatchers. Each one I make is a dream that grows and takes shape. They are often made for specific people but some grow all by themselves and then find homes. They are all different.
I have a list of people I want to make for and I have no idea which ones will actually get done. LT, JA, CA and WW in Canada. Suzi up North. L in Wales who made me my first. My sister who needs something more fiery. My husband who has one of my early ones but a new one is growing in my head for him. The Cactus Man and Fairy Girl (the other colleague coming to the cactus show - she looks good in elf ears). Another colleague at work who is having nightmares...
She works in a charity shop and friday I challenged her to get me some materials to make her one with. It will be interesting to see what she picks from the shop. She loves quirky colourful things with history.
In a few weeks time J and I are going to go to a workshop to make a rattle each. I am looking forward to this. It will be a new skill for me. We have rattles which I picked up years ago at the Eden Project. At the time I thought I was going to be working in schools and I thought they would be useful. They have been very useful but in an unexpected way. But it's time for rattle we connect to more deeply.
We have drums. I dreamt mine for months before it appeared. When I went to Canada the first time I brought J one home. Then when we went together last year he learnt to make them and he made a small one (not enough time to dry a larger one).
My drum appears in my dreams sometimes. It did this week. It wants to go to the sea. I talked it over with friends. While salt would dry a hide out badly, so no getting it wet, a few drops, cleaned off quickly should be fine. My drum wants to be held just above the water.
Now my community has set a challenge for it's crafters (our first one) around the theme of keys.
I also bead. I am currently working on the Oculi bracelet but I brought some other patterns. Butterfly, Beetle and Owl. I intend to make the Beetle first. It requires a glass cabochon and I brought some from Amazon which arrived yesterday. I am still thinking of colour schemes etc. I have time, the oculi will take me a while.
26) Dreamcatchers...
27) Make a rattle
28) Take my drum to the sea
29) Complete a key project
30) Make a Beetle
Just after Christmas I began an exploration of incense. I brought some charcoal and some resins and have been enjoying making smoke. but I realsie that the charcoal burns a bit hot. I need something else.... I have been researching but have not settle on an option yet. An electric incense burner. An incense burner with a little tripod so you can place the incense above the charcoal instead of on it...
There is more I want to learn about smells..... Ironic really given I have a very poor sense of smell.
I read. i intend to keep a list of books I read here too. I like looking back.... I have not finished Future Falls yet - but I will.
What else....
I want to go to Bude. The far end of the county and not really near anywhere.
I want to go to the Isles of Scilly. I went once years ago but I want to go again.
I want to visit gardens. We have a lot of them and they are very beautiful.
31) Incense exploration
32) Books, books, books
33) Visit Bude
34) Visit the Isles of Scilly
35) Visit gardens
Portugal
There is a plan afoot for a holiday and it will add a whole bunch of done's to my list. We are going on a cruise to the Azores, Madeira and Portugal.
I am the one that researches, decides itineraries etc. Then J comes along and says I fancy doing this and I have the info already to hand and we go and do something. It works quite well. When we went to Malta, we visited the Blue Grotto but we didn't fancy the restaurants there. i knew from my reading that a little further along the coast was a cove with two restaurants that were supposed to be good. We went there.
It was early season and only one was open but it was sat so close to the water it was almost over it. Our table had an open window and a drop to the bluest water. there was hardly anyone else there, no one seated near us. Our waitress was hardly there. But the food was lovely and the view incredible.
Another time we were not feeling touristy and we found near our hotel that there was an old army base. We ended up trawling round this empty derelict World War site. Tumble down buildings, rubbish and graffitti. It was pretty darn cool.
So I have been reading for our future trip. I have made plans, some more definite than others. Here are some things for the list...
16) Go on a cruise (first time!)
17) Visit the Azores
18) Take a jeep trip into the caldera of a volcano
19) Visit Madeira
20) Take the cable car to the botanical gardens and come back down in a wicker basket thing
21) Go to Europe's highest sea cliff at Cape Girao and stand on the glass viewing platform and look down
22) Go to mainland Portugal
23) Visit Lisbon Castle
24) Travel Tram 28
25) Do a river cruise in Oporto
The rest I want to keep pretty fluid...
I am the one that researches, decides itineraries etc. Then J comes along and says I fancy doing this and I have the info already to hand and we go and do something. It works quite well. When we went to Malta, we visited the Blue Grotto but we didn't fancy the restaurants there. i knew from my reading that a little further along the coast was a cove with two restaurants that were supposed to be good. We went there.
It was early season and only one was open but it was sat so close to the water it was almost over it. Our table had an open window and a drop to the bluest water. there was hardly anyone else there, no one seated near us. Our waitress was hardly there. But the food was lovely and the view incredible.
Another time we were not feeling touristy and we found near our hotel that there was an old army base. We ended up trawling round this empty derelict World War site. Tumble down buildings, rubbish and graffitti. It was pretty darn cool.
So I have been reading for our future trip. I have made plans, some more definite than others. Here are some things for the list...
16) Go on a cruise (first time!)
17) Visit the Azores
18) Take a jeep trip into the caldera of a volcano
19) Visit Madeira
20) Take the cable car to the botanical gardens and come back down in a wicker basket thing
21) Go to Europe's highest sea cliff at Cape Girao and stand on the glass viewing platform and look down
22) Go to mainland Portugal
23) Visit Lisbon Castle
24) Travel Tram 28
25) Do a river cruise in Oporto
The rest I want to keep pretty fluid...
Green Things
I have not been known for my green fingers in the past and my house isn't ideal for plants. Most of our windows face north and get little light and our dog likes to stand in them and cause chaos. Our one good south facing window is upstairs on the landing and it is huge.
I used to have a shelf under it where I kept cacti and they did really well but when the window was replaced, the shelf went and the cactis moved downstairs where they died. We have had had various plants that have done ok until we repotted them. We have come to realise that we have to use free draining compost because being a Cornish granite house, it is really damp. Normal compost just holds the moisture and then the roots rot.
So two years ago, a friend who is over run by aloe vera's gave me a plant and insisted I would be able to keep it alive. She was right. It lived on the little shelf at the top of the stairs and did pretty well, spawning babies.
Then a guy who I worked with who is a cactus fanatic gave me a peyote (not illegal to grow in the UK).
What happened next was that I came to understand via my teacher LT that plants were really useful for me, particularly cactis and succulents because they will help me let go of some of the shadow I carry around that I pick up from other people. This shadow generally makes me feel pretty lousy. You tell someone that plants will help them feel better then they are probably going to go get a whole bunch of plants....
A palm in the bedroom window. A lucky bamboo (Draceana) in the second bedroom window. The bedroom window of my craft room now has a mother-in-laws Tongue and a bunch of cacti and succulents on the window (they will move when I get a new landing window shelf but they seem fine for now). A yucca in the downstairs living room and two Kalanochoe's in the Kitchen. On the landing there is an ivy on top of the book case, a golden pathos on the stairs, two window boxes hanging over the balustrade with aloe vera, a rampant Tradescantia, a spider plant in a hanging macrame thing and two cacti and a euphorbia on the little shelf.
The spider plant came from work where a team found they were being moved to a new office where they were not allowed plants. It was a young plant with it's first few babies. Not very full due to lack of light. On my landing it is getting fuller and the babies are growing well. I like to spray them. There was a second spider we kept at work which has massess of babies with clumps of gnarly roots - it is retty stunning. I think mine is going to do just fine where it is.
The Euphorbia is not doing fine at all. I took it to work but I am not sure if it was lack of light or the cold at night but it started to look sick. We thought it might be red spider mites so I got some spray and sprayed everything. It still does not look happy but it is clinging on. i am not sure I am going to be able to save it. It is a mystery because everything else is looking just fine.
The palm is slowly opening a new leaf. A spiky green succulent now has a new baby coming up at the side. The jade money plant has new buds. Even the yucca in the worst room downstairs has new leaves.
The cactus guy at work ended up leaving but he was a good friend so I want to stay in contact... We intend to go to a local cactus show in May together. Another colleague is going to come and my other half (probably to stop me from buying too many plants, although he has promised to have my new shelf up by then lol).
I really like the wierd and wonderful shapes of succulents....
Then for the landing jungle, I want to put up a line and dangle tillandsia's from it, airplants. I have some air drying clay that I would like to make shapes with to hold them. Tilly's are pretty cool.....
So...
11) Go to the cactus show
12) Rescue my Euphorbia
13) Make a tilly habitat on the landing
14) Get more succulents and cacti.
15) Get my cactus shelf set up.
I used to have a shelf under it where I kept cacti and they did really well but when the window was replaced, the shelf went and the cactis moved downstairs where they died. We have had had various plants that have done ok until we repotted them. We have come to realise that we have to use free draining compost because being a Cornish granite house, it is really damp. Normal compost just holds the moisture and then the roots rot.
So two years ago, a friend who is over run by aloe vera's gave me a plant and insisted I would be able to keep it alive. She was right. It lived on the little shelf at the top of the stairs and did pretty well, spawning babies.
Then a guy who I worked with who is a cactus fanatic gave me a peyote (not illegal to grow in the UK).
What happened next was that I came to understand via my teacher LT that plants were really useful for me, particularly cactis and succulents because they will help me let go of some of the shadow I carry around that I pick up from other people. This shadow generally makes me feel pretty lousy. You tell someone that plants will help them feel better then they are probably going to go get a whole bunch of plants....
A palm in the bedroom window. A lucky bamboo (Draceana) in the second bedroom window. The bedroom window of my craft room now has a mother-in-laws Tongue and a bunch of cacti and succulents on the window (they will move when I get a new landing window shelf but they seem fine for now). A yucca in the downstairs living room and two Kalanochoe's in the Kitchen. On the landing there is an ivy on top of the book case, a golden pathos on the stairs, two window boxes hanging over the balustrade with aloe vera, a rampant Tradescantia, a spider plant in a hanging macrame thing and two cacti and a euphorbia on the little shelf.
The spider plant came from work where a team found they were being moved to a new office where they were not allowed plants. It was a young plant with it's first few babies. Not very full due to lack of light. On my landing it is getting fuller and the babies are growing well. I like to spray them. There was a second spider we kept at work which has massess of babies with clumps of gnarly roots - it is retty stunning. I think mine is going to do just fine where it is.
The Euphorbia is not doing fine at all. I took it to work but I am not sure if it was lack of light or the cold at night but it started to look sick. We thought it might be red spider mites so I got some spray and sprayed everything. It still does not look happy but it is clinging on. i am not sure I am going to be able to save it. It is a mystery because everything else is looking just fine.
The palm is slowly opening a new leaf. A spiky green succulent now has a new baby coming up at the side. The jade money plant has new buds. Even the yucca in the worst room downstairs has new leaves.
The cactus guy at work ended up leaving but he was a good friend so I want to stay in contact... We intend to go to a local cactus show in May together. Another colleague is going to come and my other half (probably to stop me from buying too many plants, although he has promised to have my new shelf up by then lol).
I really like the wierd and wonderful shapes of succulents....
Then for the landing jungle, I want to put up a line and dangle tillandsia's from it, airplants. I have some air drying clay that I would like to make shapes with to hold them. Tilly's are pretty cool.....
So...
11) Go to the cactus show
12) Rescue my Euphorbia
13) Make a tilly habitat on the landing
14) Get more succulents and cacti.
15) Get my cactus shelf set up.
Thursday 7 April 2016
101 Things
I miss blogging.
What I miss most is the way I was able to use it to focus, to organise my life. I like lists and goals. I don't like the to be rigid though, then they can get too heavy.... A burden.
Once upon a time I signed up to something called 101 Things in 1001 days. I spent a lot of time coming up with things, many impractical. Now I just want to flow, record momentary goals, add and remove things as I feel. And the aim is to get to 101 by the end of the 1001 days....
So here are some current goals to add to my list.
1) Go to Scotland
2) Visit Suzi
3) Visit B Castle and H Hall as they relate to a past life
4) Find out whereabouts in Scotland my ancestor JM xame from and visit it.
5) Find my North stone
Now one trip could see the completion of all five of these but I have been dreaming of this trip for some time. Years in fact. It's a big thing. Deserving of five targets....
Then too
5) Finish the Oculi bracelet.
6) Visit Orford Ness
7) Visit the Amalfi Coast, Vesuvius and Pompeii.
8) Finish my tarot card project
9) See the Northern Lights
10) Buy a rock mill and polish beach stones
So the bracelet is a complicated affair (not designed by me). I am not quite a third of the way through and it has taken 10+ hours....
The tarot is a project I began. Collecting versions of each card and spending time writing about each one. There are a lot of cards. I have done much of the major arcana, probably more than half. A long way to go.
Pebbles on the beach gain a coating as they react with sea water. Impossible to tell if white quartz is clear or milky inside.... I want to admire them.... Peel off their coating.
And travel. I desire to travel a lot more.
What I miss most is the way I was able to use it to focus, to organise my life. I like lists and goals. I don't like the to be rigid though, then they can get too heavy.... A burden.
Once upon a time I signed up to something called 101 Things in 1001 days. I spent a lot of time coming up with things, many impractical. Now I just want to flow, record momentary goals, add and remove things as I feel. And the aim is to get to 101 by the end of the 1001 days....
So here are some current goals to add to my list.
1) Go to Scotland
2) Visit Suzi
3) Visit B Castle and H Hall as they relate to a past life
4) Find out whereabouts in Scotland my ancestor JM xame from and visit it.
5) Find my North stone
Now one trip could see the completion of all five of these but I have been dreaming of this trip for some time. Years in fact. It's a big thing. Deserving of five targets....
Then too
5) Finish the Oculi bracelet.
6) Visit Orford Ness
7) Visit the Amalfi Coast, Vesuvius and Pompeii.
8) Finish my tarot card project
9) See the Northern Lights
10) Buy a rock mill and polish beach stones
So the bracelet is a complicated affair (not designed by me). I am not quite a third of the way through and it has taken 10+ hours....
The tarot is a project I began. Collecting versions of each card and spending time writing about each one. There are a lot of cards. I have done much of the major arcana, probably more than half. A long way to go.
Pebbles on the beach gain a coating as they react with sea water. Impossible to tell if white quartz is clear or milky inside.... I want to admire them.... Peel off their coating.
And travel. I desire to travel a lot more.
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