Category: Chit Chat

Proof of pie

PiaChit Chat

This is what I did today. No recipe, I just threw some things together for a glutenfree crumble. Almonds, coconut and stuff. I had a bit too much of both crumble and rhubarb, so I made a smaller one with a muscovado/molasses sugar just to try it.

G installed edges to my no dig bed, we got them for free from one of his shooting buddies. Gets a bit easier to control the lawn this way, and perhaps I can install a second layer some time to make things easier on my back. In the future, the boxes should go in first obviously, to not have to do any digging, but at that time we didn’t have any.

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And some random point / shoot garden shots testing the new to me pocket cam, some of the functions don’t work the way I’d like, or rather, it seems the macro function is wonky. And sometimes in the sun you’re not pointing where you think you are! But then I would not have seen that decorative cloud, so all good. And the strawberry harvest is going to be amazing if I can keep the crows out. Now I’ll just make the guacamole for dinner and no more of housey stuff today. Basta. This is turning into a very everydaily blog, isn’t it? I’m not even reading anything awfully interesting at the moment, I’m between books. I may look at Pema Chödrön next. Unless I just grab a Pratchett….

So…

PiaChit Chat

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This is another one of those days where I have a number of blog drafts sitting around, but can’t get to the end of them because stuff is missing. (I can’t tell you of a loom I did not get to buy for instance because somebody else beat me to it) But I need to keep in touch or I’ll go missing entirely I think, there’s definitely something to staying in the flow, not just with art, but with blogging too. The more you do, the more ideas happen as well.

Busy week here preparing for an insurance inspection, ditto meeting and generally a very tiring May. My journal has ONE page in it, that’s how little I’ve been “me” instead of janitor/general manager/headache monster. Trying to reset myself now, mentally and physically, by doing very little, my brain is boiling a wee bit. Definitely hoping to get back to work on Monday, and I know I’ve said that about some previous Mondays as well, but this time I mean it or I’ll murder somebody. I don’t even care if they deserve it. 😉

Anyway, we were out of dog food and old ladies get special low calorie senior kibble, so I had to drive to town today and decided to try a marathon run of my long accumulated shopping list. No more room on the whiteboard. Only forgot to look for two things and didn’t get one other which was not available, so all in all I feel very efficient and also accomplished enough to relax about granting myself some me-time. So much for resetting, but I did that most of yesterday at least and haven’t done much else today either. I may not be able to get artsyfartsy on weekends, but I think tomorrow will be for a couple of projects where I just have to point. Rhubarb pie might happen.

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Only yesterday I was thinking about how it would be nice to have various shades of bright thread to make scrap blankets/quilts from old clothes. Well, first stop on our tour was getting a new cover for painting on the dining table and what did they have at the checkout counter? A little junk basket of very marked down threads… Thanks a bunch!

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Second score was a new hedge trimmer. The one I’ve been using for the last 12 years is a bit weak and I often have to hack my way through if I need to trim close. My arms, shoulders and back just aren’t up to the job anymore, so we agreed last year that I’d get a better one. Tried various types and the really good ones were also too heavy, so I hope I’ve found a good medium variety. Why doesn’t the large person in the household cut hedges? Because he is not a garden freak and I’d go bonkers having to supervise the job. He could theoretically use this one too, but it wouldn’t work the other way round; which means I’d have to be a major nag to get it done. Not my favourite situation at all. And, well, I kinda like doing it. Especially after.

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I’m going to try fishing line for helping with my selvedges in weaving. Do you think this will be strong enough? I obviously didn’t have a chance to pull it before buying…

I also bought a piece of wood. Maybe another day I’ll show you what I want to make from it. It amuses me no end to prance around the hardware store, try things out and pick what I want, with a guy in tow just carrying the stuff!

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My saori jacket is not making a lot of progress, oodles of design errors and remakes. I was picking out buttons the other day, haven’t found the perfect set, but decided on “good enough”. This pile I received from Melanie in Toulouse along with chocolate and two lovely scarves, how’s that for a score!? Maybe some day surprise packages will go out in the opposite direction, but for now that’s a secret.

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And that’s about it from the cottage this week. The lilacs are looking spectacular at the moment, but so far I’ve forgotten fresh photos of them. Lucky for me, they look just the same as last year. I’m going to try my very best to be a little bit interesting in the near future.

Nope

PiaChit Chat

Still nothing going on here. It’s pain week again = horisontal me. The cats love it!

It seems there is an overwhelming majority of rapeseed * fields around here this year, but I don’t know if they’ll still bloom when I’m up and about again. Same goes for the peonies, so I’ll have to put my bets on something else. Dandelion seeds will be gone with the wind for sure! All in all, a typical May around here. Fire in the woodstove and all. Tried to alleviate my boredom with a bit of obsessive tool-shopping, but nothing came of it, so you’ll have to take my word for how much fun that was. 😉

* The most commonly used oil here in food preparation I believe. Look! An educational post!

Meanwhile project ideas are piling up, but they’ll just have to wait, won’t they. Behind the laundry, the horse poop and thistles…. Doing things little bit by little bit – eventually something might come of it. It’s always harder to choose which one to go for after a long break, I’m sure I’m not alone in that? I think I’m going to have to put plant dyeing at bay until I get myself sorted and just do the occasional picture thing.

Bumbling about (again)

PiaChit Chat

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Can’t seem to find my feet this week, although it was long anticipated for having 4 long days with a totally quiet house. 😉 Serves me right for making plans. Mind you, nothing prevents me from carrying them out, besides myself!

I started with 2 headachy days, then I noticed something was wrong with one of the kittens. At 6 in the morning just as the car was about to leave the premises. It happens a lot around here, has for years, I must have the sickest pets on the planet. And I worry every minute of the day(s) until it’s over, big issue or small, feeling a hurt deep inside. There must be some lesson in this for me, but I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is. Except to stop worrying, but all my rational thoughts fail to make a lasting impression so far. So that’s one thread of distraction, pulling a whole wad of strings with it. In fact I got so wound up with all the hasty new arrangements, crashing traffic rules to get to the train unexpectedly etc. I could not face the act of shopping for my 4 day isolation, having the car and all. Well, there’s coffee…

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It’s a cold week, so I have to pile on clothes. Another distraction for my already scattered mind. Getting covered in cat hair from all the healthy ones suddenly lining up to sleep on me whenever I think of standing up to practise varnishing a picture (try doing that covered in hair!) Change sweater, repeat. Don’t indulge them I’m told. But if, then, why do I even have pets? (I do know why they want me, I’m the warmest dry spot in the house after a romp in the rain)

When I worry I also begin to doubt everything. Why I do any of the things I do, how I pretend to imagine there is even a path and a purpose to be revealed. I still want to do them, but I question my motivation, my skills (always), and most of all the importance. It makes no difference in the world if I make pictures all day or just eat cake. Tomorrow I could win the lottery or die and anything in between. And some days I find that highly exciting and motivating, when I worry I’m certain that what WILL happen tomorrow is in fact absolutely nothing. You know, the old “all is vanity and chasing the wind” theme. (of course, most days nothing really does happen, at least on its own accord or any differently than the day before)

Sigh. Last week I began writing a very enthusiastic blog post about my progress in keeping up the creative work every day, eliminating excess activities to give me focus, succesfully ignoring noise and distraction, having talked down some of my fears and self criticism. Ha. Can you spell H U B R I S ? Well, at least I’m getting instant feedback on some issues. XD No need to even go public with it first! But now I’m telling you anyway to make the humiliation complete, like.

How do you like them apple blossoms?

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Little green wonders: Asparagus.

PiaChit Chat

Last year I planted asparagus, and I know I’m not supposed to pick any until next summer, to give them strength to grow big enough to sustain harvest. But I just had to go and try one. Only ONE.

Huge mistake. OMG that was amazing, I’m never ever going to buy these from a shop again. Next summer I’ll live on them, and strawberries. In the meantime I’ll gaze at them longingly, as they poke their stems above ground to taunt me…

The greenhouse having collapsed I have no homegrown tomatoes or cucumbers this year, so I’ve sown some snack carrots just to have something.

How do you like to eat your asparagus?