Coreopsis tinctoria, indigo right, weld at the back
The section of lawn that I killed off last year is all filled out, although not just with dye plants. In fact, the dye project seems to go not all that well. Plants are growing (in case of the japanese indigo, not growing, but surviving), but no flowers. The weld most likely won’t be useful until next year, but I did hope to finally harvest a lot of coreopsis. The marigold also aren’t looking very willing. I didn’t sow new Dyer’s Chamomile, there is still some in the abandonded veggie garden along with woad.
French Marigold (tagetes patula)Marigold (calendula) and potatoes
I took the opportunity of clear soil to bury a few old potatoes, replant my strawberry plants and some asparagus. Lettuces and spinach, kale, and this little experiment: The wilted stub of a used supermarket celery, now look what it’s doing after I planted it! Hopefully some radishes on the way too.
It’s still stormy and autumn like temperatures here (13 C yesterday), so I don’t spend much time outside actually. We’re putting up a temporary fence where the hedge died, so we have a corner of shade and quiet, vainly hoping we’ll actually get to use it. I think I’ve had 4 days’ use of our garden furniture this year! I believe it’s the third summer in a row that’s acting this ghastly, and I really, really dislike strong wind. We’ve also had snow 3 winters in a row now, very unusual.
Look how the pear tree has been shaped by the wind – despite a hedge!
Well, at least I have an excuse for knitting more sweaters since they’re now all year gear! I’m going to step up my needle sizes to be able to finish sooner…
The birdies are fed sunflower seeds in winter – sometimes they miss a few.
A friend of mine taught me this recipe for a natural energy drink and I thought I’d share. (no, this still isn’t a cooking blog)
The base is:
Nettles and/or ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria), pick the tips with the youngest leaves, fill your blender.
Add 1 diced organic lemon, peel and all, green tea, apple juice. Perhaps a dash of honey or vanilla sugar if you don’t like it bitter.
Blend, strain, serve. Keeps for two days in the fridge (if you added sour things like lemon and juice, they keep the good stuff from getting ruined by oxygen)
You can vary it by adding whatever herbs need trimming in your garden. Mint, lemon balm, black currant leaves. Or a basil/oregano/tomato juice variety?
Both nettles and ground elder contain lots of minerals and vitamins. Marigold petals are good for connective tissue. I’ve also used fresh ginger, chopped up and made tea which I then strained and added to the rest.
Linseed oil is also good for you.
IMPORTANT: Do not use actual elder leaves, as in from the tree. They are poisonous.
Energidrik
Flere i vennekredsen er gået amok i denne naturdrik og jeg synes den er så god at jeg ville dele den med flere.
Basen består af brændenældeblade og skvalderkål, 50/50 eller hvad man nu har. Tilsæt en hel usprøjtet citron, skal og det hele, samt lige dele grøn te og æblejuice. Evt. lidt honning eller vanillesukker hvis det bliver for bittert. Kan holde sig i køleskab 2 dage.
Og ellers kan man tilføje hvad der lige trænger til at studses i krydderbedet, mynte, citronmelisse, solbærblade, morgenfrue. Et skvæt hørfrøolie er heller ikke af vejen! Jeg har også brugt ingefær, det er godt.
 As I’ve mentioned I’m trying to learn about tapestry weaving because it seems to “light me up” more than knitting clothes.
While I was unweaving half a training piece – because I’d learned what I wanted from it and because I’m cheap and wanted to salvage even my yarn scraps and warp – I was thinking that if somebody saw me they’d probably recommend doing some of the samplers from the weaving books to learn the various techniques for making stripes, curves etc.
The thing is, I just don’t roll that way. I don’t mind my samplers being useless when I’m done, but just doing colour blocks bores me so much I want to scream. And then I don’t pay attention and make mistakes. I also don’t learn when following a recipe, I have to look it up and read the instructions every. single. time.
My first tapestry sampler with sketches.
And that’s how I learn best: figuring things out by myself, see what happens when I make mistakes. I remember, I make conclusions leading to theories that, when tested, work better and better based on my previous actions etc. And I remember it for next time. Then if I get stuck, I consult books and tutorials. I may browse various weaving books and work on my initial impressions and little hints that stick in my brain at random. I don’t read them from cover to cover and just absorb it all in one sitting.
I can learn from books, but only if the subject is one that comes more natural to me or really interests me. But it still comes second to doing. Another thing which can make a huge difference is intention. I hated physics and chemistry in school, only subject that was worse was PE. I skipped all the chapters with drawings of molecules in some of the old dye books I got from the library because my eyes just started to cross. But here I am happily playing with pH values, mordants etc. and having a blast – because it has a desired outcome.
How do you like to get your material presented, so that you may learn best/easiest/most fun? Books, workshops, lectures, schematics, recipes, or the more chatty form? Do you want to see someone else do before you put your hands to it? Or are you a listener?
The funny thing is, I always thought I could learn just by observing and thinking. And yes, it works for theory – but not skill. And I think it’s rather amazing (as well as frustrating) that the mind-body connection never occurred to me sooner. And nobody told me.
Cotton yarn with 10 surface treatments ready to dye
Photography seems to be the main thing these days.
Time for another ramble! Must be either the humidity or hormones, LOL.
I was hoping that my new resolve about knitting would help me also generally get better at not having to do all the things all the time. Seeing it as having various picture making options in my toolbox, and instead work project oriented using whichever media each project requires. And I must say, it’s going pretty well. I don’t freak out if I haven’t painted for a month, I just follow the flow. In fact lately the flow has been getting the garden organized again now that we finally have a small pocket of nice weather.
Now, when I said I would work project oriented to free some time and calm the monkey mind, I didn’t mention the ginormous list of projects that I have of course. But you already knew that, if you know me just a little bit. 😉 I write down all my ideas, but I’m actually ok letting many of them hibernate or even just stay on the list. I feel that by aknowledging an inspiration that way I have already done part of the job, I’m saying yes to the ideas and in that manner inviting more to come.
Trying out an idea in Photoshop before ruining the canvas…
Then the other day I had a really crazy-clever idea. I’ve often been joking that what I’d really like to do is just have ideas, design and plan stuff. Then I’d have staff to handle the actual production so that I could be free to attend to more ideas…. So, what is the low-grade version of this scenario? Well, since I’m basically tired a lot, and sometimes even more when it comes to actually digging into my creative projects after some time away from them, what if I simply left it at that? Sitting around getting a multitude of exciting ideas, do the colour samples, the sketches, the fantasies in particular – and just kept doing that bit and not bother produce them? I’d have SO much money available instead of buying wool and paints and I can do it while trimming the hedges… And maybe then I wouldn’t spend half the day clicking the interwebs because I’m too scared to start painting the idea I had last night after bedtime (very convenient to have them at that time, you can just pretend you’re sorry it’s too late).
It wouldn’t actually work of course, because I do like making things. And when I do get stuck, perhaps I should try to simply write down brain chatter as it happens, bringing the dialogue out instead of repeating it inside. Have a little discussion conversation with inner critic, the over-achiever and their little friends lazy-bones, obstinate and pitiful. I don’t know if they’d like to come outside like that, but it’s worth a shot. I wonder which one of them came up with the idea of only making brain art?
So, am I still procrastinating my way through tasks, more, less, not at all, and how about energy levels? There’s room for improvement. And that’s mostly the voice of ms. perfectionist. If you ask me, I’m definitely on my way and the pace is just fine. The worst moments are, like I said, transitions between one type of activity and the next. I’ve never been very good at taking half an hour in between (or even a day) to be creative, if I start my day like that I know I won’t be able to stop, so lately I’ve been doing the chores that need doing first. And then I’m usually a zombie around 3 pm already and not in the mood. Once I get past the early summer hump of de-jungle-fying the property, I expect I can reverse the priorities again and save housework for last.
Kale
The 3 pm slump is the worst when it comes to making excuses, but for now I think I’ll just have to accept it unless I want all-day slumps again. Or all-week slumps. At least I’m getting pretty good at keeping myself in motion, even if it’s just remembering to water things in my greenhouse and brushing the dog. It’s still a kind of evasion from doing arts and crafts, but at least I don’t just sit and click. So it does seem to be working, I mean, things get done and I hardly have any lists. I rarely feel stressed and busy, I just potter about. And, well, I do have days when I can’t get my A into G no matter how many times I get up and start doing one little thing. But they’re fewer and I try to not feel overly guilty about it. This is where the small camera comes in, it’s hardly a chore to just walk around and click aimlessly.
What else have I been doing to beat procrastination?
Well, my interlibrary reservation list is down to 1! book and I’m not going to add more for a while no matter how tempting.
I practise finishing old wips to declutter both mind and house. Working on my featherweight cardigan and the pin cushions right now (ok, I had an excuse for the latter, I needed appropriate filling)
I do things that I know I can do – such as building tapestry looms. I have various simple designs that I want to try out. Got a few supplies, now I’m just waiting for someone to help me lift wood from the garage rafters 3 m up.
I’m not intending for this to become a cooking blog, but I thought I’d share a few recipes I’ve stumbled across lately, to show my appreciation that other people blog about delicious food and well, to share with those of you who like food.
Also, it’s a way for me to remember the links and not lose them among my bookmarks 😉
My absolute favourite for old bananas – it’s in Danish but perhaps you can do a Google translate thingy on it? Add cinnamon or cocoa, oatmeal (they get a bit soggy the day after), glutenfree flour, lots of things work. They may end up a little flatter, but the spicyness of the brown sugar (muscovado?) is awesome.
Kale and strawberries. Now, this sounds lovely, but when are the two ever in season together??!
I’ve managed to grow a few things in the garden this year, this time I’m starting out slow with a few things instead of trying to plant a whole field of clay at once. So I may in fact become more cooking oriented as time passes. I’d love to study herblore, both for food and medicinal purposes. But that will be in another lifetime or my head will explode.
And finally, I got a lovely recipe for paleo bread at a family gathering on Sunday:
500 g assorted nuts, seeds or gluten free muesli
5 eggs
1 dl oil
2 tsp. salt
Grind nuts as finely or coarsely as you like, perhaps roast them first. Add the rest, bake in bread mold for one hour at 160° C. Tastes good fresh or toasted. And I bet you can add herbs or other spices too. Nigella on top perhaps?
Energidrik
