Dear diary

rhododendron

As you’ve noticed, I don’t have much to tell these days, but since my loom room remains under siege so often, I’m going to make an effort down here in the office rather than just sit around and wait for opportunity.

  • Patience is not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.

I’ve been working on focus, both keeping it and changing it at will. The latter is easier done with thought patterns than activities I find, the more I immerse myself in one craft, the fewer ideas I get for the others, so I can’t just pop out of weaving mode to paint or write for a couple of hours. Well I can, but I’m not making anything worthwhile. To do that, I’d have to stay in it, and lay the weaving completely aside instead.

Which is fine in itself, I think it’s more efficient on many levels. We’ve discussed it several times before, being multicraftual in a serial fashion rather than parallel activities. I just wish I had the option of choice in my own hands… But as with many life issues, the solution appears to be upside down: To change it, I need the moneys, to have money I need to do some serious work, to do serious work I need to change the setting. Or be very very patient and work very very slow. So that is what I do (ok, there’s some chomping at the bit), and it’s all I do, so I guess you don’t want to be hearing about that twice a week or more. And of course, slow comes automatically with that body of mine, but you don’t want to be hearing about that either.

I will have some show and tell eventually, but it seems I keep wanting to do just a bit more before sharing, rather than the usual little tidbits. Among other things I’m going to have to look into sewing at some point rather than just amassing handwoven fabrics in my closet. And about time too, since I just had to chuck 2/3 of my wardrobe content!

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So if I can’t find any words, I think I’ll have a look at that other blog which I’d nearly forgotten about. I don’t get out for much new photography, this May is stormy and chilly (yes, jackets, no, flowers won’t hold still for me), so there will have to be photoshopping! (or repeats from this site, ahem) You can hold me accountable by checking the left menu for updates….

See, my words ran out before I got to any kind of interesting bits. Hm. I used to rush out of the shower to write down blog ideas, but now I just went and deleted most of my old drafts. I figure if any of them were important, they’ll come back round?

In the meantime tell me: what do you do with your rhubarbs (before they’re seriously overdue) when you need to lose 20-25 pounds? My ideas usually involve sugar, vanilla, creams and custards and that sort of thing….

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14 thoughts on “Dear diary

  1. I have a heart for the pain of how to be multicraftural! I like that term. And, btw, I also suffer from too much fabric, too little time. Ah well…

  2. Rhubarb chutney. If you’re a flesh eater (I am) use rhubarbs finely diced mixed with meat in curry dishes.
    For changing and keeping focus … I know that having children has taught me a lot on this subject.

    1. I’m going to have to try it in or with stews then. Children? My mum always claimed she’s been unable to read a book since she had them. πŸ˜‰ Must have been my brothers, surely I didn’t spend a lot of time getting in her hair.

    1. Jello is a complete mystery to me, we don’t have it here! But yes, they need to be done with less sugar, yet not be too tart. I used to put one stalk in the juicer along with carrots etc, that’s nice, but I’m too lazy to use the juicer now.

  3. Rhubarbs – no idea! On the subject of jello, Jordan’s grandmother makes jello-based jams with rhubarb and strawberry. If you have access to gelatin I think you may be halfway there to owning some jello– I’m not a fan of the jiggly stuff but her jelly is delicious. Let me know if you need a recipe, I’ll track it down.

    That said, I absolutely do not mind hearing about slowness, since that is what my whole life has been about lately. I’d like to hear how others are dealing with it, but I fully understand about your not wanting to write about it (I don’t either!)

    1. Oh, it’s not that I mind talking about slowness, I simply can’t think of anything profound to say on the matter. πŸ˜‰ And I think everyone is more or less fed up with my headaches and fatigue etc.

  4. Yes, I also understand the mental rift of multi-craftural. Although I ‘only’ paint, I paint in different mediums and currently the way the studio is set up I kinda can’t work on more than one thing at once unless they’re small. The last few months I’ve been juggling some commissions which needed to proceed at the same time, so it was tricky to put one up on the wall with ‘wall diapers’ to dry, work on another….
    Funny you should mention the rhubarb. My other half loves rhubarb pie, but in Southern California, it’s impossible to get. Finally a couple months ago we find it canned at the English Grocer store which blissfully is only about 10 miles from him. He made a pie last week – yummy! Yesterday we were in the local main store and there it was Fresh!!! Rhubarb!!! Unbelievable. I think I will be seeing more rhubarb dishes in future when I visit him. Woohoo.

    1. It really matters a lot if you have easy access to your stuff or have to pack and unpack and arrange and prepare every time, doesn’t it? I don’t get around to painting much because of that, by the time I’m done clearing up and covering things that need to be protected, I’m either out of juice or someone wants me to make dinner or whatever.

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