Unbought Delicacies: Settling in

Thursday, 10 March 2011

Settling in

So much to do! Keeping me busy and out of trouble, though. Richmond is a lovely town, quite a lot going on, some very interesting shops and nice people. I'm settling in well I think, and we're starting to get to grips with a rather neglected garden, bit of a challenge.
Looking forward to moving through the seasons in a new place - foraging and preserving, gardening, making, etc.
Today is very windy here, someone nearly got an eyeful at the roundabout lol - might be advisable to invest in some narrow trousers rather than a flouncy long wide skirt!
The craft room/studio is almost there - just need to get the table in; it was too wide to get up the narrow stairs, so I've enlisted the help of the friendly Polish builder who lives underneath to take off the legs, bring the table in and put them back on for me lol I can then get teh sewing machine up, my cardmaking and art stuff sorted and the laptop will hopefully get a decent signal up there. Watch out for news of my online enterprises lol
Amazed OH with my homemade onion bajhis and naan breads last night - think he was suitable impressed lol
Hope all are well, hoping normal service will be resumed very shortly.
The picture is of Richmond Castle; I can see it from teh bedroom window, so am putting my rocking chair in fornt of the window, near the bookcases, so I can read with a view :)

8 comments:

Anonymous said...: So pleased to hear you are settling in. Thinking of you as you start on a new path.
Take care
Hugs
Mandy; 10 March 2011 at 13:59
mrsnesbitt said...: Wonderful news Sarah. Dxx; 10 March 2011 at 14:05
Jacqui said...: Wishing you all the very best.
Blessings.
xx; 10 March 2011 at 15:41
Jane and Chris said...: Looking forward to seeing you thrive as much as the new garden.
Jane x; 10 March 2011 at 16:44
Dartford Warbler said...: What a lovely place to have moved to. I remember sitting down by the river, with the castle up above on the opposite bank, and watching grey wagtails on the stones in the water.; 10 March 2011 at 17:24
thesnailgarden said...: Glad to hear that you are settling in okay. Best wishes, Pj x; 11 March 2011 at 08:42
Anonymous said...: oh you are lucky! All that lovely parkland nearby. We used to cycle through Richmond park every day to get to work.; 11 March 2011 at 13:57
Anonymous said...: wow some view! Am trying to remember the name of the bakery/cafe some just north of you that we enjoyed,
Love from Sue caissy; 12 March 2011 at 23:54

I have found such joy

I have found such joy in simple things;
A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread,
A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,
The shelter of a roof above my head,
And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,
Where yellow sunlight glimmers through the door.
I have found such joy in things that fill
My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,
A potted plant upon my window sill,
A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;
A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,
And books I long have loved beside me there.
Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might
Tell every woman who goes seeking far
For some elusive, feverish delight,
That very close to home the great joys are:
The elemental things- old as the race,
Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Ideas for handmade gifts

Small knitteds - gloves, scarves, hot water bottle covers, hats, tea cosies, phone covers, little toys,,cushion covers, bags. Some of these can be felted/fulled for extra interest.
Edibles - chutneys and jams, pickles, nice teas in a vintage/retro tin, sweeties, toffees, mustard, home made wine and liqueurs, home dried fruits, ketchups.
For the home - trimmed tea towels, handknitted dishcloths, quilted wallhangings, small samplers, restored picture frames, pot pourri, lavender bags, covered coathangers, little scented bags for hanging on handles, framed photos of family,etc you've taken yourself, pincushion,needle book, scissor keeper, book of promises (eg babysitting, 1 hour's housework, the ironing, etc)
Bathtime - homemade soap, bath oils, bath salts, knitted washcloths, herbal bags for the bath, hand sewn toilet bags, trimmed hand towels, homemade lotions and potions packed in pretty jars and bottles.
For the garden - home saved seed in handmade decorated packets; homemade handcream, exfoliating soap, wheat bag for those digger's aches and pains!

Handmade books, personalised printed notepaper and envelopes.
Hamper of bits and bobs from the above lists, packed in a pretty lined basket.

I'll add some more as and when I think of them; These can be used all year round and easily tailored to the recipient - everyone loves a homemade gift. :)

Inspiring thoughts.............

I saw a man, an old Cilician, who occupied an acre or two of land that no one wanted.
A patch not worth the ploughing, unrewarding for flocks, unfit for vineyards;
he, however, by planting here and there among the scrub cabbages or white lilies and verbena and flimsy poppies, fancied himself a king in wealth, and coming home late in the evening, loaded his board with unbought delicacies.
Virgil

I had no theories to prove. I merely wanted to try living by my own hands, independently as far as possible from a system of division of labour in which the participant loses most of the pleasure of making and growing things for himself. I wanted to bring in my own fuel and smell its sweet smell as it burned in the hearth I had made. I wanted to grow my own food, or forage after it. In short I wanted to do as much as I could for myself, because I had already realised from partial experience the inexpressible joy of doing so.

Harlan Hubbard, Shantyboat: A River Way of Life

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Thursday, 10 March 2011

Settling in

8 comments: