Unbought Delicacies: 11/11/2012

Friday, 16 November 2012

Winter celebrations

I no longer 'do' the whole Christmas thing here now; the children are grown and I have little interest in the religious parts of Christmas to be honest. Each to their own,and everyone celebrate or not as to their interests and wishes is how I look at it. We have instead a feast on the winter Solstice night. Today I got my copy of the December Country Living magazine and it has inspired me to make more of actually decorating the house for the winter season - I usually have the greenery and lots of it, but due to illness and circumstance last year, not much was done. This year will be different, and I there are a lot of things I would like to make, but non-traditional Christmas things that reflect the winter and teh winter solstce, the gifts of Mother Nature at this time of year - that sort of thing. Am fired up with enthusiasm, and longing to get started, but it's a wee bit early I feel! I think a large-leafed notebook will help here,for putting pictures and inspiring bits an dpieces in - like a storyboard in a book.
Watch this space :)

Thursday, 15 November 2012

Take ten minutes...........

Earth prayer

This is beautiful, stop what you're doing and just take ten or so minutes just being and hearing :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C-FF4_28jM

image from : devozine.upperroom.org

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

Home

I am back home as of last night. Need to get unpacked and straightened out a bit, and there's plenty to be getting on with as usual, after a

Monday, 12 November 2012

My daughter has published her book

She has been working on this for such a long time, and now it's out there! Am very proud and looking forward to reading it as soon as it arrives :0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rose-Prince-Bethany-Dean/dp/146372649X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352755751&sr=1-2

A celebratory mulled cider is in order

Just spent nearly an hour trying to change my blog background lol Not easy when you're computerally challenged like me! Anyhoo, nice wintry scene now, the cider will warm me up.
While I'm here, just like to say a big thnakyou to all who read here, whether you comment or not - it's all appreciated :)
Stay warm
x

Last day of holiday

"holiday word cloud"
Click on the link above to see this word cloud at WordItOut. You may also view it on this website if you enable JavaScript (see your web browser settings).

Word cloud made with WordItOut

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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