How little do you really need?

Imagine if you were to live in a shed/cabin/studio - say 8ft x 6ft odd. What would you consider the essentials that you would need to get by? How little do you really need?

The Girls' Guide to Homemaking

Just finished this book by Amy Bratley. I was attracted to the title - anything to do with homemaking has to be worth a look usually! Read it within 24 hours; it's a pretty lightweight read, but very entertaining, making me laugh out loud in a few places - I think it would make a very good film if someone took up the idea. Based loosely around the advice the main character Juliet finds in an old housekeeping advice book inherited from her aunt, it centres around Juliet's broken family and their attempts to make amends for the past. I liked the cahracterisation, finding them fairly plausible, and there are even a couple of recipes included - one for chocoalte truffles and one for Margeurita cocktails - my sort of book!
Well worth a read for something fairly lightweight.

'I opened the first page of the book to black and white photographs of perfectly groomed smiling women doing their domestic chores. I coudn't decide whether their smiles were through gritted teeth, amphetamine inspired, or genuinely terrifically happy. I flicked through the pages and thought of Violet. She had loved this book, with its advice on candle wax removal and how to look after your husband's shoes. She had grown up in an era when dusting your toaster and making pounds of jam were of utmost importance. A time before women's libbers took a match to their lingerie drawer and made it acceptable for us girls to lie in bed all day doing nothing. There was something comforting about the book - it fitted perfectly with y desire to have a homely home, though I felt mildly guilty for reading it. I'd been educated to think homemaking was a betrayal of feminism, but I didn't understand how sneering at women who chose to work at home, whether at childrearing or homemaking, was in keeping with the cocnept of sisterhood. Shouldn't women support each other's choices, whatever they may be?'

There's also a nice idea for a cocktail of champagne with rose syrup - sounds lovely, will have to try that one!
Let me know if you do read it and what you think.:)) (It's on Amazon)

Wet

Raining here today, but although I got damp on the way to the library it's very welcome for the garden now; we've planted a lot of plants and sown seed, so a good thorough soak is what they need, indeed it's been the dryest March for a while according to one forecast I watched. Gives me the chance to get on with some indoor jobs, though, without feeling I 'should' be outside making the most of the dry and the sunshine.
Knitting madly to get ready to stock up on my Etsy/folksy shops, hoping to get them up and running next week. My craftrom/studio is almost ready, couple more shelves to get put up, then move the last of the stuff around and I can really get stuck in.
Applying for jobs too, have 3 CVs to deliver tomorrow, all cooking/catering, but it's my choice of work now I have to go back, but part-time or full-time would both suit at the moment. I may find my age against me, though, and the fact I've been away from full-time employment for some 19 odd years! I've also approached a local wool company to ask if they need any knitters, and am awaiting a response from them - would help keep the wolf from the door a bit if I could get into that.
However, staying optimistic and hopeful, something will turn up and I've plenty to keep me busy in the meantime.
OH was amazed to hear I've never actually been bored in my life, and it's true, I can honestly say I never have. I can sit still and do nothing, but I'm never actually bored. How about you?

Creative Living forum

We had a bit of a glitch last week, when the forum was 'off air' for quite a while - about a day and a half I reckon. However, the Froum provider I use for it is excellent, and they are very quick to pick up on anything going awry and sorting it out as fast as they can, so all credit to them. This , coupled with a not wonderful signal at home has meant that I appear not to have been onlne as much as usual, but I hope that is sorting itself out. My studio/workroom usptairs is almost sorted out and ready for use, and I will be using my trusty laptop up there, where it can be permanently left out ready for use; thus, you should see a bit more of me, so to speak.
The other thing that I picked up on last week whilst the forumw as down is that some people seem to think I'm giving up the forum, or had closed it down or similar. I can assure you that nothing is further from the truth. It's been going 6 years now, and is as healthy as always, although a few bits and peices need updating, which I will get to as soon as I can. So, it's not closing down, I'm still head honcho, I'm not moving it, selling it, or handing the reins over to anyone else - it's still my baby! lol Everyone is welcome - come on over for a look, join in if you like, and have your say :))

Link in the sidebar on the right :)

From The Great Lover - Rupert Brooke

These I have loved:
White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery dust;
Wet roofs, beneath the lamp-light; the strong crust
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood;
And radiant raindrops couching in cool flowers;
And flowers themselves, that sway through sunny hours,
Dreaming of moths that drink them under the moon;
Then, the cool kindliness of sheets, that soon
Smooth away trouble; and the rough male kiss
Of blankets; grainy wood; live hair that is
Shining and free; blue-massing clouds; the keen
Unpassioned beauty of a great machine;
The benison of hot water; furs to touch;
The good smell of old clothes; and other such
The comfortable smell of friendly fingers,
Hair's fragrance, and the musty reek that lingers
About dead leaves and last year's ferns...
Dear names,
And thousand other throng to me! Royal flames;
Sweet water's dimpling laugh from tap or spring;
Holes in the groud; and voices that do sing;
Voices in laughter, too; and body's pain,
Soon turned to peace; and the deep-panting train;
Firm sands; the little dulling edge of foam
That browns and dwindles as the wave goes home;
And washen stones, gay for an hour; the cold
Graveness of iron; moist black earthen mould;
Sleep; and high places; footprints in the dew;
And oaks; and brown horse-chestnuts, glossy-new;
And new-peeled sticks; and shining pools on grass;
All these have been my loves.

I love this extract, just about sums it all up for me. I came across it in a slim volume of poetry called 'Poems to Live By', by John Florance. Thoroughly recommended by me if you can get hold of a copy; the writing between the poems Florance chooses is inspring in itself. According to the blurb on the back, this book will help you:

- live courageously
- enjoy the present while remembering the past
- come to terms with mortality
- appreciate intimations that life is more than it seems
- gain greater awareness of the rhythm of the seasons
- value simplicity
- learn to enjoy learning and living
- love and be loved

Can't ask for much more from a book really, can you? A good literary discovery for me.

Unicycles and roses, curlews and foraging

Life is full of interest and surprises, isn't it?
I managed to bring one of my old English roses with me - William Lobb, and old English moss rose; he is plated in a sunny spot in my new garden and seems to be quite happy there. I have put in some other bits I brought with me/had posted up, so have sweet violets, snowdrops, my precious oxlips, primrose, cowslip, pulmonaria, and a big strong comfrey plant to start off the home made plant-food production here. The veg plot is being dug over by OH, and looking good - the soil looks really lovely - very dark, and has obviously been cultivated for a good part of the several hundred years - the house I believe dates from the late 17 hundreds. I've started basil, tomatoes and chillies indoors, sorted my seeds and am ready to get sowing soon - the weather makes it, in my estimation, about 3 weeks later than Dorset up here, but no matter, all part of life's learning curve.


I was walking past a shop this afternoon on the way here, and a poster caught my eye, I stopped to read it and it was describing a circus event that is going to be happening shortly. The door to the shop opened and out came a lad on a unicycle - not sure if he was to actually do with the said circus or not, but he jumped on and whizzed off down the pavement - very impressive lol


Last Sunday, we went out for a drive just into the Dales National Park, and were rewarded with a wonderful sighting of a large curlew just sat on a rock, quite close to the road in a field we apssed - we got a good study of him for about 5 minutes before he ambled off; we saw oyster catchers, mallard, gulls and a lone peewit (lapwing) too, and a very beautiful pair of Grey Lag geese.
I read in the local paper this morning of plans to plant young native trees along a new cycle/footpath way further down the town towards the river. Great news, especially as rowans and hazels are among them - thoughts of future foraging to the fore lol

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 :)