Back to the future ...

Here is a composite image I made for Facebook in 2015, showing what a difference 5 years makes ...

We are all still seated on our second hand seesaw, which actually might be third hand. We have hung on to it much longer than my friend who’s son Solomon enjoyed it before us. And on the 1st June this year Mike dragged it out from behind the shed. 

Hmmmm. The next photo shoot could be a bit of a squeeze. No one is yet taller than me, but it won’t be long! Brave wee Mary is partly sat on me but partly on the handle! Denim jackets are pretty cool and Daisy is concealing AirPods in that long thick hair! We have all tasted coloured hair this lockdown. 

My smile tells a story, top photo, my way-off adult bite, second image you can just about see the braces I wore for three years and in the recent photo shoot there was my post jaw surgery smile and the new shape of my face. I still don’t take it for granted. 

Finally here you can see the whole seesaw, our chicken run, and how we swapped a Wendy house for a pretty painted shed! 

Good News ...

This is Safari, and soon he will be available in book form. He’s actually a very cute puppet and not shy to performing in front of whole villages and school children, especially in Africa. I was asked to illustrate some of his adventures for publication, and I spent a very busy two weeks with my pastels and pencils just before Lockdown. 

And despite the fact that things are not easy for publishers, after consideration, and probably some fun Zoom meetings I heard yesterday morning that this book has been accepted, it’s one of Mary Weeks Millard’s first books for younger children, and her first with this publisher. I feel so excited and that this will be a stepping stone for me. Look out for more information as and when I can share. 

Prayers for our time ....

As lockdown life continues, I keep making the prayer flags ...

Love is something we all need and may miss forms of, the love of hugging or holding someone, the face of someone we love. So we do acts of love, phoning a friend or delivering practical help. Love has arms and legs ... 

We can be thankful for our lives and pray for the lives of those we love. We mourn for others. We stay at home to preserve more lives. 

In all the doubt we seek truth. This prayer flag will be aired on Sunday. But for now hangs in my hallway.

I’ve got a sweet little collection going. And a collection of driftwood and laces. Call me a gypsy ...

Birthdays ...

Mary turned 12 today. I had bought some donut tins on Amazon and tweaked one of the recipes that came with the packaging. Thus Mary was happy and we staged a fake stake out in the car for breakfast. We also had some of that delicious whipped coffee again .... 

Fixing things

During lockdown you can perhaps do some house keeping. This is because it’s not easy to replace everything at this time. So Mary and took apart a toy pirate gun that wouldn’t fire, saw how it worked and promptly fixed it. Bang bang! 

My friend’s daughter tore a very pretty dress while trampolining (PE at home), and I agreed it was just too nice to throw away. It tore right across the front in two places, and stitches were just about holding the other side under the bodice. 

It was fairly easy to rejoin the skirt part to the top, then to repair the long rip in the fine fabric I opted to stitch it to the lining using two lines of zig zag in both pink and green. There’s a visible repair but in use on a child playing doesn’t really stand out. 

The dress dips lower at the back and you can see it in all it’s repaired glory here modelled beautifully by Vienna, who gave me permission to share this happy picture with you. The post wasn’t too bad either, first class only too two days. 

Keep smiling, and see what you can fix! 

Lockdown life .... some thoughts

Lockdown life has thrust families together. It’s also enabled us to help those without family nearby, as long as we safely can. 

A routine has helped fill our days, and little celebrations are also important. We delivered balloons on a birthday by tying them down and retreating to a safe distance! The shadows of balloons should be enjoyed. Why hadn’t I noticed them before? 

If able, take your one outdoor exercise everyday, and drink in the sounds, sights and smells. It’s a good way to break up the ‘school’ day too. Much of it is administered via laptops and iPads. 

Bean and Flute remind us to be kind and look out for those older or more vulnerable than ourselves. 

Wearing a mask will help protect you and others and help you to feel safe especially when in the shops. I think mines cute, but I don’t seem to raise many smiles. Wearing a mask is clearly very serious business. 

Cuddles help. Ash wants more cuddles, he can clearly tell that the world is a different place now. Cuddles it is, then ...

If you can’t get out, you might find a way to keep fit indoors, like Bean. Especially if you do a lot of the baking and sampling. 

Above all, now and always, love each other deeply. This weeks prayer flag was released on Sunday. We were a little sad after saying goodbye to a second  pet since lockdown started. Stay home, stay safe xxxx

Prayers for our time, lockdown life ...

I’ve been working on a series of small textiles using scraps and what I have available. I have thought about them as an exhibition or event for quite sometime, but it wasn’t until now when we all took to our homes that working on them became important. I wanted them to be made from things I already have and to feature single words, perhaps something that could be prayed or spoken over something, a series of things to be thankful for. 

After running my idea past Nick The Vic each of them will be shared during the online Sunday church, and the first appeared last Sunday ... 

With no work available apart from house work and cooking it’s nice to have a little project on slow burn, and perhaps beyond lockdown too. It’s also very satisfying to hit that stash and create something that might reach further than I can. Feel free to comment with any single word prayers or blessings or words for things we should be grateful for during these crazy times. Practising thankfulness is very powerful indeed. Love you xxx