To Janet at Twisted Knitter, for the gift of some gorgeous sock yarn and a mix CD. It is on its way from Texas and I am very excited. I love the generosity of knitting bloggers. There are often give aways, and I have learned so much as a beginning knitter reading about other people's projects.
To my Grandma for inspiring me to enter the wonderful world of knitting; (pictures of my first cowl to follow soon).
For good friends. One of my closest friends flew in from Ohio yesterday, and we had a wonderful dinner full of good food good wine, and most importantly good talk, and lots of laughs. Being with good friends feels so easy, they know all the stories, it takes minutes to catch up after months apart, and there is always new experiences and old memories to share.
I feel a bit like I do after eating breakfast in bed, or taking off my shoes after a long day walking in the countryside, or perhaps how a cat feels after a saucer of cream.
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Monday, 20 October 2008
The Weather is Changing
The sky is an awesome and threatening lilac grey. The rain is coming. It will be the first proper autumn rain this year. We have had some beautiful crisp sunny days over the last few weeks, but I am ready for tiny cold raindrops prickling my face as the wind blows the towards me, and the relief of getting home, shaking off, cooking a hearty meal, reading, and knitting.
As the weather changes, so does so much else. Bean & I began packing this weekend, many of our things being sealed up, to be opened in 9 months time by different people. Well, actually the same people, but with an additional set of experiences, and stripped of so many of the things we identify ourselves with - job, home, even my bicycle!
Changing weather, changing leaves, changing seasons.
As the weather changes, so does so much else. Bean & I began packing this weekend, many of our things being sealed up, to be opened in 9 months time by different people. Well, actually the same people, but with an additional set of experiences, and stripped of so many of the things we identify ourselves with - job, home, even my bicycle!
Changing weather, changing leaves, changing seasons.
Friday, 17 October 2008
Autumn
It's been a little while since I have posted, somehow life seemed to get in the way, and in the meanwhile autumn has begun. Walking home from work last night I was struck by the cool colours in the sky as the short evening came to an end. Almost clear of clouds, the icy blue sky formed the perfect background for the rich warm variety of colours found in the leaves of the trees on Wandsworth Common. As the sun set the cool blues mixed with a vibrant pink, so different from the rich golden sunsets of summertime.
The crisp air has allowed me the luxury of knitwear, scarves, mittens, and hats, not to mention my long knee socks. My enthusiasm for woolly hats and scarves has developed this year, into an expensive and time consuming knitting habit. I am working on my second scarf, fingerless mittens have been completed, and I am setting my sights on lace. There is great satisfaction to be found in making something, seeing it develop in front of your eyes, and I am very much enjoying it. I look forward to many cozy evenings curled up on the sofa, knitting away and drinking hot chocolate.
The crisp air has allowed me the luxury of knitwear, scarves, mittens, and hats, not to mention my long knee socks. My enthusiasm for woolly hats and scarves has developed this year, into an expensive and time consuming knitting habit. I am working on my second scarf, fingerless mittens have been completed, and I am setting my sights on lace. There is great satisfaction to be found in making something, seeing it develop in front of your eyes, and I am very much enjoying it. I look forward to many cozy evenings curled up on the sofa, knitting away and drinking hot chocolate.
Monday, 22 September 2008
A Whole New London
Every now and then, I discover something new about London. I have lived here about 5 years now, and it still surprises me every now and then. This weekend I went to Greenwich for the first time. I had been to the dome when it opened, but never really knew there was much more to the area. Well, how silly I was. Greenwich is beautiful, and full of market stalls selling everything from second hand books, to handmade jewelry to Bonsai trees. The streets meander in a refreshing tangle of pavement, and then, bang, you're in a beautiful big green park, with a hillside stretching up in front of you, crowned by the Royal Observatory. The lovely neoclassical buildings of the Naval museum draw straight, lines on the green landscape at the foot of the hill and certainly add to the grandeur of the place.
Bean and I enjoyed a picnic in the park, followed by a wander around the arts & crafts market, topping it off watching sunset from the top of the hill. A glorious day, the long almost-autumn shadows drawn on the green grass made for some lovely photos, but more on that tomorrow!
Bean and I enjoyed a picnic in the park, followed by a wander around the arts & crafts market, topping it off watching sunset from the top of the hill. A glorious day, the long almost-autumn shadows drawn on the green grass made for some lovely photos, but more on that tomorrow!
Friday, 19 September 2008
A Lovely Read
A Lovely Sunny Friday today in London, always makes it slightly more difficult to sit at a desk from 9-5 though. To help the afternoon slip by I am listening to Radio 4's Book at Bedtime. The featured book is Dorothy Whipple's Someone at a Distance. I read the book a week or so ago and thoroughly enjoyed Whipple's wit, and her concise writing perfectly balanced with small and beautiful details that slowly and subtly build the characters and the setting. It is a lovely edition published by Persephone, and I truly enjoyed the typeface, the good quality paper, and the beautiful cover.
The audio adaptation is far from un-enjoyable, but it lacks the beauty of the words on the page, and even more significantly, it doesn't grasp my attention in the same way as a book. Reading takes a degree of concentration, you must sit in a position so that you can hold the book, must direct your gaze towards the page, and in doing so outside distractions fall away, but when listening too many other things can be accomplished, and this leads the reader astray from the beauty of the words, and sometimes even from the plot. In addition there is the abridgement, that necessarily removes phrases and nuances that I feel are a large part of the strength of Whipple's book, of any good book.
I don't mean to belittle the medium, it brings books in small manageable packages to busy people daily, and a good book- abridged and on audio or not, is a wonderful thing. Rather I realise just how precious the written word can be, and how much beauty there can be in a new book, an old well-read and slightly crumpled book, a paperback, a hardback, a long-awaited book, and all those ones that crop up seemingly out of nowhere - often the best of all.
The audio adaptation is far from un-enjoyable, but it lacks the beauty of the words on the page, and even more significantly, it doesn't grasp my attention in the same way as a book. Reading takes a degree of concentration, you must sit in a position so that you can hold the book, must direct your gaze towards the page, and in doing so outside distractions fall away, but when listening too many other things can be accomplished, and this leads the reader astray from the beauty of the words, and sometimes even from the plot. In addition there is the abridgement, that necessarily removes phrases and nuances that I feel are a large part of the strength of Whipple's book, of any good book.
I don't mean to belittle the medium, it brings books in small manageable packages to busy people daily, and a good book- abridged and on audio or not, is a wonderful thing. Rather I realise just how precious the written word can be, and how much beauty there can be in a new book, an old well-read and slightly crumpled book, a paperback, a hardback, a long-awaited book, and all those ones that crop up seemingly out of nowhere - often the best of all.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Breathing Underwater
I am reading Julie Orringer's How to Breathe Underwater at the moment, and loving it! The book is a collection of short stories, a genre I tend to distance myself from, only because I like the neat package of a novel contained within the covers. I have often feared a disparate collection of stories, or, even worse, a book of stories so similar as to be repetitions of their counterparts.
Orringer banished my (apparently unfounded) fears by the end of the second story. The stories do have multiple common themes, water being the obvious one, but also youth, loss, and illness. That said, it is not a dark book, but more a compulsive and addictive set of stories, set in various parts of the US. It is a quick read, with vivid imagery and honest narrators, and I will be saddened later today when I finish the last story. I may even have to turn right back to page one and start again!
Orringer banished my (apparently unfounded) fears by the end of the second story. The stories do have multiple common themes, water being the obvious one, but also youth, loss, and illness. That said, it is not a dark book, but more a compulsive and addictive set of stories, set in various parts of the US. It is a quick read, with vivid imagery and honest narrators, and I will be saddened later today when I finish the last story. I may even have to turn right back to page one and start again!
Wednesday, 17 September 2008
Beautiful Things
This post is an attempt to slow down reading. Too many people (myself included) read so quickly, especially on the Internet. This is not a blog to be browsed but to be actively participated in. Below are a collection of simple images for you to elaborate on in your own minds. Enjoy!
The first lick of paint on a clean white canvas
The last piece of birthday cake
Shiny new acorns
Thick green asparagus spears
A butter yellow full moon glowing through a thin veil of cloud
Smoke curling above a freshly lit stick on incense
Stacks of unread books, just waiting to be opened
Cows munching on fresh green grass
Galloping horses
The first lick of paint on a clean white canvas
The last piece of birthday cake
Shiny new acorns
Thick green asparagus spears
A butter yellow full moon glowing through a thin veil of cloud
Smoke curling above a freshly lit stick on incense
Stacks of unread books, just waiting to be opened
Cows munching on fresh green grass
Galloping horses
Monday, 15 September 2008
Lovely London weekend
Lovely London weekends tend to involve bacon sandwiches for breakfast, with fresh fruit and mint tea, followed by leisurely walks down Northcote road, the place for fresh produce, organic butchers, fishmongers, clothing stalls, aromatherapy oils and croissants. Then bumpy bus rides, which pass as i turn the pages of my book. Here they diverge, into the countryside, the flower markets, food markets, or parks. This weekend it was the Tate Modern, one of my favourite weekend activities that I hadn't taken advantage of for far too long. The Southbank of the Thames was buzzing with stalls selling knick knacks, and even free Tango lessons. Men were chopping up fresh coconuts as a cooling drink and a snack all in one, (not great for a breezy September day, but the sun was shining).
Art museums slow my mind down, it is a form of meditation I suppose and Cy Twombly's Post-Abstract Impressionism canvases, mammoth in size and in emotion, did not disappoint. There is a magic in the London of the weekends, a feeling that people are doing things because they want to not because they have to, an almost holidaying spirit. The shining sun definitely helped, and they'll be no complaints from me if an Indian Summer makes a late appearance.
Art museums slow my mind down, it is a form of meditation I suppose and Cy Twombly's Post-Abstract Impressionism canvases, mammoth in size and in emotion, did not disappoint. There is a magic in the London of the weekends, a feeling that people are doing things because they want to not because they have to, an almost holidaying spirit. The shining sun definitely helped, and they'll be no complaints from me if an Indian Summer makes a late appearance.
Tuesday, 9 September 2008
September
A drizzly September day today, cool, but not cold. I took the train in to work, and despite the bumpy ride, there is a certain charm to the double-decker bus. Perhaps because I grew up in the U.S. they still hold a degree of wonder for me. When they whip around the tight roundabouts of London, I am often slightly shocked they don't just topple over.
The winding down of the mild English summer feels a bit of a relief. Jumpers and thick socks, cozy darkening evenings, watching raindrops falling onto puddles, forming rings and spreading a little before the next drop falls.
Bring on the roasted vegetables, hearty soups, hot chocolates topped with thick whipped cream, the scarves, gloves, red noses and falling leaves.
The winding down of the mild English summer feels a bit of a relief. Jumpers and thick socks, cozy darkening evenings, watching raindrops falling onto puddles, forming rings and spreading a little before the next drop falls.
Bring on the roasted vegetables, hearty soups, hot chocolates topped with thick whipped cream, the scarves, gloves, red noses and falling leaves.
Monday, 8 September 2008
Friday, 29 August 2008
What I know -- I think
Be Here - Now (Thank you Mr Tolle)
Eat Food, not too much, lots of vegetables (Thank you Mr. Pollan)
Drama feeds Drama feeds Drama feeds Drama (Thank you Mr Tolle)
Life is Beautiful- whether it be in a rare orchid or a dung beatle
Sleep is Sacred -- So is meditation
Eat Food, not too much, lots of vegetables (Thank you Mr. Pollan)
Drama feeds Drama feeds Drama feeds Drama (Thank you Mr Tolle)
Life is Beautiful- whether it be in a rare orchid or a dung beatle
Sleep is Sacred -- So is meditation
Forgiveness is Freedom
Nothing Lasts Forever
Wednesday, 27 August 2008
Gratitude
' It is not happiness that makes gratefulness, but gratefulness that makes happiness. '
~ Brother David Steindl-Rast
Rich, dark chocolate melting in the mouth
Cold water flowing down a warm throat on a muggy day
The rich texture of walnut - such a joy to trace your fingers along
The silence behind all the sounds
Forward bends - the feeling of stretch through legs and the loosening of the neck and back
Seafood platters piled high with yumminess, served with lemon jouce and bread and butter
Stacks of new books, full of things to learn, think about, and enjoy
Thank You World!
~ Brother David Steindl-Rast
Rich, dark chocolate melting in the mouth
Cold water flowing down a warm throat on a muggy day
The rich texture of walnut - such a joy to trace your fingers along
The silence behind all the sounds
Forward bends - the feeling of stretch through legs and the loosening of the neck and back
Seafood platters piled high with yumminess, served with lemon jouce and bread and butter
Stacks of new books, full of things to learn, think about, and enjoy
Thank You World!
Whole Foods vs. Nutrients
I had an extra long bank holiday weekend this week. Five days to rest and renew. On the whole it was a success, I bought a stack of books that I can hardly wait to devour, including In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan.
I am already loving this book, and I am only 30 pages in, (I would be further along, but reading on a London bus is more difficult than you may imagine). The basic premise is 'Eat food, not too much. Mostly plants' as I see it so far the point is: eat real foods, whole foods, & stop worrying about nutrients, because whole foods and fruit and veggies are full of them anyway-- and science isn't advanced enough to second guess nature.
Sounds good to me. I am looking forward to hearing what he says about red meat, butter, and other dairy products. I find small doses is the best strategy, and never buy margarine or processed meats. I have always felt this makes more sense, and I am hoping Pollan will back up his theories with some real evidence.
I am already loving this book, and I am only 30 pages in, (I would be further along, but reading on a London bus is more difficult than you may imagine). The basic premise is 'Eat food, not too much. Mostly plants' as I see it so far the point is: eat real foods, whole foods, & stop worrying about nutrients, because whole foods and fruit and veggies are full of them anyway-- and science isn't advanced enough to second guess nature.
Sounds good to me. I am looking forward to hearing what he says about red meat, butter, and other dairy products. I find small doses is the best strategy, and never buy margarine or processed meats. I have always felt this makes more sense, and I am hoping Pollan will back up his theories with some real evidence.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
A little experiment
I didn't wake up feeling quite as rested as I would've liked this morning. Not sure why; I went to bed nice and early, and slept right through. It may have something to do with the glass of wine I had...I have become ridiculously sensitive to alcohol recently, (I am hoping this is a sign I am more in tune with my body, but right now, I sort of wish I wasn't quite so in tune with it)!
So I have been saying to myself and anyone who asks that I am tired, but having given it some thought I have decided this is reinforcing my connection to my ego and that I need to acknowledge tiredness, but not make it a part of who I am. I figure ego-linked identities can be temporary, like being tired. So the experiment is not to be tired, but just to feel tired.
I am hoping that feeling tired will make it less important, and it will feel more like a passing circumstance than a startling reality -- it won't become part of who I am, just part of how I feel now.
The second part of the experiment is to yield to the feeling. Yielding is quite a big theme in my Yoga classes. My teacher is always saying, don't collapse, don't strain, just yield. Sounds like a pretty awesome life philosophy to me...I just hope it doesn't result in me falling asleep at my desk!
So I have been saying to myself and anyone who asks that I am tired, but having given it some thought I have decided this is reinforcing my connection to my ego and that I need to acknowledge tiredness, but not make it a part of who I am. I figure ego-linked identities can be temporary, like being tired. So the experiment is not to be tired, but just to feel tired.
I am hoping that feeling tired will make it less important, and it will feel more like a passing circumstance than a startling reality -- it won't become part of who I am, just part of how I feel now.
The second part of the experiment is to yield to the feeling. Yielding is quite a big theme in my Yoga classes. My teacher is always saying, don't collapse, don't strain, just yield. Sounds like a pretty awesome life philosophy to me...I just hope it doesn't result in me falling asleep at my desk!
Monday, 18 August 2008
The Trees are Smiling
Really they are! Trees love wet mornings, the rain pattering on their thirsty leaves, and seeping into their labyrinthine roots. They love the warm wetness of August rain, and the slowly appearing cracks in the greyness, that become their breakfast, a nice leaf-ful of sunlight! Bursting with energy and water and its only 11am, they are ready for their day.
Always in the now, not worrying, just soaking up the sun and the rain, there may even be a rainbow, but there doesn't need to be- because the beauty of the rainbow, is just the beauty, power, majesty and grace of light, seen in a slightly different way through a rain drop. The grace is there Now, rainbow or no rainbow.
Have a Great Day
Always in the now, not worrying, just soaking up the sun and the rain, there may even be a rainbow, but there doesn't need to be- because the beauty of the rainbow, is just the beauty, power, majesty and grace of light, seen in a slightly different way through a rain drop. The grace is there Now, rainbow or no rainbow.
Have a Great Day
Friday, 15 August 2008
Thursday, 14 August 2008
Some Recent Snaps
ok. I know it is a little crazy, but I think lovely white sheets are beautiful, especially in the evening light of my garden, the ripples are sumptuous, and there is nothing like clean white bedsheets!
Our very own potatoes! grown in our garden, it isn't exactly a bumper crop, but they're the first vegetable I have ever grown, and they were tasty tasty tasty!
Bean jumping about in the country during our camping trip.
Just think of all the squirrels that would feed!Today is just as it should be
A beautiful morning today. Cycling in to work was the perfect way to start the day, a crisp breeze to prevent the usual stickiness of summer cycling, coupled with the feeling of sun on my skin. What I love about cycling is the movement; it is great for bringing me into the now, and I get a reel sense of presence when I am on my bike.
I especially love bringing my attention to my skin, the feeling of the wind on my arm, my hairs tickling the skin; the dappling of sunshine and shade, hot and cool as I move and the low morning sun appears and disappears behind buildings. Then there is my muscles slowly waking up after a long and restful night's sleep, stretching and working to the rhythm of the bike. Visually, cycling in London is a feast, you have to be looking everywhere, watching for hazards, traffic lights, glancing the green trees that line many of the roads on the trip. Everything is happening and you can see it, hear it, feel it, even smell it. And there is no time to think, not if you are busy feeling, seeing and cycling!
I find it is this kind of meditation, presence, consciousness (whatever you want to call it), that I am drawn to most, and I feel it gradually and powerfully beginning to permeate everything I do.
Another example is last night in yoga class. I found I had preconceptions of what I wanted from the class. I did not realise this until my teacher mentioned that we would be working on inversions. I suddenly felt my body become tense, and emotion rising within me, but instead of letting it ruin my class, I lay there, in savasana, and observed the reaction within myself. And you know what, I am really starting to enjoy experimenting with the handstand, and I am convinced that the class was just as it should have been.
I especially love bringing my attention to my skin, the feeling of the wind on my arm, my hairs tickling the skin; the dappling of sunshine and shade, hot and cool as I move and the low morning sun appears and disappears behind buildings. Then there is my muscles slowly waking up after a long and restful night's sleep, stretching and working to the rhythm of the bike. Visually, cycling in London is a feast, you have to be looking everywhere, watching for hazards, traffic lights, glancing the green trees that line many of the roads on the trip. Everything is happening and you can see it, hear it, feel it, even smell it. And there is no time to think, not if you are busy feeling, seeing and cycling!
I find it is this kind of meditation, presence, consciousness (whatever you want to call it), that I am drawn to most, and I feel it gradually and powerfully beginning to permeate everything I do.
Another example is last night in yoga class. I found I had preconceptions of what I wanted from the class. I did not realise this until my teacher mentioned that we would be working on inversions. I suddenly felt my body become tense, and emotion rising within me, but instead of letting it ruin my class, I lay there, in savasana, and observed the reaction within myself. And you know what, I am really starting to enjoy experimenting with the handstand, and I am convinced that the class was just as it should have been.
Monday, 11 August 2008
Today
Today is a slow, mellow kind of a day, I cycled to work at a relaxed pace, enjoying the feeling of the wind on my bare arms, and my legs slowly waking up, stretching and enjoying the rhythm of the bike.
I have been thinking about what to write about today, worrying I wouldn't have anything interesting to say, and then I realised that that is ok; that some days there won''t be any startling revelations, or thrilling experiences. So now I am enjoying the meandering day. I had a fairly busy weekend, so it is quite nice to sit at my desk, go through my work, look out the window, and just be.
I have been thinking about what to write about today, worrying I wouldn't have anything interesting to say, and then I realised that that is ok; that some days there won''t be any startling revelations, or thrilling experiences. So now I am enjoying the meandering day. I had a fairly busy weekend, so it is quite nice to sit at my desk, go through my work, look out the window, and just be.
Friday, 8 August 2008
Fridays
A reminder to myself, and others, that Friday is a lovely day in itself, not just an intermediary between Thursday and Saturday, but is a joyful day in itself. Today has been full of green trees, free stickers, beautiful beads, sun salutes, and breakfast in bed with bean! and it is only 1630!
I find that Fridays are also as good a time as any to remember what your grateful for...the first five things to come to mind: quiet moments in the ashdown forest, my Grandma's blackberry pies, my toes, dark chocolate, Bean. I feel better already!
Have a Great Weekend!
I find that Fridays are also as good a time as any to remember what your grateful for...the first five things to come to mind: quiet moments in the ashdown forest, my Grandma's blackberry pies, my toes, dark chocolate, Bean. I feel better already!
Have a Great Weekend!
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