Heaven on Earth?

Barter Books, Coffee (with Soya Milk) and a good Natter with a Friend.

How perfect is that?

My Blip photo for the day

And a rare picture of moi.

And the purchase; the 1921 reprint of the 1897 book, one to savour, possibly after the exhibition is ready (and £20 cheaper than second hand on Amazon too).  Well I had to come home with one book!

Dyeing day

Nothing better than dyeing fabrics and lace.

Logwood extract on silk, cotton and linen.

1. Dyepot on the stove;

At start

Before rinsing (this is also my Blip photo today)

2. Rusty tin in the simmering oven

Results tomorrow

Sheep

Lots of sheep actually.

Watched over by the chickens (who never shut up!)

Just as I arrived I saw this mum and baby…. and another one due.

In labour having a contraction

Eventually Sarah took a “look” and the second lamb was tail first (should be head first) so a bit of help was required.

Kiss, kiss

I’m the King of the Castle…

Waiting room

Busy mum
The Orphans

Japan Aid

I have discovered this charity and wanted to tell others about it.  Obviously who ever you support is totally personal.

“ShelterBox is an international disaster relief charity that delivers emergency shelter, warmth and dignity to people affected by disaster worldwide”

They provide people with tents, blankets, stove, survival kit type stuff.  You can find out more at the web site

http://shelterbox.devstars.net/index.php

Branding

Spent most of the weekend watching the news (horrifying) and working on the computer.

New business cards …..

New brochures advertising my work (here’s the inside)

Advert for my exhibition – the colours do look a bit odd here – too late,
500 ordered!

Sorry not to show you all the leaflet sides.  Not keen on having my address & phone number out there in blogland.

Fleece, colour inspirations and growing up

How’s that for a snappy title?  Journalism was never going to be the profession for me was it?

Firstly though, my thoughts go out to the Japanese people, yesterday DS and I watched the news and were horrified. 
Today, seeing the devastation is just awful to watch.

Yesterday I headed across to see these adorable creatures.  They are about 2 weeks into lambing atm and the cold weather –and snow yesterday and  today- will not be helping.

I could spend hours and hours watching sheep and lambs.
I took 91 pictures in total (in an hour), here are my four favourites.

This little orphan was my favourite shot of the day.  

Colour inspiration for you, caught as he ran past.

And a defining moment – one excited boy (and one tired dad) off on his first Rugby Tour.
“Ikea colours” for Alnwick! 

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And yes, snow….. snow and more ****** snow!

Energy required

Huge doses required please.  My ME has well and truly started again and only the other week I was telling people how much better I was.  Would seem I was on a knife edge of a balance and I tipped it over with Grasmere and then Half term.

I am dragging myself out of bed each morning to get DS to school, then crashing out for a while before heading into the studio.  I can see my deadline running towards me and I’m trying not to panic.

Its hard to work atm and compounded by the effects of finally stopping the painkillers I was taking for toothache.

But I AM working and here’s what's been going on in Northumberland.

Spring seems to have arrived – we have bitterly cold days and nights but the sun is shining.

“March winds will blow and we shall have snow….”

Yep, the wind was howling last night and its snowing again this morning.  PLEASE can I have some warmth now?

Here is a snippet from a piece for the exhibition – I was playing with Photoshop to remove the colour and then add some back in.

Will try to give you more snippets as I go along, and will have the whole lot online on June 9th when the real exhibition opens.

Spring….

 

Spring has finally arrived here in the far, far north of England.

Its been a very, very long winter.

Spring?

Today was THE most glorious day.  Chilly with a frost this morning, but what a blue sky.

I was at Berwick upon Tweed and took time out on the way home to stop and take these pictures.

These two were taken on the IPhone using a Panoramic app, first attempt was a bit wobbly, second much better.  I LOVE this!

The pictures show Berwick's town walls.  They are only intact Elizabethan town walls remaining in England - built around 1558 by Henry VIII and then Elizabeth I.  Berwick changed hands between the English and Scots 14 (yes 14) times in the 200yrs prior to 1482.  Each time the population was slaughtered. 

You’d be a bit miffed after that wouldn’t you?

Btw Berwick finally ended up in England – though I think it wishes it was in Scotland.