Of Chocolate, Daffs and a Very Special Birthday . . .

Isn’t it wonderful? 

The snowdrops are in full peal and yet already we have the beginnings of the annual daffodil extravaganza.  Today, whilst dodging between the snow and rain showers I captured this wonderful flower against the only bit of blue sky we had all morning.  The afternoon wasn’t much better but I was resting on the sofa having tired myself out again, so didn’t really worry too much about the state of the weather.  Apparently we are going to have more snow . . .

But what an auspicious day it was today!  One year ago our adorable standard poodle was born and although we didn’t know it until several weeks later, one of the litter of 10 puppies was destined to become Charley.   

He has grown into a really wonderful companion, although currently he has the body of an adult and the attitude of a youngster. And that’s very apparent when he comes bounding up to a new friend, whether human or canine!  This morning, as he romped around the field I couldn’t help but laugh when he returned to me covered in mud following a particularly energetic encounter with a mole hill.  He’s still my puppy no matter how old he is . .  . 

This week I had a lovely treat.  Having donned my favourite jacket and smothered myself in glitter (but of course!) the ever wonderful KnitNurse took me out for a foray in to the world of wool skeins and hot chocolate.  We perused, and in her case purchased, some lovely tactile fluffy goodness before partaking of a local coffee/bookshop where I was introduced somewhat intimately, to the resident feline.  *smile* 

The hot chocolate was yummy and the chat delightful whilst we knitted away and probably amused the bookshop owner with our muttered oaths when stitches didn’t follow the perfectly ordered patterns . . . As I’ve said before, knitting, talking and drinking tea (or in this case hot chocolate with lashings of cream and choccie flakes!) is my perfect way to spend time with a friend.  

Big hugs and thanks to the KnitNurse.  :)

BTW I have to end with this picture, seeing as the birthday boy managed to squeeze in the background so beautifully.

 Isn't it just full of fun?

Thoughts of Ginger and Wool

I’m such a lucky girlie!

These fabbie sweets arrived for me last week only days before the wonderful friend who’d found them arrived to spend a couple of days with us here in the Cottage.  I’m rather partial to ginger, even more so since taking chemotherapy.  Of course, there are quite a range of ways of eating the heavenly stuff and believe me I’ve tried pretty much every one!  Ice cream is way up there as a favourite with stem ginger being quite low on my list (too much sugar around the ginger) so it’s been a self penned challenge for my friend to find me other ways of eating what I like and which also happens to avoid the nausea that comes with treatment.  These hard boiled sweets are delightful.  Just enough ginger zing, with the right amount of sweetness ~ and they last quite a while too.  Unluckily for my friend, I’ve just completed this round of treatment and I doubt very much these treats will last until April when I start again!  Still, she did send me two packets . . . *lol*

BTW we had a great time together. Lots of drinking tea, knitting and talking.  The best type of visits include at least one of these I find . .

We were both knitting for another friend who gave birth a bit earlier than anticipated.  There aren’t many places to buy clothes for teeny tots 11weeks premature, so we decided to be creative e~aunties and have been busily clicking needles for baby D. This hat is adorable, and I thoroughly enjoyed making it.  It is divided up into segments and each petal can be unbuttoned so that you can feed the oxygen lines down through it. What a brilliant idea!

I’ve been returning slowly to my Goddess Workbook too. 

There were photos to stick into gaps, and lots of written additions to earlier pages.  I also decided to tackle the Goddess Habits page, which I’d been shying away from if the truth be told.  With the end of the last round of treatment I feel I might be able to structure my days a little from now on, so I started to write a few ideas down.  I was so pleased with the results I then made up another page with my habits which I’ve pinned on to my notice board.  I’m pleased to report that I’ve been able to follow most of the points each day ever since.

Isn’t it amazing what you can do with a little energy and Goddess help?

Slow Days and Snow Drops

I've been slow, tired and generally unmotivated in the past week.  All to be expected really, but it does frustrate me when there is so much to do.

I had a lovely quiet Imbolc, where I remade my altar and lit candles for the Goddess Bride.  Yesterday I picked some of the emerging snow drops that have been poking their heads above the cold soil and placed a small bunch by my Goddess statue.  It isn't much, but I feel comforted by the small signs of passing of the Winter days. 

Crafting and creativity is slow and halting.  I've been making a few pieces for the Month of Earrings challenge and briefly wondered if I should put any of them up for sale?  I've let my little Folksy shop slide over the past few months, but  I think if I make some sets that I particularly like then I will list them.  After all, I could potentially end up with 30 pairs and as much as I love earrings, I doubt I'll be able to wear all of them!  *lol*

My Goddess workbook has been gently resting too, although I feel its call now.  I guess I'm feeling a little stronger as I really want to get back to it and that is the perfect thing to do.  Tomorrow is going to be a day of slowly catching up, which will be perfect too. 

Pictures

I had chemo this week, so have felt rough and very out of sorts.  No new artwork was created, other than a bit of knitting so I've decided to show you some of my other pieces made recently. 

A pair of earrings made in PMC and finished with beautiful grey pearls, a gift from a lovely friend.  The texture is my own, also created specifically for my fine silver work.  I now am the proud owner of a kiln, so will be making more of these pieces as time progresses . . . I've been working with PMC for about 5 years now and have a creative diploma in it.  I love the way it is so malleable, and is so striking even with a minimal amount of preparation.  Of course, I'm never happy with anything less than lots of finishing . . .

One of the courses I attended last year was with Robert Dancik who is the creator of FauxBone™ a rather interesting plastic substance that will put up with just about anything you can throw at it!  This is one of my last pieces, based on a steam punk theme.  Lots of layers, cold connections and interest.

 

And finally, one of my Rivet Bracelets.  Made in Sterling Silver, knotted together with waxed cotton and embellished with copper rivets and random texture.  These guys are about 5 x 10 cm in length and are lovely and weighty.  I've made several of them now, and they've all gone down really well.  :) 

I did manage to go out for a short walk yesterday in the moonlight.  She was full and beautiful, and I really hope that I absorbed a bit of energy from Her ~ goodness, I could really do with it . . .  

Caves and Colds

It's been a tough week.  I came down with a cold not long after we came back from Oxford, and while for most people that would be a minor inconvenience, during chemo it can be quite scary.  My temperature shot up and my breathing became so laboured that I required oxygen over a few days.  However, I am nothing if not determined that I am not going to be dictated to by this disease or its treatments ~ so I monitored the temperature closely,  sucked on the oxygen when necessary and slowly made art!

Using some found objects I created a door way to a Faery cave.  It was so much fun!  I used stamps which I didn't press firmly on, and over stamped with watery paint to produce indistinct images. I haphazardly cut around the edges of the paper to make the foreground greenery, and then scrunched it all up in my hands before using a glue gun (!) to stick it all together. I left trails of the glue all over the place and then used sandpaper to rub down the background.  I even wound brass wire clumsily around a small shard of quartz crystal and suspended it from the cave roof, allowing it to dangle in the door way.  It was all very haphazard, and yet, oh so liberating.  Everything I normally do, from being very precise with my inks to carefully finishing off wire ends was completely forgotten.  In fact the only thing I didn't forget was the overwash of Twinkling H2O paints to give hints of faery dust and glitter when the sunlight catches the picture at certain angles.  Sparkles, as you are no doubt aware, are very important!

And you know what?  I love this piece. It is textured, layered, has meaning and depth.  And although I worked on it over several days, it also has an immediacy to it which is foreign to me.  This is a new experience and I've really enjoyed working on it.  Even the outcome is transient, as I've decided to give it back to the Universe when I feel the time is right.  I will leave it in the woodlands where I picked up most of the found objects and give thanks to the Goddess for Her timely gifts.

Of course, my energy has been depleted so my time has been focused on one thing.  Maybe next week I'll be able to do some work on my Goddess Year book.

Growth

Just because I feel I’m standing still there’s no need to think that the rest of the world is as inert as I appear to be.  A brief walk along the drive to our neighbours’ house is enough to remind me that Mother Earth is busily working away even in the midst of the cold winter. Her daffodils are shooting upwards in preparation for the annual eruption of brilliant yellows.  It is always an incredible display and one that I am looking forward to already.

The snow has gone now, although there is talk of more to come.  It almost put paid to our plans of a weekend away, but in the end we braved the cold and ice and thankfully put our faith in the train rather than trying to travel by car.  And so we made it to Oxford and the first of my Goddess Goals!     I am so proud of myself for getting there as over the past 12 months I have been admitted as an emergency into hospital 4 (or is it 5?) times.  This has meant that I’ve felt very reluctant to stray too far from the hospital just in case . . . Of course, this has hampered my wanderings around the country and limited my time with friends considerably.  This has to stop!  So, part of my Goddess Goals for this year is to Free myself from the self imposed ties to the hospital and reconnect with far flung friends.  I think I’ve made a fine start.

In the 3 days we were away, we caught up with old and new friends alike, attended a wonderful steampunk exhibition at the Museum of the History of Science and indulged in some rather fabbie food and drink. It was an interesting time as we realized how much Oxford has changed since we’d lived there (some growth, much decay) but also how much we now enjoy our life in the middle of Dartmoor.  Thinking about it afterwards, perhaps we should be looking at how much we have changed rather than that of our previous home?

And then back to the little cottage on the moor, where with great excitement I’ve begun work on the Creative Goddess course.  Already I notice the gentle reminders of grounding, cleansing, clearing and focus ~ all the things I used to do every day but gradually gave up as I needed to concentrate on this journey of discovery with cancer.  However, it’s high time I reconnected with my Goddess Self and found my fairy guides again.  We’ve been apart too long . . .  .

Tea & Cake

Just as we thought the ice had started to thaw, this afternoon we were treated to a new blizzard.  The snow was so thick that I could not see the end of the field in front of the house!  Charley Puppy was not impressed and demanded to go out for another walk, even though we’d only just returned from one.  Honestly, where does he get his energy from?  *lol*

This weather is beginning to get a bit wearing though.  I haven’t seen my district nurses for over a week now, and my cleaning ladies had to cancel for the second week in a row.  I refuse to worry about the state of my house ~ I do a bit of cleaning and tidying when I feel up to it and the snow means that no one can visit me anyway!  And I have my very own in~house doctor as a husband so treatments and dressing changes are handled very efficiently.  It’s just frustrating.  Still, my congratulations go to the postie who braved the elements today and delivered lots of letters! 

So what is a girl to do when she’s stuck in the house?  Why, bake a cake of course!

I’ve decided that there is nothing more comforting than a cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake (lime drizzle, if you’re interested) after watching your poodle zoom around the woods for half an hour! 

I also decided to work on my Goddess Year book today.  I’ve felt a little unsure about a few of the exercises ~ with more chemo and possibly further treatments in my immediate future, it seemed unreasonable to try and create a list of Goddess Habits, especially when there are days when I can’t get out of bed, or feel too exhausted to do more than sit in a chair and stare out of the window. Why set myself up for failure?  So, once again I refused to worry.  I am sure that as the year and my treatment continues, I will be able to complete those parts of the workbook that I am leaving blank right now.  But in the mean time, I concentrated on other exercises.

As you can see, I pulled out my Twinkling H20 paints and had a wonderful time making my own Affirmation Cards.  I am so pleased at how they came out and only feel disappointed that you can’t see the gorgeous shimmer of the paints on the photo.  Hey, I’m not called Sparkles for nothing you know!  *lol*

I’m also in the process of completing my Medicine bag of Tools, but once again there are so many variables in my life right now that I can honestly say it is work in progress.  The body image exercise was interesting, and not as negative as you would assume.  In fact, I have to say that I wrote on my first page just how wonderful I thought my body is, considering all that it has and is going through. 

Now bearing in mind that I've manage to delete this post 6 times already, I've come to the conclusion that the Universe is telling me not to put up a picture of those pages.  It takes a while, but I do get the hint eventually.  *lol*  So you'll just have to imagine the beautiful sparkly paints, the colours and the wonderful words that adorn those particular pages.  And in the mean time, I will happily remember my word for the year and acknowledge that I have the freedom to publish (or not) whatever I like in my own blog.

*giggles and sparkles*