SweetMyrtle

contemplation

as autumn takes her place and  leaves turn gold and crimson  i mirror their returning to the earth for now is the time for rest and contemplation, for quiet reflection and for seeds to settle and germinate.

nourish

 

these past few weeks have brought a general feeling of being under par which has forced me to stop and rest.

a few weeks ago i bought a pot of local honey for £5 ~  it felt very indulgent.

however i am so pleased that i did as it represents my acknowledgement that i need to practice self care and make time to  nourish myself.

i have been learning about Ayurveda and cooking healing foods to support my body's needs. It's a fascinating subject and preparing a meal to suit my 'dosha' takes on a beautiful ritualistic rhythm.

i have also been enjoying drinking  chai, with a large spoonful of my local honey added, of course!

are you remembering to nourish yourself?  what are your favourite ways to do this?

transition to autumn

the transistion into autumn is always a little hard for me.  the hazy, lazy days of summer seem so long ago now.

for the last 3 weeks i have been overwhelmed by exhaustion which is now thankfully passing. the shift in seasons affects me deeply and the start of my teaching term is always very busy which  opposes my natural inclination at this time of nesting and retreat.

i have been taking some time to check in on my health, to harvest, prepare and eat nourishing foods and to find space for contemplation and silence. my energy is now returning and i am loving the glorious colours of the falling leaves.

on a recent walk, i was struck at how many different shapes and sizes of leaves i saw. this seems to refect all of us.. so varied, so different but all  so  beautiful and each with a place in the world to be and to shine.

autumns changing colours also remind me of natural life cycles and that change is  integral to all. change is moving through  and also renewal. it can be scary so often  needs a the supporting hand of courage.

i wish you  courage with the changes that are happening in your lives.

namaste

Ginny x

p.s.  thank you so much for the lovely anniversary wishes xx

past and future

happy new year to you! i hope you are having a good 2013 so far x

the few weeks off over the festive holiday were very welcome for me as I had been working very hard. It was so good to have some time to relax and reflect. 

2012 was both busy and fulfilling. i faced a few fears, applied myself to tasks which at times where difficult and was pleased for the first time in my life to have fairly successfully managed to balance all the different areas of my life.

a few things i was proud of  in 2012 were,

• finally getting round to making my girls quilts for their beds,

although my youngest prefers to wear hers!

•  devising and delivering a 45 minute solo talk to a large group of business ladies. kinda scary but hugely enjoyable and i want to do it again!

• running my first vision board evening; something i had wanted to do for some time as i wanted to share my enjoyment of this process with others. it was a little departure from my usual sewing teaching and it was fun. i ran my second one last night and helped a lovely group of ladies create their vision boards for 2013.

• in 2012, along with my gorgeous sewing partner Alice, i  taught lots and lots of  people how to sew and how to use their sewing machines. it is so rewarding to facilitate and help others on their sewing  journeys. Many of our students really got the bug this year and we are both so proud of all they have achieved.

 

• Alice and i also wrote our third book. It's another sewing book but this time it's for children, though we suspect many adults will enjoy making the projects too. It's release date is in March, so more on that soon : )

 

So 2012 was a good year. I ate better than ever and returned to my yoga practice, which felt like coming home. i have realised  how i need to have that space and me time and how my body needs to stretch. yoga grounds me, brings me into the moment and helps me to feel positive and energised. so more of this in 2013!!!

Since the new year has arrived, it's all been about decluttering. Even the family have got  involved. decluttering years of stuff is an ongoing process but it is all moving in the right direction.

and we have made some family plans;

• to finish off all those unfinished jobs around the house. our first project was to tile the kitchen which has been without tiles for, hmmm, 5 years!

• we are thinking of inter- railing with the kids in the summer but still need to work out where, although a separate trip to Scotland is a definite. if you have any recommendations please do let us know.

• we are also going to spruce up the garden so we can feel like we are on holiday at home, think tuscany, alfresco : )

My personal aim is to 'Keep it Simple', which is my mantra for the year and i am going to follow my interests and continue to live lightly.

This is  my 2013 vision board.

what are you inviting into your life this year? how do you want to feel in the months ahead?

wishing you every happiness for a wonderful 2013

Gx

i don't know about you but i am at the stage now where i am willing  the warmer, brighter days to return.

i am finding it increasingly hard to find motivation and energy during these dark Winter days.

i know that Spring is just around the corner as i can see signs appearing everywhere; catkins, snowdrops & bulbs peeping through and occassionally a  glimpse of sunlight which reminds me of how our days will lengthen and lighten as nature once more bursts open and delights us with this most wonderful season.

Spring is my favourite of all the seasons. it speaks to me of hope, light, warmth, new growth and of new ideas and plans. i cannot wait to get out in the garden and start sowing the seeds which will eventually nourish and feed our family throughout the following months.

so in the meantime, like one of my cats,  i have been searching for sunlight, following it around the house hoping to bask in its life giving energies.

 

gratitude

today i need to remind myself of the richness of my life and list some gratitude

15 things i am thankful for today:

1.* my daughters who were the sweetest to me yesterday as i lay in bed poorly

2.* a warm sweet cup of tea made and brought to me in bed by my eldest girl

3.* a morning time snuggle with my youngest girl

4.* my beau who disposed of the dead mouse that our cat brought in last night

5.* the creativity of my girls: they are writing a halloween play and it is very good with stage directions added and all. i have been given the two roles of mama and witch! ha ha this made me smile

6.* a husband who works hard for us which enables me to spend much of my time looking after the needs of our girls and pursing my creativity

7.* a surprise royalty cheque which arrived yesterday: much needed as this will pay for our cooker

8.* the first sale in my sweetmyrtle shop, thanks helen x

9.* my sight ;  after my blinding migraine yesterday when most of the day was spent in a darkened room i got to thinking about this and about how much we take sight for granted. when my head cleared later in the day i was so happy to be able to read.

10.* my girls excitement about halloween; they are planning a halloween party

11.* our home : cluttered and untidy as it is we have warmth, light, shelter and a place to be together

12.* our garden; having a place to sow seed, grow vegetables, flowers, fruit and herbs. a place toplay, learn to understand the gentle balance of life, observe bumbles, spiders and other creatures. our litle piece of heaven, for this i am hugely grateful.

13.* friends near and far, old and new, real and virtual who share kindness and enrich my life.

 14.* my parents who have always given so much and never judged. they are kind, giving, selfless good people and i am so grateful that they are in our lives.

15.*  that my girls are true sisters and are arguing just now... as it should be from time to time!

 

what is on your gratitude list today?

i must tell you ....

following on from yesterday's post i must tell you about a conversation that i had with our lovely school caretaker this morning...

i commented on his 'back to school' (after half term) new haircut and he commented in return on my 'highlights'! yes you heard it right.. HIGHLIGHTS!

i thought at first he was being cheeky but when i said, 'you mean my grey hairs, right?'  he looked puzzled? he really did think they were highlights. i really laughed.

so after all your wonderful comments and sharing (thank you) and my grey being referred to as highlights, well i think i shall put my bar of henna back into the cupboard where it has been for the past year and be proud of my natural silvery highlights (until the next time!).

 i also have had something exciting (to me) plop through my letterbox today  so if i get a moment later i shall return to share my excitement with you x

greying hair

i am going grey !

i have dark hair and before i had it chopped to shoulder length i was looking positively 'witchy' .. which may be a good thing or not depending on your point of view? 

a few days ago i picked a rose from my daughters' garden (they have a wee section to themselves) and i put it in my hair... with this simple act  i felt young and carefree.

i planted this rose  when my girls were small. it is called Zephrine Drouhin and is a beautiful deep pink, , thornless, climbing rose and wonderfully fragrant... perfect for two small girls who loved pink. 

in the photo i have desaturated the colour a little as i like creating a softness in images. this, however, shows a greater contrast of my 'two tone' hair (which i have now drawn your attention to, when you were probably only looking at the rose or were trying to work out the image !). anyway, i am mostly fine about greying but i wish that the grey hairs didn't stick up so. they are often shorter and always more wiry than the other hairs too.

as i am a 'natural'  girl a 'chemical' dye  would not be something i would consider but at times i wonder whether i should give myself a shiny coat of henna?  i used to henna my hair years ago. obviously the grey hairs may go orange... what do you think? would orange streaks in a brown henna look ok? if you have any natural hair dyeing advice i would love to hear. i did find a link (lost it now) suggesting that rinsing your hair in a tea made from sage and rosemary leaves helps to keep your natural colour. alas i am unable to try this as sadly i am allergic to rosemary... strange but very true.

 so any hair advice gratefully received.

and thank you for all your comments and thoughts on my last post, and cathleen your words make me blush... so sweet, thank you x

growing patience

our first sugar snap has formed...

it is still very small so just a few more days wait.

i have been thinking about how gardening teaches us patience. about how we sow the seeds, nurture, water, tend, pot on, nurture, water, tend, pot on again, harden off and finally plant out. then the tending and nurturing continues with feeding, weeding, watering ,mulching, supporting until finally quite literally we are rewarded with the fruits of our labour, or in this case a sugar snap pea.

my husband and i have been discussing this. we both often lack patience but with gardening  it is quite different. earlier he said to me, ' you can't hurry things in the garden'.  and he is so right, we can't hurry nature. why is it then that we want to hurry so many other aspects of out lives?

if i have an idea, or want to create something for myself  i often get frustrated as i long for it to come together impossibly quickly. i cannot seem to give myself the same nurturing and care that i give the plants in our garden. it may be that being a mother with many more responsibilities than i had before i had children that when i do allow myself time to 'play'  i feel i need  to achieve things so much more quickly. if i am creating something for a gift or for work, however,  i do take plenty of care and time. i wonder why i won't allow myself the same consideration?

i have only recently realised that i do this.

slowing down and being mindful and appreciative of life is important for us all. the series of noticing and gratitude photos i shared last year were a way of helping me to slow down and observe life's wonderful details which are so often missed when we are busy rushing through our lives.  now i have identified that my lack of patience and rushing is what seems to be holding me back in my own creative work i feel happier that i can be mindful of this in the future.

since writing this post about playing and process a few weeks back,  i have bravely enrolled on an experimental art 'e' course run by artist amelia critchlow. i just happened upon it one day during a morning' blog hop' and it seemed to be exactly what i am in need of... a little permission to allow myself to play, to  actively put aside some time each week for 6 weeks and to have fun experimenting with new ideas and techniques. i am very excited. i hope i can immerse myself in the process and not get hung up about whether i am any good or if things are coming together quick enough... i will practice patience and tend and nurture myself as i do my seedlings, with love and care and maybe after time i will be able to see some fruits starting to form.

wishing you a happy week x

daisies

this seems to be turning into a week of flowers... forget - me- nots on monday, dandelions yesterday and today daisies...

i love daisies, from tiny lawn daisies to large shasta daisies.  i don't have any daisies in my lawn yet this year but i have started to see them scattered across open green spaces while i am out and about.

last month, whilst playing around in my sewing space , i randomly and roughly stitched some of my favourite fabrics together and experimented with a yo yo and a little freehand machine embroidery.  the sample did not work, one bit looked crap so i cut it off.  the remaining part ended up being a curved shape which when backed with a little felt evolved into a  (very rough) wrist cuff.

on seeing the possibilities i then decided that i would like to create one based on a daisy. i did a little sketch, chose fabrics of  golden yellow , cream and white and i started to play...

 

 this is how it turned out...

 i think perhaps it is a little large... but  i feel there are possibilities for a smaller modified cuff and i  am also using the idea to work on a few pendants.

sometimes i get stuck creatively and  am too much thinking of an end item rather than just experimenting and seeing where it leads me, so this little daisy cuff to me represents how i must make time to experiment, play and just enjoy the process. and to also be aware that whether there is a finished item at the end or not,  that it is the process  and exploration that is well worth experiencing... a little like life perhaps!

at the moment i have little time to experiment to my heart's desire as i am constantly designing and preparing new projects  for our teaching classes. i enjoy coming up with new ideas for workshops but i am really going to discipline myself to focus on my own creative development this year too... and now i have told you all here.. i will have to!

 : )