Blanket, birds and a birthday party




Birdie No1







My blanket of granny squares is coming along very slowly and at this rate it might be a graduation present. It is a very soothing project that I can take up in between other things that I am doing and one that at this stage requires very little brain power, which is just as well, as I seem to be losing what little I have at the moment. 

I managed to finish two crocheted birds, one for each of the children, and I think they turned out very well ( thanks Lucy at Attic 24). I have had to retie the bells on birdie number two at least 10 times as my son kept on accidentally undoing the knots as he played with the bells ( such a lovely sound).They are now both hanging  safely on the bedroom wall and I am inordinately proud of making something lovely and completely impractical for the kids.



Birdie No 2 with his bells

There are so many other projects I would love to try but time is so limited between work, running a home and looking after the children. My next project will either be a crochet bag or an owl ......or maybe a ripple blanket .. or a pair of Mary Jane slippers. I am not good with choices so maybe I should just dive in and not even try to decide where to start.



 Cake from the Pink Cake Box



I am also trying to plan my birthday party which will be in a few weeks time. I cannot decide whether we should braai ( barbecue for those of you who are not South African) or have a proper High Tea. I will keep you updated on the progress of these preparations. I am angling towards a braai but am dying to try out a lovely Topsy Turvy cake or one with plenty of flowers and stripes or maybe even a combination of the two. whatever I decide I am sure it will be great fun.





Spring is here!

I am NOT a winter person and have been waiting with bated breath for Spring to arrive.And here it is. Within a space of three weeks we went from snow to lovely sunny days with temperatures hovering at 30 degrees C. It was winter one day and then nearly summer the following ,as is usual on the Highveld, but I am not complaining. Mia was wearing a summery dress today and Noah was in shorts and a T-shirt. We went out and spent a lovely day at Montecasino Bird Park, just soaking up the beautiful weather. The kids loved running round in the sunshine.

I celebrated Spring by buying a bunch of flowers: tulips, gerbera daisies and  a sunny yellow iris. It brought a splash of colour to our lounge and cheered me up no end. I also have my first Arum Lily of the year, a great cause for celebration ,as I think I have had three flowers from this plant in 5 years!

    WELCOME SPRING

Creativity



 I saw a t-shirt recently on a Facebook page that said Introverts Unite. Individually. Mostly that is how I feel. I am an introvert by nature and not really good with spoken words, although most people wouldn't guess. I like people but for the majority of the time I really prefer my own company, sitting quietly in a corner reading or crocheting and letting the world flow gently over and around me. I sometimes feel that I am not good with written words either, especially today,as it feels as if major writers block has set in. Yet put my hands to work with something creative and they " speak " far better that I ever can. It feels as if they have a life of their own.



the start of a purple and lilac giraffe, as requested by my little girl

On the days when my words do not flow easily or swiftly and I feel linguistically clumsy and stupid and dull, I find my hands doing something creative and it brings a certain amount of healing to my insecurities. My most productive periods on a creative level seem to be when my words fail or my heart and head are so full that the only why I can express myself is through my hands. It is so soothing to pick up a crochet hook or knitting needles and some wool and make something new and uniquely me or bake a cake or sew a toy or even plant something pretty in the garden. I feel as if the words I cannot say come out in my "art", whatever form that might take. Already I feel better, having done a bit of sewing tonight. And just maybe, by tomorrow morning, my words will have returned and I will feel able to face the world again, talking and hiding my innate introversion in a world full of extroverts.



Crochet craz(y)

I have fallen in love with crocheting. I used to think it was for little old ladies. Then, after Mia was born, I wanted to get a granny square blanket for her, only they are HORRIBLY expensive if you buy one on the net and nobody I know crochets.So I decided that if I cannot buy a granny square blanket, I will learn how to make one. And so the love affair began.......... I am 22 squares into the blanket and enjoying every minute of it. I am also having great fun learning how to make flowers ( thanks Lucy, at Attic 24) and have now made a few hair clips. I have a couple of other projects in the bag ( sorry) but those will have to wait a while. Well, let me get back to my granny squares and I will keep you updated with the progress.

Snow on the Highveld

It has thankfully been a short week at work, with tomorrow and Friday being school holidays. Yesterday we had SNOW, in August, in Pretoria.This might not sound like a big deal but I have lived here for over 30 years and it has never snowed. It was lovely. All the adults rushed outside and played, taking photo's on cell phones or just holding our hands up to the sky like little kids. It snowed nearly all the way home from work and when I fetched the children, it started sowing while we were driving home. They have never seen snow and it was really magical seeing their excitement. Noah told me it was like Ice Age ( guess who is the movie addict in our house). I had forgotten how pretty it is when it snows and also how cold. It was over so quickly and by supper time it had stopped, although the cold has stayed. I love watching my children experience new things, as I get to look at them with new eyes again and be reminded that it is okay to be silly and giddy and forget about being an adult sometimes.

Farewell as a season of life

In the past two weeks I have had plenty of reason to ponder on how a life is spent and what I will leave behind one day. I am a procrastinator of note when it comes to putting of doing or completing a task. I always think I will have time, next week, next year, one day in the future. Two weeks ago a family friend Lester Mills  lost his battle with cancer. As I read his obituary I was struck by the fact that while this was a man who died young, he had lived a full life and made a great impact on those around him. I have been struck by the thought that God has never promised me a long life. In fact, I have never even been promised my next breath, only that He knows the number of my days. How can I then live as if I have all the tomorrows in the world to squander. I may have another 30 or 40 years left but I may die tomorrow and then what about all those should have,could have's? Surely it is better to try all the things that I fear or that seem hard while I still have today and the ability to live a full life? This does not mean that I am going to go out tomorrow and conquer Everest but I think it will mean that I will go out tomorrow and live, with God's help, a life of integrity, doing what He puts on my path and doing it to the best of my ability and, just maybe, starting some of those things that I fear?