Inspired

Tropical Sea Stones

Tropical Sea Stones

watercolour, ink, digital text, by Kate I

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach (to play one day)

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn’t remember her troubles,and

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were;

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles: and

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone.

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it’s always ourselves we find in the sea 

ee cummings

I haven't done a Five Senses Friday for ages, and today is Friday...so here it is!

seeing:  lots of new green leaves appearing daily.  Spring has been late here on the west coast...about three weeks late, although I'm sure nature feels that whatever and whenever, is absolutely perfect.  And a beautiful old sailing ship that's anchored in the cove...it looks like an apparition from another century.

 

hearing: birds chirping, trilling, singing and cawing.  Eagles making whatever that sound is called that they make. (what is that sound called?). Rain falling, kettles boiling, footsteps trodding, laughter peeling. Not all at once...but these are the sounds that stand out in my mind from the past week. (The laughter was from watching Faulty Towers...oh my, John Cleese never fails to make me laugh!)

 

tasting:    chocolate covered gluten free almond biscotti...made right here on the peninsula by my friend Melinda.  Sooooo delicious!  Our daily walks usually end here at Melinda's (commercial) kitchen, where we stop for coffee.  Psst.  She ships anywhere...even Bora Bora!

smelling:    the scent of almond and chocolate as soon as I step into Melinda's and the heavenly smell of springs new leaves and fresh growth...and oh yes, the ever present smell of the sea.

 

Feeling:    I’m finding this spring to be very up and down energetically, almost like the text on the painting above.  One day I feel like I have it all figured out and the next...not so much.  It’s interesting, as I felt really buoyant all winter despite the absence of Mexican sunshine. I’ve dug out and dusted off, one of my old mantra’s…"this too shall pass” and am continuing on with my daily dose of EFT which really, really  helps to even out all the bumps.

 

I'm finding joy in creativity, joy in walking, joy in friendships, joy in the music of beach waves lapping on the shore, joy in Molly's soft brown eyes, joy in my grandchildren's smiles, joy in hearing my father's voice on the phone and joy in the constance of Mr. I's love and steadfast support. This and so much more, is the beauty in my life.

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend dear friends!  

 

My Life in Turquoise

I’ve been painting…I mentioned last month that I thought I might paint a wall in my hallway a turquoise blue…and I did!  I’m still in shock over the colour, I love it, but it’s shocking (for me).  I’ve never, ever, ever painted anything in my home even remotely this bright, but I wanted it…I needed it…so I did it. Yay!

I know I’ll get used to it and as I decorate around it, it will blend in a bit more…but it’s still shocking.  But shocking is good. Shocking is bold.  Shocking shakes me up…gets me out of my comfort zone…and that’s definitely a good thing.  In the end, it’s only paint and paint can disapear if I decide I can’t live with it.  I’ll let you know!  In the meantime, it’s bright, it’s bold, it’s cheerful and it’s happy.  I love the happy and cheerful part.

 

I’ve also been painting some bottles and the lids on a few tins, the same colour.  Our home is small and open plan, so the same colour needs to tie into the kitchen and living room. The tins (thrift shop finds) will sit on the counter to hold tea.  The bottles are also thrift shop treasures (as well as an old jam jar) so it’s a low budget project!  The bottles are painted on the inside and I got the idea here.  I’m also painting a few more, a soft lime green and white.

My next project includes a wrapped canvas, more paint (different colour) and vinyl letters as a mask for text.  It'll go on the turquoise wall…if it turns out!

I’m having fun with it all.  Years ago I did quite a bit of painting/decorating and considered my technique “not too bad” but the day I did this, I was covered in turquoise paint from head to foot!  Mr. I had a good laugh when he saw me and thankfully, offered to finish the rollering.

I’m also really, really enjoying the summer weather that has finally arrived.  We’re working outside almost every day and checking lots of things off that “finish the house” list. 

I love August.  I love listening to the crickets, I love the way people are a little more laid back, I love eating on restaurant patios, I love the outdoor living…there’s just something so “open” about August, and when doors open, people seem to as well.

I hope August is shaping up to be a good month for all of you. 

Stay open dear friends.

A flock of Blessings

 

One grey spring day several months ago, I decided to pull out my sewing machine and get crafty.  I hadn’t touched it for several years so this isn’t something I do very often…it came right out of the blue...and I completely immersed myself for 2 days with cutting and stitching. I made a small flock of “blessing birds” as small gifts and it was fun, but after two days of very picky and tiny stitching, I’d had my fill!  I think my tumble down the stairs a few weeks earlier must have affected me more than I realized! Sewing just isn’t my “thing”.

 

 

I found a pattern online at Spool and started cutting…

 

 

I loved the idea of making a bird mobile (as shown in the photograph on the Spool site) but after gifting my birds they’ve all flown the nest and I really enjoyed doing that with them.  The one thing that I did that was a little different from the Spool birds was that I wrote a blessing on a small piece of paper...

 

 

…rolled it up and inserted one in each bird before I stitched them closed.

 

 

If you’re handy with a sewing machine, they make lovely gifts.  I also made a blessing heart with a ribbon attached to hang over a door handle and have kept that for myself.

 

 

I’ve been enjoying myself outside this summer. The weather is still not settled, but warm enough to work in the garden which finally…finally...is starting to look like a garden. We…and I use the royal "we" here, as I’m not actually doing any of the back breaking, manual labour…are steadily eliminating more of the gravel pit that has been our back yard…Mr. I is busy right now as I write this, laying a path of interlocking pavers. Slowly, slowly, it comes together.

And I’m also painting again…lotus flowers this time…I just love the feeling of slipping into “the zone” that happens when I paint. It’s like stepping into another reality…a time of no time.  It’s difficult to describe…almost as though I slip out a window and then slip back in when I get up and step away from it.  It’s a peaceful and blissed out feeling. (not at all like sewing!) Sigh.  I’ll post a photograph when I’m finished.

Thanks to all of you for stopping by…I hope life is good and you’re finding your own “zone” this summer.