Diversifying.

Today is a lazy day.  On the sofa, bowl of cheerios in hand,  I am trying to muster up the enthusiasm to finish Scarlett while  ignoring the splatter of hailstones falling down the chimney.  6pm, but feeling much later.  Not a big fan of winter.

 I love my owls, but my shop is missing small, impulse buy items;  items that are (relatively) quick to make and can sell for under £10.  I think £10 is a cut off price for impulse buys,  and it would add variety.  So I  have been experimenting with gadget cases, and will soon be an expert on phone dimensions, ipod dimensions,  kindles.  So many gadgets, makes my one solitary phone look quite minimal, never having owned an ipod or a kindle.  
But what I do own is a hot water bottle...a beautiful, moss green hot water bottle, bought from a wonderful Folksy shop called Selvage.  Yes,I have reached the age where I find hot water bottles exciting - I love hot water bottles,and Selvage does  beautiful ones!
http://folksy.com/items/2508449-knitted-hot-water-bottle
http://folksy.com/items/3778986-Snoozy-Owl-gadget-case

Oh my, oh my, oh my.

Poundland.  A treasure trove of bargains amongst the tat.  I love finding a bargain, but today I had an altercation at a till. Bip, bip, bip went the items.  £2 went the till.  I had more than two items.  As I (thought) I was handing over a £10 note, I queried the bill;  bip, bip, bip the items went again, I handed over another note and then wondered what had happened to the first one.  How could it possibly disappear??? I rummaged through my bag, my pockets...the floor - no note.  The lady on the till called a supervisor and off they disappeared to do a till check, leaving me to ponder the missing note.  For ages.  And then I realised - I hadn't had a £10 note, having spent it earlier.  Mortified...

Suki, guardian of cotton reels.

Simple pleasures.

 I am the mother of a 20 year old. Sometimes, it seems like yesterday that I was bundling Josh in to his dufflecoat, bread in hand, to feed the ducks.  So many afternoons spent at the park.  But then he started school and we didn't go so often.  Years passed by and I forgot all about the park - until a visit two years ago, with my parents and grandma. Memories came flooding back, and I now visit regularly.  In a hectic, materialistic world the park is an oasis of calm.  Now, I am rediscovering the simple pleasures that nature offers.  With my camera.  Sitting with the squirrels, feeding ducks - the rich colours of autumn, the falling leaves - the rustling underfoot.  Simple pleasures.

150 miles.

Today is one of those days when I just can't get motivated....I'll rephrase that....today is one of those WEEKS when I just can't get motivated.  A prickly 20 year old home from uni, too little space, too much rain and a distinct dissatisfaction  with rural living.  An obsession with vintage fabric, fueled by a visit to the most wonderful shop off Brick Lane that I just can't get out of my head.  150 miles away.  150 miles between me and an Aladin's cave that I could happily root about in for hours at a time!  A tiny shop, with material piled to the ceiling, overflowing baskets and an owner who actively encourages rummaging through deep, wooden drawers.  A shop where a cash register is irrelevant, labels  handwritten,  fabrics  cheap in price, beautiful in quality.  Like stepping back in time.  And then I'm back in Llanrhidian.  

https://www.facebook.com/TheSherbetPatch
Quirky, handmade fabric items for the home.....

That moment in time.....

In everyone's life, there is that defining moment, or a time so special that the years which pass fail to dim the memories or blur the edges.  For me, it was the summer of '91.  The defining moment was pregnancy, with my now 19 year old son, but those five months, from July to December, contain so many special moments and memories, and the friendships forged during that time are still with me now.  Funny how a time nearly two decades ago has had such an influential effect on my life.  

Israel....kibbutz....Jerusalem.

Israel.....special from the first moment I set foot in Jerusalem, in 1986.

Kibbutz....four, but the one which remains so special is Sdot Yam.

Jerusalem....oh, my goodness, Jerusalem!!!  Mad, crazy times, set against such a beautiful backdrop, where seeing the sunrise usually meant a 4am walk up Ben Yehuda from The Underground.

But what was it that made the summer of '91 so special?  SdotYam has that magical quality; the beach, the sunsets, Mexico City, but they were there before.  The people.  Yes, the people ~ there was an energy, a vibrancy, chemistry.  We bonded over blue jugs and bonfires.  Hitching.  Midnight raids on the kitchen.  Afternoons chilling.  Parties.  The Underground.  Ein Gedi.  

A moment in time.....