Autumn foggy morn
Tranquil garden scene
Time to meditate
Painting a picture
In the early foggy morn
Autumn calms the mind
New autumn garden
Genesa heliosphere
Gives out energy
As autumn begins
Natures beauty astounds us –
Replenish your soul
Mosaic garden
giving out her beauty as
autumn fog rises
She lies among green
Not alone, not despondent
Dreaming of beauty
Summer daisies bloom
In celebration of
Cairn poetry
To all my lovely blogging friends out there…help!
I started three blogs some time ago. One for my writing, one for my photographs and this one for, originally, art journaling. I decided at some point to stop the other two and post everything here. Now I have so many photos, so much writing I would like to post and hopefully get critiques on and my art journaling is overflowing.
My question is…is it easier for say writers to just read writing posts and photographers to just see photos or is my mish-mash of randomness o.k? I don’t know what to do.
In the meantime I will sneak a few photos here of the slice of heaven from my dear friends property. They spoilt me beyond my wildest dreams. The peace and tranquillity was never-ending. I thank them dearly.
One foggy morn in heaven
Breakfast table with a view
mmm…what or who do I spy through my lens in the foreground?
Ah ha! Good morning caterpillar
Fairies fly in with morning fog
and leave their magic dust
to sparkle in the sunlight
KNITTING PATTERN is an add in as I have been asked if I would share the pattern for my beret…of course I will, I love sharing. The pattern is at the bottom of this page….back to Trees and roses…
I was typing the heading ‘Trees and Roses’ and it reminded me of ‘Guns and Roses’, no similarities…well..there is ‘Axl Rose’ and the song ‘Paradise City’ and that is what I think Melbourne is. This has nothing to do with this post but me being random, I do these things…o.k. where was I…oh yes…trees and roses.
Just walking home today and saw some beautiful trees and a couple of roses and thought I would share them. They were my ‘lovelies’ for the day. Each day I find something that makes me smile or laugh or dance.
A couple of days ago I went outside at 5am, coffee in hand. The sun was till asleep, everything was still, quiet. It was warm as it had been a balmy night. I looked up and my day began. It began with a sigh, a smile and the next 10 minutes as I drank my coffee I gazed at the magnificent starry sky. The milky way flooded my eyes and made them twinkle for the rest of the day. Such little things keep me happy.
I am rambling. The trees and roses…here they are…enjoy. (actually they are tree trunks 🙂 🙂
Evening sky
through birch tree shines
crystal moon.
randomrose ©
KNITTING PATTERN (I hope it is readable)
Yaaaa, finished my beret and it turned out lovely. I am on my second one now.
I don’t like ‘selfies’ but just wanted to show what it was like on.
Pretty, pretty and very easy.
Thoughts of a Late-Night Knitter – Poetry by the wonderful Poet Pam Ayres
I had a lovely boyfriend,
Knit one, purl one.
Had him for a long time,
Cast on for the back.
Had him all the summer,
Loved him, cuddled him,
Push it up the knitting pin
And gather up the slack.
Well he knew how much I liked him,
Knit one, purl one.
I made him seven jerseys,
Never did him any wrong,
And he told me that he loved me,
Knit one, purl one.
Told me that he loved me
But he didn’t stop for long…
Happy knitting to all the knitters out there, may your needles click on forever…
I made this sketch book and did a terrible job of the binding. For those that want to use Coptic binding and 300gsm watercolour paper, don’t do what I attempted…
Tip one: Thick watercolour paper and thin waxed thread coupled with me pulling it out instead of along doesn’t work. It cuts into the paper and makes everything uneven. The thin thread doesn’t match the size or thickness of the book.
Tip two: When you are tired but excited at the prospect of finishing what will be fantastic book… Stop! That combination doesn’t work, mistakes will be made!
Tip three: If you recycle as I do and find some beautiful strong curtain material with the sun block backing and want to use it for covering your book test the glue first, it is very difficult to get the right glue to adhere to that type of backing.
Tip Four: If you want to do a paper backing on the sunblock material so it will adhere better, test first. I used rice paper, didn’t work, I had a mess (still a glue problem).
Tip Five: Don’t ever half read directions and think you know it all – especially when you are tired or rushing – doesn’t work.
Tip Six: If the material is very thick it is difficult to mitre the corners neatly.
Tip Seven: Even if you do all the above, hang in there because you will still have a cherished handmade book to play in as I have.
As you can see pulling the thread toward you tears the watercolour paper as it is soft which gives a messy uneven result. Not reading the instructions properly and thinking I knew everything I only did two leather tapes. For this size book there should have been more…obviously…doh! Had to go back and make do with more secure sewing…mish mash…mish mash….ho hum…
Still I like the different textures and papers I chose to put in this book. For a sketch book it gives an opportunity to use different mediums and it is now a secure binding.
It lies nice and flat at every page
I like the end covers. A beautiful natural fibre paper. It is lovely to tear as the fibres grab and gives that beautiful rustic uneven look.
Apart from the material giving me a nervous breakdown trying to glue it. It is very serviceable for a sketch book as it will be used for en Plein Air sketching. This sunblock curtain material was on a ‘sample’ book that you get shown when choosing curtains. If you are a textile artist visit your local curtain shop, they usually throw the older ones out. They are a good size. They are not all sunblock of course.
Because these pieces were samples, there was not two the same but that adds to the style of the book. Pages are varied and so are the covers. The above is the back . My prayer flags were old and tatty but instead of throwing them away I kept them, I am glad I did as I have used them to decorate the covers along with a nice piece of recycled cotton with writing on it. The pieces of leather were recycled from old leather couches etc. I asked at a furniture restorer and he were happy to give me the most d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s pieces of soft, aged leather.
The corners were a real problem, doesn’t matter what I did they were a mess, The material was just too thick with the backing to be neat, but as they say Necessity is the Mother of invention. I cut prayer flags and sewed ‘photo corners’ and glued them on, work perfectly and gives a nice look.
I want to tell all those out there that won’t attempt things with the fear of failure or discard things that are not up to the standard you put on yourself. The ‘not perfect’ have character and you can’t help but love them. I love this book, it is mine, I made it. I learnt many lesson from it and it inspires me to fill it up with my creations . There is no such thing as wrong.
I wrote this piece a long time ago. I went with a group of jugglers to the park where they taught us how to juggle. It rained the night before and the ground was quite muddy and they considered postponing it. We all protested and just as well we did, it was a fantastic experience, fun, laughter and a great deal of concentration. It was a beautiful experience to have those balls land back into my hands. After our session and over a warming drink I wrote this. I guess it has something to do with the bookmaking in the sense that trying things always has some magic in it whether it works or not. The thing that stops us often is…will we be accepted either by ourselves or by others.
JUGGLING IN THE PARK
I juggled .
First one ball
Then a second.
I don’t think they liked each other
They hit in mid-air
They rolled as far as they could
in opposite directions.
I brought them together again
This time there was a bond
Both were muddy.
This time
They passed in the air politely
Landing in my hands.
now
The big question
The third ball – new
clean.
Will it be accepted?
randomrose ©
It is so lovely to wander around my tiny courtyard and say hello to the residents, well, the ones I haven’t managed to kill off. Does anyone remember the lemon pip?…killed that…Annabelle….killed her; however, these ones are doing well with a regular feed of Seasol fertilizer.
Here they are on show…
I can stare you down!
Hello little one. I have to take your photo because you are cute, but you are exposing my garden furniture that needs a repaint.
My eyes are better than yours.
My straggly, out of control moon flower plant. She just does her own thing and its not pretty….but…
This here tiny but (was smaller and I missed it till yesterday). You can see how small it is by my hand…well…
Here is a close up of the her…watch this bud. I will post regularly (If I don’t forget or kill her…no, haven’t yet and she is years old)
My beloved maiden hair fern, I love her, she loves me. We have breakfast together on nice mornings. She loves Seasol as well. When I go away she curls up and dies but I give her a haircut and we have a chat and back she comes.
Little rose, little rose, how I love thee.
Fuchsia. I tried to correct the light, added some shadow, added some of this then that then Oh well…now she is Fuchsia Jezebel. I won’t throw her out the window though. In reality she is beautiful and kind.
Pelagonia, soft pink turns white, clever girl.
Shhh, don’t tell her, I am not sure of her name…wallflower?
From time to time I like to post something from this wonderful book.
So here is a little more…enjoy the yesteryear.
Making and Caring for Clothes
Fresh orange peel is excellent for restoring black shoes that have lost their smartness. Rub well with the inside of the rind, and then polish with a soft cloth.
When cutting out patches for a patchwork quilt, use a piece of sandpaper for the pattern shapes and the cloth will not slip. The rougher the paper the better it clings.
Keep a roll of surgical bandage in your sewing basket. It is handy for facing when letting out children’s dresses, for slipping between front and facing of a fine dress to give extra strength, for tacking over holes in household linens. It has many uses and gives a good foundation for darning.
When commencing to crochet a cap, use a steel hook, rather thick instead of a bone hook. The cap will be much firmer and less likely to finish in a peak at the top after it has been worn a few times.
If the men are going out into the bush, make a hearty round of scones by adding half cup of fine oatmeal to the ordinary mixture. A little more milk may be needed. They can toast them over the camp-fire if they like.
When making the pot of tea at dinner, fill a thermos flask and leave it for those working late on the farm. Very tired, late workers appreciate that cup of tea put straight into their hands when they come in the door.
Fill wet boots with dry oats and set aside for a few hours. The oats will draw out the moisture and prevent the leather from shrinking and cracking. Dry out the oats and use again. When they are no longer needed, feed the oats to the fowls or the horses.
Chopped raisins and horseradish make a good relish to serve with meat, hot or cold. Men love it.
Don’t go into the scrub cutting or snigging without taking a tin of ‘cocky’s joy’ with you. Besides being a good spread on dry bread, it’s reviving in the pannikin.(a small metal drinking cup.) ( Snigging: drag (a heavy load, especially timber) using ropes or chains.”bullock teams would snig the logs to the winder”)
Carbon tetrachloride, used on all sheep stations for drenching sheep, is an effective and rapid remover of obstinate stains – particularly greasy ones – from all clothing. Good for men’s suits and not as dangerous as petrol.
The old bush hat with a row of corks is a good way to keep off flies, but if each cork is dipped in a little phenyl and allowed to dry before being attached to the hat, it will work twice as well...and finally.
Before wearing new boots or shoes, mix and melt over a slow fire half pint drying oil, one ounce yellow wax,, one ounce turpentine and quarter ounce Burgundy pitch. Apply with a sponge to make footwear waterproof. (Galipot is an impure resin of turpentine. It is obtained from pine trees by evaporation of the essential oil and once purified is called yellow pitch, white pitch or Burgundy pitch.)
To add my own photo to this post is my Mum and Dad on their wedding day…approx 1929.
Way down back in the dilapidated shed
Away from the prying eyes of ugly old Ned
She hid her book – amid the dust and dirt,
She guarded her secrets of mistrust and hurt.
The palest of sunrays came every morn
Through an old crooked paling – the ray was drawn
Into the shed – but just stopped short of the nook
It would just stop short of exposing her book.
Each night her old hand disappeared in the dust
As she reached in the dark – to write was a must.
As she wrote her sad words – her touch was to light
Each letter flew off upon wings of a sprite.
Her beloved book held but eight precious pages,
Yet for forty long years she wrote through her stages
And only her tear drops fell onto the page
Releasing her suffering from within its cage.
As she wrote her sadness she never asked why
The first page stayed blank – except for an ‘ I ‘.
She only knew as she reached into the dust
For her own sanity – to write – was a must.
randomrose ©
randomrose 