Beautiful Bird (in stitch)

It's been a while since my last post, but I felt that I'd put a bit too much pressure on myself to post on the same day every week, and so I've taken a step back and realised that I need to allow myself to be a little bit more flexible with my posting. I've blogged before, but as part of a group, so I'm still getting used to having sole responsibility and I need to strike a balance between blogging and my other commitments. So I'm going to try a more relaxed approach and see how it works out.

So time now for an update on my artistic endeavours:-

I am and always have been entranced, fascinated, and captivated by birds. I could happily spend hours gazing out of the window, observing them flying, perching, feeding and singing in my garden.

I still have my Usborne Birdwatcher's guide from childhood and can remember clearly one warm summers day following the instructions for suitable camouflage clothing and layering myself up with a thick brown wool cardigan and wellington boots. I was thus prepared, to crawl up and down a grassy bank, much to the amusement of the neighbours I'm sure.

Birds had to play some part in my 'Maps' embroideries as they are woven through my life. When I see the Blackbird tugging a worm from my lawn or the Robin with his plump red breast chirping away from atop the fence post, I feel a joy that lifts my spirit.

I used to love looking through bird books to find pictures of baby birds with their mouths gaping open for food and I love to watch 'Springwatch' where the cameras literally give you a birds eye view of feeding. I don't know what sparked this interest - it's just always been there - I'm not a serious twitcher traveling the country hot on the wings of  a rare sighting. At the moment I don't even have a bird table - it's most definitely on the wish list. But I love that birds exist and I'm lucky enough to share my space with them.

So here is my finished embroidery:-



'Come Into My Garden'

Amanda xxx

A Lifetime of Books

I came across an article in the press recently about a report showing that sales of ebooks was falling while paperback sales had increased. I am not surprised by this at all, now that the initial excitement of a new toy has worn off, and been replaced with the realisation that you are not downloading a book onto your ereader but digital content. For a true book lover nothing can replace or emulate the physical book. The smell, the touch, the weight, the creak of the spine, the turn of the page.



one of my 'to read' piles

I was recently on the bus and as I settled into my seat, I reached into my bag to retrieve my latest read. As I opened it, to where I'd left my Chris Riddell book mark, I noticed that the lady immediately in front of me was also reading - on an ereader. As I glanced from my page to her screen I was left in no doubt that technology could never dim my love of books. I could see at a glance how far through my book I was and how far was still to go; I could look at the cover art with a quick turn of the book; if I read a passage with particular resonance or impact I could turn to the back cover and look into the face of the person who had crafted these words; I will leave traces of myself amongst these pages as the words in turn have entered my consciousness. The experience of reading a book is a tactile and emotional one.

I have read books my whole life, a passion I have carried with me from before I can even remember, and I hope that I have passed that passion onto my son. We both have bookcases filled to the brim. Along with friends and family, my childhood was also populated with Paddington Bear, The Famous Five and Cinderella, to name a few. They lived in my imagination as vividly as any real person that I knew. Books have enriched my life and my mind and I keep meeting new characters all the time such as the wonderful Jack Reacher as mentioned in a previous post and I was recently re-acquainted with the literary legend that is Scout Finch.

Books from childhood

My posts may be less regular for the next few months as this is a particularly busy time for me at work, and I also want to dedicate some serious effort to my artistic ventures, but I will still be putting stuff out here. This is becoming like another form of diary or journal for me, both interesting and enjoyable.

Bye for now
Amanda xxx

Misty Mornings, Sunny Days

What a wonderful way to transition from Summer to Autumn. The mornings were grey and misty with an eerie, mythical atmosphere cloaking the landscape in a timeless sense of mystery.

Then the sun broke through to give us a last indulgent burst of warmth, blue skies and rich Autumn colours.

After the previous week, when my mood was quite dark, this wonderful mix of weather lifted my spirits.

I found time to catch up with all the news from London Fashion Week where collections for Spring/Summer 2016 have been shown. This understated look from Jasper Conran is an ideal Summer look for me with a slim silhouette and touches of gold :-

Jasper Conran

I also felt myself drawn to the Giles collection which had a dark forest theme; anything with a forest theme is sure to make me take notice and it was a beautiful collection reminiscent of Alexander McQueen with its sense of narrative and hand-crafted quality:-

Giles

But for now Autumn is well under way so time to embrace cosy nights in with warm drinks and a good read.

Amanda xxx
 

Autumn/Winter fashion

Hi, this post should have gone out yesterday but I had some technical problems so I do apologise. 'tis the nature of computers.

I could most definitely feel Autumn in the air yesterday. After the morning mist burnt away, it was a lovely clear, sunny, crisp day perfect for cutting my lawns, and it was so good to be out in the fresh air as I seem to have some sort of bug that has me feeling headachy, disgruntled, and having somewhat of a creativity crisis. Not even being in the garden letting my mind do some wandering seemed to snap me out of it. I guess we all have these little blips ( I hope so anyway).


Emmanuelle Alt

The noticeable change of season has turned my thoughts to fashion; the new collections are already in the shops and I've decided who my style muse is for this season - Emmanuelle Alt editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris. She's a similar age to me and is on my personal list of most stylish women as she always seems to get it just right. This is the look I would love to achieve this Autumn/Winter. It's a very simple, understated look but it's done with the utmost style and elegance.

Although she has access to any number of designers and a pretty healthy budget, I'm hoping I can find something similar on the high street. I'd also like to inject a few Autumn colours - I was thinking forest shades of green and brown. I'd love to find a flare that works with flats. I know they look so much better with a heel but I have to impose some practicalities as I spend most of my days on my feet running around.


As I said earlier, I haven't been very creative but I did manage to take a photo of a beautiful rainbow behind my house at the end of last week, so I'll leave you with this:-

Amanda xxx

Make Me

I love books and I love reading. This is a lifelong passion and an intrinsic part of who I am. The printed page, words and stories are woven into my DNA, so books are certainly going to feature in my posts from time to time. This shows a little sample from one of my bookcases:-

My current read is the new Lee Child novel 'Make Me' and for anyone not familiar with Lee Child's books, they all feature one of fictions greatest characters - Jack Reacher. Fictional he may be, but this man has become a part of my life after picking up the first book only a few years ago when going through a difficult time. I was curious as to whether these books were really as good as the sales figures suggested; there was a long back-list and I wasn't sure if my interest could be held right until the end; well it was, and I'm now one among the many people who eagerly await each instalment.

I'm about half-way through the new book, savouring every word and enjoying hooking up with Reacher again. To draw a comparison for the uninitiated, I have always been a massive fan of Clint Eastwood films and, for me, Reacher is very much in this mould. A lone wolf who lives on his own terms, by his own rules with a highly toned survival instinct and a sharp mind, aided by many cups of strong black coffee. He was a military man but now he is using his time to explore and discover the vast collection of states known as the USA. I get to take this journey with him and for me that is the great power of books; they can open the world up to you, teach you, entertain you, sympathise and empathise with you, scare you, make you cry, give you hope and fill you with despair. They are filled with life. Just 26 letters of the alphabet arranged in endless ways, printed on sheets of paper. It's amazing and wonderful.

 

So, back to the Lee Child novels. If you haven't read them yet, then get going. The first one is called 'Killing Floor'.

Amanda xxx

Beautiful Bird

Today I'm very happy that I'm able to show an update for my embroidery work. I've decided on the design for my second image in 'Maps, Series 1' - it's called 'Come Into My Garden'. This is the sketch which I will transfer onto fabric ready for hand-stitching.



Come Into My Garden

I'll trace this lightly onto linen fabric and decide the colours and stitches as I go along. I'm excited to see what the finished piece will look like. Things are really busy here at the moment so I'm afraid I've only got time for this short post - I'll let you know a little bit more about the inspiration behind this when I show the finished work.

Amanda xxx

The Perfect Chair

As you know, I love my bureau but I've never had the right chair to go with it. The one I've been using most recently was part of my dining set - not perfect as it left my table with an empty space and it was nowhere near a match for the bureau. So while on holiday I paid a trip to Ikea (I was desperate for wardrobes for mine and my sons' bedroom) and I bought myself the perfect chair. It's reminiscent of the Art & Craft style and the shade of wood is a great match for my bureau.

I hadn't realised quite how much of a niggle the old chair had become until my new one was in place. Now, when I look in this little corner, it's just right.

Amanda xx