Knit one, pearl one. . . .

Purchased on my way to Antarctica ~ January 2013

Do you knit?

With cooler air flowing - here still only after sunset as days are still in

 the 80's - the click clack of knitting needles can be heard in my head.

 Now I just need to get my fingers loosened up.

I have to admit I'm just not up for big projects such as a really chunky, cozy

sweater or cardigan.  Following a pattern, usually printed in smallish type, is 

too hard on the eyes now. 

Store-bought, or an online purchase if you prefer, is much easier and much

 quicker.  A garment such as these can take a long time!  Winter would

 definitely be over by the time I completed something similar. . . .I'd be

 pulling the summer linen tops back out of storage. . . . .the ones I'm

 busy putting away this week!

As for cost, good quality yarn is not cheap. 

Buying a readymade sweater can be expensive if you're leaning toward

 good quality cashmere (my favorite), smooth, classic Merino wool, or silky, 

soft Alpaca, also a favorite. However, if you shop around there are some

 wonderful sweaters out there at more reasonable price points in blends

 of wool, acrylic, polyester, cotton, even yak fiber.

Way back in my teens I was quite a good knitter, making many sweaters

 and cardigans. Nowadays I'm knitting only scarves and neck cowls, usually

 while watching TV in the evenings. I can do this without having to bother

 with any patterns - plus I feel like I'm staying busy creating something rather

 than just wasting time staring at another screen - you know what I mean.

In all honesty, right now sitting at the computer, or in a chair with a heating pad

 is all I'm truly up for! Tomorrow I start physiotherapy which I hope will help

 with the pain in my right lower back/hip/leg. It's a month now since something

 went wrong and walking/bending has just become more painful, sleeping

 harder, and feeling good has been missing from daily life.

Yesterday Bob and I received our COVID booster - #3 Pfizer - at a local

 hospital. No side effects other than warmth and a slight ache at the injection site. 

We still go away from the house masked at all times - mandatory here indoors

 in public places, and we even keep them on when passing people outdoors.

After the hospital yesterday we headed to the mall to run a couple of

 errands - before my Tylenol wore off!  Amazed at how many, mostly young

people, were not wearing masks in the shops, even though all store 

personnel were!

Leaving you with something pretty. . . . . . . this lovely pumpkin/fireplace

 setting. Not mine but I do need to start doing something soon to make mine

 look more seasonal.  I'm hoping to make it to the pumpkin farm this weekend.

Have a wonderful weekend - it's almost here.

Collections, shelves and pumpkins!

 

I think I'm a pushover when it comes to open shelves. 

I have a lot of them and I really love them!

My biggest problem is that all are loaded with collections, and those items 

require constant TLC. Yes, vignettes and stacks are dust collectors, they do 

require dusting and frequent washing, but also bring happy moments and

memories.  

These are the shelves in the dining room on a Welsh dresser purchased

 30 years ago as bare wood. I've painted it in different finishes at least three times. 

This current antiqued/distressed blue-grey was done many years

 ago and will remain - no way can I paint anything of this size these days!

My collections of antique and vintage English and French china fit well here. 

I move items around some days, take a few away then add something new

 for the current season.

Small decor changes are now my norm. Over the top decorating is no longer

 an option as I try to downsize. 

I am finding I really like just a touch of something different for a few weeks. 

Currently it's just one natural papier-maché pumpkin - I have two more which

 will be placed elsewhere. I also added the fabulous pumpkin painting I found

 last year at SuzAnna's Antiques.

Speaking of pumpkins, we hope to make our annual visit to our favorite

 pumpkin farm soon - I still would like some real pumpkins for the front porch.

Days are a little cooler, I feel a chill in the air at night, so pumpkins will enjoy

 being outside now.

Are you decorating for this new season?

Do you buy real pumpkins?

Will you decorate for Halloween?

Nature books and my English childhood -

 

A few years back I discovered British author John Lewis-Stempel. 

His amazing book titled MEADOWLAND had won the annual

 British Wainwright Prize for nature writing back in 2015. 

I didn't even know that then, but the book called to me and I purchased it.

I fell deeply in love with that book and it rests on my 'favorites shelf' and

 will be re-read many times in the years to come. 

Since then I have collected more of his books, most recently this one, 

THE WOOD. I am enjoying it as I have the others.

Since reading Meadowland I have come to love many other

 books about nature, especially those focusing on the British countryside. 

This is really not surprising as I grew up there and spent much of

my childhood and teen years wandering the lanes and fields of Devon.

With a bicycle and a book bag, I covered a lot of ground. In summer, 

with a sketch pad, a somewhat soggy tomato and cheese sandwich, 

and a Thermos flask, my days were filled. Many starting early

 mornings gathering mushrooms with my mother, afternoons 

often with my best friend in tow. We cycled off to farms, 

fields and villages, my little 'nature books' such as Warne's Observer

 Series at the ready to identify flowers, trees, leaves, fruits, nuts, birds, 

insects whatever - nature was entertainment and I loved it all.

I just wish I still had those books. Instead I'm reading new writers of

wonderful nature notes books. Much of life has changed since I was

 out there, roaming free in fresh air, in exquisite landscapes so close

 to my home. Fields, woods and farmland within walking distance, 

historic, brooding Dartmoor just a short car ride away.

It was also only a short hike, bus journey, or bike ride to the shore. 

My parents never owned a car, but we could soon be swimming in the

 ocean, discovering sea creatures along the beach and in the rock

 pools - yes there were several coastline Observer's Books too - picnicking

 on the rocks, discovering caves in the cliffs etc. It was truly a wonderful 

life. . . . . .and nature books made it even more exciting.

The Observer's Books were a series of small, pocket-sized books, published by Frederick Warne & Co in the United Kingdom from 1937 to 2003. They covered a variety of topics including hobbies, art, history and wildlife. The aim of these books was to interest the observer and they have also been popular amongst children. Some of them have become collector's items. For the dedicated collector this could be a lifetime's work as there are over 800 variations, some of which are now rare. The values of the books can vary from 50 pence to hundreds of pounds........Wikipedia

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Photos of amazing women during my visit to India.

While on the pleasing subject of reading a good, sometimes very good,

book, I am also about a third the way through this one and finding it 

really superb. 

Although my only visit to India - Mumbai and Cochin - was a much too

 quick stop in 2012 as part of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth cruise from

 Singapore to Dubai, memories of that country have always stayed with me. 

Since then I've read many novels set in India and found them interesting, 

sometimes disturbing, but always enlightening, and they have taught me

 so much more about the vast differences in daily life in other countries.

Are you reading anything marvelous right now?

With the arrival of October I'm feeling happier - it's my favorite 

month, my birthday month. Today I started it well with coffee on the

 front porch in sunshine, a slight breeze, and a feeling that perhaps

 this will be the beginning of better days ahead. . . . . . .days such as

 these described in my favorite October quote by the great 

Canadian author of "Anne of Green Gables. . . . . . . .

Now if only I could run through those rustling leaves, 

little nature book in hand, and spy the "amethyst, pearl, 

silver, rose and smoke-blue" colors of the valleys.

Happy October days everyone.