sometimes i need quiet

snow is fluttering, very lightly, over here
most of the garden is still green and mud brown
wind blowing from the north east
cold and noisy

the studio is a sanctuary

where needle & thread, paintbrush and paper, gifts from friends

offer the hands a way out of overthinking mind

and the heart solace

a small goodbye

 my mother-in-law died Wednesday 14 March, in the afternoon, surrounded by a couple of close family members myself included; what you could claim to be a 'good death' she breathed her last gasping breath and then as we sat watching and listening: nothing, not a sound and we knew

she was gone

apart from our dog Tungsten I have never witnessed a death of a living being I have been emotionally attached to
it's unnerving and moving in ways I hadn't considered possible

I know I'm not saying anything new here, but for me this actual experience was an unknown

we have been sad and out of kilter, none too much though, as her passing was expected and in a strange way even welcomed; she suffered from dementia and had long gone, in a sense

I say to self how I must remember to embrace the living whilst they are here

always when I feel at a loss I go for long walks, being outdoors and breathing in and out is all it takes; and then in the evening, sitting and stitching, making a small pillow 

the pale yellow and blue fabric comes from Dee, the brighter blue from Jude, the polka dots are from a scarf that happened to come my way, the rust resist is from one of my own dye pots

ever more small pillows, unexpected presents & a minor cheat

packed snugly together within a frame, thinking of how best to display them; above themed according to a pale palette

here the blues are telling their own tale

 a week ago (or more?) a box, full of - as it turned out - delightful presents; completely out of the blue, and all the way from  over the ocean, from lovely Dee (one of my favourite (blogs)) above everything still wrapped and then below partly unwrapped, small offerings for The Dwelling & a couple of items I am likely to use for other creative activities....

 intermezzo

loving these tie dye results,  using previously plant dyed cotton shirts and a silk blouse, they were all turning into a rather sickly yellow/brown and so I decided to dye them with commercial dye: jeans blue for the silk blouse and the shirt on the left below; a mix of olive green and royal blue for the vest and other cotton shirt (I also dyed several pairs of trousers plus a faded, favourite towel, which turned out absolutely fabulous and thoroughly refreshed, nothing to post about though) I really like how the plant dye still shows in parts

back the The Dwelling and some of the presents

the small porcelain bird has taken up residence in OBK's room, where he is enjoying a sandwich and tea whilst waiting for OBK to wake up; I am sure they will have loads to twitter about, world politics and the likes.......

cheeky Cupid has landed in Ms Smith's Studio, where he imagines he'll make interesting modelling material for her, hmph.....

Sunday early afternoon mini-concert: the violinist Hippo plays a merry yet spiritual tune for an impromptu Jolly Cactus Gathering(in the far right notice mr. PR is dozing off)

the wooden church found a spot in the temporary Buddha space, we're not particularly devout here, nor very strict in our dogmas, living as harmoniously as is possible with such a mixed bunch of critters!
always remembering:
breath in breath out

ah, mr PR decided to skip the concert; here he is, sitting on the new green chair, drinking tea/milk/coffee with BigBaby and Woodstock, in the posh new cups (we do so like to be surrounded by beautiful things!)

a BIG thankyou from all of us here Dee, a small token of our gratitude is on it's way to you