Kintsugi - adding new beauty

I recently broke a very special cup. It's not really a special cup and the saucer has long since been mislaid. But it's the cup I remember my dad using for tomato soup when I was quite a young girl. My parents divorced early on so I never spent as much time as I would have liked with him, but my memories of moments in time from that period are special; hence this tomato soup cup is special.

So I've made an attempt at mending it, inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of mending broken pots - repairing the pots with gold, making a feature of the brokenness and celebrating it.

"The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places." ~Ernest Hemingway

I like that I have spent time with my dad in my thoughts while I attempt my repair. I've not followed the traditional methods, just used modern glues and gold powder, and I've not done an amazing job, but I have my cup back and it may feature as a prop on some of my product photographs.

I found this blog post by Sequins and Cherry Blossom really interesting:

http://sequinsandcherryblossom.com/2014/01/26/kintsugi-lacquer-repair/

Have you ever had a go at Kintsugi? Do share your photos with us!

 

 

A Gentle Border Walk

I thought I'd take you for a gentle walk today with Coota; he's our rescue staffie/lurcher cross who's been with us now for 7 months. I think he's doing really well, and to be honest, I think we're doing pretty well too since we've never had anything like him before. He's nothing like a collie! 

So let's grab the lead and whistle and set off on our walk.....today I'm taking you to Broomscot Common on the Norfolk/Suffolk borders. It's part of a community conservation project, so it's lovely to have it on the doorstep and we love it there. A very therapeutic place, and good for inspiration.

 

To get to the common we walk across the village playing field and have a quick belt round with a ball

The common itself is fenced off, so perfect for a sight hound.

It has one area that is really quite boggy, and therefore not visited by Coota who doesn't really do watery things

Around one side there is gorse and small trees and under foot it's all tussocky and lovely

Sheep graze here for some parts of the year, but weren't here on this walk, but here's the sheep's fleece evidence in the trees:

The middle area is empty of trees and perfect for chasing rabbits. 

The rabbits are an important part of the project as they, and the sheep, keep down some of the vegetation which allows this beautiful mossy carpet to grow (Sorry, Coota just doesn't understand the concept of lying on the ground with a camera!)

I find this common particularly good for letting thoughts sought themselves out in my mind. It's when I get inspiration that seems to come from nowhere - the ideas for new card designs or a month on the calendar come in when some of the other stuff is allowed out. I can relax as I know Coota cannot run off, so it's a happy place, whatever the weather. 

And then home, via the playing field again for another burst of energy, chasing the ball.

Snowdrop Pilgrimage to Walsingham

Yesterday we made a pilgrimage to Walsingham in North Norfolk for the snowdrops. What a fabulous few hours, with some rare sunshine and carpets of snowdrops to inspire and uplift. Here are a few too many photograpsh:

Rescue lurcher/Staffie Coota sat beatifully for a photo 

And just to show you how blue the sky was:

I love red bricks, and patterns, so couldn't resist some details from the buildings:

And then we had a quick dash to The Victorian Tea Rooms in Cromer for a cuppa and a cake 

and to pick up a table and chairs for outside the studio - for summer time coffee breaks

Our Norfolk round trip took us to Burnt Fen Alpacas on a bit of a whim. They are such beautiful animals - sorry the photos aren't so good, but they were very unsure of their introduction to Coota. I came away with a bag full of more fibre for my work too.

Coota made a real friend with Red. They played themselves to a standstill!

 A lovely day out, finishing off with another cuppa at the home of wood turner, Paul Williams where I think I have finally decided on the fountain pen for me

Inspiration from a dull grey day

What a treat this morning was - the best walk with our lively rescue dog Coota. He met dogs to play with, he ran, and the best bit, he didn't race off after squirrels and deer. He's responding to the whistle too. It's such a good feeling when the training goes well... It gives me a chance to unwind from a busy week, and to delight in the treasures found on a grey and dull day in Norfolk.

Sitting beautifully at the start of the walk

So far, not a playmate in sight, but all those molehills had to be pee'd on so that kept him occupied

Thankfully pigs don't seem to interest him much, although I found it fascinating to watch them wallowing in all that mud - what on earth do they find to eat in it?

I was determined to look for the beautiful today, and for inspiration, it being such a grey dull day. Some gorgeous lichen caught my eye, that lovely bluey green sitting on those deep brown winter leaves.

These grasses took me back to my student days in the 70's when I studied environmental archaeology. It was the inspiration of Dr Susan Limbrey that led to my love of grasses. You could learn so much about the prehistoric landscapes from the grass seeds in the soil samples.  I've forgotten all their names, but I still absolutely love their beauty, even here. 

Environmental archaeology again - tree rings, and dating episodes in prehistory. Fascinating.

Back to Coota - yes, he found plenty of playmates today - in this blurry photo Coota is having loads of fun with a black lab and a labradoodle. (The photo could be nothing but blurry, the speed they were all going!)

One worn out staffie/lurcher cross, loving his life in his new(ish) home.

Where do you like to go on a dull grey day to unwind?

My Year in Just More Than 12 Photos

These photos sum up my year. I intended to have 1 photo per month, but a couple extra crept in

January - filled with breath-takingly beautiful walks in the snow

February - lots of playing with my new camera, a Nikon D3200 (still so much to learn!)

March - the rains fell and the meadows were turned into an enchanting boggy place

April - Nicola came home to concentrate on some serious revision for her finals, and to enjoy her flowers

and I found a week to nip over to have a fab time with Emma in Prague

May - we had to say good bye to this beautiful boy, our border collie of 12 years

June - heart-breakingly we had to say good bye to our rescue dog Chester who lost the fight to live once Whisper was gone

so we took off across to the Brecon Beacons for some restorative calm 

July saw Emma back in the UK for a couple of weeks, so she was quickly put to work to help me at the Tatton Flower Show. Breakfasts were a very serious business

August - we welcomed Coota into our lives, from the Dog's Trust. Oh boy!!

September - work started in ernest preparing for the busy times ahead

October - the first major Christmas show. Country Living in London

November - the other major London show, the Spirit of Christmas at Olympia

December - the last of the shows, at Blackthorpe Barns in Suffolk. 

No family at home this year for the first time, so we are heading for the beach with a picnic on Christmas Day

Have a very Happy Christmas!