Press Pause…

The view from my window is a little different this Christmas, in fact there are primroses in the garden and leaf buds on the honeysuckle. I’ve been avoiding the internet and all its forms of communication these last few days, partly because I’ve been too busy and partly because I just went off it all. I didn’t want to sound like a Christmas Round Robin letter, either bragging or bemoaning the year’s achievements and boring you stupid when you’d rather be watching “Its a Wonderful Life” and eating mince pies. This is the first quiet moment to myself I’ve had for days though and its quite therapeutic to waffle on to an invisible audience ! The radio isn’t even on and all I can hear is the stove roaring and the  wind howling.

Anyway, I hope it was a good Christmas where ever you were; and if it wasn’t,then now is the time to breath a sigh of relief, take a little time for yourself and I for one will be helping in a homeless shelter or knitting jumpers for penguins next year!

So, the last week of 2011 and it’s WARM. I’m missing the snow that briefly smooths out all the sharp bits and gives the illusion of perfection (but I admit it is nice to be able to get about easily). I’m off to bake a pie now and give some serious thought to the Sketchbook Project which needs posting in just over 30 days. I shall return in the New Year with new ideas and new found enthusiasm ( hmmm, now where did I put that? I know I got some somewhere)  but for now I shall just say Season’s Greetings and much love from Witchmountain.

By the way, I am now on Twitter. I’m following advice but not at all convinced yet, its been more trouble than it’s worth so far, so, if you do the Twitter thing please follow me and I may be persuaded that its not a waste of time!Thank you.

Reading:- A lot of Christmas books when I finish IQ84…Robert Graves, Michael Ondaatje, Gillian Lynne…

Listening To:- The Smiths “How Soon is Now” and Kate Bush ” 50 Words For Snow”

Winter Light

Strange to think that in less than a week’s time it will be Midwinter and slowly, slowly the sun will start to return and the days will get longer. I’ve been thinking a lot about that strange and magical few weeks last winter and wondering at the rose tint of time that makes it all seem so romantic. The sun has been shining today and the sky is duck egg blue and vanilla, threatening an icy night ahead.

I’ve been drinking a lot of green tea this week and haven’t yet checked if it has caffeine in it…could this be why I was reading till 3am last night and then up at 7? Its 3pm now and after a day of cleaning, printing, wrapping, cooking and general sorting, I’m so sleepy I need to have a little snooze before going to yoga tonight or I will fall over. “Goodness” I hear you mumble, “whatever happened to the whiskey drinking, coffee brewing couch potato we knew so well? Green tea? Yoga?!” , well don’t worry, my default setting is still “cozy by the fire” .

I’ve been invited to a little vintage style coffee morning at the lovely Vicky Trainor’s tomorrow and we were all asked to bring a tree decoration to swap in a kind of Lucky Dip. I got carried away last night making this owly thing which looks like stained glass when you hold it up to the light, its a bit mad, I hope whoever gets it is pleased!

So much has been happening, what with the various giveaways and projects I’ve been taking part in, but the most exciting so far was my visit to The Dutch House, where Cecile agreed to take lots of my work. It is such a lovely place, I only wish it was closer, I’d be there all the time eating pancakes and wandering in the gardens. I’ve been offered a solo exhibition there next year and the chance to run some workshops! So this is very good news and I am now binging on Dutch Speculaas biscuits and wondering what kind of workshop I could run…

This news , as well as some lovely write ups, including this from Tiffany of the Curiosity Project , have given me plenty to think about as I plan how to keep the wolf from the door in 2012. Oh, that reminds me, I wanted to tell you all about the monster in the skirting boards , a terrifying game of hide and seek in a deserted building and the joy of being able to swim underwater…but maybe another time, I feel a nap coming on!

Meanwhile, here is a plug for my fabulous brother who has been involved in the photography for this beautiful Deluxe edition of Peter Gabriel’s new album, I’m very proud ( but where’s my copy York?!)

Who Killed Cock Robin?

December and right on cue the first snowflakes, icy roads and a dead robin on the doorstep- a gift from the cat or victim of a fight over the fat balls? Its been another busy weekend, with a surprise visit from Sara,a day at  Designer’s Marketplace and a friend’s dog to look after( the cat was not impressed and may have been attention seeking with the bird murder) . We also managed to squeeze in an eventful evening “down the pub” where it all nearly degenerated into a massive brawl when the singer fell out with the locals and the feeling was mutual. Rural Yorkshire life, you can’t beat it!

I spent Friday frantically baking mince pies and doing some last minute sewing ready for Saturday’s market. It was great to have Sara home to help me and it was certainly loads better than last year when the snow sent us all home early. You can see some photographs here, see if you can spot me and my mince pies! As usual the highlight was seeing some old friends and meeting some new ones, seeing all the other work on show and watching Its a Wonderful Life projected on a big screen; one day I must watch it properly, without sound it looked quite worrying! Anyway, the pies and free Port went down a treat and I had enough sales to cover the day so I’m happy enough. Thank you to every one who came.

Now, here’s a thing, this owl wallet has been the most popular item I’ve ever listed on Etsy, with 74 admirers and 7 treasury lists, yet no one has bought it! Today I listed a similar one and it sold withing the hour, bizarre. Anyway, now one lucky person is going to get it for free as I’m collaborating with Matchstick Molly in her “12 Days of Christmas Giveaway” . If anyone knows the secret of this design’s popularity, I’d love to know ( and how to translate that into sales). Meanwhile I flit from one style to another and my current cyanotype obsession continues.

So today I have:- listed new things on both Etsy and Folksy, baked a cake, walked through soggy, spongy birch woods with a Cairn terrier and enjoyed spending time with my lovely children, just relaxing and watching Frozen Planet. I’m really looking forward to concentrating on my Sketchbook Project now and thinking up some new plans of attack for the year 2012. I’m thinking maybe upmarket is the way to go.During hard times it seems that the rich stay rich while normal people tighten their belts and bear the brunt of the enforced austerity. So while some people are worrying about “How to Spend It “others are trawling charity shops and wondering whether to spend £12 on an owl wallet or save it to pay the supermarket bill… just a thought before I make another mug of chai and enjoy the last half hour of Guy Garvey flat out on my new yoga mat, (in the sleeping like a log pose).

May your December be cozy and prosperous and full of love. x

Listening to:- Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour on 6Music ( Doves “Sea Song” and Hilli with Lee Hazelwood “At the Top of the World”) Reading:- Mollie Makes and yesterday’s Guardian.