Are We There Yet?

Well goodness, I don’t know where to start with this week’s ramblings; its all been a bit of an epic struggle with moments of gallows humour thrown in! I had planned to pick Sara up from Leicester to take her down to Bristol for her art college interview at the university; a long drive but a good excuse to visit my brother and have a few days exploring the West Country with my lovely daughter. All went to plan on the first leg of the journey as I happily drove along, giggling to  a CD of “Just William” stories ; arriving in time for a quick browse around the museum (mostly this seemed to be about the sock industry)  before meeting small daughter and embarking on stage two…Leicester to Chippenham.

Oh, the joy of Satnav! After an hour or so we arrived back at our starting point and had to start again. Cheering with relief when we eventually got on the right road we promptly broke down in the middle of the biggest roundabout I’ve ever had the misfortune to go around. In fact this was junction 21 of the M1 and it was rush hour. I won’t bore you with the details but rescue involved being towed, terrifyingly, miles in the wrong direction (due to a “helpful” motorist pushing the car off the roundabout and on to the motorway slip road), abandoning the car at a garage in Leicester and rushing to the station where I spent the price of a small package holiday to Greece,on train tickets. Three trains and several million hours later we arrived in Bath where my lovely brother was waiting for us in a car that moves.

In the end we had a good time, Sara’s interview went well ; possibly due to some anti discrimination rule because the receptionist mistook me and Lisa ( my brother’s girlfriend) for Sara’s lesbian parents! And I have returned to Witchmountain feeling very proud and happy to have spent some quality time in the company of my family.This, and the unbelievably beautiful weather, is temporarily cushioning me from the horrendous financial implications of the trip.I have already warned Rupert that I can no longer afford razor blades,hair dye or moisturizer so he must prepare himself for the troll I shall soon become!

Poor in monetary terms but a millionaire in others. Look at the sun on those furry Pasque flowers and the light on those old glass bottles…( see, furry old things can be beautiful!!)   I also returned home to find this beautiful piece of original artwork had arrived by surprise, all the way from Australia. Jo had asked me for some hints on the techniques I use and this was her thank you card. Thank you Jo.

So, in all the chaos and excitement I almost forgot to mention that I am now a fully paid up member of From the Wilde and you can now buy these digitally printed purses as well as the cushions  there. I’m hoping to have a day at CCAD’s print club soon to print some new designs for baby shoes exclusively for From the Wilde.                                                                                                                        Well, its time I went and had a big bath after a day of seed planting and pumpkin potting. I hope the sun shone on you this weekend and that the week ahead is full of good things.Should you be traveling I wish you all the very best of luck x

Listening To:- Jesca Hoop ( sitting in for Guy Garvey on 6music) Reading :- I was reading Lisa’s copy of this at the weekend “Moving Toward Balance: 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee” its on my wishlist

Whatever Happened To The Masterplan?

Hard to believe that last Sunday it was snowing. Today I have been looking at the little signs of spring in the garden, planting some shallots and spinach and my gift to myself , three white Dicentra spectabilis plants …the Bleeding Heart plant.I do love this time of year; the first signs of old favorite perennials emerging through the soil, the hamster soft catkins on the willows, the sweet musky scent of the balsams which I breath in from their sticky buds so that the smells stays on my nose. I do not like the fact that there was a wasp in my room this morning, filling me with an irrational fear that goes beyond being stung.

Today I also went to an interview for a waitressing job…..this wasn’t part of the masterplan.

I pondered the protocol; do I write about this at the risk of sounding like a bleeding heart, or do I maintain the myth in order to remain “professional”? Well, I started this blog at college and it while it has evolved over the years I do feel the need to record my experiences honestly, just in case anyone else on a similar path might find it useful. One thing I realised ,just now in fact (!), was that in reality I had no plan post graduation. I’d written essays about becoming a designer/maker or working freelance but never really considered what I would make,how I would sell it and how much of it I’d have to sell to avoid getting the electric cut off and living on lentils. In fact, I think , in hindsight, the weakest part of the whole college experience was the professional practice side which should perhaps have forced us to be a bit harder on ourselves and more realistic.If there are any students still reading this…make a plan, and then a back-up plan!

Hey, its not all doom and gloom. I had a wonderfully enjoyable day at Baron Bizarre’s Vintage Fair where the sun shone and the beautiful people ( quite literally; I don’t think I’ve ever been at an event with quite so many pretty boys and leggy girls!) all came out to marvel at the burlesque dancers while a peacock strutted about on the lawns and I caught up with some old friends ( and hopefully made some new ones). It was especially lovely to have a table next to my very special friend Susie of Drawn by Badgers who had made all the bunting for the event and creates the most gorgeous needle felted animals and precious framed works of art. Susie is an amazing person and I think you should all go and say hello …

So, today I listed a lot of things in my Etsy shop and dashed to the post office with orders to post. These new brooches made with my bird design printed on to cotton have made me keen to do some more digital printing and definitely some new drawing.Tomorrow I have my mentoring meeting with Vicky which I’m really looking forward to and as usual I’m bursting with ideas and dreams…its just figuring out a way to make them real.

Listening to:- Boy & Bear “Lordy May” ( because the battery went on the radio last night at just the wrong moment ) Reading :- The new issue of Selvedge and What Katy Did Next who kindly included my lavender heart in her latest mood board. Thanks Katy x

“Keeping Flowers in Full Bloom…”

Here is the lavender brooch I finished yesterday, waiting for someone who still believes in these things to buy it for their true love! Saying that has got me wondering what proportion of Etsy sales are to men? I’m sure there must be some sort of statistics available somewhere.

My hand snuck into that picture and if you were thinking “that thumb looks a bit grubby” that might be because of the ongoing Witchmountain Water Crisis. The ancient system of rams and tanks that supply spring water to the house has begun to fall apart, meaning I’ve had no water some days.

Look at this flower head, heavy with 5am dew.I’m appreciating more and more the luxury that we all take for granted…clean drinking water, flushing toilets, hot baths, modern plumbing.How did people live here before all that.Despite some big downpours the ground is still dry and a lot of my vegetable garden has gone to seed early.

Sweet Peas by the front door reach out with spirally tendrils and the lavender is in full bloom. Meanwhile I’m munching on homemade bread and pesto, dropping crumbs on the keyboard and wondering how on earth I can get a few pictures sold so I can escape the drudgery of waitressing! Here is a little poem I saw yesterday on the wall of the pub in Hawnby, a bit twee but….

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better,
to paint a picture or write a letter,
bake a cake or plant a seed,
ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there’s not much time,
with rivers to swim and mountains to climb,
music to hear and books to read, friends to
cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go – and go you must -
You, yourself, will make more dust!

Counting Crows

Its been a strange and unsettling time, if I was deeply superstitious I’d be getting worried. Driving to work on Tuesday the clouds were so low I could almost touch them. Perhaps disturbed by the approaching storm, I drove through the biggest flock of crows I’ve ever seen…a “murder of crows”? Ominous at the best of times but in such numbers against a gunmetal sky; as usual I didn’t have my camera.

Another odd thing… my “Nameless Chicken” has almost definitely turned into a cockerel. Apparently this does sometimes happen, but why? She/he is now called Lola because “she looks like a woman but walks like a man” ha ha!

So, today the power has been off which hasn’t been much fun ( I’ve got a cold and its been chilly and dark in my little house)Having a cold meant that I was actually awake, baking bread and wandering around the garden taking these pictures at 5am the other morning.Some would say this is an improvement on my normal lifestyle!

The brooch above is almost ready to be listed on Etsy and for those of you on Facebook I have made a Witchmountain page which will have lots of links to favorite blogs,events and so on. Talking of which, the We Are Open shop in Middlesbrough is currently a Pop Up Garden and while I was there I picked up the Autumn/Winter programme which is looking good…everything from designer cupcakes to record launches and costume design.

Ache

A sparkly morning here on Witchmountain,it looks like it ought to be warm but actually its freeeeezing and there’s a little frost . Still no sign of a swallow. There’s so much I want to do today but I hurt my neck and spent a sleepless night popping painkillers and cursing the fact that I can’t get my potatoes planted. I’m so chronically unfit that one day’s gardening has done for me!

Gremlins! For some reason WordPress is working at sloth speed since I was bamboozled into upgrading Firefox, either that or Trusty Mac has finally decided enough it enough. Either way the thing is causing me unnecessary stress this morning so  I’m going to leave you with these pictures and few words today.They show detail of a skirt made out of an old Dean&Deluca’s t-shirt with embroidery and applique.It can also be worn as a dress.Don’t the shadows on the shed door look good?! The bumble bee in a solitary Pasque flower is a promise of warm summer days to come and the hope that my silly neck is on the mend soon.

I just wanted to quickly mention Cat at Olive Bites as well, because she has kindly put a link to my BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY in her blog. But most importantly her writing is so funny that it never fails to lift me out of a spot of self-indulgent gloom. On the same subject, THANK YOU so much for the lovely comments from virtual friends around the world…they makes my day x

Horses

Annoyingly these horses looked much more lively and interesting from the wrong side of the embroidery. I like the way they look like quick sketches rather than the very neat finished design ( which I can’t show you for copyright reasons). I’ve just come in from the garden and my hands are stinging with cuts and scrapes and splinters, after getting carried away weeding the rhubarb patch and wrestling with the willow house.Its been such a beautiful day and the toads were back, making a lot of noise, as were the lapwings, wheeling about above the ploughed field behind the house. Who said the countryside was peaceful! It seems a shame to come indoors but I need to get some more work done because apparently it’s being sent to Japan in early April. Meanwhile a mysterious cable has been spotted on the moor…could this be the long awaited broadband slowly heading towards Witchmountain?!

The Bees Are Suspicious

I have finally put some things in my little virtual shop. You can have a look by going to KimTillyer.Etsy.com. The photos aren’t fantastic unfortunately; it really is getting desperate this lack of broadband situation. I just had to get my brother in Wiltshire to upload the images in to this post for me, which is crazy but also nice because he made up the title which made me smile… thanks little brother!( they must be the wrong bees…)

More family stuff… I made this flower necklace for my daughter’s birthday on Thursday. I really like it ( and luckily so did she) so I’ll be making a few more for the Etsy shop.

Now I must make some coffee. I had a good afternoon in the garden, discovering snowdrops and new shoots, under the rotting leaves that I’d forgotten to cut back in the autumn.The moles have ravaged the lawn but its so exciting to venture out and hope that soon all will be spring green.

Anyway, its worn me out so I’m off to put the kettle on.

Oh, here is a link to the blog of my friend Suzanne Auty who is another 3rd year student from CCAD’s Textiles and Surface Design degree. I love looking at these blogs and seeing how everyone is getting on.

Hatful of Plums

I just took a walk around the overgrown jungle that is my poor neglected garden and came back with a hatful of plums and these pictures, which include a strange bird I made one day when really I should have been doing something else.I didn’t get the beak quite the right shape so its expression is a little odd, really not very cute for all the time it took, but yet… too cute to unpick.I thought I could make loads to sell for Christmas but now I’m not so sure! Perhaps I could pickle it and try to auction it at Sotherby’s!

Things are very late up here which is why the Artichoke has just appeared and the pumpkins are flowering, too late to ever make fruit.The green, purple and pink colour scheme is good though and still looking quite summery despite the rapid browning of the surrounding moors. I really am going to do some drawing soon but right now I have to finish the final design in a group of 6 so that I can get them sent off by Friday.I’m pleased that I’ve managed to get them done in just over week but a little nervous about how they will be received…its a lot of time consuming work with no guarantee of any income at the end of it all. Anyway, I’ve finally found the pen for my Wacom Tablet (lost in the chaos of the kitchen) so its time to crack on!