Finding joy in the everyday

Autumn (Fall) is my favourite season.  The days are usually sunny and warm with cool to cold nights. Perfect weather for sitting outside and watching the world go by and cozying up under a throw with a book in the evening. The best of both worlds. On Sunday morning (after driving my son to work) I sat outside and read for a while. The birds were singing and I could hear the flutter of leaves as they fell to the ground. It was all rather perfect and ever so peaceful in this crazy noisy world.  It is so hard to believe that it is April already. It hurts my head just thinking about how fast this year has gone. I am not the only one to comment on the speed and wonder how one can slow down the days.  I don't really know how to make the days go slower, they seem to move at a greater pace than ever before without me doing anything in particular. Perhaps it is the instant society that I wrote about yesterday, it simply doesn't want us to slow down.  We are on a...

I can remember when families would rush about so they could all sit down to watch a TV show. If they missed it, there was no opportunity to re-watch it. Many Australian adults will remember the quick dash to watch music show "Countdown" on Saturday evenings. Movies were either seen at the cinema or when they appeared on TV. This was era where you couldn't select a movie of your choice instead locked into television scheduling.  Did your father came home from a busy day at work and sit in his favourite chair to watch the news on the television, the children had to be quiet during this time?  Music was listened to via the record player and a little later, tapes allowed you to take a selection of music to the car and on long car trips you took lots of tapes.   Do you remember the days when you went to the library to borrow books to do school assignments and had to hand write the passages and quotes that you found in the book? All assignmen...

Francesco Capello Art Friday: Trains Last Friday we enjoyed lots of very cute bunnies (which I did for a young lady of five), this week its all about trains (for her brother), what a contrast!! Not so cute and cuddly but very useful for getting us from point A to point B!  Do you have a favourite topic you would like covered in Art Friday? If so, let me know.  Have a lovely weekend :) Howard Fogg Thomas Kindake Jeff Rowland Jack Vettriano Ryo Takemasa Train travel posters Richard Estes. Subway. 1969 Howard Hogg (above and below) Howard Fogg Of course, you can't have trains unless you include the passengers on the train too! Norman Rockwell Edward Hooper Raymond Leech I hope you enjoyed the journey and I will end with the most famous train of all - Thomas!! ******

Finished and thrilled. Ready for it's new owner, to keep her warm and cosy over winter. There is nothing nicer than getting to the end of a large project and seeing how it all comes together.  The patchwork design is called " Movin' on up " by AmandaJean. Amanda Jean used a Modo pattern " Topsy Turvy Quilt " and turned it into her own design.   I did not quilt this - it has been done professionally by a lovely lady who owns an incredibly expensive quilting machine who can create the most amazing patterns (well, the computer does rather than humans!) that would be impossible for most to do at home - me anyway!! I really like the fabric I selected for the back, almost gold in colour and will be so bright and cheery on a winters day.  The back view of the quilt.  All wrapped and ready to give to its new owner.  Now for the next project, or two!! *****

The living room We all talk about our living room as a place of comfort and cosiness - these are very emotional words to describe a room and not one we would use for the kitchen or bathroom. Like all things relating to homes and housing, these term is relatively new in relation to homes. It wasn't that many centuries ago a person was just pleased to have a roof over their heads that didn't leak and their structure was well built. They weren't even concerned about beautifying their homes with pretty fabrics or nicknacks and many were places of work and and living (often intertwined) and certainly nothing like the houses we have today.  Our living room is often the space we pretty up the most and make the most comfortable. It is the room that we live in during the evening and usually the place we take our visitors. Some people have a family room plus a formal sitting room (My parents did when I was growing up). I don't and I am quite content to have one roo...

Art Friday: Its all about bunnies Todays Art Friday is especially for a  little girl who I know likes bunnies - Miss Five - I do hope you enjoy all these cute bunnies.   Here are some interesting facts about bunnies: A female rabbit is called a doe. A male rabbit is called a buck. A young rabbit is called a kit (or kitten). Rabbits live in groups. Rabbits have long ears which can be as long as 10 cm (4 in). Rabbits have a lifespan of around 10 years. Rabbits are herbivores (plant eaters). Rabbits are born with their eyes closed and without fur. Perhaps you could draw a picture of a bunny as part of your school today? Susan Wheeler is an expert with bunnies, these two are very cute.  by Anita Jeram And finally Miss Five - here are some extra cute bunnies. *****