CURIOUS COLOUR WEEK :: DAY THREE

i am embracing today's yellow theme

by baking banana loaf
to eat with with my mum
at coffee time

CURIOUS COLOUR WEEK :: DAY TWO

purple tuesday
and a 2-parter
my grape harris tweed waistcoat
(you may see a developing theme here...
fuzzy photos...the daylight here is very poor)

CURIOUS COLOUR WEEK :: DAY ONE

finding my photo feet again

for this hosted by leya
and today it's blue monday

A MARMALADE MOMENT

i have orange on the brain. this lady started me thinking and now it's all i can ponder on.

we have a very precious standard lamp that my grandad made and i have been itching to paint it for ages now. it could just be the catalyst for redecorating our sitting room. i have plans. but it is on the to-save-for list...a little pot of paint isn't pushing the budget too far though and so i'll be hunting down the right shade pretty soon. any recommendations for wood? the last time i used one of those mixed to order oil based glosses and it seemed so heavy and gloopy to handle. i am falling for babouche by f+b...purely based on the name and my sentimentality for a pair of shoes i have in that exact colour.

seville marmalade almond tart baked today to take to a friend's for supper tonight. doesn't that tipple look delicious too?

hope your weekend is a happy one. looking forward to a week of colour here starting monday.

KEEP SCROLLING...THERE ARE MORE PICTURES!

january has been a great deal about books and films so far. me and c have watched so many fill-ums (that's in an irish accent!) lately. not all good but some are well worth a look. french rom-coms on dvd...priceless and i do were so-so but just have to be loved for the leading ladies. cosying up with coffee and chocolates at the cinema for australia and slumdog millionaire did not disappoint (although i would like mr jackman a little less muscly!) one thing i loved about both was the gorgeous abundance of beautiful colour. very much needed in the bleak winter we've got right now here in england. (try taking a decent photo this week sans flash...i dare you...making me realise i must get round to getting myself a tripod)

books are such a sanctuary this month. savouring sofa time with some very special books which i was lucky enough to receive at christmas (and will post about soon) and also adoring these two library loans which will probably be renewed at least twice over as i struggle to part with them when the time comes!

shirley and raymond. i love reading biographies and these combine that subject with wonderful illustrations. both are strongly family orientated which reaches out to me emotionally.

ethel + ernest...the true story of his parents. in comic strip style. moving and funny in equal doses.

a life drawing...lovely warm andecdotes with photos and sketches and lots of nods to other artists who i've made note to research. oh and the cards she made for her loved ones over the years are a joy to behold in particular.

both books deliver immediate comfort in the childhood memories they evoke. and now revisiting their work i'm inspired all over again. i'd really love to find that freedom on paper...me and my pencil need to loosen up this year!

p.s. thank you all so much for the concern for bosco...he is doing really well and is getting way too many cuddles as you can imagine

B FOR BETTER

now you see it...now you don't

bosco...don't scare us like that again! we just had a fretful 24 hours with mr b who got very poorly and couldn't be perked up (not even with his beloved tuna) and a visit to the vet ensued along with things we didn't want to hear like heart mummur...x-ray...anaesthetic. but i am very happy to say that he is home again. foreign body removed...heart beating fine. funny shaved neck and paw. tuna well and truly scoffed...and then some. back on the bed. and even a purr. it is so good to see him making familiar shapes. sigh...these furry ones tug at the heart strings don't they?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

i wonder what you have in store?

the prospect of a fresh start is such a good place to be in...and my sense of hope feels renewed once more. so many things i would like to do and they are buzzing round my mind right now. i could begin to write them down but i'm going to ponder a little longer whilst eating the last of the sugared almonds by the fire and enjoying days off with ciaran.

(definitely on my list is learning to play my lovely new ukelele from c!)

so if you are here and reading this i wish you all good things for the year ahead...sweetness and light and creativity aplenty...see you on the journey there! xxx