Finally fixed

My parents got an Arabia dinner set as a wedding present some 38 years ago. Three years ago, I got this teapot as my wedding present. It'd survived because it hadn't been used on account of the dodgy repair job on the handle, and I have only used it twice because of said handle.

I wanted to make a handle myself, and finally decided on buttons. I got some packs of buttons at an op shop and fixed it with cable and two crimps. I didn't know how to end it flush, so I added on little dingle dangle accents. The handle's pretty floppy, so I don't know quite how it will work, will try it out tomorrow with a friend and some pikelets.

Ta da!

Getting into the garden

Since Xi likes to be outside, I've been spending time in the garden, which has been wonderful. I don't think I've ever spent this much time consecutively in it. It's always been a big flurry of gardening, and then work has interfered and I haven't been able to get back to it for ages.

So although I don't spend as long out there in one go, added up I spend more time out there per week, and it shows.

My friend SQ came over for morning tea, about two weeks ago, bought a fine spread of food over and then proceeded to do some weeding and pruning while I had a nap. Can't really get a nicer visit then that - although I didn't want to nap, but well...... I still get pretty knackered easily (and she refused to do anything while I was there). I'm much better now, but two weeks ago, not as good (though I still need plenty of snoozes!)

One thing she did was prune the lavender and then use the cuttings to strike more plants. I don't come from lavender country, so have always been a bit unsure when to prune and how much, consequently it looked like a big sprawling messy thing. It doesn't now, and I'll remember when to prune it again for next year.

I have a cunning plan for the lavender bushes, oh yes.

I shall make a hedge underneath the clothesline. I've got a space between the brick path and the fence, and I've tried quite a few things, iris's and mints, although at the moment, they're fighting for light with the nasturtiums that have taken up residence. But iris's don't really thicken up the space so that a lot of weeds get through, and in summer the heat from the fence burns the mint, and the nasturtiums sprawl everywhere so it's been a pretty unsuccessful patch.

That's where the lavender comes into play. I'm not really into the whole lavender products scene, but I do like the look of the plants, and I like the bees that they attract. And I'll be able to have a dense patch of hedge (that maybe will be shaped in a funny pattern eventually!).

Today I went to the nursery and bought myself a few treats (for being so brave at the surgeon check up appointment) including a pink lavender! Maybe it's the year for pink and purple :) I'd been eyeing off a lovely pink one on the way to the shops, and had taken to carrying a stanley knife in the pram to take some cuttings, but I don't think I did a good job of striking the bit I swiped, so thought I'd get a head start and buy one.

I've also got plans to make another path, like the rock one hitting the brick one above, linking the brick path under the clothesline back to the central cement path.

It might look something like this. Or maybe I just wanted to draw on a photo cause Christine does. On the left is the dying remains of the lovely sugar snap peas we grew. They're so tasty and delicious!

Frames

Another thing on the big list of things to finish was take down all the blue-tacked up photos etc and replace it with art that I finally framed up.

I'm getting there.

I've decided the easiest way to do things is to wait until I have a lot framed, and then figure out where they'll live, otherwise they'll go up willy nilly and just look probably as bad as the bluetacked hodgepodge. Is framing a sign of growing up? Or just being sick of photos falling off the walls in summer?

So I'm pretty happy about these two, since I swapped them for my prints in 2000. Finally I'll get to enjoy them everyday! Above is an etching called 'Knitted Planet' by a classmate (who is still printing strong, unlike distractable me!) and below is a wood engraving by a fabulous old Irishman, who while wasn't an official lecturer, was a great mentor.

This is a drawing that my dad started for me.....a long time ago, not as long ago as my embroidery started, but near there, we reckon around 1998. And he never finished it. Got a block, and we decided it was done. The paving stones and the left side are sketched out, and I think it's a nice contrast to the detailed work of the rest of it. It's a picture of my favourite comic character in her various guises, and I bet he rues the day that he ever asked me what I wanted a drawing of! My dad decides every couple of years to tackle a new medium and throws himself into the deep end - currently it's oil painting and a picture for mum.

I can't think of anything worse than taking up oil painting, but then I got a credit and a 'good effort' comment for my requisite painting subject at art college.

So I reckon I'm nearly there with the art, but I've got a few photos to frame, so............soon I might lay them all out to have a look at and figure out which nails go where!