31 August 2010

It arrived in the postman's van.......





  I was nursing my little Camille who had been home for 
a few days with a respiratory virus of some 'breed' -
fortunately nothing too nasty.
All the while expecting a special something to be delivered
to my front door. I must have missed the post man
somehow, as when my hubby arrived home, 
there was the parcel in his hands. He said he had found it sitting on
the front doorstep.

 


There is something very agreeable about receiving a 
carefully wrapped bundle , from some distant
location. Though my conscience tells me, it is not
all that environmentally sound to have goods transported
in this way, atleast my orders are always shipped within our state.





 The long awaited book has arrived-
'The Pickwick Club' by Charles Dickens 1837.
This edition dated 1961.
With black and white illustrations by  Robert Seymour and
'Phiz'.





 I love the skillfully crafted illustrations from this era.
 They are so fascinating just to get lost in,
picking up all the details, that seem so far removed
from today's society, we can get a sense of how people lived in
this era.


 

 On reading the text, it is easy to see some similarities with Wodehouse's
' Jeeves and Wooster', who would have been inspired
by the light -hearted and humorous tales of the Pickwick Papers.
This  exchange between Mr. Tupman
and the new stranger to the Pickwick Club proves my point....

'I should be very happy to lend you a change of apparel for the purpose,' said
Mr . Tupman.' but you are rather slim, and I am-'
'Rather fat-grown up Bacchus-cut the leaves-dismounted from the tub,
and adopted kersey, eh?-not double distilled, but double milled-
ha ha, pass the wine.'
Whether Mr. Tupman was somewhat indignant at the peremptory tone in which he 
was desired to pass the wine which the stranger passed so quickly away;
or whether he felt very properly scandalised , at an influential member
of the Pickwick Club being ignominiously compared to a dismounted
Bacchus is a fact not yet completely ascertained.
He passed the wine , coughed twice, and looked at the stranger
for several seconds with a stern intensity; as that individual, however, appeared 
perfectly collected, and quite calm under his searching glance, he gradually
relaxed, and reverted to the subject of the ball.'



 


 

Very funny stuff, artfully written.
I hope the 'book' never goes out of date.
There is something reassuring about casually leafing through
the pages of a book, as opposed to reading a static, lit - up computer screen.
I'm off to read......

Andrea



17 August 2010

Prelude to Spring



The endless rain here has finally
ceased and I've just come in from the garden
after hanging out my 'whites' on the line. The routine
of hanging out washing to dry is made very pleasurable
when the weather is as sweet as this.
Beautiful pink blooms in my garden are
 calling out for attention now. 
They smell wonderful - fresh , sweet and slightly
zesty. I love to bring flowers indoors as their presence in the
house is vibrant and uplifting. Nothing can surpass mother nature's
creativity and you know we all look to her for inspiration, especially we artists.






When I arrange my flowers I am inclined towards the japanese
wabi-sabi aesthetic..beauty in simplicity and imperfection.
I prefer to arrange off-centre and sparsely so that 
the arrangement 'breathes'. As a result
each individual flower or stem
is high-lighted and thus appreciated in it's own right.
This old preserving jar displays the flowers of
Japanese Quince, Plum Blossom and Camellia.


 


But also , the art of crochet and knitting is very in keeping
with the 'wabi-sabi' philosophy
in that it is  a form of meditation. I find it a great way to relax
as the consistent clicking of the needles with each stitch
is re-assuring and comforting.


 

 This example of a crocheted cushion cover worked in 
'Shawn The Sheep' pure wool in cream,
worked in a series of double trebles and bobbles
to create the flower motif in the centre.


 

...and now I'm off to enjoy some fresh air and sunlight outside,
as does my washing!




See you next time....
Andrea