~ Clear skies ~ St Dwynwen's ~ and a bit of a sociable day ~

My Man had told me of this astro event more than a week ago,

 and we were so hoping for clear skies.

This is what we saw at dusk.

It helped to 'fill the well'

 Crescent moon and venus

at one and seven o' clock

Yesterday was St Dwynwen's Day...our Welsh equivalent of St Valentines day, but without any of the commercialism. Because of that, I love to celebrate this day of cariad, and made my love a card ~

 The linen base and next layer of silk were dyed

in a pot of old, dried bay leaves. The heart ~ green

(for the heart chakra) ~ from a velvet thrifted skirt

We had tea, (blackberry and blueberry), in one of our favourite cafes and talked about art and writing, and the great special offer I purchased at Jude's Small Journeys that morning. I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and was so happy to finally manage it :~))) ~ They are fantastic..as are all her classes....even her pdf's are beautiful ~

On Monday we had a most sociable day...very unusual for us....and we enjoyed it. We had gone to Cardigan to visit the dentist, and afterwards happened to meet My Man's boss from years ago, when he used to be a printer. We went in to the printshop and there, after 18 years, still attached to the wall with yellowing, aged tape, were My Man's line~drawings!

Later I asked him if he had come face to face with his younger self in there....

We also had a chance meeting with a friend we had not seen for a long time, who's book we promoted in the bookshop we used to have in Cardigan over 13 years ago. 

We went to this art cafe to catch~up with lots of his news....

I had mocha coffee...oh yummm

that's him on the left. The gentleman on the right joined us and we had a 

most interesting conversation about building with lime , WWll bomber 

planes(!), and what our friend had planned for tonight (Thursday).

A visit with a friend who shared her delicious lunch of home made tomato soup and humus rounded off this rather companiable day. 

Cardigan was abloom with happy~making pansies :~)

We were lucky to see this, as later the clouds came in and the wet 

stuff came back.

little blue tit outside my shed

I thought I had not taken many photos over the last five months, but, looking through the camera had me pleasantly surprised....I must have been on auto pilot!

Evening Primrose and Poppies 

in the Gwbert evening sun

 A window display in Cardigan

Marchnad Yd ~ Corn Market

A mistake that I liked

The elder leaf dye in its pan in the greenhouse, where I left it until it

dried out.

The result, below, was greener than this picture shows, but now, months later, is close to the colour it has faded to.

from the garden....

.....memories of summer....

...and Yule...

our willow Yule 'tree'

I have been sewing leaves, collected in Cardigan on the 

September full moon, into my Moleskin.

These two were sewn in on the January full moon

 We still have LIGHT ~

. .

. .

. .

and the shadows have had me dancing this month

Have a good week ~

Cariad Mawr

H x

~ Stitching ~ Sunshine ~ and a Motorbike Ride ~

Some things finished, some things on the go, some, just barely started. It is possible that most of these will become part of the Magic Diaries Cloth. The piece at top left, is my first ever star.....which developed from this 'playground'.....

I've had great enjoyment with natural dyeing.....the pinks are from avocado skins. I'm not keen on pink, but I love the dyeing and that was one of the things I had plenty of! There are greys in there that came from a large bundle of old, dried bay leaves I was about to throw out, but thankfully the thought popped into my head to try them as a dye.


The browns are from acorns, which my Man and I enjoyed collecting. The pale yellow and that green silk on the top are from carrot tops from my father-in-law's garden....the silk was an over~dye of a very pale grey and it makes me really happy :~)

The blue....well, I do not have indigo or woad plants here yet, but blue is a must in just about anything I do, so I use what I've got, which is cyanotype. I use it both for making prints, and also just paint it on the cloth and leave it in the sun to create its alchemical magic.


Some more dyeing ~

Soya milk soaked

red cabbage and black bean dyes

black bean dyed linen: can~wrapped

before washing in machine

dried before washing

after washing in machine

Talking of sun ~ sol ~ haul.....for many years I have kept a daily journal and I include a daily weather report. For December, we had grey, dull, heavy and dark for 28 days, with just 3 (THREE) days of hazy brightness...no wonder we Brits are mad :~)

s-o-o-o-o


January is already whipping December's butt.....last night's sky, after a SUNNY day...

a

a

a

n

d

happy me, happy bird in tree, and happy Man.....he got to take this last night.....

Jupiter ~ photo by Mark Lee

Today was glorious and we went out on the motorbike, stopping for tea on the way.....

~ Blwyddyn Newydd Dda ~ Happy New Year ~ and some Magic ~

Moon Rings

photo by Mark Lee

I have been wanting to ~ and tried to ~ start writing here again for some time. I even have a few draft posts but they just do not feel right.


There is the courteous, well~mannered part of me that wants to explain my absence and lack of communication with people who have asked about me....and then there is the part that feels private and protective about what has gone on with me for the last nearly six months.


I will just say that I had a scare, I became even more reclusive than usual, I am taking Essiac herbs daily, and leave it at that.


Thank you so much to you lovely people who did ask...and I am sorry I did not get back to you. For a while there I became depressed and did not act as I would usually.


Tilly, our gorgeous little dog, has had a rough ride too, but, she is now on four tablets a day, and the seizures are much less frequent thankfully.


And now on to brighter and happier things ~ ~ ~


I have a new word for this year....magic....I want it back in my life; that wonder, excitement and joy for the little things....like going out to the garden yesterday and seeing the daffodil leaves well above the ground, the snowdrops just peeping out their silvery greenness, the hazy, very nearly full moon out there tonight...the things that put a smile in my heart, so big that I don't feel I'll be able to contain it...THAT kind of magic.


My Man and I have a motorbike again :~))))))))))))) Now Our Boy is driving himself in his own car, we have gratefully gone back to two wheels. It is such FUN, and I have the widest grin on my face from the time I get on the back and hold on tight to my love, until we stop and I get off. 


I have gone back to rebounding.....bouncing and dancing to music wildly first thing in the morning gets good energy moving a treat.


It is time my camera became my constant companion again....since August I have taken only a handful of photos...unheard of!!!

My Man has just come to tell me that he has looked up ferry crossings to France in March....and we are going to go...on the bike....wheeeeeee.....ROAD~TRIP and BOAT~TRIP


Hope you are having a good and magic first week of 2012


Cariad Mawr


H