Where Did Summer Go?

Oh goodness! Suddenly it's mid-March and I realize that the whole summer has passed by without a single post here. I really must get back to updating this blog regularly - I blame that insidious Facebook thingy - it kind of takes over in the online space somewhat!

Anyway, I may not have been blogging much, but I HAVE been busy.......house, garden and creating things to sell in my Etsy store (Still have to keep the wolf away somehow!) So today I'm posting lots of pictures of recent work to catch up, with promise to self that I will blog much more regularly. 

 

I had a bumper lavender harvest this year, so I used some of it to make small things like these woven lavender bottles and silk pyramids

 

A fox and a hare............. and a little fox

Some child dolls:

A few lovely alfresco lunches in my back garden with dear friends:

 

Much baking......

The odd fish and bird:

 

Some full moons and trips:

 

 

Home renos slow and steady........

 

..........lots of flowers:

 

   AND ME!

 

 

 

 

A Hint of Autumn

As a bountiful summer draws to a close, we have had the odd hint of what is in store, with a few cooler nights and a little rain. The garden is producing magnificently, with a lot of it preserved for use during the winter. The garden, in our mild climate, does keep producing food right through winter, but the saved summer vegetables make a welcome change from cabbage, parsnips, turnips and carrots!
Here's what we had last night........all of it from our garden and cooked within minutes, except the eggs in the zucchini slice (thinks: must do something about the chicken and egg situation before next summer!) Simple, but delicious.

Meanwhile, work in the studio carries on apace.......I sometimes feel a bit snowed under with orders etc, but I try to keep on top of it. Only one pair of hands though! I have decided this year, to enter some things in the Exeter Show, because it is the centenary show and it is a long time since I entered anything (probably about thirty five years, actually). I also think it is a good idea to try and support local happenings. Most of my work is sold overseas, so lots of the locals have no idea what I get up to. I thought having an Open Studio day a few times a year might be a good idea, too. Here's what I'm working on right now: 

..........choosing from the stash of old lace and fabrics for something suitable to wear!

OK - updating with a couple more pictures of the finished dress......

Busy...........

It's such a busy time of year, with the garden producing so much extra that needs to be dealt with - I've made blackcurrant jelly and cassis and frozen a heap of peas. Tomorrow will be beetroot chutney and some rhubarb and ginger jam, if I have time. And an inundation of tomatoes is imminent! I'm very inspired, because Bob is building a wine "cellar" and storage room in a small spare room we had. I need to fill those shelves with delicious preserves!

Meanwhile, in the studio, work continues apace, with commissions and getting kit orders assembled and posted. Did I tell you I love my job?

Here is the Columbian doll made for the MAIDA challenge all finished:

She's a big, handsome girl and I enjoyed the challenge of making her.

For a complete contrast, here is a tiny doll I've been working on and another made using my "Pipkin" pattern:

Here she is in her underwear...

...and fully dressed.

She looks cute in her little knitted hat!

Finally, here is one of the commissions I have been working on:

These dolls are so much fun to pose and play around with.

So you can see there hasn't been much of a summer break around here.......but next week I'm off to   the annual string summer school for a week of music making by the beach. I won't say it will be relaxing, but at least it will be different!

A Special Visitor

Look who came visiting today............

At first he tried to pretend he wasn't there, but once he decided that I wasn't too much of a threat, he went on his waddling little way in search of ants to eat.

This is of course, an echidna, a primitive mammal of the monotreme class. The only other monotreme I know of is the platypus. What makes them so special is that, although they are mammals, they lay eggs. Echidnas are only occasional visitors to our garden, so it is always a great thrill to see one passing through. This little fellow was obliging enough to hang around long enough so that I could fetch my camera. We love to encourage native wildlife in our garden, and with five fairly unkempt acres, we do see quite a few different species. Apart from echidnas we also have visits from: wallabies, bandicoots, brushtail possums, ringtail possums, blue tongue lizards, green-and-gold bell frogs, black cockatoos, white cockatoos, a sea eagle, masked lapwings, native hens, mountain ducks, magpies, superb blue wrens, scarlet robins, Eastern rosellas, swallows and a few snakes. I'm pretty sure I've missed a few.

For those of you who have never encountered an echidna, they are about the size of a football and the spines are very sharp!