A haiku a day...

Friday

Between showers we

climb up through the trees, onto

sunny spring moorland.

Saturday

Deer with a deathwish,

we swerve, he bounds away free,

into the morning.

Sunday

Breathing carefully

defeats all fears of flying,

inhale, exhale, float.

Monday

Pounding the pavements,

through puddles and relentless

pouring rain: perfect.

Tuesday

Blank page tyranny,

word documents multiply,

elusive progress.

Wednesday 

Playful gusts of wind

transform my skirt into a

billowy landscape.

Thursday

The first seedling peeks

its leaves up out of the soil:

fragile alchemy.

x

A haiku a day...

Friday

Tiny spider hangs

on a thread from the man's head,

(he's oblivious).

 

Saturday

A double rainbow

so bright we all stop, delight,

at light refractions.

 

Sunday

Dance with me my love,

we'll defy the morning light,

and twirl round instead.

 

Monday

Roll over, fall back

into deep sleep, dream quickly

before day begins.

 

Tuesday

Splash, dash, skip and dodge,

running a rainy errand

avoiding puddles.

Wednesday

Spark, whirl, chatter, zing!

So pleased you got your groove back,

my fun frenzied friend.

Thursday

Tonight I miss you,

the way we hold each other,

a bundle of arms.

A haiku a day...

Friday

Caught in a rain storm,

Sheltering from lightning as,

puddles become rivers.

Saturday

A humming chorus

as bees pay homage to the 

ephemeral blooms.

Sunday

Hanging fabric streams

in my little souk wardrobe,

living out my dreams.

Monday

Quiet on the streets,

empty for Easter but for 

our foreign chatter.

Tuesday

That smell after rain,

of earth and new foliage

getting a spring clean.

Wednesday

I push seeds into

dark earth: there, magic happens,

I just have to wait.

Thursday
Blue haze, dark downpour,
the sky can't make up its mind today
so I stay inside.

x

Life lately...

Lately, life has been: 

* adventures * exploring * speaking lots of French * sipping fine wine * unpacking and decorating * little bits of magic * cobbled streets * so much blossom * crocheting ripples * sunday trips to market followed by afternoons of food and jazz * bike-riding * sundrops and rainshowers * obsessively watching Twin Peaks * baguettes from the boulangerie * discovering perfect wine bars, restaurants and little shops * making new friends * loving my happy kitchen * making memories * the heavenly scent of lilacs * running along the BIG river feeling small next to its sparkling surface * long baths * planting seeds and flowers * smiling ridiculously * beaucoup de fromage *

 some snippets...

I've loved every little happy momentl!

x

Catching up with my crochet

I haven't shared any crochet pictures pretty much all year long and it's almost halfway through April already- eek!. But that doesn't mean I haven't been reeeeeeally busy crocheting, oh no! Quite the opposite in fact. Today I'm going to share some pictures of a finished project that was hitherto classified as secret as I made it for my mum for her birthday (I shared a wee peek here). It's a giant granny square blanket in shades of pale greens, pinks and creams - a colour scheme which I wouldn't normally choose for myself but which fits right in with the decor in my parent's home. Plus my mum loves to garden and I liked the idea of making a blanket that looks a little bit like a garden, with sandy paths through the grass and leaves, with pretty pink flowers peeking out - at least, that was the idea in my imagination!. So to get you started, here's all the woolly goodness...

I found these colours extremely relaxing to blend together, they are really soothing calm colours and a delight to hook up during the stressful weeks of January and February as I packed up all my belongings back in London. The greens and creams are all cheap acrylic wools and the pinks were more expensive wools from my former local haberdashery, but despite the differing qualities they all worked together to form the softest blanket :)

Every square is a different combination of colours...

Some are big and some are small - there is a giant centrepiece square...

I even learnt how to make circles inside granny squares (I love the way they look but I much prefer the process of hooking up granny squares the simple square way). They look like giant flowerbursts!

I also did some strange patch squares (which reminds me, I need to show you this finished blanket from last year too!).....

And some stripy bits and mini cross-style squares (lawns and giant flowers!).....

And had a great time making pops of pretty pink for the border....

Here it is in all it's glory spread out on my parent's living room floor (See how it matches the colour of the carpet)!

 

It was so much fun to make this all the while imagining my mum being able to snuggle up in its warmth. I'm pleased to say that she really loves it!

 

Ahhh it's fun to share pictures of crochet after all this time away! I'll be back with another blanket very soon - yep that's right I told you I've been busy!

x

A haiku a day...

Friday
Soil, seeds and pots,
we gather them all ready
for window box joy.

Saturday
Patchwork of roof tiles,
Bright sunlight; in the distance
vines are waking up

Sunday
Impromptu concert
drifts up through my window, strange
jazz rhythms, lets dance!

Monday
Boughs laden with blooms,
Peek out between market stalls,
nature meets culture.

Tuesday
My limbs are heavy,
my thoughts dulled, sleep calls me back,
dark, empty and strange,

Wednesday
Lemon, honey, thyme
infused together, fragrant
fight against the germs.

Thursday
Lovely lilac bush,
Impossible to capture
its delicate scent.

x

Here's to spring.....

.... and twirling beneath blossomy boughs.

It's been a while since I wrote a proper post but now I have a real internet connection again I can get caught up on the last few weeks. Spring has sprung here in France since we arrived just over a month ago....

Where once there were bare branches, now there are blossoms in full bloom and even some starting their snowflake-like dance to the floor. Confetti for a wedding that never was (unless the pixies have got some secret nuptials going on that we are unaware of)

Ahh! Impossible candy-floss branches bursting with petals. Simple pinky white petals that astound in their transformative capacity. New life, transitions, prettyness! Just look at this magnolia tree....

I always think autumn leaves are my favourite, but then spring comes along and I'm not sure I don't prefer the blossom! But since each season is so ephemeral in its own way I don't have to choose! In autumn I twirl beneath golden rusty boughs, in spring, I twirl amidst the petals!

Walking the same way in my new town every afternoonI noticed the very day that leaves became visible on the trees and it makes my heart happy to be surrounded by warmth and leafy trees and delicate flowers again.
So here's to Spring!
x