some tales of the unexpected

Recently an unusual morning treat took the form of a wander round RHS Wisley Garden;

a travelling encyclopedia

I prepared a suitcase full of pattern and colour to take with me to Mexico. Coals to Newcastle you might think.

art and sole

Unusually for me I’ve fallen in love with a pair of boots!

made to measure

The sitting-room desk I sit at for ‘office work’ is one designed and built for my parents in the ‘forties.

some sweet uses of adversity

The other weekend I went back to school; at least, I became a student again, trying to understand and get to grips with some of the techniques of mono-printing. I loved it.

the sweetest flower

On a chilly morning, and swapping the annoyance of no hot water for a walk under an uncertain sky, I made my way to Kew Gardens to see the famous bluebells.

making one’s mark

Coming back on the train the other day I sat near a mother and her little boy, two or three years old; she was keeping him well under control – he was in a bit of a squirm.

winter lights

It’s nearly the solstice, the shortest darkest day of the year. I long for the turn-around when the morning begins to break a little earlier and the daylight stays a little longer.

pattern’s in the air

A lot’s happened since I last wrote – where to begin? I’ll start at the finish.

sandwich spread

I’ve often entertained the grandiose dream of being invited to decorate those vast membranes that are wrapped around buildings under construction – just to perk things up a bit;