things you never knew you needed

This is the place for all the things you never knew you needed. It's De Danann antiques in Dorchester, its a treasure trove of curiosities.  I have just bought the most amazing merchants wooden seed crates, which will be perfect for my new window boxes. Such a great place for mooching and finding.

It's a secret...........................

This last weekend I spent down with my family who live in Dorset, it is such a beautiful county, and always restores my faith in the world. I went  to Dorchester and stumbled upon a place that I so want to keep a secret, but everyone should know about. A little piece of treasure in and amongst the everyday! You know, those places that you walk into and they transform you to another world. This place caught my human magpie eye with its glinting chandeliers, wonderful sculpture and beautiful bottles of potions and lotions called Medusa Apothecary. We could not resist but to go in and are noses taken on a wonderful journey to every corner of the world. From frankincense to heady jasmine, blood orange to the beautiful zest of Sicilian lemon, a buzz of incense and then their are those dry woody aromas It was heaven scent! The decadent shelves lined with the most carefully chosen items, and then there was the wonderful service, so warm, friendly and knowledgeable about everything from  face creams, to the sharing of the ingredients that make up the layers of the perfumes. There is also a beauty room for the ultimate indulgence. It is so wonderful to go to a place where the products are so lovingly sourced and there provenance is paramount. I love Medusa and defy anybody to go in and not failed to be impressed by every detail and also not to buy anything. They have also just won The Telegraph small shop of the year in the health and beauty category which is so richly deserved. Just beautiful! 

pouring you heart out

Pouring your heart out - monoprints

I was sat this week enjoying the sun, when I looked over and saw a girl sitting on the wall crying, her face looked so beautiful with tears yet contorted with sadness. She stopped crying and sat for ages just looking down. I drew her from afar and then came home and made a series of monoprints, to try and capture that moment. 

Spring's Song

When daisies pied, and violets blue,

  And lady-smocks all silver-white,

And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue

  Do paint the meadows with delight,

The cuckoo then, on every tree,

Mocks married men, for thus sings he:

      “Cuckoo!

Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O word of fear,

Unpleasing to a married ear.

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,

  And merry larks are ploughmen’s clocks,

When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,

  And maidens bleach their summer smocks,

The cuckoo then, on every tree,

Mocks married men, for thus sings he:

      “Cuckoo!

Cuckoo, cuckoo!” O word of fear, 

Song, from Act V, Scene 2 of Love’s Labors Lost by William Shakespeare (1598)

Spring's song is happening, it's started in my garden! The frogs are busy, the muscari,crocus, paperwhites and violets have appeared as if by magic over night. It's all going on and makes me very happy.

nearly finished

The walls and floor are finished, the boring glossing done, now just to start adding all my things that I love back into my new space.

just needed white

Newly painted bedroom just needed white and my Great granf's crocheted blanket that he made when I was very little. It has travelled with me to every house I have lived in to university and back and I still love it as much as I did then!

contemplation

Plans on hold, just stop and contemplate at what could be!