Open !!!!!

www.patchworkbutterfly.folksy.com

May seems to be the month where the world Opens up for business again. Open studios and Open gardens. Life seems ever to be a fine balancing act, until the month of May, when everything goes a little bit crazy. The equilibrium has gone and it's back to the mania that predominates most of my life. When I was doing my degree I had this wonderful Lecturer who gave us two really good pieces of advice the first being you were given hands to feel and touch everything, use them but don't get arrested, she was talking in terms of texture. The second was that it is simply not enough to be just that artists/designer you are marketing, PR, merchandiser, sales, accounts chief cook and bottle washer. I can here her saying "it's a fine balancing act". To true!
One of the things I have been neglecting is my blog and anything to do with dreaded technology as my knowledge is limited so I waste to much precious creative time fixing my mistakes. I am opening my garden and studio at the end of May so much of my time has been out in all weathers fighting with the ever growing weeds. My garden seems to be growing before my very eyes, it is one of my favourite places. Also there are two exhibitions my open studio and I am taking part in the Henley Arts Trail venue 13 Sat 29 - Mon 31 May to find out more www.jojojewellery.me.uk.
So what I need is a 8 day week and at least 28 hours in the day.

Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass... it's learning to dance in the rain!

the shoot

Finally got round to a massive photo shoot today, so much new work! The lovely Kat and I were up early ready to catch first light and 600 photos later we have some that I really love. We took the photos in my house and garden, it seemed the easiest way as I am so so un-organized that it was the only way to make sure everything we needed was to hand. A stylist's job is quite something when your off on location and you have to dream up every little item you may need for the shoot in the middle of the Sahara desert shooting winter coats. I don't know how they do it. We were up early to catch the ever changing light, it is not until you need certain light to create a certain mood that you realise how much the light can change in 5 minutes so we were running around the house and garden throughout the day like crazy things. I really scrubbed my house for the shoot, you know hoovered the garden dusted the flowers. Or so it would appear until we had to catch the light in a certain place in the house, you move the furniture only to find the Everest of a dust pile. My house after yesterday obviously doesn't pass the finger dust test. The day was lovely spent in search of making inspiring images that touch your soul in some small way.

All the items above will be going into my folksy shop soon www.patchworkbutterfly.folksy.com

Back in the world

Have felt so unwell this last week could only muster up a postage stamp of creativity. I have laid in bed listening to the birds and watching the garden grow before my very eyes, and feeling a little worried that I wasn't every going to feel well again. Thank god! for Archie the cat he listened to my delirium, ramblings and has been a good and constant companion whilst I have been confined to my sick bed.
So I am very nearly back in my creative place be it somewhat fragile. I have lots of new work half constructed half in my head and many blogs posts I need to catch up with. So onward and upward!

saturday

my mess and me

Saturday =
lie in
reading brilliant book White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
trying to tidy house for everyone coming round for dinner
go into the town and everybody's arguing with each other.
try not to go into Waterstones they lure you in with that booky smell.
pop into Picnic for the best coffee in town
make carrot and orange soup
read Saturday supplements
read Vogue & Elle decoration
catch up with friends on facebook I love it and hate it not the friends the book face thing
wash wooden floors whilst listening to Public Enemy loud, poor jill next door
go and buy some beautiful Verbena to plant around my pond they are possibly my favourite flower ever
sit in the rain in the garden

Isn't it amazing that I can do all of these thing so I put off the inevitable studio tidy up.
3.30pm started some work in studio instead of tidying
4.32 writing blog

Too late to tidy it up now have to go and cook for eight people.

I have been saved for another day.

a night in with the doc

Just got a message from friends out in Cambodia to say one of the little children I worked with last year has died from the latter stages of Dengue Fever. It makes me so, so sad, but also MAD! Surely it's a basic human right to have clean water and even the most rudimentary health care for people all over the world!

Whilst I was out in Cambodia I was invited to share a few nights in the villages with the local people I stayed in a families house on the Tonale Sap lake, a shack on stilts. These people have so little but what they did they shared with such generosity and spirit. The shack consisted of one large living space, the only furniture, rattan mats to sleep on and a photo of the king up on the Wall who's eyes followed you round the room. We all ate together off of a a very big leaf everybody using their hands to eat, once again so glad to be vegetarian, can't be sure what was on the menu. I stuck to fruit and vegetables. I sat not only with all the family but also pigs chickens and a dog that would bite you as soon as look at you. Not having had my rabies jab I stayed well out of his way. After dinner people from the surrounding villages started to gather. I was not sure for what reason, then a fire was lit and the monks started to appear and chant, and what appeared to be the village elder. It turns out he was the village witch doctor who danced and span round and drank some potion from a cup. He span and span until he fell to the ground, he laid there for what seemed like an eternity, and then jumped up and chanted himself into a catatonic state. A little girl was bought forward in front of the witch doctor, he started to dance around her and then spat all over her. I found out this little girl had a problem with her eye and had been sent to the witch doctor to be cured. It was something in my life I thought I would never witness, it was mystical, enchanting, you felt intoxicated by the spell. There were times when I was petrified and maybe I still am a little. The fear of the unknown the spirits that they call upon. It is steeped in tradition, people out in remote villages are scared of the hospitals they see those as witch craft, so they continue to stay away an practise their witch craft. In the mean time though, children are dying because they are not receiving the correct medical care because the village people are scared of the unknown, the hospitals. Children die because of fear, so there is much outreach work been done to alleviate these fears. It will take some time for people to trust, but with brilliant healthcare projects that are out there and with love and care anything is possible.

A moment to stop and remember Dhar x

how to put it right if you've messed it up!

I found this little book today, it really made me laugh.
How do you put it right when you've messed it up?
I need a book like this for all areas of my life, forget the bloody sewing!

drugs for cats

They talk of the beast of Bodmin moor and strange sightings all over the country of large black cats. Well today he was with me and was sighted in my garden! I have been waiting for today since November, the first day of this year's real gardening. It felt wonderful to be out digging, planting, thinking, dreaming and fighting with this wild devil. All was quiet until I disturbed the cat mint,this being the class A drug of choice for Archie our cat. He came from nowhere like a bat out of hell as soon as i had started to cut back the dead stems from last years flowers. He was in drug heaven he reminded me of Johny Depp in the film From hell in the opening scene, where he is chasing the dragon, smoking his opium pipe. Johnny Depp and Archie had that same look about them. Stoned! That cat became quit delirious and then performed the most amazing ballet jumping from tree to tree with the occasional pirouette and chasing of tail. Once he had indulged, a bit more, he layed out on the top of the willow tree, in the sun and watched the birds.
What a life!