Departing for the far north today, sad to go and leave my bestest friend. We have had such a great time this past week. Thank you London!
Will be sharing some of the highlights when I get home.
Here are a few words to digest:
Brazil
Tricycle
Tower of Love
The Pineapple
Monday, 19 October 2009
Friday, 9 October 2009
Covers
Just finished designing several book covers for Bloodaxe Books. I really do enjoy the work, it is creative and researching is fun and I get to use a great many of my skills and knowledge. Plus I can do it from home.
I will be going away to Seahouses first and then London for more than a week so I will not have any opportunities to add to the blog. Sure you will be okay though!
I don't know what I would do living here without Bloodaxe Books and the work I do for them. Making films and videos is my metier however I am not always engaged in that work full-time, only mostly to deadline.
The sun is shining and will for the weekend by the sea. Hurrah!
The cats will have a good time too.
Until soon, ciao.
I will be going away to Seahouses first and then London for more than a week so I will not have any opportunities to add to the blog. Sure you will be okay though!
I don't know what I would do living here without Bloodaxe Books and the work I do for them. Making films and videos is my metier however I am not always engaged in that work full-time, only mostly to deadline.
The sun is shining and will for the weekend by the sea. Hurrah!
The cats will have a good time too.
Until soon, ciao.
Thursday, 8 October 2009
First Frost
Since the October full moon the weather changed and we have had two mornings of ground frost already.
Fergus who normally is a languid cat who likes to nap all day long has changed his behaviour instantaneously. He is up before breakfast and comes in from outside which is unheard of for most of the year. He then dashes about for more than a mad half hour. Out and about, in and out, chasing his brother and mother...It is an extraordinary lively Fergus I had yet to meet!
It is lovely to see and his enjoyment is obvious.
The others are quite surprised I think as are we.
The garden itself took the frost well and Ben and I are slowly by slowly putting the garden to bed for winter. I brought the house plants indoors and we have planted many bulbs more than a hundred.
It is so exciting to plan and plant ahead.
Like preparing for the work to be done this winter, although I am jumping ahead, after all it is still autumn!
Fergus who normally is a languid cat who likes to nap all day long has changed his behaviour instantaneously. He is up before breakfast and comes in from outside which is unheard of for most of the year. He then dashes about for more than a mad half hour. Out and about, in and out, chasing his brother and mother...It is an extraordinary lively Fergus I had yet to meet!
It is lovely to see and his enjoyment is obvious.
The others are quite surprised I think as are we.
The garden itself took the frost well and Ben and I are slowly by slowly putting the garden to bed for winter. I brought the house plants indoors and we have planted many bulbs more than a hundred.
It is so exciting to plan and plant ahead.
Like preparing for the work to be done this winter, although I am jumping ahead, after all it is still autumn!
Thursday, 24 September 2009
The wee red squirrel
It crossed the road in a scurry where I change gear to prepare for the mighty hill at Houxty Bank. Luckily I had slowed down a bit. The squirrel was so very red and so very small.
It is the second one I have seen crossing the road in a hurry of late. A good sign for sure. They are not dying out as fast as we fear around here.
This area in the National Park and esp at Kielder is one of their last safe habitats.
What I love about living here: the wildlife, the landscape of fells, the rivers and burns, the wide open spaces and huge skies, the many rainbows, Northumbrian pipes, the farm eggs, it is a cat's paradise, and the odd gannin's on.
It is the second one I have seen crossing the road in a hurry of late. A good sign for sure. They are not dying out as fast as we fear around here.
This area in the National Park and esp at Kielder is one of their last safe habitats.
What I love about living here: the wildlife, the landscape of fells, the rivers and burns, the wide open spaces and huge skies, the many rainbows, Northumbrian pipes, the farm eggs, it is a cat's paradise, and the odd gannin's on.
Tuesday, 22 September 2009
Autumnal Equinox
Glad to be back home for this time of transition and change.
Watching the garden and the landscape around us I see how summer turns to autumn and I would not miss that. The changing of seasons is a time of observing, noting and paying great attention. I love it.
The once lush green foliage is now coloured and bright red berries shine in the sun, rosehips of many kinds, cotoneaster, rowan, hawthorn...
The apple trees in the orchard are laden with fruit. This is a bumpercrop year. Although not one single plum!
Going for walks just to notice what is going on in nature right now. Invigorating and also melancholic as winter does seem closer than just before the equinox.
It is very windy and the tree brushes against the tiled roof, at night it is spooky. I may have to cut it back before winter.
Right now I am contemplating what to do with my huge apple harvest. Looking through my Swedish cookbook last night I found recipes for drying them, stewing them, making chutney...
I still have jetlagg and find it hard to fall asleep at night and I sleep late in the morning. Must try to shift that slowly.
A busy autumn lies ahead and I welcome that.
Winter will be for quiet work time, reading, writing,...
Watching the garden and the landscape around us I see how summer turns to autumn and I would not miss that. The changing of seasons is a time of observing, noting and paying great attention. I love it.
The once lush green foliage is now coloured and bright red berries shine in the sun, rosehips of many kinds, cotoneaster, rowan, hawthorn...
The apple trees in the orchard are laden with fruit. This is a bumpercrop year. Although not one single plum!
Going for walks just to notice what is going on in nature right now. Invigorating and also melancholic as winter does seem closer than just before the equinox.
It is very windy and the tree brushes against the tiled roof, at night it is spooky. I may have to cut it back before winter.
Right now I am contemplating what to do with my huge apple harvest. Looking through my Swedish cookbook last night I found recipes for drying them, stewing them, making chutney...
I still have jetlagg and find it hard to fall asleep at night and I sleep late in the morning. Must try to shift that slowly.
A busy autumn lies ahead and I welcome that.
Winter will be for quiet work time, reading, writing,...
Sunday, 20 September 2009
Hemma igen!
A halcyon day with warm weather and sunshine.
So happy to be back home with the darlings Luna, Fergus and Myles! Sleeping all together in the bed.
Unpacking, doing laundry, opening mail, hoovering up feathers,...It is so good to be home again.
I love travels and adventures and yet coming home is bliss.
The neighbours filled me in on the "gannins on" in the valley while I was away:
Peggy is in Chevy Chase and yet another house is up for sale due to a tennant farmer retiring, Robert is parcelling out allotments in his sheep field, R Cocker is winding up the village with his building plans, the weather has been mild in Sept, a lot of mowing apparently, and the choir starts on Monday!
Peggy turned 100 this past spring and could have stayed at home I think, but now she is in a care home in nearby Otterburn called Chevy Chase after the ancient road going through. I will go over and visit and read to her.
Laundry drying on the washing line in the sun. Cats napping and I am looking closely at the garden seeing how plants fared and grew in my absence. The houseplants did amazingly well. No premature deaths.
I hope to have time to write more about the trip soon.
So happy to be back home with the darlings Luna, Fergus and Myles! Sleeping all together in the bed.
Unpacking, doing laundry, opening mail, hoovering up feathers,...It is so good to be home again.
I love travels and adventures and yet coming home is bliss.
The neighbours filled me in on the "gannins on" in the valley while I was away:
Peggy is in Chevy Chase and yet another house is up for sale due to a tennant farmer retiring, Robert is parcelling out allotments in his sheep field, R Cocker is winding up the village with his building plans, the weather has been mild in Sept, a lot of mowing apparently, and the choir starts on Monday!
Peggy turned 100 this past spring and could have stayed at home I think, but now she is in a care home in nearby Otterburn called Chevy Chase after the ancient road going through. I will go over and visit and read to her.
Laundry drying on the washing line in the sun. Cats napping and I am looking closely at the garden seeing how plants fared and grew in my absence. The houseplants did amazingly well. No premature deaths.
I hope to have time to write more about the trip soon.
Saturday, 19 September 2009
Jetzt bin Ich Zuhause
From Revere to West Hampstead to Tarset.
Three very different neighbourhoods.
Back in Inglaterra and I see Iggy Pop selling CAR insurance and Johnny Rotten British butter! Talk about surreal.
Just like the travelling I have been doing lately.
From London to Helsinki, Finland. Then back to London.
London to Boston to Provincetown, Cape Cod.
Then to Amherst, Mass. Next to Vermont, deep into bear country in the Green Mountains, back to Amherst after that.
From Amherst to Cold Spring in the the Hudson River Valley, NY. Train to NYC and Manhattan and Brooklyn too for the Brooklyn Book Festival. Back to Cold Spring and next stop the Keene, the Adirondacks!
What an exraordinary adventure!
I will write more when I settle in a bit. Right now I am still spinning on the carousel.
It was a fantastic trip in all ways.
Three very different neighbourhoods.
Back in Inglaterra and I see Iggy Pop selling CAR insurance and Johnny Rotten British butter! Talk about surreal.
Just like the travelling I have been doing lately.
From London to Helsinki, Finland. Then back to London.
London to Boston to Provincetown, Cape Cod.
Then to Amherst, Mass. Next to Vermont, deep into bear country in the Green Mountains, back to Amherst after that.
From Amherst to Cold Spring in the the Hudson River Valley, NY. Train to NYC and Manhattan and Brooklyn too for the Brooklyn Book Festival. Back to Cold Spring and next stop the Keene, the Adirondacks!
What an exraordinary adventure!
I will write more when I settle in a bit. Right now I am still spinning on the carousel.
It was a fantastic trip in all ways.
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