Not a pretty baby....but much loved

Please excuse orange age spots on photo!

Today is my 50th Birthday
Yesterday, in a nostalgic mood, I was looking through some old photo albums and these made me laugh!
The above is me in my cot with my boot button black eyes and strange sticking up hair -it looked just like a loo brush I've been told...My Mum, love her, says I was beautiful, and good and very friendly to all strangers...

The next is in the garden in Amersham. Such a beautiful place to grow up.
I still love dressing up today! ( Perhaps not as a nurse...)

And finally, to my mind the most amusing of all-

At Univesity in the 80's... 
What more can I say?

Elektra-fying (so sorry for the pun!)

Two summers ago my daughter had a wonderful chance to join an acting course on the island of Hydra in Greece. She had to be incredibly brave, as she knew no-one and travelled alone, even spending the night in a hotel in a port near Athens.
She phoned me a few days into the course bubbling with excitement as she had been chosen to play the role of Elektra in Sophocles's play. They rehearsed all week and the play was performed to the public in an amphitheatre!
I have just received an email from her with a link posted  on utube by Corrina , who runs the courses.
I wanted to share it with you and have a proud Motherly moment.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK82jsdkiMU&feature=youtu.be


We don't have many other photos from the play but here is one of the best of them

I'm so proud of my lovely girl..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK82jsdkiMU&feature=youtu.be

Beautiful Dawn

I couldn't resist sharing these pictures.
I awoke early and decided to do some research at the computer. I hadn't even looked outside at the day or the weather but my tiny book room was lit up with a beautiful pink light. Grabbing my camera, I  dashed upstairs to Sam's top floor bedroom, which looks towards the sunrise and the Cathedral.
Luckily for his sanity (you should never wake a teenage boy too quickly, it's very damaging...) he was away at his Father's, so the coast was clear and I could wrench open our creaky sash windows, climb precariously onto a chair and several books, lean out of the window... and capture these few glorious moments-

and five minutes later-

The colour and light change so quickly, I'm glad I was awake to witness this beautiful start to the day.


ps. I haven't altered or enhanced these pictures in any way!

Arts and Tarts...

Salisbury Arts Trail has come to an end and I feel a little sad. It was hard work but such good fun! I loved having so many visitors in my house and talking to so many interesting people.
It was good too, to be surrounded by beautiful things and to have our lovely city humming with the excitment of art and artists every day.

I've shown some photographs of my things, in a previous post, so here are a few pictures from our friends and fellow artists across the road

Bluetit by Lindsay Keir

Corner of Lindsay's studio all set up for the Arts Trail

     



Necklace by Pepe Argo



Linocut by Pippa Unwin

Even the window sill was beautiful!

Here are two of my favourite pieces from my artists:  John Gustard, painter and Laura Smith, photographer




Symondsbury

Falling

At our house we decided that Arts week was a good excuse for having not one but two parties!
 A private view at the beginning and a Sunday afternoon tea party to end the event.

The first was considered a great success as we heard a guest say on leaving that it was 'such a crush'.

The tea party had a selection of delicious little cakes- we did have some tarts as well!

I had a wonderful time and most importantly, so did the artists

John and his wife Ann Marie

Laura with vital supplies of wine at the Private View!

 It's such a shame it doesn't happen every year...



BIONNUT spruggit LUSTTL...Word verification makes me laugh!

This is too short to be called a proper post but I have to find out, am I the only one with such a childish sense of humour?
When I send messages to other lovely bloggers the words conjured up by the computer make me smile.
My latest was ' Vocatici'... very Latin I feel...
Maybe its just because I love words so much. I'm always looking up their exact meaning, or discovering their origins. One of my favourite old books is Skeat's Etymological Dictionary. How the urchins groan when I bring it out!
I know I'm a little eccentric but it seems quite normal to write on the walls of my house. I like to have my favourites there, in front of me, as part of my everyday life.

Please ignore the cobwebs in this one...

This one actually says...

"Though we cannot make our sun stand still yet we can make him Run"

This quotation is the last two lines from Andrew Marvell's 'To his Coy Mistress'
It's my carpe diem phrase.



Salisbury Art Trail.... Preparing madly!

Salisbury Arts Trail has come around again and this year I'm playing host to a local artist (who I model for) and a new young photographer. I shall have more to 'show and tell' about them and their work once the week has started.
I have always wanted to run my own Gallery and until the money comes in, this is my only chance!
I love the energy and excitement of hanging pictures for an exhibition and testing my skills by giving a really good Private View party. Having my house open to the public for 10 days is challenging and oh boy does it make me do some housework!
I spent last weekend getting the outhouse ready, so all my books and things are looking their best - that is, boxes have been emptied and everything somehow crammed onto the shelves and into every other available space. I hadn't realised how many things I have collected, as they are often left boxed up from one fair to the next and my books have not be re-shelved since I had a huge cull last year. Although it was hard work, I really enjoyed it and now keep sneaking out to have another look at the results. One of my neighbours caught me standing on the threshold and smiling beatifically at everything and has since teased me un-mercifully...
It's rather a small space for taking photographs but these should give an idea, even if they are not as artistic as I could wish!

The Books

The Bits and Pieces

Looking through my photographs I realise just how lucky I am to be able to spend my days working with things I love.
These old eiderdowns are my special passion at the moment...

There is something about the covers of old sheet music that appeals to me. I can imagine a young lady's delight at being bought a fashionable song by her devoted swain...

My lovely man collects maps, so he always gets first choice!

Then there are the oddments that don't fit into any catagory but I just couldn't resist buying them...

Old bell, books and flour sifter

Just right for Tea for Two

cornucopia, pastry cutter, pearls and sugar thermometer

The blanket was knitted by a friend of mine

Emily coverts this bag!

Copper shelves, washing dolly and biscuit tin

And there are always some buttons and lace...

I enjoyed sorting things according to colour, it does help bring some order to chaos!

In the end, tho' I'll always be a Booklady at heart and my books give me constant joy.

I love to read them, look at them and sell them to people who share my passion-

No wonder my business is called 'Kiss the Book'!



The Private View is on this Saturday evening, it would be brilliant if any of you were near Salisbury and wanted to drop by...

ps. I've even beautified the loo