A Heart-Shaped Day

Heart Shapes are always lovely to create and I love to make mine in crochet. 

This one is attached to a small branch of cherry blossom.

The pretty pattern comes from

Anabelia Craft Design

I made another one in pink which is next to my Sonny Angel doll

dressed in cherry blossom clothes.

I received these beautiful pink and red roses in a bouquet

which tempted me to make a garland of mini hearts!

There's something special about anything heart-shaped, don't you think?

We have had many sunny days this month and I have been enjoying them to the full.

I liked this little leftover leaf from autumn, still hanging onto the branch.

Now I have to take you for a walk along the lake. I have been there several times

in the last week and the lighting has been perfect.

The mountains were slightly misty and the lake was a lovely shade of blue.

A slight breeze ruffled the surface of the water.

and there have been fresh snowfalls.

The bright sunshine created a myriad of sparkles on the surface of the water.

I was so glad that I was down by the lake that day.

What peace on this particular day.

I walked a lot and sat on a bench for a while, soaking up all the beauty and peacefulness.

We can see the tower of the hotel and restaurant called Le Château d'Ouchy.

I really enjoyed observing two Great Crested Grebes doing their courtship display

It was all quite enchanting

If you would like to see a short video clip of them doing their dance.

You will see it HERE

I always find this sailing boat very elegant.

Another small boat and a pretty misty background shrouding the base of the mountains.

Sunbursts and sparkles on the water after a night of rain.

I've joined a group of photographers to practice self-portraits

and our challenge of the week was to take reflections.

Hello to you all!

The first spring flowers are starting to appear.

The Snowdrops and darling little Violets, winter-flowering Viburnum and Primroses.

Two hearts for you for Valentine's Day!

We are in for a mostly rainy week, but we have been so spoilt with sunshine

and we must be happy for the flowers and the whole of nature

who need rain as much as they need sunshine.

***

Remember to click on the photos to see them in a larger size.

February Musings

These winter months are perfect for handiwork of any kind.

Since crochet is my passion, besides photography,

I need no excuses for playing with my colourful yarns and hook.

This little heart turned out so prettily and fit the heart-shaped dish so well.

When we do any kind of handiwork, we need good, sharp scissors.

I have several. These are perfect for cutting off loose ends once they have been sewn in.

The big surprise of this first half of the month was an unexpected

and exciting snow storm.

This house is in my street just opposite from where I live.

I took the photo from my balcony.

The snow was mostly all melted by late afternoon when the sun came out again!

Flowering plants are so welcome in the home at this time of the year.

These hyacinth flowers are beautifully long lasting on the small round table in front of the window.

It's just next to where I sit surrounded by yarns and patterns!

A detail on the beautiful fully opened flowers.

One early evening, I went to see the latest film version of Little Women

adapted from the book by Louisa May Alcott which was written in 1868.

Life was certainly much different back then.

I was disappointed by this new version of the story. The story didn't flow

and some of the actors were sadly miscast.

The settings were beautiful.

As I walked back home from the bus stop at the top of my street,

I saw this beautiful shimmering moon  framed by the branches of a pretty birch tree.

Now something different!

I do love capturing abstract images with my camera 

and I'm not going to tell you what they are!

Abstracts pull us into a new way of looking at colour, shape and texture 

without wanting to label what we see.

This was taken on a structured, shiny surface and has not been post edited.

A different colour scheme on a similar sort of surface.

I love the feel of swirling energy.

This one is made by a special technique called Intentional Camera Movement!

I used a slow shutter speed to help the process and then the camera

is intentionally moved to create a soft blur.

This is the same subject but with different movements.

I love the feeling of the energy we feel and this shimmering vortex

which seems to lift me upwards.

It feels like painting with my camera!

Back to reality with some pretty flowering Viburnam blossom

looking so bright and cheerful in the soft neutral tones we see in February.

I even picked some adorable pink-tipped daisies growing in the grassy verges in my neighbourhood.

I thought they were perfect for Valentine's Day.

This is the day when florist's charge extra for their extravagant flower arrangements

that many ladies seem to expect.

All this brings us to think about the meaning of love.

It certainly isn't necessarily in the form of some grand gesture

like a dozen red roses, diamonds or the keys to a new car.

Love, in its broadest sense, englobes (or includes) all.

Not just one person.

It's about giving of oneself to everything worthwhile.

Everything is worthwhile.

It can be something as simple as offering a smile to someone that crosses our path,

or who sits next to us on the bus.

Love is choosing to protect and nurture our environment

for ourselves,

but especially for the children of today.

Love is not conditional, nor exclusive.

Universal love is the one we need to practice the most.

The whole planet, and all those who inhabit it, need our love.

Author and spiritual teacher, Eckhart Tolle, says it so beautifully:

"Love is a state of being. Your love is not outside. It is deep within you.

You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you.

It is not dependent on some other body."

Continuing the year-long project of crocheting a flower a week.

Here are the latest ones for weeks 4, 5 and 6.

See more details here:

Crochet Flowers 2020

Why We Should Get Out More

During the winter months, we often find excuses not to go out.

It's too cold, it's raining, snowing or the sky is grey

and it often feels so much more comfortable to stay inside with a good book!

It's a well known fact, that getting out every day is good for the morale.

Our horizons are widened

We see new things

We blow away any negative thoughts.

This week has been very springlike with bright blue skies and warmer temperatures

so there was no excuse to stay inside!

I heard birdsong and rejoiced!

Also, walking is healthy for us in so many ways.

We breathe deeper

Our muscles get a work-out

A daily walk can combat those who suffer from depression,

It alleviates stress and is even said to improve memory and lower blood-pressure.

My first walk today was right after breakfast.

There had been a night frost, but I did spy some tiny primroses

poking little yellow buds out of the earth and moss.

Tiny wild Cyclamen were dotted here and there among last autumn's acorns

under a big oak tree.

So much to see now with the days getting longer and there's a feel of a change in the air.

Beautiful spring flowers are available and tulips are one of my favourites.

Golden yellow to brighten one of the duller days.

Or these gorgeous deep pink ones splattered with white flecks on the outside petals.

They make me think of raspberries and cream!

I was fascinated to see how the colour changed as the days went by.

Graceful right up until the end.

Do you love to make soups at this time of the year?

I do.

Here's a delicious one for you to try:

400 grams each of carrots and sweet potatoes, diced

1 onion, diced

Toss briefly in 1 tbs olive oil and add

1 litre of water

Salt and pepper to taste

When tender, mix with an electric hand blender,

add some grated fresh ginger root.

2dl of coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of honey.

Heat gently, but do not boil.

Serve with a slice of wholemeal bread and a piece of cheese.

Just think how good this soup tastes after coming home from a walk in the fresh air!

My crochet project this week: tiny envelopes for Valentine's Day

and roses.

Pink for tenderness

or perhaps something with more impact and passion in red.

Are you with me on getting out more?

Even twenty minutes a day is good, but thirty is even better!

Shall we work up to an hour a day?

It's a wonderful objective, don't you think?

***

Crocheted rose pattern from Attic24

The Snowstorm: a real-life story

She strode up the street in the deepening snow

the laces on her boots swinging out with each step.

She had forgotten her gloves that morning and had pulled the sleeves 

of her sweater over her hands.

I could hear the scrunch of her boots as she walked

and imagined the soft thudding sound that the snow must be making on her umbrella.

The snowstorm had brought everything in the city to a grinding halt.

The cars could hardly get up my street without their tyres squealing and slipping

on the slippery surface,

and those going down the hill slid down sideways when they hit the breaks.

Dogs still had to be taken for walks

and red cars showed off their red paintwork

gleaming against the white of the snow.

Passers-by dashed past

wanting to get home as soon as possible

and thankful they had taken their umbrellas with them that morning.

But I was snug in my apartment

watching the big flakes floating down against the building opposite.

I ventured out onto one end of my balcony,

feeling as excited as when I was a child and I used to rush outside

in the snow with outstretched arms

as if to catch all the flakes in the sky!

I zoomed in on the nearby small park to capture the beauty of it all.

embracing the scene with my eyes

in its tiniest detail

I went outside a little later and captured this bench on which no one would sit that day.

A bush with red berries gave a welcome splash of colour

My pot of purple flowers, which had survived since the summer,

looked a little shocked by their sprinkling of snow.

I pulled them nearer to the kitchen window to protect them as best I could.

I returned inside to the warmth of the kitchen where there was the aroma of soup

simmering in the cast-iron pan.

Carrot and sweet potatoes were cooking with grated ginger.

Perfect for a day like today!

When I looked outside again, the snow was coming sideways ...

or was that the window which had turned when I wasn't looking...?

Well that was the story of Friday

and now it's already Sunday

and an array of coloured crocheted hearts

are sitting on my work table.

Red ones and pink ones with assorted chocolates

Turquoise and orange

made into pouches with handles

Some with frilly edges

... and one just for you with a Lindt chocolate heart

just in time to wish you all a

Happy Valentine's Day!

This pattern is called Granny Heart Superstar

which you can find

here