Festive Creativity
This is an anxious time for everyone and December looks like being a rather more stressful event than normal this year. Strikes and escalating costs, not to mention what the weather has in store for us mean the happiest times may be sitting quietly with good friends and family , reading a book, working on our knitting or repairing a loved piece of clothing. But there are other options too that cost little or nothing … breath deeply and enjoy!
Art without intent
You don’t need to wait for Santa Claus to bring you expensive art equipment and materials to start making beautiful and inspiring art! In fact, removed from their original contexts, transformed by time and the elements, reinterpreted, found objects can give us unexpected pleasure. To see what can be achieved with “rubbish”, creativity and a little effort, take a peek at this show coming up in March next year.
Knit a gorgeously soft blanket
Purl Soho’s over-the-top cushy warmth of this blanket might, in part, be due to their Fiddlehead yarn, but I am pretty sure it can be made using almost any thick yarn (the softer the better) that you might have sitting around waiting for a project. For the free pattern join their mailing list.
Susses landscapes
If you find yourself in the County of Sussex this Christmas, mosey over to Chichester’s Pallant House Gallery. Whether it’s William Nicholson’s beautiful, sparse paintings of the Downs, Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell’s colour-drenched depictions of the pond at Charleston, or Lee Miller’s photographs of the farms around her house, this wide-ranging exhibition will show you a part of the UK as you have never seen it before.
Extraordinary creatures
Mother and Daughter team, Penny and Briony Thomson, make intricate, original and magical creations! Working from a home-based workshop using recycled materials and with a deep passion for nature they produce creatures that flourish into a frenzy of mechanical magic. Subscribe to their Newsletter and they will let you know when a new one comes to life.
The ubiquitous baguette
It may be the season of mince pies and turkey, but in France you will find a baguette on the table whatever the occasion. Try this step-by-step recipe for a delicious home-made version!
Full of energy
The breakthrough in nuclear fusion is potentially the biggest news of the decade. Though clearly abundant power too cheap to meter is a long way off, this is still a huge deal. So whilst it may be premature to dance around singing “clean, green energy for everyone!,” warm yourself up doing the happy dance anyway because this is potentially the biggest scientific breakthrough of the C21st .
Laughter, memories and music
If you feel like gifting someone you care about some life-affirmation and laughter for 2023 then one of our 3 magical events next year might be just the ticket! No need to commit just yet, but you can register and we’ll keep you posted.
Stone age
Suiseki is the Japanese art of collecting natural stones for their aesthetic value, a tradition that dates back to pre-history. The artist, Amy Dov, manipulates clay to reproduce the beauty and imperfections of stones and weaves them into beautiful sculptures and wall-hangings but who is to say you can’t do something similar with the real thing?
Jack Kerouak
“… because in the end you won’t remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing the lawn, climb that goddamn mountain……”
Time to read
We’d love to hear your recommendations, but here are a few of the books we’ve read and enjoyed this year, in no particular order:
The Book of Trespass: Crossing the Lines that Divide by Nick Hayes
Us: A Novel by David Nicholls
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell
Bewilderment: A Novel by Richard Powers
The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
Blacktop Wasteland by S A Cosby