Storm Eowyn's here, despite the deceptively clear blue sky and sunshine. Thankfully it's not raining in my part of Yorkshire, but the wind's strong enough to be whoosing through the branches of trees in nearby gardens. Moving their bare branches to and fro like they're in a washing machine on spin cycle. I'll venture out later in the day when it's died down. If I don't stretch my legs for a stroll, however brief, I feel cooped up, so I'll wander to the Co-op for milk and veggies. Not the most exciting outing, but it'll burn off a few calories, won't it?
In the meantime I've being stitching on page two of Ann Wood's 100 stitchbook challenge. It's got very blingy. There's a shisha mirror, a boho style bead and a shiny bit of pleated trimming. I've still two days left to fully complete this page, so I've no idea what else I can squish in there.
Doing this stitching challenge has made me realise how I'm happy to make what's essentially a collage with material, but making the equivalent in paper feels beyond my comfort zone. So I've cut up an A3 sheet of sketchpad paper and made it into a simple book, using a gel print for the front and back cover. In this book I'll try making paper collages.
I've a stack of printed pages and offcuts, so I'm going to use them to make small collages, hopefully on a daily basis. Maybe practise will make - if not perfect - then at least something I'm pleased with. This is my first effort, which isn't great but it's a start. If you're wondering about the three holes, for some reason I decided to punch little holes in it, using my nifty Japanese hole puncher. Nope, I don't know why either!
Apart from messing about with paper, I've also been tackling the To-Be-Read pile. I started reading Joanne Hickson's Tudor tale, 'The Lady of the Ravens', but gave up after a few chapters. I didn't feel it was particularly well written. There was clearly a lot of research done about that period in English history, a lot of detail about clothes, locations, daily life in Tudor times, and so on. But for me the characters didn't come to life. I wasn't caught up in their emotions, so that book's off to the charity shop. I switched to Elizabeth Taylor (no, not that Liz!) and 'A Wreath of Roses'. Now this novel is exquisitely written, and I usually love her short stories. But this book wasn't for me either. The plot was too slow moving, I was impatient for something significant to happen. Another one for the charity shop, I'm afraid. But my third choice instantly grabbed me, and I'm only a few chapters in but it's terrific. Diane Cook, 'The New Wilderness'. It centres of Bea and her daughter Agnes who are living in an area known as The Wilderness State. In this version of America there's a section of land that's cordoned off, where the land, its vegetation and animals are left to live in peace. A small group of people are allowed to exist on this land as an experiment. They're to live as hunter-gatherers. Not allowed to pollute the area or have phones, internet access, or most personal possessions we'd take for granted as being essential. The novel begins with Bea miscarrying and having to leave the stillborn child for the coyotes and buzzards that're circling, waiting for their next meal. So it's a harsh world and one where you immediately imagine how you'd do if forced back to living as our ancestors once did. I'm not surprised this book was nominated for the Booker prize in 2020, and I'm happy to have found a story I can really get my teeth into.
Okay, that's all for now. Hope you're well, and thanks for stopping by.
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