rubykittyruby

  No, I'm not 96, honestly!  I might be a Woman of a Certain Age, but that age still has a fair way to go until I'm that old!  The 96 year old in question is a lady called Ina Nenortas, a self-taught artist from Lithuania.  I really do hope I'm as clear-minded, articulate and creative as she is when - God willing - I make it to my nineties.  The YouTube algorithm sometimes throws up these little gems of films, and I thought you might enjoy this one.  

It's been a really good week.  Lots of tidying up on the allotment and in my garden, plus more fun messing about with acrylic paints and watercolours, making stacks of painty papers.   I've also been having fun making videos for YouTube.  I'm still on a steep learning curve as far creating videos, getting the right length, working out lighting etc, is concerned.  I've also got over my reluctance to talk to the viewer.  If I stumble over my words or babble or get things wrong, then - well - it's not the end of the world, is it?   What I've learnt so far, apart from the basics of uploading a video and adding a soundtrack, is that very short videos get more views.  YouTube shorts, as you probably know, are a minute or under.  I posted a couple of standard videos which got hardly any views.  Not that I'm expecting great numbers.  I'm grateful if even a couple of people look at 'em!  However, I posted one and it got 26 views....

I'm adding more suggestions for things to watch online.  YouTube films to spark your creativity, enable you to learn new skills or simply accompany a sit-down with a cuppa for a five minute rest.  Yesterday I recommended various channels, but today it's more about individual videos.   (By the way, if you're wondering about the photos chosen, I wanted you to have something colourful to break up the paragraphs of text.  I meandered through what I've saved on Google Drive and picked out random prettiness.) Let's kick off with a puzzle.  In particular, a Victorian purse puzzle.  All you need is a square of paper.  It helps if it's patterned on both sides, whether that's a commercially made decorative paper or something you've painted or drawn.  This video explains the process of folding a perfect puzzle purse.  Why not give it a go?   Next up, we have a YouTuber called Bo-tique who's filmed the process of making scrappy fabric bir...

Another cold, bright day, and I spent the morning indoors, reluctantly dragging a vacuum cleaner around before getting down to the nicer task of adding wadding to the back of this patchwork.  Backing fabric's now tacked on, and it's ready to be stitched.  I also squeezed in some reading.   I'm currently immersed in 'Transcription' by ever-excellent Kate Atkinson, who can be relied upon for a well-written book.  The book I recently finished - hmm, not so good.  I'd fancied a lightweight cosy crime, something easy, quick to read, and picked 'A Pen dipped in Poison' by J.M. Hall.  Oh my, I've never come across a story in which so many people sigh.  Characters sighing all over the place!  There's a fair amount of frowning too, and one character is constantly depicted as stirring a cup of coffee, supposedly to indicate thoughtfulness.  Seriously, if I was in a coffee shop with her I'd be snatching that spoon out of her hand and yelling 'For g...