Ornaments...

are not usually in my repertoire, but I found myself merrily playing with this little one. I'm contemplating even smaller ones, to tie onto handbags with gold cord. I like working small; they are quick to make, and it's difficult to get too bored. And when I do, I go off and do something else.

I'm waiting for a skip to arrive, decluttering isn't done by halves around here. I had hoped it would arrive this morning, as we're more than ready for it, and close to the depot, to boot, but no such luck. So, in the meantime, I've filled the car with stuff for the charity shop (and I really mean filled...no room for anything else in the back). And I'm sitting here smelling the sweet potato and leek soup that we'll have for dinner, not to mention the chicken, slow cooking in garlic. No baking today, or at least, not yet...but there's time. Maybe some more of that lovely, moist gingerbread, a new recipe for me.

All of these activities are creative. Decluttering, cooking, baking, all require creative thought. How can I rearrange things so that I need less? How can I make these recipes taste better? I call it practical imagination, for those of us who are in creative denial. Ask yourself... what did I do today that was creative? And what will I do tomorrow? Creativity, or practical imagination, feeds the soul, just as the soup feeds the body. It doesn't have to be a giant step; just changing the balance of the ingredients to suit your taste is a creative act...just like changing the colours in a quilt pattern to suit you .