Sparkly Bits...

are to be found all over my dining room table, and, if I am honest, on the dining room floor, too. I'm taking part in a couple of art/craft events over the next few weeks, and I'm making tiny flower arrangements, just for the fun of it, and to add a little glitz to my stand. The image shows four of them; three are in little metal buckets, complete with handles, whilst the third is a similar structure, but in pink glass. I shall be popping a few onto Etsy, too.

I've pretty much had the week off; my niece has been visiting. We shopped til we dropped (fortunately, nothing broke!), we talked lots and one of us did some computer programming whilst the other made chutney. I'm pretty sure you'll be able to tell me who did what... A week has not been long enough, it never is... but she is in her final year at St Andrews University, and had to go back to continue her studies.

I'm contemplating a change of direction in my work (yes, another one...), and facing a major upheaval in my personal life, so if I have been somewhat elusive this week, that's what it's about. That, and looking after Hopalong... my lovely husband injured his knee last weekend, and is on crutches; back to hospital on Tuesday. Tomorrow, though, I go out with Clare, my passementerie friend, to do some research on a joint venture, of which more another time.

Chutney...

is wonderful stuff. I've just made about 10lbs of it, banana and banana and apple. One of them caught on the bottom of the pan, though, and tastes more of burnt sugar at the present time. With a kick, of course... it's quite spicy.

I was thinking that usually when you cook, you taste as you go along. With chutney, though, you can't really do that. It takes up to six months for flavours to develop. You just don't know what you're going to get. In a way, it's like making a scrap quilt over a long period of time. You may not see the overall effect for ages...and then, suddenly, it is there, as you hoped it would be. Both activities take patience, an eye for the longer term, perseverance.

The image is of an autumn leaf, printed on Bertha, my large scale epson, and then stitched into.
It seemed more appropriate than a shot of my chutney in the pan, somehow...

Autumn Leaves

are so incredibly beautiful. This tree outside my living room window simply changed colour in a day. Now, of course, after some strong winds, there are more of them on the ground than on the branches, but they still look amazing. I have a selection of autumnal fat quarters just begging to come out to play at this lovely season, perhaps my favourite of all. But I'm still resolutely making things for Christmas, and ignoring their siren call.

I do, however, have to go and get some batting... maybe tomorrow. I have a quilt to make for the International Quilt Challenge, Through The Window. I have completely ignored my earlier ideas, which no doubt will be called up for duty later, to make a piece that it entirely suitable for this time of year, with Hallowe'en/Samhain just passed and Guy Fawkes looming. I'll let you ponder that one... it doesn't involve orange, though.

Meanwhile, back to the grindstone. Stuffing lavender bags and finishing off festive table arrangements, not to mention adding a little more wool to the lovely pale green scarf I felted yesterday... it's all go!