Happy Tuesday Friends!
I am so glad to be back, it’s been a while as I have not been well, not arting much, and not sitting in front of a computer. Did you miss me? Probably no one noticed haha. All my garden plans had to be put on hold, and all the seedlings I planted died, due to me not being able to take care of them, so now, apart from the potatoes, I will have to start over. It didn’t help that we were still having overnight frost until last week! Now that it’s May, I don’t expect we will get any more. We still have daffodils growing in pots outside, a little late in the season, but I think the flowers are as confused by the weather as we are. Here’s Miss P making the most of a sunny day.
It’s rare to get them to sit together for photos, but here is Mr G on the left and his sister, Miss Lily on the right.
Today’s Art . . .
Today’s art is a page for AJJ’s May theme of flowers. I made it very quickly yesterday after finding the fabric.
I’ve spent three days rearranging STUFF upstairs and I’m not done yet. What stuff you ask, well all the unused craft supplies of course! Sound familiar because I’m pretty sure I was also doing it this time last year too. The problem is that there is TOO MUCH STUFF but somehow, I tell myself that moving it around and rearranging it will solve the problem. The only thing that will solve the problem is getting some of it out of the house! I have been watching the Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning but that’s just a coincidence, or actually more of an incentive after seeing some people’s packed to the rafters, cluttered houses. It needs to go!
Anyway, I mention this, because I found this piece of fabric yesterday and decided to stick it down on a page and use it in my journal instead of throwing it back in a box. It had been cut, interfaced and a kam snap had been added to one side of it, so it had been planned for something but I have the sneaking suspicion it was the wrong size and was discarded. So now it’s a journal page. The fabric is mostly untouched except that I used some Poscas to colour in some of the flowers and add dots – so any dots you see were not part of the original pattern.
I cut up some word stickers and mounted them on black card and glued them down, outlining them with a white Posca. The fabric was smaller than the journal page so I coloured the edges with a black Posca, top and bottom, to blend it in.
My calendar journal for May is also full of flowers but I shared it at the weekend for the April recycling challenge, but here’s another look.
Currently Reading . . .
I’m currently reading this book (a re-read),which is the third book in the trilogy. I might not have achieved much over the last few weeks but it did leave a lot of time for reading!
Quentin’s adventure takes him from Antarctica to the enchanted Neitherlands, where he finds old friends. But all roads lead back to Fillory, where Quentin must put things right, or die trying..
TOTAL for 2023
68 books
47. Mick Herron – Dolphin Junction – a collection of stories 
48. Mick Herron – Smoke and Whispers – Oxford 4
49. Mick Herron – Reconstruction – Oxford 5 (hmm maybe not)
50. Mick Herron – Nobody Walks
51. Mick Herron – This is What Happened 
52. Kate Humble – A Year of Living Simply
53. Leanne Moriarty – Apples Never Fall
54. Deborah Bee – Every Move You Make
55. Deborah Bee – The Last Thing I Remember
56. Menna van Praag – The Lost Art of Letter Writing
57. Kim Harrison – American Demon – Rachel Morgan/Hollows 14
58. Kim Harrison – Billion Dollar Demon – Rachel Morgan/Hollows 15
59. Kim Harrison – Trouble with the Cursed – Rachel Morgan/Hollows 16
60. Patricia Briggs – Soul Taken – Mercy Thompson 13
61. Darynda Jones – The Curse of Tenth Grave – Charley Davidson 10
62. Darynda Jones – Eleventh Grave in Moonlight – Charley Davidson 11
63. John Wyndham – The Day of the Triffids
64. John Le Carré – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Smiley #5
65. Alan Garner – The Weirdstone of Brisingamen – Alderley #1
66. Alan Garner – The Moon of Gomrath – Alderley #2
67. Lev Grossman – The Magicians – Magicians #1
68. Lev Grossman – The Magician King – Magicians #2
T Stands For . . .
Decaf coffee and soda bread. I made the soda bread last night on top of my (relatively) new woodburning stove! I’ve only had it a few weeks. You might recall that my heating system has been broken for over a year and there is no heating or hot water in the house. Six months ago, I ordered a woodburner to be installed, I did hope it would happen before the winter, but there is such a demand for them now that there was a six month wait! Anyway, it’s been so good to have it even in these Spring months as it’s still cold enough at night to appreciate it. Someone else who appreciates it is Mr G.
This is an old house (122 years) so each room used to have a fireplace but over the years previous residents have bricked them up. This one in the living room, had a fake fireplace and electric fire in front, I really don’t understand people who would do that, but it was all removed and then the woodburning stove installed in its place. It looks and feels so much better in this room now, not to mention a lot warmer. The heat does spread in the rest of the downstairs too after a while so it’s been wonderful to be warm again. It doesn’t replace the broken heating system and it doesn’t heat the water, but it helps to have some source of heat in this old house until something can be done about the rest.
Mr G again last night, the carpet in front of the stove is a little warmer, so he’s stretched out taking advantage of it. Perhaps he was also waiting to see how the soda bread would turn out!
Until yesterday, I’ve only heated water or milk on top of the stove but I’d been thinking about bread, so I thought I’d try it. To save time, I made soda bread and popped it in a cast iron pot with the lid on. It is sitting on a trivet instead of directly on top of the stove, which is hotter than an oven btw.
I wasn’t sure it would work or if I was doing it right or if it would take longer to cook this way, but in the end it worked really well, actually I think it cooked better than in the oven, and it’s soft too. I thought it might burn on the bottom, but it didn’t. I always find the soda bread in the oven can be a bit crusty. As you can see, I couldn’t resist testing it out – just to see if it was cooked. It was delicious.
Elle, I have been MIA as well. I’m sorry you are not feeling well. I hope whatever it is you are on the mend. I too lost most of my seedlings. We are still cold and very wet here. Strange and not so wonderful weather this year. I hope you are OK. Hugs N.
Love how Miss P has stretched out. I love your flowery journal page and your calendar journal. Thanks for sharing at AJJ and Aimeslee’s theme. I hope to read the Kate Humble book, but of your list I have only read four of them 63, 64, and 65, 66 were a must read as we live not so far away from Alderley Edge! I love Soda Bread- yours looks delicious! Hugs, Chrisx
Gosh, I sure hope you stay well, Elle. Your fabric page is amazing! I’m so glad you made it to share with us at AJJ. I hope you can stay warm until you can get your repairs done this summer. XOX
Welcome back! And I’m sorry to hear you have been ill. I thought you might be. Yes, I did miss you.
What a lovely wood burner! I bet you are real chuffed. I have a wood burner in my craft room. An antique one called a parlour stove. i can cook on top. I have never tried to cook soda bread in a Dutch oven. You have inspired me. I must try that next autumn. (It’s too hot here to light the stove)
Belated happy T-Day,
Lisca
Hi Elle, I’m so sorry that you have not been feeling well! It’s good to hear that you’re better and back at creating art! Also, congrats on your new wood burning stove. I LOVE the photos of your adorable kitties, too. Your art is so beautiful. I love that it started as fabric and really like the title you added. And your coffee and soda bread look delicious, too. Take care of yourself, my friend! Hugs, Sharon
Not so. I for one missed you. I was REALLY worried, and took it to heart thinking you were mad at me, so quit joining T day. That was until I realized you weren’t creating ANY art or posting online.
Miss P looks like she is unafraid of her surroundings. she looks very comfortable.
LOVE that fabric and it was great that you also added the dots, too. Thanks for sharing this at AJJ using Aimeslee’s theme.
It was great that you got that heater and you even made that soda bread on it. You are really very creative. At least you have heat now and when you will need it in the autumn and winter.
Thanks for sharing your decaf in that cute mug along with your soda bread with us for T this Tuesday, dear Elle.
I’m glad that you are back – yes, I did miss you and I was very close to emailing you whether you’re okay, but then I saw a few of your posts on Instagram. Anyway, it’s good to see you for T Tuesday. How wonderful that you have some heat back in your home, and the woodburning stove looks very cozy. They can get quite hot, and I easily believe that it can warm up your downstairs. Great idea to make soda bread on it.
Glad to hear you are feeling better. Miss P has the right idea on how to properly worship the sun. Wo, you were lucky to get a picture of the Mr. G and Miss Lily together. I’ve been trying to get a picture of Calli and Quill together, but they won’t cooperate. Your woodstove looks very nice and Mr. G very comfy. Cool that you can cook on top of the woodstove. That soda bread looks delicious. Happy T Day
Good to see you again, Elle – and your cats, of course. Sorry you weren’t feeling well, I know how it is as I am still struggling. Your fabric floral journal page is fabulous, so bright and cheerful.I’m sure your new wood stove is cozy, we just have the usual radators here, I would love a real fire like in my childhood. Your soda bread looks good, too. Have a great week, hugs, Valerie
I’m sorry you have not been well and am glad to see you back. We lived in a place with a wood-burning stove as the only heat, and I was surprised at how well it worked. Your place sounds cozy now that you’ve got the heat fixed like you want it. It’s cool you can cook that way.
I finally realized I couldn’t rearrange my way to smaller lol I still have a ways to go, though…
Happy T Tuesday