T Stands For Folktale Week Day 7 – FOUND – and Baby’s First Dishwasher!

Hi Friends!

Happy Tuesday!  Today is a big day for me – baby’s first dishwasher!  I have never owned a dishwasher, don’t really like them and think environmentally that they use too much water and energy to do something that can be very simply done by hand for less.  I can appreciate their usefulness for hotels, restaurants, people with big families or who entertain a lot etc but for one human and three cats, not so much.  The only reason I have given in is because of the pain in my hands and back, and washing dishes causes pain in both, so finally a dishwasher! The plan would be to use it once a week or less, depending on how long it takes to fill it with dishes and then it should not increase my energy usage too much. My mum was always very proud to tell people that she didn’t own a washing machine (I’m sure people thought she was nuts!) and I felt myself getting that way about not having a dishwasher, so time to change that.  BTW I still do not have a dryer and never will!

Edit:  I can’t seem to comment on Deb’s blog.  It tells me to sign in with google but I’m already signed in and I can’t see a comment form, sorry Deb I tried.  I love the cards you made and the designs would look good on the envelopes too!
Edit 2: also Dianne’s blog, can’t log in, can’t see comment form.

So now it is getting colder, and I am spending much more time at night on the sofa in front of the woodburner, I thought I would give myself a winter crochet project, to try and keep my hands from stiffening up too much.  I had this ball of yarn in my stash, it’s 1000 metres long and I’m just going to keep going until I reach the end.  Do you do any winter crafts, anything different to what you usually do during the rest of the year?

Oh before I forget to mention it, next month there are three fun journalling events happening as they usually do in December.  I thought I’d mention them because I tend to forget and don’t plan in advance and maybe you’re the same.  Last year I did Dephemerember for the first time (an ephemera junk journal challenge in December).  It’s hosted by two lovely people in Austria -Barbara from 49 Dragonflies and Luise Heinzl, and you can find the challenge on Instagram and Youtube where there are daily videos and often free digital papers to use. I really enjoyed that one so much I am definitely making it a priority.  The prompts were released yesterday in this video.  Luise is really interesting as she lives in a Tiny House but has a craft room!  I also like their idea of exchanging scraps with a friend to use in the challenge.

Barbara’s video:

There are freebies included in both videos.

Luise’s video:

Also in December is Care December run by the Wanderlust people on Teachable, here’s a link to sign up for free and you will have lifetime access to the lessons, and finally there is Art Journal Advent which is an Instagram challenge but the prompts are usually on her website too if you want to join in.

Today’s Art . . .

Today’s art is my final day’s page (Day 7) for #FolktaleWeek.  It finished on Sunday but I was late finishing mine.  Since it is nature based it is also a journal page for Jo’s theme this month on Art Journal Journey – Nature. My nature elements are cats again of course!.

Here’s the story so far.

INTRO:
Snowdrop and Midnight were having a conversation. The two housecats had been watching
a lot of adventure shows and Snowdrop was getting restless. I want to go on an adventure she said. Midnight frowned, and said, adventures can be dangerous for housecats like us and not to be recommended. I’m not scared said Snowdrop, just look at all the amazing places we could go – all those new smells! Don’t you want to come with me? Snowdrop didn’t wait for an answer, she opened the back door and ran off down the garden, heading towards the woods beyond the fence.

Midnight was feeling anxious for his friend and his human who had come home to find Snowdrop was missing.  Midnight tried to tell her that Snowdrop was only on an adventure but his human was so worried, she couldn’t hear him.

Meanwhile, Snowdrop had spent hours investigating the woods, chasing rabbits and butterflies, and generally having fun.  She ran deeper and deeper into the woods and before she knew it, it was getting dark and she was LOST.

Next day Midnight decided to get help from his friend Ink as his human had cried herself to sleep and didn’t know what to do. Midnight went to Ink’s Shoppe where she specialised in portraits and postcards for friends. Midnight told her what he wanted and she produced a poster he could pin up to help find Snowdrop.

 

Meanwhile, after a cold night in the forest, a nervous Snowdrop eventually found her way out of the forest but it was not the same way that she came in.  Before her was more water than she had ever seen before.  Getting her sense of adventure back again, she jumped into a boat that was on the shore, and headed off hoping to reach the other side – if there was another side.  Before too long, she spotted first, a pair of cat ears, and then a full head emerging from the water.  It was a mer-cat, no, wait, it was three mer-cats bobbing about in the waves sunning themselves.   They floated over to the little boat and asked Snowdrop where she was going.  She told them she was on a grand adventure.  A big adventure indeed for a little housecat they said.  We will help you, and they got behind her little boat and guided it across the sea loch, for that was what it was.

Midnight was home after displaying his missing cat poster on the front gate.  His nap was overdue and he nodded off, dreaming of Snowdrop, fish and a waving flag. What a strange dream!

Snowdrop was also finally asleep, cold and alone.  She was dreaming of being safe in her human’s arms.  She woke hearing Midnight calling her name, and she realised how much she missed her friend and her human and her very comfortable home.  She decided it was time to go home but how to get there?

Midnight was now very worried and had reached out across the cat network asking all cats to look out for his missing friend who was on an adventure but he really wished she would come home soon.

Snowdrop went back to the lake but the little boat was gone and she couldn’t get back across. She kept walking along the shore until the ground became very rocky and started to hurt her paws. She sat down on a big rock to rest her paws and suddenly the ground began to shake and she felt herself falling down down down… She landed on her feet in what seemed to be an underground cavern. She was very frightened, and looking around, she saw a golden light in the distance. She headed towards it and there in the entrance was a large black cat who looked very familiar.

Snowdrop could hear Midnight calling her name and she realised how much she missed her friend. She was still dizzy, and weak, and couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten any food. She opened her eyes, the room was spinning, she was spinning, everything was spinning.  What’s happening to me?

This story needs some help lol.  The problem is trying to mould the story to fit the prompts.  Take away the prompts and the story would work out nicely.  Snowdrop somehow makes it back home and leaps into the waiting arms of her favourite human.  Midnight is beside her, jumping for joy to see his friend home safe and sound.  The end…. but really needs to be fleshed out more. 🙂

You might be wondering where Miss Lily is now that I am spending all my free time on the sofa in front of the woodburner and not upstairs at my art table.  Well she’s not so happy since there is no dedicated space for her to supervise my artings.  Here she is standing next to me as I sit on the sofa, and she’s not impressed. She’s actually standing on top of my Gratitude Junk Journal, which is another thing I am doing this month.

And when she’s not doing that, she does have a nice fabric box to play in.  That’s not really hers either but she has claimed it and I will need to find another one.

Currently Reading . . .

Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly.  *Spoilers* This is the seventh book in the Lincoln Lawyer series and I’m really loving the direction he has taken them, bringing Harry Bosch on board to work with Mickey.  It is interesting to compare the source material (this book series and the Bosch series) with the shows available on streaming services – Netflix have the Lincoln Lawyer series, and Amazon have Bosch and Bosch Legacy.  There is a comment in this book from Cisco (Mickey’s investigator) who says he would never do surveillance on a motorbike because it’s too conspicuous and yet in the TV series he does exactly that.  I guess it looks good on TV but of course he would stand out like a sore thumb!  Also in the Bosch spin-off show, Bosch Legacy, they have Harry working for Money Chandler (defence lawyer) but as I mentioned, in the book series he is now working for Mickey (also a defence lawyer and relative).

Book 123

Genre:  Mystery

TOTAL for 2023
123 books so far

November Books so far – 7

(re-reads if any are in bold)

T Stands For . . .

Here’s my Covent Garden Mushroom soup as my ticket for tea – does soup count?  Some people drink soup in a mug so I think so.  Covent Garden soup company make lots of different soups that I can’t have because they are either full of dead animal bits (chicken soup) or dairy (cream of… just about everything.) The mushroom soup used to be a “cream of” but now I am very happy to say they have changed it to a vegan version with Vegan Society approval.  I am also very happy to say that it is DELICIOUS and full of mushrooms. Sainsbury’s had it on special at £1.25 instead of £2.20, not a bad cost for dinner – I ate the whole carton for dinner with some bread.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that all the shops were out of this brand of liquorice.  I’m happy to say it is now back in stock and I bought a few packets to stash away for liquorice emergencies!

Here’s a lovely photo of my maple tree before it lost all of its leaves.  The yellow leaves in the middle are part of my yellow jasmine that has wound itself around the branches.

Also joining in with the Autumn colour changes are my blueberry plants which have changed into this gorgeous pinky-red colour.

A few of the branches of the apple trees have dropped their apples on top of the hedge – very convenient!  Saves me picking them from the tree!

Let me know what you think in the comments.   As always, thanks for reading and Happy journalling!

Ingredients

small dylusions journal, watercolour, poscas, pitt pens, neocolours, pencil, fineliner, acrylic ink,

Challenges

T Stands For – mushroom soup, liquorice, autumn colours
Folktale Week – Instagram Challenge
Art Journal Journey – Nature