After the funeral

No, not the Agatha Christie one, this is a writer I just found out about 

Her stories are so powerful and filled with layers and questions and significance that the short story form is enough for the reader to deal with.

Oddly I found out about her from Florence Knapp's newsletter. I say oddly, because I know her as Flossie Teacakes, from whose book I learned English paper piecing, a far cry from literature.

This Florence 

As soon as I started the newsletter, I checked Libby, the library app, found a book of Hadley's short stories, and was engrossed in them before I finished reading the newsletter.

I really recommend her. The stories seem workaday, ordinary, but they're far from it. She can fill out a character in a few touches, and draw the reader in right away, such a sure touch.

Signs of life on the patio 

Here's the bulb that broke off when I separated the ponytail palm, and gave it a pot just to see what would happen 

And sansevieria, tossed away, looking dead, months ago, is making a determined comeback in unlikely places

Here's a flower from my seed strewing, name escapes me, but I'm thinking candytuft. Yes?  

Today's walk yielded this. 

One spent blossom, more buds. Wild? Garden escape? Please say if you know.

While I was waiting for the Misfits delivery, I was idly scrolling about in YouTube and found a lovely Elizabethan, Thomas Morley, quartet, this one, April is in my mistress' face a cynical love story but not.

So, long time since I played recorder, but I hauled them out and tried my hand, with these three in turn, soprano, alto, tenor. 

There's a harpsichord accompaniment, which showed me how amazingly out of tune and out of practice I was. 

I'd lost track of the fingerings, but they came back after a few false starts.  Alto is different from the other two, and I eventually realized I should also be playing this piece an octave up.

This was another hearing adventure, first music since hearing aids. A bit tinny, but that was probably my rusty playing. I was terrible and I had such a good time.

I'm going to leave the instruments and stand out, so I'll be encouraged to play more. And I'll find my sheet music, medieval, Renaissance and Elizabethan. It's time I played a bit.

Anyway Misfits arrived 

It occurs to me that it may not be crystal clear, blogistas not being mind readers, that I do these pictures and share them as my record of the condition on arrival, in case I need to take it up. I also check that the whole list arrived.  This is a good place to store that information.

It's also interesting to readers who like to see what I'm up to in the kitchen, just as I like to know what they cook and shop for.

The yogurt and fruit will be desserts, also greens, berries and seedy bread make great breakfasts. I'm using avocado oil a lot more since mayo became a staple, used all over, in salads, spread instead of butter. 

The eggs are beautiful, sturdy shells, yolks that stand up, very much like my mom's home raised ones. Feta cheese gets everywhere as a dressing, especially on the salad greens, red potatoes as a change from yellow, great for German, non mayo, potato salad. Plans for everything with an emphasis on easy.

So that's the state of Boud today. I think I'll take a nap now.

Happy day everyone. Plan to enjoy.

In nets of golden wyres

As I worked on the doll hair yesterday I got an earworm phrase. This is often how art titles come, and whole art concepts with them.

The phrase was "in nets of golden wyres", a canzonet duet by Elizabethan composer, musician, Thomas Morley, a great favorite when I played recorder. There's a series of these canzonets, which just means little songs. Likewise Michael East trios, another favorite song series to play..

As you notice, I haven't named the dolls as if they were people. That's because I mean them as art statements, in a series. But I was still waiting for them to tell me their statements, and to get the idea of the series.

And here they are, after I rummaged through my sheet music

You see the idea of the current doll there, the golden wires meaning her curly hair, which the narrator fell for, it's a love song.

And White as Lillies is the East phrase for the first doll. This doesn't mean I'll search for titles then make a doll that fits, but rather I'll make the doll then the phrase will come. Leap and the net will appear. My lifelong approach, hasn't failed me yet. 

If this thinking is all Greek to you, don't worry, just let it flow over you! I wonder what a Greek would say? If this is all English to you etc?

Meanwhile, back in the workshop, here's the narrative

Cotton roving, which I hope to learn to spin with my supported spindle, now waiting in the wings. It's soft as swansdown, lovely to handle, and I have plenty, so I can use it here to stuff Wyres.

Meanwhile, she has a body, downtime before I make limbs for her, and food is happening. 

Misfits box arrives later today, and I'm using the last of the sweet potatoes. 

Note the recycled bag marked stock. And the little heap of trimmings. I'm going to make vegetable stock from the trimmings from now on for a while. 

The trimmings I've been chucking out back have turned into fertile soil already, hence the sudden appearance of the squash plant, or melon, whichever, and the enormous growth of what was a tiny blackberry plant from out front.

So I will also do this:

Save up trimmings in the freezer, create stock eventually, toss the strained residue out back. Thank you, Leigh, blogger of 5 Acres & a Dream, for reminding me of this possibility.  Still nothing wasted. 

Go read her blog, it's lovely. You don't have to be a smallholder with crops and animals, living self sufficiently, eating what you grow, to enjoy her narrating the life of a couple who do all that.

And today's lunch is roasted sweet potatoes, in olive oil, Old Bay, currently my go-to, seasalt, and a chicken thigh, buttered and rolled in panko. 

I didn't pound this one thin, just left it rolled.

Next,  to empty the sink ready to wash fruit and veggies when the box arrives, and sort out strainers and colanders and cloths for inevitable water splashes.

It's all go!