Starting again

I'm trying to get back to drawing everyday. I know that eventually I'll want to draw everything: I'll see interesting lines, combination of objects, unusual angles everywhere. But for now the hardest thing is choosing something to draw. So to prevent my indecision from sabotaging my resolution I printed out Every Day Matters challenge list, but to make it even easier for myself I'm starting with watching Channel 4's Life Class: Today's N*de and drawing with the great artists.

Days without naps

I drew this sketch back when I was drawing everyday. I’m glad I did, as it helps me to remember the exact way she looked while sleeping at that age. So many moments fly away too quickly to be savoured and remembered.

She no longer naps, I no longer draw. There are advantages to the days unbroken by naps, but I’m still too new to this stage to savour them fully. She wakes up so early, we enjoy the day, she falls asleep also earlier than before. However, as morning person myself, after the fullness of the day I feel stuck in the dim fog. What were those brilliant ideas I thought up in the morning? Why was I excited about all the little things I noticed throughout the day? What did I want to share with you? Too tired and lost I start doing whatever happens to pop into my mind first. I used to wake up before everyone else to plan my day, to assign priorities, to choose few tasks to start or even to get done. Without the morning planning I feel that my life and my surroundings are too cluttered. I wish to step outside the front door, to hide away from my own life. Yet I know that I will adjust, I will figure out a way to simplify, to plan, to keep the excitement, to dream. I just need to give myself enough time to puzzle out this new shifted landscape of my life.

Renovations started

The builders (or Bodie Builder as Katya calls them, though she means to say Bob The Builder) started today. Bye-bye old kitchen! Bye-bye the wall, Bye-bye ugly carpet and ceiling. Bye fridge (I miss you already)!

1. Today: Morning, 2. Today: Late afternoon

Question to self: Why didn't we try all the various colours on the bit of the wall that was destined to be removed? (and we still have no idea what colour we will paint the walls)

Something to Watch

I was hoping to blog today, but instead we watched Yann Arthus-Bertrand's Home. Breathtakingly beautiful and breathtakingly scary, definitely worth watching.

Oops

I'm glad the builders are coming on Monday to start work downstairs, as our kitchen is starting to fall apart

Summer week

This week I was grateful for the shade these trees provide.

After two damp grey summers I'm glad to have a lot of sunny days to enjoy, but at the same time I'm realistic about my ability to deal with heat, which is pretty low. So we mostly stayed at home playing in the new sandpit, splashing in the tiny paddling pool and enjoying picnics on the newly made picnic rug (Tutorial is over here).

All week I was planning to make a skirt for Katya and maybe one for myself, but at the end of each day I didn't want to be anywhere near a hot iron. Eventually over the weekend with the help of the intended recipient and following very clear, detailed and illustrated tutorial from Erin of House on Hill Road I made the Strawberry skirt.
Actually the Picnic Blanket tutorial is also Erin's - she writes great ones, specially good for beginners like me, who have to be told all the steps. Maybe I should make her Sunny Day Dress or Top? Or maybe I should start thinking about autumn and knit Them Apples cardigan? I'm still a horribly slow knitter due to the lack of practice. I was thinking a lot lately about my inability to concentrate on one craft, yet with every new skill learned the more I notice the relationships between various things; the easier it becomes to pick up a new skill; the more appreciation and understanding I have for the work of others and the more I want to learn. Maybe one day something will capture my interest and hold it for the rest of my life, but even exploring the depths of one area I'll always keep in mind words attributed to Socrates:

The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

In last few weeks

Was it really more than a month without posts? But I guess you know how it is – I didn’t post for few days and there were more and more topics I wanted to write about, so I kept on postponing until tomorrow and with every day it was getting harder and harder to find time to sit down and start typing.
It’s been busy few weeks:
We painted the guest room, which will become the study/studio at the end of this summer. Katya helped, so it took much longer than expected.

I finally made something from Weekend Sewing book by Heather Ross - one headscarf for me and one for my daughter. I'm planning to make few other things from that book, maybe even next week.

Paul from Oz and his lovely girlfriend stayed with us and on their departure gave Katya a box of LEGO DUPLO . She loves playing with it and so do I.

Few other friends were in London for few days, but we didn't get to spend as much time with them as we would like.

My mum managed to get to our house despite Tube (underground) strike and spent three weeks with us. Every morning she managed to tempt Katya into hairbrushing by promise of braids.

We went to Chatham Dockyards and Maritime museum at Greenwich, which reminded me that I find naval (especially Arctic exploration) history fascinating.

While my mum babysat, my husband and I went to Browns for high afternoon tea (delicious, relaxing and fascinating part of English culture) and to see new Star Trek movie, which made me want to run away from home to join Starfleet.

I got a box of books at the Amnesty International book sale and one of them, Mog in The Dark by Judith Kerr, became Katya's new favourite. I'm so glad I no longer have to read "Railway Series" stories everyday.

We are slowly adding plants to our garden, but I came to accept that it will take years to get it to the harmonious state.
Katya seem to like wakeing up shortly after sunrise - it's not too bad during long London winter nights, but is pretty early (even for me) in summer. Tomorrow she'll be up at around 5:30, it's almost 10pm now and so it's time for me to go off to bed. Sweet dreams to you all.