Tuesday, June 25, 2013

ABC Wednesday
The letter is X and the choice of flower is really quite easy.  Not too many X's dwell in the Land of Flowers, so not much confusion in picking one!

Behold the lovely Xeranthemum

 
Otherwise known as the Everlasting, or Immortelle
 
A hardy annual which blooms even in poor soil, and whose flowers stay open in cloudy
weather, I am pleased to tell you..
 
The Immortelle begins to bloom in early summer and continues through autumn.
 
Wonderful for dried flowers.  Cut when the buds begin to open and hang
them by the stems, with their heads down, in a shady dry area for a couple of weeks, to dry.
 
There was a time in my life when the outdoor porch was full
of dried plants hanging from the rafters
but the Everlasting was the most charming and dependable
of them all.
 

 
 
You might know it by another name, 'strawflower'
 
but whatever its name it is precious for providing colour from the garden
in the midst of winter, whether in bouquets or in wreaths.
 
 
 
 
For more takes on the letter X visit here at ABC Wednesday, with many thanx to
everyone who brings this xcellent meme to us weekly.

Monday, June 24, 2013

June 24th, 2013

Another day that finds us enveloped in grey clouds, mist and almost continuous showers,
 but yesterday was a little gem amidst all these drizzly days.
 
I opened my eyes to sunshine and immediately sprang out of bed and put a skein of white singles wool to soak in warmish water and a cup of vinegar; drained the day lilies which have been sitting on the kitchen counter for days, releasing their lovely orange dye and beginning to look a little gelatinous, and only then I got dressed.  This sunny day was a long time in coming, and I didn't plan to waste any of it.
 
 
 
Before I walked to church I put the wool in with the dye in a large glass jar, placed it outside in the sunshine, and carried on with my day while the sun gently heated the whole mixture and coaxed the transfer of flowers to wool.  Lovely, - here it is today, hung to dry; a beautiful pale yellow skein hanging from the shower head and draining into the bathtub.
 
 

 
Yesterday was really a most satisfying day - our two eldest sons came riding by and scooped me up for dinner at The Ranch Restaurant, and what a splendid time we had.  Life is made up of these unexpected pleasures and one must snatch them and hold them close and treasure them as compensation for the unexpected tragedies that also take us by surprise!

I had a wonderful fresh crisp salad and breaded veal cutlets, Charles' favourite when dining out......

Today seems to be a 'yellow' day as I cut  lemony silk strips to start a new silk mat, or bag, or pillow cover, - whatever the current warp and weft suggests....

Rainy days can always be filled with sunny starts. 



It is a day for weaving.