When You Lose Your Mojo

‘Have you lost your mojo ?’ a friend enquired, you haven’t put anything on your blog for ages she said. I have been absent from this space for quite some time for no particular reason. So I thought about what I had been doing and decided that my absence has been largely due to a major remodelling my garden.

Something pretty before the destruction

I decided to remove the English box hedge. It was more than thirty years old but required a lot of pruning to keep it to a height that matched the scale of the garden. I loved the formal design element but having had some issues with my back and shoulders I decided it was time for something a little easier to manage. 

It was definitely a major exercise and was done over a period of several weeks. With the parterre / hedge gone  we are focussing on some soil improvement  and developing a new design.

From this to this

With all of this destruction the cooking was definitely a low priority and more a case of cooking what was quickest and easiest. An exception was the making of my grandson’s birthday cake. 

A cardboard Titanic sinking into a chocolate mud cake sea with marshmallow and white chocolate icebergs.

Lots of knitting, more about these another time.

And some more from the garden, despite all of the destruction there are still some very pretty pockets of flowers and green.

Garden Inspiration

In recent weeks I have been lucky enough to go on a couple of garden tours and the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

First up was a trip to the Presbytery in Clunes, opened as part of the Open Gardens Scheme. It is always good to see a developing garden. New owners to the property and a desire to remodel and create a new garden. Clunes is very windy, hot and dry in Summer and cold in Winter. Planted up in a Mediterranean style with lots of hardy plants.

Making good use of established trees as a backdrop and creating stone walks and feature pots

A few quirky things, the rhubath, making good use of an old bath for the rhubarb

Arrangements of old things and lovely little places for morning tea.

The medicinal herb and veggie area

On the way home we had a visit to Lambleys, a well known garden and plant supplier. Such an impressive garden and  on the grand scale. 

Then a week later the fun of the Melbourne Flower and Garden Show. So much to see and buy. I couldn’t resist treating myself to some new loppers, some nerines  and a few succulents that would be new to my collection.

Too big for my garden but such a fun sculpture as was this cat one.

Amazing garden rooms, set up for the show and then dismantled

I love my garden but have neglected it somewhat in the past year. The garden tours have given the impetus to come home and get stuck in. So for the past week there has been a lot of pruning and hard  hedging. It is looking a little butchered but with some TLC, soil improvement, fertiliser, water and a bit of time it should recover.

There is still plenty of colour behind the hedges

And a novel solution to provide shade for the newly planted wall of hydrangeas, luckily I have lots of these folding chairs.

and lots of potted plants, mostly succulents but they create great visual interest with the variety of  size, shapes and textures.

It’s A Crazy Room

This is my creating room. My house is really old and does not lend itself to a studio space, however, I am lucky that I have a room of my own to play and create in. 

It is a crazy room. In reality it is a giant storeroom, there are books, knick knacks, finished projects and unfinished projects all crammed in together on the shelves, in cupboards and in carefully constructed 

piles on the floor. My sewing table has a sewing machine permanently set up and a large cutting mat on top that also doubles as a washable work surface. I love to make and create and my interests are varied, this in part explains the various piles and baskets on the floor and in cupboards. Downsizing may prove to be a difficult thing.

These are some of my art dolls and sculptures. Generally I make in response to a theme or challenge, these are inspired by artists or art movements.

Inspired by Picasso

Artists’ nude

Dal bird, inspired by Salvador’s Dali.

Horus, the Egyptian God

Ballet dancer, referencing Degas

Frida Kahlo, referencing her last painting, Viva la Vida

Another Picasso (cubist) influenced doll.

And a work in progress, not sure who this cat will be.

A Slow Start

Perhaps it is a sign of the times, the year that we have had and getting older but it has really been a slow start to the year. Christmas came and went with the same fanfare and festivity albeit with reduced numbers, followed by a few days of visitors as holiday plans were abandoned and then it was New Year. It seems as though we were not alone in our quieter celebrations.

It has become a tradition for us to celebrate the passing of the year with Oliebollen and Appelflappen. A late afternoon treat with Tina and Frank who continue with their Dutch traditions.

There has been more time in the garden

Which has loved the attention and all the rain that we have had.

Lush growth, gorgeous dahlias and Calla lilies 

My Christmas project. Each year I do a run of some handmade Christmas decoration.

It started with these. Christmas stockings, mostly filled with chocolates or sometimes small items that suited the recipient.

And then very quickly escalated into a massive production

I have made enough for the next two Christmases

While I had the box of red fabrics out I also started cutting out these Santa’s. A few people managed to score one as well as a stocking, however, a good number of these are now made and ready for 2021.

And while I was at it I made a few Christmas cards ( for the cat lovers in my life) from some of my prints. I always print way more than I need and this is a good way to use them up.

What has has been a slow and gentle start to the year has also been quite productive.