flora

Two things that make my world more lovely at the moment: My African Violet, that I purchased for 26p from a charity shop and now lives happily in a tea cup, has flowered! African violets make me think of my Grandmum, who always keeps a few of them on her kitchen windowsill.




Also, on midsummer's day, which this year was our two year engagement anniversary, Malcolm and I bought our first ever orchid, a purple dendrobium. It has been looking lovely for over a month now...

Ghost forest

My usual trip to and from work each day takes me past one of my favourite Oxford places, the natural history and Pitt Rivers Musuem, it's exactly how I think a museum should be, dinosaur skeletons, a stuffed Kakapo, and cases full of live (1) giant millipedes or chongololos, as we knew them as kids in Zimbabwe. It houses the dodo that was the inspiration for from Alice in Wonderland's dodo. And it has some shrunken human heads, seriously creepy specimens.

It also owns almost 2/3rds of the collection of Wilfred Thesiger's African photographs, and is currently exhibiting some of these.

Here's a couple of photos that really don't do the place justice:







And Mum, this one's just for you...




But, I digress... one morning, when I was cycling past, I saw lots of activity, and trucks and cranes and all sorts. And later that day, Ghost Forest was there, on the lawn of the Museum. It gave me goosebumps, it's a stunning exhibition, an incredible feat of logistics to raise awareness of the plight of rain forests. I felt like I was walking among the bones of giants.

bunting fun-thing punting

I have been a bit slow to catch on to the bunting fever that seems to have struck my crafty friends. but now, I seem to have come down with it big time. It all began when I was in London helping the site vibing team for Greenbelt, lead by the well talented Saga Arpino (great name too) get things ready for Greenbelt in August. I sewed a fair few flags... and a bit of bunting ...and when I got home all I could think of was the fabulous fabrics stashed away in our little loft. I do love fabric.

Witness the results... mmmmm. it's like a portable, festive patchwork quilt. recycling, up cycling, festivality bunting tastic.







this last pic just cos i like it, when in oxford, one goes punting in the summer time. Here's Malcolm in fine style...