2013 intentions

This is rather late, but I did write the original list one sleepless January night in Venice. 

The last couple of years have been full to bursting with Life Events and change and the accompanying stresses and anxieties. So I am looking forward to a year of chugging rather than lurching and trying to minimise the negative, whether it's people who make me feel bad or taking a more positive view of life. 

So here are my 2013 intentions:

• take control of what I want to have in my life
• be more organised and balanced in how I use my time 

• inspired by Jane Davila I will try and blog twice a week
• minimise commitments to make or exhibit things or do any challenges - I've done challenges for the last 8 years and I think I need a break - 2013 is play time!
• I'm not going to have anyone in my life who is negative or makes me feel bad - just not going to engage
• think before I buy more stuff, whether it's supplies, clothes or books (actually maybe not the books - I always need books)

• not leave so many shoes under the desk...

mr toby cat

You may remember my guardian cat Toby, who went missing for 10 months after we moved house and was miraculously restored to us last April.

He is now a glossy and contented cat with strong views on computers and the way they detract from lap availability.

le weekend

This weekend has been a comfortable mix of work and domesticity. I have my 6 month progress review for my MA in 6 weeks time and have to have a draft chapter, a progress report and a presentation.  So I have been chugging along with the chapter and have reached the minimum word limit with plenty more to say and that feels really good.

Intercut with reading, making notes and actual academic writing has been some steady progress on knitting my Citron shawl/scarf (pattern here)

 and making the first pesto of the season. 

Kind Dog is power-writing along with his novel and all is benign in the Kind Dog/seahorse household.

*Thank you to recent commenters for your kind words - very cheering :)

This week has felt bitsy, fragmented. 

 The kids went back to school yesterday, so it was briefly back to the normal routine but now it's the weekend again. I'm still suffering from what I thought would be a routine dentist trip and has given me a sore face and headache since Wednesday.

All very discombobulating and sook inducing. I feel rather unravelled - a bit like this ancient veil of Santa Marina, in the Santa Maria Formosa in Venice

 

lacunae

a work in progress - linen, lace, silk and cotton thread

Alas, poor Max

our little black cat Max died while we were in Europe. He had some kind of horrible accident - a run-in with a dog or extra large possum - and died under a bush in our front garden.  Where he was found by my poor teenage daughter - she and my Mother gave Max a dignified burial.

Poor little Max - sadly missed.

blessed

On 29 December 2012 Kind Dog and I had our marriage blessed in the ancient stone church of St Boniface in Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight.

You may remember that we had our first wedding at home with our Australian family back in June last year which was just lovely. And then we had the legal ceremony in October. So we wound up the Year of Getting Married with Kind Dog's family in the UK.

 It was a lovely combination of solemn formality and a relaxed sharing and acknowledgement of our happiness and amazement at having found each other.

We were very lucky in having Vivienne as priest and not some comb-overed, cardiganned vicar going through the motions. Vivienne made it a very personal and meaningful service which was even more amazing as we had only met the day before at the rehearsal.

Apart from adapting the service to include bits about us, she included a lovely ritual of surrounding us with a blue satin ribbon (bought by her to match my dress - I did wonder why she asked me what colour my dress was when we were at the rehearsal) as a symbol us of us being bound to each other; and then asked all the congregation to come forward and hold the ribbon and promise to support us in our marriage. It was a really special moment.

She also presented us with a kitchen timer to use if we felt tempted to argue - in case of narkiness, set the timer and if you're still narky in 60 minutes, then it's gloves off. Luckily we are not good at narkiness - we have now spent almost 24 hours a day together for 11 months and have had no irritation or boredom. We still prefer each other's company to all others.

Style Notes: of course being the northern hemisphere in the middle of winter it was cold, but it didn't rain or sleet. And yes that is a real fur coat I'm wearing, get over it; it was very cosy. The dress is a midnight blue and black brocade by Viedler and Fink in Fitzroy, the shoes are Fluevogs, the pearls were bought in Rome last year.  Kind Dog wore a cashmere sweater and a cashmere coat with a mink collar.