April, where for art thou?

Hello dear Yarnies, yes it is I! Missing in action here ( but very much alive on other social media...ok, just my Group Page, still...😊 ).

April was A MONTH, as they say. One of those months where everything meant to happen in a year just decides to dump itself in one giant heap at your feet. Crochet? What Crochet? 😩

To begin, we had renovations. There were holidays in April and my dear Husband got all DIY minded. Mind you, he was sensible enough to call in professionals but even then what was meant to be a  "quick 3 - day - project " dragged on for almost two weeks! Knocking a huge hole through a wall was involved. As were angle grinders and 14-pound hammers. The noise! This was just the beginning. I know many of you have been through worse, so you'll completely understand that dust has got in absolutely EVERYWHERE. My lovely yarn wall had to be dismantled and put into safe storage! Can you imagine? 😞 It's mid-May and I am still finding dust patches in the most unlikely places. To say all this chaos and constant activity around threw me off my stride is an understatement. Augusta went on a sit-in protest and forced me to join her!!😼 I temporarily lost my Crojo. But that was then, and it's been fully restored since.

April also saw the passing of our beloved Staffordshire terrier, Joe. He was 15 years old, in human years 105! Completely blind and deaf but still up for a cookie, a walk or a splash in the ocean. Our rescue doggie, Roxy ( aka Soxy Roxy because of her little white socks ) has been most subdued since as she was his constant little companion and helper. On our walks, when Joe got a bit confused, she'd run next to him bumping him gently to help him stay on the path. Joe was special in that he LOVED Cats. Augusta still looks for him and then gives me the beady eye as if to say "where have you hidden him, Mom? "

Amidst our sadness, a new Pup entered our lives like a whirlwind of UBER puppiness! My eldest son decided to rescue a 4-month-old Pup from one of our local shelters, pretty much exactly the same time as he accepted a very challenging new job... so guess who's puppy-sitting these days? Needless to say, my home is no longer puppy-proof and things get chewed! I've had to put my yarn out of puppy reach. So when you hear me shouting, "Kai, put that down!"  in the videos of the new block, or random barking...😊

April was also the month that saw me taking a weekend break for the first time in a year. Not much of a rest though as we spent it at our off-grid cottage in the country where I suddenly got the urge to clean out the little storage room under the stairs ( meant to be a Harry Potterish guest room ) and turn it into... a Harry Potterish guest room! Ha! I was so pleased with myself that I decided to sleep there for the weekend, and Roxy joined me.
I seem to have lost the photographs I took but when they surface I will pop them in here.  My husband had the double bed upstairs all to himself for a change. It must have felt vast! Usually, we have at least one dog and one cat vying for space between us. Also, I didn't want to disturb the baby Pigeons who are nesting in the upstairs lookout ( a tiny porch built to rest the solar panels on...another "just a few days" project that went on and on! ).

In between all the movement and chaos, and sadness over Joe, I have actually managed to finally complete Wildflower. This cushion sized block is inspired by the wonderful flourish of flowers and greenery following our first rains of the season. The ongoing drought made this past Summer particularly difficult. Severe water restrictions meant that only saved grey water could be used to water plants. We allowed the grass to die a natural death and surprisingly the plants and shrubs survived due to my diligent watering with every spare drop!

But what a relief after the first rain. Our water tank filled to the brim, the overflow running into our pool. And every flowering thing has flowered! It's like second-Spring! Our garden is looking lush and colourful, attracting butterflies, bees and Honeybirds. Kai, being only 4 months old, barks at Butterflies! It's wonderful to see the world through a new Beings eyes. Like clockwork and heralding in the cooler months, the Cape Robins are back in the hedges and truly, there is nothing more delightful to my city-noise weary ears than to hear them trilling out their formidable repertoire of birdsong before dawn. Some Robins have up to 40 different chirps as they mimic sounds around them and those of other birds!

Watching the storm clouds gathering from my little studio.

Jasmine and the Argentinian Potato Plant couldn't be more pleased with the downpour! Oh, the fragrance! ❤

Black-Eyed Susan happily making it's way up the BBQ stand.! 😊

Poinsettia blooming really early!

A waterfall of Orange Trumpet Creeper over our back verandah! It's a Bee Buffet! ❤

Our favourite dog walk park, The Alphen greenbelt ( click on the link to see lots of lovely images! ) as well as other inner city and suburban greenbelts, frequented by cyclists and dog-walkers, strollers and nature babies have been sad places of late as we've watched the waterfalls, small lakes, and babbling brooks turn to sand and rock. Now the little streams that run through our local green-belts are babbling happily over their sandy river beds. Truly, Cape Town comes alive in Winter. It's my favourite season in this beautiful City.

On Friday 18, I will be releasing the pattern for " Wildflower "! I'm still totally in love with floral blocks but that's no surprise seeing as I am deeply attached to Earth. To me, it is all the Heaven I will ever need. In some way, my crochet will always reflect this passion for our natural world. Ok, so I wanted to do things a little differently this time. I am releasing the pattern with the videos only!  This I've done because so many of you talented and impatient Lovelies want to dive right in with the videos! For the Lovelies who prefer working from written patterns, the written pattern will be added on Monday.

Here's a little sneak peek to get you over the next 24-hours. 😉

Yes, Pom-Poms are involved. 😍

See you tomorrow!

❤ Jen

Pretty Purpely Things.

It's odd, don't you think, how some days we notice certain things, more than others. We often don't notice exactly the same things everyday. Like colours. One day it will be all Greens for me. Green will be OUTSTANDING. I will want to wear Green, paint walls Green and crochet Green things. Every shade, every subtle tone of Green will jump out at me. I'll ooo and aaaaah over blades of grass and the variations of Green therein, and every other colour will seem totally blah in comparison. Well, today it was all about the Purples.

Everywhere they popped out at me, shouting their Purples at me. Mind you, I'm not the only one who finds this colour in Nature so attractive. Bees and Butterflies, and I, vied for space...them to collect nectar and pollen, and me to snap a few shots! No easy project. Luckily I'm not allergic to Bees! Once someone told me that Bees and Butterflies adore Pink, Blue and Purple in the garden. Flies, apparently, are attracted to Reds, Yellows and Orange colours. That might be true?

Anyhow... mostly my crochet projects are inspired by nature's palette. It's almost impossible to go wrong if you follow natural combinations. I have a massive Folder filled with "colour inspiration", from Cloudscapes, to Landscapes, to Flower Fields, Tea Sets, Textiles, Stones, Shells, Glass and much more. :-)  Everything shouts out at me to be translated into something Crocheted!

I suppose Painters, Poets and Musicians feel this way too? :-) Considering I don't own a single item of clothing in Purple, and it's not my favourite colour, I found it odd that today this particular colour would appeal to me , so much!

Perhaps I should look up what Purple represents...the colours might be trying to tell me something? If I find out what it is, I'll let you know. :D

I hope today a colour sends a special message to you too. :-)  xxxxx

Sunrise!

For anyone who can't bear the idea of waking up earlier than the Sun, then please just give this post a miss! I understand. :-)  Three of my children were born late-risers and I often lamented what they were missing. Of course, they thought I was bonkers and there would be a lot of  rolling eyes while I got carried away describing the particular pinks and apricots of a Sunrise sky!

I'm guessing not too many people relate to the absolute bliss of an early morning rise? It seems almost as if the hustle, bustle and burdens of the previous day have been swept away. There is promise in the air, a new day, a fresh start. It feels magical. In those early hours before the Sun has fully risen, there is a stillness, an absence of man-made noises. Just the energetic tweets and twitters of "the early bird (s)", the comforting sound of the kettle about to boil, the clink of a spoon against a steaming mug of coffee. Then open the doors to let our dogs out, and a slow walk about the garden to see what bloomed overnight ( or survived a storm ). Usually I'll log into my computer and take a quick gander to see who's online on social media, or sometimes I'll take a quick peek into crochet Blogland. I don't spend too much time there because I have a habit of getting side-tracked and end up reading the latest news headlines and stories, which is guaranteed to ruin the moment. This morning, after the lovely soaking rains overnight ( very much needed and fairly late for the Cape of Storms ) I opened our back door to a splendid (I use that word deliberately) sky, which appeared truly renaissance!

I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see a host of winged creatures flitting about in the celestial glow! It was awesome...and I experienced no small measure of bliss. We live on a beautiful planet. That's all. :-) xxxxxxxx

Splashes of Bliss

...is perhaps a silly and obvious title for this, my very first post on my very new blog. Nevertheless, it's better to dive in than not even bother twiddling ones toes in the waters of Blogland. :-) I was wondering ( meandering thoughts ) about where one starts and stops a blog, and feedback on this puzzle would be most welcome. But onto the pretty things this week...when the Golden Shower vine burst into bloom, literally overnight.

Well, there were one or two pre-blossoms which didn't get me all blissfully worked up seeing as our tiny garden looks South, straight into every gale, every bluster, every gust swishing up from the south pole! I have a beautiful shrub that remains shredded from the last Black South-Easter! So my expectations were low.

Anyhow back to my bliss ( see, it's not easy to find ), and the glorious rain of Golden Showers! I've added a link here with more info.More about Golden Shower creeper here... I have a totally rubbish camera and tried, in vain I think, to snap the Bees, the hundreds of Bees gorging themselves on pollen and nectar contained in these luscious trumpetty blooms. I forgot that Bees have a sting-attraction to Black, and of course my hair is dark! But this was all forgotten as I nosed right into the vine, amongst the buzzing horde, who thankfully took me for the clot I was and just ignored me. :-) Oh gosh, I was in 7th heaven, blissfully taking in the deep, rich, vibrant orange of the flowers, the dark, olivey- green leaves and elegant, delicate, yet tenacious, snaky tendrils... all set against a gloomy grey-blue background skyscape.

 This vine, which was planted many moons ago by my late mom-in-law, as been given a new lease on life since I took to watering it, everyday, come rain or shine. There's been nothing extra added, no special plant foods, mulching or composting and I'm awed (and not a little humbled) by it's generous, appreciative display. As I poked my head among the blooms I whispered, thank, thank, thank you. Absolute bliss! xxxxxxxxxx.