Saturday night....ordinary but loving (at home)

Sorry about the lack of posting this week, and thanks so much for all your lovely comments on my previous post. This week, both hubby and I have been overwhelmed with work....and to confess, in my spare moments, I have been checking out NY Fashion week....give or take here and there, overall the collections were bland and disappointing...maybe London will be better. Anyway, Saturday night saw the hubby (Gareth) and I watching DVD's, on his computer screen in our combined study/art space. As you can tell from the pics below, my life is pretty much run of the mill at present....but as my dad likes to say, at least ordinary is better than disaster.

Corners of my home

It's Sunday evening here as I write this, and while I don't quite have the Sunday night blues, I wouldn't mind the weekend lasting for a bit longer. This afternoon I sat out in the garden reading my book, and it was so lovely I wanted the afternoon to last forever.....

Sunday is peaceful

These are some journal pages I did about a month ago. The Sunday was the day my step-sister and her family left to live in Australia. I haven't been doing much journalling over the past few weeks. I'm getting bored with my journalling style, I'm feeling like I need to be doing something different, I'm just not sure what yet. Step one will be to buy a new blank spiral journal, once I've got around to that I can start experimenting.

This is what I planted in my garden today. It was another gorgeous Spring day, if a little windy. I planted basil, oreganum, white viola's, white geraniums and pink carnations. I've never tried growing carnations before, but I saw these beautiful fabulously bright pink ones when I was at the nursery and they jumped out and said "Buy me! Buy me!" So of course I did. I spoke to the plants nicely as I planted them, and welcomed them to their new homes, all the while saying a silent prayer that the dogs wouldn't get to them. I adore my dogs, but when it comes to the garden, it's an ongoing battle......and one that I intend to win!

Spring posies

It's so lovely in Johnnesburg at the moment. We are having gorgeous, sunny Spring weather, and flowers and blossoms are bursting into bloom all around. In my garden, things are flowering really well, with some plants that have never bothered to flower before finally deciding to show off exactly how splendid they can be.

Corners of my home

Some art I did the other day because I'm happy that Spring is here

The side of my fridge - that's a tried and tested and loved Jamie Oliver recipe for Chilli Con Carne that my husband makes to absolute perfection

The front of my fridge.

One of three painted wooden statuettes from Thailand

A painted metal wall ornament I got down in Kynsna

Flowers in my garden

The cutest pair of puppy paws.

A lot of the walls in my house are this awful yellowy beige colour. When we moved in about three years ago I had planned to slowly redo and repaint. But now our plans have changed and we will be selling and moving on within the next year or so. So, seeing that the paint is in good condition I don't want to go to the expense of repainting the whole house if we're going to be moving. I will have to do the passage at some point because when the geyser burst a couple of months ago it ruined the paint there. Also I might do my bedroom which is the most disgusting shade of light blue, the rest I can live with.

Some corners of my home

Ask....and the universe will provide. No kidding....really! You won't believe it but a few days ago I posted about how much I wanted a polaroid camera. Now I have not one, but two! I mentioned to a friend of mine that you can buy polaroid film off eBay which I discovered thanks to Mila, owner of my new favourite blog Loveology. My friend then says to me, " Take my poloroid camera's, and keep them for as long as you like". The older one on the left might not work but the little one definitely does. Now I just have to save up for the film....that's the harder part:)

Alters, shrines and sacred spaces

I found an interesting book in my local thrift shop some time ago. It's called "Alters and Icons, Sacred Spaces in Everyday Life" by Jean McMann. It's basically a collection of photographs of the sacred spaces people create in their homes. It could be a proper relious alter or shrine, or a simple collection of treasured objects and photo's on a table or shelf. Here are some images from the book.

Step-ladder shrine

Table top sacred space

Kitchen shelf collection

A simple arrangement of objects along a window sill

A car shrine

A garden shrine

Well, I got so inspired after going through the book that I had to rush off and start working on something of my own. I found the ideal space in a little alcove off my bedroom. It's a work in constant progress, and gets changed around and added to whenever the mood takes me.

This is a little jewellery box, a bit water stained now and worse for wear. It was a gift from my uncle who lives in Canada when I was about eleven years old. I loved it immedietely and it became one of my most prized possessions - I had always wanted one of those jewellery boxes with the ballerinas that rotate to music, and to me at the time, this was perfection in every way. Straight away I used it to store keepsakes - and I have to admit that there are a couple of things inside it that I have no idea why I kept, or why they were special to me at the time. Here are some of the things in the box:

These objects I do remember, most notably the Cinderella watch. It came with a white strap, it was my first watch when I learned to tell the time at about six years old and it was my pride and joy.

Some seashells from a family holiday in Umhlanga rocks, I was about thirteen at the time.

A collection of bangles from various times of childhood and adolescence, now very much worn and faded.