New skill / New fabric stash

When I was in my teens, I made my first patchwork quilt. It was mainly constructed from fabric scraps, was totally uneven, had blocks that weren’t quite rectangle, and was backed with a strange satin-like material that was always freezing cold in winter. But, for a first attempt and absolutely no one to guide me, I was pretty proud of my little misshapen quilt.

Sadly, I realised a few weeks ago that it’s in desperate need of retirement, as it’s been washed so many times that it’s both frayed and sun-worn. But it kept me warm on the couch for more than 15 winters, was loved up by the kids, and provided added padding in Lou’s bassinette when she was a babe. Which, I think, is pretty good innings for a badly made anything.

But lucky me! Yesterday, my lovely friend Michelle and I booked into a beginners quilting course, at the Quilter's Corner. I’m just a teeny bit obsessed with this lovely place; Liisa always seems to stock the most beautiful fabrics, and everyone is just so friendly, helpful and so wonderfully creative.

I’m totally bursting: I can’t wait to start!

My new fabric stash – beautiful, huh?

So looking forward to learning a new skill and meeting other local beginners…

Nat



What's in a name?

I’ve been thinking a lot about names lately.

It’s because I’ve been writing this set of stories for the longest time, and the tale I’m working on at the moment has a nameless main character. Which, shouldn’t really matter, but it does. I guess it's because I’m a firm believer in a name meaning something, and even having the ability to shape your character (even if it’s only in my constructed fictional world). So while I’ve been wondering about my child-characters name and how this single word defines her, it’s prompted me to look over the old Shakespeare musing – what’s in a name? And does a name fit to a person, or does a person grow into a name?

Definitely the hardest name choice to date would be naming our children. David and I struggled over names for days once our babies were born – and argued (in a friendly way) about all the names we loved or hated during those long months leading up to their arrival. For my first pregnancy and babe, I was so utterly convinced that I was having a girl, that when the doctors placed our small wriggling son onto my belly, I was absolutely astonished: A boy? Really?

It took us more than a day to find a name for our wee lad because nothing seemed to suit him. Luckily, I had, at some stage during the pregnancy, jotted down the name Judah into my journal – I liked the biblical history behind the name; it spoke to me of strength, tenacity, determination. His name also has a wonderful pictorial representation - the mighty lion, battle ready. We’re all for double meanings and finding significance in the everyday – and were delighted when we found that it linked so beautifully with daddy David’s English/Viking heritage, both represented in a similar way by the lion.

But, best of all, when we held our tiny newborn son and spoke his new name over him, it just…fit. It became him. And over time, he grew into this mighty name.

The second pregnancy came quickly and blissfully – and when our daughter was born, there was only one name for her: Lyra.

Lyra is actually a constellation – images of the cluster of stars show a rainbow of beautiful colour, and one of the brightest stars in the sky, Vega. The stars form the pattern of an ancient lyre – or I guess, a guitar. Our small family loves music; it’s been a common love between David and I, and we’re so fortunate that our children seemed to have inherited this absolute love of music as well. Both of the kids were introduced to music in utero – crackly, but much-loved jazz records, the Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, BB King and Bob Marley, lots of impromptu guitar playing, lots of made up melodies and a dash of classical thrown in for good measure. We loved the connection between this beautiful name, the musical influences and love of music that we were trying to instil into their young lives.

And little Lyra Meredith so suited her new name.

But unlike Judah, sweet Lyra is mostly known for her pet name, Lou. Judah was only 14 months old when our girl was born, and Lyra proved to be quite a mouthful for one so young. So, cooing to her one morning while still in the hospital, I played around with nicknames - and Lyra became Lyra-Lou, which was shortened to Lou, and then affectionately extended to Lou-Lou. And it stuck.

The hardest part about choosing names – especially for children? The fact that you’ve got to speak them and love them for the rest of your life. And maybe, because I’m a writer and love words so much, I so wanted to find names that meant something – to us, yes; but also names that were strong, beautiful, different.

If you have children, how did you choose their names? Do you place importance in the meaning behind a name?

Nat

Ps. I was apparently named after legendary actress, Natalie Wood, but few people, if any, call me Natalie. Actually, when my whole name is said, I feel like I’m being scolded; I’m so used to being called Nat or Nattie that anything else feels like I’m in some kind of trouble from my mama. Are you like this too - more comfortable with your nickname than your given name?

Grateful #14 - What are you thankful for today?

Happy weekend, lovely readers!

I’ve always been a big fan of getting things done around the house. We’ve got a list as long as my arm of things that we’re keen to do to our airy, light-filled home, but we’re realistic – some of our must-haves may never happen; others may take ten years to complete. I’m ok with that.

I’ve wished big wishes for a studio space here, and quite frequently lapse into crazy daydreams about building something wonderful in our leafy backyard. And even while my imagination goes haywire, I’m aware that my musings are not really about a fancy-shmancy space; it’s more about having a room that belongs to me - where my books are safe (from babes who have taken to sneakily ripping random pages), and where I can work on and leave out whatever project I happen to be doing, without the threat of inquisitive sticky fingers wanting a look too. A place where carefully cut material will stay exactly where I left it, bobbins won’t disappear, and pins don’t have to be monitored. A quiet place, with a door to close, and lots of light.

(Oh dear. Even as I’m writing this, I feel horribly selfish for all the mine, mine, mine! connotations in the previous paragraphs… but, creatively minded or not, I’m sure you know what I mean)

So, with all of that in mind, this week, I’m very, very grateful for:

My lovely new sewing space.  It started with a fold-up table I found in the shed, and the realisation that we actually had space in our bedroom for a sewing nook. Oh happy day! I eagerly scrubbed down the table, moved all of my bits and pieces into the bedroom, and set up right in front of the bright bay window, overlooking the vege garden and the street. I’ve been sewing in there daily, and it’s such a treat! A closed door to keep everything safe, and a cheerfully lit corner with a lovely, leafy view.

And then, Dave, partner-carpenter extraordinaire, found a bench top in the magic shed that he’d saved from a dismantled kitchen, and he spent an afternoon sanding it back to brand new honey-coloured wood. It’s going to be stained, sealed, legged and fitted to my bay window spot to make a semi-permanent sewing space.

I’m so happy; can you tell? And so grateful for a small space that’s all my own in the busyness and bustle of our family home. It’s my little, neat, organised piece of handmade heaven.

What are you grateful for this week?

Nat

Ps. Linking up with the wonderful Maxabella Loves – and you can too! Link your grateful post here, or write your grateful list in the comments section below.

Six Things...

I like learning oddments of information about people.

You know, the small tidbits that may give depth to a person’s character, but actually offer no real usefulness (except maybe being an insight into their quirks, or how they work). For example, this week, I learnt that my partner had a plate when he was a young man to fix his teeth, and that the plate was fitted incorrectly leaving a dint in the roof of his mouth. Random, and kind of useless - but interesting to me, none-the-less.

So, in the spirit of random facts, here’s something you may not know about me:

1. I really, really, really love filling out forms. I’m not exactly sure why, but give me a booklet with hundreds of questions, and I’m in survey heaven.
2. I can’t roll my r’s, twist my tongue, raise one eyebrow or whistle very loud. But I am double jointed in my fingers, and can stretch and spread them quite far apart. Which is the most useless skill of all to have.
3. My favourite book of all time is The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood. I love her – I think she’s just the wisest, most beautiful writer. And I was over the moon to find a children’s picture book by the lovely Margaret at our local library, that she wrote and illustrated in the 60’s called Up in the Tree. It’s delightful.
4. A quirk that I think a lot of people have – I can’t sleep with a cupboard door open in my bedroom. Not even a little crack. And up until a few years ago, I also used to casually glance under the bed every night, to make sure there was nothing underneath – even though my logical brain would shout out “This is RIDICULOUS!” I somehow always manage to re-check the locks twice, and re-lock my car at least three times before bed.
5. I’ve always been a bit forgetful; if I don’t write it down, I probably won’t do it. So, I have a diary and a notebook that go with me everywhere, which is filled with scribbles and notes and cryptic messages (that I sometimes can’t quite remember what were supposed to mean).
6. We have a resident carpet python who currently resides in our roof cavity; the last skin we pulled out was more than six metres long. There are also a few ‘babies’ that turn up every couple of weeks, which are only about three metres in length, and who are so tricky at camouflage, that you’ll walk past them a few times before totally freaking out.

A ‘baby’ we found outside a few weeks ago.

Got a random fact or quirk about you? I’d love to hear it! Post it in the comments section below…

 

Nat

This glorious morning...

Making me smile today:

Image from here. (As said by the White Queen in Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll)

Happy Tuesday!

Nat



Spirited Sophia

Spirited Sophia skips about - her arms are flapping wings;

She swoops and leaps and chortles, giggling as she sings:

“Today I’m a bird – no, a lion! Or wait, a shrieking bat –

I’m a tall necked giraffe, a bleating lamb, and a prowling cat.

I love the way that penguins slide and the graceful gazelle leaps;

And I’d love to be a slow brown bear, in a hibernating sleep.

I’m a busy bee tumbling into flowers, pollen all stuck to my legs;

I’m a slow moving rhino, a long-legged spider, a puppy sitting up to beg.”

“Oh my, Sophia – what a changeling you are!” I say to her with a smile,

“You’ve a whole zoo in your imagination; perhaps I’ll stay a while?”

Sophia beams her biggest grin, and leaps into the air –

“And look! Now I’m a fierce dragon, breathing fire without a care…”

Available now in our Etsy store, or meet her at our stall at Mathilda’s Market on the 6^th of August!

Grateful #13 - What are you thankful for today?

I remember my beloved grandmother saying, a very long time ago, that life goes by in the blink of an eye once you’re an adult, and to never wish your young days away. At the time, I was in my early teens and impatient for the idea of what being a grown-up really meant; and I wished with all my might for a decade to hurry up and pass, so I could do all the wonderful things I’d been dreaming of.

My Grandmother, Renee, as a young mother in India

I’ve been remembering my grandmother a lot lately; small, wise, softly spoken woman that she was. And she was right – as she usually was – time does slip away from you when you’re a grown up; weeks turn into busy months, and months tumble into years, and things happen faster than you could ever imagine.

With that in mind, this week I’m grateful for:

Timeless-ness. I’ve had to explain to the kids quite a lot lately about doing things ‘tomorrow’ or ‘next week’ or ‘another time.’ It’s still such a tricky concept for them to grasp, because everything is NOW! or in an hour, and the prospect of waiting, even a day, is often met with wails of disapproval.

But goodness, I like their idea of ‘right now’ - it’s so wonderfully spontaneous, and it sometimes makes me wonderfully spontaneous too.

Old fashioned advice. How wonderful is it to be given a good piece of advice?

(Alright, I freely admit that I’m not always 100% receptive to it; but when it’s relevant, done with kindness and in the spirit of genuine sharing, I do love and welcome it)

My Grandma was very good at advising in the gentlest, most considerate way, and it’s something that I’d like to emulate in my own life. Sometimes, I manage quite well; other times I’m so far off and rambling and should just keep my random pieces of advice to myself, thank-you-very-much. But in spite of my bumbling advisory tactics, I’m so grateful for the small tidbits of advice I’m personally given on a week to week basis, from trusted friends, family, chance-met strangers, my partner and even my children (who know all about everything and anything), because most of the time, it’s done in love and given in kindness, which really is a wonderful thing.

What are you grateful for this week?

Nat

Ps. Want to play too? Link your grateful post to the delightful Maxabella Loves, or write your list in the comments section below x