New Life

Greetings to a new season.

Yes, it’s Spring! (Here in the Southern Hemisphere)

I am feeling all full of new life with the warming weather and new growth.

I am reminded of one way I try and make myself feel awake and full of life, daily. On our daily walk we encounter a set of stairs which takes us down to road level. It just happens to have a double handrail down the centre which makes it perfect for sliding down and holding on tightly at the same time. So most mornings I emerge to the road, having just slid down the banister, with a big smile on my dial! Talk about starting the day right :-)

Another way of starting each day on the right foot I employ is to dress up for my walks, which I mentioned last post. There’s something about putting on a pretty outfit complete with cute accessories that really do it for me. We sashay around town with our dog arm in arm, stopping at a cafe to have a cuppa and a chat, walking home around the lake noticing any changes in the weather or waves, watching as the bird population ebbs and flow, and chatting to any neighbours we pass. It’s a pretty great life.

I think the Spring energy found me yesterday, because I took a 10 kilometre hike. It felt like the breaking of the fast over Winter, and also my recovery from some niggling issues. We have emerged from our fallow time along with the rising of the light. My friend reminded me, we are almost up to 12 hours of daylight now. I am feeling the effects of the long walk today, but not as badly as I’d feared, so that’s a great way to start a new season.

I’ve taken to doing blind drawings i.e. drawing while not looking. Here is one I did with a blossom.

I recommend the practice as it takes all the pressure out of making something realistic, and you just get to have fun drawing. I find it nice way to start my creative day.

Dear baby leaves

Welcome to the world 

As you hang there

In all your fragility 

Your lime green light

Bathing the world

Do you know

How we look at you

And smile?

Telling us of life

Continuing on

A beacon for us

To follow 

Lifting our minds

Into the skies.

30/9/23 

Til next time,

Keep on creating!

Love,

Jazzy Jack

Some outfits I have made recently

 Hi all!

Welcome to my fashion parade.

Recently as I was working up to starting my blog again, I thought it might be easier to show my outfits.

So I set up a tripod near the front door and used it with a phone mount to quickly take a photo as I walked in from my morning outing.

Every morning Cris and I go out to a cafe with our dog Winter to exercise her (as we live in an apartment) and to spend time together. Cris says he is retired in the mornings. On the way home we walk near the lake and admire the nature. It’s a lovely habit. And I tend to dress up a bit for the fun of it. When we return home our apartment is so warm I usually get around in Summer gear.

So here are some examples of my recent Winter outfits (we live in Australia).

I’ve started out with a few things I’ve made. This first one is an old thrifted blanket that I made into a Japanese style apron. It is sooo warm. It was a mockup, but it’s turned out so well I have it in my normal wardrobe. I may dye it one day when it gets too filthy. I hand stitched it and used some old ecodyed silk to highlight the pockets.

The next item is a granny square vest I’ve been enjoying. Giving my outfits some colour during Winter.

I made the squares for a blanket for our bed, but ran out of patience, so put them together this way instead!

Oh yes, I also knitted the gloves I’m wearing.

This is actually a failed renovation. I bought this lovely woolen Men’s dressing gown for $5. I coloured in the piping with its distinctive white and navy. But every time I wore it it still felt too much like a dressing gown. Even though when I look at this photo it looks fine! So I was going to play with it a bit more but realised it isn’t on the straight grain and that threw me so much I chucked it in the fabric pile to be used another day. Maybe I’ll make it into a skirt.

I love this item which I knitted, I call the strangled octopus. It is able to be worn many ways, and just gives boring jackets a bit of personality.

I have a hat I knitted with a brim and I find it is super useful on windy sunny Winter days. So I thought I would crochet another one out of my head. Well, it was nearly a disaster! But we persevered, and although it is a massive hat, it did come in very handy when I went to the seaside.

And we finish with a few “normal” ones!

I hope you enjoyed that fashion show? Can you hear the cool music in your head and all the applause?!

A phrase I call my theme music is “Shine on you crazy diamond”. Maybe that is playing in your head right now?

Have a wonderful week my friends.

Til next time,

Keep on creating!

Love,

Jazzy Jack