...WOYWW - The One With All the Trees

Joining in with the Wednesday Workdesk Wander, here's what's occurring on mine today: the first attempt in my yoghurt jar upcycling project, another doodled tree pebble and the start of a Christmas scarf for my son's girlfriend.

I've been thinking for a while of turning the yoghurt jars into storage pots or tealight holders to give as Christmas gifts, so as soon as I'd finished this one I obviously had to close the blinds, draw the curtains and light a candle to try it out! I'm really pleased with the effect - I especially like the fact that it casts a perfect little tree shadow on the wall - but I still have a design problem to solve because the bottom of the jar is slightly convex, so the tealight doesn't sit flat in the bottom. Whatever I use to even it out would need to be non-flammable (currently thinking a little bit of sand might do the trick?) 

Trees have been featuring heavily in my doodlings at the moment - I wasn't sure why until I started uploading the photos for this post and noticed that my phone is absolutely packed with pictures of gorgeous autumn leaves and emerging wintry branches taken during recent weekend walks at the park...

...and then I realised that this is actually part of a long-standing and deep-rooted (pardon the puns) obsession with trees, because the same thing happened this time last year...

 ...and the year before...

...and come to think of it, I've even started seeing trees that aren't actually there!

Could I be suffering from S.A.D. (Seasonal Arboreal Disorder)?!

...WOYWW - The One With the Pebbles

It has been a whole two months since I've had the time and energy to get myself organised to join in with Julia's weekly Workdesk Show & Tell. I went back to work in September, and although I had a phased return to ease me back in, it's been pretty full on from Day One! I  managed to delay the return to full time  work until this week by taking one day's leave mid-week for the past five weeks, and have agreed with my manager that I'm going to compress my hours a little going forwards, so that I can build in a non-working day once per fortnight. As this is likely to be a Wednesday, I'm hoping I may be able to join in with the desk sharing routine on a more regular basis. It's such a good motivator for me to sit down and get a little something done!

There is not actually a lot to to show this week. I've been collecting those little glass yoghurt pots with nice tight black/gold lids from Aldi for the last couple of months. I'm planning to decorate them to give as Christmas gifts - they're perfect to use as tea-light holders or just for storing little bits and pieces in. The biscuit tin was an impulse buy (also at Aldi) - such a jolly design - I couldn't resist it. Besides, one can always find space for another storage container! There's a little peg doll lady in a tiny knitted cape with a pointy hood (just because every home needs one - pattern can be found here) and the sewing needles are out to remind me to sew a button back on my coat. I collected some nice smooth pebbles while we were away at Seahouses last week, so the main activity happening today is a spot of pebble doodling.

      

Nothing spectacular - just some little gold trees (the photo doesn't pick up the metallic sheen but they look quite jolly in real life). Again, no particular purpose, just because...

I've also glued a brooch clasp onto the back of this blue pottery fragment I found on the beach,  with its edges worn nice and smooth like sea-glass. 

When I took the photo I realised that it actually resembles a slightly startled pigeon, which makes me like it even more. I think it will look very nice perched on my jacket lapel!

...blue space therapy (Seahouses IV)

Last weekend I knitted my way through a skein of Lang Mille Colori Baby yarn, and made myself a rainbow-hued ear-warming headband to wear during another flying (three nights) visit to Seahouses. It's based on Martina Behm's Wolkig cowl pattern - I cast on the same number of stitches but just used smaller needles to get a closer fit. This yarn/pattern combo was so addictive, it practically knitted itself - the temptation to knit "just one more round" in those gorgeous shifting colours was far too strong!

Travelling to the beach at Seahouses is becoming increasingly like going on a pilgrimage to a sacred place for me - I always feel so happy and peaceful there. There might even be a scientific basis for this strong sense of well-being and contentment - it seems that being by water is good for body and mind, and I'm certain that this is true for me. Whether it's the wide open space, or the light, or the ever-changing landcape, or the white noise of the waves along the shore, there's something about this place that soothes my soul and makes me simply glad to be alive.

We arrived just after high tide on Monday afternoon, to find a fresh display of sculptural seaweed patterns on the sand...

...and then walked back along the lane to our holiday cottage as the sun went down across the fields.

The following morning we were back at the beach bright and early to take full advantage of the space at low tide. There really is nothing so breath-takingly beautiful as the perfect mirroring of that vast blue sky on the flat wet sand...

...unless its a having a perfect rainbow emerge through the clouds!

In the afternoon we had a stroll into Seahouses to pick up a few bits and pieces from the Co-op and sat for a while watching the comings and goings of boats in the harbour - whilst being expertly photo-bombed by the XXSCat dog.

The following morning found us back at the beach again, exploring sandscape forests...

...under soft, powder blue skies...

...and uncovering jewel-like treasures amongst the seaweed. 

Then we spent a cosy, relaxing afternoon, watching a DVD together while I knitted a small grey jumper for  a small grey rescued bear. 

The final morning was different again. With a pearly, cloud-filled sky overhead we had to look harder to find colour in the landscape...

...but this magical place never disappoints, and we found it in a wave-etched vista on this sandy, seaweed-strewn rock.

Although I'm happy to be home again after those few days away, I know that it will be only a matter of time before I'm headed North past Gormley's Angel for another healing dose of heavenly blue space and tranquility on that lovely beach.