skipping girl

These beautiful drawings are from a 1986 children's picture book, Anno's counting book. They are by Mitsumasa Anno, a Japanese illustrator, who is now 87 years old.

The top drawing shows children skipping amongst giant pink flowers. I loved skipping as a child especially double dutch where you have two ropes - a bit like this - well, actually, quite a lot different to that!

spring fever

Some photos of spring flowers - fluffy pink stock and jasmine. I think jasmine is quite a strange plant. It can be so invasive and has tough leaves and stalks that are almost impossible to break but the flowers are so delicate and pale and beautiful.

I made the cactus pot in response to missing out on one of Stella Baggott's little face planters from her etsy shop sale last week. I couldn't decide which pot I liked best and they all sold out as I dithered.

Enjoy your week.

the big news

My granddaughter, Augusta.
 

tiny things

The flowers are orchids - maybe Dendrobium? I don't know much about orchids but this one grows long stems with lots of little flowers. Most of the time it lives a neglected outside life but in spring it leaps into bud - much to our delight - and is brought indoors.

The tiny village is from Rekindle. Each piece is made from native New Zealand timbers salvaged from buildings damaged in the Christchurch earthquakes. Bits of someone's home - a piece of weatherboard, a bit of floor - is now part of a tiny house living in my house.

Reading A wife on Gorge River by Catherine Stewart

round things

- a mobile by Renilde de Peuter that I bought from Mr Kitly when I was in Melbourne. I have long admired Renilde's mobiles and am overjoyed to finally have one in my house. There are more photos of her mobiles here or visit her blog At Swim-two-birds.

- a necklace I also bought in Melbourne from Craft - unfortunately I can't remember the maker's name.

- and an amazing acoustic installation by Celeste Boursier-Mougenot that I saw at the National Gallery of Victoria. It's a shallow pool filled with floating porcelain bowls that move on a gentle current. When the bowls randomly bump against each other they chime. If it is quiet in the gallery and you sit by the pool for a while to listen, the chimes become a strange music.

Reading Moving Miss Peggy: a story of dementia, courage, and consolation by Robert Benson