What d’ya think?

Look at this:

These outside rooms /furnished loggias are all the rage now right but with the best will in the world, I just don’t see how these can work too well, especially in a temperate climate.  Anyone who hangs their washing outside to dry,  weather permitting, (and I’m one of them), will know that come late afternoon the air starts to become damp again as night draws in and you need to have pulled your fabrics inside while the sun is still warm.  Pretty much regardless of location, I see dampness as a permanent problem therefore and where there is ongoing dampness there is mildew.

This is nice – not my favourite outside room – but I pinned it for a specific reason.  The very plush soft furnishings. The chairs pushed together to form a seating arrangement, the seat cushions and cushioned backs to the chairs, and the added cushions to enhance that welcoming vibe.  Well it wouldn’t work for me.  You know why?  Go on…have a guess at my first thought…beyond the mildew question …

Spiders (common in outside areas) are going to hide in every cosy nook and cranny … like behind and under cushions and between pushed-together furniture.  In warmer climates – more suited to these outside rooms – you may also find a lizard or two (or something else that I’ve yet to think of but I’m sure exists).  I’d have to dismantle every aspect of this before plonking my bum on it.

Yes, these are a design idea that clearly has ‘legs’ if you look at the house and design mags but I will be sticking to my open-mesh patio furniture and guests who come here will have to slum it on Germanic style simplicity with an occasional extra of a cushion from inside.

What ‘d’ya think?  Sold on this idea?  Or seeing trouble ahead?

Anticipation of Good Things Ahead

It’s the shortest day of the year for those of us up here in the frozen north and so I thought it a good time to finally show my face around here again, in anticipation of new beginnings and the lengthening days ahead on our journey into spring.

~ Anticipation ~

To my friends, both north and south of the border, I wish you all a very happy, safe and relaxed Christmas weekend ahead and above all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012. May next year be a great one for us all.

Jayne xo

City of Gold

A straight out of camera shot of the Miami skyline in the early morning sun. I love the light in this city. This shot was taken last December when they were experiencing very chilly weather, with low temps that had not been matched for 50 years. Maybe because of that, the light around sunrise and sunset was very unusual and quite spectacular.

My heart was in my mouth

I came across this video the other day.  Wonderful yes …but my heart was in my mouth the whole of the way through.

Seal meets girl. Seal falls in love with girl. The end. from Bob Dobalina on Vimeo.

I had visions of this going through my mind (photo of a leopard seal in Antarctica)

Source: guardian.co.uk via Nick on Pinterest

I think the girl in the video was very lucky, for more than one reason.

……………

Have you visited my Pinterest boards yet? I won’t keep banging on about this, I promise, but I’m learning so much about so much and I’m particularly chuffed with my ‘Photography’ board where I’ve collected together oodles of creative photographic ideas and inspirational images. …Just thought it worth mentioning for my photographer friends out there …

Reflections

Reflections of The Everglades

My last post was on July 26. Doesn’t a month in blogworld seem like an eternity? It’s only a month and a bit since I updated and yet it seems as though I’ve vapourised and entirely blown away into the ethers! Everything seems so transient now, don’t you think?

Garden Rainbow

This is straight out of camera, no tweaking. It’s of nasturtium and lavender against a backdrop of a big blue pot that I have on my deck … and it makes me smile.

Photo watermarked using

A little weird

Source: vi.sualize.us via Shilpa on Pinterest

It was bucketing down with rain today, I mean really coming down like stair-rods – the kind of weather when everyone should be sheltering – when I heard a banging at the front door.  When I opened it, there stood two girls I’ve never seen before … wanting to use my toilet. (?!)  Am I alone in finding that just a little weird?

Portal to a new world

~ Lace and Light ~

As I’ve mentioned before, for a long time now I’ve been lacking in creative inspiration and if I’m being honest, actually a bit tired of the internet. I recently discovered something however that has got my creative juices flowing again and opened a portal to a whole new and beautiful world.  Pinterest.

I’ve always been a magpie for collecting ideas and images that inspire me, sorting them in files and latterly, saving them on my computer. Recently I wandered on over to Pinterest and I have to tell you I was immediately smitten. At last, somewhere to gather together all my ‘pretties’ online, a place to find other creative souls with similar tastes, and a chance to regularly become absorbed in all the beauty and innovative ideas that are out there to find but so often missed. I love it.  Think of it as a place to make ‘virtual world mood boards’ if you will. It’s a great resource if you have new creative projects in mind, or if like me you’re just a beauty and design junkie! Interaction with others is not expected but optional. (Er, just reading this back, I should perhaps say that this is not an ad and nor am I a Pinterest employee).  :)

I’ve been happily putting together design and inspiration boards and it’s definitely sparking my enthusiasm again.  I’ve put a Pinterest link to my art boards over in the right hand column here.  Do, please, wander on over to see what I’m wibbling on about.  The only slightly odd thing about this site is that it’s ‘by invitation’.  I know that I have some hugely creative friends here in Blogworld so I thought I’d give you a heads up.  Anyone wanting an invitation, please just give me your email address (my address is on my contact page at the top of the screen) and I’ll be happy to invite you.  Anyone already with art boards up on Pinterest, please point me in your direction.

Photo watermarked using 

Never Ending Journey

Just playing in Photoshop after a long session of spring cleaning/chucking out/reorganising. That seems to be the pattern of things around here, despite best efforts to the contrary: accumulate, assimilate and ‘ablate’ what is left. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. It feels so good once it’s done though.

Photo watermarked using 

Pareidolia…and a brain that just won’t STFU

pareidolia  (ˌpæraɪˈdəʊlɪə)

- n,  the imagined perception of a pattern or meaning where it does not actually exist, as in considering the moon to have human features

(They look to me as if they’re reminiscing about something)

Apropos of nothing at all, do you have an undermining/know-it-all voice in your head that simply won’t STFU? I do. I say things to people and as I’m saying them the know-it-all (KIA) is contradicting and questioning me.

‘Should you really have said that? Won’t she be thinking you’re just weird now?’

Case in point:  I was at the supermarket pre 9 o’clock the other morning.  We were having a mini-heatwave, with temperatures to rival Barbados, and as the doctor has advised me to try not to get too hot I thought it wise to knock the grocery shopping on the head really early on and then relax in the relative cool at home.  The checkout girl knows me well and I happened to mention my master plan for shopping early and then ‘vegging out all day’. As those words tripped off my tongue the KIA went into full swing:

‘Now she thinks you’re lazy and anyway, that wasn’t very subtle – she has to work all day.’

You know what they say about people talking to themselves.  Well I’ve been doing it for years.