Thing-a-day.com

Over the past month, as well as doing a ‘thing-a-day’, I’ve also been writing up a chapter of my thesis (in fact, I started it in October last year!). Well, tonight, I finally finished it. It has sapped all my creativity for today, so I’m going to have to leave things there.

On reflection, I’m really pleased I was involved in this project; I’ve tried out lots of new things, taken on a few challenges and surprised myself. I’ve finished this month a little more confident in my sketching abilities and addicted to knitting!

Can’t wait for next year!

Djinn signing off.

Day 28, and nearly there!

Finally finished the Mothers’ Day card (or, as some of us here still say, ‘Mothering Sunday’) - whoops, let the secret out the bag! Hope my Mum’s not reading this.

I didn’t achieve much today.  Blame it on lack of sleep.  For, you see, we had - quite bizarrely - an earthquake last night!

I did, however, work out what went wrong with my beret - wrong needle size - duh!  I guess I’ll have to unpick it and start again.  *sigh*

I finished knitting the beret - yay! Sadly, as these photos show, the beret is FAR too big! Perhaps I have a tiny head? Lol!

Despite the inaccuracy with the sizing, I am very happy with the quality of the knitting. I really feel like I’ve finally mastered it. I’ll just notch this one up to experience and turn it into a cushion.

I didn’t have a chance to get into town today for more wool, so I continued with the cross-stitch I’ve been working on. It’s taking longer than I thought it would!

After many false starts I finally managed to master increasing and got this far but, sadly, ran out of wool, otherwise I would have got it finished today. Not very happy. I bought two 50g balls as per the instructions in the magazine, but I clearly need another. *fume*

It’s not going very well.

Can you guess what it is yet?

Not finished, but have spent most of the evening on it. It’s for an event early in March.

Day 21 - another necklace, this time in blues and greens.

Day 20 already - only nine more ‘things’ to do!

Today I was itching to make something with all the old and new beads I’ve acquired from eBay recently. I’ve long fancied a chunky, asymmetric, totally random necklace featuring uniquely different beads. So, I had a go, and this is the result.

It’s threaded on elasticated cord - haven’t quite yet worked out how best to secure/fasten it. But, apart from that, I’m really happy with it.

Haven’t had a chance to do anything ‘creative’ today - been working too hard on writing-up my thesis (which is, I suppose, creative, but dull!).  However, I have come up with a vague idea about making a wide fabric belt fastened with an old buckle.  More about that another day…maybe.

Today was lovely and sunny, so I decided to spend as much time outside as possible to boost those all-important serotonin levels.  So, I went ghost sign collecting, the results of which I have posted to my Ghost Sign project online album:

http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh224/amyjaneb_photos/Ghost%20Signs%20of%20Leicester/

I’ve been working on this cross stitch since the summer. I thought I should spend a few mins this evening working on it, cos I hate starting new things when the old is still outstanding. Having said that, I do get easily bored.

I need to hone my drawing skills…

I missed yesterday’s deadline, mostly cos I was eating my Thing-A-Day!

So, here it is:

Cumin Beef
General Tso’s Chicken
Ma Po Dou Fu
Bok Choy With Chestnuts
Hot and Sour Noodles
Steamed Rice

And it was all delicious (though extraordinarily hot and spicy!) - even if I say so myself. All recipes from Fuschia Dunlop’s Revolutionary Cookbook.

‘Nuff said.

Not the most inspiring of posts today, but at least I can say that I managed to create something, unlike yesterday. Today’s effort was a chicken and mushroom risotto, garnished with a sprinkling of feta cheese. The photo makes it look decidedly unappetising, but it didn’t taste half bad!

Sadly I have nothing to post today (except for this confession). But I haven’t been lazy, oh no. I’ve been in London all day on a research field trip, so I’ve been doing lots of thinking and writing tons of notes. So, I have kind of been ‘creative’. Will make up for it tomorrow…promise!

Cross-posted at The Attic (http://attic-museumstudies.blogspot.com/2008/02/reviewof-sorts.html):

I’m kind of reluctant to post this. Read on, and you’ll see why…

On Sunday I went to see Ancient Greeks: Athletes, Warriors and Heroes, a British Museum travelling exhibition, currently on display at New Walk Museum, Leicester. I intended to do a straight review for the research blog I write (i.e. The Attic), but then I had a stunning idea (always dangerous).

I thought I could (to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak) see if there was a way of achieving both tasks (the review and my ‘Thing-A-Day’ for today) with the same piece of work. Hence, the following poem (yes, you read that right - a poem) inspired by the exhibition. Quite honestly, it has to be the worst poem ever written in the history of civilization but, hey, at least I’ve tried. *ha!*

And so, without futher ado, I present to you the first piece of poetry I have written for public consumption since I was, oh, about eleven! Please be kind.

* A note about the theme: I’ve decided this counts as ‘edge’, cos I’m really on the limits of my capabilities here!*

Black and red-figured amphorae,
Images of young men honing their skills.
They do battle, in sport, in the theatre,
To achieve status,
To become citizens.

The victorious athlete raises his absent arm
To place a wreath of laurels upon his head.
A hoplite combats his Persian counterpart
In a symbolic battle between civilisation and barbarity.
Greece, the cradle of learning.

In the arena are poets, musicians and actors.
A clever turn of musical or literary phrase.
A comedy,
A tragedy,
Sophokles is a fighter too.

Myth and reality fuse.
Herakles achieves redemption -
The Olympiad delivered of his labours.
An odyssey.
A wooden horse.

A woman covers her hands in an act of modesty.
Her marble-chill gaze looks distant,
Through time, she has prevailed.
In life, smothered by her culture,
As the folds of her cloak envelope her now.

And yet all ends, changes.
The past is forgotten, meaning is lost.
Those accursed statues and pagan icons,
Are destroyed to save the present
From the long since dead.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been fascinated with those old, faded advertisements and signs you often see painted on the facades of old shops. I recently discovered that they are commonly known as ‘Ghost Signs’, which seems like a very apt description. I already knew that there were a few around Leicester, so I decided - this afternoon - to go and seek some out, and take photographs of them. I’ve uploaded my efforts from today here: http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh224/amyjaneb_photos/

I have to confess, I felt a little uncomfortable taking the pics - like I was spying on people’s houses (though, of course, that was never the intention).  In fact, I found a fifth example, but that’ll have to wait for another time.  As I was passing, a couple came out of the (their, presumably) front door. I didn’t think they’d appreciate me taking snaps of their house!

Personally, I love the fact that these signs survive as the tangible traces of what went before, well after the shops and their proprietors have passed on. They are part of our urban heritage; a link with the past, albeit a fairly recent (in the grand scheme of things) twentieth century ‘past’, often overlooked, but worth recording before the ravages of time cause them to disappear for ever. Plus, searching for them is like being trapped in a massive, convoluted, and unending treasure hunt.  I think this could be the beginning of a great, and all-consuming passion!