Duke Ellington - Caravan
Thursday, 28 February 2013
The Last Day of Summer
While there will still be warm weather ahead, the edge has been taken off the heat now. The days feel shorter and, sometimes, mistier. While autumn is one of my favourite seasons, it is sad to see summer fading. Sad in a melancholy way. And don't we love a little bit of melancholy?!
Here is our (newly mown) garden in the last rays of summer:
A bit of Harinezumi 2+++ camera madness. Speaking of which, look at that edging! I'll be out there this weekend with a pair of lawn clippers, or at least, someone will be...
Farewell summer!
While there will still be warm weather ahead, the edge has been taken off the heat now. The days feel shorter and, sometimes, mistier. While autumn is one of my favourite seasons, it is sad to see summer fading. Sad in a melancholy way. And don't we love a little bit of melancholy?!
Here is our (newly mown) garden in the last rays of summer:
A bit of Harinezumi 2+++ camera madness. Speaking of which, look at that edging! I'll be out there this weekend with a pair of lawn clippers, or at least, someone will be...
Farewell summer!
Monday, 25 February 2013
Gone to earth
Today, I sliced the experimental soap (see yesterday's very exciting entry...). I used a rich dark brown oxide to colour the swirl, which reminds me of a lovely Sienna marble. It's warm and earthy. The vetiver and cade worked well; if anything, perhaps a bit more of the smokin' cade. I'm a fan of vetiver, so I love it. This little number will be called "Smokin' Joe".
I've put it away now to cure. If it passes the Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez soap test, it will be released for sale sometime in May.
Today, I sliced the experimental soap (see yesterday's very exciting entry...). I used a rich dark brown oxide to colour the swirl, which reminds me of a lovely Sienna marble. It's warm and earthy. The vetiver and cade worked well; if anything, perhaps a bit more of the smokin' cade. I'm a fan of vetiver, so I love it. This little number will be called "Smokin' Joe".
I've put it away now to cure. If it passes the Shanghai Lil and The Scarlet Fez soap test, it will be released for sale sometime in May.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
Experiment
The hot weather has killed off some of the grass in the garden. If we don't get to it with a hose soon enough, that is what happens! Of course, it saddens me to lose the grass because I'd rather it be lush and green, but when I turn the sprinklers on late at night or early in the morning, the dead grass offers up a surprising treat. The damp air wafts up and brings with it the subtle scent of hay. It's sweet and green but smokey too. It lasts a few seconds before the smell of the hot cement coming into contact with water takes over.
So today I have experimented with some of the essential oils I have left. I want to suggest that green, smokey smell and put it into a soap. To start, the soap is made with lush olive oil and superfatted with meadowfoam seed oil and castor oil. I love this combination of oils because of the extra smooth feel they give to the soap. Not to mention the skin nourishing qualities, of course.
The soap is currently wrapped up, doing its soapy thing, so tomorrow I will be able to have a look and see if it has worked. And the essential oils I have used? Vetiver and cade. Both are pretty strong, so I pulled back with the amount I added to the soap. Time will tell if I have been too cautious. I'll post more about the soap when I cut it in the next day or two.
The hot weather has killed off some of the grass in the garden. If we don't get to it with a hose soon enough, that is what happens! Of course, it saddens me to lose the grass because I'd rather it be lush and green, but when I turn the sprinklers on late at night or early in the morning, the dead grass offers up a surprising treat. The damp air wafts up and brings with it the subtle scent of hay. It's sweet and green but smokey too. It lasts a few seconds before the smell of the hot cement coming into contact with water takes over.
So today I have experimented with some of the essential oils I have left. I want to suggest that green, smokey smell and put it into a soap. To start, the soap is made with lush olive oil and superfatted with meadowfoam seed oil and castor oil. I love this combination of oils because of the extra smooth feel they give to the soap. Not to mention the skin nourishing qualities, of course.
Some of the oils getting ready to have some soap fun.
The soap is currently wrapped up, doing its soapy thing, so tomorrow I will be able to have a look and see if it has worked. And the essential oils I have used? Vetiver and cade. Both are pretty strong, so I pulled back with the amount I added to the soap. Time will tell if I have been too cautious. I'll post more about the soap when I cut it in the next day or two.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Bookshop find
During a recent holiday up north, we visited a wonderful bookshop in Kingscliff. It was old school so far as bookshops go, so there was much to find there. I came away with a couple of design books from the 1940s including this modest little number "Design in Everyday Things", published by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1941.
The book was an accompaniment to a series of educational lectures broadcasted on the ABC radio. It has a number of thought-provoking essays on design, but it is the illustrations, advertisements and photographs which interested me.
Being a big fan of moderne, streamline, art deco architecture, I zeroed in on these images in particular.
The first is an illustration in an advertisement for International Correspondence Schools (Australasia) Pty Ltd. The photo is unidentified and uncredited.
The second breaks my heart. It is identified as Wyldefel Gardens, a block of flats in Potts Point, Sydney. In 1941, they were being demolished to make way for a new Naval Dock. Imagine the views!
During a recent holiday up north, we visited a wonderful bookshop in Kingscliff. It was old school so far as bookshops go, so there was much to find there. I came away with a couple of design books from the 1940s including this modest little number "Design in Everyday Things", published by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1941.
The book was an accompaniment to a series of educational lectures broadcasted on the ABC radio. It has a number of thought-provoking essays on design, but it is the illustrations, advertisements and photographs which interested me.
Being a big fan of moderne, streamline, art deco architecture, I zeroed in on these images in particular.
The first is an illustration in an advertisement for International Correspondence Schools (Australasia) Pty Ltd. The photo is unidentified and uncredited.
The second breaks my heart. It is identified as Wyldefel Gardens, a block of flats in Potts Point, Sydney. In 1941, they were being demolished to make way for a new Naval Dock. Imagine the views!
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