In the Studio:
Cribbage Board | I love Christmas and enjoyed a very lovely one this year with Dave's parents. We shared a lot of food, laughter and wine - always a great combo for fun! I decided to make presents for everyone this year (quite an undertaking) and the one that garnered the most attention and of which I'm the most proud is the cribbage board I made for my sister-in-law, Helen. |
She and I play games together quite a lot (especially Rumikub!) so I thought this would be a fitting gift. It'll be great when I go to hers for a brew and chat! I like it so much I think I might make one for myself. And keep an eye on my website because you may find before too long that they're available for popular consumption!
Hand-made gifts | Other hand-made Christmas gifts included: mug warmers made from recycled yarn, kids hat & mitten sets (incredibly difficult to do without a model available for determining size; required pouring through loads of info on the net and finally managed to find a report published by the U.S. Gov't about the average measurements of children aged 5-10), crocheted necklaces, body sugar scrub and vintage-style wall hangings from the War Girl Series. |
In the reading knook:
I'm re-reading one of my all-time favourites: Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. A brilliant read. Makes me laugh everytime. Out loud laughing. Made all the better by the macabre artwork of Ralph Steadman. If you've ever read the book (or even watched the film adaptation of it), you'll know that I must still be in the first half of the book. Because as it nears its end, it's less laugh at loud and more gob-smacking. My favourite scene is where the novel begins:
" We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive....' And suddently there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like hug bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are those goddamn animals?'
Then it was quiet again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the tanning process. 'What the hell are you telling about?' he muttered, staring up at the sun with his eyes closed and covered with wraparound Spanish sunglasses. 'Never mind,' I said. 'It's your turn to drive.' I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.' "
" We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like 'I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive....' And suddently there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like hug bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming: 'Holy Jesus! What are those goddamn animals?'
Then it was quiet again. My attorney had taken his shirt off and was pouring beer on his chest, to facilitate the tanning process. 'What the hell are you telling about?' he muttered, staring up at the sun with his eyes closed and covered with wraparound Spanish sunglasses. 'Never mind,' I said. 'It's your turn to drive.' I hit the brakes and aimed the Great Red Shark toward the shoulder of the highway. No point mentioning those bats, I thought. The poor bastard will see them soon enough.' "
In the CD player:
My beloved Tori Amos. I go in phases of listening to her albums over and over and over to not listening to them at all. I've been on a break for over a year. Then the other night I had a real craving to listen to her Little Earthquakes album. So brilliant. One of my favourite lines is from Silent All These Years:
"Well I love the way we communicate
Your eyes focus on my funny lip shape
Let's hear what you think of me now
But baby don't look up
The sky is falling
Your mother shows up in a nasty dress
It's your turn now to stand where I stand
Everybody lookin' at you here
Take hold of my hand
Yeah I can hear them"
"Well I love the way we communicate
Your eyes focus on my funny lip shape
Let's hear what you think of me now
But baby don't look up
The sky is falling
Your mother shows up in a nasty dress
It's your turn now to stand where I stand
Everybody lookin' at you here
Take hold of my hand
Yeah I can hear them"
And with that I am signing off for the day. I still have more presents to make and I really need to get started!!
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