All I ask is a windy day with white clouds flying

Sewing cards again.

I MUST down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face and a grey dawn breaking.
I must down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.
I must down to the seas again to the vagrant gypsy life.
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over. John Masefield

Painting again - it's been 20 years.

For my boy.

SeaLife - There is a rapture on the lonely shore.

"There is a pleasure in the pathless woods, There is a rapture on the lonely shore, There is society, where none intrudes, By the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love not man the less, but Nature more, From these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel What I can ne'er express, yet cannot all conceal."  George Gordon Byron

I love these words from Lord Byron, passionate, wistful and full of love of the elemental - a man before his time. Inspired by these words and others I have a new range of cards - "Nature Study" and "SeaLife"

Nature Study, be inspired by the gift of nature.

New cards.

Inspired by Nature

Loving these days, windswept but golden.

To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth - Raymond Carver

Little creations

As the seasons change to winter, we are taking long slow walks in the park. Nature displays it's raw beauty in tones of gold, caramel and wintry sky blue.

New cards in store soon.

All the Golden Light Mango Sorbet.

The sun is beating down, the grass crunches underfoot and the barbeque sizzles as it’s far too hot to cook in our little kitchen (hot box!). I shall always remember this summer as the one where the Meteorological Bureau had to invent a new colour to represent extreme heat in central Australia! Are there still people out there who don’t believe in climate change? Try bringing the temperature down with our favourite sorbet. 

Now’s the time to swing down to your local market and buy by the box full, no matter how much it makes it won’t last long. Here are some of our favourite combo’s; mango, mango strawberry, strawberry and nectarines, blueberries and watermelon, cantaloupe and strawberries. When all this lovely fruit is in season at it’s sweetest you hardly need to add much to it to make it zing. Most recipes call for a cup of sugar, I generally just rely on the sweetness of the fruit, a half cup of Greek yogurt or slightly less depending on the density of the fruit. Add a bit of honey if you wish, blitz well and place in freezer –don’t forget to stir every 20 minutes or so to make sure it freezes evenly. 

Spoon out your happy delight into your prettiest bowls. Mine are from Anthropologie and what’s more they are oven proof so look for crumbly baked goods in autumn.