Lest We Forget

This is my contribution to the Untangled Threads Sawdust Hearts Project. My piece forms part of the Sawdust and Calico Heart Exhibition at Woodend Scarborough from the 3rd to the 30th of November 2018. This is a commemorative  exhibition and public event to be held on the centenary of Armistice Day 2018.

 My heart is one of 1568 handcrafted hearts commemorating 100 years since the armistice. It represents day 218 of the 1568 days of the war; the date the 2nd of March 1915. On this day the British Battleship HMS Canopus joined in the assault missions on the Dardanelles.

Each one represents a day of the First World War. 

Mine is one of fourteen hearts made in Scotland (Clackmannanshire) and now being displayed at Woodend, Scarborough as part of the Sawdust Heart Exhibition for Armistice Day. 

 This is my contribution to the exhibition:   #0218 "Hope Soars on the Wings of a Lark." 

This is to honour all those who fought to keep us safe.  

We will remember! 

In memory of my Great Grandfather William Rae who served as a Merchant Seaman during the war. ❤

Reflecting on the Summer

Ohh, I wish I could have my summer holiday all over again. It was long, but it was short, I blinked and I missed it. My holiday didn't go to plan; I wanted long lazy days sitting in my garden watching the busy bees going about their work. I wanted to daydream and craft without any urgency. I wanted to be spontaneous, to jump on my bike and take on new adventures. I was prepared to up my yoga practice from once a day to a couple of times a day. In reality, I experienced only one or two of these.  On day four I suffered a terrible fall, a complete freak accident. I wasn't acting the fool, dancing or jumping around, but innocently watering the garden. I stepped off our small garden wall and ended up on all fours,  screaming in pain. I was later diagnosed with a right knee knocked out of line and a stage 3 sprain with torn ligaments in my left foot. Two months on and I'm still hobbling around with a walking stick and following a daily routine of physio exercises. Does my ankle like working?  No, it hates it with a passion!

What a summer!!!!

I can't have my holiday back, but hopefully; the October holidays will be better, and will go more to plan.

WW1 Sawdust Hearts Project-The Idea and Art Work

It's finally finished. This is the secret piece that has kept me busy for the whole of July. A piece I feel very emotional about, and one that truly captured my heart. 

This is my contribution to the Untangled Threads Sawdust Hearts Project. My piece will form part of the Sawdust and Calico Heart Exhibition at Woodend Scarborough from the 3rd to the 30th of November 2018. This is a commemorative exhibition and public event to be held on the centenary of Armistice Day 2018. My heart is one of 1568 handcrafted hearts commemorating 100 years since the armistice. It represents day 218 of the 1568 days of the war; the date the 2nd of March 1915. On this day the British Battleship HMS Canopus joined in the assault missions on the Dardanelles.

The History of the Sawdust Heart

"During WW1 thousands of commercially produced kits were made and distributed to soldiers and civilians.  The hearts were pre-stuffed (with sawdust) ready to be decorated.  The kit contained a template-cut cardboard box, which was ideal for holding collected fabrics, beads, pins and sequins.

The therapeutic effect a wounded soldier gained by making and sending one of these sawdust hearts was immense, and indeed the practice of Occupational Therapy in the UK can be traced back to this time in history.

5% of the proceeds from the sales related to this project will be donated to Combatstress, a charity which supports former servicemen and women to deal with issues like trauma, anxiety, depression and PTSD."
                (source: Untangled Threads Sawdust Hearts project 2018 leaflet by Helen Birmingham)

  
Some information about my piece:

Title: Hope Soars on the Wings of a Lark.

Medium: Acrylic Paint on Canvas with black embroidery silk. The piece is adorned with beads and pins.

Inspiration:The vivid red colour used in my piece forms the memory of how I imagined the poet's world looked on hearing the words to Wilfred Owen's poem Dulce et Decorum Est, at the age of 14. A piece I studied in English and one that I can still recite to this day.

The bird depicted in my piece comes from the poem by the English poet George Meredith, and the piece composed by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams; The Lark Ascending, this piece is often interpreted as a piece about the war.
 

 

This piece is dedicated to my Great Grandfather William Rae (1888-1951). He served as a fireman for the Merchant Navy aboard the SS Lady Salisbury.

P.S. the embroidery and beadwork can be found on my sewing blog Made by Sun Rae .

Yoga Bunny

I'm now into my fifth week of practising Hatha Yoga and to say I'm enjoying it, is an understatement. I had dabbled with yoga when I was a lot younger; early twenties to be precise, but I never really stuck with it. Why? In my younger days, I was more of a physical person; I enjoyed Karate, weightlifting, track and cross country running; I liked the fast pace, and the feeling of pain when exercising. Strange, I know. Then, in my mid-twenties working life and socialising kicked in and I forgot about exercising, being blessed with an athletic body I felt I didn't need to keep up with the gym. In my late twenties, I went through a terrible breakup and my weight soared, so I joined Weight Watchers and returned to the gym. I dropped from a size 16 dress size to a size 10 in one year and I felt fabulous. I met my soul mate Paul and continued exercising until I fell ill in 2010 with PTSD. My weight has continued to soar since being ill, and even though I attended therapy to recover,  I've never really managed to get it under control. The result of this, well, over the past year I've been complaining of excruciating lower back pain, sore hips and debilitating period pain. I've always suffered from the latter since I was a young girl, but since coming into my late 40's the pain has become a lot worse.

Therefore, my return to exercise, yoga to be precise has been a long time coming. It has been a form of exercise I've wanted to study for a very long time, but one that I thought was too complicated to practice. There are so many versions, and when you're a beginner it can seem very daunting.  My thoughts,  do I follow DVDs, do I follow YouTube or books? All of which have failed me before. Then I heard about a yoga class through a work colleague, a beginners class for curvy women called Peachy Yoga. I felt a bit apprehensive about going but with the support of my friend and with my yoga mat under my arm I agreed to go along. To say I loved my first class was an understatement, yes it was hard work, yes I was sore, but boy my back and hips felt fantastic after the first class. My second class was extremely hard and I left thinking is this really for me? By the third week, I had bought myself yoga leggings, slouch pants, yoga tops and yoga cards (photos above). I even started practising at home. By the fourth week, I knew my period was due around the time of my class and I was worried about the pain, but this month there was no pain, even though my flow was heavy and the same as previous months. Was this a fluke or is this the yoga? I don't know. I've also noticed slight differences in my physique; I'm holding myself differently, my back is straighter, my hips don't hurt after standing all day and my lower back pain comes and goes but feels like more of a tightness rather than a constant dull ache. My arms look slightly more shapely and stronger. While my stomach appears less flabby. I have a long way to go in this area, but I'm determined.

I'm so overjoyed with the results, so far, that I don't want the class to break up for the summer holidays, because I think I'm going to miss it.

p.s. If any of my readers are interested in receiving 25% off their first yoga club box (they are now in the U. K.) please use the following referral link:

https://my.yogaclub.com/shirleyrae

The Crazy World of Gardening!

 

 

 

At last!  My little garden is starting to kick off. I always get anxious at this time of year (I've been gardening since 2013), and every year it's the same- "Have I started too late? Is the garden going to be bare in the summer? Do I have enough plants? Maybe I should buy or sow more!" Also, every year Paul says "Stop fretting; I'm sure the garden will look stunning soon enough."  It still doesn't stop me worrying. 

It has been an incredibly long winter, here in Scotland (not that we get great summers mind you) and the plants have been scared to emerge from the safety of the soil. I mean, when have you ever seen a daffodil out until the end of May? Crazy!  Most of my birthday plant purchases* have been hiding out in my little greenhouses and have only seen the elements during sunnier days, with the month of May showing the most promising weather.

Seeds that I've sown have taken a little bit longer to come through; well the Sweet Peppers at least.   The peas, on the other hand, are shooting up at an alarming rate and will need to be moved on into their permanent container, very soon. Then there are the carrots; hopefully, I will get to them tomorrow, they need sowing.  Fingers crossed we have probably,  turned a corner weatherwise, and the plants will now flourish.  Here's hoping!

 

* Nemesia Easter Bonnet, Fuschia Southern Belle Pink Marshmallow, Calibrachoa Can-Can Coral Reef, Can-Can Hot Pink Star, Starlight Pink, Lysimachia Lysii, Geranium New Century Red, Argyranthemum Grandaisy Red, Sweet Peppers and Peas.

New Sewing Blog Launch

My new sewing blog can be found here.

Don't worry I'm not giving up on Squirrels Knitting Conquests, this blog will still be my diary and personal blog for all other areas of my life; baking, making and gardening.