At different parts of the day, the sun shines through different windows and brings me little wonders throughout.
This week has been a very good one. I feel less bluesy. I heard someone saying earlier that being melancholy for a bit is good for us. And I very much agree, it's quite nice to indulge in a little self pity, and winter is the best time for this. I am a complete foodie. When I am low I need cheese, fruits, freshly baked cakes and pastries, roast dinners, overflowing bowls of pasta and veg, but most of all I crave bread. Fresh baked, soft, warm bread.  Soaked in real, full-fat butter. mmmmmmm
Once, again I am digress from the point. Being sorrowful has it's place, but now I feel I need to peel back the weepy eyes, and break forth the gleaming smile!

So -in true Ginny Branch style- a gratitude list:
1. The sun came out.
2. My new art studio space. With a big desk, long shelf and all my things in one place.
3. Thursday I spent the day with Chloe and a graffiti artist, learning how to use spray paint. We pimped up our friends farm wall with pretty girls, and marilyn monroe stencils, and of course lots of hearts. I have some pictures I took on my iPhone and may sometime get round to showing them... maybe.
4. On Friday I made some delicious bread.
5. Because of said studio, I've been inspired to paint again. I have done about seven little watercolours as presents for friends, and one for my new space.
6. Last night, Liam and I visited my favourite family in the world; the Petersens, for dinner and catch up. We watched coach carter, gossiped about girls from school, gorged ourselves silly on jacket potatoes and my -still warm- chocolate banana cake, drank lots of tea and topped it off with half an episode of Take Me Out.
7. I knitted a gorgeous deep red pair of palm-warmers with crocheted flowers and leaves. I am so proud of them. They are for a friend, but I think I may make a batch of them to sell online.
8. I saw my first snow drops of the year, and they were more beautiful than I remembered.
9. It was pay day so we went on a big food shop, and got there just as everything was being reduced so got handfuls of fruit and veg for 19p each!
10. Liam is in the kitchen making me some semolina right now, and I can smell it and it is wonderful.

GOOF.

I started the drawing class yesterday with Chloe, had such a lovely evening. Last term, I took the course, and this term I am helping to lead it, so I must have done something good!

It was so much fun bossing people around, telling them to notice the tone of this bit; fill the page; stop talking! We set up a small still life with an old suitcase, books and glass bottles. Then one of the students said he had a pheasant in his car. It was so beautiful, the colours just incredible. He told me he was going to have it for his dinner and that I could have the feathers. I'm thinking up things I could use them for. Possibly making some more neck ties like this one (top picture) I fashioned out of a hair piece my mama gave me.

These are a few pictures of their work. Most of the students have hardly ever drawn before, let alone used charcoal for anything but putting on the fire. So I think these drawings are fantastic!
I always enjoy these evening because there is always a really relaxed, friendly atmosphere. And its great to see the work that comes out of people, they find something they thought they never had. At the end we line them all up and look at our work, and I love to look at their faces and see how surprised and proud they are of what they've done.

silly little hat

I've spent a bit of today making this silly little hat. I have piles of nasty cheap fur lying around that I need to use up. This is a baby pink number, which I thought would make something funny. It really is a gross fabric, I think somebody gave it to me a few years back. India can't understand why I spent so long making it, but you never know when it may come in handy! enjoy!

coffee stain

Although winter is my favourite and my best, sometimes I get a little miserable, and angry at those cruel clouds. It's been raining quite a bit this week, and I feel like I need a bit of fresh air. Two days ago we had one day of pretty beautiful sunshine, and I was inside crocheting some dishcloths, looking out the window thinking "yay the rain has gone, sunshine from now on"... but then the next morning I hear the familiar tap tap tap of drops on our window. I am kicking myself for not putting down my wool, pulling on my wellies and venturing out into the sun! Anyway, I am diverging, what I mean to say is, I need something to keep my spirits high between the cold and wet spells.
Well, yesterday I was walking home from town along the tram tracks thinking how I always see such wonderfully dressed old people walking here. (I have too many blurred pictures of the backs of strangers, its totally stalkerish and probably a bit illegal.) They mix up subtly pretty items of clothing, layer beautiful knitwear. On the quick glance they just look like another lovely old person, but then look more carefully and boy! can they dress. I have always been a key follower of dressing as a O.A.P. Even in my misunderstood teen years, I would pair up an Atreyu t-shirt with an old lovely red knitted cardie with big gold buttons (I later found out my Grandma had exactly the same one!) So I was thinking about how it would be really fun to actually make something of that, maybe ask their permissions and take (focused) pictures of my day to day inspiration..
Just as I was getting carried away with it all, I noticed an adorable couple walking in front of me. Possibly in their early sixties, the still looked completely in love. Then the man walked across the road to pick up a discarded milkshake cup and popped it into the bin, then returned to his smiling wife and carried on walking, hand in hand. I suddenly felt a rush of happiness burn in me. It is so easy to see the world and start to think that everyone is only looking out for themselves, this small act regained my faith in humanity. He then went on to pick up a few more bits of rubbish. That man made my day. I was so taken aback, that I decided that this is what people need to hear, small day to day stories of people making a difference. And I am going to try my complete hardest to bring that to you in this blog.

Sorry for a huge pile of waffling, writing briefly and to the point was never an easy thing for me! I just wanted to try and explain what I want to do and how I feel.

hello '11

Happy new year you beautiful readers!
We spent he night with a couple of friends in fancy dress ( I was Annie Hall and Liams was Alvy(both from Annie Hall). No good pictures of me as Annie, and Liams outfit fell apart so he just dressed basically as himself in chino's. These pictures are of us returning from the midnight fireworks.

I am really excited about 2011. I've decided not to set myself any resolutions this year, as its just a way to make myself feel pretty useless. So I am taking this year with a positive step, instead of thinking about how rubbish I was last year, and trying to change it, I am thinking of the good things I did, and building on them. I don't quite know how that will actually work. But it seemed a good idea in my head (now I've typed it down and read it, I'm not so sure...)

Have any of you decided to make any resolutions? Liam has resolved to crochet me a blanket, which is great news for me! x