Saturday, May 14, 2011

Peak hour


1105 peak hour
Originally uploaded by rooruu
Peak hour from an upper storey window.

Taken with Instagram (iPhone app) - new filters/effects to play with!

Monday, May 09, 2011

1105 Remembering


1105 Remembering
Originally uploaded by rooruu
A friend's father has just died. It is so very strange and sad, the space where once he was, his sudden and absolute absence.

This piece by Raymond Carver will be on the funeral order of service.

A question for the living to ask, not only in relation to him, but to ourselves. Reminds me of Larkin's Arundel Poem/ 'what will survive of us is love'.

My friend's father knew he was beloved.

Friday, May 06, 2011

(posh) shopping trolley


1104 (posh) shopping trolley
Originally uploaded by rooruu
One of the local supermarkets has been undergoing renovations/extensions/improvement and has just replaced all the trolleys in one go. The new ones include this handy-dandy feature. I hadn't realised how I could have struggled so with flowers and baguettes.

On the downside, the 'improvements' have removed the useful nutritional information booklet in the fruit and veg dept, and also there the digital scales have been replaced with (no doubt designer-chosen) old-style suspended scales. A lot less accurate. Disappointed in those changes/choices.

Not sure that I have immense need of baguette and flower holders while undertaking the weekly shop....

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

An embroidered life

It's a while since I made a quilt, or did craft of any kind, as I've been busy with work and other projects, but I'm playing about with some cross stitch and also just ordered an alphabet sampler kit from Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy/Rosy Little Things (whose writing I have always admired - hers was one of the first blogs I found, back in the day, and remains among my absolute favourites). 



Read her blog entry about it and see all the pictures here.  It's got great mad typography font letters; and I like the way with projects like this that you can toddle along, one letter at a time, seeing your progress and seeing bits finished as you go.  Her blog has the link to pre-order it, too; but if you want the kit you only have till May 10.  She says she will later have it as a downloadable pattern, but not till some time after the kits are sent in June.

Maybe it's the season drawing in.  Autumn and winter are good evening stitching times, imho.  Which is also amusing, because Alicia (being in the northern hemisphere and all) is thinking of this as an excellent summer sewing project. 

An embroidered life can happen any time.

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

The Queen's Jubilee logos

Digging around for something else, this caught (and delighted) my eye:
Is the official logo for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012 fun or what?  It was the winner in a design competition run by the iconic British TV program for kids, Blue Peter, and was designed by Katherine Dewar.

Compare the energy and charm of this with the logos for her previous jubilees:

which did come in assorted colourways/forms:



,,,but seriously, don't they make you yawn just a tad in comparison to Katherine Dewar's design?  A bit stuffy, a lot safe...

The Diamond Jubilee logo also comes in a Welsh version:
It's absolutely charming.  Has all the gear it needs: Union Jack, crown, fabulous diamonds, necessary text.  Read about the logo, the guidelines for using it and find downloadable files in various formats/sizes by clicking here.

Seeing the threee together also gives a neato snapshot of design styles and fashions over this period; no way anything as Establishment as the monarchy would have countenanced Katherine Dewar's design in 1977.

What do you think?



Image sources:
double jubilee logo
silver jubilee logo
white bg golden jubilee logo
diamond jubilee logos

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Retro dollhouse

Rather liked this modest residence amond the display of work/s at the Sydney Miniatures Fair:
Very sweet.

I had the fun of toddling around the show with one pal (who enjoyed her first visit to this event very much) and then chauffeuring an old hand at the show, the shopping sherpa herself, to Ikea (less than ten minutes away by car).  Because it's there, and it was lunchtime, and you only have to say IKEA to TSS and she sparkles.  Lovely to be able to share the fun of the fair with friends.

A few items from the show came home with me.  Will blog them later!