Gone With the Wind by Claire Morgan at the Laing Art Gallery

Originally uploaded by Laing Art Gallery

We went to see this exhibit at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle when we were visiting in early September. It is a stuffed kittiwake suspended amongst wild flower seeds. I really could have spent hours observing this piece. You could really feel the movement even in such a still room. It almost felt like the bird was moving in slow motion and if you stayed long enough or stared hard enough you could follow it’s path through the air.

I was gutted that photography was not allowed so am really pleased the Laing have posted this photo on Flickr. It’s even taken from exactly where I was standing – this angle really gives the best view of the wake the bird left as it travelled through the seeds.

I have been neglecting this blog of late. There are many reasons for it; the start of term, organising a hockey team and playing with kittens.

It is the latter that I want to blog about today. On September 13th we picked up two bundles of fluff, Jem and Scout. On September 28th they got famous on Daily Kitten. They seem to be settling in well and are getting braver by the day. Jem is the ginger one, she’s neat, inquisitive and sometimes forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth. Scout is the brown one, she likes to watch TV and chase her shadow.

As you might imagine I’ve got loads of photos but for some reason haven’t uploaded them to Flickr yet. I will get on to this and post again.

Minger

Originally uploaded by Persian Fire

Laura saw this sign in a shoe shop recently. Clearly the marketing bods at this company are not down with the kids. Who on earth would call their company I-Ming and expect to get taken seriously?!

I’ve just done a little reserch and have found that the company was founded in 1989, well before the term minger was adopted as a slang term by the British youth (1992 according to the Oxford English Dictionary). Although I also found through the OED that the derogatory meaning of the word ming was around as early as the 1920s.

Heart of my heart

Originally uploaded by Persian Fire

Laura has been busy crafting in recent weeks. She has discovered Sublime Stitching and has begun creating some funky designs using their embroidery transfers. Her sets include Vital Organs, Sexy Librarians and Wild West. There’s also a pirate one I’d like her to get but she’s keen on taking the next step and designing her own patterns.

In related craft news her wonderful colourful quilt was on show at the Festival of Quilts last week. It didn’t win anything but one of the judges left her this comment which for me, and I think her, is just as good as a prize: “a quilt made in the true spirit of patchwork”

Ripening tomatoes (2)

Originally uploaded by Persian Fire

I just went out to feed my tomatoes and was pleased to see that they’re finally starting to ripen. I’ve had fruit for about a month now and they’ve been steadily getting bigger but staying green. This first sight of red is very exciting.

In addition to this my courgette are finally starting to take hold (photos also on Flickr).

It seems the secret to growing your own fruit and veg is patience. A quality I am attempting to learn.