Merry Christmas and peaceful New Year!

I just think this is beautiful!

Deep Midwinter

Tonight is the Winter Solstice,the moon and stars are very clear in the frosty air. Airports and stations have been closed and travel disrupted as once more Mother Nature teaches us that we are not  masters of this beautiful Planet but it's children.  The cold  and snow has made me think about the way we live ,always rushing, so demanding and obsessed with material things. I am as guilty as the next person, I do "Retail Therapy" sometimes but this extra cold winter has turned me inward .I have been reading about the myths and legends associated with the Soltice and Christmas.

A lonely human dwarfed by the winter landscape,what lurks in the dark woods beyond,wolves maybe!

The constant need for sustainance,staying warm to stay alive until the Spring.

Elemental fire,the Yule Log,the holly,ivy and bay!

So I have been sitting by the stove reading "The Winter Solstice" by John Matthews and imersing myself in old lore and hoping that the Glastonbury Thorn will survive the recent attack and bloom again!

Two skirts I would love to wear!

Ewa Y Walla again! I love her clothes ,they do inspire me to get sewing .

I think it would  be great to make things lke this with recycled fabrics and maybe dye the garments afterwards.....?

Bloggers Block!

Is there such a thing? This snowy weather has made me want to sit and do nothing but watch the flames go up the chimney!
Not entirely ,I have been reading a lot of poetry and browsing through cookery books to find winter warmers for supper.
I have some favourite cookery books, European Peasant Cookery by Elizabeth Luard is full of wonderful recipes .Real food that has sustained the life of ordinary families throughout Europe and it is full of information on tradition. Elizabeth Luard lived and brought up her children in several countries and is inspirational.
Roast Figs and Sugar Snow by Diana Henry is subtitled "Food  to warm the soul" and it lives up to that assertion.The food is cold weather food ,mouthwatering recipes from all over the world accompanied by quotes from poetry and literature. Just reading the recipes is deliscious! 
I made pancakes this evening and we ate them with cinnamon sugar,lemon ,honey and maple syrup!!!!

Frida Kahlo

This is a beautiful book about the finding and restoration of Frida Kahlo's Clothes.She was  unique and not only was her work both stunning and horrifying but her personal appearance was an work of art in itself.

Here is a little taste of the look she created for herself. She lived with the artist Diego Rivera in The Casa Azul in Mexico.She sustained terrible injuries in a road accident and suffered horribly all her life from the aftermath of this . However she was a determined and courageous woman who left her mark in art and fashion. She and Diego were commited Communists at a time when it seemed the only hope for the poor and suffering of the world.

She was desperate to have a child but her injuries caused her to miscarry.

 This lace dress is exquisite

These are small bags in Mexican designs.

She used delicate enbroidery and bold  contrasting colours and fabrics to create her own style.

Frida suffered from her injururies and had to wear some horrific corsets and trappings.

 She was confined to her bed for long periods and her bedroom was therefore a special place for her.She woul entertain her friends there and read.

Here are some more images , the skill and  fine needle craft that went into these creations is astounding.

I hope this post will  inspire you to look at Frida Kahlo's work and perhaps visit her Casa Azul in Mexico which is open to the public and where you can see these wonderfully restored clothes.The use of folk art is especially fascinating and tied in with Frida's politics because the skill is that of the people and an expression of the Mexican identity.
 Another one of the inspiring women that will crop up on my blog!!!!!

I love the work on this little top!

One of the good things about the nights drawing in is the excuse to make comfort food.Stews and casseroles slow cooked and waiting when you come home.  Also an excuse for a good glass of red wine to wash it down! In this picture Cassoulet bubbling away and some daffodils to remind me spring will return.

Fungi  in Montmartre last year,more joys of Autumn,an omlette and a glass of wine pure magic! I think I shall have to start a foodie blog soon!