The little post that could

|| The little post I neglected to hit 'Publish Now' on from Monday afternoon. Posted late on a Tuesday eve/Wednesday morn after a lengthy spell at rmit assessing the paintings of students studying via correspondence and an afternoon spent knotting the spines of and then wrapping several journals for orders to stores in WA and Queensland. More pics and things to come presently in what looks to be a mixed up week. ||

Today has been a good day. I have been a Gazing Deer, a Frog and a Pigeon in yoga, and I now feel all limber and relaxed. One hour to think of little else but the placement of hands and feet has done wonders for me. Lately I feel as though I’ve been in somewhat of a rut. The kind of rut that comes about when there is an immovable mountain of work lying before me; a mountain that I am ill enthused to scale. I have been inclined not to want to finish a task for fear of having to start the one that follows. As soon as one is completed another thing materialises. Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow seemed a pleasant (and short sighted) mode to operate in for a brief period. Not very sustainable I grant you, but then that, too, could be dealt with tomorrow. Piles of work to be done, and when finished, still more to be done.

Ah, but today is different. Call it spring in the air or the smell of pineapple sage newly planted, but today I feel eager to get things done so as to afford me more time to collage and draw.

Today I am loving the smell of turkey thyme, oregano, chives, basil mint and sweet basil. I have elected to grow a Grosse Lisse tomato in a pot in the sunny spot in the garden. I’m keen to enjoy my own mini crop this summer. My Mum has planted three tomato plants in her garden, too. Two grafted Grosse Lisse tomato plants and an Apollo tomato known for its globular fruit, and together we are locked in Tomato Battle. It’s a race to see who can grow the most, the biggest, the reddest, the tastiest tomato. I have fertilised said tommy plant and I have heaped mulch around its little green base. I have placed in four tall bamboo stakes and I will even talk to my plant if needs be.

{With china from Louise's great grandmother, Violet Victoria.}

I am also loving the lunchtime table setting at LJ’s grandmother’s place. The good china came out and we feasted on cold chicken, tinned pineapple, slices of beetroot and beans (“they’re good for vegetarians”).

I am enjoying watching The Eagle (Ørnen: En krimi-odyssé) on dvd and hoping that I will one day speak fluent Danish or Icelandic, no subtitles needed. I am also enjoying watching Charlie Chan in Egypt (featuring an appearance by Rita Cansino before her stage name Rita Hayworth) at the other end of the spectrum. Lunching with Honolulu detective Charlie Chan, my homemade veggie soup and hunk of bread never tasted so good.

I am loving watching collections grow under Camilla's watchful eye.

Yes, today I am loving a great deal. A whole handful of simple loves.

Here are two new collages as well.

{Put right again, I}

{Put right again, II}

I have this song in my head, and much to do... goodnight.

Comments

[comfies]

i heart that song! thanks for sharing it. love the whole organized collection thing too. i understand not wanting to finish things. and/or not wanting to start things. i'm trying get past my resistance to creative work, trying to become disciplined and i'm finding it challenging...

[louise]

Put right again, I & II are just right by me!
Violet would very much love your photos too.

[lisa s]

that video is so you! love....

also really really like the pics of the lunch w/ the good china....

and how you describe the smells of the garden... ours end when yours begin...
xo

[andrea (scout)]

my dear, i have been feeling much the same these days. but sometimes all it takes is a little equinox to put things right again. :)

so glad to hear of your good day and goings-on. i am keeping my fingers crossed for a triumph in Tomato Battle 2007. xoxo

[tommy]

I was a Pigeon too in yoga, yesterday. And a Tiger... I received the zines, will take some time to look at them this evening. Thank you very much. And I'm loving the lunchtime spread at LJ's grandmother's, just what every meal at a grandmother's place should be...

[julie]

Ah...it seems theres a familiar feeling in the air..i have also been feeling as you have..glad this week is looking brighter for you :)
I love Gran V V's tableware - suits you both so!

I have also been enjoying Camillas collections - and your two new ones are fab.
Have a lovely week xxx

[Eunice]

hi gracia...

some tomato tips to assist you in the great tomato race: add some epsom salts for magnesium, as well as powdered milk (or egg shells) for calcium. your garden smells heavenly-- i'm trying to rescue my herbs and geraniums from this summer's drought for next year.

and hooray for simple loves and new collages. I like the theme you have for the collages...haunting in a way that reminds me of the movie children of men.

good luck with the pile o' work.

[Miss Eagle]

I do love the table setting. At my food blog, Oz Tucker (http://oztucker.blogspot.com), I have a little crusade on tabling as opposed to the modern food on the run syndrome. Tabling together around a beautifully set table with good food and wonderful conversation is a wonderful human thing, a great spirit lifter and we are letting it slide away and trading dining rooms for home theatres.

[amisha]

a lovely list of summer loves... hoping that your tomato crop is bountiful!
glad that yoga has brought some peace away from the work, too... nothing like an hour of stretching and quiet!
xox

[shari]

"one hour to think of little else but the placement of hands and feet". beautiful gracia. xox

[cruststation]

So glad you had a productive day, a change of weather sometimes help in getting things moving. Over here, the weather is turning cold and I dream of warmer days. Love the table setting and delicious looking springtime meal...enjoy!

[shannon garson]

I too love the Eagle (it has made me really want to travel to Scandinavian countries. I too love granny's table settings, and home grown tomatoes, Fizzy D and I are trying for a bumper crop of "Tommmy toes" cherry tomatoes this year.

[risa]

the china reminds me of the china we have from my grandparents. i love it because of the colors and that it belonged to them and that my grandmother's good friends whom i've become close with in recent years were the ones who gave them the set. the dishes make every meal taste a little better.

[gracia]

Hey there Comfies,
I’m glad you enjoyed that particular song and accompanying video… it’s a sweet one, isn’t it? Best of luck with the becoming more disciplined thing; I know just what you mean and often feel the very same way.

If it’s just right for you, LJ, it’s just right for me, too.

Hey there Lisa,
Since penning this post, my tomato plant has had a rapid growth spurt. It must be all those kind blog words doing wonders for its green limbs. Glad you, too, enjoyed the tunng link.

Hi there Andrea,
The Great Tomato Battle of ’07 is heating up as spring brings many showers and bursts of sunlight. Planted at its base, the herbs are expanding before my very eyes, and smelling mighty fine, too. Thanks for crossing those fingers.

So glad your zines arrived, Tommy… and so sorry for the initial mix up with them. Enjoy them!

A brighter looking week can only be a good thing, can’t it, Julie? Wishing you many good things and a dash of creativity, too. Looking at all those collections on flickr sure helps.

Hello Eunice,
Thanks for the green tip. Epsom salts for magnesium and egg shells for calcium – wow, you are quite the avid gardener! I’ll give it a whirl and let you know how it goes. Best of luck to you as you salvage those dry, post summer, herbs and blooms. Thank heavens for geraniums being such hardy things, eh?

Hello Miss Eagle,
Thanks for swinging by my blog… I’ll be sure to drop by yours and say hello sometime.

Hi there Amisha and Shari,
Yep, sometimes there’s nothing like a good stretch. Having just returned from my second class for the week, I am feeling a little more at peace and a great deal calmer about what lies before me. Enjoy your down-faced dogs, warriors and camels. I have been all three this morning and am now in need of a second coffee. A little caffeine to undo all that stillness… not the best idea, but one I’m going to indulge nonetheless.

Hi CrustStation,
It looks very sweet in these two pics, doesn’t it? All laid out in readiness, I couldn’t resist taking a photo or two. Hope you are surviving the greyer skies over your way.

Hi there Shannon,
Best of luck with your home grown tomatoes. I’ll have to take a photo of mine in its infancy; one lone tomato plant asked to feed a minimum of two. I hope we are both in for a bumper crop. As to the Eagle… ah, how it makes me want to head to Iceland, Norway, Denmark and neighbouring regions. For now I shall just content myself with watching repeat episodes and waiting for the next instalment on dvd.

Hey there Risa,
I have a few pieces of Willow that I feel the very same way about. Their history makes every dish a little more appetising… I like that idea of yours.

take care, grache xo