miss marie's miscellany

A splash of red

I thought it was about time I did another colour-themed post;  it's cold and grey and wet outside so I think something bright is called for;  I choose red!

 

I love my  Ipod. I still marvel at how something so small can hold so many songs.

This is my mystery flower from the garden, I've no idea what it is or how it got there, but it's so pretty I'm very glad it is!

Making a cherry cake

Scarlet wool, waiting to be made into who knows what!?

I love these funky ice-cube trays

Dahlia, 'City of  Rotterdam', looking lovely in the garden just now.

Gorgeous sparkling heart-shaped lights, brightening the evening.

Wishing you a happy weekend whatever you're up to!

Elvis on the cello!

via www.youtube.com

I like a bit of Elvis now and then, so when I found this clip of not one, not two but 12 cellists, and not any old cellists, but the cello section of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra playing Love Me Tender, I couldn't resist it. There's some really naff dancing in the film, but the music is beautiful and the playing is stellar. Enjoy!

August collage

My favourite shots from August. I was thinking what a quiet month it has been, and also how awful the weather has been, as I look out at the pouring rain and grey clouds; but I'm cheered up looking at this collection of photos because of the variety of colour and all the good memories it's brought back. Especially the sunshine!

Woolly weekend

Yesterday  I went with friends to John Lewis for a Rowan yarn show. We enjoyed a slideshow of the latest designs, had a feel of some of the newest yarns and knitted them too,  and saw (and tried on)some of the designs made up. There were patterns books to look at and free tea and coffee and delicious Danish pastries. We all got a Rowan magazine, 2 patterns and a 10% off voucher for purchases of Rowan goods, and all this was FREE. Excellent value, I'd say! Well worth checking out your nearest JL store as they have lots of these on all over the UK. It was a great way to spend the afternoon, away from the hustle and bustle of the retail-crazed Saturday shoppers and nice to meet other yarn lovers too.

A browse in the wool department was necessary afterwards, of course.  I picked up some bargains in their sale corner. Here they are

These will be used in my hexagon blanket project, more of that below!

And I couldn't resist these pretty buttons

So, as I'm in a woolly frame of mind, I thought I'd show you my crochet hexagon blanket. I'm still miles away from being finished, in fact, I think this will go on well into the winter months. It's the joining up which has taken ages, although it's been great seeing it coming together. I'm liking how it looks, and it already feels cosy.

Soft greens, pinks, purple, and blue with a little black and brown and random splashes of red, yellow and orange.

I think I need to make another 150 or so hexagons, so I'd better go and get crocheting! 

Hope you are having a lovely weekend, whatever you're up to!

Stained glass

I admired these beautiful windows which I saw at the National Piping Centre in Glasgow. The predominant blue colour is so striking, and luckily, the sun was shining, so the colours are richly vivid. You can read more about the design here, a very complex musical and historic inspiration - explained far better than I could ever hope to(the history of piping is not my forte!), and I'm sure once read, it will illuminate this stained glass even more! 

Dahlias

This is the time of year when these lovely flowers are starting to look their best.  I really love them, so many varieties and colours, from big dinner plate sized to littlest pompoms. Here are some from my garden.

The variety below  is called ' Polka'. Being a musician, I have a thing about buying plants with musically related names. It really got out of hand a couple of years ago,with seeds, bulbs, plants and varieties of vegetables, a veritable musicographer's garden. It's not always a good plan for garden design, but sometimes it pays dividends when you get beautiful flowers like this. 

I seem to have chosen lots of big, blousy blooms this year, they add wonderful splashes of colour and keep on flowering for weeks too. Lovely.

Knit a Poem

I read with interest about the Poetry Society's latest project;  the world's first knitted poem, being made to mark the PS's centenary. I wonder if Carol Ann Duffy will be getting her needles out!  The poem will be assembled from letters on 12"  knitted and crocheted squares into a 40 feet long work. As yet, the selected poem is being kept a secret, which adds a bit of mystery too! I'm not sure my knitting or crochet skills are up to the job, but if you fancy having a go, they are still looking for volunteers to make more letters, take a look at the Poetry Society's website. Lots of stuff of the poetic kind there too, so if you like a bit of verse, it's a interesting read too.

My week of culture

That sounds very grand, but I have raised the bar on my culture-ometer this week with a few outings. On Saturday, I went to the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow to see 'The Last Witch', which told the story of the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in Scotland in the 18th century. The first part was whimsical and light, setting the scene and characters,the 'witchcraft' seems nothing more than flights of fancy or vivid dreams, the second part a complete change of mood, bleak and terrible as the last witch is propelled towards her fate. Great performances all round and a dramatic evening to remember. 

On Tuesday, I went with my sister to see 'Coco avant Chanel', the biopic about the life of Coco Chanel before she became a famous icon of fashion. We both enjoyed it, the cinematography and costumes were lovely, and Audrey Tautou was great, bearing more than a passing resemblance to CC. Definitely a must-see film for lovers of fashion.

Last night I went to my book group. There are 5 of us, all ladies, so a good part of the evening is usually spent chatting about this and that, before we get down to the literary content. We discussed some Edwardian ghost stories this time, these got a mixed review, mostly good, with some reservations from the more hardcore horror fans! Not scary enough! Next month we are going all out with 2 books, of classic literature, Animal Farm and Sense and Sensibility, both of which I have read before; Jane Austen and George Orwell are favourites of mine, so this will be a revisit of enjoyable books to look forward to. As ever, we had a  great evening with good company, good talk and lots of nibbles, what more could you want!

Ukulele Orchestra at the Proms

via www.youtube.com

I've been listening to many of the BBC Proms, and was very intrigued to hear last night's late night Prom by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. My early memories of the ukulele are hearing George Formby play it in cheesy black and white films when I was a little girl, no wonder after that the instrument fell out of favour. But it seems to be enjoying a renaissance of late; my 13 year old niece has just taken up the ukulele, so it must be cool! She was certainly looking forward to hearing what they would play. I think it's brilliant that the powers that be have included such a charming and heart-warming concert in the schedule. It was a eclectic mix of songs, music from the early 20th century and some great renditions of classical music. They also invited the audience to bring along their ukuleles for a massed playing of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. You can listen to it all on the BBC iPlayer, but just to give you a taste, here's a clip I found of them at the Cambridge Folk Festival. I bet you will be smiling afterwards!

Fabulous flowers

The weather is a bit changeable today here in Glasgow, predominantly raining, but the sun keeps coming out briefly. I feel like summer is leaving us behind, there's more than a hint of autumn in the air. Yet I must keep reminding myself that it's only the middle of August, and the garden is still producing lots of floral lovelies, which I thought I'd share today; a cheer-up for a rainy day.