Thursday 13 September 2012

Some earth


Not a lot to say really except my last post seemed a bit miserable so I thought I’d throw some earth over it and move on.  Here follows the earth.

First, I wanted to show you this wonderful bench my Badger made when he had a few days holiday from his work.  



It is one of the most beautiful pieces of furniture we have.  He was working with scrap wood lying around here, and the constraints of what he had available meant it turned out an inch or two shorter (height not length) than he would ideally have liked.  Happily, this makes it perfect for me, as dining chairs/benches are invariably an inch or two taller than I can sit on comfortably, so that I either have to sit sideways with my feet up, go and eat somewhere else – or just put up with it!
So now, lucky people, you have Seen the Perfect Bench.

I wondered how I would get along with just candlelight in my Tiny Room once the days grew shorter, and now I have found out.  The answer is that I can’t.  I like to read in the evening, and because I work on the computer so much, it’s hard for my eyes to acclimatise to reading by candlelight (especially after working on a backlit screen all day).  Also, when I am working on a book – which is mostly – I often need to work into the evening; especially when, as now, my editor has begun making wistful noises about how helpful it would be if he could have the MS before the deadline!  So I have imported an electric lamp into my room for reading and working.  I know it uses the resources of Mother Earth, and I know if I lived off-grid I’d have to make do without one – but there it is.

However, the upshot of this is that I TEMPORARILY have a bedside table made from a cardboard box with a book as a tabletop - an arrangement I think you will agree is simply shocking in a civilised world in which I have the blessed fortune to be married to a man who makes such beautiful furniture.


And I also wanted to share with you something that I observed a few weeks ago.  My hair is slowly growing back, and Jesus and I are patiently waiting and watching it grow (Jesus is the only one interested in the length of my hair apart from me, and He only cares because I do).  While sorting some photos a while ago, I came across this one of me with my hair long.



I think, as I grow older, I am getting to look like John Rocha.  



I am quite excited about this because I like John Rocha’s face a lot.  I like the clothes he designs, but I like his face even better.  The only thing is he is smilier than I am, and his smile is very beautiful.  I must practice smiling.

[The photo of John Rocha is the one from the Wikipedia article about him.  I cannot see any copyright information about it, and having read their page on copyright carefully I have concluded that it must be okay to reproduce it here.  If it is not, please will someone let me know and I will just link to it.  I wanted to put the photos side by side so you could see what I mean.]

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365 366 Day 257 – Thursday September 13th
Ooh.  Tomorrow is the Badger’s birthday!



Well this is a mere tin. Very small.  I thought it worth the stature of photodom because small tins are exactly the kind of thing I am inclined to hang on to and reluctant to throw away.  So sweet.  So useful.  AWAY with your sweetness and usefulness, Little Tin!  Off to the recycling with you! Into the Crusher! Oh!  Gasp!     :0\       Goodbye Little Tin . . .


15 comments:

Katrina Green said...

Hello Ember. Thank you for making me laugh and cheering up my morning.

Cardboard box with book for table top: that sounds familiar and I love the bench!

Ah yes, it is also our wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Hmm cute little tins - I'm sure I have a few of those.
Well done you!

Ganeida said...

wow! What an interesting face! I know exactly why babies always choose to stare at faces over anything else! They are very fascinating.

Pen Wilcock said...

:0) Waving! x

Vicki said...

Love the bench, we're looking for benches to go around our dining table atm, chairs seem to take up so much space!

I've just finished reading 'Remember Me', just wonderful, I couldn't put it down. Are there going to be any more books in the series? I'm going to miss the Brother's :0(

Bean said...

Love the bench.
I now have a suggestion for a future project for my husband, he is currently planking out some walnut logs we were given.

As one who has long hair, I would miss it so if I cut it off, and when I grew it long many years ago I remember the wait!! I did have my daughter cut off about 10 inches of my hair almost a year ago, and after that my hair was still long yet I missed that cut off hair even though it was all split ends and breaks and thin and frizzy and needed to go.
I find that babies have fascinating faces too, we are just as drawn to stare at their little faces as they are to stare back at ours. All the little shadows of expression, hints of how they may look as they get older, the love in their eyes, I could go on and on, but you get my drift. Oh and their little baby toothless baby smiles :)



Pen Wilcock said...

Hi Vicki :0)
Book 7 has been with the publisher since June 2011, but they have been waiting on sales figures for the books already out to decide whether to take it or not. I so hope they do, because it's all about the way we speak to one another in every day life and in long-term marriage, and is also an exposition in fiction of Ephesians 5. I have for a long while wanted to express the thinking it contains, and I am hoping very much they will accept it.

Hi Bean - yes babies are amazing - quite terrifying too in a way; they have such presence and it seems to ask such a lot. But they offer a glimpse of Heaven (as well as a lot of rather down-to earth opportunities for service...) x

Anonymous said...

Ah Pen, you look so content holding that little one :)

Growing hair takes patience my friend. Yours is not curly like mine, so letting it grow long is going to really take awhile.

And that face...it is almost as if he is constantly remembering a good joke while living :)

Maria

Anonymous said...

Hi Ember,
I kept my hair very short for many years and it became a trade mark of mine, I loved it. When a fire dislocated me from home and neighborhood hairdresser for 9 months I began to let it grow out and have been letting it grow since. My body was physically harder and more fit when it was short. My body, life and outlook have softened as my hair has grown. My baby granddaughter had an endearing habit of twining her fingers in it for her pre-sleep snuggle. I now keep it pulled into a clip most of the time because I am no longer a fan of the feeling of it around my neck and face due to the years with the shorter cut. It is interesting how influential and interdependent hair and clothing are to our personalities and lives. PS -- did my pen and paper letter to you ever show up at your publisher? I mailed it several weeks ago.
blessings,
DMW

Rebecca said...

I DO see the resemblance...
and the bench is quite remarkable and obviously destined for your appreciative use.

I've been stuck in contemplation of chapter 2/volume 2 - the mercy & justice of God. GLORY!

Pen Wilcock said...

Hi Maria - good to see you :0)

Hi DMW - yes your letter has finally made it through to me! Thank you so much for writing. I'll reply with a proper old-fashioned letter once I catch up with myself - big scramble for a book deadline on at the mo. x

Rebecca - aha - that story you are on - pay good attention because it forms the springboard for books 4,5 & 6 (& 7 if it ever gets published!) x

Linda said...

Hi Ember. :)

It is amazing when I was reading about your decluttering when I was last here or thereabout, I didn't dream I would have decluttered much this year. But, my husband has been very kind to me and done a most of the hard decisions and work and quite a lot has been achieved. I am sitting in one clean room at least, and the others are looking not too bad either. I look forward to continuing on with it. I realised I don't desparately need to paint or get new furniture, just wash and oh I forget what I was going to say. Happens a lot. I'm tired lol. I have found the odd thing, like a mirror my Mum gave me a long time ago. So far I have resisted the consumer urge and all I have bought is a new light, not too expensive but nice to replace a 60s one that was split, and a new goose pillow that amazingly is hypoallergenic to replace my had it duck one. My daughters have made a couple of paintings, amazingly the size of ones I thought I needed for my room. And colours too, all without any imput from me. It is nice I don't need anything new after living with it for awhile. And my few special treasures that were given to me earlier this year have pride of place, where before they had no place. Simple is beautiful.

Today I was googling something odd, and due to a bloggers imaginative blog heading or title I ended up on the blog of the lady who wrote One Thousand Gifts! And the book has a facebook page. Trouble is I have forgotten a lot about it, but am eager to participate in some way. What a lovely blessing to facebook.

Linda said...

My hair looks exactly like his. The same thickness of hair and the same amount of silver or whatever colour mine is. Not too common in this part of the world, but my genes are from there, where you are lol. So thank you for posting it, it makes me feel like I belong. :)

Pen Wilcock said...

Hi Linda :0) Good to hear from you! Did you find your way back to Ann Voskamp's blog? (the lady who wrote One Thiusand Gifts) It's called A Holy Experience and it's here x
http://www.aholyexperience.com/

Rapunzel said...

I have never coveted my neighbors bench before this, yours is most lovely!

Badger and I are birthday twins,Happy Birthday Badger!

Pen Wilcock said...

And happy birthday to you, friend! I hope you have a lovely day xx