Pausing...

November seems like a good month to pause. December awaits with its cacophony of noise and light, demands on time and energy (and money...), and the increasing onslaught of Christmas-themed everything.

But this November I've been trying to push back against that a little, to notice my surroundings more, and appreciate them, whether they be a mug of hot chocolate in a warm cafe or a pot of tea by the stove, and whether my feet are hidden under damp, fallen leaves or are crunching over shingle as the sea lashes the shoreline.



I'm also finding this philosophy in my jewellery making too, where simple shapes and simple ways of constructing them in simple materials, like round sterling silver wire, are more pleasing just now than elaborate details and complex finishes.

You could say, and you'd be right to, that I'm trying to be more mindful, in every part of my life, including when I'm sitting at my jewellery bench. I know mindfulness has become one of those words which often makes people either roll their eyes in disdain or nod their head in agreement - well, I'm one of the latter and am attempting to use it more and more every single day and let it help me in any way I can. So far, I think I'm better off with it than without. If you're interested in finding out more then I've found

this book (and free CD) - Mindfulness for Health,

this website - Rachael Kable,

and this (free) course - Mindfulness for Wellbeing and Peak Performance

to be of great use.

But whether you're mindful of mindfulness or not, I hope you get a chance to breathe in some late-autumn tinged air very soon - the scent of fallen leaves with a hint of bonfires is how I'd put it; if only I could bottle it!

Happy the rest of November.

Inspiration - Autumn

September merged into October, and suddenly it's November and officially autumn and cold enough to be winter. Here's a few photos I took through September and October, things that caught my eye and inspired me, made my heart sing a little, and made me laugh.

Click on the images to see them larger and in a slideshow -  it's a little slow to load, mind.




Hope you enjoyed your late summer early autumn months too.

Return to leaving

My mild addiction to leaves has resurfaced.

I've spent some considerable time this last week or so patiently soldering, filing, polishing, creating pieces of shining autumn.



Okay, autumn isn't quite here yet, or rather, parts of it are (the leaves are starting to fall, even if the changing colours aren't widespread), and different parts of the country experience the turn at different times. Plus, the sun has shone hotly a couple of times, prompting butterflies and bees to fly again. And I still saw swallows when I looked to the blue sky yesterday . . .

But the feel of autumn is in the air. And leaves, which it seems we can overlook with greater ease in summer and winter, are all the more apparent in spring, when they reemerge bright green, and now, in autumn, when they turn to jewel colours and fall around us.




I've experimented with different sizes of leaves, from smaller, and sometimes slightly more abstract forms, at just over 2 cm long . . .




to the longer length, at 4 cm, where creating the veins and texture is easier with a little more silver to work with.




Earrings are proving tricky as one of the things I've always liked about the leaves I create, their individuality, means forming a matching pair is, so far, a slightly frustrating task.



Hmm . . .

Finished articles coming very soon . . .