Sunny Strike Day

Picketing outside the school gates-just me and my friend who is the union rep. Some of the other teachers were going to meet her on the march which I didn't go on, but I am glad I turned up to picket with her or she would have been on her own! I have never picketed before. It was quite fun. We handed out leaflets to the parents of children who were in-not all the classes had striking teachers so they were open.We chatted to the  staff going in and to the head. It was all very amicable. Striking is not done lightly but that doesn't mean it has to be horrible. The main points that are at issue remain-working for longer, paying higher pensions, no guaranteed pay progression and increasing workload. Ages ago I worked out the hours I work in a year. I get paid over a year based on 27 and a half hours every week, which includes all weeks. I worked out that I work roughly 37 and a half hours over all the weeks in the year. I am owed thousands! 

 After the picket I had planned to go home, do a bit of work and then go out to Greenwich later, However it was such a lovely morning that I decided to do things the other way around. I drove to the park and as I did, I saw the geese gathering on the heath. So I parked near the gates and walked out to take photos of them and the wild flower verges the council planted after the Olympics. Or nearly wild. Very pretty with lots of pink and white cosmos.

 Then I walked through the park via the rose garden and Ranger's House. It was lovely and made even more so by the fact that there was hardly anyone there. You don't get that at the weekend unless the weather is particularly bad.

 I would love a garden with a gate like this in it. Or leading to it. This one leads out of the park.

 There is scaffolding on the Observatory. It looked beautiful shining in the sun.

 I walked past the Henry Moore statue. It went away for a while and then came back. I hope it stays. It is where Moore wanted it to be.

 Just nearby was this woman. I couldn't resist taking her picture as her red coat made such a great contrast to the green. She was taking photos of the view I think-something on her phone anyway. She seemed totally unaware of what was going on around her. I feel pretty safe in Greenwich park but however much I am enjoying the surroundings I am still aware of potential dangers. I felt a bit worried for her.

This cheery tractor was resting, waiting for its man to come back and spread some more of that lovely topsoil around. He was there later when I walked back through.

This busy squirrel seemed quite worried that I may steal his buried nuts. I saw a nature programme recently that showed squirrels pretending to bury their nuts in one spot, then sneakily moving them to fool other squirrels. They are clever little things!

 A golden shining path of leaves leading to the market.

 Little faces looking out. 

 The glass heart cleverly camouflaged.

Squirrel holes? There were lots of Chinese people in the park foraging under the sweet chestnut trees, their carrier bags bursting with them. As I walked around I felt very peaceful and happy. A brief respite from the mad week. It was good to see things I would normally miss, and not feel under pressure for once. I did come home and do my work in the afternoon but I didn't have to I just chose to.

I loved this tree against the sun. So dramatic looking.

 It is a wreck when you get close. 

 Amazing it is still standing.

 Later on I saw this sign which, with its orange netting is just the perfect choice for the season!

Peggy Imagines

Peggy imagines that she is Little Red Riding Hood. She wants to walk in the wild wood but does not want to meet the wolf. So she has her magic gold twig which will act as a way of travelling far away, or just back home, depending on which she prefers.

 She has the ribbon from her old cloak fastening her new one. 

 The cloak lining may be responsible for her imaginings. I found this fabric on ebay a while ago and couldn't resist. The gold button was from the wool show I went to ages ago and rediscovered the other day. I am therefore making a feeble effort to use up some of my hoard of materials. I ruined that though, by buying the rose fabric new on Saturday as it was perfect for the dress. Oh well!

The little shell buttons are from a jar of beads from the charity shop. They didn't really make a dent in the jar. And I think I have discovered yoyos by accident which are the little round straps. This was a very satisfying and reasonably quick mini project. Now for the other dolls waiting in the queue to be renovated.

Dressing Peggy

I have finished her dress. I may still make her a cloak, as that is what she is used to. Peggy is her name. After my great aunt, who lived in Australia for a lot of her life. I have vague memories of her trying to teach me to crochet, and I have one of her crochet hooks that I have used a lot since I actually did learn. Also after the fact that she is made of wood pegged together with more wood. Perhaps I should give her old clothes to the doll charity shop.

Clouds Again and a Pink Wall

Cloud heart a few days ago. The other sky was the same evening in another place. 

 Below is a picture I took at school the other day. Each floor has a colour. This pink wall is facing you as you come down the stairs to the middle floor. Staring at it reminds me of the blue painted things that Anish Kapoor did. You can stare at it until nothing else is visible. Makes me feel a bit dizzy! There is a blue wall which is nice and I quite like the sugariness of the pink. I object to the vile green that is on the other floor though. No charm at all!

Finds

To speak in Prince Charles' accent, say this-''I find my trisers on the grind''. I have a book called 'High to tawk Prawperleah' which is full of this sort of thing, though not that exact one. Much better than 'the rain in Spain' for imitating the landed gentry. Anyway, that is not what this is about, instead it is about this little doll, that I found at a newly discovered boot fair on Saturday morning. She lay there looking forlorn in her bright yellow dress and hooded cape, with her arms and legs falling off. I don't know her story apart from that she belonged to the man's aunt. I left her at first as she looked in such a state, but then I went back and rescued her. He knocked £3 off so she was a fiver. I don't know how old she is. The paint on her face looks like enamel paint which goes with later penny woodens. She could have been made any time last century. Penny woodens originated in Germany in about 1810, and became popular and widely available in other countries. I have looked on ebay at them but have never managed to buy one. Originally a cheap toy, they now usually go for quite a lot, so, damaged though she is I think this doll was a bargain. Her clothes had to go, as you will see in my very shaky animation below. Now she has a newly made petticoat and is awaiting a dress. 

 I made my petticoat shorter than the one she was wearing, as I wanted her feet to show.

 I used tiny old mother of pearl buttons to fasten her shoulder straps.

 My other finds are natural ones from my walk in the park yesterday. They are resting on a book from 1893 called 'Household Words' which was a weekly magazine started in the 1850s and edited by Charles Dickens. It is full of interesting stories, and articles on all sorts of things. There is an online version here if you are interested. I got two of these books in, guess where, a charity shop.

I looked up the origin of the word 'findings' for jewellery making pieces as I have always found it a strange word with no obvious reason for its use. I could not find the origin of findings so if anyone knows I would be interested. I didn't try very hard, or look in a dictionary so I can probably find it myself if I do! The little doll made me think of the word 'foundling' which has a more obvious reason for being used. I love the word 'changeling' too. Linda Sue has been making some sweet foundlings, or maybe finding them in the wool. 

As well as being shaky the film is also poor quality as blogger wouldn't let me upload the HD one.

Sparkle and Shine and Green in the Trees

It has been so sunny here today, and warm too. This morning the crystals hanging at the kitchen window made rainbows.

 These vases caught the light beautifully.

 Small piles of things with no proper home looked better with shadows.

 And the park, where I went in the hope of finding lots of autumn leaves is still very green. 

 I did find acorns and berries. I heard somewhere that this year is a 'mast year', where trees put out extra nuts and seeds, in what seems like a coordinated effort, which provides food for animals but also a surplus, so lots of new trees will grow. I have never heard of this before and was fascinated. I had heard the word 'mast' for nuts and seeds but not for fruit-there is 'hard mast'-fruit in the form of nuts and seeds, and 'soft mast'-soft fruit. Interesting article about acorns here. The ones I found today were quite unusual looking, with scaly cups. Not sure what kind of oak they are from.

 A rowan tree and a Spanish chestnut.

 A beautiful avenue of Spanish chestnuts casting stripey shadows on the grass.

A crow with some white feathers on his wing. I walked around him to give him space and he didn't hop away like they usually do. Just looked at me as I looked at him. (Or her-who can tell?!)

This Week

I enjoyed driving to work through the fog.

 I had a lovely lunch with my Mum in a café that sells witches.

I made quatermass green playdough in the microwave. In fact I became slightly obsessed with microwave playdough and made four batches one after the other late on Friday night. It is addictive! At the end of this post is a very short film that has the lovely sound of a piece of the hot dough being removed from the bowl. A kind of sucking air sound. That is the best bit and then the kneading the still warm dough is pretty good too. 

I went to Hobbycraft to buy a present for a friend after work, and was so hungry I had to have a MacDonald's in my car. I would say guilty pleasures but I didn't feel guilty!

 I admired some 1940's book covers. I love everything about them. Especially the lettering and faded colours of the first and the title of the second. Easy to imagine it being said in a clipped British accent. I have no idea what she does as I have not read it.

 I didn't buy this saddle as I don't have a horse. I am sure there are some other good uses of saddles but it stayed in the shop.

 I did buy these two doll booklets. I like the Tammy one best. It is tiny and has minute writing in it that I may not be able to see even with my reading glasses. Lots of different outfits for Tammy.

 I visited my friend who used to work at my school but left last year. She is currently working in a school up the road. It is totally different to mine. One form entry instead of three, in a sweet little 1930s looking building instead of new build and, most importantly, with a nursery classroom that seems to have been designed by someone who has an idea about what goes on in one. Lots of little carpet areas to create different learning bays, an actual cloakroom, and a separate little room for carpet sessions with a smart board. I could go on about the other advantages over mine but I won't. She had done a brilliant job in making it lovely for the children to use. We went for dinner at a local pub which was fun for a Wednesday night.

 This baby is in her room. I can't decide if I wish it was in mine or not!

I did these quick charcoal drawings. They are on file paper and it has a lovely smooth surface which makes it good to draw on. I like to put words with the faces. Nothing much original about the words, just what I am thinking at that particular moment. The first was last night, the second tonight.