Worlds in glass

I'm home sick today, voiceless and trying to finish off a bit of work before the end of the financial year. But the sun is streaming in through my window and my terrariums are a joy. I set them up after finding this book in the Lifeline Op shop last week

and spotting this blog and this segment on DesignSponge.

 

 

Look ! Each little world-under-glass has its own tiny watercycle. 

The tall one, the round one both have tiny rust red fungi and moss from the park in them, there is a quartz stone from an old mine mullock heap and a wonderfully black and patterned bit of red-pine bark.
The jar has a fragment of earth and  moss scooped off the street.
I've left lots of space for things to spread and (hopefully) flourish.

(Click on the picture for a detailed view)

 It's been three days since I set them up. This is the first time since setting them up that I opened them. They smelt wonderfully of wet earth and moss. I must be careful to leave them alone now. I want them to be self supporting.


The terrariums cost a total of $3.50 - 2 glass saucers and 2 jars and 1 bowl - from the oddments table at Dana Street Op shop.

Now I want to make a drier world with pebbles and cacti - and then I want a little landscape with tiny buildings and stuff.  

I must rein this in. 

I must let the folk on 'Collectors ' be a warning to me. I do not want to be the woman with a  hundred jars of moss.

(Yes this is a tiny promo for a weirdly wonderful half hour of ABC Friday night TV. Do watch 'Collectors'  it will amaze you and make you happy).

But I love moss inside and out. 

Winter work

Winter is a time when I  wrap myself in dreams

It's a good time to spin new yarns and weave ideas into new patterns.

 Arachne's sisters are still making works to admire and wonder at before the cold bites too hard.

And I am busy making too.

A puzzle for you

Remember the children's book 'But Where Is The Green Parrot?' - can you find this one, extremely bright bird in a  bare  tree?

 I could easily spot this one, back for the winter pickings, flying across the street, but I can't work out how its vivid red, green, yellow and blue became instantly invisible in a leafless tree!

The morning after the longest night of the year

The winter solstice seems like the beginning  of a new year in a way that January the first never does.  

In January the summer is still building up its heavy heat, and nothing changes much until mid March

I used to have a bonfire on the longest night and really celebrate the turn of the year, but not here in Ballarat.
But whether I celebrate it or not, this is a magical time of the year for me. I am happiest in cold weather.

I walked down to the lake while it was still dark this morning.

 

It was beautiful and very quiet. Just a few runners and walkers. I forgot to take any pictures until I was about to go home again . There was no one about by then. 

Just the reed cutter cutting rowing tracks across the water and a few swans.

Home to a hot cordial - lovely pomegranate molasses bought in Sydney Road last week.

Solstice clean up

I've spent a week's leave clearing out, cleaning up and just thinking about things while I watch winter settle down.

In the library

Still computerless! I can use my work equipment 3 days a week but I can't bring myself to mix work and the rest of my life, so here I am in my second home, our local library. I LOVE public libraries. Wherever I am, and I have wandered a bit, a library is always home.
Have just caught up on all my favourite blogs and sorted lots of Emails and am off to check out the research collection here.
Will be back with a bundle of things as soon as I have the hardware sorted.