Last week and this week my life has fortunately been creatively full. I have enjoyed some arty time, reading, writing, photo taking,a little gardening (although the rain has limited it a little bit), soap making, MORE jam making and late at night when I can’t fall asleep I have been watching some very interesting documentaries and films. I watched a thought provoking documentary about Minimalism and a film called ‘While We’re Young,’ which has a gripping narrative about authenticity. It focuses on a relationship between a young carefree  hipster couple and a middle aged couple. It is a VERY GOOD FILM, and I would highly recommend it.

My photography class this week was somewhat of a nightmare though. I couldn’t understand at all what the tutor was talking about. My camera just wasn’t doing or showing what it was supposed to do or show. My trusty camera is very old and I have had her for many years but sadly I think it might be time to replace her. The tutor came over to help me (probably once he saw the panicked look on my face) and he had a good inspection of my camera and told me that sadly it is not working, which is why I couldn’t follow what was going on. Its really frustrating because I can’t justify spending lots of money to fix or replace it at present and I have 7 more weeks of college. However, I am also slightly relieved at the same time that it isn’t my intellectual capacity that has broken down as I was getting worried on Monday during the class that it had!

In other news, I have made the perhaps slightly mad decision to make all my Christmas presents this year. I really hate the materialism that Christmas brings nowadays. Children are only after more and more, and it is all about what Santa can bring them. In fact, adults are even more materialistic and I find it really sad. So I have challenged myself this year to make hampers for my friends and family. I know it is very early to even contemplate Christmas but I have no choice as I am using summer/autumn garden produce in a lot of my creating.

So far I have started making the following for the hampers…

1. Preserves, preserves and more preserves! (Plum jam, Rhubarb and Cinnamon jam, Plum and Cinnamon jam and Plum Sparkle jam and grape jelly – all fruit from the garden.
2. Goats milk soap with essential oils, oatmeal and Vitamin E.
3. Lavender and Rosemary soap with shea butter and coconut oil.
4. Bath salts with french lavender and Rosemary (Herbs I have dried from the garden).
5. Lemon Balm infused honey (Lemon balm also homegrown)
6. Planning to make mince pies, rowan berry gel candles, gingerbread cookies, chocolate truffles, jewellery, lemon balm tea, bird seed feeders, fruits of the forest – literally – bramble vodka and a few other things I am still deciding on!