Remember Pink Hill Manor?
From it's humble beginnings . . .
. . . To a partially assembled house . . .
It's finally beginning to take shape. I'm wondering if now I am being optimistic about possibly entering it into the State Fair next month. It may yet happen, but I might take a look through my bin of "finished" but not Finished projects and see if there is something I might be able to sew up quickly to enter. We'll see. I might have to think about this one for a possible entry next year! The problem is more that it will need to be framed and as I don't do my own framing I might not have enough time to pay someone to frame it. It doesn't matter really, as the important thing is simply to enjoy stitching it--which I am!
This weekend has been a little crazy as I've had lots of house-projects to contend with, so not much reading time (hence my sharing Pink Hill today rather than writing a proper book post). I'm afraid I'm going to have to save Theseus for next weekend, which is a pity as I was really looking forward to spending time with my Mythology book today.
I did get in a little creative time this weekend, however, though mostly under pressured circumstances. I joined another mail art exchange, and they are due to be mailed on Tuesday. Being the procrastinator that I am, I didn't actually start them until last night. I've been giving the theme ("Sweet") lots of thought, but hemming and hawing over just what I was going to make and kept changing my mind. It's not that I didn't like the ideas it was more a matter of being unsure about how I was going to execute them. I like being creative, but I can't draw a straight line to save my life. The envelopes are meant to be more handmade than not, but I've sort of interpreted things rather widely. I hope that even if I've sort of sidestepped some of the rules I'll still get a favorable nod for effort!
Now with a few fun and not so fun (that being home improvement sort of work) projects out of the way I have Monday and a new week to look forward to. I almost don't mind as I always get in more "good" reading time during the work week (as strange as that sounds). So, best not to look back over the weekend and contemplate what I didn't accomplish (and the list is as ever a long one), but look forward to reading possibilities this week.
I'll be sharing a few thoughts (once I get them sorted out) about Masuji Ibuse's Black Rain in the next few days. It was a rather heavy read, so I'm looking forward to reading something a little less intense. To that end I'm very much looking forward to Elizabeth Chadwick's Falcons of Montabard. I've had enough of a taste to know it's going to be an entertaining and absorbing read and going back to the 12th century is very appealing to me at the moment. I've read Chadwick before, and if you like historical fiction, I can heartily recommend her books. I need to finish A.S. Byatt's Ragnorok and hopefully won't be too tardy for the Slaves discussion. And I think I need to get back to John Steinbeck's East of Eden. I've missed my daily few chapters and had been making steady progress in it.
And a book I've not mentioned that I got via interlibrary loan, Koula by Greek writer Menis Koumandareas. My Greek Mythology reading has inspired me to pick up a few other books (as you can see by my sidebar book choices) set in Greece. I thought I should really try a Greek author, however, as well. This is a very slim book written in sparse prose about an affair between an older married woman and a younger man. The two meet on the train every day, sitting across from each other and sharing quick, questioning glances. It's a little voyeuristic (though I don't mean that in a sordid way!), but intriguing, especially as I take public transport. It makes you a little curious about the people you see every day who you will never know.
And who knows which other books I'll be dipping into this week. We'll see where my mood takes me!