Welcome to November dear friends.
What a beautiful past few weeks with the changing colours of autumn. I have enjoyed the shifting light and the grandeur of the colours. Nature is an absolute wonder. Take time to notice how beautifully the light can infuse each day.
The light of the day will not illuminate the trees the same way twice. Sometimes, a single drop of dew will glisten like a diamond in the rays of the sun. I know that I can't take this light for granted as the days grow shorter and the wintery months approach. Even as I type this blog post, the sun has climbed out from behind a cloud and the lights and shadows are brilliantly radiant. Honestly, there is a constant display of beauty waiting for us to discover. Even my summer pink geranium is still giving me beautiful blooms as they hang on to the memory of warmer days.
It is easy to get bogged down in the stressors and familiarity of the days. I hope you truly find time to notice the brilliant and illuminating light of November. It is really unlike any other month of the year. My morning reading ritual currently includes a book about beauty by John O'Donohue. I have known of his work through his poetry and this book is a very slow read. His writing is so visually rich. I think it will be a lovely read for November. I find myself going over the same passage more than once to soak in the imagery of the writing.
The illuminating light has been a constant theme in my thoughts this year. I am noticing when the light turns on for students who have been with me for several years. Sometimes it just takes a fresh view of a familiar subject for that light to rush in and illuminate the page. Even as I revisit subjects, revise course notes and refresh my own work, I notice that my thinking and techniques continue to evolve. The light of study never illuminates the mind the same way twice! I feel as if I will perpetually be a student as well as an instructor, constantly finding new insights into the work I do with my hands.
Thank you to all the students who joined me in Flourish Like Lace, I think that I made some of my most important flourishing discoveries in this class, through the unraveling of the connecting threads of lace work. Flourishing is always such a joy and feels like a peaceful pause for the heart and soul.
On November 14th I will be hosting Gleaning From Marguerite's Garden as my next in a series of online Study Days.
These quiet Study Days are difficult to describe. They are not meant to be typical online classes.
They are work-along days of total immersion. I treat them like little spa days for myself. I usually have a chocolate treat waiting for lunch to make the day extra special. I will be sharing some amazing insights from the Hours of Marguerite de Foix. You can read details about the manuscript here. I loved researching this manuscript and found a different approach for rinceau designs in it. There are endless ways to create flowering rinceau. The manuscripts themselves illuminate the way.
And if you are looking forward to a Festive treat, our December Flourishing Club details are now online at Ardington. Snow Queen was a delightful project to work on and I hope it honours the joy of December for Flourishing enthusiasts. This single session is a wonderful taster session of the Flourishing Club.
