Savoring Sarah's Story

Sarah had her book released this week. It's called Salt Story, and you can find out more about it here, on her very excellent blog called The Wine Dark Sea. I had it on pre-order, picked it up and am allowing myself to read it in smallish bites, because the urge to just devour it is strong.  If I do I'll regret it because Sarah's stories, her use of language are to be savored and not just consumed. Someone said 'you know you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.' This is one of those books.

I have a great affection for certain ex-fishermen, but I've always been drawn to stories of the ocean, ships, boats. Water, along with Celtic music, is part of my basic genetic makeup, it took a long time to understand why, but some things can't be denied, a little like fisheries officers in uniform.

I met Sarah a long time ago, we lived across the road from each other. Her children and mine were of similar ages and over the years they played and went to school and made up parts of the neighborhood mob.  I remember her in the relentless pissing down pouring rain, digging a huge hole to bury her dog, the size of a small pony, one of the most poignant things I've ever seen. I can still see her practicing her fire twirling on a sultry Saturday evening, and it still makes me smile to remember it. 

Quilts, tiedyed sheets, and fish

Only 4 working days lay between me and 2 weeks on leave.  It almost makes a Monday look good. Almost, but not quite.    

These beautiful roses are out at the moment, I think they are quite old and they seem to grow almost wild here, around old houses (or sometimes where old houses used to be.)  The scent is wonderful. 

Last week was weird, weatherwise, with a huge dump of rain mid week which left tide lines in the street and water washing in through shop doors.  Days start out brightly sunny and warm, and seem to end rainy and dark, but not cold.  One of the opshops was flooded, disrupting our Friday trawl, but amongst things at the non-flooded shops we found this quilt, some white quilt covers and sheets which my daughter is insistent on wanting to tiedye in rainbow colours,  and great chunks of her summer wardrobe.

 

'Work' has moved from the top end of town, surrounded by opshops, to the other end where there are lots of lovely and expensive clothing shops - this is not good news.  Its not very far, but the oppies are just too far to get to quickly, and to get anywhere one has to go past at least one desirable boutique in any direction.  So far I've acquired a new dress and assorted other wardrobe additions.  Its waaay safer to stay in Narnia and skip lunch altogether.  (We've christened our bit of the workplace 'Narnia' because we live in the dark behind a bank of cupboards.  No windows.  No natural light.  But nothing can take our overdeveloped sense of irony.)

I've been making more things for Summer Street Fair, which is coming up on the 24th November.  Some brooches from children's game pieces and wooden jigsaw pieces. I also traditionally finish off bits and pieces, or discover things I forgot I had.  I've been meaning to photograph this piece for ages, its made on a mirror so its hard to get a really good shot.   The images are of local fishermen and include some other very old photos of fishermen and whaling.  The mirror came from a commercial fishing boat.

Some old TV classics arrived in the mail a week or so ago, and I've been spending some quality time with David Niven -"The Rogues" and "The David Niven Show".  To prove that my tastes are nothing if not -broad - I also watched Thor.  I picked up Sibella Court's book Etc on sale, it's truly beautiful.  My head is full of ideas, and two weeks won't be nearly long enough.