Swedish Textiles

Today there was a presentation jointly by several textile museums, given by  collector Gunnar Nilsson. I signed up months ago, just as well, since  they reported that there were viewers from 51 countries today. I imagine they filled their allotted spaces.

His slides are well labeled, so I'll let them speak for themselves. Wool is the principal fiber used, in both weaving and embroidery. These are from a very small,  but clearly prolific,  area of southern Sweden, see the map.

You'll notice familiar motifs, stars, flowers, birds and animals and, once in a while, usually for marriage items, people.  

These are all household items, pillow covers, bench covers, carriage robes, bedspreads, rather than wall hanging art.  They're traditional in design and technique, largely domestic production.

I hope they ring bells with our Swedish and Swedish descended blogistas.

Happy evening everyone, celebrate your own heritage!

Good things, sad news, and a puzzle

Today was such a mixture of beautiful and sad. The beautiful happened first.

Walk in the sunshine this morning, some favorite late winter scenes,  before early spring comes. Shadows on beeches. That golden foliage against the satin grey bark

A bit further into the trees, I startled dozens of mourning doves from the place they all roost in, like a clubhouse 

Home to lunch and a concerned email from my knitting group leader because they hadn't seen me for ages. I just haven't got enough energy for people yet. I did send pictures of the gloves in progress. Nice to hear my friends are asking.

Then things went downhill, in quick succession.

Gary stopped by with bad news about another neighbor's health. She'd said it was okay for him to tell me.  She's such an independent spirit, lifelong single mom, daughter living far away.   I'm not sure what she'll let me do, but I'll be in touch.

Then not fifteen minutes later I picked up the mail, and found a letter from another friend -- more sad news, about her marriage this time. 

Staying home, as you see,  is not a recipe for an uneventful quiet life. I'll do what I can for both these dear women, once I figure out what.

Since hope springs eternal, are you up, despite all, for a puzzle?

Happy evening everyone, look for the little bit of hope, it's there somewhere.

Photo AC 

Misfits, gloves, aww factor, mystery pic

 Misfits box arrived, mid morning, amidst a soup making frenzy

The real beauty of fresh clean food, the leeks squeaky, making my eyes tear as I chop, so fresh, lovely stuff. Big brown eggs. Excellent yogurt. It's always a pleasure. They're having supply issues, like most people: no apples, spinach, parsley, cod, oh well. But look at the supplies I do have.

I was polishing off the rest of the chicken into soup, when the box arrived.

Cream of chicken soup with cannellini.

Chicken carcase in broth, onions, garlic. After removing the carcase, I blended it then added the final bits of chicken, picked off the bones, and the beans. Dash of lemon, bit more salt, done.

Five more containers in the freezer.

This two pound chicken has given: two meals with roast chicken breast, two of curried chicken, one 9" potpie, and now six helpings of soup. I think I got my chickensworth. And will desist from chicken chat for the time being, you'll be relieved to know.

I've been spinning the new roving, blended with the old

And while I was at it, finished Glove One

It's quite hard work making gloves with three strands, so before I do Glove Two,. I'll return to the sock, restful, easy knitting on small needies, with one strand.

Here's an intriguing view, not exactly a puzzle but study it and see if you can fathom where you are

No, we're not in an eerie warehouse or the opening of a gothic novel. We're inside a cello.

And the aww factor I promised

Indigenous people and their working dogs rule!

Happy evening, everyone, enjoy the rest of your day. Zelenskyy is in London, finally a grownup in Downing Street. 

Tiny lovely things and pie

 The chicken that kept on going, today became a star in chicken pot pie, first I've ever made, thanks for the prompt, Debra.

I had just enough yogurt for the pastry crust, and channeled my mom as I cut it to fit by rotating the pie dish in mid air on my fingertips while keeping the knife still.

I made the sauce using some juice from earlier chicken roasting, plus chicken broth I made last night,  now used with milk and flour 

The veggies are carrots, diced yellow potatoes, bok choy, and onions. I did remember chicken.

Here's the mise en scene, which a little lady who doesn't know theater terms, once corrected me to mise en place, which is a food term.  I was talking about the exciting moment when the curtain rises and you see the stage set, all ready for action!

Of which there was plenty, this being fairly labor intensive, what with pastry making and resting, and potato microwaving and veggie simmering and sauce making and onion frying and chicken dicing and pie assembling and baking..

Quite exciting. Amazing when it all came out together.  Also a lot of fun and quite a few dishes and tools in action.

This slice was a meal in itself, and the pastry worked out well, one of those all purpose kinds you can use for pasties or even bread rolls.

There was a bit of pastry left and some carrots, which are both in the freezer now for a future pasty or two, with additions.

Also extra sauce, which I can use partly as a white gravy for the pie, partly as the base for an upcoming cream of chicken soup, using the rest of the bones and the broth.

After all this I may be ready to cook something that isn't chicken-adjacent.

Back at the ranch, I did get a walk, temperature in the 50s, and spotted the first wildflower of the year. What the heck is it? It's microscopic. See thumb for scale.

They're dotted all over here, stems maybe a quarter inch long.

If you know, please enlighten me. My little Golden Books fell down on the job.

At home here's a little mantelscape, Cocktail Lady in the Palm Court

So that's Chez Boud today, lovely day.

I think I'll sit down and read now.

Happy evening everyone, I hope you get a chance to sit a minute and breathe.