.

June should be warm. June should be happy. June should be fruitful. 


June has been cold. 
June has been sad. 
June has been wasteful.


The only bit of John Clare's 'June' I recognise is that, 'Labour pursues its toil in weary mood'.





I don't like it.
I want to see the darkness lift. And the sun, not the lamps, light the room.

.

This little Elf Owl (they live in the cactus plants in Arizona) sums up how I would like to be for a few weeks -- tucked up inside a warm, safe house. Work has been horrible, I want to be cocooned! Let's see how that pans out... These little guys are very compelling -- here is a cushion I made a couple of years ago, and embroidered to show one perched on the corner. The main part is made from a very old Welsh flannel blanket, piped round the edge in black. The stitching itself was done on a piece of a tea towel. I traced the owl image, ironed it on to the fabric, and then stitched over it in small running stitches and then satin stitch (I think it's called -- to be honest, I make it up as I go along).

.

I'm finding it so hard to fulfil my manuscript promises... Eeek. I have put notes up on my wall reminding me of what I'm supposed to be focusing on: reading, understanding, interpreting, becoming flesh, materialism. But I wish I was better at relaxing about things.

.

Doglet has some rivals to the territory in our new garden. But no one beats her when it comes to the king-size bed.