Tuesday 28 October 2014

A Bit of Seasonal Beauty


Hi, it's me Dori :-)

Just dropping by to share some seasonal beauty that I saw the other day...

Fall or autumn...whichever you say or prefer, is my favorite season! There's so much vivid color. I just love it!

Have a wonderful day wherever you are!

Monday 13 October 2014

Sanctuary



Hello again.

It's Monday, the weekend has passed by in a flash, as usual, and another week stretches out in front of us all.  Perhaps it's time for a little Sanctuary then?

'Sanctuary' can mean different things to different people and can be found in lots of ways, but right now, with autumn really setting in and Christmas on the horizon, it makes me think of being on holiday.  We had a wonderful time in Scotland this summer and, despite the changeable and cooler weather, we did have some lovely sunny days.  There is something magical about the scenery in Scotland.  It's incredible, and seems to change each time you go around the next corner, if you know what I mean.  Here are a couple of shots from some of our 'scouting for film location' days. 

Glencoe

From the shore of Loch Awe, just opposite Kilchurn Castle


Glencoe is simply breath-taking, and the photos I have don't do it justice.  I think we must have been unlucky with the weather there, as we hit rain each time we drove through the pass.  As you can see, we had great weather when we visited Kilchurn Castle.  The colours in this shot looking towards the mountains from the opposite shore are really vibrant.  We picked out this little bit of shore as a nice, quiet location for filming while we were looking around the castle, which was heaving with tourists.  So, we drove around the top of the loch, parked up on the side of the road and tramped through long grass and then very wet bog to this wonderful site.  It did feel a bit like something out of Swallows and Amazons, and you could see where people had previously camped and partied!  After much repositioning of a sinking camera and tripod (not to mention the cameraman!) we got some nice footage, and here's another shot from the shore across the loch to the castle.

Kilchurn Castle


Happy days!  Why not let us know where you escaped to this summer via the comments section, or how you find those precious moments of sanctuary?  I hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday.

Tuesday 23 September 2014

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness... Hello Autumn!

Morning in the forest

 Hello readers, and welcome back to the Labyrinth after our summer break.  Dori and I have had an interesting couple of months with lots of things going on, and never enough time to do everything, as usual...  Dori has been working on writing her first novel, and I've been busy decorating the house, sewing costumes, knitting scarves and cowls and being wardrobe mistress and general dogsbody for my daughter's film shoot in Scotland.  It's been fun!  More about those things in forthcoming posts, though...

Today, here in England, it is officially the first day of autumn, marked by the autumn equinox ('equal night'), which means the period at which day and night are of equal length.  This definition is, however, not quite so clear cut, as you can read in this article published yesterday (22nd September 2014) by Hannah Osborne in the International Business Times.

Where I live, in the far west of England, autumn has crept in over the last couple of weeks.  The nights and mornings have become much colder, the leaves are starting to lose their summer green and the beautiful burnished colours that the forest rewards us with at this time of year are starting to show.

  
My lime green Acer has turned. Such wonderful colours!   


    So, the 'Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness' that Keats so beautifully portrays in his 'Ode to Autumn' is definitely here, despite what the weather forecasters may say about warm weather continuing into October.  Autumn just has a certain feel about it, don't you think?  That touch of chill dampness in the air and the smell of woodsmoke from woodburners or the occasional bonfire...  Everything looks brighter and richer, berries are starting to weigh down the branches of trees, and soon, as the nights draw in and the temperature drops, what can be better than to curl up with a good book in a comfy armchair in front of the fire?  Not forgetting a steaming cup of hot chocolate either!  This is definitely my favourite time of year...

If you'd like to read Keats's poem, you can view it here at allpoetry.com.  You can also listen to the talented Ben Wishaw reading the poem via the YouTube video below.


Has autumn started where you are?  We'd love to hear from you, and you can write us in the comments section below.

Saturday 31 May 2014

A Summer Break


We have decided to take a summer break here at Labyrinthus XXI. Sometimes it's good to take a breather and go out and explore. That's one of the great things about summer...it's a chance to get out and just enjoy! 

Have a great summer and we'll see you in the autumn!

Friday 30 May 2014

The Creative Maze: Costume-making for Film.



Hello again, and welcome back to The Creative Maze.

You may remember, from my last Creative Maze post, I promised you a decent image of my finished huntress costume for filming later this year?  Well, here are a few shots...

Wednesday 28 May 2014

Food: Heart-shaped Food


Today for my food post, I won't be sharing food porn like I usually am fond of doing. No, today I'd like to share something a little bit different and it's this interesting potato in the picture above.

I found this cute little potato nestled in amongst the other 'normal' potatoes last year and since I love documenting things I just had to snap a picture of it. I mean, how many times do you go to make something to eat and you find heart-shaped food? It made my day and looking at it now nearly a year later it still makes me smile!

Have you ever come across any heart-shaped food or unusually shaped foods? Have you seen a face staring back at you when you're about to dig in? LOL. If you have, we'd love to hear your story. Please leave us a comment and tell us about it.

Until next time...

Monday 26 May 2014

Sanctuary: Enjoying the view...

 
Enjoying the view, because sometimes, pets need sanctuary too...






This is a cute shot of my English Pointer looking over the battlements of St. Mawes Castle in Cornwall, taken last summer while we were on holiday.

Have a great day!


Saturday 24 May 2014

Art and Culture: The Art of Topiary


Hubby and I share a love of visiting houses, castles and gardens, wherever we may be.  I never cease to be amazed by the amount of work, artistic vision and patience that goes into the topiary, whether it be hedges and mazes (like the photo above, taken by hubby a few years back at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire), repeating designs that add structure to a garden, or more individual and intricate designs.

Friday 23 May 2014

Creative Maze - Photography


For today's Creative Maze I'd like to share another one of my photographs. One of my favorite things to take pictures of is architecture and I love the ornate design of churches.

This is Bath Abbey in Bath, England and as you can see it's a beautiful place. Over the years that I've been living here, I've visited Bath many times and I always make sure to go by to take a look at the abbey.

One thing that I love about photography is that you can revisit a time and place whenever you want...and all that you have to do is go and look at your photos and the memories come flooding back!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wednesday 21 May 2014

Food: Croissants


Food Porn for today..... CROISSANTS!!! 

I love croissants! I have them on occasion and every time it's a beautiful experience.


Monday 19 May 2014

Saturday 17 May 2014

Arts & Culture: Scribbling In Order to Awaken Creativity






For today's Arts & Culture post I'd like to share something that I've been thinking a lot about recently and that's awakening creativity. First of all, I know that you're probably distracted by this weird photo above :-) However, when I was going through some files on my computer, I found this little sketch. I know that it looks like I probably drew this when I was a toddler, but actually it was only about eight years ago. I'll tell you now, this isn't an actual drawing that I made with my hand. I drew this very badly on an antiquated phone that I had at the time when I was just fooling around one day and for some reason I saved it onto my computer. It's very badly drawn because I drew it with my fingernail on an electronic pad and I had no idea what I was doing. LOL. I can draw much better than this in reality. Anyway, enough of my excuses ;-)

So when I found this photo in the deep recesses of my computer I laughed at it but it instantly brought back the memory of when I created it. The thing that I remember most about it was that it was just a bit of throw away fun that I ended up not throwing away and I'm glad that I still have it and here's why.

Recently I've been trying to awaken more of my creativity and to get back to a place where I can exercise that part of myself more. When I saw the picture above it reminded me that sometimes just having fun can lead you down a path of discovery. Many of us often take ourselves way too seriously and want to create something wonderful and there's nothing wrong with that...that's what I want. However, sometimes you have to scribble and doodle in life in order to let go, so that your mind is open to create something that you love. I think that scribbling and doodling and letting your mind just have fun releases the attachment to outcome and your able to tap into your creativity more readily.

So now that I've found my little scribbly doodle above, I'm going to keep it as a reminder to just let go and breathe and enjoy the journey that is creativity! 

Friday 16 May 2014

Creative Maze: Costume-making for Film


Hi there.  Two weeks have flown past, and I'm here again to report on the progress of the Huntress costume.

Last time, I'd got as far as sewing the bodice and its lining, which I then stitched together.  This time, I can show you the next two stages of constructing the dress:

Monday 12 May 2014

Sanctuary: The pleasure of pets


In the eyes of your four-legged friend, it never matters what kind of day you've had, where you've been, or what you've done...they will love you unconditionally.  How is it that they seem to know when you're feeling out of sorts?  They'll just come and sit beside you and 'lean', or rest their head in your lap.  I've read many times about the physical and mental health advantages of owning a pet, and it really does seem that stroking them is not only relaxing for them, but for us too!

Saturday 10 May 2014

Arts and Culture: Importance, meaning and the Arts Council.

 


Hello, and welcome back to the labyrinth.  In today's post, I would like to talk about the importance of the arts and culture, and what they might mean, in our lives.  For me, art, in any form, can be inspiring and regenerative, can stun the senses creating wonderment (for example, the first time I saw Turner's work in London, and Monet's work in Paris - all I could say and think was 'Wow...'), and can massively enhance our mood.  It feels good to read a great book, to be an audience member at a great play, film or concert, or to produce something creative yourself, doesn't it?  Culture, for me, represents humanity in action - the road map of how we have lived and are living, and what we think, feel and believe.  In today's multi-cultural society, then, the inevitable blending of artistic and cultural ideas should be more interesting and exciting than ever.

Friday 9 May 2014

Creative Maze - Photography


For today's Creative Maze, I wanted to share this collage that I made from my recent trip to London. I have hundreds of photos of London and so recently I thought that it might be fun to revisit the older ones and put them together in themes.

 These are very recent photos though. Still, I'm in a photography mood lately so I'll be doing more collages like this. It's all about creativity and having fun!

Happy Friday!!!!!

Wednesday 7 May 2014

Food - Calamari & Peppered Steak Salad


I'm here once again with some lovely food porn! This time it's not just one dish....today we've got TWO!!! This was a truly delicious lunch that I had in London last week. It was so delicious that the taste memory is still very much alive! Above is the calamari that I had as a starter and below is the peppered steak salad that I had as a main dish. Each dish was superb.

The calamari was fried, but it was as light as a feather and it wasn't rubbery at all. The peppered steak salad was so fresh and delicious! The steak was seasoned just right....with just the right peppery kick. I had this wonderful lunch at a place called Sophie's in Covent Garden. All that I have to say is YUM!!!!!

Until next time...



Monday 5 May 2014

Sanctuary - Nature


As I've mentioned before, in nature we can often find the peace that we seek. Also, I find that watching animals in the act of just being themselves to be very calming. One thing that I love about these ducks is that they look so calm on the surface as if they're just floating, but under the surface of the water their feet are flapping like crazy to push them along. They don't let what their feet are doing interfere with what's happening above water. They're just enjoying the moment. I love that!

Saturday 3 May 2014

Arts & Culture: Nature As A Work of Art


Keeping it simple today for arts & culture...

The beautiful work of art that we call nature puts on its own special show every day!

Enjoy and have a great weekend! :-)

Friday 2 May 2014

The Creative Maze - Val: Costume-making for film - 3

Welcome back to The Creative Maze.  This week, I have another update for you on the huntress costume I'm currently making for a short film that will be shot in Scotland later this year.  I think it's going well, and here are some photos tracking its progress:

Shoulder strap, stitched, turned, pressed and trimmed with fiddly 6mm brown ribbon. This velvet material is so beautiful, but with a stretch in it, it is a total pain to work with, especially when you are attaching slippery fabrics like lining or ribbon!

Wednesday 30 April 2014

Food: Cauliflower Cheese and Bacon at The Glasshouse Inn, May Hill, Gloucestershire - Val

Hello there, and welcome back to 'Food' at Labyrinthus XXI.


It was my birthday recently, and to celebrate, we decided to eat out somewhere new, as we tend to keep going back to the same old tried and tested places.  Well, that gets boring, doesn't it?  So, we spent a while trawling the internet and reading reviews, and found a gorgeous old pub in glorious countryside just west of Gloucester (sorry about all the adjectives, but it was lovely!).  We went last Saturday evening and arrived in the nick of time, nabbing the last free table, which was really lucky as people literally started piling in - I guess it's quite a popular pub!

The Daily Maze

"Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue."
 
 - Buddha

Tuesday 29 April 2014

The Daily Maze

 
 
 
"Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place."
 
- Zora Neale Hurston

Monday 28 April 2014

Sanctuary - Nature

 
A walk in the forest always feels like sanctuary to me...

The Daily Maze


"Real obstacles don't take you in circles. They can be overcome. Invented ones are like a maze."
 
 - Barbara Sher

Sunday 27 April 2014

Saturday 26 April 2014

Arts & Culture: April 26 - World Intellectual Property Day


Hello and welcome back to Arts & Culture.

As you can see, today is 'World Intellectual Property Day', celebrated every year on April 26, to raise awareness and understanding of Intellectual Property ('creations of the mind...inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names commercial images' - from: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/).  The World Intellectual Property Organization has been in existence since 1970, holds events, workshops and training sessions all around the world, and runs an awards program to highlight and encourage creativity and innovative thinking  If you click on this link you can visit their website, which is brimming with information, links to events and a free magazine you can subscribe to.

As bloggers and creative people, Dori and I are very aware of the multitude of issues concerning intellectual property, such as copyright, patents, and trademarks.  In our modern world, with the immediacy of the internet and social networking, it can be very easy for anyone to publish something they do not own, and having been alerted recently to the copy/pasting of some of our own material on another site, and to the attempted theft of a family member's own brand and logo, I felt this was a relevant organization that our readers might be interested in.

I hope you all have a great Saturday and enjoy the weekend!

Until next time...


All information from the WIPO portal at: http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/

The Daily Maze

"Good words are worth much, and cost little." 
 
- George Herbert

Friday 25 April 2014

Creative Maze - Challenge - Jewelry Making

For today's Creative Maze challenge, I'm here to talk about my revisiting jewelry-making and getting in touch with my creativity again. As I mentioned on a previous challenge post "here", I've decided to put knitting on the back burner in favor of something that I'm more interested in at this time.

So today I thought that I'd talk about some of the tools that I use for making jewelry. Each one has a particular use and they help make the act of creating a little easier. Here are my tools. I'll describe what each one is used for :



 


Bent nose plier - perfect for twisting, squeezing and shaping in areas that long nose pliers can't reach. And this one has a serrated tip to help grip on better.












Long nose plier with smooth tip - good for twisting, squeezing and shaping and especially good for jewelry findings. They have a smooth tip so they won't damage the surfaces of items that are being bent or shaped.









Straight nose internal plier - these are great for twists, coils, and loops for beading. They are smooth so they won't ruin the finish of objects that are being bent.









Side cutter plier - good for cutting and trimming wire, jewelry findings, and head and eye pins.












Long nose plier with serrated tip - good for twisting, squeezing and shaping, as well as picking up and holding small items. This one has a serrated tip that gives a nice secure grip.










So now that I've introduced you to my tools, onward I go on this creative journey!

Until next time...

The Daily Maze

"Society bristles with enigmas which look hard to solve. It is a perfect maze of intrigue."
 
~ Honore de Balzac

Thursday 24 April 2014

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
 
"Love is all, it gives all, and it takes all."
 
Soren Kierkegaard

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Food - Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

 
 
Once again it's my turn to share another luscious bit of food porn. As you can see, I love taking pics of food ;-)  Anyway, I had this in Bath, England a while back, but the memory of how good it was is still very strong in my mind. It's spinach and cheese ravioli, garnished with cheese and a little bit of salad and gloriously toasted bread! Mmmmmmm!!!!!! I had this in a department store cafeteria of all places, but sometimes the Universe surprises you and you get something special in a place or a way that you least expect it. And to top it off it was really reasonably priced so I was a happy woman!
 
Until next time...



The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
"April is a promise that May is bound to keep."

- Hal Borland

Tuesday 22 April 2014

The Daily Maze



Today is Earth Day!

Earth Day has been celebrated annually on April 22nd since 1970.

Read more about it here and here.

Monday 21 April 2014

Sanctuary: Easter Monday at a classic car carnival

A beautiful old Riley - my dad had one in the 1950's!

Hello and Happy Easter Monday to you all, wherever you are.

Today, here in England, we have a bank holiday, so lots of people are having an extended weekend, which is always welcome (!) and a chance to do something different, visit somewhere new or kick back and relax.  How we like to relax is personal and different for everyone.  For example, if the weather is bad, I might curl up on the sofa with a book I can escape into, or I might do some knitting or sewing.  My hubby is mad about cars and loves classic car shows and museums, and if we get the chance, we visit.  He tells me the history of the cars and car companies, while I drool over my favourite old Jaguars, Healeys and Triumphs...  I spent many happy hours as a youth under the bonnet with my dad, learning how cars worked and getting covered in grease.  I've always been a bit of a tomboy!

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
“Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.
Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance.
Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence.
Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance.”

― Yoko Ono

Sunday 20 April 2014

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
 
"What matters in life is not what happens to you but what you remember and how you remember it.”

― Gabriel Garcí­a Marquez

Saturday 19 April 2014

Arts & Culture: Photography Books Celebrating the Art of Life

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I love taking pictures and one of the things that I really enjoy is looking at the work of amazing photographers. I love the artistry of a well-crafted photo. It's a true art!

Recently I've had the opportunity to enjoy two great books of photos that are rooted in the examination of style. On the surface it would seem that the two books are very different but actually they have a lot in common. They both celebrate everyday people who are being themselves and expressing themselves in the ways that they adorn themselves.

See the World Beautiful by Anne Menke,
published by Glitterati Incorporated,
http://glitteratiincorporated.com

The first of the two books is called See the World Beautiful. It's the work of photographer Anne Menke and chronicles her travels around the world. It's a beautifully large book that measures roughly 11x 14 inches and its sheer size makes it an amazing photographic experience. The pictures are large and you can see lots of detail which makes each image seem as if you're peeking through a window.

See the World Beautiful by Anne Menke,
published by Glitterati Incorporated,
http://glitteratiincorporated.com

Anne Menke really captured the true universal human experience in her wonderful book of photographs. The true artistry and her skill made for an amazing experience.


The Way We Wore: Black Style Then by Michael McCollom,
published by Glitterati Incorporated, http://glitteratiincorporated.com

The other book is called The Way We Wore: Black Style Then by designer and photographer Michael McCollom. This lovely book makes me think of a family photo album in that it documents the personal style moments in the lives of McCollom's family, friends, and acquaintances. 


May 1960, New York City.
Arlene Hawkins,
Owner of Arlene Hawkins Cosmetics

The book beautifully chronicles the style contributions of African-Americans and how that style has influenced international fashion culture.

Both books were very intriguing and I think they both shine a light upon something very important. Each book reminded me of the power of the individual and the connection to culture as a whole. In just being ourselves and expressing ourselves we are celebrating our creativity and to me that is an expression of art. We leave our mark by how we choose to show up in this world.

There is so much to explore and there are so many ways of living in this world. And living has an air of the artistic to it. I love that! We are here to create our lives and to embrace the journey.

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
 
"Awake, thou wintry earth - Fling off thy sadness! Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth Your ancient gladness!"
 
 - Thomas Blackburn

Friday 18 April 2014

The Creative Maze: Photography

Once again I'm here with my contribution to the Creative Maze and I want to share one of my favorite ways to get creative again...photography. I love taking pictures...I've loved it as long as I can remember. I love the idea of freezing a moment in time. My hope is to get better technically with photography, so I plan to work on improving my skills over time.

One thing that I like to do is play around with Photoshop in order to see what I can create. Here is an example of my Photoshop antics. I've made some kinda weird things and I'll share some of those in future posts  ;-) But here is an example of a slight adjustment that I made to this picture of a rose.




Do you like to photography? Is there another way that you like to be creative? Please leave us a comment and tell us about how you get creative.

Until next time...

The Daily Maze



On This Day:

On this day in 1977, Alex Haley, the author of Roots was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

You can read more about him here.


Thursday 17 April 2014

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
 
“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
― L.M. Montgomery

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Recipe: Quick Home-made Tomato Soup


Recently, I posted the chocolate mug cake recipe as I thought it might be useful for my son who is off to university-land later this year.  He's keen now to learn how to cook quick, cheap and nourishing meals, so here's one I got him to make for us a couple of days ago.

We are great lovers of tomato soup in this house, and think home-made is SO much better than the shop-bought tinned stuff.  Don't get me wrong, tinned soup is great because it's convenient (and I guess number one son will eat a lot of it during his time at uni!), but I always find it quite concentrated...  He was surprised how good this soup tasted when we sat down to eat it, and commented on how easy it was.  So, here's the simple, quick and cheap recipe, and I hope you like it.

The Daily Maze

On This Day:

The American composer, conductor, and arranger Henry Mancini  (Enrico Nicola Mancini) was born on this day in 1924. His best known works were the themes for The Pink Panther films and the television series Peter Gunn.

You can read more about Henry Mancini here.

Also have a listen to both of his well-known themes here and here.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

The Daily Maze

Quote for the day:
 
"Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none."
 
~ William Shakespeare

Monday 14 April 2014

Sanctuary: Meditation


Lately, I've realized that I have a lot of chatter that goes on in my mind and that chatter often makes me feel a bit overwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hearing voices or anything...I'm just being driven a little bonkers by my mind thinking of the next thing and the next thing that I need to get done. And I know it's normal to think things through as you go about your day, but I feel like it keeps me from being in the moment. That's one thing that I'd like to do more in my life...I want to live in the moment more and be present in the now.

So recently I've been reading up on meditation, because I always hear that it's an excellent way of bringing your mind to the present moment. I must admit, I've tried it once or twice but I wasn't ready. However, I think that I am now. So I'm going to give it a go. Finding that inner peace and sanctuary is so important these days especially in our increasingly noisy world.

As I did my research, I came across some tips on how to get started and I'd like to share them here. I'm sure that there are many ways to get going, but this seemed like a good practical way for me as a beginner.

Meditation Tips:

1. Find somewhere that is quiet, so you won't be disturbed.

2. Sit comfortably and if you're like me and tend to slouch sometimes, try to develop good posture as you sit, in a cross legged position if this is comfortable. It's very important to find what works best for each of us. (Note: I am not advising anyone to do something that would cause injury, so it is up to everyone to decide for themselves what works best. I am not an instructor. I'm just telling about what I have found out). I've also read that you can just sit comfortably in a chair, so I'm gonna try it out each way.

3. Cup your hands together with your palms facing upward and let your thumb tips lightly touch each other.

4. Put your focus on your breathing and notice the air going in and out. From what I've read this is key to the whole process. It redirects your mind and you're in the moment because you are concentrating only on your own breath. Even though my mind tends to wander in everyday life, I'm learning that my mind is going to of course wander as I try to still my mind for meditation, but that is okay. When the mind wanders I just need to recognize that I'm having the thought and then get back to concentrating on my breath. And from what I've read, the concentration builds over time. I like that idea. It is growth.

5. You can add a mantra if you like, but I think at this point I'm just going to do the practice with just concentrating on my breath. I know how I am and I think that if I do a mantra, I might end up getting off track. I think for me I just need to learn how to be quiet and let the silence in for a while ;-)  Later on maybe I'll incorporate a mantra of some kind. 

6. The last consideration is time....how long should we meditate? Well I've read about those who are very advanced and are able to meditate for very long stretches, but they've been practicing for years and I'm a newbie. I've read suggestions of ten to twenty minutes, so this is what I'll aim for. I'm going to build up to that though. For me, five minutes will be a real accomplishment, so I'll start there. As I said before, I like the idea of having to build...that leads to growth and that's what I'm aiming for :-)

Have you ever tried to meditate? What have been your results? Please leave a comment and share your experience.