Thank you for all your kind and considerate comments on my last post. Jacob appreciated them. Moving into digs on Friday went well, but Jake has had a rocky few days as he gets used to a new environment and all the changes that go with it. I resisted the urge to drive down on Saturday evening and bring him back home for the weekend and he has coped well really with his anxiety. There have been many phone calls and messages! His course doesn't start for another week so this is a settling in time for him... not easy.
Meanwhile, I've distracted myself with various activities. I've been sewing... making body parts for my next piece of work for the Prism Coded: Decoded exhibition which has its second stage at the Knitting and Stitching Shows this autumn.
I've been knitting... finshing off some bunnies as presents for a new born and her big brother (who is only two)
I've been drawing... and enjoying working in a sketchbook for a new project.
No prizes for guessing what the new project might be!
And last of all, probably my favourite distraction of all, I've been baking.
A blackberry crumble cake, which although quite delicious would have benefited from a dollop of thick cream, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
You can find the recipe here. I just replaced the gooseberries with some blackberries. It would probably work with any tart fruit.
I hope that things settle soon for Jacob, will it be easier when his course starts and he has more of a routine? It looks as though you are keeping yourself busy though!! xx
ReplyDeleteYou sure do beautiful work. Love the blackberry Crumble too!!!
ReplyDeleteOver a week 'settling in time' seem an awfully long time to me, I would have been very anxious! I remember my Dad wanting to drive to Brighton to fetch me home because he was worried about leaving me in a shabby house on the sea front! But in those days he couldn't phone or text me.
ReplyDeleteI love those faces, they remind me of Japanese Kabuki actors xx
What beautiful busyness you have been making, exercising all your talents.
ReplyDeleteI hope Jacob is beginning to settle into his new surroundings. Once the course starts it will hopefully make life easier for him.
Looking forward to seeing how you use those 'body parts' and I love the Frieda flower drawings.
Hope things settle for Jacob soon but if he has made it through the first few days hopefully things will get easier for him. I can quite understand the urge to go and get him.
ReplyDeleteLove your distractions though, especially those little faces..what characters !!
V x
That looks delicious, do you think it would work with damsons? I keep being tempted to buy some, it must be the colour. Love the different faces, and can I be first to place an order for a pair of Frida shoes in my size please?
ReplyDeleteGlad Jacob coped with his first weekend away from home. Hopefully it will get easier - small steps xx
I think it's normal to feel anxious when going to uni etc. I went to stage school at 16 and found it all quite traumatic to start with. I'm sure he'll settle and then you can relax too. I made that same cake, with gooseberries, a few weeks ago. Looking forward to seeing your exhibition at the knitting and stitching show :-)
ReplyDeleteBroadband issues mean I am online infrequently these days until things improve so I'm playing catch up and feeling your anxiety through these posts Gina. I think your son has done an amazing thing and sense he will get through this well. It's a big period of adjustment for anyone leaving home for the first time and when he settles in with other students you might be lucky to see him at weekends!Hope he enjoys the experience to the full and suspect he'll always want to come home for Mum's bakes!
ReplyDeleteDear Gina,
ReplyDeleteHow lovely it is to return here as I slowly emerge from the holiday fuzz. Your post has really made me happy this morning. I am always happy to return home but I do miss my family who are lingering a little longer on the island of Belle Ile en Mer where we spent ten days together.
I empathise about your son moving out. My eldest, Héloïse, has just returned from her first Holiday job - in the hotel where we were staying - and enjoyed herself so much despite the work being hard. But now she has returned and has the keys to her new uni room in her hands she is beginning to feel nervous about moving out. This year, and this year alone, she will be studying at the univeristy of Tours which is only 6km away from our home. In light of the fact she should be off to Durham the following year we thought it was important for her to learn independance by getting her own accommodation rather than living at home. Of course she can come home whenever she choses but we believed it was an ideal middle ground between leaving the country to study in Durham and staying in the comfort of our home. She is nervous though and it doesn't help that the room is bright red and 30 minutes away from her classes. France doesn't have campuses, you see.
When Héloïse arrived on the island where she was to work she had two days off before starting the job. Just like your son she found that time hard. Once she was in the thick of it everything became much, much easier.
Warmest wishes to you,
Stephanie
Well, for some reason your post about Jake didn't show up in my reader so thank you for mentioning it -- I've gone back to read it. Congratulations to Jake -- what an exciting time. It looks like you've at least been keeping busy -- and that cake looks delicious!!!
ReplyDeleteLots of change which can't be easy for either of you. Good plan to keep busy and that way you get to eat lovely cake!
ReplyDelete