Friday 13 November 2009

November blessings

I always associate November with the first lines of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, where she writes:

'There was no possibility of a taking a walk that day ... since dinner the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was out of the question.'

Here the penetrating rain and sombre weather started last night, and I am seriously considering the prospect of not taking outdoor exercise until next March, even though I have the benefit of Gore-Tex and wellies, unknown to our nineteenth-century forebears.




But Ginny at Sweet Myrtle is encouraging us all to find things to be thankful for in this drear month of November, and so I am trying to follow her estimable example.

Like poor Jane Eyre, I am now sitting here looking out on to 'a scene of wet lawn and storm-beat shrub', with 'raw twilight' seeming to start at about 3 o'clock at the moment, but as I arrived home from work our cheerful, if rather soggy, postman presented me with two parcels which cheered me, too. As you might remember from here, I do like presents, even if they are self-donated.

So today I have two people to be grateful to, the first one being Lisa at Lydia's Treasures. I was in luck when she held her Mystery Giveaway a little while ago, and her parcel finally beat its way through the postal delays: it was the loveliest parcel and certainly well worth the wait.




Lisa made me this delightful little bag - exactly my sort of thing, and almost too nice to use. In fact, I remember having spotted it on her blog, and commenting on how much I liked it - blue and red being a particular favourite colour combination.



And this enchanting little number, a rather glamorous version of a hussif, or housewife, which folds out to reveal the sweetest pincushion and needlecase, and little pocketed ends to the flaps - just right for me to carry the tools of my trade around with me. Once again, I love flowery things, and roses in particular. So thank you so much, Lydia.




And the other thing for which I am truly grateful is yarn. Which is what was contained in the second parcel which came from the Skein Queen. And I am also very grateful for her quite astonishingly speedy service which ensured that this yarn was in my hands less than twenty-four hours from ordering it. No need for deferred gratification there! Well, apart from the ball winding that is. I always wonder whether a swift and winder would really make any difference, but for the time being I will stick with knees and hands.



The vividness of this Little Desire yarn in Tipperary shines out in the gloom of my cottage, although I am afraid my camera seems intent on damping down the vibrancy of the colour, which ranges from deepest grass to sea green. I think it would make some great handwarmers, and perhaps I could put some scarlet buttons on them to make them look really festive.

So on this grey November day I am grateful for colour and kindness, and the joy of the handmade.

May your weekend be kind and colourful, too.

26 comments:

Lyn said...

What a lovely post, I had forgotten about the first paragraph of Jane Eyre, very suitable for today. The goodies you received were special too, glad they brightened your day.
Love
Lyn
xxx

Marigold Jam said...

I too had forgotten just how apt those first lines of Jane Eyre were for today! I am glad to pull up the drawbridge for the day here and shut it all out till tomorrow!

Lovely lovely gifts - lucky you!

Jane x

Lola Nova said...

Oh, what delightful lovelies in the post! I too received some happy in the post recently. Nothing better to cheer the spirit. Sounds as though our weather is mimicking yours. Cold, wet and dark. so, I am grateful to have my cosy cottage to keep me safe and warm.

Sarah said...

I had forgotten those lines in Jane Eyre - how appropriate!
It's great to have some colour to brighten up this time of year.
Have a great weekend.
x

dottycookie said...

That is a lovely post - and a very cheerful wayt to think about a truly miserable day weather-wise!

...Nina Nixon... said...

It's soggy and wet here and little puddles are forming on the lawn!!

I think we will be settling in for the weekend as long as the children don't start bouncing off the walls.

Have a lovely weekend,

Nina x

Kelly said...

Ooooh lovely presents!!
That yarn looks gorgeous, can't wait to see what you make with it!

Shirleyanne said...

Thank you for reminding me of Jane Eyre. . . love the story.
Brilliant post. The colours in the yarn are favourites.
Grotty weather, but enjoy your weekend.

Annalisa said...

oh I know what you mean..I love to receive gifts-always- they make my day.
Hmm, I like really much Jane Eyre but nver associated it with November's weather..I guess it's due to the sardinian weather..never really grey or wet, that is a very rare thing to see here even during winter..
This post's simply lovely!
Annalisa

rockinloubylou said...

That green wool is beautiful. And as for the Four Marys, I absolutely adored them. I wanted to be Simpy (the particularly goody goody one). I could not believe my eyes when I read that story and saw the levels of cold-hearted violence!
Louise

Rowan said...

The words from Jane Eyre are very appropriate for today, the rain has just arrived in the north and the wind is picking up as well. How lovely two have two cheering parcels to open on a drear November day. The colour of that yarn is just beautiful.

Flower Girl said...

One of the things I love about working home is not having to leave the house on days like this. Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books too - thank you for reminding me! I love that yarn - very cheery! Rebecca x

Flower Girl said...

Me again - thank you for your lovely comments & good wishes on my blog. Oh, what do your sons mean - you are never to too old for Facebook - why not sign up and be a rebel! There's still time to become a fan of rebeccamaryjane's before my little draw at midnight on Sunday...go on give it a go! My daughter told me this evening that she knows what to buy me for Christmas..."Facebook for Dummies", which says it all! Rx

Elizabeth Musgrave said...

Dry earlier but now rain battering the windows and dark as sin out there. I love the rose pattern, sadly I don't think I can knit and blog so might have to quell my desire for your beautiful yarn.

Chrissie said...

Lovely pressies, lucky girl!
As for the weather, I felt less like Jane Eyre and more like Captain Ahab on Moby Dick with the rain lashing against the windows in the middle of the night!

Unknown said...

lovely beauties! I love the housewife! Thanks for entering my giveaway Pomona! suzie xxx

menopausalmusing said...

"Jayne Eyre"....... sigh........... one of my most favourite books ever. Lovely gift to have won and looking at your skein of wool took me back to childhood and my mother putting the skeins over the tops of chairs and winding the wool into balls. Incredibly windy here today (Saturday) at the top of the hill where we live.

willow said...

Outdoor exercise is out of the question here today as well unless you count running between shops during a quick trip to town, staying home to knit is a much better idea.

sarah-jane down the lane said...

Our field is flooded at the bottom and we cant cross our stram as the water is so high...didn't stop the Boodle from swimming it and being swept along by the flow! Silly boy, he climbed out much farther down the bank than usual and seemed very confused!

Lovely lines from Jane Eyre, what a beautiful book that is and very very appropriate, hope you are staying dry indoors!

Sarah x

ginny said...

Hi Pomona,
what lovely gifts you have received ...the needle case set is both pretty and useful...
the weather has become particularly dismal hasn't it? last night the wind blew one of our fences down but after some serious pruning (in the dark), the woodbine which was covering it is now trimmed back and the fence re attached... so i am thankful that we got it fixed and i am sure that the plant will be grateful for a good autumn pruning.
wishing you a lovely weekend.
ginny x

Alina said...

Lovely post. May you always find color in everyday of your life!

pinkfairygran said...

Love the cat in Wednesday's post... and the idea of finding stuff to be grateful for. I am grateful for misty cold damp drear days, as it means I can sit in the warm, with my crochet and books and Christmas magazines, and not feel I should be outdoors doing a bit of tidying up in the garden, or something equally healthy.

Reading Tea Leaves said...

The yarn is a beautiful colour and well-named, the green bringing to mind a lovely 'soft' day in Ireland!

The quote from Jane Eyre just about summed up Friday's weather - we had quite a storm here that night. Today has made up for it though with blue skies and some warmth from a low watery sun! Hope you received some of those rays in Kent too.

Jeanne x

jennyflowerblue said...

What lovely goodies! I am too lazy to wind skeins and get in a hell of a pickle attempting to hang it over my knee and knit around in a circle! x

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Hi!

Great to meet you on Saturday if only briefly!

Can't wait to see what goodies you treated yourself to

Victoria xx

cathleen said...

I love reading Jane Eyre. Maybe, I will have to pull this out of the bookshelf this winter. A very cozy read, I think. And, I also love Skein Queen...I ordered some of her yarn when she sold at Etsy!

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