Kindness and Kale

I don't usually have a 'word' for the new year as I know many people do, but this year I have decided I will. my word for the year is KINDNESS. To begin with that means being kind to myself.
In a busy stressful word it is easy to forget that looking after your body and mind is the best way to stay happy and healthy.

 So I am now well into my puritanical January, or veganuary  as I have signed up to be vegan for the month!
 I have been vegetarian all my adult life and eat vegan meals regularly but have never tried going the whole way and doing without any animal products.( Vegan means no meat, dairy,eggs or fish )
 I'm not a preachy sort of vegetarian but I have often wrestled with my conscience about dairy farming, so being KIND to my animal friends for a month is a good start  Thr.ee weeks in and I am feeling better physically and mentally.
To aid me in my new Vegan adventure, my new best friend the nutribullet....

yes.... I know I don't often get excited about kitchen appliances but this one is great! It whizzes up just about any veg/fruit/nut stuff into juice...

I'm Drinking lots of Kale and spinach combos.... it really isn't as bad as it looks. ;)

I also have been using the excesses of Christmas in creative ways..........

What did you do with all your discarded gift wrap?
I saved mine to use for collage and paper cloth making.

The paper cloth will be sewn into ' wild' sewing pieces, the collages are WIP at the moment for forthcoming exhibitions.
I asked a number of my friends to save paper for me this year, which they duly did ( Thank you so much my dear buddies)  Saving paper from the re-cycling bin means being KIND to the environment, turning waste into good things. That has got to be a good thing!

Did you decide on a word for the year?

Highland Mist and a happy new year

Highland Mist

 Happy New Year!
Thought I would share my first piece of 2016, although I actually finished it over the holidays as it was a Christmas present for my daughter. She had seen my previous First snow stag collage and wanted one of her own. She is moving into a new flat in Aberdeen soon and deciding on colour schemes. She settled on greys and yellows so wanted something that would fit.
 Iv'e never produced a commission to fit with a colour  scheme so that in itself was a bit of a challenge!

She seems to like it and when renovation work finishes in the flat it will be hung in the living room.

It is made from hundreds of pieces of torn paper, mixed with a bit of acrylic paint, gesso, silver flakes and love. ;)
I spent Hogmanay  ( new years eve) In the Scottish borders, It has been ridiculously wet in the northern part of the UK for weeks now and flooding is a real problem.

Teviot river 1/1/2016

The river Teviot on New years day was still swollen.

Although this photo shows where it had reached earlier in December... right up to the track by the riverside and over the hedge into the fields!

Scott's view St Boswells 1/1/2016

The weather on New years day was cold and murky, the panorama from Scott's view was rather gloomy, you can see in the foreground yellow gorse in bloom! It is January! What is going on!?

Near the viewpoint there is a woodland walk to the William wallace statue...It is not the most accurate representation of William Wallace I have ever seen, I think it makes him look rather like a Roman centurion! Perhaps like mine your idea of William Wallace is more Mel Gibson ( Braveheart) than Roman soldier!

A large funeral type urn partners the statue inscribed with the  words


The peerless Knight of Ellerslie 
Who wav'd on Ayr's Romantic shore
The beamy torch of Liberty
And roaming round from Sea to Sea
From Glade obscure of gloomy Rock
His bold companions call'd to free
The Realm from Edward's Iron Yoke

Very rousing, although the weather was a little cold and damp to feel too roused... decided to hurry back to the fireside before frostbite took hold.