November Project: Days 28-30

[calissa]

Now that I've had a few days to recover, it's time to wrap up my November Project entries.

I didn't think it right to include photos of Aurelius and (the newly named) Hypatia without including a photo of the last of my puppets.



Meet Seneca. As you can see, he's a little on the long side and I had trouble finding a decent setting on which to photograph him.



He's also known as Groucho for the eyebrows.

The photos for Day 29 were a little lacklustre, partly because I was experimenting with the HDR setting on my phone's camera. I didn't really get how it worked, but I have since done some reading up on the subject and I think I understand it better now. In the meantime, the lavender in my garden was too lovely to pass without snapping some shots.



Day 30 was a high pain day and I spent all morning visiting a friend who was also having a high pain day (we share some of the same environmental triggers). There was much tea and chocolate, and it was good for the soul. However, the day almost passed me by before I realised I hadn't done anything for my November Project. In the end, I kind of cheated: instead of doing something strictly creative, I took the opportunity to look back over the month.

This project ended up far more heavily focused on photography than I had anticipated. In retrospect, I'm not surprised. Part of it is because photography is relatively quick and easy in comparison to some of the other art forms I engage in. However, a large part of it is because I have been settling into an identity as a photographer. I've been able to test out the limits of my iPhone's camera and have learned a lot in the process. I feel that, on the whole, my photographs have improved over the last month--though there is, of course, still a lot to learn.

I also managed to write some poems I'm pleased with. Before November, I had wondered a little whether I'd lost poetry as an art form because it had been so long since I had written anything I was happy with (or at all). It seems ridiculous now, but it was niggling away in the back of my mind. Now that I know my inner poet is still there, I hope that we can get in touch more often.

Overall, I'm so grateful I did this. Not only did it nurture certain aspects of my creativity, but it was generally undemanding during a very busy time. It has been a good way to balance self-care and creative expression.

I'm not sure how it works in other countries (I know that the US has a different rhythm, for instance), but in Australia 1 December is the generally accepted date to put up Christmas decorations.



Seneca is now wearing a tinsel wreath.

Comments

[alee_grrl]

The date for putting up Christmas decorations varies widely by household in the United States, but in my experience the weekend following Thanksgiving (which falls on the fourth Thursday of November) is usually the most acceptable time. Some people wait til closer to the holidays and some people start right after Halloween.

Love the photos. Seneca is quite a handsome puppet. Your lavender is very beautiful, and that teapot decoration is gorgeous. :)

[calissa]

Thanks for the explanation! The rhythms don't seem to be as different as I thought. Although, I'm not sure I could deal with two family dinners within a month. On the other hand, it might actually make things easier when it comes to juggling multiple families... [just musing out loud here]

Thank you!

[clare_dragonfly]

Seneca is gorgeous, and so is the lavender!

[calissa]

I think so, too :)

[onewhitecrow]

What bonny lavender you have! Do you cook with it at all?

[calissa]

Actually, I don't. But I do cook with my own rosemary, thyme and mint. I also grow my own lemon balm and chamomile for tea.

Do you have recommendations for cooking with lavender?

[onewhitecrow]

Is good plan, so long as you can keep your mint from taking over.

Shortbread! ...more sensibly, though, it complements rosemary and oats well, so [pause] waitaminnit, I bet the BBC has ideas...hmm, sort of. Mostly desserts and fancy dead things. It is rather nice in a strong bread, though.

[calissa]

Yeah, that has been a challenge. I haven't even had to plant the mint--some of it spontaneously sprang up around our citrus trees and has been running riot. Fortunately, it is summer and minted water is just the thing.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have more lavender than I know what to do with right now. I know that it combines with chamomile to make a nice bedtime tea, but my chamomile crop has succumbed to pests this year :(

[raze]

Mmm, lavender. I enjoy it in floral salads.

Glad to hear you've enjoyed the November project; I've certainly enjoyed reading it :)

[calissa]

Interesting. What sorts of other things go into a floral salad?

Aw, thank you! I think it really helped to have people responding because it gave me more ideas to work with. I also feel like it has been a good way to connect with people.