Wednesday 20 March 2013

Day 378-380- Going Back


Hardly a moment went by in that 4 weeks without something somewhere reminding me of the house that I too seemed to have abandoned. I could be in a museum or walking in a garden; even seeing an empty birdcage or an old man could trigger flashes of the House before me. I wondered about the flowers, thought about whether the roof was still green and imagined all the details in the mural that I never had the chance to really see. 

I began giving myself reasons to return. The flowers need me. The birds and bees need me! The House; it really, really needs me!! And that scare? Well, it was just me working too hard and too long. A tired mind playing tricks on a weak constitution. 

Going back was inevitable.


In order to avoid what happened the last time, I made  a few rules. Thou shalt not work thyself into a frenzy or stay beyond twilight. Definitely no sleeping over and try not to be alone. 

With that new resolve, I happily set out once again toward the house. This time, I brought only 2 things; an old copper coffee pot and my cast iron water kettle with rusty handle. I went prepared only to just enjoy the quiet and beauty with a good cup of tea. And if, no, the word should be when, when my friends should join me, even the coffee-only-no-tea ones, they too could have their cuppa. 


Upon arrival, I went straight to the inside of the house. Might as well confront my fears, I told myself,  and of course, to put the kettle on. The house was pretty much how I left it. It was messy and full of stuff. There were amongst many, books, jars of different types of mineral stones, bowls, pots and a whole load of paraphernalia for some kind of processing. There were also a few pieces of old furniture. I saw a good side table, one or two broken stools and two Chinese high tables that I really liked. 


And of course there was the ladder.

That ladder made me realise for the first time that this house had a second floor. It was in a really bad shape though and would need quite a major repair job. I could see that there were parts of the floor that had rotted and fallen off. 


Quite naturally, I started clearing the room.Slowly, leisurely and with often stops for my coffee and tea. I stacked the small items neatly outside the house and then I cleaned the high benches and side  table. 


By the time I left, the inside of the house no longer felt scary. It actually looked neat and quite habitable. 


I came back again the next morning with fresh sachets of tea and coffee and a bunch of colour pencils and pastel sticks. All I did that whole day was shaving the pencils, one by one, with a pen knife. Slowly, leisurely and with frequent stops for my cuppas.  

It was another good day.

41 comments:

Lucille said...

Beautiful! Written with so much soul! I find your last comment very relaxing where you write that all you did was "shaving the pencils, one by one, with a pen knife." You say you did it slowly, leisurely. It once again brought to my mind that going slow is so much better for us, so much more relaxing. Why do we rush so much all the time? I guess it's the world that does it to us. Everything just seems to move too fast and we need to remember to slow down. The music is enchanting. Thank you, Sans!

rosanna said...

I do love the smell of freshly shaved pencils,I could eat it.
Dearie,you are going on your house way faster than I do on my own.The Casa Rossa is the truly abandoned house!
Please, keep us informed and do not work too hard !!!!!
Loveloads, Ro

Ara said...

Beautiful! Said like a true miniaturist! We all just need to take a break and shave pencils... or whatever just to give ourselves a break. I am slowly getting back into my mansion and will heed your advice! Much love and beautiful images as always! hugs,ara

The Old Maid said...

I love the view from above and the cutest pencils and these benches - or whatever they are, for me the benches one can see in front of villiages' houses.:) Nice nice work dear Sam.:)
Of course after reading your post I can't wait to see what is upstairs.:):)
Anyway it is such a beautiful place!:)
Hugs and kisses

love, love this music you have here now.:):)

Daydreamer said...

Oh! Those Pencils!!! They are Gorgeous!!! Just PERFECTLY Gorgeous!!! I can feel the colors calling.... and the pastels too... and those Beautiful little jars to hold them!!! (All my favorite mugs with cracks or no handles become the jars for brushes and pencils!)
I am so glad you came back to this house and looked again! That kettle on the stove is so REAL....Please pour me a cup! I am here soaking up the Mystery of this place.... and I Love every tiny bit of it! I can't wait for more!

Maria Ireland said...

I can also feel the difference in the house Sans I do believe that it coming back to life. I love the furniture in it they are perfect for this house I think each piece has a story to tell. Gosh an upstairs also that will be very interesting :) Great way to spend a day shaving pencils. Wonderful pictures.
Hugs Maria

Eva said...

Bonitas imágenes, especialmente la tetera en la estufa.
A veces los momentos más sencillos, como afilar los lápices, son muy especiales. Un saludo, Eva

BiWuBär said...

Bonjour, ma sorcière magnifique! *grin* I wouldn't say no to a day spent with sharpening coloured pencils... instead of something inspiring like this I keep on dating my snow shovel... So I was in need for yet another lovely post and getting proof that you managed to go back to the house. And not only going back but bringing it to life again and making promising discoveries... Even more magic to be found in the upper floor, how great is that? But I must admit what I really loved most was the fact to find myself in one of your beautiful, magical posts - being one of those coffee-only-no-tea-ones... ;O)

Hugs
Birgit

Susan@minicrochetmad said...

Did I hear you mention a pot of tea? I'll be right over and help you shave pencils!

Rosamargarita said...

Me encanta leer tus relatos y ver esas fotgrafías tan artísticas Susan!
Besos

Dark Squirrel Victoria said...

I love the tea pot and pencils! Where did you get that stove? I have been gone so have to go back over the posts I missed.

We all need to learn to relax.

Big Hugs,
Victoria

Sans! said...

Hey Lucille, glad you pop by here for another one of our chats :).

About going slow, I think sometimes we need to go slow to go fast :). Working two/three days in a row averaging 12 hours a day got me so spent that I stopped all work for almost 4 weeks. If I do everything bite size, I can work everyday. Important to remember not to burn out ! :):)

Kim said...

I always feel the magic when I visit here- I am always reminded of the little things that have such beauty that we tend to gloss over in our busy lives. I hope you always continue to write in your blog and tell us these stories because you always manage to get my mind spinning and put a smile on my face. I am so curious now what you will find when you fix that ladder.

Ana Anselmo said...

I love colour pencils and to shave them...slowly...since I was a child. I remember I had a big box and I use to go outdoors to the kitchen entry steps, sit there and shave them one by one. It was a big box and I loved to stay there...

Fabiola said...

The furniture is perfect for this room.
I like the beautiful stove and the colored pencils.
Bye Faby

Cinderella Moments said...

I love your writing style. It is so effortless and flowing. And then your miniatures are adorable too! It's a double dose of goodness!!
Thanks for sharing.
hugs♥,
Caroline

Drora's minimundo said...

Good that you gathered courage and came back to this magical house.
I love the interior decoration. Furniture pieces, accessories, especially Ilona's painting, even though so different in style, look very well together. Your special touch is felt here.
I look forward to the second floor.
Hugs, Drora

Ilona said...

Dearest Sans! I feel at ease here while reading your blogpost. I read in one of the above comments you had the music on, I didn't realise, so I put it on and there it was: lovely music! The house isn't scary anymore. I love the idea of pencils and the pastels, what would she do with them....??
Warm hugs, Ilona

Margriet said...

Can I come next time? I would love to draw in that peaceful house with those lovely pencils...and I love coffee and tea, so no problem there!

Sans! said...

Ro! I have got your email :) and I will reply :). This time, I am really swimming in many things. My nieces and nephew has just left after staying with me for 2 days. Love them but phew, glad their mum has them now. hehe

Brought them to an exhibition of Lego art. Will blog about it!

And my dear, I will abandon my dollhouse too (for a while) if I have something else I want to do more :):)

Ascension said...

Hola querida Susan
Me encanta pasearme por tu blog, mientras disfruto de tu trabajo decorando la casa.
Esos lapices son autenticos.
La musica tambien favorece el buen momento que paso contigo.
besitos ascension

Kikka N said...

Dear Sans,
The firs photo where the kettle is on the turquoise stove is so adorable...I can see you there waiting for he tea and enjoying the moment!
Love those beautiful colored pencils !
Hugs
Kikka

Sans! said...

Ara, I have seen what you have done with the mansion. Loving it and you have given me some ideas of how I can expand my Alison Jr.

By the way, I must tell you about my friend Winni who looks a lot like Morticia :):). She's tall. slim and beautiful, the kind you will love to hate except she's really quite wonderful :). Anyhoo, she was walking in dressed in a Morticia black dress when I was reading your blog. I swear I did a double take because I was just looking at your Morticia doll. :)

Sans! said...

Dear Ewalina, I don't know how long that 2nd floor will take . It is in such a dilapidated state! I am only halfway with the ground floor by the way! Everything takes such a loooooooong time. :)

Sans! said...

Bets, don't we all just love colour pencils? Although I almost never use them in my work ,I have at least 3-4 different sets in my home. The ones with black stems, the wooden ones, the ones in the prettiest box and the "they come in 36 colours" type :). Just putting a bunch of them in a cup livens up a dull space. I can imagine for an artist like you, you must have bunches and bunches of them all around.

Sans! said...

Evening, Maria Ireland! Has Spring finally arrived where you are?

You will soon find out how much work shaving pencils entails..teehee.

Yes, every piece of furniture in this house has something to say and I hope I convey their messages well. :)

Sans! said...

O Eva, eres una mujer de mi corazón. Sí, lápices de afeitar puede parecer una tarea fácil, por lo que al final del día, las personas pasan por alto el milagro de un lápiz. Quiero besar los pies del genio que inventó los lápices. Es una herramienta maravillosa y espero que siempre permanecerá relevante!

Sans! said...

Birgit, I will always have a place for you in each and everyone of my projects ;) and I know you will find the time to take that place :).

And trust me , Birgit, at one point of shaving the pencils, I really felt like how you must have felt with that shovel. We have a love hate relationship too.

I am sure though your relationship with Mr Shovel won't last. Mrs Shovel is not exactly a name you want to be stuck with, no matter how handsome Mr Shovel is.

Sans! said...

Susan! Please bring your own pot and the tea-cozy of course! I am throwing a "flower theme" party!

Sans! said...

*muah muah muah RosaM

Muchas gracias, mi querida amiga!

Sans! said...

Victoria, the stove was a standard resin type that I got from the Miniature Museum of Taiwan. It is not expensive and Ewa just told me she's got one too :).

I just painted it blue and made it dirty, that's all.

Sans! said...

Ana, I too have a kitchen entry steps that I love to sit on and do some of my painting. It's one of my favourite "work station". :):)

If you visit, I can show you where you can shave your pencils :). And yes, I will make you Portuguese coffee made from the powder you'll bring me :)

Sans! said...

Kim, those sweet words really warm my heart :). What will I write for if not to share with my friends and what joy when they say such encouraging words . Thank you, Kim, you just lend meaning to every word I wrote :)

Sans! said...

Thank you Faby! I hope you will be here to see how the furniture were used :)

Sans! said...

Caroline, trust me, the writing is not effortless at all! :). I usually spent hours on a post. :). Trying to keep them short so I can sleep more :):)

Sans! said...

Drora, my specialty is eclectic :):).
My taste is too diverse to have a specific style. I am also experimenting, trying to see how many cultures I can blend in 1 space :).Ilona's painting is very versatile. Wait and you will see just how versatile :).

Sans! said...

Ilona, the pencils and pastels are for friends like you and Margriet and everyone who loves to doodle in colour :)

Sans! said...

Margriet, I am making a special spot just for drawing :). I wish I can draw like you :). Maybe you will come here and I will be inspired to start :)

Sans! said...

Hola querida Ascensión. Siempre estoy tan feliz cuando estás here.This casa está siempre abierta para ti :). Traiga su trabajo a hacer aquí. Es un ambiente muy bueno para creat elfos :)

Sans! said...

Ho Kikka, everytime I visit this house, I always have a cup of coffee :). This little pot is only good for 1 cup, just like the one in my home.

That stove with the coffee pot was one of the first thing I did . Everything can be in a chaos but when I see a coffeepot boiling, I know I am in a good place :).

The Old Maid said...

Beautiful things do take a lot of time.:) So I'll wait patiently.:):)

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