Saturday 26 October 2013

Day 409- Back To My Happy Place



6 weeks...


Today, I finally made my way back. It has only been 6 weeks but it really felt like I have been away for 6 years. 

Poor Abandoned House. Just when  it thought it had found a new lease of life, never to be neglected again, I have all but disappear. I was practically living there too. 

Thank goodness, you are still standing, House! And if I may say so, none the worse for wear!


Teddy

And that's dear Teddy, still sitting at the porch. Sweet old Teddy, who came back with me from Barcelona, was a gift from Francesca  who made him out of clay in just a day. 

Hi Teddy! 

....

O dear, Teddy, please don't be mad. I am sorry I have been away for so long. But I had to, really. I was so low on inspiration, I was constantly singing Where Have All The Muses Gone? I couldn't build, I couldn't write, I couldn't even think. I really thought I might never create again and had to resort only to running to de-stress for the rest of my life. I was really terrified so I went desperately seeking  mojo. 

I am afraid what I found took me away until now. 



Dancing Shoes


Actually it started as early as late July. My sister had asked me to join her in one of her dance classes and by the 2nd lesson, I was head over heels in love with dancing all over again.  My classes went from once a week to twice to four times to nearly every day, sometimes twice a day. All within 6 weeks. 

I wore out my dance shoes so quickly that pair you see is my 5th. Of course I injure myself from dancing so much so quickly but did I stop? Of course not! So now I walk with a slight limp and move normal only when I dance. 

I guess I went a little overboard. Actually, my family and friends called me insane.But I am back now. And I intend to stay. Really, I swear! And you know how I know I will definitely be hanging around a lot more? 

I am building a dance studio here! Yes! It is so exciting, right? Can you tell I have already started? 


Night Again

Time really flies when you are having fun. When I finally took a breather from all that hammering and drilling, installing and yes, a little dancing, I saw that night has fallen and a little drizzle has begun. So I stopped.




I went downstairs to put the kettle to boil.

Then I placed the cushion I made right by my quiet tea, still  piping hot.

There, I sipped my tea slowly in the cool cool night, 

looked around my studio and thought:

This is just like old times. 

51 comments:

Remco said...

6 Weeks is to long for us, we where worried sick!
But it was worth waiting, look splendit as always.
Glad to see you back, now stay back ;-)

Sans! said...

It is too long, Remco because now my blog no longer publishes on dashboard..hahaha. Must have gone rusty!

I promise you something familiar but it has been delayed! Soon, I promise :)

claude said...

very lightful and very cute

Sans! said...

Thank you Claude :). So are you !

Eva said...

Dancing is like food for the soul!!!
A dance studio would be great :)
Miss you!!

Drora's minimundo said...

Dear Sans, You'll never believe how many dance here, old and young. Nearly every song has a special dance made for it. It's a wonderful way to pass time.
A dance studio will be wonderful project. Are the shoes and bar the first hints?
Hugs, Drora

Daydreamer said...

My Dear Sans! I was Sure (I Hoped) that you would return to your little house! But it has been a Long spell... I am glad to know you were Dancing through the hours! I can understand the need to step away and catch your perspective! That happens to me with every project .... I get so I can't believe how awful my work is.... I catch myself before I start to dismantle it... or mar it in other ways! No, perfection might always be just around the corner, out of reach... but what we give out heart to and toil upon is Always worthy of love... perfect or not! Maybe that is why I am so reluctant to "finish" things... I can't bear to call it done when I could do better still ... with a little more time or a little (lot) more practice!
Your new Dance studio already looks so Entrancingly beautiful! Those little shoes!!!
I am so glad you are back!!! :):)

Daydreamer said...

Oh, and I meant to add that I LOVE the steam in your cup and the kettle spout!!! Brilliant!!! And the coal pit too! (You forgot to pour a cup for.... the rest of us!):)

Véronique said...

So happy you are back!! You were missed!
But it is beautiful and it will leave me scrutinising each photo over and over again :-)
Véronique

The Old Maid said...

Good to read you only had fun for all these weeks.:) And good to read you back. As you've shown us, you are building your dance studio so I hope you will show us more soon, dear Sam.

Hugs and kisses from three of us. :)

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Unknown said...

Bentornata Sans e che bello il tuo progetto! La danza è un'epressione d'arte stupenda che ti coinvolge, ti allontana dai brutti pensieri e ti rende libera e leggera come una farfalla.
Un abbraccio, Manu

BiWuBär said...

So you have been dancing the time away why I have been wondering what kept you away from the abandoned house and from blogland... good to know you're fine... and addicted to dancing. Who cares about outdanced shoes... good reason to buy new ones. Your new plans for the house sound great and so does the little peep you've given us. And as Betsy already said... looks like your tea is pretty hot in that cold cold night... ;O)

Hugs
Birgit (and from Fluby, too - he wants me to tell you that you shall NEVER leave your teddy alone for so long again... teddies need hugs - and if they are flutterybearies they need strawberries, too)

Susan@minicrochetmad said...

We all need a break now and then. I'm glad you danced your blues away - that should be a song ;)
It's great to see you back with a smile on your face, making plans and working again!

Unknown said...

Wiggle it, just a little bit!

Unknown said...

Wiggle it, just a little bit!

Sans! said...

Eva, Eva , Eva , I miss you too :). Do you know that it's never too long before I'd bring up either you or Rosanna in my conversations with my family or friends. I think the last one was about your trip to Taman Negara :). I am trying to convince my sister to do a family trip there.

And about dancing, I so agree with you :). Not to mention it makes one feel young and light ....and sexyyyyyy ..hahaha .

Sans! said...

Drora :) dancing is popular here too, in many forms. Salsa especially has really caught on here :). And Bollywood, OMG, its the rage :).

Yes, the shoes and mirror and that towel, that's the start and probably end of the studio. Studios are so easy to make, not many things in there :). Just just one or two more things :).

Happy Sunday Drora and may we always be dancing :)

Sans! said...

((((((((((((((((((Betsy)))))))))))))))

It is so good, so good to be back and to be able to chat with friends like you. Just like old times. And it is amazing how we can be away for a while and yet, still connect on that special level.

Firstly, I did prepare the cups for friends like you. You can't see it yet but they are being warmed in the coal pit :).

2ndly, the smoke is easy although tedious to create. Just cotton and the right consistency and getting it to "float". Didn't even use glue because of the static. But you will need to stop breathing...hahah. Like real smoke, it's not permanent and disappeared after the photo shoot. I have seen the smoke effect in some mini pics and diorama and wanted to experiment. You know how I am always excited when it comes to motion in my mini scene :).

You know, Bets, you have really touched a nerve when you wrote about the dissatisfaction and for me, the always doubting, feeling I have when it comes to creating. There are days when I can't even read what I have written without cringing!

But I think we both know not to give up entirely. If we keep doing what we do and love, surely we can only get better :).

Thank goodness I have all of you for encouragement or I might have disappeared a lot longer :).

elizabeth s said...

Hello to the One and Only SANS! I am so happy that you are back again in mini circulation! I also was very concerned about you when you just seemed to drop out of sight. I am very happy to know that you were well and having fun Dancing. I think that there is nothing wrong with taking a break from anything including miniatures. I took one for 12 long years!!! You gotta do what you gotta do only remember that Balance is key to enjoying a full life that God has blessed you with! :D
WELCOME BACK with BIG HUGS

elizabeth

Sans! said...

Veronique, you are such a sweetie! Despite the short time since we have met, I am really thrilled to see that you are one of the first people to visit :).

Now is my turn to pop over to yours. Get the tea ready! :)

Piikko said...

Hello dear! I was missing you as teddy. And what!? Now you telling us that you was dancing while we were desperately seeking you!
Sans, I am so happy that you found your mojo again. And also happy that you can make things you love. :)

Sans! said...

Hey you, Soul sis! kisses to you and your parents :) You will be pleased to know that I had some Zurek in the time I was gone and thought of you with every sip :). I was generous enough to give 1 packet of the soup away and my friend liked it too.

It's good to be back , Ewa and I read about your swap. So I am hopping over to your blog to read all about it now.

The Old Maid said...

Oh, so sorry for my 4 comments at once! LOL! I came back this morning checiking if you managed to reply on my comment and saw 4 of it!lol! Guess my laptop missed you too, lol!
Hugs and kisses - hope this time you will get only one comment from me... ;)

Sans! said...

Gracias Manu. Estoy tan feliz de verte :). Estoy muy animado por los cálidos saludos. Usted sabe que yo acabo de volver de otra clase de baile y decís bien, lo único que se preocupe por esas horas es si el pie izquierdo debe ir primero o el pie derecho. :).

Sin embargo, estoy agradecido a fin de volver. Yo estaba muy preocupado de que podría haber olvidado cómo crear.

Nos vemos en tu blog, Manu!

Sans! said...

Ewalina, I was very touched when I saw 4 messages from you..hahhahaha

Sans! said...

Yes Fluby ! *hanging head. Teddy is still giving me a cold shoulder but I didn't care and gave me not 1, not 2 but 5 strong firm hugs. Tomorrow I will bring him upstairs for a little jiggle and wiggle (like Cindy says). Dancing is a great way to break the ice :).

And Birgit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is always such a thrill to see you :). have just got back from my Sunday class and can now barely walk..hahaha. Need to go n put my feet up but I assure you, I will be checking up on you the minute my feet are down!

Fabiola said...

It's nice to hear from you!
Your abandoned house ia a magicl place; I like!
I'm curious to see your new project.
Greetings, Faby

rosanna said...

Once a day ???
And I thought I was the silliest one ;o)
I go to gym at least 4 times a week and the other days I go cicling!
It is YOUR fault ! and you know who's too...
But everything started from you and your friends, brilliant, beautiful, cheerfull, sexy and tonic! I wanted to be like you :o))
Waiting to see the ball room I am sending biiiig hugs and kisses,Ro
PS you are such a common name in my talks that all friends and family are surprised when I don't mention you at least once a day...is it the beginning of insanity?
Un bacione

Ara said...

welcome back!! All are always welcome back... which is good for me seeing as I disappear quite often I'm afraid! Lovely to see your images again (both visual and written)! I wish I could fly you here to Texas to help me put the same kind of whimsy and color into my projects that you do! Its truly a gift! hugs, Ara

Sans! said...

Susan, it is good to be back . I am going to pace myself a bit more this time. It was not fun wondering (even if it was only for a splitting second) whether I would be giving up miniatures :). Maybe it is because I am finishing my studio...

Sans! said...

Cindy, I am so wiggling it...a lot lot more :)

Flora said...

You six weeks, six months I ...
Sometimes the physical and mental prostration can get us away from all and from ourselves, and then we throw us away, in the midst of things that we had forgotten ...
I ask forgiveness if I have not written to you, even my Muse had fled...
But now I want to and I HAVE to force myself to look again at the world with confidence :-)
Your abandoned house is full of poetry, as always, and a teddy bear and your dancing shoes are clear signs of renewal :-)
I send you a dear and affectionate hug,
Flora

Sans! said...

Hi E!!!!!! :)

12 years ? WOW! I will so love to hear all about your journey in miniature art. It must be a long and illustrious one. Will you write about it some day?

Balance, yes, the obvious but elusive commodity. I am extreme that way and despite the common sense (rather uncommon in me) telling me so, there's a stubborn refusal to pace myself. I do everything I am passionate about with a mad energy and then I am forced to take a break due to burn-out or if it is sports, when I injure myself :).

I am deathly afraid that one day, I find myself not being able to paint anymore or create . So yes, BALANCE! I intend to, this time. :)

CWPoppets said...

Hi Sans,
missed you, too! But I do understand you. I have a doll nearly finished for months and I just can't finish it. But maybe soon ... And I just saw Renata's "Sans doll" on facebook. That should motivate me! Please tell me you used an oooold picture heavily photoshoped ... lol.
Christine

Sans! said...

Piikko!!! Come dance with me . You know the boogie woogie? Or maybe breakdancing, rumba and salsa or the mambo. Truth be told I don't much know the difference between the different Latin dances but I just love them all when we do them fast :)

Have you ever seen the movie Desperately Seeking Susan? I love it :).

Sans! said...

Thank you Faby :) How are you? I must go check on you :)and tell you how thrilled I am to see you here.

Sans! said...

Helllllllllllllllooooo Gorgeous and you know who I am calling out to, don't you?

Ro, guess what? I have brought Winni to Zumba with me and now she's hooked too. She's coming twice a week but she has also brought Irene, her sister and 3 of her friends. Gym is hard work compared to dancing! I only run once a week now on Sunday and until my plantar fasciitis is healed, I don't think I want to run long races . But who knows, you know me, I always succumb to peer pressure..hehehe. I envy you your cycling! I am still sooooooo scared! Next Sunday, we will go to the park to cycle (Singapore roads are still not built cyclists friendly , I keep thinking of how when we visited Sylvia, they even have traffic lights for cyclists only!) but I seriously don't think I will be ready for the triathlon next year. Unless I do a mini mini version.

You are looking so fabulous, Ro. I want those toned arms!!! Chop them off and give them to me! :) Next time you are here, we will make a cycling excursion, maybe in Indonesia Batam or Bintang :). Across padi fields and valleys and rivers and train tracks :).

Sans! said...

Helllllllllllllllooooo Gorgeous and you know who I am calling out to, don't you?

Ro, guess what? I have brought Winni to Zumba with me and now she's hooked too. She's coming twice a week but she has also brought Irene, her sister and 3 of her friends. Gym is hard work compared to dancing! I only run once a week now on Sunday and until my plantar fasciitis is healed, I don't think I want to run long races . But who knows, you know me, I always succumb to peer pressure..hehehe. I envy you your cycling! I am still sooooooo scared! Next Sunday, we will go to the park to cycle (Singapore roads are still not built cyclists friendly , I keep thinking of how when we visited Sylvia, they even have traffic lights for cyclists only!) but I seriously don't think I will be ready for the triathlon next year. Unless I do a mini mini version.

You are looking so fabulous, Ro. I want those toned arms!!! Chop them off and give them to me! :) Next time you are here, we will make a cycling excursion, maybe in Indonesia Batam or Bintang :). Across padi fields and valleys and rivers and train tracks :).

Sans! said...

Helllllllllllllllooooo Gorgeous and you know who I am calling out to, don't you?

Ro, guess what? I have brought Winni to Zumba with me and now she's hooked too. She's coming twice a week but she has also brought Irene, her sister and 3 of her friends. Gym is hard work compared to dancing! I only run once a week now on Sunday and until my plantar fasciitis is healed, I don't think I want to run long races . But who knows, you know me, I always succumb to peer pressure..hehehe. I envy you your cycling! I am still sooooooo scared! Next Sunday, we will go to the park to cycle (Singapore roads are still not built cyclists friendly , I keep thinking of how when we visited Sylvia, they even have traffic lights for cyclists only!) but I seriously don't think I will be ready for the triathlon next year. Unless I do a mini mini version.

You are looking so fabulous, Ro. I want those toned arms!!! Chop them off and give them to me! :) Next time you are here, we will make a cycling excursion, maybe in Indonesia Batam or Bintang :). Across padi fields and valleys and rivers and train tracks :).

rosanna said...

Dearie, 3 answers?! I feel overwhelmed ;o)
Roads aren't cicle friendly here as well that's why we always go to the countryside but it is so hilly!
Great fun all the same :o)
Winni and friends are coming to Zumba too? I tried to conver friends but they play the deaf and dumb...
Big hugs and yes, I would adore cicling in Indonesia!

Sans! said...

O please Ara, you totally don't need me to add the colours! You are mighty great doing what you do :). I am going over to check you out in a jiffy.

By the way, have you seen the brand new series of the Addams Family? It's pretty wonderful eh? I wish I have more time to follow the episodes but they repeat them pretty often :)

Sans! said...

Flora, I have truly missed you :). You were gone for quite a while , weren't you but somehow I know you will be back.

You cannot imagine how much we are alike with how we regard our small world. I've just read your post on the little you . I have just been immortalised the same way and I know exactly where you are coming from although we may not have started and may not even traversed the same way. But I believe we share the same kind of bliss when we are here.

Sans! said...

Christine!!!!!! :):)

I read your comment very early this morning and you were the very 1st friend to tell me that the pictures were posted on Renata's FB :).

Ok darling, of course it was not an old picture, I posed live for the sculpture......! LOL. Nahhhhh.

Do I look like that? Yes, only in my dreams!

But her effect on me is similar, she got me back to working on minis :)

Ascension said...

Hola Susan
Me alegro de tu vuelta al blog y me alegro de que hayas decidido volver a bailara apesar de las consecuencias jejej
Seguro que pronto tendras mejor el pie, eres tenaz y es una buena idea acondicionar un espacio para realizar tus bailes 8me encantaria verte por un agujero jejeje)
Por cierto, ME ENCANTA tu otro yo que ha hecho Renata, estas guapisima y la escena es simplemente maravillosa!!!!
besitos ascension

Ilona said...

Hi Sans, I am happy to see your blog back. Well, well, you were dancing, huh, dancing the time away.....my kids also love to dance, they have done ballroom dancing!
Sometimes one have to need a break of blogging, I think! But it is good to know you're well, dearie.
You have some wonderful gifts to show to us and it is always good to see your abandoned house again, it is such a lovely place to be.
I also was away from blogging for four whole days, now I have to catch up with reading a lot of new updates, including yours :D!
Hugs, Ilona

Plushpussycat said...

It's great to have you back, Sans! I understand about inspiration--it comes and it goes. Sounds like the dancing got you re-inspired, and now you have the energy for your mini stories again--yay! I'm looking forward to seeing more--when the timing is right for you. xo Jennifer

Lady Jane said...

Glad your mojo has returned!!! Looking forward to what your inspiration has for us. LJ

Margriet said...

I'm glad you're back Sans!

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