Difficult times for most of us right now. The Coronavirus has turned our lives upside-down and being closed indoors can be trying, particularly where there are young children to keep occupied and feeling safe in such an uncertain world. So this pattern is offered to those who need to keep their hands and minds busy…
One of my most interesting discoveries in recent months has been kumihimo braiding, a Japanese craft which has been around for centuries. The beautiful braids have been used for all sorts of situations that go from swords to cushion trimmings to traditional clothing. At its best, and probably most refined level, the braiding is combined…
The workshops offer a wide range of creative activities to small groups of English and/or Italian speaking visitors who come from many different locations to take part. Just by way of an example, past events have seen us offering creative writing, watercolour painting, painting on silk, the creation of Christmas wreaths and urban sketching around…
Got a very pleasant surprise when I opened up my mail this evening – I discovered that some kind soul had bought one of my calendars! Just want to say many thanks indeed to whoever you are and wherever you are! I hope the calendar gives you as much pleasure as it did for me…
Just started a fun course with FutureLearn — ‘Explore Animation’ — a free online course created by The National Film & Television School (NFTS). I calculate that there are about 1000 of us on the course — students of all ages from all over the world meeting up online for four weeks to discuss and…
Bound eggs [Tutorial] These pretty bound eggs don’t have to come out just at Easter, and of course, they don’t have to be bound in satin cord. Why not go for the rustic country look with jute string? Another interesting version could be with long skinny strips or recycled fabric — your imagination is your…
It’s not over really — still things buzzing around my head and odds and ends of loose strings to tie up before I can say that the Venice Writing Retreat 2015 — also referred to as the Venice Editing Masterclass (I like the ring of that) — can truly be considered packed up and put…
All set up and almost ready to go for the watercolour workshop I am organising this coming May. Delighted to have the incredibly talented Cecil Rice along as our guest tutor. He will be joined by Sarah Sherwood who will be taking the group on a half-day sketching and snapshot walkabout in Venice, giving everyone…
A very late starter, but at long last, after several years of just thinking about it, I have signed up for the Nanowrimo marathon. I only began three days ago in the midst of a whirlwind created by my daughter as she moved out of the family home, taking her beloved dog with her. The…
There is no substitute for being in a boat for these events. I’m sorry — but that’s just the way it is. Maybe you have seen or heard about the Palio in Siena — the famous horse race run in a square in the town centre every year. There is a tremendous build up of…
I thought I would be able to concentrate sitting outside the bar, but that would perhaps have pushed my new found ‘writing freedom’ beyond the realms of reality. Kids running all over the place, slaloming between the tables with bubble blowing guns was a bit much . Whilst it was just the squeals and giggles…
![Fog [haiku]](https://www.janyshyde.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/foggy-morn.jpg)
Foggy mornshrouds sound in veil of silenceclothed in grey
Wait there my boy, we must depart,but I’ll soon be home, you’ll see.Away he trooped with all the menwithout glancing back at me. They soon retreated from my view,a bright patch in the distance.How war affects the strongest manhad still not touched my conscience. I was too young to even knowthat they’d live in fields…
High on the hill, time creeps by almost unnoticed, but for the cadence of the seasons. For the main part the idyllic isolation is undisturbed if not by the occasional strident call of a lamenting fox or the violent passage of an electric storm. But last month changed all that.The tall figure of an elderly…
Isn’t it strange how you can write all your life — and in my case that covers quite a few good years — and then suddenly, when you decide you want to make it all official and ‘come out’ — make it known publicly that you consider yourself a writer, you find that words fail…
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