To Live Content...

To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy not rich;
to study hard, think quietly,
talk gently,
act frankly,
to listen to the stars and birds, to babes and sages,
with an open heart;
to bear on cheerfully,
do all bravely,
awaiting occasions, worry never...
-- W.H. Channing

To notice each moment,
each small aspect of creation and marvel,
cherish details and find they build a foundation,
learn the life God would have us live
and live it.
Fully.

Quietly Enigmatic

This, then, is British actor Michael Kitchen for those of you who don't know. Quite a few people have never heard of him, if recent conversations are any indication. But then, he does his best to stay out of the limelight. Does his job, does it very well, and goes home.

I discovered him first in the film Enchanted April where he brings his ineffable charm to the character of Mr. Briggs.

Then I discovered the stupendously brilliant series Foyle's War. Which I highly recommend.

I read an article once talking about filming Foyle's War... it seems the scripts would be sent round and Kitchen would cut out large sections of his own lines. He would say 'I can do all that [several paragraphs] with one look.' and, according to the guy being interviewed, he could. Kitchen has something of a reputation for being able to express his characters without using many words. He's known for playing (and being) "quietly enigmatic."

Once you know who he is Michael Kitchen pops up in a lot of things...
He was in Out of Africa, which I never saw, but there he is in a film still from the movie.
I did see Lorna Doone -- and was delighted to discover Kitchen in the role of Judge Jefferies. He's been in oodles of other films and series...
And did I mention he's in my favorite movie, Enchanted April?
Well, he is.

Friendship

"In friendship...we think we have chosen our peers.
In reality a few years' difference in the dates of our births, a few more miles between certain houses, the choice of one university instead of another
...the accident of a topic being raised or not raised at a first meeting--any of these chances might have kept us apart.
But, for a Christian, there are, strictly speaking no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work.
Christ, who said to the disciples, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you," can truly say to every group of Christian friends,
"Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another."
The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out.
It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others."

-- C.S. Lewis

Scrappy Squares

Random leftover strips of fabric leftover from other quilts have been accumulating in the sewing room. So many in fact, that there were enough 3.5 inch strips laying about that I could sort them into cool colours and warm colours before beginning to piece scrappy blocks.

This, obviously, is the group of warm colours with a few extra neutrals mixed in. I'm still playing with it, but once I have a balanced layout I'll finish piecing the blocks together using a sashing (imagine the bits of floor are actually fabric sashing and bordering the blocks) to make an infant sized quilt top.

To Fall Silent

"What shall I say to you? What can I say
Better than silence is?"
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"For everything there is a season... a time for silence..."
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7

"The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell."
Joyce Maynard

"Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better, Silence is deep as Eternity; speech is shallow as Time."
Thomas Carlyle