Friday 12th December - Driving Snow

Halfway through Blogvent! Hurrah! I'm afraid I am a little frivolous today, mainly because it is Friday and I'm off to London tomorrow to see some pretty exhibition.  I also haven't been sleeping too well and I think that might be affecting my mental state.  This is me at work today....

Yes, I knitted my own antlers...

As dignified as always. 

Just out of shot is my own bodyweight in mince pies. Bring on Christmas.

Anyway, I ought to dial it back a bit because I will suffer pre-Christmas burn-out and will be unable to manage appropriate 'festiveness' come Christmas week.  I think it's time to bring out the miserable sheep...

Driving Snow (1905) Joseph Farquharson

This one is especially for my lovely friend Helen, who is queen of all knitting.  Look at that driving snow, look at the miserable little sheeps, without even a tree to hide under.  I love the effect of moonlight through driving snow, it looks almost like lightning.  You are under no illusions how bitingly cold that weather is.  Without a shepherd or any shelter, you have to wonder at the chances of the sheep being there in the morning.  Already some of them have started to blend in with the snowy landscape.  That can't be good...

The Joyless Winter Day (1883)

Farquharson made a bit of a habit of miserable sheep pictures - it's good to have a specialism. The Joyless Winter Day actually looks nicer than the previous sheep pic; at least they get a chap and his dog for company.  The shepherd might be feeling a bit miserable but the sheep look perfectly happy, pottering around in the snow.

The Shortening Winter's Day is Near a Close

To be fair to him, not all of Farquharson's sheepy pictures are miserable.  He handles light, both dawn and dusk, so beautifully, rendering snowy landscapes golden.  There are some cracking pictures of sun-glimmering sheep, like this one, no doubt adorning Christmas cards everywhere. Possibly it is the echo of snow in the sheep fleece, but the sheep do appear to be the perfect animal for images of winter, but for their sake I prefer to see them bathed in golden light rather than driving snow.

Today's pressie idea is a lovely thing I already own.  For my 40th birthday, Miss Holman, resting ninja and cake assassin, bought me this Morris-inspired necklace...

Everytime I wear it people tell me how nice it is.  It's a lovely piece of jewellery and very unusual.  Originally made in conjunction with the V&A, you can buy the necklace from Amazon (of course you can, shop that sells everything) from here (UK). 
You can also put it on your Wombat for Wombat Friday...

Right chums, I'm off to London tomorrow so somehow I will try and review two exhibitions here as well as doing the Blogvent pictures.  Gosh, I love a challenge!

See you tomorrow...