Gaia in Durham Cathedral

(Photo credit: Durham Cathedral)

What a beautiful world!

If you look from far enough,

The clouds blend land and sea.

No borders are visible 

And stings of white webs

Connect everything and everyone!

These colours bring you peace.

From here you don’t see 

The black smoke of fire

That comes from burning landfills;

The red faces of anger

With the other; 

The yellow sands

Of the invading deserts.

Only the green heart 

And the blue soul of earth.

The smells from your mothers kitchen

Are blended with summer roses

And the rainy soil after a storm. 

What does it smell like from over here? 

I breathe easily from here. 

I am small and insignificant. 

My problems are too far away.

My hands can only embrace 

My hopelessness to fix everything 

And my neck that connects me to my body. 

Neck that I squeeze from time to time

To remind me of the power of oxygen 

That feeds my thoughts!

Where is the sun?

Sun that brings smiles to the living, 

Warms our hearts

And energises our skins! 

Basking away from the shadows.

Shadows that darken our souls

And disconnect us from others…

The sun is much further away!

But you’ll chase that light,

Collect that warmth,

And momentarily close your eyes 

As you face this warm light…

Like a contradiction 

Like establishing boundaries 

With your own happiness!

I want to open my eyes

Towards the light of the sun,

Without fears of blindness!

I want the sunsets and sunrises 

To reflect a beautiful colour in my skin

As I share a smile and a tear with you

Connecting, like those clouds,

But thicker! 

Where we can’t find the beginning

Or the end of our bodies; 

Before we separate 

And jump between the blue 

and the green of this world. 

I sit in a church 

Observing this wonder… 

Wondering this and more!

Reflecting on the roundness 

Of this earth and my own life!

This circumference is drawn 

With my finger in the air… 

Going up, then down, 

And then up again.

Never ending 

And never back to the start. 

Reflecting on the cracks and mountains

That make earth so beautiful!

Is this what makes me beautiful too?

Are the rivers,

and lakes,

and oceans,

How much the earth has cried?

Margarida Ventura 

27th July 2023

Imagining seeing Gaia in Durham Cathedral

This place is special to me

First time I have attended a mass in England, and questioned why there was a bird as an altar. Where I found Portuguese art from Paula Rego and a dramatic wooden sculpture which is barely carved. I have brought so many people to explore this place. Every time a new experience. From tired bats, to silky stringy spider webs. Spider webs that inspired my first poem in English in November 2022, together with a turbulence of emotions lived that day.

Poem - spider webs

 Spider webs!

A network of fibres. Interconnected strings of protein, that get thicker and thicker with time.

If left to it’s own devices, the spider will build a thicker, silky and gentle curtain of wonder and beauty! 

A curtain that decorates this window, obfuscating the light that tries to spy in-between the threads. 

This window that reflects the past in my emotions and diffracts my attention to the autumn leaves. 

This window that shows me a world of wonder and beauty! 

A river that flows fast after the rain has passed, carrying with it the debris of the storm!

An old tree that has been through years of famine and years of plenty! Plenty of nourishment that makes her leaves thrive and glow… and the famine that leaves a thin annual ring as a reminder of stunted growth and weakness.

A castle that has seen humanity. A castle that has seen lights pointing at it to highlight its beauty, and cannons pointing for destruction.

I blow this silky curtain, and watch it floating in the air, disseminating dust like glitter, covering me in history and organic matter!

I feel rejuvenated and smile at a sweet memory of better times.

I walk away, leaving this old window to breath free. 

New look bedroom - part 1

Decorating a bedroom (or any other room) can be a tricky job... especially if you consider the overall style of the house (modern new build, or old cottage). 

We now live in a stone old cottage where most rooms are a bit dated. (Don't get me started on the curtains and carpets!)

We have decided to strip the carpets in the bedrooms upstairs and restore the wood boards. (Will keep you posted on the results!)

We are currently living here, so I have to focus on each room at the time to avoid frustration as I work full time...

The first project that I will be focusing on is the main bedroom. To start it, I bought some cheap furniture with the intention of up-cycling it. 

 chest of drawers

 bedside table (x2)

dressing table with stool and mirror

As you can see - not very exciting... 

Pinterest was a good friend in finding some ideas, but colour scheme was something I struggled to decide on my own, as I wanted my husband to participate in the choices... After all, it is also his bedroom, I suppose! :)

Eventually, on a trip to Barnard Castle (County Durham, England), I found a shop where a very helpful (and skilled) shop owner,who sells chalk paint and chalk painted furniture (mostly done by her) helped me greatly! Ruby&D it's the name of the shop, in case you want to look around some day (http://www.ruby-and-d.co.uk/) 

The shop itself was an inspiration due to its rich amount of interesting stuff and chalk painted objects and furniture! Eventually, I have picked up some ideas:

 colour scheme I have chosen 

draw knob - cute :)

My husband liked the yellow as it reminded him of a statement wall we had in our previous house which he liked... So, after that, was playing with different options. 

I didn't buy the knobs as it would work out very expensive and I thought I could maybe find it cheaper online. I was right! I found plenty of options of knobs on Amazon, but eventually (so far) picked these:

I picked these for the bedside tables, which have 3 draws each

And these, I bought for my integrated wardrobe to link in with the rest of the room 

Now, I just have to wait for these to arrive!

So, excited about this, I started my project of painting and here is where I am up to:

 the process... 2 coatings of Provence blue by anne sloan

 finished bedside table (Provence blue with clear wax - both anne sloan)

finished bedside table (Provence blue with clear wax - both anne sloan)

 2 coatings of English Yellow by anne sloan

Then, my lazy self said - 'what if I leave some draws unpainted?' - As the colour is quite strong and the floors will eventually be wooden, I think it is a good idea!

 The final product (just needs waxing)

Can't wait for the knobs and to get the floor done for the real final effect!

And this is it for this weekend! More updates and ideas as they come! :)

Funky furniture

It started with my passion to create new things... Create a new world around me, with old, but nice furniture.
Living in Newcastle City centre allowed me to visit multiple charity shops and browse for  interesting things almost every weekend. Almost like an hobby, I would go into one of the charity shops, and imagine how each of the things could have a new life...
Don't get me wrong, some objects were a "no, no"! But others looked like there was so much more they could still give to a home!...
So, I started by 'adopting' what I could in my little city centre apartment.  After that, I would think if there was something I could do to personalise... To make it my own!
Here are some examples:
1. The Desk - this desk was found near the bins right outside my flat... It was around February 2013.

 Only 2 weeks ago, I decided to paint it and give it new knobs...

What a difference! (March 2014) I feel this is now more versatile. It can stay as a working desk, or a dressing table with a framed mirror in the centre. Like it?

Knobs- amazon.co.uk
Paint- wilkinson - gloss black - plasti-kote fast dry enamel



2. TV stand - I saw this in #PDSA Charity shop.
This beauty only cost me £30!  I felt in love with it, but thought it was too dark!
The following weekend, I went back to the shop (and it was still there!) I started imagining what I could do with it... to make it more 'funky' and my own. so, decided to pain the front in red (glossy red) and gold (to match the old fashion knobs!) What do you think of the result?

And this is it for now! Hope to hear some feedback from you!

Moving house soon, so watch this space for more ideas, or even to ask your opinion

Night in the Toon!

Yesterday night, I discretely brought the camera with me.

This is Newcastle city centre, 'the toon', on a Saturday night. 'Sad reality', some might say...

Inverno

(Algo que escrevi em pleno Inverno - nao sei o ano - e que encontrei hoje aqui no meio das minhas coisas... no meu mundo)

Dou comigo a pensar

A pensar no que tenho pensado...

Agir não tem sido o meu verbo,

Neste tempo de chuva e Inverno.

Estes dias que não acabam e que pouco ou nada acontece.

E quando acontece, é indiferente...

A chuva apaga as gentes?

A água da chuva torna o chão mais limpo...

Mas não dá tempo de secar!

Parece que está sempre à espera de ver alguém, na calçada tropeçar!

É por isso que nesses dias cinzentos as pessoas só olham para baixo.

E nem se olham...

Parece que só andam preocupadas com o seu pequeno mundo...

E com o medo de caírem nas poças de lama, a cada passo que dão.

Quando olham para cima, ou tentam ver longe,

O frio e a chuva transfiguram.

As caras ficam feias!

E desistem... Voltam a olhar para baixo...

Mas para onde, mesmo? Pés, umbigo ou chão?

O tempo influencia as gentes...

O cinzento é o nin e o mais ou menos.

É cor que não permite ver ninguém e não distingue contrastes

(É por isso que as árvores só têm uma cor no Inverno e, nos tempos quentes, é dona das coloridas flores... Deve ser também por isso que as flores estão escondidas no meio do verde, para não perder a cor...)

E se olharmos para o céu, não há nuvens nem sol!

Apenas uma camada que cega e rouba esperança!

Mas o sol virá!

Margarida Ventura

A minha estação é, definitivamente, o Verão! Tempo de maior actividade e do mais variado lazer!

Animated Richmond

Accidently, I found this city in a complete mess! Why is everyone in stripy shirts and sailors hats? A boat is moving on the pavement transporting people with posh demanding accents, a couple of dancers coming from a time machine, 20's jazz playing in the background,...
Am I in a film?
That was today.