Wonderful Domesticity

Perhaps it comes from being the youngest of five children, the innate need to gobble up goodness before there is none left.  As an adult, though, I’ve made a conscious effort to savor, to leave some behind, whether it’s my favorite frozen yogurt or a box of maple sugar candy.  This discipline is important to me for many reasons: I don’t want to be greedy, on any level; I want to truly feel safe in the abundance around me; I want to feel that those urges for control are being used in a healthy manner.  And when something is really fabu, the urge to make it last and last and last trumps the desire to have it all now, now, now.

Reading Jane Brocket’s book The Gentle Art of Domesticity challenged my restraint, but I made it last as long as possible.  What a true delight this collection of essays and fantastic photos is!  I have long admired Jane’s blog, and pre-ordered the book when it came available.  Surprise, surprise when there was a box from Amazon waiting for me, and the dear, sweet cover met my eyes as I opened that box.  I wanted to read it from cover to cover immediately, but instead, I read a few essays a night.  As I neared the end of the book, which includes topics such as travel, color, texture, and so many more, I saved the essays for evenings when I needed a boost.  It’s a civilizing feeling to make a cup of tea and curl up with a dog on each side, Jane’s smart prose at the ready.  She’s captured everything about domestic life that I believe is important, all those skills and tasks that my mom’s generation did away with gleefully in order to have more free time.  I, like Jane and so many others, feel there is tremendous value in baking from scratch, in hand-quilting a blanket, in knitting socks for my beloved.  We don’t have to do these things, but we long for them, and Jane does an excellent job in explaining just what they mean to her, and as all good books speak to universal themes, to me, and probably to you as well.  She’s included recipes (I ordered Golden Syrup as she assures the reader that there is no American substitute, and I plan to bake the treats she shares), and the only flaw I found with the book was the lack of knitting patterns; I would love to have seen them included.  There is a fantastic resources section, and I’m planning a NYC trip just to visit some of the shops she mentions.  I’ve ordered a second copy as a Christmas gift for one of my friends, and I know she will get just as much pleasure from it as I have.  There’s no reason to be greedy here…plenty of books to go around!

I wanted to share these pictures that Dave took of the weaving I sent him in our swap.  I am astounded at how beautiful he made my humble length of cloth look, and I’m frothing at the mouth to see what he makes from the cloth.  Between him, Jane Brocket, and Scout, I’m feeling a deep need to upgrade my camera and start to take photography seriously.  I think it would be interesting to see how photography affects my writing, and I’m longing for my blog to have such pretty photos, too.  My super pricey wish list (occupied to date by a floor loom) is growing.  What’s on your wish list?

8 thoughts on “Wonderful Domesticity”

  1. Thanks for the wonderful essay review.. I’ll have to get it and savor it too!
    My son and I want a new camera for the winter days when he is taking another photography class in high school. Current camera has a door broken with hospital tape keeping it closed and duct tape around the lens connection!

  2. I’ve wanted that book since it first became available in the UK, now I need to go to amazon.
    My wish list is primarily Alice and Jade Starmore sweater kits and an iPhone! None of which I need.

  3. a new camera (even a new Point & Shoot) made a huge difference in my photography. Now if I could only work on the lighting I think mine would improve tenfold.
    I don’t want to talk about the wishlist. I wish for lots, my E says too much. What do I need? I have a roof, family, food …

  4. Right now my list is a camera, loom and drum carder. Now much, right? 🙂 So I’m curious about how you like your loom and if you enjoyed the Webs class. I want to weave scarves and Dave said that he didn’t like weaving with a riggid heddle loom. What do you think? And how was the Webs class? I know what you mean about all those great photos Daves and Scouts blogs!

  5. Thank you for the wonderful review. I will definitely put that one on my list. I am a few days away from getting a new “fancy” camera and am VERY excited about it. I, too, am realizing the limitations that my current point-and-shoot presents and am ready to upgrade and (hopefully) create art. The pictures of your weaving are just beautiful.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let's Get Started

babysitting certification