Skimming Stones | Sula's Blog | Sula1968 A South African poet, potter and mother

This is another post for the WordPress Weekly challenge “Moved by Music” I read for infinite reasons, among them is the desire to be entertained and to expand my personal parameters. This week after a long break from Merrily Watkins, I read ‘The Smile of a Ghost’ by Phil Rickman. Whilst providing a good plot and characters Phil Rickman has …

There is music which speaks to the mind, music to stir the soul and romantic music which echos the rhythms of the heart, and then there is music which targets the loins. Strangely the current offerings from ‘porn star’ pop divas are not what I perceive as the least bit sexy. Dear Miley sticks her tongue out like she’s desperate …

  I have been looking for a pattern for a top which can be worn over leggings and cover the rear.  I made the Mc Calls pattern 6121 top this weekend and was very happy with the result.  The pattern was quick and easy to sew.  I did not make any changes or adjustments.  I plan to make at least …

After spending Sunday pottering around the house we decided that a quick cure for cabin fever was necessary.  In all my years living in Boksburg I have never been to Rondebult Bird Sanctuary which is pretty much on our doorstep.  We wanted to have a quick look around to see if it would be a good spot for a picnic …

I have never read a Sydney Sheldon before, this week I read ‘The Stars Shine Down’, another mystery find from our bookshelf.  I have no idea where some of my books appear from.  Before ever reading anything by him for some reason I had decided that he and Danielle Steel were similar, maybe it has something to do with cover …

Here in South Africa Halloween is not a big deal and I have never given it much thought other than it being my childhood friend’s birthday and her always having a fancy dress party to celebrate.  Last year Cliff decided that it would be fun for the children if we bought a pumpkin to carve and have a bit of …

Since 2011 we seem to have developed a habit of making an annual trip to the Planetarium at Wits University in Johannesburg. Fjord (age 6) loves the kids show and he currently has to do a school project on the solar system. The planetarium’s very special star projector reminds me a bit of one of those alien things on the …

I asked my husband Clifford to write this blog post to help others who also have a problem with excess steam in an oven.  The solution was so simple in the end.  Cliff refers specifically to cooking roasts but actually absolutely everything which we cooked created a very moist environment and when I opened the oven I would be blasted …

Recently en route to our weekend stay at Misty Mountain in the Sabie area we stopped at Hops Hollow Brewery for lunch, and of course a beer tasting.  Situated on Long Tom Pass it is the highest brewery in South Africa.  The pub menu was very limited, pretty much just toasted sarmies but once you get to beer tasting the …

  Last year my son Fjord attended St Raphael’s Pre-Primary school in Boksburg.  The school is run by the Boksburg Anglican Church and it was through church that I heard of the school.  Cliff and I take the education of our children very seriously and therefore visited 5 pre-primary schools in Boksburg before making a decision.  We took Fjord along …

We do not have a swimming pool at home but a top priority for us was to get our children water safe and able to swim.  When Fjord was 2 we took him to swimming lessons in Boksburg but after enjoying the 1st class it was all downhill from there.  The swim school which we attended teach according to the …

I am not a fancy seamstress, I also battle with instructions if they are not VERY clear so these are very simple, step by step instructions to make quilted place mats. The size which I chose to do is 37cm x 30cm but you can adapt that to whatever you want. I use a printed fabric for the top and …

Until this month I had never heard of Tami Hoag, when I heard a book review of her latest offering on the 702 book show I made a mental note of her name. Odd that I haven’t heard of her, she has been writing for yonks and is very prolific. By coincidence in the same week I found a copy …

The Sudwala caves touch the part of me which aches for stillness and permanence.  The essence that of lying prone to merge with a night sky.  The blurred colours viewed from my daily spinning carousel numb the mind.  Only in an inert place can pure thought emerge tentatively, a tortoise braving the world outside its shell.  The consistence of the …

This poem was initially inspired by the post  ‘A terrifying angel‘ by my favourite blogger who goes by the pen name of Tony.  His writing is sublime.  The funny thing is that the end product has veered very far from my initial thoughts but I guess that’s the fun of the journey.    In my mental landscape Urchin muse plays …