Thursday 30 October 2014

Occasions for Creations

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things but their inward significance." - Aristotle

His thoughts on what defines a truly delicious cake were indeed profound!


It is Sunday morning: by day and by meaning. The sun dapples my face. There are few days I love more than when there is work to be done. My thoughts wrest from their slumber amongst a sea of ideas well-afloat. I wade through them and attempt a start. Eager they are, but they must be patient. We will be well-catered for, I know, but final outcomes seldom reveal themselves until already upon us. We spend much of our lives focusing on beginnings and endings, yet the majority is made up of 'middle'; a cloud between the horizons.















Today I am hosting the creations of the talented Love Cake: wholesome, hearty, with love. It is easy to arrange such values in a shoot when the subject already abounds them. I prepare options for what she may bring; await her arrival. Whites, woods, weaves? Options are easy, choices are not. I was once told that decisions with the best outcomes are those made without thinking. The water glistens and ripples:be guided by the tide. The best endings choose themselves. I hope you agree.




Saturday 11 October 2014

My Wedding

"The beginning is always today" - Mary Shelley

Today is an accumulation of yesterdays. They don't exist; although they may have.

We strive tirelessly to surround ourselves with beautiful things: Things old, things pretty, things ordered. I find myself inspired by the gifts Nature gives us, but why must I re-order them? I honestly don't believe it is because they are in any way imperfect in their honest form. But inspiration. It is inspiration that forces me to attempt, through fey and with folly (no less), to create and to grow ideas just as our world around us does.

Today, I had the pleasure of taking a little from Nature, a little from the past and a little inspirational help of an old friend to create the setting for my own wedding. After weeks of planning and plotting, threading and weaving, picking and potting, as with all creations they must remain unfinished. Perfection should never be an ideal intended to be achieved - although inspiration it may give. But perfection implies that there is nothing to follow. Tomorrow will always bring new ideas, new opportunities and new beginnings.

Women's Weekly Cookbook cakes by The Vintage Cake Kitchen.