They stitch horses don't they?

Hello.

While my summer of post-y projects may now be over my desire to work within categories and themes hasn't. And I doubt it ever will.

And this time it's horses [all of the collages are now in my shop] :

So, where did this equine excitement come from?

I'm not too sure.

I'm not a horsey kinda girl really ... although I do think I should add 'horse-riding' to my imaginary Things To Do Before I Die list ... I mean, I already reeeeaaaally like riding-boots .. which is probably half the battle ... isn't it?

Maybe it's the fact they're just like a non-stripey zebra ....

Maybe it's the fact that I've read Paulo Coelho's novel The Alchemist - which features a young man's trip across the desert on horseback -  twice in the last month.

Maybe it's because I watched and thoroughly enjoyed Hidalgo, a film about a cross-desert horse race, when it was on TV last week.

[Although ... maybe it was the sight of a brave, sweaty and sandy Viggo Mortensen that can be held responsible for much of my enjoyment of that film ... ].

Maybe it's just the images of horses found in my favourite old Childrens Dictionaryare so lovely and atmospheric that they're stirring me to create something from them.

Maybe it's because I recognise kindred spirits in highly strung sensitive creatures who have an ability to tune into people's feelings and which have been known to fall over in a spectacularly comprehensive manner.  [Although luckily for me James doesn't keep a gun in the house on the off chance I break a limb during one of my more clumsy moments ...].

Maybe.

Yet, if I'm honest, far from feeling any longstanding kinship with horses, only last week I felt like I must have been a whale in a past life  ... but that's quite another story.

[Excuse me while I dash off to look for illustrations under 'W' for 'Whale' ....] .

Back soon.

Julie