at the Bath and West...

I love an agricultural fair.... We managed to catch the rare breeds sheep, mountain and moorland pony class, whilst managing to play at the funfair, drink cider and watch the Morris Men (morris men are obligatory at such rural occasions) and see the mechanical bull charge at bales of hay. 

All in all a perfect day!

in my garden... May

Last year I got a bit despondent with gardening. It was so cold and wet, the only creatures that seemed happy were the evil slugs which munched everything.

This week we got our first Rocket Gardens delivery (we got it as a family Christmas present.) Part of me feels a bit guilty that we're not growing our own from seed but in reality I don't have the space to raise such a variety of plants. When the box arrived - plug plants carefully wrapped in straw - it was like Christmas all over again. The children and I have spent most of half term in the garden planting out, dreaming and sowing a few plants we didn't get (butternut squash and globe artichokes.) We're dreaming of a proper summer - hot sun, breakfast outside, wandering round the garden to pick crops for our meals. If I think positively it'll happen, right?

Tomorrow we're off to the 150th Bath and West Show - an extravaganza of all things agricultural and rural from the West Country. We all have our favourite areas - Jago can't wait to see more tractors, Jess wants to see the moorland and mountain ponies and lots of her friends, Mr Oak is holding out for the steam engines and I want to see the rare breed sheep... We're taking a picnic and a camera - be prepared to be bored to death by pictures of rural things next week...

Enjoy your weekend!

circles

 My bestest (only) sister gave me a subscription to the Natural Dye Studio Mini Skein club for my birthday - how fab is she?

It's perfect for my circles blanket (I love a blanket)

 

So far 2 packages have arrived as the lovely people at the NDS ensured I had a package to unwrap on my birthday. The colours are amazing and I'm inspired to keep going with all these little squared circles. I can't wait to see next months offering...

hellos and goodbyes...

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There’s been a fair amount of saying goodbye this past week  - my vintage Husqvarna sewing machine finally gave up the ghost. She was made in the 1960s so it’s probably only fair she’s allowed to pass over to the other side but we did have fun together. I have a tudor dress to make by the middle of next month so I have to borrow a machine very soon! (any recommendations for a new machine gratefully received!)

Plus my first spinning wheel – also made in the 60s (I believe) an Ashford Camelot has gone to a new home. I’m sad to see her go, it’s a little like saying goodbye to your first car. I learnt so much with her but she has gone to a fabulous studio with the installation artist (and buddy) Leah Hislop. Leah creates wonderful webs and weavings. I can’t wait to work with her more on projects.

There has also been some saying ‘hello’ too.  No new sewing machine yet (gotta sell a lot of pots for that!) But thanks to my wonderful husband a new birthday* wheel arrived. Can you guess what it is yet?

 A Schacht Ladybug all the way from the Threshing Barn and a bulky plyer. (For those of you out there in blogland who care about such details...) I love her – she’s amazing, we’re going to have great adventures together… I can’t wait – now to name her… Any suggestions?

*More birthday goodies later... warned they are mostly fibre related....

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Welcome to my new followers - nice to see you here!

bank holidays

Sunny bank holidays are a rare thing indeed... this weekend has been full of family, friends, gardening, walks, imaginary farms*, spinning, crochet, bbqs, singing, dancing and above all, sunshine.

Life recently has been a bit hectic - nothing bad but much busier than normal. But I have now supplied the National Trust with some of my work and I have a few small shows coming up so I think things may settle down into manageable chaos.

* More of this later but Jago has an imaginary farm with pigs, sheep and chickens. He's often outside on his tractor talking to his pigs. (he likes their imaginary smiley faces.)

making me happy...

 The sun is out and so are we! Finally the weather has been kind enough to get us all outside basking in the light which has been missing for what feels like an age. (Jago didn't recognise the sun the other day - he thought the moon was very bright...)

• being outside, walking, running, jumping...
• listening to the dawn chorus
• being surrounded by family and friends while this brief holiday lasts.
• knitting and spinning (outside!) 
• and (weirdly) spring cleaning

Long may this last! Now for the weather to warm up a smidgen and things will be perfect!
Happy April everyone!

a doll for Ellie

See, I'm doing it again... just dropping by to show you a doll I made for my friend's littlest daughter. It's her second birthday in early April and I made her a doll that looks just like her.

It's my first attempt at a Waldorf style doll and I have to say I was sorry to see her go to her new home...

I used a hank of badly plied (plyed?) handspun which I dyed with a combination of onion skins and henna for her hair, some of Jessie's old clothes for her outfits and knitted her up a coat. (It's still freezing here so a coat seemed essential.) I have orders for dolls from my own children so I think Ellie's doll won't be my last. I hope she loves her...

making me happy

• family music - some say cacophony...
• snatched moments in my studio listening to Radio 4 and the rain on the roof before being pulled back to reality...
• Saturday evenings with Inspector Montalbano on BBC4 - only 2 weeks left. I'm hoping that BBC4 have something brilliant to replace it with.
• Leaf hunting - such beautiful colours.
• trips to our mobile library - a bus full of books turns up once a month, what's not to love?
• the last of the blackberries.
• making halloween costumes... vampire pumpkin anyone?

What's making you happy right now?

spinning the sky ~ part two

 Apologies for the spinning related (some would say obsessed) post that follows.....

From this...

... to this...

.. and this.

Now I know its far from perfect -  I can see all the mistakes but I don't care, it's mine!!! And the goddess of charity shops (for she does exist) blessed me as I found a niddy noddy in the window of a charity shop for 50p! One persons weird bit of wood is another persons very useful spinning thing...

making me happy....

*  morning mists

*  blackberrying

*  The children singing their own compositions (the ode to the xylophone 'The Plinketty, Plonketty 
    Thing' is my current fave)

*  exploring new glazes - I need to create the perfect purple...

* the smell of fresh bread

* spinning (I'm obsessed!)

* windfall marmalade  (we'd run out. hurrah for autumn!)

* starting the holiday knitting

jubilee, part two

The best street party ever! Great company, great food, great music. I love where I live. The guest of honour? A 60 year old tractor and trailer. How Somerset can you get?

The last image is of the Queen, immortalised in straw bales, as seen from the A303 in Somerset. And yes, in case you were wondering, her arm does wave in a regal fashion.

favourite places...

 A long time ago I worked in Winchester - a beautiful city where I could quite happily live (there are not many cities on that list but Bath, Oslo and Vancouver are also contenders.)

 Whenever I get the chance to go back - which fortunately is often - I always try to go to the  cathedral.

 To marvel at the Sound II. The Crypt is flooded (no surprise at the moment) - it is overwhelming in its serenity.

 To say a silent hello to Jane - for all those novels that have made me smile.

To gaze at the modern sculptures that adorn the building.

Stupidly I left my proper camera at home. So I missed shots of Jago insisting on hugging every tree in the cathedral close - shame... but I will be back, for the Hat Fair

it's raining, it's pouring (again)

Oh yes! it's still raining (boring English person driveling on about the weather...) 

Today Jago and I went on a bear hunt, only today we were pirate dinosaurs (love those books) 

It's so wet out there that some of the fields are flooded. Our favourite walk was very squelchy underfoot which made for some splendidly noisy walking. Our favourite bridge for pooh sticks had become a weir and forced us to go home for hot chocolate and biscuits. Not that either of us were complaining.

Never found the bear though - maybe it's scared of pirate dinosaurs....?

:: making me happy ::

• listening to the rain on the roof

• making plans for the future

• spending the day at a ceramics supply store (buying new clay!)

• being inspired

• sewing

• watching my children running around in the rain with no coats (they said they were watering themselves and trying to grow)

• puddle splooshing