Wonderful weekend

We had such a wonderful weekend. It all started with 'Home Spun Yarns' on Saturday morning (yes hubby did see a Saturday morning!) at the Piece Hall in Halifax.

Demonstrations of rag rug making, lace making, knitting, patchwork and weaving with folk songs and tea!

Then off we went to the 63rd Halifax Agricultural Show. The sun was shining and we had a great time.

There were the usual sights to see, lots of well behaved farm animals...

.. those sheep really were ORANGE!

There was poultry and birds of prey...

....and I got to hold a 12 year old Barn Owl called Lucy.
There was a lady knitting with wool from her herd of Alpacas and some Vintage Vehicles to keep Hubby happy....

...and in the marquee, lots of homemade items, proudly displayed.

Unfortunately we couldn't sample the homemade cakes and had to make do with hot sugared doughnuts!

The homegrown produce was a buzz, with dahlias as big as dinner plates and animals made out of vegetables.

With the awards and rosettes given out it was time to go home.

Then on Sunday we went to a friends 40th birthday picnic in the park.

Lots of chatting, catching up, eating, drinking and playing rounders!

World Cat Day!

Today has been declared World Cat Day, pop over to Zoolatry for a peek. Of course Lucy thinks it's world cat day, Everyday!

We are off out for the day, can't waste this sunshine!

Have a good weekend.

Aberystwyth and JOIN IN!

Visit to Aberystwyth

When we were in Wales we went to Aberystwyth It's a buzzing place because of the University but also because it is full of very British Seaside things to do and see. There is a pier, arcades, beaches, a castle ruins, lots of shops, a cliff railway and lots of seagulls!

I have signed up to Michela's Pay it Forward.

SO I think I have this right!

The first 3 people to sign up to my Pay it Forward will receive some hand made goodies from me and then they need to each post about the PIF and make some handmade goodies for the first 3 people who sign up to their PIF. Leave a comment if you want to join in! the good news is you have 365 days to send your goodies!

This time last year I was in Venice on holiday with my mum. Such a beautiful place.

Memories

I've picked up the baton from Cal at Cosy Corner. To pick a book at random, turn to page 51, pick the 5th full sentence and post it on my blog. So here goes. Remember this post when I told you the Village Primary school I work at was having a new library fitted and I saved some of the books from being put in the skip. Well to hand this morning was a pile of those books and the top one was MILLY-MOLLY-MANDY STORIES by Joyce Lankester Brisley. First published in 1928 this edition was from 1965.

Page 51 is the beginning of the story Milly-Molly-Mandy Makes a Cosy. I couldn't just write the 5th sentence but it's here in bold-(I know not quite following the rules here!) I start on page 50.

Miss Muggins' shop and the passage behind smelt so interesting-like calico and flannelette and brown paper, with faint whiffs of peppermint and raspberry-drops. (For Miss Muggins sold a few sweets too, from bottles on a shelf in her window.)

But the little sitting-room at the back of the shop smelt mostly of warm buttered scones and sugary cakes, for the table was all laid ready, and Miss Muggins and Jilly were waiting for her. And over the teapot in front of Miss Muggins was the most beautiful cosy, all made of odd shaped pieces of bright-coloured silks and velvets, with loops of coloured cord on top. Milly-Molly-Mandy did like it!

Wonderful stuff isn't it? It did bring back memories from my own school reading books.

I know exactly what my Nan was doing 58 years ago today. She was making a note of how many stitches she had on her needles and was just starting the neck and shoulders of a garment. I know because I have a tiny diary she owned and she has pencilled the details on the 6th August 1951. My dad was in his early 20's and my uncle was in his mid teens. Was she knitting a jumper for one of her boys?

I spent time today painting in the garden. I was making little labels and tops for the jars of Sea Treasures I brought back from Cornwall and Wales.

Can you see the heart shaped pebbles we found too?

While I was downloading the photos I heard a strange rasping noise coming from outside the open window. I had a peek and found a Grass hopper (cricket) sitting there quite happily on the window ledge!

Then I found Lucy had made herself as long as she possibly can in the sunshine! She did look funny.

So you see it's been a strange sort of day. No ironing, cleaning, sorting or washing. But thinking, painting, giggling and remembering.

Sands of Ynyslas.

The magnificent dunes at Ynyslas are part of the Dyfi Estuary National Nature Reserve.

The Reserve also includes salt marsh and Borth Bog.

There is a visitors centre telling you about the wildlife you may encounter.

The boardwalk takes you through the dunes towards the great open sandy beach or towards the estuary.

I've been naughty!

The sun was shining and the crochet was calling....

...I should of been sorting out this

I did do a bit, boxed it up and took it to the charity shop. But then I called in a local antiques centre and found this...

Isn't it lovely? A small jam pot with stainless steel top. I just could not resist it, but it will be beans for tea for the rest of the week.

Oh, I also found these two lovely linen pillow cases.

On Saturday the 8th August we are going to the Piece Hall in Halifax to the 'Home Spun Yarns' Demonstrations of rug making, lace work, embroidery, darning, knitting, woodwork, sewing and pottery. It's free so that makes Hubby happy. Then in the afternoon we plan to pop around to the Halifax Agricultural show at Savile Park, Halifax. I will take my camera and post some photos.

I need to put a few more photos of our holiday on, sorry but I feel the need to share the lovely memories!

These were taken at a National Trust property called Llanerchaeron. It is just outside Aberaeron, designed by John Nash with a home farm and beautiful walled garden. It is like stepping back in time, a small property you feel you could just walk into and live in.

These were taken in St Davids and a hamlet called Trefin just nearby. It is a calm and peaceful cathedral, well worth a visit if you are ever in Pembrokeshire.

and these in a great hamlet on the coast called Porthgain. It has a fantastic pub called the Sloop which sells good food and there are a few other places to eat and a small gallery, a handful of cottages and a few fishing boats bobbing in the tiny harbour.

The above photos were taken in the Lower Town, Fishguard. The 1972 film of Under Milk Wood was filmed there and in the village pub 'The Ship', there are black and white photos of Richard Burton enjoying a pint. There is a great reading of Under Milk Wood by Richard Burton on youtube at this link.

Talented Hubby

Graphite pencil drawing of a stormy village (A2)

May I just say here that I think my Hubby is so talented!

Large graphite pencil drawing of birds (double A2)

Not the best photo sorry!

Let me explain. Hubby and I met while working in a design studio, he had done a degree in Printed Textiles and is so very talented. In the 1990's the textile industry in this country went downhill and first he then I was made redundant. He worked for himself for a few years then retrained, got another degree and now works in an office with lots of numbers on his computer all day. His Art work and designs were packed away and moved from place to place.

Detail of above drawing.

One of the many jobs I have to do this summer is sort out our garage, full to the brim of boxes of 'stuff' not unpacked from 2004 and before. I came across his degree art work and then some of his HUNDREDS of textile designs, all dusty and neglected in there yesterday.




He did work in colour too....

Graphite and gouache (A2)

And the end of the 1990's wallpaper and furnishing fabrics were very colourful.

A2 Textile designs in various mediums.

Most of all I love his little sketch books, kept for 3 years, full of pencil drawings of everyday things and places. It is such a shame he no longer picks up a pencil or a brush, there is no money in it he tells me. I only hope one day he will maybe take it up again as a hobby.