tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133130282024-03-18T03:03:47.235+00:00Middle of NowhereHermit, needle felter and artist writing from a cottage in rural Shropshire. Blogging since 2005.Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.comBlogger725125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-46064097315594710912024-03-02T19:00:00.011+00:002024-03-02T19:16:24.629+00:00Vast landscape, tiny worlds at the Stiperstones<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDB2tKGx9ZR9KEk2A2YbIk5gQ9kwm7HrNpAOpsGhMzGw6jlmyfqzsPWFRkQO7IW0pwQsNOUekaG3bHoeyBKIOZ3NeerJG4kZuUPBPjsTJXDk0AuRwYgHwWS92po3FnN-Z0dUpv6xfYlfwidfkITEUIBOIrd0_cvr26biLs7IokpoGN2z6vu4Lcg/s3264/IMG_6831.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeDB2tKGx9ZR9KEk2A2YbIk5gQ9kwm7HrNpAOpsGhMzGw6jlmyfqzsPWFRkQO7IW0pwQsNOUekaG3bHoeyBKIOZ3NeerJG4kZuUPBPjsTJXDk0AuRwYgHwWS92po3FnN-Z0dUpv6xfYlfwidfkITEUIBOIrd0_cvr26biLs7IokpoGN2z6vu4Lcg/w400-h300/IMG_6831.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I've been working in my new part time role with <a href="https://enableservices.co.uk/" target="_blank"><b>Enable Employment Services</b></a> for a few months now and it's transformed my life. As an Expert by Experience (my life of dealing with depression, anxiety and 'everything else'), I contribute my pennyworth to meetings and other areas. For the first time since moving here, twelve years ago when it all went so terribly, awfully wrong, I feel I have a place and purpose in Shropshire and lovely work colleagues. I'm less isolated and it's having a positive effect on my art and mental health, neither of which have been right for all the time I've lived here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggt2tfe3YudOROTkhpaiFqrNxNxtzz0aOxCL8_MkNV1qkjCRCG_7A8mPT0XrKZ46isv2uP9gRrscoEPSISj8zrlv0j4TsQn8N94O_3_APGXEV7w3b652QD0e-7VQ90Oy6Zv9nYYjA_YpK7XjPgrnfXQE4xAObxojaGqxkposQVOdoe2o23ocU2Gw/s3264/IMG_6834.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggt2tfe3YudOROTkhpaiFqrNxNxtzz0aOxCL8_MkNV1qkjCRCG_7A8mPT0XrKZ46isv2uP9gRrscoEPSISj8zrlv0j4TsQn8N94O_3_APGXEV7w3b652QD0e-7VQ90Oy6Zv9nYYjA_YpK7XjPgrnfXQE4xAObxojaGqxkposQVOdoe2o23ocU2Gw/w400-h300/IMG_6834.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">A couple of days ago I was able to take part in a volunteering/team building day with <a href="http://www.shropshiresgreatoutdoors.co.uk/volunteering-outdoors/wild-team-leaders/" target="_blank"><b>Shropshire Wild Teams</b></a> and we all headed over to the <a href="https://www.visitengland.com/experience/discover-wild-rugged-stiperstones-shropshire" target="_blank"><b>Stiperstones Nature Reserve</b></a> for a tree clearing session. Enjoy this short video, taken from the cab of the minibus and accept my apologies for the wobbles and bad light; a proper video camera is still sadly a pipe dream, but you get the general sweep of the area.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywlhLKgRdSqFZ89gGgbdGqwkXmwh_LnERpsdC2NXrRhA9eZKuuUWbd_OPlNbtafZIH9BQb-wQp0Fo' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The narrow roads leading up to the Stones are long and winding, gradually rising until you are many miles above sea level. There are scatterings of houses along the way - most too small to be called a village - and it is a wide, windswept landscape with views across to the Long Mynd and beyond. It was a cool, overcast day and the rain held off, though huge grey clouds marched along the skyline. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPPNhGXTXce6ZaS1nbBsJmOjQr_7eh78NtxicZetxpN2b8LIClct0qyU3al0Amwqri1XFouPYFig5CWlvArRt8_Ig1L05FL_YEbPKyuhWjB9vKAkeSvsmkhFIiHTEbGJJ-YE25HOSapPtbaBjLor50yOngoDSbIiTD1-wI29wcRlQyTY7jefDxA/s3264/IMG_6835.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPPNhGXTXce6ZaS1nbBsJmOjQr_7eh78NtxicZetxpN2b8LIClct0qyU3al0Amwqri1XFouPYFig5CWlvArRt8_Ig1L05FL_YEbPKyuhWjB9vKAkeSvsmkhFIiHTEbGJJ-YE25HOSapPtbaBjLor50yOngoDSbIiTD1-wI29wcRlQyTY7jefDxA/w400-h300/IMG_6835.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a bit of bother scrambling up the scrubby gorse covered slope, as my legs are quite arthritic now. But several of my younger colleagues kindly gave me a helping hand and eventually I borrowed a stout stick, which was so handy that I had become quite attached to it by the end and was sad to return it. While everyone else began chopping down the invasive young conifers that are choking up the natural habitat, I wandered slowly up the hill, marvelling at the rich flora underfoot. I had anticipated having to sit the activity out and had brought along some art materials. The surrounding landscape was majestic, however I couldn’t have done it justice. So I focussed on the wonders at my feet; the tiny worlds of lichen and mosses which were sprouting on dead wood and old stumps. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QxNtks4RMslsH4W2Z-sCRiYV4o-5xPzgd8kU7uD2iIcPeZmQrhVYCHwaLTp619k-0cJpFcRWp84aeJjz93PJbzeHKANmvoYcZ59PFzdHCzWytsix8SIu6ofguvtRJ2tN4T6XCUtg8EFHJePwhnDVmGkj0hZo7bjYvZkNiJxGfjAADqAw_4DKFQ/s3264/IMG_6845.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QxNtks4RMslsH4W2Z-sCRiYV4o-5xPzgd8kU7uD2iIcPeZmQrhVYCHwaLTp619k-0cJpFcRWp84aeJjz93PJbzeHKANmvoYcZ59PFzdHCzWytsix8SIu6ofguvtRJ2tN4T6XCUtg8EFHJePwhnDVmGkj0hZo7bjYvZkNiJxGfjAADqAw_4DKFQ/w400-h300/IMG_6845.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzEJqjBaP4TPz0oNVeKZRsXHIdz6TZbhgoQj6TbYwUaUUzVWnQkGbCR1HsGqD-vXS48FdzTeL-yEn80AfVGHYUjvhUD_xicvSruktJy7SdStxnceEMLHc63b8IKkTYZ2q8-Vf_ttYVdCdKLiqKYogXb13mwjMhxbbGLEdwuGKZ174boaWUc7GTA/s3026/IMG_6860.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="3026" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSzEJqjBaP4TPz0oNVeKZRsXHIdz6TZbhgoQj6TbYwUaUUzVWnQkGbCR1HsGqD-vXS48FdzTeL-yEn80AfVGHYUjvhUD_xicvSruktJy7SdStxnceEMLHc63b8IKkTYZ2q8-Vf_ttYVdCdKLiqKYogXb13mwjMhxbbGLEdwuGKZ174boaWUc7GTA/w400-h318/IMG_6860.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So easily overlooked and yet on closer inspection, so exquisite in their form and colour, resembling an underwater coral reef, with scuttering beetles and bugs for 'fish'. </span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQg0jS7vgFkKE7ZG_HrpceAZ6oXPevddigQ6uNFoWnz6z-81AbK424zutwbd4hc3BTykjo70I0Sb4En7qnO6oMOeQudFr9JEErrrLWWLeYghbG9ct9M3l6RCOsQOzsJeN4QVX1wdU_H57dkhQiDakzCw7KgYc1aWciCA61dSecwa7J0NVUgygDqA/s2610/IMG_6852.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="2610" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQg0jS7vgFkKE7ZG_HrpceAZ6oXPevddigQ6uNFoWnz6z-81AbK424zutwbd4hc3BTykjo70I0Sb4En7qnO6oMOeQudFr9JEErrrLWWLeYghbG9ct9M3l6RCOsQOzsJeN4QVX1wdU_H57dkhQiDakzCw7KgYc1aWciCA61dSecwa7J0NVUgygDqA/w400-h300/IMG_6852.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I spent some time searching for the elusive perfect patch, eventually settling down on my blanket for a happy hour of drawing. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkisaYtOXv0snRQ7yNurf8rEN1Espt__b-LcFCP5er42zHhcQMt079mkEXyrJ8XPx92XnwGUaEPZHrhRjs1lV6K0t8DweCvaunmo240NUX9-sPhDpfjV-VkLpl_j5_3SxAZx7Frg0VjqhA1xogxxLf_ypMnInIyZTdiHfGx0Gr7KYrIMej6Onidg/s3264/IMG_6865.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkisaYtOXv0snRQ7yNurf8rEN1Espt__b-LcFCP5er42zHhcQMt079mkEXyrJ8XPx92XnwGUaEPZHrhRjs1lV6K0t8DweCvaunmo240NUX9-sPhDpfjV-VkLpl_j5_3SxAZx7Frg0VjqhA1xogxxLf_ypMnInIyZTdiHfGx0Gr7KYrIMej6Onidg/w400-h300/IMG_6865.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I had a big sketch pad with me, and rather than fiddle about with a fussy, intricate study, I swept my pastels across the page, enlarging the diminutive stalks to giant size. Chunky little Unison pastels (a gift from long ago) created the swoop and sway of the dancing stalks.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6VnaxHifLuz2Ho5SG6fpJ9GDYMtT1biI9peoG9-ytXFWTaU5K22DoMNxd_p6F2TEscY33adLSDJyjckBWQK7HpNO0Na7oRZmQzw_64h0e3owfF_W_k0QSBcOvo6u6CGk2VfasLxbLqEXOmZO93Znliufxx2Nt8vpLjnQpmLDj7TDuH0-5LFR2Q/s3006/IMG_6864.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2446" data-original-width="3006" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ6VnaxHifLuz2Ho5SG6fpJ9GDYMtT1biI9peoG9-ytXFWTaU5K22DoMNxd_p6F2TEscY33adLSDJyjckBWQK7HpNO0Na7oRZmQzw_64h0e3owfF_W_k0QSBcOvo6u6CGk2VfasLxbLqEXOmZO93Znliufxx2Nt8vpLjnQpmLDj7TDuH0-5LFR2Q/w400-h325/IMG_6864.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was completely lost in my work, adding bright accents of colour, darker areas of negative space and later, thinner, more fragile suggestions of outlines with pastel pencils, another kind gift from a friend and a nice reminder of them as I worked. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmL390y4X6S9yuS8Du5SxeiehBJRNb0IEK20TzrKHnLMXJAQM_a7H3TZSkaCs62943ORg106oxmSnO49NHSj8TgHC0y6QrWoMap8cP8laT9OgvplMkLpi0FLc-OHMz6eOVyIG5TGHxMrG_6k-1grtAan-azI97qCmIaxCCKUxSy4WDx0LFuwf5Q/s3052/IMG_6868.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2289" data-original-width="3052" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmL390y4X6S9yuS8Du5SxeiehBJRNb0IEK20TzrKHnLMXJAQM_a7H3TZSkaCs62943ORg106oxmSnO49NHSj8TgHC0y6QrWoMap8cP8laT9OgvplMkLpi0FLc-OHMz6eOVyIG5TGHxMrG_6k-1grtAan-azI97qCmIaxCCKUxSy4WDx0LFuwf5Q/w400-h300/IMG_6868.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I did have a ‘moment’, thinking about how Andy loved this area, in his brief time here. I had brought his Swiss Army knife with me, which I used to trim a pencil and I huddled into the waxed jacket I was wearing, which used to be his. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHdtmPODf3BVy8BON-3AteeGAMSz-Oan060NQTlojQXyQw9dumC7zBlHSqUTcXiXvZp3un0swhNWIJeqw3e7-KNdXn-0a7TgzrB5ahgPN8znCkG9aK3pZqjTIdDUk1MtQRYcOp2KNbKBb2RQgnmUAe-AguYERo2TIQWms12B2AyKHTHYS-vv-rQ/s3264/IMG_6872.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHdtmPODf3BVy8BON-3AteeGAMSz-Oan060NQTlojQXyQw9dumC7zBlHSqUTcXiXvZp3un0swhNWIJeqw3e7-KNdXn-0a7TgzrB5ahgPN8znCkG9aK3pZqjTIdDUk1MtQRYcOp2KNbKBb2RQgnmUAe-AguYERo2TIQWms12B2AyKHTHYS-vv-rQ/w400-h300/IMG_6872.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuBMhtV4IdsqevLwMVxLDlG4kfFba78XakSadU-LfvHPwyPWPELjFY6xfNhRFENXjl2j_D27n0AhJW_LPdloVEADOqndpB-RAexqZxH5Z_TxTpfdKnX4D3k5ZtDNmYWQ-JygUgJHBPcaFADA60yZFZU6vjsUtOLPV-0JHvxELUJMY6LVKrLThYQ/s3264/IMG_6875.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvuBMhtV4IdsqevLwMVxLDlG4kfFba78XakSadU-LfvHPwyPWPELjFY6xfNhRFENXjl2j_D27n0AhJW_LPdloVEADOqndpB-RAexqZxH5Z_TxTpfdKnX4D3k5ZtDNmYWQ-JygUgJHBPcaFADA60yZFZU6vjsUtOLPV-0JHvxELUJMY6LVKrLThYQ/w400-h300/IMG_6875.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was so lost in my work that I completely missed the sandwich break and didn’t eat my packed lunch until I eventually got home and then promptly fell asleep after a marvellous day out.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJSSiBEdsNa90lSyJlzfUJDHq5ArUUxZ7znUbR3Y1DFpOo0SSm8ilk2M1YSIsZWbZFdHJoIkaY2whSYo796QVtC_7RD8n4_i7NuJEaGLYVZ6DQQY-My71VP0YI4yBJQausTCazpC1MiBvDg-C-sMfOdORaMSZO5myMa43-Lub6QJsxRf2lJiF7A/s3264/IMG_6879.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJSSiBEdsNa90lSyJlzfUJDHq5ArUUxZ7znUbR3Y1DFpOo0SSm8ilk2M1YSIsZWbZFdHJoIkaY2whSYo796QVtC_7RD8n4_i7NuJEaGLYVZ6DQQY-My71VP0YI4yBJQausTCazpC1MiBvDg-C-sMfOdORaMSZO5myMa43-Lub6QJsxRf2lJiF7A/w400-h300/IMG_6879.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><br />Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-54143548436996631142023-12-31T19:31:00.000+00:002023-12-31T19:31:29.826+00:00Turning the page on 2023<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjz67RwM69gPg7ZEtJdzkr0o8CrYaq0YfsLG-vyP0lAPuo75pKtQ4zkMMMjCX4Htu_fv2ktL1AdgAQqtgikGuUXrfmHgjACdkA_GoScBXy8kgkOhT34GZu1jdYxMyAmRc0kksN-R0TmLERVvs36ff-76Tqb7R3zESMRY0R6xWfMFG8ENRPi5yZg/s3264/IMG_6499.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjz67RwM69gPg7ZEtJdzkr0o8CrYaq0YfsLG-vyP0lAPuo75pKtQ4zkMMMjCX4Htu_fv2ktL1AdgAQqtgikGuUXrfmHgjACdkA_GoScBXy8kgkOhT34GZu1jdYxMyAmRc0kksN-R0TmLERVvs36ff-76Tqb7R3zESMRY0R6xWfMFG8ENRPi5yZg/w400-h300/IMG_6499.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">Dropping in to brush the dust off my blog and wish everyone (if you’re still there) a happy and improved 2024. I had to make some changes to my lifestyle to try to manage my ADHD, jiggling things (such as my diet and eating times) around a bit, in order that I can use my energies to prioritise work. That meant resting my blog for a while, and concentrating on my Patreon page and Instagram. Hopefully now that I’m in a better routine, I can blog more regularly.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPWJX1fecabnzGjJsJeR7A-YrzFZdp68iln1Cq_Py7rZWXhwysMd2YfGgL9ecAAchpfHFlU0RUrj6hslbFuztRIK7aK0LFXr5hWNbQjAGHQb0wHIpMDKeUEdVv5wCHueEB8wD9v8fW6mwxXhyk6KxGo7vxz26q0pyvFJnkQLMhpH60KiqMXEPZQ/s3264/IMG_6509.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPWJX1fecabnzGjJsJeR7A-YrzFZdp68iln1Cq_Py7rZWXhwysMd2YfGgL9ecAAchpfHFlU0RUrj6hslbFuztRIK7aK0LFXr5hWNbQjAGHQb0wHIpMDKeUEdVv5wCHueEB8wD9v8fW6mwxXhyk6KxGo7vxz26q0pyvFJnkQLMhpH60KiqMXEPZQ/w400-h300/IMG_6509.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">My mental health has been very bad this year, with the constant stress and the financial struggle to survive and keep the cottage going. In short, it’s been a difficult year. There will be a bit of a life change next year and having faced a lot of dragons in 2023, I’m back to painting at last. I hope this is an end to the artistic block I’ve had since moving here. As I write, there are fireworks going off far away and although I don’t celebrate New Year (for me, the year turned on the recent Winter Solstice), I am looking forward to turning the page on the old year and starting tomorrow with a new pink diary and calendar. A fresh start all round.</span></div></span><p></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></span></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-26546746329398288842023-05-27T13:04:00.005+01:002023-05-27T13:12:29.944+01:00Field painting adventure and overcoming blocks<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94o9LpRoB8AXhUouiDuRI6QkHdcY0nb_khdHb85pbQ5TU93soR5OjEr33QGY2QQlg0PlrB3HTXnE0jj4UxaTMgUso5n2V8pPBrjdGHugGPjtH0_oiKUltNKm3HzxXGUn_d48tjvdpkMLTiZgtL-h5pmvjtvsPG6H1sX4gB8G2zZA9svQSBWE/s2000/01%20studio%20pastels.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94o9LpRoB8AXhUouiDuRI6QkHdcY0nb_khdHb85pbQ5TU93soR5OjEr33QGY2QQlg0PlrB3HTXnE0jj4UxaTMgUso5n2V8pPBrjdGHugGPjtH0_oiKUltNKm3HzxXGUn_d48tjvdpkMLTiZgtL-h5pmvjtvsPG6H1sX4gB8G2zZA9svQSBWE/w400-h300/01%20studio%20pastels.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I have started to reserve Saturdays as a day off, otherwise I'm working every day without a break, which isn't particularly good for my fragile mental health. The weather at the moment is perfectly 'May' - not too hot, with a pleasant breeze and everywhere around is bursting with greenery, blossom and bird song. I have been yearning to do some landscape sketching for ages and decided to stay close to home, because I have a certain amount of anxiety about going out. So I packed a rucksack with a stupid amount of art stuff, made up a little picnic of a cheese sandwich and a bottle of water and after a lot of deep breaths, I set off on my monumental adventure; a minute's walk down the road to the back field which my bedroom overlooks. This is my usual pleasant view, when I am working in bed (which is most days). It has the best light after midday and is comfortable.</div></span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SsLESbMoPXpREXDHYtInALDv4YaGY6fEXsSCY5M_ZcHVcrHTcDJfCYo-bTXO4r5gDcA_hyJd9AEOVxqfO_vqWbV-nRVlpbSljuoK3bGBrBTPYz2ZAgfV73YflVNsBrC9hwiFSAaP5_bDICfV_jvRzjZDIH-0jbf5IX56ND4TCcHWePZltJA/s1280/IMG_4712.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SsLESbMoPXpREXDHYtInALDv4YaGY6fEXsSCY5M_ZcHVcrHTcDJfCYo-bTXO4r5gDcA_hyJd9AEOVxqfO_vqWbV-nRVlpbSljuoK3bGBrBTPYz2ZAgfV73YflVNsBrC9hwiFSAaP5_bDICfV_jvRzjZDIH-0jbf5IX56ND4TCcHWePZltJA/w400-h300/IMG_4712.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I haven't set foot in this field in the ten years I've been here. There are two reasons for this; the first is practical. There is a designated footpath which goes across it, but it ends abruptly at the hedgerow boundary, so it's fairly useless. The second is that I've had a mental block about it, as this was the field that Andy walked across on his </span><a href="https://allaroundus.blogspot.com/2013/02/his-last-walk.html" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank"><b>last, ghastly walk</b></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> in the dark snowstorm, leaving only his footprints, which remained there for days. I remember kneeling at the bedroom window the next morning, watching a police dog tracking what it could find of his scent and that image will never leave me. So despite it's beauty (and since then, I do appreciate it, every day), I have had little desire to actually go into it, even for a change of scene. So this was the day and it felt momentous. The footpath is just on the edge of Jean-and-Brian-Next-Door's garden and is almost never used (for the practical reason I mentioned before). It was overgrown with lovely Queen Anne's Lace and less lovely nettles. </span></div><div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRd9dw6dbtZwmrf0TbgvgMehHfXnzMNOoCnlNJfmW2pDpaR99B_kGzzJUs_FDMRxztOdbJeKVeRf-YXlW5CFZ8UfPa6JfY3UPR3Wi9Av2C8rKYjKPoA-oqPau5p2ZsqeAykd7LH9pE51RVeHwaLBmhVvAYEfYuNtdftAQNNiqLTxITjbQNgE/s2000/02%20Shropshire%20stile.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxRd9dw6dbtZwmrf0TbgvgMehHfXnzMNOoCnlNJfmW2pDpaR99B_kGzzJUs_FDMRxztOdbJeKVeRf-YXlW5CFZ8UfPa6JfY3UPR3Wi9Av2C8rKYjKPoA-oqPau5p2ZsqeAykd7LH9pE51RVeHwaLBmhVvAYEfYuNtdftAQNNiqLTxITjbQNgE/w400-h300/02%20Shropshire%20stile.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I scrambled over and waded through the jungle. Suddenly there I was, and what seemed like a vast expanse in front of me. The footpath leads to that gap ahead in the hedgerow. Beyond that are more fields, but technically inaccessible without extra footpath. I don't think the farmer would mind me pottering about, as we are on good terms, but I don't like going outside 'the rules', so I stuck to the route. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11G4iV58dp-V8GFA3hLtqXv2GwvJ-m5kdIpH8ekNx9vUleHUyxtzef16XcoWhZxruQkY9mz_7WoIrf_YDHtgyx6g8d3yYbRrN8Hbo2GHxsprycO2nnEjGubfouCo15OoJXzY1Kq7SPnVkl6q4jV02kc43CQA9J_amJ4m59VKOQe3p8UdO2jg/s2000/03%20field%20footpath%20shropshire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi11G4iV58dp-V8GFA3hLtqXv2GwvJ-m5kdIpH8ekNx9vUleHUyxtzef16XcoWhZxruQkY9mz_7WoIrf_YDHtgyx6g8d3yYbRrN8Hbo2GHxsprycO2nnEjGubfouCo15OoJXzY1Kq7SPnVkl6q4jV02kc43CQA9J_amJ4m59VKOQe3p8UdO2jg/w400-h300/03%20field%20footpath%20shropshire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Happily, the area that I intended to sketch was perfectly placed for me to settle my gear and myself on the path - there is a small blossoming area of hawthorn that I wanted to capture, just beyond the oak tree on the edge of the woodlands (which belongs to another less friendly farm). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8csEhQLFCbswTuFfCnoGHDqiRNHDEY177-zsgaEUlfILB0y813FxKVjZ9hmoDZu-KYYQhNmfe5l-cXyXUxBDZ8kLIIfZUtxkiLESojNIPVHo1VLV9S7HbktrhXkDDcjqSaEpLeIiKmyHc19JHhKdSQebXyGWlEnLigL9HuXkoYLeb8yHt0U/s2000/04%20%20Shropshire%20in%20Spring.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8csEhQLFCbswTuFfCnoGHDqiRNHDEY177-zsgaEUlfILB0y813FxKVjZ9hmoDZu-KYYQhNmfe5l-cXyXUxBDZ8kLIIfZUtxkiLESojNIPVHo1VLV9S7HbktrhXkDDcjqSaEpLeIiKmyHc19JHhKdSQebXyGWlEnLigL9HuXkoYLeb8yHt0U/w400-h300/04%20%20Shropshire%20in%20Spring.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been years since I attempted anything like this. I did a very rough prelim sketch of the composition, which was a messy scrawl that only I could interpret. </div></span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRMVpIVNKCBlwx331etBEDzMLWKBsqLoydkEH2JqNIHBS1xzULWsVNsXoytPlNDOun9MJGcH3nMfqRYS9pPW1VvoNYY9cuvvyQsDZs3Dl9fJ7mHz6ej6PwLohYd-RO3kgjrcGzhV7DAALnWofN2x-zF5tDRz-adJfBm4YzaLPr_YNcF93jXQ/s2000/05%20sketching%20in%20shropshire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyRMVpIVNKCBlwx331etBEDzMLWKBsqLoydkEH2JqNIHBS1xzULWsVNsXoytPlNDOun9MJGcH3nMfqRYS9pPW1VvoNYY9cuvvyQsDZs3Dl9fJ7mHz6ej6PwLohYd-RO3kgjrcGzhV7DAALnWofN2x-zF5tDRz-adJfBm4YzaLPr_YNcF93jXQ/w400-h300/05%20sketching%20in%20shropshire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">I have no pretensions to being the next Cezanne or Paul Nash - this was really about getting out in the nice weather and doing something different. It was hard work though, even with copious amounts of pastels. I didn't create a masterpiece, nor even anything like how I emotionally 'feel' about the landscape. But I did have a marvellous two hours, sat in the sun, scribbling away in the middle of a field that I had feared entering for a decade. Now I felt safe and comfortable. I ate half a cheese sandwich and dickered about with my pastel mess until it was time to stop before I completely ruined it. </span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgQmAnubyKmreXtIRaVrVw4iXFPJ0UhozXnCwQBfm31BOH9nD7dymKNhLEtUIaFudzqnfVI3qKBmHy5dOUR_fsoSBa_61gNi0liVjtk0HkDTCFBJYuNEAxxvmw0Uk4W7JM_WeURKnMKQfJyVI6VGwlpBk-mh18ue4-3e1qDcwWr4sjFXHh6s/s2000/06%20Landscape%20art%20Shropshire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDgQmAnubyKmreXtIRaVrVw4iXFPJ0UhozXnCwQBfm31BOH9nD7dymKNhLEtUIaFudzqnfVI3qKBmHy5dOUR_fsoSBa_61gNi0liVjtk0HkDTCFBJYuNEAxxvmw0Uk4W7JM_WeURKnMKQfJyVI6VGwlpBk-mh18ue4-3e1qDcwWr4sjFXHh6s/w400-h300/06%20Landscape%20art%20Shropshire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's been long held wish of mine to be able to spend most of my time focussing on landscape art, but I'm not good enough to make it pay and I can't afford the time it would take to get to a standard I am happy with, nor the big canvases and oils I'd like to paint with. But this will do for now and more importantly, it was a break from my other work and I had fun. </span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTp6MCvEcmKLVajpe4-XQ0Rgjan7s2Sh6rUradLrNYUavorM-S1E28_k-DkyGwVRXss6WJ0KVh_AjXJ4JvtCvn41046jUVhzRA_NC3eVvLqf063JSQ6X26PnLbkikjYZY28906_jPwPgGcPcW73JW744JWWthJBVZPowxTY66ASJiUq2kPj8/s2000/07%20Shropshire%20art.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvTp6MCvEcmKLVajpe4-XQ0Rgjan7s2Sh6rUradLrNYUavorM-S1E28_k-DkyGwVRXss6WJ0KVh_AjXJ4JvtCvn41046jUVhzRA_NC3eVvLqf063JSQ6X26PnLbkikjYZY28906_jPwPgGcPcW73JW744JWWthJBVZPowxTY66ASJiUq2kPj8/w400-h300/07%20Shropshire%20art.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The problem is an old one - back when I was doing my art training over thirty years ago, I decided to go down the path of illustration, which suited my naturally 'tight' and high definition style of working. So it's hard to break out of that habit and needs a lot of practise to get out of. However I made a small start and the colour capture wasn't too bad - I'm just not happy with the way I depicted it, because it in no way expresses the way I 'see' a landscape in my mind's eye. There's no lyrical rhythm or magic. It is what it is.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8u0j-i-qk06Rp8q8ANlA-DNNpfBISaFeWyat_KuDukyeteuG5ekMeQq2FY1ehxKXRen4HfhlV16K100CufRWEEF_HdZaLI2zD_l6-ry8alb5KevbsZqA1WLO75JMIwiDmtVYR9Kq9isHCHoCrxFqQokSwnJJ-_3T1LV8JfPSsQA7jZ9axPs/s2000/08%20%20Shropshire%20landscape%20art.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8u0j-i-qk06Rp8q8ANlA-DNNpfBISaFeWyat_KuDukyeteuG5ekMeQq2FY1ehxKXRen4HfhlV16K100CufRWEEF_HdZaLI2zD_l6-ry8alb5KevbsZqA1WLO75JMIwiDmtVYR9Kq9isHCHoCrxFqQokSwnJJ-_3T1LV8JfPSsQA7jZ9axPs/w400-h300/08%20%20Shropshire%20landscape%20art.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, self criticism aside, I also enjoyed seeing our cottages for the first time from the back - Jean and Brian's larger sections on the left and my bit tacked on the right side, with the white window frames. I had the odd sensation that maybe (in some freakish quantum alternate reality kind of thing) there was simultaneously another Me in the bedroom, needle felting and gazing out of the window, while present Me looked on from the other side of the field. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYK4IKye-5ReBbQ6qT0j03sJimCYBQyb0BQPfHb8I7xgN0Oj4xCV33PBqoKmQh30lHlVsCqY_x7UaLypy8Pvq1hbEyJ1XGnoi9pfB5mWB2o_qIK48BCUZte_B0NgnF-BiGQBGfKFMmLc91Z_vGo-8DSMupD_VgDuTsHUgQCC5TlOnPB7iB0F8/s2448/IMG_5590.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1724" data-original-width="2448" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYK4IKye-5ReBbQ6qT0j03sJimCYBQyb0BQPfHb8I7xgN0Oj4xCV33PBqoKmQh30lHlVsCqY_x7UaLypy8Pvq1hbEyJ1XGnoi9pfB5mWB2o_qIK48BCUZte_B0NgnF-BiGQBGfKFMmLc91Z_vGo-8DSMupD_VgDuTsHUgQCC5TlOnPB7iB0F8/w400-h281/IMG_5590.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's another block overcome and for the first time in ages, I have two mini- paintings for sale, in my usual style, over in my Etsy shop. I'm hesitant about mentioning them, as my art barely sells, compared to my needle felting, but I'm going to be brave again. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is 'Marmalade', one of my imaginary toys, which comes in a 6 x 6 inch mount but is unattached, so that it can be reframed if wished, which is available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1469139562/marmalade-cat-original-small-watercolour?"><b>here</b></a>. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0pB3XOzb5JP35J6lMZLxD8KCBiz-7c9gXWKZDC0tYF0_MrapjSNa4ky06bmlfSnHLnhSTWexkehVPWLXoVpWcbPRr9wCO6ezWAdRGkqHD01y8xuRCHlIwmZVQd98agW5861BZUf0AiIMo_osaI-WdYElisW-JZwn4whN1DLdTawhJnBe6EM/s2900/01%20Marmalade.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2175" data-original-width="2900" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia0pB3XOzb5JP35J6lMZLxD8KCBiz-7c9gXWKZDC0tYF0_MrapjSNa4ky06bmlfSnHLnhSTWexkehVPWLXoVpWcbPRr9wCO6ezWAdRGkqHD01y8xuRCHlIwmZVQd98agW5861BZUf0AiIMo_osaI-WdYElisW-JZwn4whN1DLdTawhJnBe6EM/w400-h300/01%20Marmalade.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN-nrqQMKZ0SX5URpcLCGunJ7EmHZA70C6vY1ym7OkZE9SrpDQwyyNYJpr7qsMh9Helo2NMl0yysennEvbIlUHL0nGXS-9roj7McciOS40wwqiM_piUYZpwGRS-22YNHR0PJ5ghclzrTVsh3sqpcwCEWV4R6OirWKPSCAtiXxY5tOHI7rQa4/s2820/05%20Marmalade.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2115" data-original-width="2820" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN-nrqQMKZ0SX5URpcLCGunJ7EmHZA70C6vY1ym7OkZE9SrpDQwyyNYJpr7qsMh9Helo2NMl0yysennEvbIlUHL0nGXS-9roj7McciOS40wwqiM_piUYZpwGRS-22YNHR0PJ5ghclzrTVsh3sqpcwCEWV4R6OirWKPSCAtiXxY5tOHI7rQa4/w400-h300/05%20Marmalade.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And one from last year, which I've only just listed, 'Autumn Pincushion' (very unseasonal), which is also in a 6 x 6 inch mount and is available <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1469142566/autumn-pincushion-original-small?" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>.</span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsUkqYGTY6DfAkvPRRrPhloHZuUQ1o9sAlKpF6hT7vEtycgCgXIk8XeXQ4DCui0vZVkpitCFOKMaw6kRUaJlzTQvLpc5PXqA4b7jFVNv56NViPNNYtvFpmu73PRBJ3yTkP516Ee7gHFrnXoRSbGTNl56K8ObwWicCkfDPXifhhCnV0g9pgbo/s2778/01%20Acorn.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2084" data-original-width="2778" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsUkqYGTY6DfAkvPRRrPhloHZuUQ1o9sAlKpF6hT7vEtycgCgXIk8XeXQ4DCui0vZVkpitCFOKMaw6kRUaJlzTQvLpc5PXqA4b7jFVNv56NViPNNYtvFpmu73PRBJ3yTkP516Ee7gHFrnXoRSbGTNl56K8ObwWicCkfDPXifhhCnV0g9pgbo/w400-h300/01%20Acorn.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-3yYFi60drhKj3EZIK4fhj4EHd0BwsVtIXqC0JRYVD4rOeDrXVZqXGa4F1_4SBTj41smRKLItwvCJfPj8ZBoMv_tf1fgLNEwX1bWdHl7ZkEAkuV2nmUDba7NgcOlkB95kh6O9xosH18coNVFZrdBURa7gZQwKK-Y6zOnhQrkBVOpXaap1eQ/s2594/05%20Acorn.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1946" data-original-width="2594" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg-3yYFi60drhKj3EZIK4fhj4EHd0BwsVtIXqC0JRYVD4rOeDrXVZqXGa4F1_4SBTj41smRKLItwvCJfPj8ZBoMv_tf1fgLNEwX1bWdHl7ZkEAkuV2nmUDba7NgcOlkB95kh6O9xosH18coNVFZrdBURa7gZQwKK-Y6zOnhQrkBVOpXaap1eQ/w400-h300/05%20Acorn.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now I'm going to take the rest of the day off again, as it's Saturday, and I might sit under the willow tree in the overgrown garden and finish some Christmas ornaments so that they are ready in time for the holiday season, which will swing around all too quickly. </span></p></div></div></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-44962371422426142612023-05-17T21:25:00.005+01:002023-05-17T21:29:20.900+01:00A Wild and Sacred Beauty<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z2orLNrX50rR058yY0v4tN4A7wdl9lN3eAAIP9IYIQVtXlsYD00UNmtrlTxFBj9Oy6iqBI8OcsuNsNzB3WICGk-nyBptwmOSvfz1xfg3QuZygZ47ZYoLXLQh96S6m1ADoIHpljQgozhAZZW6SmRWWg1ePmBqU5UI9y7MKQQtyYCSMaHI4xM/s1280/IMG_5534.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1280" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8z2orLNrX50rR058yY0v4tN4A7wdl9lN3eAAIP9IYIQVtXlsYD00UNmtrlTxFBj9Oy6iqBI8OcsuNsNzB3WICGk-nyBptwmOSvfz1xfg3QuZygZ47ZYoLXLQh96S6m1ADoIHpljQgozhAZZW6SmRWWg1ePmBqU5UI9y7MKQQtyYCSMaHI4xM/w400-h294/IMG_5534.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">I realised today that I was in danger of missing my favourite month of the year; May for me is like Christmas - I cannot wait for it to arrive, spend weeks in anticipation of it and miss it dreadfully when it is (all too quickly) over. However, I have to earn my mortgage every month and that means working (making and selling) pretty much all day and every day, with no guaranteed results. The only sure result is that I am constantly tired and anxious. So this morning, with my inner batteries feeling totally flat and my creativity at a low, I pumped dear old Marjorie's tyres up for the first time this year and we set off for a short jaunt to a tiny village across the way, turning off the main road and up into this narrow, high banked lane, which has been here for centuries. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF1VbPWai9vzwdBqFh_J-emNuIHUSWxPSY8GRWAqfhhJ7OhqpAZPKzN5bvymMG0QiIIdJ5OXg6nBmy_P_wcH4erjwIsJt9nehgUkxISoYrn39n9OOaQYraZLcA5VHv7p1knpdupoBv7XUbq_2c66hAJsY-j5Hml9jwviNavFomMsSI8iWEIc/s2900/01%20Polypore%20fungus.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2263" data-original-width="2900" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixF1VbPWai9vzwdBqFh_J-emNuIHUSWxPSY8GRWAqfhhJ7OhqpAZPKzN5bvymMG0QiIIdJ5OXg6nBmy_P_wcH4erjwIsJt9nehgUkxISoYrn39n9OOaQYraZLcA5VHv7p1knpdupoBv7XUbq_2c66hAJsY-j5Hml9jwviNavFomMsSI8iWEIc/w400-h313/01%20Polypore%20fungus.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I stopped to inspect this huge polypore fungus which has been here for a while. It is just sending out a 'baby' underneath, which feels cool and tender as opposed to the main body, which is hard and powdery. The hedge-rowed banks were sprouting ferns and all the winsome Spring flowers were speckling the greenery - Red Campion, White Stitchwort, Bluebells and Buttercups. Further up the hill and the best of all, the creamy froth of Queen Anne's Lace lining the lane all the way to my destination. This is richness. This is freedom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bzZLA4FQTgdegHKtlYQsaUNWWMTS9CngssMxmj7dOIJ-g4WiHlI2hgaKUfyDETL-Ri-Nrp0IarCNIkaeaNUtz6x92X2Dbdrq8EPwFCcRVy6YiFhdTVfehiTHGyUdvpR1ZZ8TNm99WZZxugPWhOIOWCt5JNiRAV99QH_pHwjYjzrepHqJ98Q/s3264/IMG_5535.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bzZLA4FQTgdegHKtlYQsaUNWWMTS9CngssMxmj7dOIJ-g4WiHlI2hgaKUfyDETL-Ri-Nrp0IarCNIkaeaNUtz6x92X2Dbdrq8EPwFCcRVy6YiFhdTVfehiTHGyUdvpR1ZZ8TNm99WZZxugPWhOIOWCt5JNiRAV99QH_pHwjYjzrepHqJ98Q/w400-h300/IMG_5535.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">All Saints Church at Berrington is small, but beautiful - and ancient. Unusually, it sits within a raised circular enclosure, leading to suggestions that there may have been an even older older scared grove here, before the first Christian church was built. The grounds certainly have a magical, secret garden atmosphere. I parked Marjorie in the foyer and went to explore. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFksB1W8pPsaQnZQYrFu_xhiLl4UgR9KmcsElWIBZ8A5z7DnnElJSjVS_z2B2CjoFxzJ3JWFU5Za3m7Mrqh5HBkzIK45hCk_dZwX5iaUqY1G7oglUEapwfsIENY1ekS1FvwgW1ZG8lJStb1g6ljst6y17pa6r9rHv0Gb2YPKv9uXxWozTejy8/s3264/Berrington%20Church,%20Shropshire.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFksB1W8pPsaQnZQYrFu_xhiLl4UgR9KmcsElWIBZ8A5z7DnnElJSjVS_z2B2CjoFxzJ3JWFU5Za3m7Mrqh5HBkzIK45hCk_dZwX5iaUqY1G7oglUEapwfsIENY1ekS1FvwgW1ZG8lJStb1g6ljst6y17pa6r9rHv0Gb2YPKv9uXxWozTejy8/w400-h300/Berrington%20Church,%20Shropshire.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoVWUVYnoJX33cfOnYWSTIIcf3Zva1LVdo8TeNAD5TPqnPnnW73fUgEAoH1tOEePprYTdHL3bJZUxbYywFRwtYGF5zb-ru0Sdo920NOm9IU6pgLD_ev-I5EGwDJiq3fBSZWfq3wGru737hSpor6J_Qh5tdT5zrZ2M6WUF4eBTcy0-WhpwTE0/s3264/Marjorie.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoVWUVYnoJX33cfOnYWSTIIcf3Zva1LVdo8TeNAD5TPqnPnnW73fUgEAoH1tOEePprYTdHL3bJZUxbYywFRwtYGF5zb-ru0Sdo920NOm9IU6pgLD_ev-I5EGwDJiq3fBSZWfq3wGru737hSpor6J_Qh5tdT5zrZ2M6WUF4eBTcy0-WhpwTE0/w400-h300/Marjorie.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The older, original part of the churchyard has been left to gently wild, with slim pathways cut through for access to still tended plots. There is an abundance of Hawthorn, which drips blossom laden branches and scents the air heavily.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXg1C9k4TgSjubfWymsps6eC1OHp6puBGcgJdRNO7FLSuMWKnWIMi2HboTf0HSC4MfBYUHBW8DFfJed3I_rZq26AtVZ1q66oqu17gSvB9ZTUFFZtmB_vmCaC2AiShyqPeichmv3TagNFSBL9CklTkd-QaMzoPKk_K4Sw09dY7Y3B6eBVUTmqs/s3264/Berrington%20church%20.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXg1C9k4TgSjubfWymsps6eC1OHp6puBGcgJdRNO7FLSuMWKnWIMi2HboTf0HSC4MfBYUHBW8DFfJed3I_rZq26AtVZ1q66oqu17gSvB9ZTUFFZtmB_vmCaC2AiShyqPeichmv3TagNFSBL9CklTkd-QaMzoPKk_K4Sw09dY7Y3B6eBVUTmqs/w400-h300/Berrington%20church%20.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YZ9O2BZpXD5fNt00fK9a0VSMdVoViwxfOvMSa9QxLOfP9LLiT3mKiXp1kScEb8TU_R-575IOpeU8z4fSugbAjrMgO63q25pnNAeTyKMQjeJZyaFUGMsoW8YtEBLLJmdZBSTwKj-QdKaCl4ACC09CmtDgfuMzXpVwETwW02YZbOrU7Shx0g8/s3264/Berrington%20churchyard.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9YZ9O2BZpXD5fNt00fK9a0VSMdVoViwxfOvMSa9QxLOfP9LLiT3mKiXp1kScEb8TU_R-575IOpeU8z4fSugbAjrMgO63q25pnNAeTyKMQjeJZyaFUGMsoW8YtEBLLJmdZBSTwKj-QdKaCl4ACC09CmtDgfuMzXpVwETwW02YZbOrU7Shx0g8/w400-h300/Berrington%20churchyard.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">To the side, there is a venerable yew tree guarding a small gate, with views to the surrounding countryside.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAZl_ROHeVlyzUHbkUqf76pmXLTERenmPLtHglqmKB5hf1irw_VeSKn2KzEfVTci5f5NOG4gHi4nPuHgTIbHP9jn7Cd01kYMygFCDXozCXhopS4UKqDNNGtiUnbDmPQUB46ab1mGPaDHQNL-i-cSd6Jj0ZpKtcibGg0aBPPhvfh7VbaAzxB4/s3264/yew%20tree%20berrington.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAZl_ROHeVlyzUHbkUqf76pmXLTERenmPLtHglqmKB5hf1irw_VeSKn2KzEfVTci5f5NOG4gHi4nPuHgTIbHP9jn7Cd01kYMygFCDXozCXhopS4UKqDNNGtiUnbDmPQUB46ab1mGPaDHQNL-i-cSd6Jj0ZpKtcibGg0aBPPhvfh7VbaAzxB4/w400-h300/yew%20tree%20berrington.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoJ-3SMjuSTJZJWPt5sIbQZEJHG25o3k4CY8Pqc55atvqyslADNoHqqUQy5Fgh35Xg_IE6F96uTKhMT7uBhR3Ke3obrTxYxSzV4wRq47MZC67AEvTNhZHl1OFS-IxY1X-f5pLR1Utww8HMOrvUHeK96TfwwRABgymWKOQNZa2erOU5PPR540/s3264/View%20from%20Berrington%20Church.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAoJ-3SMjuSTJZJWPt5sIbQZEJHG25o3k4CY8Pqc55atvqyslADNoHqqUQy5Fgh35Xg_IE6F96uTKhMT7uBhR3Ke3obrTxYxSzV4wRq47MZC67AEvTNhZHl1OFS-IxY1X-f5pLR1Utww8HMOrvUHeK96TfwwRABgymWKOQNZa2erOU5PPR540/w400-h300/View%20from%20Berrington%20Church.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The original church is recorded in the Domesday book of 1086, however the present church was built in the 13th Century and like most British churches, has had many alterations and additions since. Inside, I was drawn like a bee to the Norman (or possibly Saxon) font, which stands upon a Roman pillar. I counted the faces carved around it, instinctively thinking that there would be seven - and so there were. There is no record of who or what the faces depict, that I can find.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WuswdBciAj9umBaPKDC6FExbGbFCRtUva4fQ-G4Km1pI_fsXDPJacjnQdZjB2Ud2k-BWRjtxCk4koQdgLwgUOhKo3q2tZhWExZEq9IYRaFU4noC8PsUNr4QJ6lFx_7fsSi9KzaCtDOc7mVv0gDNG1lnwLhR90m0i03BIcZQmGV5kwvKG6_A/s3264/Norman%20font,%20Shropshire.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8WuswdBciAj9umBaPKDC6FExbGbFCRtUva4fQ-G4Km1pI_fsXDPJacjnQdZjB2Ud2k-BWRjtxCk4koQdgLwgUOhKo3q2tZhWExZEq9IYRaFU4noC8PsUNr4QJ6lFx_7fsSi9KzaCtDOc7mVv0gDNG1lnwLhR90m0i03BIcZQmGV5kwvKG6_A/w400-h300/Norman%20font,%20Shropshire.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I sat on a pew in the still peacefulness and had a little think and a prayer, my thoughts returning as they so often do to Andy and how he would have loved this place and the mysterious faces around the stone font. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am only just feeling more like myself after over ten years of finding myself alone in a strange county. Time has (to some extent) healed, but there is still a deep scar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49u749fVh2ql93SOL7fgmGU1NAMO5jexa8XV9Zny4jknZOevdpFd4wgfTp-oMOvz5EuaSn1ldClee_d5GYkdNgSwUBdsZNzUPzh0ey6TGA8JCkHuc8UTHPnarOuyRBzreRisHLqSoylvHaIBotDx82GcmzrwEh2lfFGuBN4qw3PJPG1-jCDQ/s3203/Inside%20Berrington%20Church.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2402" data-original-width="3203" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49u749fVh2ql93SOL7fgmGU1NAMO5jexa8XV9Zny4jknZOevdpFd4wgfTp-oMOvz5EuaSn1ldClee_d5GYkdNgSwUBdsZNzUPzh0ey6TGA8JCkHuc8UTHPnarOuyRBzreRisHLqSoylvHaIBotDx82GcmzrwEh2lfFGuBN4qw3PJPG1-jCDQ/w400-h300/Inside%20Berrington%20Church.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Outside, the sun had risen high and after quietly closing the old wooden gates, I had a last look at the wild loveliness of the churchyard. Feeling much better for my adventure, I cycled home.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am indebted to the '<a href="http://friendsofberringtonchurch.weebly.com/" target="_blank"><b>Friends of Berrington Church</b></a>' website for much of my information; if you'd like to read more of it's long history, do give it a visit. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ElcjCyEdOqFGmRCUWMUz4WoeR6tyMAHZjDTmjkVQUadHSLuoaBm2Bnt3CFAZ8_q_lSXAIgD1rVPYQ3G8Lng6_8ZptwJ1M4RHGX78ZIFIlFaXC19arVmd23ra9Gn_H3WOUkWT0vG8SbX0uPjZu6GrriPE6c10FklOeuTPtZN7nAG6KtD-oy4/s3264/All%20Saints%20Berrington.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ElcjCyEdOqFGmRCUWMUz4WoeR6tyMAHZjDTmjkVQUadHSLuoaBm2Bnt3CFAZ8_q_lSXAIgD1rVPYQ3G8Lng6_8ZptwJ1M4RHGX78ZIFIlFaXC19arVmd23ra9Gn_H3WOUkWT0vG8SbX0uPjZu6GrriPE6c10FklOeuTPtZN7nAG6KtD-oy4/w400-h300/All%20Saints%20Berrington.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">(If you are one of my Patreon subscribers, there is a more in-depth account of the church interior <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/faces-in-font-83151184?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58lOPAQcz3VTWl4K4lmetVEyXAAZBOzkmzvim1gM58fbm5iXqigH0Yzelxf8nJGtSyupd4oPHON6HGI4GAtc5_tyeWmQYXtqIGOMNaJZPznngJpNwBqCOOZAEeLqnZF-_mUnBYWRsXjer-iLkkXj-j4OJyQej0gJgEWVcpuVdIhC9jW-wo7Q/s3145/IMG_5553.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="3145" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi58lOPAQcz3VTWl4K4lmetVEyXAAZBOzkmzvim1gM58fbm5iXqigH0Yzelxf8nJGtSyupd4oPHON6HGI4GAtc5_tyeWmQYXtqIGOMNaJZPznngJpNwBqCOOZAEeLqnZF-_mUnBYWRsXjer-iLkkXj-j4OJyQej0gJgEWVcpuVdIhC9jW-wo7Q/w400-h300/IMG_5553.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-84176291624411479102023-03-09T18:18:00.000+00:002023-03-09T18:18:02.054+00:00Shropshire snow<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvGsGnU6zbcVYu0O9fPAH_AGgZpsHgUHp6c4dtmHFSAwwo3Vcch432zgUwqmGEo9CcFP1s_mioI6qJVpeNy2o7JxPQ-3FjFM_k2S4bsZUzX0ge9K0sm2zsPJFAcXwhWVXe6o03KJ0D_YJj1irFMgeg1G1U7mlmBAc0i4xgmObnSRHZC7FNQU/s2787/01%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2186" data-original-width="2787" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvGsGnU6zbcVYu0O9fPAH_AGgZpsHgUHp6c4dtmHFSAwwo3Vcch432zgUwqmGEo9CcFP1s_mioI6qJVpeNy2o7JxPQ-3FjFM_k2S4bsZUzX0ge9K0sm2zsPJFAcXwhWVXe6o03KJ0D_YJj1irFMgeg1G1U7mlmBAc0i4xgmObnSRHZC7FNQU/w400-h314/01%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I ventured out for a short walk this morning, as although the snow was falling it is due to rain later and as I write, there is a steady, wet spattering as it slowly melts and drips from the cottage roof. So off up the hill I went, with my camera. </span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarPYIAaUP-QNx329iTn-q4-6IbBb7sJ---ZEtzewI_xO-hL9F8rT7L7WHbV-RV1MQShCzxNATGaezIO798ZYDBLUM4uUsYHZG1reVDa6sVOdpozmixcNGHxoGFWIrAWIwz2j6OWk5PEK9ASd7lx6oPh8mwkn4CdyRMQm_Ro6whqPbSdfz-zA/s2810/02%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2045" data-original-width="2810" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarPYIAaUP-QNx329iTn-q4-6IbBb7sJ---ZEtzewI_xO-hL9F8rT7L7WHbV-RV1MQShCzxNATGaezIO798ZYDBLUM4uUsYHZG1reVDa6sVOdpozmixcNGHxoGFWIrAWIwz2j6OWk5PEK9ASd7lx6oPh8mwkn4CdyRMQm_Ro6whqPbSdfz-zA/w400-h291/02%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">It isn't unheard of to get snow in March but it is odd to see the cheery yellow daffodil heads bent under the weight of their new white bonnets and the surrounding farmland resembling a Christmas scene.</div></span><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPthxN4mEKl_ssQNAO6MOp7_PF8TDLYOFK_mnSoWNnmo4MVv8lxkzkgczhc4Ndh8nuphtQZIPKbL1j-hovaJc9M0DAdWTV-mOlDKjGGDAcCNExJbnE8NUY9LrsOhMgt0pY_oTycFoFYOC1_trwDbDDuRb5AQp5xw_ENwdWg3x_9zZ99BYWLWk/s2463/03%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="2463" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPthxN4mEKl_ssQNAO6MOp7_PF8TDLYOFK_mnSoWNnmo4MVv8lxkzkgczhc4Ndh8nuphtQZIPKbL1j-hovaJc9M0DAdWTV-mOlDKjGGDAcCNExJbnE8NUY9LrsOhMgt0pY_oTycFoFYOC1_trwDbDDuRb5AQp5xw_ENwdWg3x_9zZ99BYWLWk/w400-h300/03%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I only noticed the other day that the trees and hedgerows were just - barely - starting to acquire the warmer flush of colour that precedes new shoots and growth, however today they were stark silhouettes, with not a hint of Spring about them.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7DZYOtnZGYKZIL7UZPlRiSILRHQbjTri4dfnqADbiEncaIPU6ejHEedhgsjwMpQwkTP7ZKTtz2UsHnzflwhsJBmTuw5KIOPKTDYNFe8YGmKNbkISLw3owgWthImJDq9uR4qrmmu-ppoVBuM7C1iLri-NwtL9_6yt5oXQBrKzXmLS0spdC7M/s3077/04%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2307" data-original-width="3077" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7DZYOtnZGYKZIL7UZPlRiSILRHQbjTri4dfnqADbiEncaIPU6ejHEedhgsjwMpQwkTP7ZKTtz2UsHnzflwhsJBmTuw5KIOPKTDYNFe8YGmKNbkISLw3owgWthImJDq9uR4qrmmu-ppoVBuM7C1iLri-NwtL9_6yt5oXQBrKzXmLS0spdC7M/w400-h300/04%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I walked up to my usual gate, exchanging a cheery wave and hello with a father and his two children, who were playing with a sled. There was no sign of the Wrekin, which is usually plain in sight here.</span></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSrSiGPUm3ifd0SDGSTM-VeWc8ZysDTKAx8DsBic-MdXo2iwservsNEc7NK4DDP1yyVkRbZD7YMw-lDivsmFwUJ99UuTsDx9r7hItI_5upb1TAVgwkqRxVGF4cgAD8j82xyExknmiy9gzjnfdCUiYhFAjP7s3TIFKzuI3FQ5EF7S984cMM2c/s3086/05%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2315" data-original-width="3086" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKSrSiGPUm3ifd0SDGSTM-VeWc8ZysDTKAx8DsBic-MdXo2iwservsNEc7NK4DDP1yyVkRbZD7YMw-lDivsmFwUJ99UuTsDx9r7hItI_5upb1TAVgwkqRxVGF4cgAD8j82xyExknmiy9gzjnfdCUiYhFAjP7s3TIFKzuI3FQ5EF7S984cMM2c/w400-h300/05%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Feeling a little damp and chilled, I headed home, with the comforting sight of my little cottage waiting for me and the prospect of another day of working in the warmth of my bed. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLW_wz6vyOqhLDvHPCtySmVrf3MupdYLAfS6FKjPUuqoXJBuUhkEflqvqi54x5HjfxbsQUQvopfqHplM5f98zvnfM0idlwVXknXPtB32D1Z6YG5Uc0wRAR1y_9u1A2lb7qHOSleRDlGtCq7MbyQ3HtcDx6jwb3h4zCj-3xQeOQr1Mn2FcYO0/s3264/06%20snow%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheLW_wz6vyOqhLDvHPCtySmVrf3MupdYLAfS6FKjPUuqoXJBuUhkEflqvqi54x5HjfxbsQUQvopfqHplM5f98zvnfM0idlwVXknXPtB32D1Z6YG5Uc0wRAR1y_9u1A2lb7qHOSleRDlGtCq7MbyQ3HtcDx6jwb3h4zCj-3xQeOQr1Mn2FcYO0/w400-h300/06%20snow%202023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p></div></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-87236638161359007072023-02-28T18:32:00.005+00:002023-02-28T19:01:55.061+00:00Little cottage room made good<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFt_hmAbctMAF4zbFtjL0x7BqFgQRb7GkU_2ndgyjTpJjruQoKijtHMBESXEnIhh1zng4SOvYDc7AhYT3R4O8B2xpZpywVZEx2D97gFkT-D9HglKwO6csBADovRosTNcmX8Ar2Sr_91XF8aaoYHypMUvwPZvuen31XBmRIVFEJdBfzFEWyzss/s3143/01%20new%20studio.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2021" data-original-width="3143" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFt_hmAbctMAF4zbFtjL0x7BqFgQRb7GkU_2ndgyjTpJjruQoKijtHMBESXEnIhh1zng4SOvYDc7AhYT3R4O8B2xpZpywVZEx2D97gFkT-D9HglKwO6csBADovRosTNcmX8Ar2Sr_91XF8aaoYHypMUvwPZvuen31XBmRIVFEJdBfzFEWyzss/w400-h258/01%20new%20studio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>For the first time since moving into the cottage over ten years ago, I have a functioning front room. There are many reasons why it has remained a 'zombie' room, mostly due to my being overwhelmed by the sheer muddle of it all (one of the many symptoms of my ADHD) and needing to get the wood burner swept. It has only been briefly lit once, when Andy was alive and has been unused ever since.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdEhy_tVCrTY84JP9Bni1RtvawGD6hesVat-JFMqkiLWQzzEb86JjY2AdxSAmHMzfJdngxHqES_9Xd1DE7hnWoze7o7UTVJL1-ScCeM_rrQ8HIjzflHomhUss0gcZzuYbxkQPVmq42OPIJmXZQxEB7SPi8qAhIpjQSYOSyGqXykUMtpALNSY/s3181/02%20new%20studio.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="3181" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMdEhy_tVCrTY84JP9Bni1RtvawGD6hesVat-JFMqkiLWQzzEb86JjY2AdxSAmHMzfJdngxHqES_9Xd1DE7hnWoze7o7UTVJL1-ScCeM_rrQ8HIjzflHomhUss0gcZzuYbxkQPVmq42OPIJmXZQxEB7SPi8qAhIpjQSYOSyGqXykUMtpALNSY/w400-h301/02%20new%20studio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></span></div></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, with a very small electric budget and the ongoing issue of rising bills, I decided to leave my upstairs studio storage heater off this winter, with the result that I've been unable to work in there without catching a chill (even with several layers of clothing and a dressing gown on top). And I can't afford not to work.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS74ced7vGoGSTv_eKbnwKil7lgrZW_djXZi6p2G2A6vwFtVu8ElGKb9dC8uQiK1OfN6knyf39WE1DGnphRm1zBqojHiEzOKup57axMwSfJxcaxgicYokG7B3pZ8foVZi3daXAuChFbNeRcPgWNqnprNcaqkBPf_crdNMRaLtkc1mYukiPowQ/s1280/BC886E0B-59F7-4C60-BC2A-CC4E595F978F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS74ced7vGoGSTv_eKbnwKil7lgrZW_djXZi6p2G2A6vwFtVu8ElGKb9dC8uQiK1OfN6knyf39WE1DGnphRm1zBqojHiEzOKup57axMwSfJxcaxgicYokG7B3pZ8foVZi3daXAuChFbNeRcPgWNqnprNcaqkBPf_crdNMRaLtkc1mYukiPowQ/w400-h300/BC886E0B-59F7-4C60-BC2A-CC4E595F978F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So last month I used some Christmas money to get the sweep in. He declared the fire fit for purpose and Brian-next-door helped me put a rudimentary curtain rail over the open doorway, to block the cold upstairs air off. I finally got this neglected space sorted out; I now have dedicated painting and printing space, and a place where I can work in the warm with the fire going. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzgTIXH97PNv8bCvdQWAW1cZoIxp9HNIw0FVQNHqcmWu7OnBkGgigL53-VA1xMA1UH3_8YVFqt9kXrUxEChPvfdcb97tzl1fbBTDoKDqBED60HC3WzYOty2PMSF_XmivJvjrtmpPbEMTw4xz6ViciiX5zidoTUW79eNRqmeA4hUtZQt8MB3w/s1280/91FF2780-020E-4C66-9FEA-BD2881A36839.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1280" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlzgTIXH97PNv8bCvdQWAW1cZoIxp9HNIw0FVQNHqcmWu7OnBkGgigL53-VA1xMA1UH3_8YVFqt9kXrUxEChPvfdcb97tzl1fbBTDoKDqBED60HC3WzYOty2PMSF_XmivJvjrtmpPbEMTw4xz6ViciiX5zidoTUW79eNRqmeA4hUtZQt8MB3w/w400-h275/91FF2780-020E-4C66-9FEA-BD2881A36839.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: right;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It's made a huge difference, as I can pick things up and put them down without losing sight of them, as happened with the other space, where my work table had several roles, and had to be cleared for each one. Life is slowly starting to make sense and ideas are beginning to return. Little bits of my brain, the ones that dreamed of silly, whimsical things, are waking up again and the results are finding their way onto paper.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8rA2w6wIQjhOeZoLzTiCcovXsKboeAj8JUz89P4G8cYxZ4CCcEQbRtRGD6jvI9qsumTggs-Uz-KfRkXV1SOU3Jdg2iJFdGqn_2AaW9cy5sYdnaKNCyr-rTH_NhjAu0vb-uwIQW_1NH_2dajIsC0w5yHDLfzMhtc5jfF6oPmlceJYQIUUzvQ/s1280/B372953D-3251-4E7D-903C-897C6CA3B86F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="1280" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE8rA2w6wIQjhOeZoLzTiCcovXsKboeAj8JUz89P4G8cYxZ4CCcEQbRtRGD6jvI9qsumTggs-Uz-KfRkXV1SOU3Jdg2iJFdGqn_2AaW9cy5sYdnaKNCyr-rTH_NhjAu0vb-uwIQW_1NH_2dajIsC0w5yHDLfzMhtc5jfF6oPmlceJYQIUUzvQ/w400-h283/B372953D-3251-4E7D-903C-897C6CA3B86F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My aim is to expand what I do, on top of needle felting and bring in enough extra money to cover the mortgage and be able to stay here. It's been a long struggle to maintain things and at times hasn't seemed worth it, without Andy to share it with.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BoWIidScSeTsdH4vhtYZ9ONYYL70D1QmM91ftyycC-bTdXAyjiEg4V07ft1P2iv5tBU2yd95mFe_36-Ahgbfo1QcfDM0EKYdOLDVzaawFAww0yibgROnH8sM5iOQOjNMGYB0ZFmgFOS_hRCWZDVJNycNs5tUWvCBe0DUsgaBANGF1eAEhGE/s1280/948E84E3-1E46-48CA-8DD8-04EC48F740BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BoWIidScSeTsdH4vhtYZ9ONYYL70D1QmM91ftyycC-bTdXAyjiEg4V07ft1P2iv5tBU2yd95mFe_36-Ahgbfo1QcfDM0EKYdOLDVzaawFAww0yibgROnH8sM5iOQOjNMGYB0ZFmgFOS_hRCWZDVJNycNs5tUWvCBe0DUsgaBANGF1eAEhGE/w400-h300/948E84E3-1E46-48CA-8DD8-04EC48F740BE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My drive to be an artist and to earn a living creating has seen me through tougher times than this. As a young person in the care system, trying to fend for myself, my ambition to be an artist saved me from many pitfalls; nothing else mattered apart from that one thing that drove me forward and to make a better life for myself. In retrospect, I'm amazed I achieved what I did, especially now I know I had undiagnosed ADHD on top of everything else. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I'd known how long and hard my journey would be, I might have given up, but I didn't, so I'm not about to throw the towel in now, not without a final effort. I owe it to my younger self.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(The ceramic cat in front of the fire is one I made when I was a 20 year old art student and it looks totally at home underneath the warmth). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FqCesb3L5SJnADS1RNnb381PgfaxLwXca0NztBQA5nikoi9I0Aejuo47d_0Va-29d9dO1-kRPPHf168S0RN_p8oewJwi4Yeyzzwj20-YDDokulr7nWp7Zx_xg4oJJjkMCTb_-9cQfZeDJStQUSZxTpR2And-JMdUOwB7vy0OnGdSVRGT7m0/s3264/03%20new%20studio.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-FqCesb3L5SJnADS1RNnb381PgfaxLwXca0NztBQA5nikoi9I0Aejuo47d_0Va-29d9dO1-kRPPHf168S0RN_p8oewJwi4Yeyzzwj20-YDDokulr7nWp7Zx_xg4oJJjkMCTb_-9cQfZeDJStQUSZxTpR2And-JMdUOwB7vy0OnGdSVRGT7m0/w400-h300/03%20new%20studio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-4849965909124287112023-01-01T16:54:00.000+00:002023-01-01T16:54:49.140+00:00New Year Return<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitywqRBfUnpMsnSLwohB995dHrIu7--h7mjp42yWVjDpH6v5u1Bhz5GrcO-TnWcGeRgnx0qyjs9MnGr_sUbIwbqDB0NUhG5-c8CfpnNYLpwrq2HqbemjYH9UQlNKoAFlBNUrpoU0n4Td8FbZH_pdJPht90f78ZST544Nx3v2DbOxc34uKBkuo/s1280/73F32E8B-2DE7-4CF5-B407-FDCD0CDC5CCA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1280" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitywqRBfUnpMsnSLwohB995dHrIu7--h7mjp42yWVjDpH6v5u1Bhz5GrcO-TnWcGeRgnx0qyjs9MnGr_sUbIwbqDB0NUhG5-c8CfpnNYLpwrq2HqbemjYH9UQlNKoAFlBNUrpoU0n4Td8FbZH_pdJPht90f78ZST544Nx3v2DbOxc34uKBkuo/w400-h245/73F32E8B-2DE7-4CF5-B407-FDCD0CDC5CCA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The first day of a shiny New Year seems as good a time as any to crank this old blog back to some kind of wheezing life. The Old Year was a difficult one, particularly in the autumn, when I sank into one of the worst bouts of depression I’ve endured for years, largely down to the looming prospect of having to sell the cottage and face an uncertain future. However, I managed to drag myself out of it and am starting 2023 feeling remarkably positive, despite everything. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxnR-P43qHOhjjw2wDcOhkmdGMGdYXJqDSPPN_T02YGlrjiL5OkR_ZatbItwcWVj3sFR3rcXsG1EGwdh9xQTHood2XAbNp3mwGICxFV1wXH9HSEvtB8zwEacHuF9ZMP_x-oMs_L2mn2v4PA2R9CFNSpHNnkKKrIciEwigpSnoAczNQKQPu20/s570/48BA043A-DB48-48A2-B05B-1CCFE351A818.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="570" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNxnR-P43qHOhjjw2wDcOhkmdGMGdYXJqDSPPN_T02YGlrjiL5OkR_ZatbItwcWVj3sFR3rcXsG1EGwdh9xQTHood2XAbNp3mwGICxFV1wXH9HSEvtB8zwEacHuF9ZMP_x-oMs_L2mn2v4PA2R9CFNSpHNnkKKrIciEwigpSnoAczNQKQPu20/w400-h400/48BA043A-DB48-48A2-B05B-1CCFE351A818.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>After a creative slump, when I felt as if I’d never create anything original and pleasing again, I began making a new range of little creatures who have cheered me up during the dark winter evenings and are proving popular, quickly finding new homes and so helping me to stay in mine.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZUAUw69xyGXP5jTdoJ9QIsGhEFHj6qzMx24SsfT3I3Ud39BQnkgbgf0sknjSaTx76So8dVJpvLl7bGfeMo9bdaHanIsu_M3UqOIowNDFSyucGDzYZh2Tf6-L_fjo2QqpiBXieAp3nIo0E9lKX-kaMbqlCxfFm22XVYzhpuhHwkaeyZAmbnI/s1440/32E05EB4-5240-4142-94E2-B2C2EF7DD0DA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_ZUAUw69xyGXP5jTdoJ9QIsGhEFHj6qzMx24SsfT3I3Ud39BQnkgbgf0sknjSaTx76So8dVJpvLl7bGfeMo9bdaHanIsu_M3UqOIowNDFSyucGDzYZh2Tf6-L_fjo2QqpiBXieAp3nIo0E9lKX-kaMbqlCxfFm22XVYzhpuhHwkaeyZAmbnI/w400-h400/32E05EB4-5240-4142-94E2-B2C2EF7DD0DA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>I tend to withdraw into myself when things are going downhill, hence the quietness here. When Andy and I relocated to Shropshire over ten years ago, it was supposed to be the next exciting chapter of our lives together and as many of you know, it was completely the opposite. The trauma of losing </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">him, just three months after we moved into the cottage has taken it’s toll and I don’t think I’ll ever recover from it. What I didn’t know then, was that I was also starting the menopause, which brings its own set of difficulties, especially, in my case, mental health ones. I was also unaware that I have severe ADHD. I was finally diagnosed in May last year. It didn’t come as a surprise, but it has led me to reevaluate the way I live and to realise that all of these things made my time here the most difficult period of my life, which has not been the easiest in the first place.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTWZ_nH_bl7Ib4RHnoWurEiEkQpOngQwDOmf8pPBsfEBrPR6B_L2V9GOEiuq6jLPSWRjHQFC7863o003bcxSR6ted27o9ARY9tcyLujvKTNT2ElcF0_h41D164EW8rzGFhQGA3KhmYu6xo7tL-lCPMMk5P4AboKs_Nef0taN9AK22YhTy0ms/s1223/BECAD225-FBCB-4678-A1E1-C529364D0849.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1223" data-original-width="1223" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFTWZ_nH_bl7Ib4RHnoWurEiEkQpOngQwDOmf8pPBsfEBrPR6B_L2V9GOEiuq6jLPSWRjHQFC7863o003bcxSR6ted27o9ARY9tcyLujvKTNT2ElcF0_h41D164EW8rzGFhQGA3KhmYu6xo7tL-lCPMMk5P4AboKs_Nef0taN9AK22YhTy0ms/w400-h400/BECAD225-FBCB-4678-A1E1-C529364D0849.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: start;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>I’ve no idea what the next ten years hold, if I’ll be here this time next year or even this summer. I am, however, feeling stronger somehow and more like my old self than I have done since leaving the Cotswolds. I’m older, more tired and achey, but I’ve managed to find a little nugget of courage kicking around in a corner, just when I thought I was all out of it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmJnKZeGnhz9ZCXBG6P-QdI0E62yDNojM70OEEBKr8mx9WKpZqyqOGbp3T3I8DXKsW16bDk-RZVr3hFjdfKsA9t43oj8peWGI_r6pZ2lxTrEcoZ_PIGd5nmc4GIdmcuyerQJez1xLI9Qq4Vn9TSsT4VL485MkUGdN8B7VTBKsrCupucllU3w/s1280/D04C85F7-B69E-4A6D-865C-5F1F8E7DFDD8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmJnKZeGnhz9ZCXBG6P-QdI0E62yDNojM70OEEBKr8mx9WKpZqyqOGbp3T3I8DXKsW16bDk-RZVr3hFjdfKsA9t43oj8peWGI_r6pZ2lxTrEcoZ_PIGd5nmc4GIdmcuyerQJez1xLI9Qq4Vn9TSsT4VL485MkUGdN8B7VTBKsrCupucllU3w/w400-h400/D04C85F7-B69E-4A6D-865C-5F1F8E7DFDD8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-9699762786154792652022-08-28T19:19:00.004+01:002022-08-28T19:26:21.886+01:00Cuttings from a garden in Wales <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_NOhwn3PgOuyauKwGh4OXY4zO4iDHHlY5GAn0mcYmpGQndg7QW8F5NNOcIJS9CU-M_AVqnx7F9BBTQrHRRclMr3kNMH7XJtDtFcaZguKG1IpUbxFWtoV2JgHMNDzyClN0ybVD_Pg1rIi_YQPOmPjU1IN3TLG3sLBI_rSH-c-huGoKb0ASqQ/s1280/8C924B5F-B5D0-4A9E-9CD2-1CA97BBC8336.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_NOhwn3PgOuyauKwGh4OXY4zO4iDHHlY5GAn0mcYmpGQndg7QW8F5NNOcIJS9CU-M_AVqnx7F9BBTQrHRRclMr3kNMH7XJtDtFcaZguKG1IpUbxFWtoV2JgHMNDzyClN0ybVD_Pg1rIi_YQPOmPjU1IN3TLG3sLBI_rSH-c-huGoKb0ASqQ/w400-h300/8C924B5F-B5D0-4A9E-9CD2-1CA97BBC8336.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Last month Jean-and-Brian-next-door invited me out for an afternoon of sight seeing, namely <b><a href="https://www.glansevern.co.uk/" target="_blank">Glansevern Hall and Gardens</a></b>, over the Shropshire/Wales border near Welshpool. As long term readers know, I can’t get out and about, due to the complete lack of public transport here, so I have barely explored the area I’ve been living in for over ten years; the offer for a trip to somewhere new was very welcome.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATW5ZiO3Fjw7fqW6WpLDvEdCvRQq8WOYKGsGr9Y59ZniSKIvQUF8vwhXIddBPBKU8596s7LzPWU1_lA_EfbkDey3QB4lpibQeSS5hTfrqLYrrO41Mu39hF5KPjg_XkOODcLL1H-WMwVks45UMvpKWlq2o7N8_bTM93DgFNjw9chmeyIo2u6g/s1280/99A9FF7B-A875-4792-9E57-CF71D3B809EF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjATW5ZiO3Fjw7fqW6WpLDvEdCvRQq8WOYKGsGr9Y59ZniSKIvQUF8vwhXIddBPBKU8596s7LzPWU1_lA_EfbkDey3QB4lpibQeSS5hTfrqLYrrO41Mu39hF5KPjg_XkOODcLL1H-WMwVks45UMvpKWlq2o7N8_bTM93DgFNjw9chmeyIo2u6g/w400-h300/99A9FF7B-A875-4792-9E57-CF71D3B809EF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka8W8k9uww_kFZtY_5F6ElvU_Wudq1Tmf0dANO1W4dfdgxmHTKHNfG1jmTou8S5wHiGx-jaFjcDgqEzxRMY_MvQj45vD7oBf80vp8VKBk1uVScV-pvSuibxzrwFC8Syn3sN8s1__8qtIDi6VboO0fTM8AxAWBNPhV9GIzg_cjJO5jEKiWqvo/s1500/01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1500" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgka8W8k9uww_kFZtY_5F6ElvU_Wudq1Tmf0dANO1W4dfdgxmHTKHNfG1jmTou8S5wHiGx-jaFjcDgqEzxRMY_MvQj45vD7oBf80vp8VKBk1uVScV-pvSuibxzrwFC8Syn3sN8s1__8qtIDi6VboO0fTM8AxAWBNPhV9GIzg_cjJO5jEKiWqvo/w400-h300/01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the day we went there was a voluntary payment system rather than a ‘pay on the gate’ entrance fee.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleuHuSrvYIGDkx66vzY-bwrDxUEzsqBgM0zv01bEC_vTFRsnpkcNr3YWSWnJvuDbWFeWyt9g95lCBlRW1zgwBJ1Ihpko-f-AkitN6PTrp3q86moJOynhSGUeppP06oXcu5LKKh0DmFimIU3kqLW9JFLvvkSX5FYdluN6RhTiPBQ4U-LepSmM/s1280/443AC143-688B-409C-8685-E8705F9D3EE9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleuHuSrvYIGDkx66vzY-bwrDxUEzsqBgM0zv01bEC_vTFRsnpkcNr3YWSWnJvuDbWFeWyt9g95lCBlRW1zgwBJ1Ihpko-f-AkitN6PTrp3q86moJOynhSGUeppP06oXcu5LKKh0DmFimIU3kqLW9JFLvvkSX5FYdluN6RhTiPBQ4U-LepSmM/w400-h300/443AC143-688B-409C-8685-E8705F9D3EE9.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s a rambling, overgrown wild beauty of a garden, bursting out over grassy pathways and only loosely tamed to some semblance of formality. Let’s follow my neighbours down the veg and herb patch and have a wander. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfohTRa2FY0o6e4iHrr0aoTCtkYkBFRUN018n7tSLKWXMat4VVnWEBhyisfW81HktaCQgykCKFkmVFO9AXWzvli_pBhP3BsZX6TnWW2LG74dr25CN7OhSE5TmgyD45GUcicKaEPiSj_gbg8P25sjb-i6VtM2iE6ytonC4yTlsFo7_Ww2cqWc/s1500/02.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1119" data-original-width="1500" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfohTRa2FY0o6e4iHrr0aoTCtkYkBFRUN018n7tSLKWXMat4VVnWEBhyisfW81HktaCQgykCKFkmVFO9AXWzvli_pBhP3BsZX6TnWW2LG74dr25CN7OhSE5TmgyD45GUcicKaEPiSj_gbg8P25sjb-i6VtM2iE6ytonC4yTlsFo7_Ww2cqWc/w400-h299/02.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Through the walled gardens…</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpHmKDf66QXOYL1iERz2DcPqasrNBItCG_3m610bVhHCN0TgK_l3X_B1ZMhFX_balDQrpVrPfFYuXAd8OOkmSnXpQzv25NGQiJiuLk0n6jyUAcynacJVJTPd308I2VRLXYDa9IYNWefufbfcfgd9xsheH-8MC4VKykNOK0xJPSz5PW4iBle0/s1280/400731F2-8E53-47BE-82C8-629F66458A83.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpHmKDf66QXOYL1iERz2DcPqasrNBItCG_3m610bVhHCN0TgK_l3X_B1ZMhFX_balDQrpVrPfFYuXAd8OOkmSnXpQzv25NGQiJiuLk0n6jyUAcynacJVJTPd308I2VRLXYDa9IYNWefufbfcfgd9xsheH-8MC4VKykNOK0xJPSz5PW4iBle0/w400-h300/400731F2-8E53-47BE-82C8-629F66458A83.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94buI_RZXyj7oCmFuXwR7sLKNwn734vNrZKpldwgsO2WbEOJcooVSzuUSKtRkaYRyNIsuG5RXCiIYYdgXDsWnpfiwPG6zpIqVPdke7yQFKRHj8lMS11U9mi153LE3sEduwPNlcAyoz_Y4G2Z5OUI86JSVHF153PzAJAJ_QBbF3UKOIUCh_Wg/s3264/9A83478F-ED03-4143-AB98-AB4804438F24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg94buI_RZXyj7oCmFuXwR7sLKNwn734vNrZKpldwgsO2WbEOJcooVSzuUSKtRkaYRyNIsuG5RXCiIYYdgXDsWnpfiwPG6zpIqVPdke7yQFKRHj8lMS11U9mi153LE3sEduwPNlcAyoz_Y4G2Z5OUI86JSVHF153PzAJAJ_QBbF3UKOIUCh_Wg/w400-h300/9A83478F-ED03-4143-AB98-AB4804438F24.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="text-align: justify;"> …past the little orangerie…</p></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMDR87-iEJXRXs4Qk5cHGKDMXaRUdCHk6MmKn305YCegR2yor3GvvYzKlhbxV5XSB1wt2I6M3A2X0epDOIdAYNUU7qui6HUYWbWbicjK6YwZVQd1yyUEYy0W3eb2M_lcjvvFdOriV4-3AKrRNParecucVQHqLnXsAWkWHBKbnhbbGHEUUH_c/s1280/3D4DDE54-AB6D-468F-9B9C-9D13645348BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaMDR87-iEJXRXs4Qk5cHGKDMXaRUdCHk6MmKn305YCegR2yor3GvvYzKlhbxV5XSB1wt2I6M3A2X0epDOIdAYNUU7qui6HUYWbWbicjK6YwZVQd1yyUEYy0W3eb2M_lcjvvFdOriV4-3AKrRNParecucVQHqLnXsAWkWHBKbnhbbGHEUUH_c/w400-h300/3D4DDE54-AB6D-468F-9B9C-9D13645348BF.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks7HICJtJPsnn0GezF9B3Cck66CtIcmh-pAYvJaN90NBPvBQ-J-B1auXc9sD2se8kkw6m40pNSS4uOZK1bIq4VRYp6CwcXvCgjRKjXwS8DnTB3UkWbIx8rVH-hH5bo5RmAOfCV3AY8es7nHwQJ5C7cjz14n2071CnkTYfVpear7JieU2fEos/s2626/3FDA423A-96CA-4C7A-8FDA-14FE556FC815.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1970" data-original-width="2626" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgks7HICJtJPsnn0GezF9B3Cck66CtIcmh-pAYvJaN90NBPvBQ-J-B1auXc9sD2se8kkw6m40pNSS4uOZK1bIq4VRYp6CwcXvCgjRKjXwS8DnTB3UkWbIx8rVH-hH5bo5RmAOfCV3AY8es7nHwQJ5C7cjz14n2071CnkTYfVpear7JieU2fEos/w400-h300/3FDA423A-96CA-4C7A-8FDA-14FE556FC815.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">…down ‘Wisteria Walk’ towards the classical fountain…</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrDiclUWx1DpA3RbDJjr-WYCcjU1Ak3AJornu9VNC8gqxpWoWbsfoOR6Jy3IZ_8hnS8uLtSm-yYYmLcNTD1m_K-Ev3voIUFF7b9udTZoqURv1OSjC2gz1YD08BQFrp7oeqU_jwKKrV1Ek9iUb82b-lCTtYNGvRMjE4BpvpK7plKy536YxJqg/s1280/BD6B0CC9-6262-46C6-915D-52679424D5D3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhrDiclUWx1DpA3RbDJjr-WYCcjU1Ak3AJornu9VNC8gqxpWoWbsfoOR6Jy3IZ_8hnS8uLtSm-yYYmLcNTD1m_K-Ev3voIUFF7b9udTZoqURv1OSjC2gz1YD08BQFrp7oeqU_jwKKrV1Ek9iUb82b-lCTtYNGvRMjE4BpvpK7plKy536YxJqg/w400-h300/BD6B0CC9-6262-46C6-915D-52679424D5D3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijONagGC42qqu2FY3-G3nIRyFB_9_oDOa6JmVG97iio7t-ioi0o8anNQmyMnEqtq7lhh6_rKgX-0jVVWRDD-0XPejdpw7ib-H3cb1D98bKkP07kV4LZmJsidOgLVttlU2Meo8KJ94H76JO0xbHSEoKgWR-2ZeREBUNA0ozzG-GytqVbSxJ7dM/s1280/8CA46C05-A1A5-48AA-A3A0-EB5C400F24D3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijONagGC42qqu2FY3-G3nIRyFB_9_oDOa6JmVG97iio7t-ioi0o8anNQmyMnEqtq7lhh6_rKgX-0jVVWRDD-0XPejdpw7ib-H3cb1D98bKkP07kV4LZmJsidOgLVttlU2Meo8KJ94H76JO0xbHSEoKgWR-2ZeREBUNA0ozzG-GytqVbSxJ7dM/w400-h300/8CA46C05-A1A5-48AA-A3A0-EB5C400F24D3.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">…discovering a fairy folly…</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8EygcmSuByGofot__vZJMBBc-6F7j2yiP6i2dCpU49jBOA-kRnJLMT0gjZgcz68AlKaF3pV5WFXPKQqjqkU76ePPLXv57o-dDC6HAM-aPY4ReTDWFOMA5S5CSG0tcNoRh7_whKiepVsVXF-Ga0UzFLn4sUY9DRVTT5I9w-0yS9pgqV6J1eQ/s1280/ED52FD71-4416-4CBE-9B83-81E7891E9D10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8EygcmSuByGofot__vZJMBBc-6F7j2yiP6i2dCpU49jBOA-kRnJLMT0gjZgcz68AlKaF3pV5WFXPKQqjqkU76ePPLXv57o-dDC6HAM-aPY4ReTDWFOMA5S5CSG0tcNoRh7_whKiepVsVXF-Ga0UzFLn4sUY9DRVTT5I9w-0yS9pgqV6J1eQ/w400-h300/ED52FD71-4416-4CBE-9B83-81E7891E9D10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">…and a handy bench by a fallen beech, where I rested my arthritic knees, while Jean and Brian took a brief detour to visit a nearby bird hide and came back filled with delight at having seen a kingfisher.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHXoemJFJW1yIG1nvDMe1ZywwDq_XdzSJFbjFhTBtADrc69MU75Ji1yha2enyB7wbZoINOnpYRY5PDxic-2VJk84QOD8CA1RiozXl4Yc_43DlSl0obyt7BbQUNeRGk9pQADb4PYaHpCmyEY5ovyh1415c1xSIf5DH02ettEI8KdXUF5ipXpQ/s1280/C3561C5F-C14E-4479-89A2-BDDCED100130.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHXoemJFJW1yIG1nvDMe1ZywwDq_XdzSJFbjFhTBtADrc69MU75Ji1yha2enyB7wbZoINOnpYRY5PDxic-2VJk84QOD8CA1RiozXl4Yc_43DlSl0obyt7BbQUNeRGk9pQADb4PYaHpCmyEY5ovyh1415c1xSIf5DH02ettEI8KdXUF5ipXpQ/w400-h300/C3561C5F-C14E-4479-89A2-BDDCED100130.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Leaving the main gardens, we headed towards the side of ‘the big house’ (which I thought was relatively modest by Georgian standards).</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpGRLyOZ8TSvdHVbVKhIZ5C_RWoGG2jeZjMgfLfDkARLb5mtVdyGX5TvEVoGitGM5Jzds7-E0INmmFX1YlOGGZv9pemycHNiQqRMltx9L3TyLj93Bb76Izqdxvqbx1WOIRWr93EtYfCrivs00OkIdPpdWmxlcaw5bVHWkY7IvvpmxcfM5FJM/s1280/FDAFF1F2-D23B-4F2C-AEB9-22F1FAA6660E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpGRLyOZ8TSvdHVbVKhIZ5C_RWoGG2jeZjMgfLfDkARLb5mtVdyGX5TvEVoGitGM5Jzds7-E0INmmFX1YlOGGZv9pemycHNiQqRMltx9L3TyLj93Bb76Izqdxvqbx1WOIRWr93EtYfCrivs00OkIdPpdWmxlcaw5bVHWkY7IvvpmxcfM5FJM/w400-h300/FDAFF1F2-D23B-4F2C-AEB9-22F1FAA6660E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Coming round to the frontage and a drive large enough for a few carriages.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4c8wpCkzWrRmDXCjRDiAMq-_WQhTAVOhjraJH2S0uiYhUtJlNn4H1O09o8byJx0K-_egF7GbJt6JYDdayiHPYoAucoKDK87WNWx8Gfmb4JZvq6c41ROu_Ez5vqT7K0oAQdz2ZeWiLO6dqlG90t7XrWC0thC6z2m1ktWQhEkwB_77Vh7mezQ/s2433/D5CD6DF9-5A00-45B1-AE14-F4E0ED349155.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1825" data-original-width="2433" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4c8wpCkzWrRmDXCjRDiAMq-_WQhTAVOhjraJH2S0uiYhUtJlNn4H1O09o8byJx0K-_egF7GbJt6JYDdayiHPYoAucoKDK87WNWx8Gfmb4JZvq6c41ROu_Ez5vqT7K0oAQdz2ZeWiLO6dqlG90t7XrWC0thC6z2m1ktWQhEkwB_77Vh7mezQ/w400-h300/D5CD6DF9-5A00-45B1-AE14-F4E0ED349155.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Directly in front of the house, there is an area of clipped neatness, with the lush, rolling Welsh landscape in the background and tumbling, moody skies overhead. But even here, the planting has been allowed to spread and spill along the edges.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOwGXwze42ycbEbxeauEbkxtid9ChhOiHGeM2-RSRUBwUaHFxYZ2GfMlDvQxnm5x1dE-PiVNbmUPXWpmJ-q8bsFHxdjEjLfiLZ3Wvpn6PJZ31sbzt_P6G9wi7CFiBI7LQrHcuYfcyzt4APVmOkPvnQ1XEHu4T6B993rOZxUsL_sdVF3z8d1w/s3016/A4DFBB89-2EA6-4C1F-99AD-E7064C0E2064.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2262" data-original-width="3016" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZOwGXwze42ycbEbxeauEbkxtid9ChhOiHGeM2-RSRUBwUaHFxYZ2GfMlDvQxnm5x1dE-PiVNbmUPXWpmJ-q8bsFHxdjEjLfiLZ3Wvpn6PJZ31sbzt_P6G9wi7CFiBI7LQrHcuYfcyzt4APVmOkPvnQ1XEHu4T6B993rOZxUsL_sdVF3z8d1w/w400-h300/A4DFBB89-2EA6-4C1F-99AD-E7064C0E2064.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYgIgh6UljhCFumoVIiIVfVHHDEbR0aXtw1uS_yxaKG0qaLXEAxV4zUvIet-olQvM4duNQqFkF1qM4_k5cDFmWX6QSQl6FsklRDOaB2Rbhf94zTTwTrfNbCxAvYqMFKQ4TdwMMUctTF6HoduehwNEoc1fhnyCYXtIQe28BeuWZouHOrZmfmQ/s1280/F70935B8-4EE8-4070-A455-190A5C54CF76.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYgIgh6UljhCFumoVIiIVfVHHDEbR0aXtw1uS_yxaKG0qaLXEAxV4zUvIet-olQvM4duNQqFkF1qM4_k5cDFmWX6QSQl6FsklRDOaB2Rbhf94zTTwTrfNbCxAvYqMFKQ4TdwMMUctTF6HoduehwNEoc1fhnyCYXtIQe28BeuWZouHOrZmfmQ/w400-h300/F70935B8-4EE8-4070-A455-190A5C54CF76.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On to the final adventure, a long walk around the lake, with a tantalising trellised canopy decorating the centre; a delicate confection of a frame under which it would be wonderful to sit and have afternoon tea, with tiny colourful cakes and hot tea in porcelain cups.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOCmQna7DJDe756pTgjTzTnDHo6vh1_e1TA3ZTxZ6I67aoijbKN_EhWzllRcXNMkzOHg-AKzHT4UGLgizGg8pyBfoGkjQDKFgZLsU-k7-VoUQROhukjb1pKJi_VPUElILUgBBQGUzsZiJjRLcUTEjF4eCfsXkncrVVO2PXfZpyguJLcT4mVw/s3264/36C699CC-8235-4306-8DF8-A5DF7F47315A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXOCmQna7DJDe756pTgjTzTnDHo6vh1_e1TA3ZTxZ6I67aoijbKN_EhWzllRcXNMkzOHg-AKzHT4UGLgizGg8pyBfoGkjQDKFgZLsU-k7-VoUQROhukjb1pKJi_VPUElILUgBBQGUzsZiJjRLcUTEjF4eCfsXkncrVVO2PXfZpyguJLcT4mVw/w400-h300/36C699CC-8235-4306-8DF8-A5DF7F47315A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dear little lichen covered stone benches for just sitting and looking.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAtfl1bQkr-7pXbNriocH2wz_61xJ2rSCbD3l641cZ4sDHrimw5ZyexOAyDi5QWc_JSFBFAgauJn_jalwn6MvkGyy1N_T7F-qu55uwFEm2L-E1vSm5ARxBO-9Oepxe2NBU9DQ1WUAt7IjXp0cQ-NaH_zPA7Gh7X0nWnX-Owwbf1G_xwctkz8/s2165/0EC5C47E-3EC0-4AE5-A571-AC7E04B5A6B7.jpeg"><img border="0" data-original-height="1624" data-original-width="2165" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAtfl1bQkr-7pXbNriocH2wz_61xJ2rSCbD3l641cZ4sDHrimw5ZyexOAyDi5QWc_JSFBFAgauJn_jalwn6MvkGyy1N_T7F-qu55uwFEm2L-E1vSm5ARxBO-9Oepxe2NBU9DQ1WUAt7IjXp0cQ-NaH_zPA7Gh7X0nWnX-Owwbf1G_xwctkz8/w400-h300/0EC5C47E-3EC0-4AE5-A571-AC7E04B5A6B7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although it was overcast, it was one of those muggy, still summer days, and the lake was perfectly still. The Chinese bridge is much steeper than it looks and I almost came a cropper, but I took it very slowly and my dignity remained intact.</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCexwGSvrPBYfAZr_XANUqVeBTIb6rIFP80jowtjS8rjvAD5CMfd0m8y0w2_5fF-rgwuVEIqTrFuVotCJatVrkGW_PCu05sxRMVtg8c3295145p9Joq4mM68ut3n0R3DOFmCJIMA0rKgxbHv9MeW6fQ8sUPBEAQhrnn6dhwlxm9Fd0ZWZj5s/s3264/E43DD8B8-2B6D-4E96-B6C3-03F9F6750D29.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuCexwGSvrPBYfAZr_XANUqVeBTIb6rIFP80jowtjS8rjvAD5CMfd0m8y0w2_5fF-rgwuVEIqTrFuVotCJatVrkGW_PCu05sxRMVtg8c3295145p9Joq4mM68ut3n0R3DOFmCJIMA0rKgxbHv9MeW6fQ8sUPBEAQhrnn6dhwlxm9Fd0ZWZj5s/w400-h300/E43DD8B8-2B6D-4E96-B6C3-03F9F6750D29.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPYVq6RCJUBFitTbkkGCmeU0p1HF_9GPJGHpNZMTntzu2_HGLUC5y11alwCPoZ6EyiQ8wcXIFRNcqI1AQrqal0zdGylKvkf5RWdFwyDYkx3U6LTwtpqeVg3wb14ecU7YQXjUj7txM6-KM2taqGjElJ6O09BP4LhfH_GX6M3kywqkLJK09dlk/s1280/85DDAD15-0806-4FD7-B2AC-2882A7D9FEE8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCPYVq6RCJUBFitTbkkGCmeU0p1HF_9GPJGHpNZMTntzu2_HGLUC5y11alwCPoZ6EyiQ8wcXIFRNcqI1AQrqal0zdGylKvkf5RWdFwyDYkx3U6LTwtpqeVg3wb14ecU7YQXjUj7txM6-KM2taqGjElJ6O09BP4LhfH_GX6M3kywqkLJK09dlk/w400-h300/85DDAD15-0806-4FD7-B2AC-2882A7D9FEE8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMTUFLIAsWFkYOy40ma5S4gzprXTFuE5MK9HPrz4IWIHi5l9v-9EYBpqujrLouoV8zn67lx26sZqTqf4KFE2qJFQuLo0Jm-AJUumJT6YlQUhuEsn5dTFx9FjzUdTmSl3tScjM-yYdpe0IOOkD-3-4GA9QSQol5ytQx157pcpM0IRVHouEfyo/s3264/B531410D-793D-47DC-9FE5-2B42832629F8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMMTUFLIAsWFkYOy40ma5S4gzprXTFuE5MK9HPrz4IWIHi5l9v-9EYBpqujrLouoV8zn67lx26sZqTqf4KFE2qJFQuLo0Jm-AJUumJT6YlQUhuEsn5dTFx9FjzUdTmSl3tScjM-yYdpe0IOOkD-3-4GA9QSQol5ytQx157pcpM0IRVHouEfyo/w400-h300/B531410D-793D-47DC-9FE5-2B42832629F8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Coming up around the side of the house, and onto the original drive, lined with lovely topiary balls (and as you know, I do love a bit of topiary).</span></div></div><div> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQo5-uam2J1YEgEvwK0qzvITBkBi8L70tErMcR7fz2Xty-aCQt20xqxOKO6_6t4ipXSVYQL4oyhYjO1ksOLRriWQhLHGyob90e6a0GVZYxRRJEKl5pcY9ss0OGslXVooR6XaGIcYETDy05eHzlonU3aakXS1efPVjzJwLGMY7kN2gA6nzpkc/s1500/03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1500" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQo5-uam2J1YEgEvwK0qzvITBkBi8L70tErMcR7fz2Xty-aCQt20xqxOKO6_6t4ipXSVYQL4oyhYjO1ksOLRriWQhLHGyob90e6a0GVZYxRRJEKl5pcY9ss0OGslXVooR6XaGIcYETDy05eHzlonU3aakXS1efPVjzJwLGMY7kN2gA6nzpkc/w400-h290/03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Although I found the main house to be too austere for my liking, I was very taken with the humbler red brick out buildings and could imagine myself living there quite contentedly. (Jean and I debated for some time as to whether the fan tail doves on the wall were real or not. I decided the matter by taking a zoom shot - what do you think?)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BMSADLzw16b6TQBTZJt12BmyA2HibU2d258QKN8vAYIBQTJ_vsdtd3IJwElLfOK1W3mxTDfMLf-I24N0Isb4gprEjHOr0uP8EYTYsh0XntsXPA5T5hRC7SKx3pNKdrNcIF9te6TZaJaBHAAE_DjiQTevM9zeV9cr2X2EmmZbV37COzO4P-Q/s1500/04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1147" data-original-width="1500" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9BMSADLzw16b6TQBTZJt12BmyA2HibU2d258QKN8vAYIBQTJ_vsdtd3IJwElLfOK1W3mxTDfMLf-I24N0Isb4gprEjHOr0uP8EYTYsh0XntsXPA5T5hRC7SKx3pNKdrNcIF9te6TZaJaBHAAE_DjiQTevM9zeV9cr2X2EmmZbV37COzO4P-Q/w400-h306/04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think we pottered about for around three hours and had a thoroughly lovely time. My head was filled with images of a joyous riot of plants, a mirror lake and tangled woods, with the looming block of the house sat squarely in the centre, keeping watchful window eyes on the wild rowdiness surrounding it.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBeMd-SsJEetM9nauidAQ6pVwMi6VyEzuEutTwJgXgJYjQcuSBcl_28I7aI62q8p_HKrkomrEhOnX71tUcULQxGeRgBD3BnHeKqTRgqSV4sAVsUs3M7_UoSjG_MDvWSUSAyPcdgXMq1meKcCCw3rnsVe5qxz9yiaIPgFC0LkD9_r8SJhoL-o/s1500/05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1500" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoBeMd-SsJEetM9nauidAQ6pVwMi6VyEzuEutTwJgXgJYjQcuSBcl_28I7aI62q8p_HKrkomrEhOnX71tUcULQxGeRgBD3BnHeKqTRgqSV4sAVsUs3M7_UoSjG_MDvWSUSAyPcdgXMq1meKcCCw3rnsVe5qxz9yiaIPgFC0LkD9_r8SJhoL-o/w400-h295/05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">(If you are one of my lovely £3 month blog extra Patreon subscribers, you can read about our visit on the return journey to a special little church in the Welsh mountains with a chequered and ancient history <b><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/lets-go-nice-71066827" target="_blank">here</a></b>).</span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uXYbO-NVFBaloPC_EUZ-tIJM1QM5Ic3cpraBjzdVWbrrs7Nbzy-qDGFUwoVNFwLCVnqlFfAc7X9yxdtQV2wA1ETQLCdETHcRbYcIwuOV8jWjznJ5VPakynOm7nCITREGJkZi20Y6nP5kGMhE4Qvtz7Saaa_8Sg9obQXhVFDJhWXU0JHDEbQ/s1280/3E59087C-FF1F-4844-A3DB-AEEB1DF8B88A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5uXYbO-NVFBaloPC_EUZ-tIJM1QM5Ic3cpraBjzdVWbrrs7Nbzy-qDGFUwoVNFwLCVnqlFfAc7X9yxdtQV2wA1ETQLCdETHcRbYcIwuOV8jWjznJ5VPakynOm7nCITREGJkZi20Y6nP5kGMhE4Qvtz7Saaa_8Sg9obQXhVFDJhWXU0JHDEbQ/w400-h300/3E59087C-FF1F-4844-A3DB-AEEB1DF8B88A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div></div><br />Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-31597857259020156592022-08-08T18:50:00.002+01:002022-08-09T07:29:40.909+01:00Decorative Needle Felting <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjM0eOnP5y-7KBtHFDPG4pYaGy9U4cS2Qzb2ilTu_f41uMjOiknaU9pxG9jL0GlGyU8CYw8b5puCaVeE_TnKrRHg0MjtyI2BsyeGXy_cKovhyGKNTtBpr7V_NDfHzuoqx9lG81Kou6mOQX_MaVFt2ZeSU1jQKT3S6YxF-di3HkxRcfph31VE/s2670/18B70708-6555-4D21-9859-BB8863C96855.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="2670" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjM0eOnP5y-7KBtHFDPG4pYaGy9U4cS2Qzb2ilTu_f41uMjOiknaU9pxG9jL0GlGyU8CYw8b5puCaVeE_TnKrRHg0MjtyI2BsyeGXy_cKovhyGKNTtBpr7V_NDfHzuoqx9lG81Kou6mOQX_MaVFt2ZeSU1jQKT3S6YxF-di3HkxRcfph31VE/w400-h300/18B70708-6555-4D21-9859-BB8863C96855.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">It’s been a while and in that time my book ‘Decorative Needle Felting Projects’ has not only been published in the U.K. but is now available in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Europe, Japan…I’ve popped some live links on my <a href="https://www.gretelparker.com/" target="_blank"><b>website here</b></a>, but you can easily find it in your country of choice by pasting the ISBN number 9781399000307 into a search engine and seeing what comes up. And it’s always great if you can support a local independent bookshop, rather than the usual Big Place. If you don’t follow me on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gretelparker/?hl=en" target="_blank"><b>Instagram</b></a> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">where I’ve been posting images for a while, then here are a few hints of what to expect. (If you already subscribe to my weekly updated <a href="https://www.patreon.com/gretelparker" target="_blank"><b>Patreon blog</b></a> for behind-the-scenes content, then thank you; you’ve been there since the early making days and sharing the dark winter nights in bed as I frantically made little geese with cold fingers).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">There’s a mix of wearable designs, from a fox bangle to a sleepy squirrel brooch, with a range of decorative projects.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb30P-41YxD4mvQdXwX9BQq7jvntiZUr9tol16zBuHAqlrhYH2yAKakQ4tYH4zS9b2xLjvb0-wedUNAYP_XPIYatSXBIJg5mQrCx3ik7VHSHpNgrW-eNRRsGhXV_r3gK4dUy-runDjO2vqOYoTENybZpgFnv3j3kXTW6a9h8IDUvS0UFy_JqE/s1280/C7BFA0DC-70A5-4D8B-A2A4-718A2BDC4CF7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb30P-41YxD4mvQdXwX9BQq7jvntiZUr9tol16zBuHAqlrhYH2yAKakQ4tYH4zS9b2xLjvb0-wedUNAYP_XPIYatSXBIJg5mQrCx3ik7VHSHpNgrW-eNRRsGhXV_r3gK4dUy-runDjO2vqOYoTENybZpgFnv3j3kXTW6a9h8IDUvS0UFy_JqE/w400-h300/C7BFA0DC-70A5-4D8B-A2A4-718A2BDC4CF7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC30DmlOVCYsUJoyBU2jpdvFftg3_9dvSdW12zLctwxoWSUlISk48z1uyKgD3n1d3KFW-dLHpPCEJZjk38u1hbcTsCag_hjXmkJZr1PE_AIq3BJ5oiIygLqdFTlGS4_mOACUZZC_TsDAwOtn_VHrO5XJ-E4k1u-EE8EkFsfe-DL9BBGA0hcSI/s2598/7B0C3BEB-10F6-4EDD-92BB-3AE800E1234A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1948" data-original-width="2598" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC30DmlOVCYsUJoyBU2jpdvFftg3_9dvSdW12zLctwxoWSUlISk48z1uyKgD3n1d3KFW-dLHpPCEJZjk38u1hbcTsCag_hjXmkJZr1PE_AIq3BJ5oiIygLqdFTlGS4_mOACUZZC_TsDAwOtn_VHrO5XJ-E4k1u-EE8EkFsfe-DL9BBGA0hcSI/w400-h300/7B0C3BEB-10F6-4EDD-92BB-3AE800E1234A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A front section on techniques, including darning onto felt, patching and adding beads.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWqzv8hk3z8mV7TXpuwnZXnzV-QUJ5QS1t8gP46OmadMYYYNLbKSIC3LbZxBmZTBrMgIrk-8ZLa0KCjENAn0Ca5V92WJm1AhhlSDvZZpFLzfZZb_BGl2L8OF_EZvL9_ZISne8n7R4kx5OLLtkUC9aWQpn_2kGe24gQ_fX3TAzlhM3m5f0J0E/s1280/5B8D7107-E66F-42C6-835A-E44CB39043DE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWqzv8hk3z8mV7TXpuwnZXnzV-QUJ5QS1t8gP46OmadMYYYNLbKSIC3LbZxBmZTBrMgIrk-8ZLa0KCjENAn0Ca5V92WJm1AhhlSDvZZpFLzfZZb_BGl2L8OF_EZvL9_ZISne8n7R4kx5OLLtkUC9aWQpn_2kGe24gQ_fX3TAzlhM3m5f0J0E/w400-h300/5B8D7107-E66F-42C6-835A-E44CB39043DE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Four seasonal sections each containing five lovely patterns, with some stand out Christmas projects including a gingerbread village and a ‘Marvellous Mr Hare’ tree topper - this is one for the dedicated needle felter. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtURnr7Wg_PBFNSCSJDZ-_Fz-GaWgYuSf5-WDxXykisBhUT5KsuWWuFgCDIA-mnkfHij-QqW1uGOGLKvn9aCltEezqD7CSxJ0Ic68zw5lm8kxf1lalXRpmf9mSmhODGtS1vJYT3NvOeMdEBDm5j4tOwMjgWcLz9gpX5ftDJWNCoLLTKePKw6w/s1280/E7BC6FEE-C205-4E03-A5DD-CF1BB343AC58.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtURnr7Wg_PBFNSCSJDZ-_Fz-GaWgYuSf5-WDxXykisBhUT5KsuWWuFgCDIA-mnkfHij-QqW1uGOGLKvn9aCltEezqD7CSxJ0Ic68zw5lm8kxf1lalXRpmf9mSmhODGtS1vJYT3NvOeMdEBDm5j4tOwMjgWcLz9gpX5ftDJWNCoLLTKePKw6w/w400-h300/E7BC6FEE-C205-4E03-A5DD-CF1BB343AC58.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Generally though, I’ve designed many of the projects to be small scale and easily made in a short amount of time, so that anyone new to needle felting can dive in and create something little and sweet in one session. And for the adventurous, there is the option to upscale and develop your own take on designs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEIO2BZSsiZv4I_tFkE8C5ca7IVuOzYJDZkXqqpaXstO0mnAv2x0Y6VoKBdz-a-Bha-1Ad1dTzHmSBjLZEZKZwj14LFjtn6veZQSKtW4PfOgRkvSNTUc-DVtv3-KxI0C4UmhAZahuEDdIysbiAkJRiMAdFfnSQNxteOpL2V4Xxc9TgyOJFmU/s1280/CB782DAB-355D-4007-BE50-3EB4A52847E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjEIO2BZSsiZv4I_tFkE8C5ca7IVuOzYJDZkXqqpaXstO0mnAv2x0Y6VoKBdz-a-Bha-1Ad1dTzHmSBjLZEZKZwj14LFjtn6veZQSKtW4PfOgRkvSNTUc-DVtv3-KxI0C4UmhAZahuEDdIysbiAkJRiMAdFfnSQNxteOpL2V4Xxc9TgyOJFmU/w400-h300/CB782DAB-355D-4007-BE50-3EB4A52847E8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"></div></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One of the nice things about having a book published is the opportunity for a dedication to someone special. Initially, back in pre-Covid 2020, that was going to be Joe. (Remember him? Me neither). That leaky ship mercifully sailed long before publication, and I was able to dedicate it to the people who have been the most supportive, through everything I’ve catalogued here, there and elsewhere. That’s you, reading this. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQzGJmy88IddiKLCqNtZrIBrZ7kUIlyxh3BLWMlKAlo-BPxLRuDlqH_9Ur2pSxoEupSQjdY4YOs5kgG8yvx5CswytG2n8dn2H0tI2C2axQvBjY6aEXTXZEhlt9AGjcVk7oHO0wYoeFzW3MhNTLgztIndtwD0bOC4QirKeZnY1ZofZepOIPMo/s1280/77CEDCBF-14C2-4B75-B015-86162C22895F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1280" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQzGJmy88IddiKLCqNtZrIBrZ7kUIlyxh3BLWMlKAlo-BPxLRuDlqH_9Ur2pSxoEupSQjdY4YOs5kgG8yvx5CswytG2n8dn2H0tI2C2axQvBjY6aEXTXZEhlt9AGjcVk7oHO0wYoeFzW3MhNTLgztIndtwD0bOC4QirKeZnY1ZofZepOIPMo/w400-h260/77CEDCBF-14C2-4B75-B015-86162C22895F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I almost forgot to add - I was interviewed for our local BBC radio Shropshire last month, to talk about needle felting and the new book - you can find the </span><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0cj26rs" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;" target="_blank"><b>episode here</b></a><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">, on BBC Sounds. I start at 2.08 into the programme, coming in after Bonnie Tyler. It’s only available until the 26th August (2022) so apologies to any historic readers finding this in the future.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVCrb4-_cp2ze0tAqpmHEJ4RQkHcOhg_tsu9g9jwZCafr-CClXsnj0RzGKWRPYPJDxbTdIETDPT02fmhYqBFReWV8QSWBxYQKu8yMHdR0ImgE2uMKW6G8MJ-y-CQK8PjsIr7GRKS042O4yk0D--_qpYh6cS5gdCX0K5X3V7BxQyZ-Ai2fJ_c/s1280/7223C7C6-95E5-496A-B4E9-F75FB483D6C8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVCrb4-_cp2ze0tAqpmHEJ4RQkHcOhg_tsu9g9jwZCafr-CClXsnj0RzGKWRPYPJDxbTdIETDPT02fmhYqBFReWV8QSWBxYQKu8yMHdR0ImgE2uMKW6G8MJ-y-CQK8PjsIr7GRKS042O4yk0D--_qpYh6cS5gdCX0K5X3V7BxQyZ-Ai2fJ_c/w400-h300/7223C7C6-95E5-496A-B4E9-F75FB483D6C8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-9530428621607479572022-05-23T19:18:00.001+01:002022-05-23T19:18:30.165+01:00Rainy evening in Shropshire<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LRnqcLPjfwBi6aKIJY45Mcj8ckxaLK96cmFrQewLtblGdj9kSkNNJ9RrDU7WNPJTMbNdovBPvGFbhpf7OAMw4XKV6nPzkYgjPHvOAoNz76mMsk0VZYShi837zxiDZAyar7Dj7Xw57bDjVMxtAx_4SX5SRRNlZP6pgw4t77ylBrYG9VNPS8E/s1280/A1F8A2F6-477C-499F-94F5-C84A47E6F33C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LRnqcLPjfwBi6aKIJY45Mcj8ckxaLK96cmFrQewLtblGdj9kSkNNJ9RrDU7WNPJTMbNdovBPvGFbhpf7OAMw4XKV6nPzkYgjPHvOAoNz76mMsk0VZYShi837zxiDZAyar7Dj7Xw57bDjVMxtAx_4SX5SRRNlZP6pgw4t77ylBrYG9VNPS8E/w400-h300/A1F8A2F6-477C-499F-94F5-C84A47E6F33C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My dear little bedroom, where I spend so much time working and resting, has been Spring cleaned and tidied. This is my sanctuary, my safe place, where I am surrounded by everything I love and everything that interests me. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the bottom of the bed, I have added an old tool box, placed on its side, so that I can have a changing display of flowers or dried cuttings, to enjoy and study for future painting.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT_80qK9x9paDfkWyzvTxyhunadwWMUpy3E7nbhP_BKsc6NYtq-H_sxvYMOBSxZoq_Z12a1Ol8eWOrMz5hvuAp_vpmKpPQd9kMOyp_1L5yqAEowfltaXSyPNtT92Y95BT97WYFNtBAAAOJUPn1-WMCkNgC2tJcOMp3meUncyE-Q5OxTkUnrs/s1280/FB1E1EE2-B173-4A08-9E61-3EB970472358.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT_80qK9x9paDfkWyzvTxyhunadwWMUpy3E7nbhP_BKsc6NYtq-H_sxvYMOBSxZoq_Z12a1Ol8eWOrMz5hvuAp_vpmKpPQd9kMOyp_1L5yqAEowfltaXSyPNtT92Y95BT97WYFNtBAAAOJUPn1-WMCkNgC2tJcOMp3meUncyE-Q5OxTkUnrs/w400-h300/FB1E1EE2-B173-4A08-9E61-3EB970472358.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This evening the rain has been steadily moving across from Wales. The field was cut for silage two days ago and birds of all kinds have been gleaning titbits from it, including a skein of swallows, swooping low to collect flies and other delicious treats.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieULwmPeipekctzSbczVpTikJcnZOFolPEQXAC92meptQ5i__9V0YflSDZP3gL43-e7l3CrujxU3XSIPnUFCYg9b6C4sTE-CfORB0P4OEMGt2koE3qUOaLRvadkrOHmKQb7eMuHmrWzETUQRVOVxA-ydW8fMzIPmjA-vQrrOh3uf-mHYbZxoo/s1280/DEF8BF4D-9D8B-4C42-95D0-0C08684F5B85.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1280" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieULwmPeipekctzSbczVpTikJcnZOFolPEQXAC92meptQ5i__9V0YflSDZP3gL43-e7l3CrujxU3XSIPnUFCYg9b6C4sTE-CfORB0P4OEMGt2koE3qUOaLRvadkrOHmKQb7eMuHmrWzETUQRVOVxA-ydW8fMzIPmjA-vQrrOh3uf-mHYbZxoo/w400-h294/DEF8BF4D-9D8B-4C42-95D0-0C08684F5B85.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="text-align: justify;">Today has been divided between painting for two of my Patrons and working on a needlefelt commission; it’s time to rest, so I am indulging in some light reading on one of my favourite historical subjects.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iL_8oZj4O7QWIHaws_MIBF0g-ILBcFJHV_HacSQIkw6lGFxVQ04uWkhZ7tAQytkHPj4hJzD7wceuyf6aQGxI-ZEe1zZVS0oSk9eFEeNGU4e405oNCzrp3ZlEAR9Na96NOWvZ2qLPSwsoHXhBaHaOdoVX5LdSWV_t03ybx6yS4n9Hwsz6Qis/s1280/8BCBABF6-0F32-4D7E-A5A1-54745826066A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iL_8oZj4O7QWIHaws_MIBF0g-ILBcFJHV_HacSQIkw6lGFxVQ04uWkhZ7tAQytkHPj4hJzD7wceuyf6aQGxI-ZEe1zZVS0oSk9eFEeNGU4e405oNCzrp3ZlEAR9Na96NOWvZ2qLPSwsoHXhBaHaOdoVX5LdSWV_t03ybx6yS4n9Hwsz6Qis/w400-h300/8BCBABF6-0F32-4D7E-A5A1-54745826066A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></span><p></p><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-26346477304844893932022-05-13T17:33:00.002+01:002022-05-13T17:33:40.049+01:00Painting the hedgerows<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFR9iPK82bQBjmwMjP6aDZ2FV_OkpgNFzigXQvekBkFxJQbFVZp43-dNSlFjplhFoN11c2zpnl7k-EWR0VBxkFWR6bQTKlgCCA1xqlX1rGhquf70bhD8wprMPT9vGdEAP6i2t39x1ee0oc04OzhDcsCvuwNiMA3tq5GLLCbGGr6GutOmzOYI/s3264/F68CA602-9C94-4AAB-97F0-ABBEC60CA4B8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEFR9iPK82bQBjmwMjP6aDZ2FV_OkpgNFzigXQvekBkFxJQbFVZp43-dNSlFjplhFoN11c2zpnl7k-EWR0VBxkFWR6bQTKlgCCA1xqlX1rGhquf70bhD8wprMPT9vGdEAP6i2t39x1ee0oc04OzhDcsCvuwNiMA3tq5GLLCbGGr6GutOmzOYI/w400-h300/F68CA602-9C94-4AAB-97F0-ABBEC60CA4B8.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mid-may and the verges are spattered with Queen Anne’s Lace and sundry other wild pretties, overlooked by copious clouds of foaming hawthorn, which we must not pick and never, ever bring into the house, for fear of bad luck.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsG62yCU60coa2RPuvuLtIjbyvcDBZme-dHlGPZ7McU2S-6wF2-Soh9NSEki_9EtNcJmRItbgBa33Qt44mz8ZM9TkyDuyeVjO4pGaVsnOipgrcaXBJwSawu9DxpYN_3TcxkAimJ7sQ_UFqO09-NWUYMWax9BMXgMsuw__iTVUQ9vs7lRmVx8/s3264/A52BDF50-2123-4EFF-885A-0B87DF4D10EE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxsG62yCU60coa2RPuvuLtIjbyvcDBZme-dHlGPZ7McU2S-6wF2-Soh9NSEki_9EtNcJmRItbgBa33Qt44mz8ZM9TkyDuyeVjO4pGaVsnOipgrcaXBJwSawu9DxpYN_3TcxkAimJ7sQ_UFqO09-NWUYMWax9BMXgMsuw__iTVUQ9vs7lRmVx8/w400-h300/A52BDF50-2123-4EFF-885A-0B87DF4D10EE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsJyB_Yfl2Cw9iljtdwMcv-dUy2CuqMMvVfhiEHL5itsT8k6ETbTzDdL8M7Dn63TxNK2nZYSHpAhR4pSKTTPFT4m9IrFQpxpiesZjZO6fOf5ESht1mMop5gT-Z0NvoOgNOe0orAuxtIU6A_muFRXcUkmV2NG4q0MyH-HQ49LJFmle80nn9Nk/s2717/F544C85A-1AFB-482D-B26F-697209CB7760.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2202" data-original-width="2717" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsJyB_Yfl2Cw9iljtdwMcv-dUy2CuqMMvVfhiEHL5itsT8k6ETbTzDdL8M7Dn63TxNK2nZYSHpAhR4pSKTTPFT4m9IrFQpxpiesZjZO6fOf5ESht1mMop5gT-Z0NvoOgNOe0orAuxtIU6A_muFRXcUkmV2NG4q0MyH-HQ49LJFmle80nn9Nk/w400-h324/F544C85A-1AFB-482D-B26F-697209CB7760.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="text-align: justify;">Even the ancient, warty Wrekin is softened with the flush of new green growth.</p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFH5mgcZkFxvZDAaTYwf075pVkgU9yx7rgoIVaqoUwweeio70ibGe2gwXfAb-K1XVOop-2fC-6f359LZX1grN1Fu02Vm8xWXizSi4-GM8os17fmRDjccBr1lUrJ93GqHvf5z0GWbG912ihhi4aGxOpzSb6MHOpQ3Yk-wTLcLI__rP8tv0PHk/s3264/9ED3089E-54E7-4BED-8850-61D95BA6D985.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUFH5mgcZkFxvZDAaTYwf075pVkgU9yx7rgoIVaqoUwweeio70ibGe2gwXfAb-K1XVOop-2fC-6f359LZX1grN1Fu02Vm8xWXizSi4-GM8os17fmRDjccBr1lUrJ93GqHvf5z0GWbG912ihhi4aGxOpzSb6MHOpQ3Yk-wTLcLI__rP8tv0PHk/w400-h300/9ED3089E-54E7-4BED-8850-61D95BA6D985.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have aways loved the sight of a narrow country road cutting through the landscape and forging onwards to an invisible end, softly edged by tumbling greenery, blurring the hard edges so that the road, for all its visual dominance, never entirely wins. And here is my own tumbledown cottage, hiding behind the greenery. If you look carefully, further down the lane you can see the lilac tree by the gate of Jean-and-Brian-next-door, </span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwBMy4TRbJfzo0pd02aXtyIeuZSthxDdt3RoxmSpkTclKjWaYHAklOLpoDcmLdP3gI4h5zO7p4XMfANnHqLG0CRgAPzY9HoUE8v4oBNQzXpx0IkqGay8NUKjuDj2K4wWTWFU9FzNN4A6HmylOygUOV_vdh-DF7Rr2C0wR7oQgeymDr0i4FIc/s3264/D165DE1B-373E-4F64-8C99-83EB8A8359A6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwBMy4TRbJfzo0pd02aXtyIeuZSthxDdt3RoxmSpkTclKjWaYHAklOLpoDcmLdP3gI4h5zO7p4XMfANnHqLG0CRgAPzY9HoUE8v4oBNQzXpx0IkqGay8NUKjuDj2K4wWTWFU9FzNN4A6HmylOygUOV_vdh-DF7Rr2C0wR7oQgeymDr0i4FIc/w300-h400/D165DE1B-373E-4F64-8C99-83EB8A8359A6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a motif that comes out in my own work again and again, as I reinterpret and simply the landscape around me, most recently in these miniature hills, an edition of two. It is also a firm control of the messy chaos of wool, taming the fibres into a solidly outlined object.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjjCxFgJO_GFTh7nfTiPGJMfP7AFw8bfMTY4q2PdjwscB69s6bFu5IF6Sg_KbtONoGFK2taONkVOHAgdyh3C_yIaqUQVZ_FSXJfYFbteuhRddUEm7yLweWid6Tj9juDA_59BXMXVN2-m8Bs7acHbtqQI6yn_fQDZy7D7avD6gauvLFsJ2S5s/s2051/3201D0E2-0639-41FB-A461-A076D8910DD4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2051" data-original-width="2051" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjjCxFgJO_GFTh7nfTiPGJMfP7AFw8bfMTY4q2PdjwscB69s6bFu5IF6Sg_KbtONoGFK2taONkVOHAgdyh3C_yIaqUQVZ_FSXJfYFbteuhRddUEm7yLweWid6Tj9juDA_59BXMXVN2-m8Bs7acHbtqQI6yn_fQDZy7D7avD6gauvLFsJ2S5s/s320/3201D0E2-0639-41FB-A461-A076D8910DD4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">And there is the contrast again, in this large still life I painted last Sunday, </span><span style="font-family: verdana;">with the hard plaster wall being softened and almost overwhelmed by the exuberance of the paint, depicting Fumitory and Honesty spilling out and escaping the confines of the white ceramic jug.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4zb8YN8RMzh7HptQeEB4sl_DryIe4U8vOSebccU9rlFzY5JXYKPgqA8HfdtfwlktFxiDyVFDlcpse-zG0HTmcncS69zCBnes98tx0seW8jrKHocD5TNAUNBsPRReYIgrD_KnDWUndysbaEOp8wiqSCSsnCL1J-E8Y5nXh17VAylU8OAAUAI/s1280/1FE55C6F-62B2-4750-B237-53F530D5AFB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4zb8YN8RMzh7HptQeEB4sl_DryIe4U8vOSebccU9rlFzY5JXYKPgqA8HfdtfwlktFxiDyVFDlcpse-zG0HTmcncS69zCBnes98tx0seW8jrKHocD5TNAUNBsPRReYIgrD_KnDWUndysbaEOp8wiqSCSsnCL1J-E8Y5nXh17VAylU8OAAUAI/w400-h400/1FE55C6F-62B2-4750-B237-53F530D5AFB6.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is a return to my early painting days of thirty years ago. A letting go of control, a ‘let’s see what happens if I do this’ and being content with using just a few loose, broad brushstrokes to do the visual heavy lifting of the background.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I cannot express how exhilarated and exhausted I was, by the time I put my brush down and thought ‘that’s it’.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuUS-GC7ooOt6g170Ewhl044jmcv249jEmLWtcbe4bS5w1AvBF3b_6e-gK3cvphuXV95xjWze0yqOoTU6ZtdLZZL2jp0UImdqH3jPME4U9RbB1DyIiByV9PLT6-zMELnIYVgtT-GstShpqkYpMBSXdnWQNpKu27DjVjrwXczcx7xLw5RAdzo/s1731/48FDFED8-52BF-45FD-89E1-7122F471DE1A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1137" data-original-width="1731" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuUS-GC7ooOt6g170Ewhl044jmcv249jEmLWtcbe4bS5w1AvBF3b_6e-gK3cvphuXV95xjWze0yqOoTU6ZtdLZZL2jp0UImdqH3jPME4U9RbB1DyIiByV9PLT6-zMELnIYVgtT-GstShpqkYpMBSXdnWQNpKu27DjVjrwXczcx7xLw5RAdzo/w400-h263/48FDFED8-52BF-45FD-89E1-7122F471DE1A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-63397247075690932452022-05-06T19:45:00.003+01:002022-05-06T19:45:46.482+01:00Resurfacing with flowers<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQRoI2KhQBG-u9OtavDjmla75AhEbuRW2qAKeE0ITEVZrkZH8xgv3uGGW68oNWGeROoosr_PDCogfUUddNvLGzVt4rYey28QvSSHXnWlbYmRp9Jz0CsCuk13h7JOn5kke1Gqbo5tJzzLbui0bMBulS_mEKWSiyTYgsmrJA3_tOeN6sEm2NTQ/s1280/DF5EE152-F4BA-47D6-B896-E72E8E136288.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1280" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQRoI2KhQBG-u9OtavDjmla75AhEbuRW2qAKeE0ITEVZrkZH8xgv3uGGW68oNWGeROoosr_PDCogfUUddNvLGzVt4rYey28QvSSHXnWlbYmRp9Jz0CsCuk13h7JOn5kke1Gqbo5tJzzLbui0bMBulS_mEKWSiyTYgsmrJA3_tOeN6sEm2NTQ/w400-h316/DF5EE152-F4BA-47D6-B896-E72E8E136288.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Dusting off the dear old blog and decorating it with some pretty hedgerow flowers. I have completely lost track of time, and can’t believe I haven’t posted since February (apologies) but I’m still here, lost in my quiet bubble of needle felting and painting. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My new needle felt book is finally due to be published at the end of May and I’ve posted links for pre-orders <a href="https://www.gretelparker.com/" target="_blank"><b>on my website</b></a>, including major worldwide sites. Although you can also order it through your local independent bookstore.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’m so happy with every single one of the twenty patterns, which are mostly seasonal home decor and wearables, with additional decorative elements of darning, stitching and patching. It’s not so much a book about how to needle felt as a book about what you can do with needle felting and how to expand the creative possibilities. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcwg4RQkjkgSAP7mF40mXoTMaE67RuTsdaMQUK2eIa2KzU43JgRs5wNoXWjw5JUb4ipq46HAwjS5_kP7qAv137_niAUyo0Ryst1399-5SKviTH9_fp6awI5RxJ-9sptLEQuQadrWsXhiWhIPhst8QkIqUgcMVy-56yJxqjJnW7p3HEsxvg94/s1058/E95790EF-C20D-4562-9332-344A115A05DE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="816" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcwg4RQkjkgSAP7mF40mXoTMaE67RuTsdaMQUK2eIa2KzU43JgRs5wNoXWjw5JUb4ipq46HAwjS5_kP7qAv137_niAUyo0Ryst1399-5SKviTH9_fp6awI5RxJ-9sptLEQuQadrWsXhiWhIPhst8QkIqUgcMVy-56yJxqjJnW7p3HEsxvg94/s320/E95790EF-C20D-4562-9332-344A115A05DE.jpeg" width="247" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">This has taken nearly two years to come to fruition, as it was commissioned pre-Covid at the start of 2020. When I finally got the go-ahead, I worked non-stop for months, eventually making over 100 pieces of work for the style photos. I haven’t yet held an actual copy in my hands; only then will it seem real. </span><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-14037385063652577062022-02-24T18:53:00.001+00:002022-02-24T18:53:29.235+00:00In the lambing shed<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZaul3Fvr06-ESNLftjAg1UMJmstzOAtKssaCnNmUSJUWwdWaRX0Bobkmh4GFBXtzCEId-1qKErDOVoHwhO54ALvlcygWprMKg3yrRtRvA2SnyEhtgDWSbAeeyXvSbf0a5AFg8CjT-EmKG2Uk7ak2ayY3h13MHEaMKDV8X-LQMqBkFB3S58Zw=s998" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="659" data-original-width="998" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZaul3Fvr06-ESNLftjAg1UMJmstzOAtKssaCnNmUSJUWwdWaRX0Bobkmh4GFBXtzCEId-1qKErDOVoHwhO54ALvlcygWprMKg3yrRtRvA2SnyEhtgDWSbAeeyXvSbf0a5AFg8CjT-EmKG2Uk7ak2ayY3h13MHEaMKDV8X-LQMqBkFB3S58Zw=w400-h264" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My first little adventure of the year and a day away from the cottage, to the other side of Shropshire where Friend One had arranged for Friend Two, her little girl and myself to visit a local sheep farmer who was in the middle of lambing. It was a chilly, wet day with a keen wind, but warmer in the shelter of the large hangar barn with the sweet scent of straw and wool scenting the air.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1PvylCD8Qm2GPN6gffjQ0p7jWJXSzTJwXesNB8IYb4rXMw6mnl9vIgE4LSg_AGAMVWs2FPv9qcwJbyKMJmAzfuHC7QlsnaRvCzXmJ6y7nu2MHj14UyBm5qAWM__Un7oH80GF1cRJogBOx7wovjHqpF88loNo3fBCeXWcIG5X_jzEyk2EnY6A=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="1280" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1PvylCD8Qm2GPN6gffjQ0p7jWJXSzTJwXesNB8IYb4rXMw6mnl9vIgE4LSg_AGAMVWs2FPv9qcwJbyKMJmAzfuHC7QlsnaRvCzXmJ6y7nu2MHj14UyBm5qAWM__Un7oH80GF1cRJogBOx7wovjHqpF88loNo3fBCeXWcIG5X_jzEyk2EnY6A=w400-h261" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not to mention the gentle bustle of dozens of sheep tending new born lambs, waiting to have lambs and ewes being jumped over (and sometimes on) by older lambs who had found their bouncing legs. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJLvylMx74HuQ-WNS2KapvX2wrRnbFxx74cyfkRwGqA8jVS6I-djpOHU2o9t8I2IAWdy-Q9O65s886WhLicWiVC1LvXmXyf8vYqvUKQUJRbO1s0Z4h1z3H_z8zhuVIsRNIMc9-3KD-gSR9eJfZZg38CWpAPwBmwrWuKD69pWYcAaT5U9dmVBc=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjJLvylMx74HuQ-WNS2KapvX2wrRnbFxx74cyfkRwGqA8jVS6I-djpOHU2o9t8I2IAWdy-Q9O65s886WhLicWiVC1LvXmXyf8vYqvUKQUJRbO1s0Z4h1z3H_z8zhuVIsRNIMc9-3KD-gSR9eJfZZg38CWpAPwBmwrWuKD69pWYcAaT5U9dmVBc=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmix0fIT0myIIAfK-BlURsgSUN0auTBVaEMnL6ScHm10JIWzeXeGtI4kQnod40qwn2YLf0hGD5YqTgseThcVkNhFQTmJ9TyVtFO9RFk45TimtHEuYHlaQ6SArOknfQU_e5RgiqF77lBbRucrutSY_lhPRNnVQ3FQg2XGrPS-Dt8UuaEfk9fD4=s3264" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjmix0fIT0myIIAfK-BlURsgSUN0auTBVaEMnL6ScHm10JIWzeXeGtI4kQnod40qwn2YLf0hGD5YqTgseThcVkNhFQTmJ9TyVtFO9RFk45TimtHEuYHlaQ6SArOknfQU_e5RgiqF77lBbRucrutSY_lhPRNnVQ3FQg2XGrPS-Dt8UuaEfk9fD4=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And of course, lambs copiously feeding from their ever patient mothers. <br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsmWW3o4DXEV1MjiDpjuiE4tjIz727hgfhO0cCj-j7GoEMqN_uQiaRl2quHQd7QbC2m1cIOO-LH5P3WmZoz8jFswRsxhQMbzjTQf302PYQ0zR5BnZImzRAoA0p6McQuuOJ2HE-y_i_BQ6RdrMrmntqN4lbtfILln_93-ShPR564l_ItQ2kAbk=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsmWW3o4DXEV1MjiDpjuiE4tjIz727hgfhO0cCj-j7GoEMqN_uQiaRl2quHQd7QbC2m1cIOO-LH5P3WmZoz8jFswRsxhQMbzjTQf302PYQ0zR5BnZImzRAoA0p6McQuuOJ2HE-y_i_BQ6RdrMrmntqN4lbtfILln_93-ShPR564l_ItQ2kAbk=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlbhUB1P7E7RaKh1XiKnw2YUwPQSv8EHu9wRDUpPPMEq2wv46h6_ou_rbyUh-MK6ethbconW6koYxkKVU-DxL4hE5G83J54YsG4HEYrIMRRkcK6t8lMJB4uqIFwsyG8aWH0wjWa1Q9I2uTW-cwRqxtu9ctJ5CReHPH3YCiZu23r4QvsxlUkOQ=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There was also a trio of orphaned lambs, being hand fed by the farmer who was on site all the time to look after his flock at this busy time of the year. Farming is a tough job and often gets a bad press, but this farmer dedicates his life to the welfare of his livestock, and it was very apparent from the way he cares for them. In fact, he almost persuaded me to adopt a friendly stray who followed us around like a little dog. I was a finger's width away from taking him home to keep the grass down, but came to my senses. Although I did decide he was called 'Henry'.</span><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizLeSXl9CsCcnQ2p6LGt-4KWHPhmI2gjrEFdYKYHfmZHzhSev5rXcO-zmzBql8VyiKgotYuCvnjKgbsxSCP4fWBhL0RbKuTtRLRxnwOqcLQDIQ1x_1WFkbzGFGY4JiZ7edwAkoRyLiddOT6ymivAdFZ6njkTTPQ66No8VWu2Hl_21Fn-EhfsY=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1280" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizLeSXl9CsCcnQ2p6LGt-4KWHPhmI2gjrEFdYKYHfmZHzhSev5rXcO-zmzBql8VyiKgotYuCvnjKgbsxSCP4fWBhL0RbKuTtRLRxnwOqcLQDIQ1x_1WFkbzGFGY4JiZ7edwAkoRyLiddOT6ymivAdFZ6njkTTPQ66No8VWu2Hl_21Fn-EhfsY=w400-h288" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0z4uEuJH3mH1NrSndMk1QrKplr12GFagtTRYw6-ICAirzZX7gHcQPwwIGx_fLYgy3KDccCeBE9axnSOCqJbmk00jJ9M8ipGd1e4bdzxrZTceRPyHEeGgRlo7BjYJoqv286dXgl9-02LSiyVwPgW8ZPTy_2_HyI43YoglEHIryD_kMYg3vMmU=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1280" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0z4uEuJH3mH1NrSndMk1QrKplr12GFagtTRYw6-ICAirzZX7gHcQPwwIGx_fLYgy3KDccCeBE9axnSOCqJbmk00jJ9M8ipGd1e4bdzxrZTceRPyHEeGgRlo7BjYJoqv286dXgl9-02LSiyVwPgW8ZPTy_2_HyI43YoglEHIryD_kMYg3vMmU=w400-h254" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbUoZs8fby9vEI38usFWN9tPNABZRHT4cAmOzS8MeUL8NTKYnWLYrMDyen3zQYQ-MBEulXSmKRyNHdFaXyGp-7IVH49KQ4YOhlVZ0gdZgxRHlVy1S3aYXxD3FECrPIWL3ZdAoXksQKYOpr4DrsAy8Hl9L_PLSCZ_6_ZC3YYa0TSkwMk7MPcVo=s1622" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="1622" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgbUoZs8fby9vEI38usFWN9tPNABZRHT4cAmOzS8MeUL8NTKYnWLYrMDyen3zQYQ-MBEulXSmKRyNHdFaXyGp-7IVH49KQ4YOhlVZ0gdZgxRHlVy1S3aYXxD3FECrPIWL3ZdAoXksQKYOpr4DrsAy8Hl9L_PLSCZ_6_ZC3YYa0TSkwMk7MPcVo=w400-h308" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When we'd had our fill of woolly adorableness, we returned to Friend One's lovely house, where she provided us with a delightful lunch - lamb was not on the menu. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz_TDX3aDM5_brU-edjITN_0_pnRRflwtbmGOxEDaQ7eigM7m7Ye82Ez7dHLoA38sETy-gNgGxtbaqRwILn54IXZPO2f7kYSzMaPudLO9ZyWPpjehTwCSNuYfC1cS0O_iLXShbnYfIpXY7LB4Qk6rM8ixtW4QL7H58tw41RpipcIBCrsImwH0=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="990" data-original-width="1280" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiz_TDX3aDM5_brU-edjITN_0_pnRRflwtbmGOxEDaQ7eigM7m7Ye82Ez7dHLoA38sETy-gNgGxtbaqRwILn54IXZPO2f7kYSzMaPudLO9ZyWPpjehTwCSNuYfC1cS0O_iLXShbnYfIpXY7LB4Qk6rM8ixtW4QL7H58tw41RpipcIBCrsImwH0=w400-h310" width="400" /></a></div><br />Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-64364197385431160802022-02-07T18:51:00.001+00:002022-02-07T18:51:19.697+00:00Playing with horses <p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjxS5V4CBgdYFnBVR7QnkLHM3OLVpf2aTEONyTvfRRWHeQ82nJtsn4BetSRWl2yWSnuyKbKaU9LSIMLayqv3EV-djKn6yl_P2wWr7MDHAkk-iZa-hyT_GLKcjzRRCT_LHLYgwRGjAS-v6zX95Q24hehx8SNkBKGmXlMxpFiVdqXQYF0ot4JEY=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1046" data-original-width="1280" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjjxS5V4CBgdYFnBVR7QnkLHM3OLVpf2aTEONyTvfRRWHeQ82nJtsn4BetSRWl2yWSnuyKbKaU9LSIMLayqv3EV-djKn6yl_P2wWr7MDHAkk-iZa-hyT_GLKcjzRRCT_LHLYgwRGjAS-v6zX95Q24hehx8SNkBKGmXlMxpFiVdqXQYF0ot4JEY=w400-h328" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now that Christmas and January are out of the way for a while, I’m back into a normal work pattern. I’ve been trying to set aside at least one day for playing around with ideas just for the sake of it. Needle felting is very much my ‘day job’ and my only other form of income, apart from my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/gretelparker" target="_blank">Patreon page</a>, therefore any time spent being randomly creative is a luxury. So last weekend I set my needles aside and riffled through my everyday sketch book, to find a sketch I could work up and colourise. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdizfykRjt6gz0pyQrumbYe9u53f6A56u_zJqwskJovVyY67A7x_xmqm8x20fbFRgaQqZlCIs1vozbPw5QbtaHQnb977U2MlR8Kj1foiZ4yPcweIj68o0PAB97dOS3cwHxOF4aX4dxdEK12TemzQfjNLBJquQUECGq2-xuF4dZJyXzBsPobn8=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1280" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdizfykRjt6gz0pyQrumbYe9u53f6A56u_zJqwskJovVyY67A7x_xmqm8x20fbFRgaQqZlCIs1vozbPw5QbtaHQnb977U2MlR8Kj1foiZ4yPcweIj68o0PAB97dOS3cwHxOF4aX4dxdEK12TemzQfjNLBJquQUECGq2-xuF4dZJyXzBsPobn8=w400-h324" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This sketch and the larger pastel piece are based on some little textile figures I created a hundred years ago. They form part of an internal world I’ve built up over time and I think of them as ‘the Walkers’ who travel silently and ominously through my imaginary lands (though sometimes I fancy I sense them creeping behind the field hedge at dusk). </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK5nCF_Ovnp7F0UqVy2Lb7NvmWs02YveR4zdPkUykaFA4td1hN7yjsTNHOIRPxCgkCSv9XyJDA8tgcXWGUoQAKiF9KNoxmH8WGstwR7DsYAYfwizcxXluwIBwPP3fumCpkuSfNBfvNwjYKE4M6FPhe4ZNeJbvYWIof3Q7zcbkjfCSgX5xWLG8=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1280" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiK5nCF_Ovnp7F0UqVy2Lb7NvmWs02YveR4zdPkUykaFA4td1hN7yjsTNHOIRPxCgkCSv9XyJDA8tgcXWGUoQAKiF9KNoxmH8WGstwR7DsYAYfwizcxXluwIBwPP3fumCpkuSfNBfvNwjYKE4M6FPhe4ZNeJbvYWIof3Q7zcbkjfCSgX5xWLG8=w400-h304" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The next morning, I began setting up a scene for a painting I have in mind. I found a small fish motif in another sketch book and cut it out to make a pond.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEircRX-YPfiK66aW-_VvctFlloS7DbsF7gwDycCKruoRXQuLh27gY2_eK1KenxZwe_F8fefg0ctCv-skz2oIXXS4SE0PnBeSlBG67qQImB39qZVTFAE6tR4wG4ROFwJQ0l9CE0mgstdg8wBU1OwbQiG51YulyCnez3kJ6vuRf8dyyMOF5kYYr8=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1280" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEircRX-YPfiK66aW-_VvctFlloS7DbsF7gwDycCKruoRXQuLh27gY2_eK1KenxZwe_F8fefg0ctCv-skz2oIXXS4SE0PnBeSlBG67qQImB39qZVTFAE6tR4wG4ROFwJQ0l9CE0mgstdg8wBU1OwbQiG51YulyCnez3kJ6vuRf8dyyMOF5kYYr8=w400-h295" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then, in need of a night sky, I roughly coloured up half of the backdrop…</span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXforaqA5hTNtsXFneSwss5QhgExcDQR2-IQllK1oG-r-vy4oBgk501uqLAIBaqqm4ud0itXjl_xw4TB8AysYzUHN_xpAZM7tC9atw1FFwgsToBvh1iUwmYbuNmHZ27bs9jhaFHLZF7tYR515nwQorBv5slqs_NnSC_OpljnMe9lmgUAtYjCc=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXforaqA5hTNtsXFneSwss5QhgExcDQR2-IQllK1oG-r-vy4oBgk501uqLAIBaqqm4ud0itXjl_xw4TB8AysYzUHN_xpAZM7tC9atw1FFwgsToBvh1iUwmYbuNmHZ27bs9jhaFHLZF7tYR515nwQorBv5slqs_NnSC_OpljnMe9lmgUAtYjCc=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">…and made each Walker a fish amulet, using some lovely buttons. Worship the Fish! </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaqhFWsmg1myH2Fy6i6A5SbdyGw2JQ4kdJRQrGC7fttSe7-SHRhfLJxIvmuMCCvjrjw8qHFZLn6Ih1kJSJsfyPBpCVwJXhP9gYmPrIku_RSqUbT2D5g2H1s5KUwNyYHn4GXH-nYMQeel17aC6XoJQhpTDxu8_KWCQtRt7oeqIiRiMnAAQ9Fjg=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaqhFWsmg1myH2Fy6i6A5SbdyGw2JQ4kdJRQrGC7fttSe7-SHRhfLJxIvmuMCCvjrjw8qHFZLn6Ih1kJSJsfyPBpCVwJXhP9gYmPrIku_RSqUbT2D5g2H1s5KUwNyYHn4GXH-nYMQeel17aC6XoJQhpTDxu8_KWCQtRt7oeqIiRiMnAAQ9Fjg=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="text-align: justify;">All of this is based around another roughly sketched idea, hastily scribbled down before it could escape. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6RH1uk_IOdGSvWZn_UyPPkdcRK5SVId62JBNukMN1PSa6Ato769fOzNr_LnmmyIdZjjxC9_lv7Cdi1LGR-ljrAgD-P7qlhMkIudOsd9JgSM8qToiq-V-tct1UfplCLotWO9-q7YG2zwZZOTysqzjBWHIxF9X1Pt43ZNimEV2CRcLEk7InnZ0=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1280" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6RH1uk_IOdGSvWZn_UyPPkdcRK5SVId62JBNukMN1PSa6Ato769fOzNr_LnmmyIdZjjxC9_lv7Cdi1LGR-ljrAgD-P7qlhMkIudOsd9JgSM8qToiq-V-tct1UfplCLotWO9-q7YG2zwZZOTysqzjBWHIxF9X1Pt43ZNimEV2CRcLEk7InnZ0=w400-h314" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I took a final shot and edited it to produce the kind of lighting effect I will be aiming for, when I come to do the actual artwork. But playtime is over for a while, so the Walkers sleep until another day.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlq782dydg01lm2q7Ups5VCSiQ7D2OsHH8hkn_zaCzC-ACR1D1Y1kxW-gZkQVTofQPcDcrj4MtM3pCkKVuinUD0xbQuLLVGKYUjN2goT4wa5uYuWf4SOhhejlGZeWu0hG8lEfk1QasvuSXTfXzAC9z_Em0uubiBxTmddf9kO3zjPIZkeZavVQ=s1280" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1036" data-original-width="1280" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlq782dydg01lm2q7Ups5VCSiQ7D2OsHH8hkn_zaCzC-ACR1D1Y1kxW-gZkQVTofQPcDcrj4MtM3pCkKVuinUD0xbQuLLVGKYUjN2goT4wa5uYuWf4SOhhejlGZeWu0hG8lEfk1QasvuSXTfXzAC9z_Em0uubiBxTmddf9kO3zjPIZkeZavVQ=w400-h324" width="400" /></a></div></span><p></p><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-85133678051765655732022-01-20T18:03:00.000+00:002022-01-20T18:03:18.955+00:00Eggs<p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFYChM9ZqjXdjpkGJ1aaS_Bxej1BT7ItIVjMPTgTdIoGV3n2UEtjZdTVI0dhB84UAE8S8DNvfJg3reRLQ6B-kIcEz3a0TBimab9CRgqEJhhN7ac6RIGzoD9c21BKEZ-yPW9-AdDXlYT4CKDT5AzfiWR27af9pwuExrx1Th3BHpyW5pOFwzv1w=s1280" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFYChM9ZqjXdjpkGJ1aaS_Bxej1BT7ItIVjMPTgTdIoGV3n2UEtjZdTVI0dhB84UAE8S8DNvfJg3reRLQ6B-kIcEz3a0TBimab9CRgqEJhhN7ac6RIGzoD9c21BKEZ-yPW9-AdDXlYT4CKDT5AzfiWR27af9pwuExrx1Th3BHpyW5pOFwzv1w=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">It’s been nine years since Andy died and while I try to avoid public wallowing, this year it has been particularly difficult. I’ve made my latest Patreon post public for anyone who is interested. Otherwise, I’ll see you next month for a hopefully more cheerful post. Link below. </span></p><p><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/eggs-61418852" style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;" target="_blank">READ ‘EGGS’ HERE</a></p><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-62101792463908037112021-12-21T18:46:00.002+00:002021-12-21T18:47:14.482+00:00The longest night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnJcF-S4kVr9mZn8F7F64B5SenlTCWJsJyraumWVryz2ZRqsSaElz5lHeMSeZhehQ0AXb-oo3BF4tuYq92TBxJoou8sBWRVC9mJdqsqD_qj4Tz4_jnZSLiaeWqF6SbxxjffF6_uCXSBWuKh4a2cBJRinftvkLVgE0igLt_qAbYmm0xQCCCnwY=s3253" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2364" data-original-width="3253" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnJcF-S4kVr9mZn8F7F64B5SenlTCWJsJyraumWVryz2ZRqsSaElz5lHeMSeZhehQ0AXb-oo3BF4tuYq92TBxJoou8sBWRVC9mJdqsqD_qj4Tz4_jnZSLiaeWqF6SbxxjffF6_uCXSBWuKh4a2cBJRinftvkLVgE0igLt_qAbYmm0xQCCCnwY=w400-h291" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As I’ve been juggling Christmas orders with bouts of being-in-bed, I’ve made my pre-Christmas Patreon post public for anyone who would like to read small, commonplace goings (and a snapshot of my beloved old teddy bears). Link below.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/60177944" target="_blank">SOLSTICE</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-2391252652394286542021-11-18T17:10:00.000+00:002021-11-18T17:10:01.924+00:00In search of blue<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHAPEYQk68z6TPjUqkEi6jfHCZHkdVY-tgCRhG_WCQ3d6Fpgdj99gnPvHh-9NAP7WzJZ_AdAYHC7OAxG0d5OffzXO6MWaELctefkVovQjGEswAHsaKYMTWpxMWKZvi7oaXGxOLQ/s1000/Shorpshire-Hills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="656" data-original-width="1000" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZHAPEYQk68z6TPjUqkEi6jfHCZHkdVY-tgCRhG_WCQ3d6Fpgdj99gnPvHh-9NAP7WzJZ_AdAYHC7OAxG0d5OffzXO6MWaELctefkVovQjGEswAHsaKYMTWpxMWKZvi7oaXGxOLQ/w400-h263/Shorpshire-Hills.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In search of blue on a November day, I went walking hereabouts. Lowering clouds clung to the cap of Caer Caradoc.</span><br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KYj_eXlomad0oCsvD88xomK5PEXZQZ5wKobEJihsF8VSanEo1LnM7GA9PUlkRaaPGu2oBCTKiS4xJ1VrB5IKpr4V9053OY_hGupcEQJaMZAFvDi62R2mk69Q-Io3V80fpSDphQ/s1000/03-Shropshire-countryside.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="1000" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3KYj_eXlomad0oCsvD88xomK5PEXZQZ5wKobEJihsF8VSanEo1LnM7GA9PUlkRaaPGu2oBCTKiS4xJ1VrB5IKpr4V9053OY_hGupcEQJaMZAFvDi62R2mk69Q-Io3V80fpSDphQ/w400-h245/03-Shropshire-countryside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Across new shoots, a thin patch of sky over an isolated farm.</span><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1J6BKXkQ50EdtLhqaDfi83nuonK76VD4VnLjvp0aXPW7LSV74APvF81ChudZqBvlbRgWyWw7N7EOt4kVabRkdFw5b0yNEGShpR-oVEIF-QNFJySHxuoUk1OYxExetML-G-DoXg/s1000/Shropshire-sheep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="792" data-original-width="1000" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi1J6BKXkQ50EdtLhqaDfi83nuonK76VD4VnLjvp0aXPW7LSV74APvF81ChudZqBvlbRgWyWw7N7EOt4kVabRkdFw5b0yNEGShpR-oVEIF-QNFJySHxuoUk1OYxExetML-G-DoXg/w400-h316/Shropshire-sheep.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Over wintering sheep grazing, fat and content in the emerging sun.</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqxcMy0TsShzWnJOxXzpfh51ymrcx-qrNoaEVC80b1W2jGd9ZKTKktRS1C-AscZ7dSPqWImQOnv1YbcDAHoHx1Z535JQ4q408fJ6y8IXqfOjejNh9HjQAUkibzBjIJrKa10d6XA/s1000/Red-Chimney-Pots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1000" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqxcMy0TsShzWnJOxXzpfh51ymrcx-qrNoaEVC80b1W2jGd9ZKTKktRS1C-AscZ7dSPqWImQOnv1YbcDAHoHx1Z535JQ4q408fJ6y8IXqfOjejNh9HjQAUkibzBjIJrKa10d6XA/w400-h276/Red-Chimney-Pots.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> Farmhouse chimneys, warm and red .</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VmSNhSgueR2CREj4uaOaSobeM25vQN08Xl6EjSDQxh8XNG9qA7Hqo3t5rRkSDQvvRoMtS3MTZVEAwqi4jIPURaBcUstdvx0Xg0nBQQQiwmH203D8T3YuQPJUwLxC06OkdkuUMg/s1000/Shropshire-in-Autumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VmSNhSgueR2CREj4uaOaSobeM25vQN08Xl6EjSDQxh8XNG9qA7Hqo3t5rRkSDQvvRoMtS3MTZVEAwqi4jIPURaBcUstdvx0Xg0nBQQQiwmH203D8T3YuQPJUwLxC06OkdkuUMg/w400-h300/Shropshire-in-Autumn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div></div> <p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nearing home. Suddenly the sun sweeps widely across the fields, and all is a blaze of cerulean, green and gold.</span><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj0rl8c22dX5Ejx0qb0zR5JSEoNMmL5VFCsfqHMftbieLBSWy4qKelWIjrHUV71LRxn8UZ6Wr7kwu2sPTwAXv7ccagN7-xoJ2kTh-vld5GlQIXomz2L9_yUlpvmFliiMFzh4j6g/s900/Blue-Stone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="678" data-original-width="900" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmj0rl8c22dX5Ejx0qb0zR5JSEoNMmL5VFCsfqHMftbieLBSWy4qKelWIjrHUV71LRxn8UZ6Wr7kwu2sPTwAXv7ccagN7-xoJ2kTh-vld5GlQIXomz2L9_yUlpvmFliiMFzh4j6g/w400-h301/Blue-Stone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And there it is, where you least expect it; a large stone glowing coldly in the dirt path; icy aqua, a glacier in miniature and I have found my blue.</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><br /></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-88620191891213098532021-11-07T18:01:00.005+00:002021-11-07T18:08:33.789+00:00The snail emerges<br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH5eRGNZrlJdK-JpT6Y1IAx3loKg_v6rIywm7425CuKhoAUlKm5b1Bs890G-vx33DAuHdOv2mjrkioGg8pORhGrIECrKTPVsT0Z3mNW8kd9TGW7xg_k1mrNliuyJqZWIeDR01bA/s1280/F6BC5BB5-9C12-41C4-8A9C-09A9DAECBE97.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoH5eRGNZrlJdK-JpT6Y1IAx3loKg_v6rIywm7425CuKhoAUlKm5b1Bs890G-vx33DAuHdOv2mjrkioGg8pORhGrIECrKTPVsT0Z3mNW8kd9TGW7xg_k1mrNliuyJqZWIeDR01bA/w400-h400/F6BC5BB5-9C12-41C4-8A9C-09A9DAECBE97.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, here we are already in November and I’ve been away from here for some time. But, like a seemingly deceased snail that slowly pokes its head out of its shell unexpectedly, it’s time to surface again. There are so many things I have to do, that I get overwhelmed and then tired and then guilty for not having more energy, more organisational skills, something more interesting to say. And then I wonder, would anyone notice if I disappeared from here? But, like the aforementioned snail, I creep on, feeling the weight of my shell and resisting the urge to hide away forever in it’s safe, dark coil. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex1s4DBCyzaIAybcQscgrZHC9P1x0js-4392vmKtzd-j13bDeUxqSYiFD6efIbM0h0hBJ5RAvfpttd6i62GFDs5smb-P4LFcPsU_DQebWmfM1ToeW58FiiYY8Oad3JBGmtwiEVg/s1280/11E44180-96AC-49EE-92C0-E4739BD638B5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiex1s4DBCyzaIAybcQscgrZHC9P1x0js-4392vmKtzd-j13bDeUxqSYiFD6efIbM0h0hBJ5RAvfpttd6i62GFDs5smb-P4LFcPsU_DQebWmfM1ToeW58FiiYY8Oad3JBGmtwiEVg/w400-h400/11E44180-96AC-49EE-92C0-E4739BD638B5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’ve been catching up with the many things that were neglected when my book took precedence over everything. I’ve painted and felted, drawn and designed, rested and read and had the odd bit of socialising. </span> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUPabvonebs-JLEGOYo3Y5SDnYvXmGR-sC9r1BJlCKefMYaotj8YbxvaZsqM4BL3YUxuxQVRp5-WD4IXQ8pETNZdGYcD68D6n3pdwJlOzjYJcUTBO8SDhrrYPkLOxOXBX5X9Dw/s1280/1FE0372E-1DE5-4774-BE73-9E85B9D87A4D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUPabvonebs-JLEGOYo3Y5SDnYvXmGR-sC9r1BJlCKefMYaotj8YbxvaZsqM4BL3YUxuxQVRp5-WD4IXQ8pETNZdGYcD68D6n3pdwJlOzjYJcUTBO8SDhrrYPkLOxOXBX5X9Dw/w400-h400/1FE0372E-1DE5-4774-BE73-9E85B9D87A4D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">There is a mythical part of my future where I am caught up with everything - all my shop stock listed, all my Patreon pledges up to date, all my ideas down on paper and having something original to say every day for the wheel of social media that never stops turning. But for now, I will be content that I have raised my snail head, said hello to my dear old blog and slowly slither on. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUkJ5RMrXFCUyX5yphWUTEnToPUmg_QVLkMmCmiHT4XxofW2i-oiLH76mIBHFIaafGgb_kljX38a3PcMpfbUXyeUeo1452uYwvrvcgFLdpa-db5b0QFsAPOBJR_L9GXBCKL0suQ/s1280/0632A8FE-843A-4333-8A57-ABA8676DF78C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUkJ5RMrXFCUyX5yphWUTEnToPUmg_QVLkMmCmiHT4XxofW2i-oiLH76mIBHFIaafGgb_kljX38a3PcMpfbUXyeUeo1452uYwvrvcgFLdpa-db5b0QFsAPOBJR_L9GXBCKL0suQ/w400-h400/0632A8FE-843A-4333-8A57-ABA8676DF78C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For regular weekly postings and a more confidential 'behind the scenes' look at my quiet, cottage life, you can become a 'Seed' subscriber to my <b><a href="https://www.patreon.com/gretelparker" target="_blank">Patreon page</a></b>, for a small monthly contribution of £3 per month or go up a level and save towards one of my needle felted pieces. It's a nice, safe place with friends and helps me pay the bills. </span><br /></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-2419932990276584672021-09-01T09:38:00.003+01:002021-09-01T09:38:22.976+01:00Woolly chaos and catching up<p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqB056dRvt7h1dSWV4KhX_M7rSHshJwVTwavMXbPEzkcp-6VWtjiTniuGgP3QfMbYG1UWcYcP7vYeaI6mC4H6of18SQMgSIz-WawTv3jjQAMTn6HOZZsYU4E82X_-IVIHXxNaHw/s1280/90DF9F30-72C1-40AB-8F4D-D06EDBC767D0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqB056dRvt7h1dSWV4KhX_M7rSHshJwVTwavMXbPEzkcp-6VWtjiTniuGgP3QfMbYG1UWcYcP7vYeaI6mC4H6of18SQMgSIz-WawTv3jjQAMTn6HOZZsYU4E82X_-IVIHXxNaHw/w400-h300/90DF9F30-72C1-40AB-8F4D-D06EDBC767D0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since sending my boxes of book samples off to be photographed a few weeks ago, I’ve been able to tackle a very long list of things that have been put to one side while I worked - it feels as if the last year has disappeared into a black hole of getting the book done. So this has been the state of my studio as I have been <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Gretelparker?ref=si_shop&section_id=14183371" target="_blank">restocking my shop with wools</a> and taking fresh shots which look better than the ones I’ve been using for the last six years. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSSnrBi-uPm19LSJiLPPf7FbbLOT3JLYDes3jwX5r4Jxp6ayF2oCyGTU55ddJ-WBTIJVct5F5CyqO5z5NJUdDFtONKJUC7Mr9Pcwlb_7tdmXpK4AnPIYiFisMi9bdb4iuwaT2JA/s1280/7AF28517-F681-428C-A8FE-C3720B29E80D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTSSnrBi-uPm19LSJiLPPf7FbbLOT3JLYDes3jwX5r4Jxp6ayF2oCyGTU55ddJ-WBTIJVct5F5CyqO5z5NJUdDFtONKJUC7Mr9Pcwlb_7tdmXpK4AnPIYiFisMi9bdb4iuwaT2JA/w400-h300/7AF28517-F681-428C-A8FE-C3720B29E80D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">Last week my art director Jane Toft (who was the original editor of ‘Mollie Makes’ and who gave me my <a href="https://allaroundus.blogspot.com/2012/04/mollie-makes-me.html" target="_blank">first magazine break</a> back in 2012) held the book's photo shoot with the professional style photographer <a href="https://www.jessewild.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jesse Wilde</a>, who has an impressive portfolio, specialising in artist and craft subjects. Jane emailed me some in-progress snaps of how it was going on the day, which shows stills of my work, the camera being hooked up to her power book. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIAbDEyrUfIcASnl-Q3IfnX-chqE4Z29GsERU_fuh2ZNUzj-mngZ-QbmlDXqnL0A6QP6bwtH2WhugtrgkR5e3DGUEOSPL95QoQq8tm4x7_f1VuE23YTL_kWBM3mP6T0JOysuV8Q/s1396/8FD6721C-1842-4014-B3A7-13200EADC44C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="1396" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitIAbDEyrUfIcASnl-Q3IfnX-chqE4Z29GsERU_fuh2ZNUzj-mngZ-QbmlDXqnL0A6QP6bwtH2WhugtrgkR5e3DGUEOSPL95QoQq8tm4x7_f1VuE23YTL_kWBM3mP6T0JOysuV8Q/s320/8FD6721C-1842-4014-B3A7-13200EADC44C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;">Somebody asked me on my Facebook page if there is somebody to take the pattern shots too, and no, there isn't, it would be impossible. A pattern can take at least a week to shoot for all kinds of reasons; the quality (or not) of light, getting a piece from point 1) to point 2) to point 3) and tweaking. So thats all down to me and my trusty old camera and that's why it takes so long. But I'm happy to leave this kind of thing in more expert hands and it's good to have fresh eyes on my work.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwP_VreEs0XOFjepQhaD5OcihccSU71fLhyphenhyphen2wdTeSOe1MwG5dKa6F_79SAG4zNBi_XZ7joQhd4FWm0SFZed0ncFs6ggpEUV_v0oc1zDsFLVfCyhwKOmih5Sv0vTOzKZSF3zVXEA/s606/022FE652-2CE0-43CB-91A2-026B4540DDD2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="606" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJwP_VreEs0XOFjepQhaD5OcihccSU71fLhyphenhyphen2wdTeSOe1MwG5dKa6F_79SAG4zNBi_XZ7joQhd4FWm0SFZed0ncFs6ggpEUV_v0oc1zDsFLVfCyhwKOmih5Sv0vTOzKZSF3zVXEA/s320/022FE652-2CE0-43CB-91A2-026B4540DDD2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s rather amazing to see it all, coming together at last, after a year and a half. Quite a lot has happened since then; it’s been over a year since Joe left with his tail between his legs, taking just a few hurriedly packed bags of clothes and I’m still working through sorting the left-behind stuff out, as he hasn’t bothered to reply to my request to send a van around for it all. Life is so much better without him though, and once the shock had worn off, I soon realised that life was immensely improved by his absence. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I need to get logs chopped and the chimney swept as I spent last winter without using the wood burner, which was not fun, although it has seen a couple of feathered visitors this summer, including this sooty bundle of fluff, who made a quick exit through an open window.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN13clt4TJTyxHjHKFRK5IxOtv1b0mKHqLQc8o92Lcyjf95CAutR-3guM4z57_jjk6PhjOQcK1c-t7aJmzW0hTq0qJqyuVhhESN3DdBY1MbL_J333ORMb-5j1J79jKOXSdc7Wv1g/s1280/4244BA88-A243-48BD-819E-2F8FF088F863.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN13clt4TJTyxHjHKFRK5IxOtv1b0mKHqLQc8o92Lcyjf95CAutR-3guM4z57_jjk6PhjOQcK1c-t7aJmzW0hTq0qJqyuVhhESN3DdBY1MbL_J333ORMb-5j1J79jKOXSdc7Wv1g/s320/4244BA88-A243-48BD-819E-2F8FF088F863.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My ‘to-do-list is gradually shrinking, and I have to clear it before my book samples return from their big adventure, when I will be photographing them for my shop, in time for the holiday season. Onward!</span></p><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-31739368694013429782021-08-21T19:21:00.001+01:002021-08-21T19:44:54.435+01:00Art at the Orangery <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u9z6ymxExVzLDehCBY_mLANOlmbs4IN2yzb2r3w32dJSCD-wjGJsDW8_hDIIEbdvPbe3dFT7NiWwNeAdwXOQyZy6Lu4_4t_zXR-m9JJtEOAPZCqjP-AqgLhV87qPXFvkMiltnA/s1000/01-Pitchford-Estate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-u9z6ymxExVzLDehCBY_mLANOlmbs4IN2yzb2r3w32dJSCD-wjGJsDW8_hDIIEbdvPbe3dFT7NiWwNeAdwXOQyZy6Lu4_4t_zXR-m9JJtEOAPZCqjP-AqgLhV87qPXFvkMiltnA/w300-h400/01-Pitchford-Estate.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’ve had the pleasure of the company of an old friend recently, who I haven’t seen in person for about three years. We had a lovely couple of days together and I was taken out for meals, some local sight seeing and thoroughly spoilt. (Subscribers to my Patreon blog extra can find a picture packed post about our visit to Attingham Park and house <b><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/55167897" target="_blank">here</a></b>). <br /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As if this social whirl was not enough, I returned home to find an invitation to an art exhibition which was being held at the nearby <b><a href="http://www.pitchfordestate.com/" target="_blank">Pitchford Estate</a></b>, at the Orangery. My distant neighbours, Mary and Hugh, who own the <b><a href="https://www.twenty-twenty.co.uk/" target="_blank">Twenty Twenty Gallery</a></b> in Ludlow, had put together a small but carefully curated weekend show for a handful of artists. And so I took Marjorie out for the ten minute cycle down the road and around the corner, to the long, lime tree walk that leads up to the main entrance of the hall. </span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP9NvyLisfxg9QuZpxMth9yARJLaZ7kdwUfBWdcJM_Xnel0QVvz2EOA31qqFb4Z0LmjPCj1MRHqPAKUeIOuz6dFC8jnFw7azswx8mVlWwZ47uQ5cA7tQgLLSBqf104C5HaitMkw/s1000/02-Pitchford-Estate-Church.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDP9NvyLisfxg9QuZpxMth9yARJLaZ7kdwUfBWdcJM_Xnel0QVvz2EOA31qqFb4Z0LmjPCj1MRHqPAKUeIOuz6dFC8jnFw7azswx8mVlWwZ47uQ5cA7tQgLLSBqf104C5HaitMkw/w400-h300/02-Pitchford-Estate-Church.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the bottom of the walk sits the small church where, a lifetime ago, <a href="https://allaroundus.blogspot.com/2013/04/alone-in-little-church.html" target="_blank"><b>I sat alone and bleak</b>,</a> mourning the recent loss of my beloved Andy. It was good to be returning for a happier occasion. The estate was peppered with the work of local sculptor<b> <a href="https://www.sharongriffinart.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Griffin</a></b>, a couple of her heads seen here beneath the tree house, which is said to be the site of the world's oldest tree house with origins in the 17th century. This is a much later construction, built in the style of the main house itself. (Read <b><a href="http://www.pitchfordestate.com/treehouse-page" target="_blank">more here</a></b>). <br /></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb3Jn7Z2CV82_xw300DqeZNLAqA8VHm07cODWa2R3_xa7tKRpC5rkYx24mIpPI-o7x4WEqI_n7I-tVbephT3tKcA2DOYGWm1MDJKnsdJUFTFs37nn_l3DNR3e9Bi7SpaCPhA13Q/s1100/08-Victorian-Tree-House-Pit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="1100" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbb3Jn7Z2CV82_xw300DqeZNLAqA8VHm07cODWa2R3_xa7tKRpC5rkYx24mIpPI-o7x4WEqI_n7I-tVbephT3tKcA2DOYGWm1MDJKnsdJUFTFs37nn_l3DNR3e9Bi7SpaCPhA13Q/w400-h300/08-Victorian-Tree-House-Pit.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YON8R95sMLty1ZDLPdg6fiSALE9kPThaeHrw2vewY3s3qkrVzVYrZMoQaTUns8vtQR8xUKjzxIRQi8gcqCYh6Qlsr36xBr6ZIFqgDqprAfTylQ-98UsKmDvvL9M4vJqBdri9pA/s1200/10-Marjorie-at-Pitchford-Es.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YON8R95sMLty1ZDLPdg6fiSALE9kPThaeHrw2vewY3s3qkrVzVYrZMoQaTUns8vtQR8xUKjzxIRQi8gcqCYh6Qlsr36xBr6ZIFqgDqprAfTylQ-98UsKmDvvL9M4vJqBdri9pA/w400-h300/10-Marjorie-at-Pitchford-Es.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I parked Marjorie near a pair of heads so that she could soak up some artistic atmosphere as well, and entered the orangery.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8jC-tmqpKMFcHQYPN95ua9X-zp103jkwMWiWXF3iRbYEVlG-ukI7JA-Ajn9k9oPqs7JNqG4gn8rUl6XDGMZrdd-O5_Sy8BTEaa3tfk_YrQhIAZgZznVUveiyc_8ujWHBBAgw3g/s1280/552C5453-3B5D-4D76-916E-50011F1CFF1F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8jC-tmqpKMFcHQYPN95ua9X-zp103jkwMWiWXF3iRbYEVlG-ukI7JA-Ajn9k9oPqs7JNqG4gn8rUl6XDGMZrdd-O5_Sy8BTEaa3tfk_YrQhIAZgZznVUveiyc_8ujWHBBAgw3g/w400-h300/552C5453-3B5D-4D76-916E-50011F1CFF1F.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The orangery itself sits to one side of a spacious walled garden, where more of Sharon’s work could be seen.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu4YkgZqJWlOxtNFFLqqw336dfiALl6-zvO8mIwnBJPWv64sWWUEt-Y_qJ4j3_etmyhRoIP2O9cVS2AjRvw_o9wX3JTjhBOKfLmQtupxAegBTOAyT3eELF07zQpXMpxosGTpUyg/s1280/25D3866A-1CA2-45D4-8EFA-41B511F4FD1C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu4YkgZqJWlOxtNFFLqqw336dfiALl6-zvO8mIwnBJPWv64sWWUEt-Y_qJ4j3_etmyhRoIP2O9cVS2AjRvw_o9wX3JTjhBOKfLmQtupxAegBTOAyT3eELF07zQpXMpxosGTpUyg/w400-h400/25D3866A-1CA2-45D4-8EFA-41B511F4FD1C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8mFrPm3nT-hbK7qkpiA9KlgkSPZzms9-HmwlX_5bjnXPius7j60AFK6-70kXxLjkgfe4Qu0L7YpZTmg9UQy_-XChSWJWnc2w4cAURsbqShD4GNK4hyiqdT8t-EToJzCKslOMEw/s1200/06-Pitchford-Estate.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh8mFrPm3nT-hbK7qkpiA9KlgkSPZzms9-HmwlX_5bjnXPius7j60AFK6-70kXxLjkgfe4Qu0L7YpZTmg9UQy_-XChSWJWnc2w4cAURsbqShD4GNK4hyiqdT8t-EToJzCKslOMEw/w400-h300/06-Pitchford-Estate.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3Nt_HgmgLaoLupMSNP5w61nVXZw1OCA1wI_0Q9wPXbf__slzCCCfyp2yHUv85rSiAyuiOVkywAKwtPsgB3SG8vMQcfS2EOUnhxi5DRmDJtcLqWoRG7kBIKiSk6BR5WxQ5ldqNw/s2048/D1F90AAD-3A5C-4C76-8338-C8B893FDBB79.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3Nt_HgmgLaoLupMSNP5w61nVXZw1OCA1wI_0Q9wPXbf__slzCCCfyp2yHUv85rSiAyuiOVkywAKwtPsgB3SG8vMQcfS2EOUnhxi5DRmDJtcLqWoRG7kBIKiSk6BR5WxQ5ldqNw/w400-h300/D1F90AAD-3A5C-4C76-8338-C8B893FDBB79.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Inside and feeling a little shy, I was greeted warmly by Mary and introduced to to Sharon herself, who was spending the weekend demonstrating and working on another piece. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduhyphenhyphenDMRT6FC17IKWo-obliWmwfbXzm9MAtJM-43G-NMY0gmPY9_OezTU5QAP-J7DNhRiIazKBBBB61R27lk7pOPWp6luoSOUguwa7h1FCgiJ_vj8Ds9UqS99ZWI7kkprpztMdxQ/s2048/A549A937-9D93-4CAB-B9D9-5768BCC6AB9D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjduhyphenhyphenDMRT6FC17IKWo-obliWmwfbXzm9MAtJM-43G-NMY0gmPY9_OezTU5QAP-J7DNhRiIazKBBBB61R27lk7pOPWp6luoSOUguwa7h1FCgiJ_vj8Ds9UqS99ZWI7kkprpztMdxQ/w400-h400/A549A937-9D93-4CAB-B9D9-5768BCC6AB9D.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpBrB8faTFQVWoNyM_DfXtqxUJqSXk7EqXhCoWM8vLnRF5zYrPwaYDBkZWaBcya7yRDM51wQCmD9EcsvVB2auG9whkjcjXEVmouc3_6risRpUWTJ449NO1KGmMJuBPjtupdV79g/s2048/0080919B-CA7B-4792-AC3B-48BE46129DB4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpBrB8faTFQVWoNyM_DfXtqxUJqSXk7EqXhCoWM8vLnRF5zYrPwaYDBkZWaBcya7yRDM51wQCmD9EcsvVB2auG9whkjcjXEVmouc3_6risRpUWTJ449NO1KGmMJuBPjtupdV79g/w400-h400/0080919B-CA7B-4792-AC3B-48BE46129DB4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had a very nice chat, and then I went to look at the paintings, which included a collection of Pitchford Hall interiors <a href="https://www.matthewwoodpaintings.com/" target="_blank">by Matthew Wood</a> - </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FVdIg8VfFTV-zRAjdRfUrCNkVe46QaMqrrIC91OWHXbS-Ii-hHyv7V5562y4Qwjuhl2f1aS1n0fr9l0IYPLMNiA7LaNB5JzYjQEn-ko8duGH7WT_LOsJN9FaUdF3MfdKRmFjdg/s2048/3CF0404A-25FC-4B4D-88B3-2FBA837F4E4B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FVdIg8VfFTV-zRAjdRfUrCNkVe46QaMqrrIC91OWHXbS-Ii-hHyv7V5562y4Qwjuhl2f1aS1n0fr9l0IYPLMNiA7LaNB5JzYjQEn-ko8duGH7WT_LOsJN9FaUdF3MfdKRmFjdg/w400-h400/3CF0404A-25FC-4B4D-88B3-2FBA837F4E4B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9f9iV0i7rCyelMBrIQzfR-OPIcLA-ZNNGFZY_PGYSoA-uB65i-s8A2Y1c3c7EmDav5c9sXk9Vwx7zjTcQzYKXbgV-ewpIFJxjpsBaHelfEJVV0pViPM5Rq7L2jvchnWbi2rEuA/s1000/05-Matthew-Wood-artist.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="858" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS9f9iV0i7rCyelMBrIQzfR-OPIcLA-ZNNGFZY_PGYSoA-uB65i-s8A2Y1c3c7EmDav5c9sXk9Vwx7zjTcQzYKXbgV-ewpIFJxjpsBaHelfEJVV0pViPM5Rq7L2jvchnWbi2rEuA/w344-h400/05-Matthew-Wood-artist.jpg" width="344" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> And gorgeous, haunting works by another Shrewsbury artist, <a href="https://annmccay.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ann McCay</a></span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe_3d6KS-0K2-JC1jLan8BRLSnHzVEJnVBdWuZZOVOd8c_wm9oLmCqcjhRRv_eSt8IWhGs5ne_sYkDxVOoTNUWUhIAOd182lodbsIyax9OOWkDseUKx-srU_waQrP1tghY9FWeQ/s1000/04-Ann--McCay-painting.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="841" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqe_3d6KS-0K2-JC1jLan8BRLSnHzVEJnVBdWuZZOVOd8c_wm9oLmCqcjhRRv_eSt8IWhGs5ne_sYkDxVOoTNUWUhIAOd182lodbsIyax9OOWkDseUKx-srU_waQrP1tghY9FWeQ/w336-h400/04-Ann--McCay-painting.jpg" width="336" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My very favourite was 'Collecting Sticks', which, had it been within my means, I would happily have purchased. But there are boring things such as bills and a large mortgage to pay, so I sighed a little as I told Mary how much I loved it and as it happened, Ann was sat nearby, so we were introduced. She immediately said 'red shirt' and I replied 'electric bike' and it turned out that we'd seen each other in June when we had all attended a performance of 'Tess of the d'Ubervilles' which was my first post lockdown treat to myself back in June, also held at the Orangery. I (of course) had cycled there on Marjorie and she and her husband had passed us on their much faster electric bikes. And I had been wearing a red checkered shirt. </span><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgWmDc8mKeAzPjFZGDPBwMrXPhP6G1rlXuL4YGEXE37u7mfd3CHydy4qkc6YmBscvzG_QlVX_2iGis6fm6JPIZS41L6eDd2do-dkkrHfTLsG9BR-LMqaTVKtsfxDS5Ch7r5JM1A/s2048/E0DE2EB1-9B06-447B-B625-8C7096D5E1DA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgWmDc8mKeAzPjFZGDPBwMrXPhP6G1rlXuL4YGEXE37u7mfd3CHydy4qkc6YmBscvzG_QlVX_2iGis6fm6JPIZS41L6eDd2do-dkkrHfTLsG9BR-LMqaTVKtsfxDS5Ch7r5JM1A/s320/E0DE2EB1-9B06-447B-B625-8C7096D5E1DA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">After another lovely chat, it was time to head home. I haven't had a social life since moving here nearly nine years ago, but in the last few months, with two new local friends to do things with and now making some more connections, I am starting to feel a little less isolated at last. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One final glimpse of the Elizabethan splendour of Pitchford Hall, glimpsed through the trees as Marjorie and I made our way back to the cottage. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinceaYlxaRo2pm1rkTbCT9664r53NsTopYmSo8S4CU3koyYNpus3CIpxBv62ZLxk9OH8GYaNJV7LlginC5QA4-i6PagMR345oqp8IRgX-6rglGwV0D8z_JXeUj5WfjXsSAqynqTQ/s1300/09-Pitchford-Hall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1300" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinceaYlxaRo2pm1rkTbCT9664r53NsTopYmSo8S4CU3koyYNpus3CIpxBv62ZLxk9OH8GYaNJV7LlginC5QA4-i6PagMR345oqp8IRgX-6rglGwV0D8z_JXeUj5WfjXsSAqynqTQ/w400-h300/09-Pitchford-Hall.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-49310395392297255382021-07-28T18:57:00.001+01:002021-07-28T18:57:47.898+01:00Upright before the storm<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiq7WK5ng3dzYsC5jUxBHZWduI6Qzh94foilTxpyymrTOMC6tSXI_8L_LEy2SK7jD_59oOKYGx5ZeqNz82PC-qKyaLN8jOWrWEtCkHr8CCbNS-F0ObU_mTiodivfg28YJG6HqSA/s1280/313B382B-4248-4482-9F2F-AB81020C172B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBiq7WK5ng3dzYsC5jUxBHZWduI6Qzh94foilTxpyymrTOMC6tSXI_8L_LEy2SK7jD_59oOKYGx5ZeqNz82PC-qKyaLN8jOWrWEtCkHr8CCbNS-F0ObU_mTiodivfg28YJG6HqSA/w400-h300/313B382B-4248-4482-9F2F-AB81020C172B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Up the lane to post a little order before the storm came in. The intense, humid heat of the previous week, which I find quite debilitating, has been replaced by restless skies, sudden downpours and flash storms. Everywhere there is a creeping sense that summer is winding down, with blackberries ripening and the dawn chorus starting later each morning. I must try to get the chimney swept before autumn. </div></span><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-12575055852786923122021-07-19T16:29:00.004+01:002021-07-19T16:29:55.805+01:00Surfacing for lunch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GdQ87yDCBCLBrrw2Qq4oQFD3D6XmKIFjuQqEiMkeig6E-pQyHnsWvA75E4B0LgqpAbrRJdHkrEfUXgV1_sU9yG3TwiEr98bS9EeEAirX4s7c7cn-lks7XgOJS3_mtTK_fFV-wQ/s1280/BB3B1EF9-C470-44C3-A6D2-75546BC4639A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="852" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-GdQ87yDCBCLBrrw2Qq4oQFD3D6XmKIFjuQqEiMkeig6E-pQyHnsWvA75E4B0LgqpAbrRJdHkrEfUXgV1_sU9yG3TwiEr98bS9EeEAirX4s7c7cn-lks7XgOJS3_mtTK_fFV-wQ/w400-h266/BB3B1EF9-C470-44C3-A6D2-75546BC4639A.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One of the few good things to come out of the ghastly pandemic is that I have two new lovely Shropshire friends. They booked a few of my Zoom workshops during lockdown; </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">we kept in touch, eventually met up and now it seems as if I’ve known them forever. And life is a little less lonely. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I have other lovely and much loved friends but they are scattered across the country and so, unless you count the unlamented Joe (which I don’t), I’ve spent the last nine and a half years here at the cottage in near isolation and while I’m very comfortable in my own company, it has been difficult at times.</span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU1zRI_nOUtr7s3G-CGrF8BOJa3ikOgeUt2c4cN1Gd7INddr3NFoZMuSegK70mCamI3WpQi_lJKgLGIV4iL1VWPFcExKIHPJ3v5BOQgOVfXcPJ25VMzNZ-Kervf38pC2S-rwEDA/s1280/244DE6C4-48CA-4DEC-AFAD-4F74CAEBA60B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuU1zRI_nOUtr7s3G-CGrF8BOJa3ikOgeUt2c4cN1Gd7INddr3NFoZMuSegK70mCamI3WpQi_lJKgLGIV4iL1VWPFcExKIHPJ3v5BOQgOVfXcPJ25VMzNZ-Kervf38pC2S-rwEDA/w400-h300/244DE6C4-48CA-4DEC-AFAD-4F74CAEBA60B.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The other day I was picked up by Friend One and driven towards the Welsh border. There were lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘has’ as I enjoyed the passing scenery, until we finally reached Friend Two’s gorgeous house. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We had lunch under a canopy in the garden, as it was a blisteringly hot day. My offering was some rather ominous looking local cheese ‘<a href="https://moydenscheese.co.uk/shop/ironbridge/" target="_blank">The Ironbridge</a>’ - part of a cheese box from Moyden’s Cheese, which arrived unexpectedly on my doorstep as a kind present from one of my other distant friends. (It’s actually delicious, despite it’s appearance). </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXX-OpEsEzjgButirpH4upMnCwewAzwLsdcLgIRmVsTxuDhYEzJYuAlkS1kQiBSw8XJMHaGomZaebVqIsOrwFC66oYifyFmYwp_xIHyhyphenhyphen3lSBUvfX3KXZGmlfBxkrx6w0vlCewA/s1280/6064E1B5-85E4-4ACD-8FDB-8B53587DCF10.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1280" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPXX-OpEsEzjgButirpH4upMnCwewAzwLsdcLgIRmVsTxuDhYEzJYuAlkS1kQiBSw8XJMHaGomZaebVqIsOrwFC66oYifyFmYwp_xIHyhyphenhyphen3lSBUvfX3KXZGmlfBxkrx6w0vlCewA/w400-h305/6064E1B5-85E4-4ACD-8FDB-8B53587DCF10.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was also able to see three of my needle felted ‘heads’ on display, out of direct light and under glass, looking very at home in their stylish surroundings. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYLp8ebiPQEmJlFBixMRxbDwUZu9-ZkR6Glf4qB8AMtoK5VyKbQB6lxZ_OdHpFChMYKBYRkFhkr4kTayGk8Oc_ZVH3I_HUKaYEZHiCGuWlBDSYfOiqwngUfPn4lcVdAqVXgKBoA/s1280/E5694A0C-8052-41FD-8039-71913A6A44CD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1266" data-original-width="1280" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYLp8ebiPQEmJlFBixMRxbDwUZu9-ZkR6Glf4qB8AMtoK5VyKbQB6lxZ_OdHpFChMYKBYRkFhkr4kTayGk8Oc_ZVH3I_HUKaYEZHiCGuWlBDSYfOiqwngUfPn4lcVdAqVXgKBoA/w400-h395/E5694A0C-8052-41FD-8039-71913A6A44CD.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="s1"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">It was such a delight to feel more like a normal person and less like a hermit, with friends to talk to and visit. I came home feeling happier than I have done for a long time and with a squashed but scrumptious cupcake. </span></span><p></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKIvuAdZ3RF3D4T4CNYiiFQgF6npsb1n_NrNAzkslJLey75i8qOG8c9186_o3JbqocZ6o_HcHTl2HWESKDfb3QA8oFVFBzxvdA3SbEJ5AuWT5rqZNM1nN0vzLZRust9ZbYNzoDg/s1280/CA9D05CC-7346-4992-9970-1B4C63B8795C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1192" data-original-width="1280" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKIvuAdZ3RF3D4T4CNYiiFQgF6npsb1n_NrNAzkslJLey75i8qOG8c9186_o3JbqocZ6o_HcHTl2HWESKDfb3QA8oFVFBzxvdA3SbEJ5AuWT5rqZNM1nN0vzLZRust9ZbYNzoDg/w400-h373/CA9D05CC-7346-4992-9970-1B4C63B8795C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="s1"><br /></span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I’ve had a long break from here, due to the pressure of my book deadline. Life is returning to a slightly easier pace now that it’s all finished. I couldn’t have finished it without the support of my Patrons, who have enabled me to pay the bills while I’ve been tied up with book work and in return, I’ve been able to post regularly there, with sneak peeks of my book work and cottage life, and I am now busying myself with fulfilling pledges of needle felt work and paintings. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a little summer present, and because I’ve been so absent, I have made one of my July posts open for free and public reading. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/53521146" target="_blank">It’s a Wrap</a></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="s1"><a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/53521146" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKB-X1RrIVQceSMRJ2VRuYzi6VmTI22-rdqJ_0V8JiLUJDXtk7bS03iNus5_WSmWk_MJro4Ll8yVvqvejXSKB0w5959tJqh7iEO0b3Z8vAD9R0dS9pJ00S-NAv3Qvhy8dftdwdyw/w400-h300/838A2000-79CA-476A-9EF5-6401E81477EE.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span class="s1"><br /></span><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"> </span></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-23099979542813002572021-04-25T17:29:00.002+01:002021-04-25T18:59:47.378+01:00Marmalade and a mouse <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2SZsA7mNWUTW-6aILXjNXbeMvTJG1wvUpOP16IQfJcJOQS2B-G-s6byrpGWa8qLnUC7hs3g-dAfJ7K783FXoAzcMO_YTvvpQu0BJxrwl6oS8o7dhiIhp2qaJyt_zE77X9ZNg8g/s640/8AA35DF7-2355-44C2-A975-069189412B5E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv2SZsA7mNWUTW-6aILXjNXbeMvTJG1wvUpOP16IQfJcJOQS2B-G-s6byrpGWa8qLnUC7hs3g-dAfJ7K783FXoAzcMO_YTvvpQu0BJxrwl6oS8o7dhiIhp2qaJyt_zE77X9ZNg8g/w400-h300/8AA35DF7-2355-44C2-A975-069189412B5E.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, I wasn’t expecting this! A few days ago, this sweetly painted parcel arrived - even the address was beautifully hand scribed and must have taken so much time and care. I’m still in the dark about who it came from, as there was no return address and I suspect the gift giver wanted to remain anonymous. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think there may be a clue with the foxgloves and bees, but I may be wrong. Anyhow, it contained two lovely pots of Frank Cooper’s marmalade, including the dark, chunky bitter gold that is the vintage type. The kind of card I love, with a Paddington quote, and an adorable hand knitted mouse, who is now known as ‘Coops’ for obvious reasons. He does look as if he is protecting my jars with a ‘none shall pass’ stance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb-KQ4m5mkTxo6_jMgLq7KdL6CaEOJTC0devHqGS_HFlgv4qgINJynyu0M3E0oqmUYQO1hNFkrO3ucP8ZL2BHKyjgQZGye9y4Td4nQN322JYnDzHnBhBwr0HMLdX8YpoKaoV1LA/s1280/5141989D-E704-4156-9418-2B029637CA85.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb-KQ4m5mkTxo6_jMgLq7KdL6CaEOJTC0devHqGS_HFlgv4qgINJynyu0M3E0oqmUYQO1hNFkrO3ucP8ZL2BHKyjgQZGye9y4Td4nQN322JYnDzHnBhBwr0HMLdX8YpoKaoV1LA/w400-h300/5141989D-E704-4156-9418-2B029637CA85.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So I am hoping that the generous gifter reads this, perhaps having read my previous post about buying a jar on an extravagant whim. And I hope they know how very touched, pleased and smiley their present made me. Coops is now installed in the bedroom, I am going to cut out the painted box front and display it somewhere and I know just what to do with the marmalade...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf62iac8aZ81JBICveNA4Wq7ohzlBX308vRDVUk2k7uvir-B0ktZHJRqbm_tbJTOZ3wahhvD4GeZzCWDU7rnjIL8ncC9VEVqQEpe8mfv6okajqGFVNSdIPtoxYcwWvrW9ky6Vk-g/s640/7B02DFF0-391D-4342-B5CD-845EEEFAD830.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="640" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf62iac8aZ81JBICveNA4Wq7ohzlBX308vRDVUk2k7uvir-B0ktZHJRqbm_tbJTOZ3wahhvD4GeZzCWDU7rnjIL8ncC9VEVqQEpe8mfv6okajqGFVNSdIPtoxYcwWvrW9ky6Vk-g/w400-h305/7B02DFF0-391D-4342-B5CD-845EEEFAD830.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">For my Patreon subscribers, (£3 monthly and upwards) my latest post is a photo packed jamboree called ‘<a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/50460281" target="_blank"><b>The Way of the Horse</b></a>’, exploring pastures new, having tiny adventures and discovering lovely Shropshire views. With Marjorie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Iz-90KnxPE41ZD0dAAAH943SDoIYEq2LoWlBMItql4vj5Qhe8W5i53wHFfJshVoasOpfhLmfHVOleNBctlCmn2irogdZvWOAp_Ve97oI_SeAx6Mhr81sFHTGZ-_qlNkQf-VTA/s1440/37457BA3-084E-43B2-BA05-40BEBFEA2969.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1437" data-original-width="1440" height="399" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS4Iz-90KnxPE41ZD0dAAAH943SDoIYEq2LoWlBMItql4vj5Qhe8W5i53wHFfJshVoasOpfhLmfHVOleNBctlCmn2irogdZvWOAp_Ve97oI_SeAx6Mhr81sFHTGZ-_qlNkQf-VTA/w400-h399/37457BA3-084E-43B2-BA05-40BEBFEA2969.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-16454038791487005712021-04-18T18:17:00.001+01:002021-04-18T18:17:43.233+01:00Beneath the apple tree<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5rdvrHamtUSnuZIJ2l29D1IEeSyKOZLR4plnfVw3XH5uNnyMvNdXeWWOiDhKRaG0FGQSzENVn5QMImC6_XdplqIMKjKic44WPOSSOawJS6fbqbcEh9DM8mfqo2sg_mQ097AyfQ/s1280/7E7BF059-F1A2-4EB5-A04F-A35F4D08A4C5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs5rdvrHamtUSnuZIJ2l29D1IEeSyKOZLR4plnfVw3XH5uNnyMvNdXeWWOiDhKRaG0FGQSzENVn5QMImC6_XdplqIMKjKic44WPOSSOawJS6fbqbcEh9DM8mfqo2sg_mQ097AyfQ/w400-h268/7E7BF059-F1A2-4EB5-A04F-A35F4D08A4C5.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This weekend I have been working in the garden during the warm afternoons. It has become rather a jungle and I cannot remember the last time I sat out in it; Joe didn’t like sitting outside, or gardening (which should have told me something) and subsequently, I too became discouraged. I’m still adjusting to the complete freedom to do what I want, when I want, and that can be a difficult thing when you’ve spent most of your life living with one person or another.</span></span></p></div><p style="text-align: right;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVirPnLxmn1fjNI-ZTBnNKCeJfP1iRkI5bdKgOTFjuqx0fQFgd6dVQVGBrWzrsTC0UhXkKJdunYAq3RYjfFvhPo92ZfgOdGKz9jIYrJLMj7Nuh7rLcI8KbOmycMCWDKgG7h7DZg/s1280/E2A6EAD6-89C9-4594-817E-42365ED8FFA0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUVirPnLxmn1fjNI-ZTBnNKCeJfP1iRkI5bdKgOTFjuqx0fQFgd6dVQVGBrWzrsTC0UhXkKJdunYAq3RYjfFvhPo92ZfgOdGKz9jIYrJLMj7Nuh7rLcI8KbOmycMCWDKgG7h7DZg/w400-h300/E2A6EAD6-89C9-4594-817E-42365ED8FFA0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As it was so nice, I fetched my three beloved old bears from the bedroom so that they could enjoy the sunshine too. We had a cup of tea and some chocolate buttons that a friend had given me. I needle felted little pears for my book, while the birds fluttered in and out of the willow tree, singing their Spring tunes. Bumble bees droned heavily over the dandelions and as we were sat under the apple tree, there was a faintly acidic smell of cider from last year’s old fruit which are still clinging to the branches. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfIJIRfTgcRsS93QPs8TDNKhaJ_QoqHiT5O6eRPV1TpTba_btUo_JCSewwbFV-8UYDUx-VSaEL1B8T9eSVYlHlyfYZ7RujEfc3eEhPlIVhfkyVk63g9Clr0qRRdhf-ZuFkbwiYQ/s1280/36E991C5-36E8-45A4-8F01-74BB0629FC29.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfIJIRfTgcRsS93QPs8TDNKhaJ_QoqHiT5O6eRPV1TpTba_btUo_JCSewwbFV-8UYDUx-VSaEL1B8T9eSVYlHlyfYZ7RujEfc3eEhPlIVhfkyVk63g9Clr0qRRdhf-ZuFkbwiYQ/w400-h300/36E991C5-36E8-45A4-8F01-74BB0629FC29.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div>The pear tree is coming into full blossom and despite my many imaginary and unaffordable dreams for the garden, I was very content simply to gaze upon my scruffy kingdom, which has become so dear to me. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3KSFI_BTyuPA2uZLYDfYmv2il5ljRKpyslx4o6P14LTbpLHiT5CdFb2u1WM9K2QfDNm3hNIVWPQFsMysVAXq1mx2MLWzLSfjA-cf5Ee_VgesRtvy34lzQjeagYrDtsOc0eQpjg/s1280/86790733-D399-4C5F-B015-2FD859D33073.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3KSFI_BTyuPA2uZLYDfYmv2il5ljRKpyslx4o6P14LTbpLHiT5CdFb2u1WM9K2QfDNm3hNIVWPQFsMysVAXq1mx2MLWzLSfjA-cf5Ee_VgesRtvy34lzQjeagYrDtsOc0eQpjg/w400-h300/86790733-D399-4C5F-B015-2FD859D33073.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><p style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13313028.post-57572243721372766652021-04-14T20:34:00.004+01:002021-04-14T20:34:59.635+01:00The birds sing goodnight <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ytu1gScHKNc" width="320" youtube-src-id="ytu1gScHKNc"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s been a ‘wading through treacle’ <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>kind of day for no good reason, and although I’ve managed to do some of the things that needed to be done, it still doesn’t feel like enough. So it’s time to say goodnight to today, and take comfort in a quiet evening. Things are growing and tonight the birds were singing gloriously, so do turn your volume up, if you can’t hear them. </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="s1"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mr Pheasant briefly interrupted this pleasant melodiousness with his inelegant, croaky squawk, but he is part of home too. Time for bed as the sun sets, country style. </span></span></p>Gretelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00399585879728373265noreply@blogger.com0