Green apples, golden pears

My Conference pear tree has been over productive again this year. Too much fruit for one person and as I did last year, I let my lovely neighbours gather as many as they wished. Still the tree hung heavy with fruit. So I have picked my own small share. The split ones to eat now -

 

The perfect ones to store for a few weeks.

 There are apples too - sour cookers of an unknown variety.

This is the trouble with fruit - I don't have the inclination or time to do anything with them and yet I hate waste. The birds will gorge on any windfalls though and in my garden I have a couple of very plump blackbirds who have done very well out of my lethargy.

I actually found myself more drawn to the spoiled fruit still clinging to the tree.

 Such rich colours and close up, a fascinating surface; quite beautiful in its own right.

This is the problem with living in the country, where everyone has fruit trees and a glut of produce. However, I am bravely chomping my way through several pears a day and they are, without doubt, very sweet and tender. Everything will be eaten, one way or another.

Hope and Elvis needle felt workshop

This month saw my return to the eternally wonderful Hope and Elvis studio, run by Louise Presley,  to hold two all day workshops over one weekend. It barely seemed as if I'd been away, but it had been almost a year.

In the morning, and in keeping with the autumnal weather,  acorns were made. I accidentally got my own measurements wrong, not for the first time, so instead of bijou acorns, we had egg sized ones. but everyone enjoyed themselves. As you can see from the big beam on Louise's face.

 

And amazingly, despite my error, we had a batch of acorns by lunchtime -

And a cluster of cheerful toadstools from the afternoon's work.

On day two, I did it all over again, with another group of lovely people. But this time we kept the acorns a little smaller...

This was a gorgeous colour combination, with faint gold beige stripes on a tomato red background.

There was one very special person who came, Charlotte of  'Chest of Delights' blogspot - we've been virtual blog chums for a few years now and it was lovely beyond lovely to meet her and finally get to hug this friend I'd not met before. She also brought along some of her own beautiful work.

 There is something very pleasing about a well made toadstool.

I also launched my fourth needle felt kit, which just happens to be a decorative acorn - they went very well, which is always nice and reassuring.

Decorative acorn kits are now available from my Etsy Shop, priced at $17.00/£10.60 plus shipping.

My next workshop is at the popular Toft Alpaca Farm, Rugby, on November the 1st - this time making Christmas trees. For more details and to book a place, please visit their website, but hurry as it is almost booked out!

NEEDLE FELTING WORKSHOP AT TOFT ALPACA SHOP

Travelling light to Cinderhill Farm

 

In much need of a break, I set off for my second home, Cinderhill Farm. Traveling light with all the essentials.

Hello pigs, snorting about in a carrot munching frenzy.

 Hello again Marvin, my old friend the farm rooster.

 

Hello to my new job, as Chief Label Sticker-onner at the Pie House. Cinderhill Farm is now a chief pie supplier to the newly opened Gloucestershire  Service Station and pies cannot be made fast enough. Or sausage rolls.

 

 

Sticking the labels on in precisely the right place turned out to be my forte - everything has to be beautifully turned out, from pie to packaging.

So the next day, we set off with crates of various pies, all the way from the Forest of Dean to Gloucestershire. Across the magnificent Severn Bridge -

Where we unpacked many, many crates of hand baked goods at the warehouse, before doing a little shopping, Cotswold style. Local cheeses from small dairies, for supper -

And beautiful artisan bread from small, local bakeries.

Gloucestershire Tebay services are all about selling local goods and supporting the surrounding community. It's an entirely different  shopping and eating experience to the standard service station.

Naturally, a selection of Cinderhill Farm Pie House Foggys were sitting proudly in the deli section.

We had civilised and greedy double cake for tea, from the cafe.Yes, the huge meringue is mine.

 And even later, the worker's reward. Ciabatta and exceedingly good cheese. Almost humble. 

It was a lovely week of work and relaxing. But then it was time for me to return to my own quiet world. Goodbye, wonderful Wye Valley, with your spectacular views.

Goodbye noisy geese, with your beaks stuck in the air.

Goodbye sweet Pearl, house kitten of great beauty.

Goodbye rufty tufty barn cat who's name I can't remember.

 Goodbye Cinderhill Farm, until I return again.

 

High Tea at Kensington Palace Orangery

So I come to the end of an unscheduled blog break. This summer has been about attempting to keep my financial head above water and setting up my supplies business. It has also been about sorting out my personal life and what happens next after the horrors of last year. So far it is all a bit uncertain. There have been one or two lovely highlights though.

 

Being treated to high tea at the Kensington Palace Orangery was one of them.

 

Dressed as I was in my old leather biker jacket and army boots, my old friend and I were given the most prompt and courteous of service by exquisite young waiters.

 

Tea was served and we genteelly dived in.

Having not seen each other in person for several years, my old friend and I had much to talk about, in-between debating which sandwich or cake to have.

The orange-scented and currant scones served with Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam were naturally, divine.

And served on crested china.

It was all so very delightful and so very, very civilised. As my kind and generous friend observed, tea and cake put many things right. Though that theory has been sorely tested this summer.