Bygone days

I am fortunate to have this wonderful place on my doorstep.

Every time I go there it puts me in mind of Frances Hodgon Burnett's "The Secret Garden".

A recent visit reminded me of one of the themes that I explored when doing City and Guilds.
We were given the topic 'Man Made Structures' which didn't really do much for me, until I realised that it didn't have to be factories and skyscrapers.

I decided to concentrate on the structures that have been put in place around where I live and took a "journey" from Dunraven Castle to Ogmore Castle, a few miles away, looking at the structures man had put in place.

I have to tell you that apart from the roads, it is mainly fencing of one type or another.

My research eventually led me to this quilt.
A while after that a spare block led to this piece.

Strangely while I was still in the middle of compiling this post I had a surprise delivery.

A friend sent me this old letter card from 1937, which has a photo of Dunraven Castle before it was demolished. (The creative psychic waves have been floating across Swansea Bay again!)

Below you can just make out where it was situated.

The letter is from 'Ailuned' to her father.
My favourite line.."Yesterday we sat on the bonnet of a car and had our photo taken." So sweet.

It is a shame that future generations won't get to look back on our lives in this way because all our texts and emails will be lost in the ether.
Maybe someone will come across this blog in future years. Will all of our ramblings on our blog posts still be around?

It may be apparent that there is a lack of new work here at the moment.
That is because I am busy preparing for the Festival of Quilts in August. After things conspiring to make me decide that I wasn't able to submit a quilt this year I have now been given the chance to have a Quilters in Action booth! Things happen for a reason!
This is pretty big for me and it is nose to the grindstone getting prepared!
So expect a couple more retrospective blog posts :)
More 'Secret Garden' photos here.

For Your Inspiration

Every year this group of foxgloves appear on a mound near the river, adding a beautiful splash of colour to the surroundings. We took a walk there the other morning, my daughter and I, and she pointed out to me that the camera that I have been using for a least three years now has a Super Macro feature on it. Who knew!!!

*dim siarad Cymraeg

This may or may not be part of a series.

It has come about because of my enjoyment of doing this.

Hand painted fabric with lots of intense stitching and also a bit of "darning".

The back gives a clearer view of the stitching.

If this turns into a series I will explain my choice of title.
*dim siarad Cymraeg = don't speak Welsh
...which is a statement rather than a dictact but dw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg = I don't speak Welsh, and that is a bit of a mouthful.

Well, it's Wednesday again already!

I sometimes get a bit bogged down in the whole thing of taking a good photo. The first of my latest little trio was taken inside the sewing shed. A bit dull and not a lot of detail showing.

Here they are outside in glaring sunshine (yes, the sun does come out occasionally). This is supposed to be a No No, but the stitching shows up a lot better. Just can't get the breeze to stop moving them all over the place :)

Monday evening I had the pleasure of the crossing the channel to give a talk to the Weston Super Mare Quilters.

I can see this coastline from my house and so it is always nice to go across and see it close up.

If I could just get there as the crow flies it would be much quicker!

working, post jubilee, wednesday

I have not done a working wednesday for a while, but this is what I have been up to.
A lot of stitching, as seen above and below.

Oh, and I have also been doing a lot of this...

and this...

and this...

...which basically means a lot of eating and watching the telly!!!

And I am not ashamed to say that I have loved every minute of it!

One of the highlights for me has been this.

Can you guess...

...what I was doing in Cardiff, my home town, on Friday evening?

 Here is comes....

...and there it goes...

The Olympics Are Coming!!!!!!

...and although there hasn't been much stitching here recently, I have been busy playing here!

A Day Out

WARNING: If you don't like the colour yellow look away now!

It was a spur of the moment decision, but Sunday morning husband offered to drive me to the Malvern Hills with a stop at The Malvern Quilt Show.

Husband enjoys going back to this part of the world as he went to college in Worcester, and as a student used to work as a car park attendant at the showground; and he made sure he told the present attendants this little known fact!

There were lots of nice quilts to see and lots of retailers.
I came away with just a light bulb (from a very pushy salesman), which doesn't work, and now I have to forgo any savings I made in postage to get it replaced, but moving swiftly on.

We had a very nice pub lunch in British Camp and discussed how we are only just beginning to appreciate the fact that the teenagers are now of an age when they can be left, or rather WANT to be left, and we can go off and do things by ourselves.

Hope you have enjoyed the patchwork of yellow and green fields that we enjoyed on the way home.