View from the little church at Capel-y-Ffin.
Well, autumn has arrived, and with the colder weather, so has the rain. When I was busy doing things other than tidying up my garden, I should have done the night-shift out there to get it properly tidied. Now that I DO have the time, the rain has arrived. Ah well. It can wait, it's not like we have a queue of people wanting to view - the market, after promising signs in the spring - has gone dormant again.
Time to focus on indoor things, and I am currently assembling a quilt top. VERY slowly I might add, However diligent I am with measuring and double-measuring, there seems to be a mistake I have already made, requiring the stitch ripper to be doing overtime!
My head has been full of all sorts of blog-postings when I am out and about, and then I get home and they have fled my mind. I see some beautiful scenery; watch a Buzzard sitting atop a telegraph pole stretch out his wings and then launch himself into the air; down a narrow lane a Merlin dives out of a hedgerow and skims the lane in front of the car, barely a foot off the tarmac; I see the last Buttercup flowering, such a vivid yellow now it is on its own and the hedgerow colours are fading; swathes of ivy in the hedgerows peppered with flowers and I wonder how many will be pollinated because bees are so scarce.
As I was at the sink yesterday, at dusk, I noticed a procession of tiny Wrens making their way into a little cubbyhole they made in the autumn, between two concrete beams across the outside window aperture. They excavated the gap, leaving a little spoil-heap on the window-ledge below, and now cwtch up together to survive the winter months. There are LOTS more of them in a similar spot above our bedroom window, where the bats live in the summer, though this year they had to share with a nest of House Martins - INSIDE the house! I was amazed - we have never had House Martins outside the house as they don't consider there is enough of an overhang. I never knew they might see a hole and think it was a Good Idea! We watched them checking it out one day in late May.
I wish I had more time to read. I always feel guilty if I sit down with a book in the day time, although I have a stack of them to read, and want to read my way through all of Thomas Hardy's poems and re-read some more of his novels. I am drawn to Dickens again too, and want to re-read David Copperfield. I am also sliding down a steep Edward Thomas slope again at present, and I just want to sit down and read every word I have on him.
I have finished the embroidery on a partly-sewn tablecloth belonging to my friend A, who is so ill (she has Pancreatic cancer). So I will take that to her next week, along with a small basket full of goodies - it makes me feel good to assemble it, and make something edible, biscuits, scones, jam etc - along with a magazine, some flowers, a small piece of pretty china etc. I will make some biscuits for her this weekend, either Lemon Curd Biscuits or else Sugar Biscuits, or perhaps some home made Jammy Dodgers.
Meanwhile, my patchwork table runner is close to being assembled, though I am going to go back to the bud I sewed last week, unpick and rework it as I'm not happy with the experimental result (the magazine just said to refer to the illustration . . .) I wish I had planned the colours properly now, as it just "happened". I had been sewing some little hexi flowers together in whatever material I had close to hand, and then bought this patchwork magazine and it had the hexi runner in it. Hopefully the edging hexis pull it all together.
Meanwhile, it is home made soup time again, and my slow cooker is being used regularly.
Photo below from when we went to Hay with my poorly friend. I need a bit of a colour fix this morning.
"My head has been full of all sorts of blog-postings when I am out and about, and then I get home and they have fled my mind."
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed! Everything sensible seems to flee when I have a moment to sit down--and I find I'm nodding off. New books are still in a pile, all sewing is on hold. Perhaps when the yellow house is finally emptied of our belongings and I've been there to clean through--I will have time to sit in my rocking chair with a book!
I've been thinking about you Sharon, and the Big Move. Yeesh. At least you will be settled before Christmas and able to enjoy being able to spread out this year. It's a lovely property and obviously was just waiting for you!
ReplyDeleteEverything is starting look a bit leached of colour here too. Sorry to hear about your friend but the goodies you are putting together for her sound lovely. I know what you mean about reading- I read for half an hour at lunch but otherwise never sit down with a book unless I'm knackered and have a glass of wine in hand. I get around it by listening to audio books in the kitchen when cooking or the car when driving.
ReplyDeletecolour indeed, very luscious. I love the whole Autumnal pallette.
ReplyDeleteThat is some colour fix BB - beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of reading, I got quite a lot of books as presents on my birthday - a couple of interesting cookery books,
a couple of books about woodland, and a most interesting biography of Kathleen Raine, the poet (I have just finished it).
One of the good things about a wet day is thatmaybe one can find time to read (although in cold weather, when the house is warm) sometimes it is hard to keep one's eyes open long enough.
The new header photo is wonderful !
ReplyDeleteAdore the first photo it looks to me (a desert dweller) so very "Country Garden". The wall, grass and deep window are so beautiful.
We who live in a desert love the sound of rain. We only get two very short rainy seasons.
As always your photos are so wonderful.
cheers, parsnip
cheers, parsnip
parnsip - I thought the same about that photo! A bit of bright colour when we are going into the colour-leached winter. That first photo from the little chapel encapsulated inside and outside in a view many chapel-goers must have been familiar with down the centuries. The Revd. Francis Kilvert was one of the many who was familiar with it, walking there from his parish in Clyro on several occasions (he was a prolific walker) and it was his mentioning it in his diaries which made me want to go there.
ReplyDeletePat - aren't books just THE best present? So much pleasure in the words and illustrations (where applicable). I have heard of Kathleen Raine, but not that familiar with her work.
kath - the autumnal colours are such warm ones.
CT - I made a point of doing some daytime reading yesterday. I was also reading some of Edward Thomas's poetry last night.
Beautiful photos from the simplicity of the chapel to the gorgeous colour fix. I am so sorry to hear about your poorly friend - but what a lovely thought to take a basket of goodies.
ReplyDeleteI remember you mentioning in the past your roosting wrens :) I also have so many books to read and, like you, feel guilty if I sit down in the day. I try and spend half an hour or so in the evening reading a non-fiction book or poetry and then half an hour before bed on a fiction book but the stack of books I want to read never seems to go down!!
SUCH a beautiful photo from the little chapel! Jean
ReplyDeleteA very colourful display to cheer anyone's spirits. I'm sorry your house has not sold, I think it'll pick up for Spring so hopefully you'll get started again with your plans.
ReplyDelete