Last Thursday we went to Hay for the Market. Here is a beautiful climbing Hydrangea (petiolaris) on a house in Hay. This used to be The Garden Bookshop, a few years ago now.
Inside our friend Rob's shop (The Poacher's Pocket), 2 of 4 amazing fireplace supports with carved swags of flowers. Not sure if they are solid mahogany, or perhaps stained oak or ??? Normally lime is the best wood for carving things like the swags. They are in "as found" (in a barn I assume) condition, so hard to tell until cleaned up. Fabulous pieces.
Clematis Dr Rupple is doing really well. This was one of the well-grown ones that I bought from the Railway Line nursery earlier in the year.
On Thursday afternoon I met up with a good friend and we looked around the quilt exhibition at the Minerva Gallery in Llanidloes. This unfinished hexagon quilt looked so beautiful with the extra black stitching around the feature hexagons. Isn't it gorgeous?
Sad to read of families being moved off their farms and having to go to the valleys for work. That's what could happen when you were a tenant farmer, or to anyone in tied accommodation. This is a lovely quilt, stuffed with wool which was frugally collected from hedgerows and/or lesser bits from sheared fleeces.
My friend N treated us to tea and cake and we sat in this beautiful Community Garden. Will definitely go back there - it was SO peaceful and beautiful.
This rose had a beautiful perfume.
A Golden Hop sprawled over a wall.
View of the Market Building in Llanidloes. It's a beautiful little town, with individual shops.
Finally, a view of the Herefordshire countryside on our way back from Madely car boot sale yesterday. Gosh, it was SO hot and we were glad to get back to our lovely cool house.
We stopped in Hay last week..so sad that the post office is to close.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that the gallery in Llanidloes is still going
No-one wants to take it on gz. They've been trying since we were doing the Wee Flea there and that's probably 4 years ago now? I suppose people will have to go to Presteigne or Kington or even Brecon for PO facilities.
ReplyDeleteMinerva seems to hold regular things (the Welsh quilt displays are monthly). Nice little community.
Apparently there was someone, but the post office authority didn't approve of them...not sure why
ReplyDeleteI guess they had their reasons, but really, there can't be that many people want to work hard for what I understand is little more than a pittance. Here in Builth our busy PO is in a lovely shop which sells all sorts, but especially pretty table linen and kitchen ware, mugs, bowls, pictures, local books and maps and at the back, bedlinen. I think you need a spread of things to make a PO shop viable. A few bits of stationary don't hit the mark.
DeleteThe sheer amount of skill, time and effort--not to mention the tenacity to find all the needed materials to complete those quilts--is just staggering. Beautiful creations and so interesting to read their backstories.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of work on some of the wholecloth fabulously-quilted quilts is jaw-dropping. What folk did before TV!!!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous garden to have a cup of tea in. Those quilts are amazing.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I have more quilt photos but didn't want to post lots without asking them if they minded. I am volunteering with them now, so will be on duty at the Exhibition next week. We will go back again to the garden.
DeleteClimbing hydrangea are spectacular indeed. I am interested by the outline stitching on the quilt as I have not seen it done before. I wish we knew what inspired them to do it. It certainly is a lot of extra work.
ReplyDeleteI planted one at my last house, but they take a good few years to get as high as the one in Hay. Isn't that outline stitching a good idea? Really gives a focus to those Granny's Gardens. I may try that on a table runner I'm making - or rather, I was before we started packing and moved!
DeleteSo long since I have been to Llanidloes - I agree it rather lovely. It has that slightly alternative feel and et in such a traditional setting. I seem to remember that Julie Christie lived near there for many years.
ReplyDeleteNever knew that Julie Christie lived nearby, but who can blame her? Wales is so beautiful. She had Laura Ashley for company too! I see we are having another celebrity moving to LA's old house, where she will be setting up an Alternative Treatments place cum Holiday centre and wedding venue - Charlotte Church no less.
DeleteBeautiful quilts and a lovely peaceful looking garden for tea :) Still not got as far as Hay on Wye. Have discovered with horror that OH thinks anywhere more than 30 mins from static caravan is too far!!!! I may well be going out a lot more on my own!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely little town and I recommend it - if your husband ever lets you go that far afield! Daft not to as there is SO MUCH to explore in Herefordshire AND Wales. Oh my goodness, the scenery around our new home is just SO stunning. You will have to agree to disagree with your husband and as you say, have some outings on your own further afield.
DeleteThose fire place supports. Oh my goodness. That's the sort of stuff that my husband and I both fall in love with and drag it home...and then spend a lot of time trying to figure out what to actually do with it.
ReplyDeleteAren't they FAB? They would have looked just the thing in our old house, but in this one there is just a modern brick "recess" where there used to be a fireplace, which has a gas "stove" in it, and the chimney above it is now a cupboard.
DeleteBeautiful quilts, worn to soft colours. It really is lovely where you live, a lot of happy times to look forward to Jennie.
ReplyDeleteWe love it here Thelma. I hope you will be able to find somewhere to unfold your life and enjoy it. The quilts were so lovely. I have to say, the unfinished hexagon was my favourite.
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