Busy days

Wednesday is my patchwork class, and I am slowly making progress with my Pineapple Log Cabin lap quilt, using the lovely red-work embroidered centres from Dawn.  We are probably going to have a whole day sewing session too, where we make something from start to finish in a day - probably a Christmassy something, or a bag or whatever we decide on.  I'm looking forward to that.

I couldn't resist a little more fabric (have uses for this lot already planned). I especially like the fabric on the left.

A lovely patchwork magazine and supplement which I just couldn't resist last week.  Below, no more could I resist these older McCall's magazines, which I bought from Ebay very cheaply.  My magazines stay with me for years and years, and are good reference sources.

A cookery magazine came my way too.  The cover dish looks scrumptious I have to say.  I do find that a lot of the main meal recipes are a bit complicated for every-day use though, whichever magazine you look in.  I am a basic farmhouse style cook, can't be doing with faffing about too much, though I don't mind going to town on special occasions.

After Pattypan mentioned this magazine over on her blog Tarragon and Thyme, I thought I would have a look at it when I was in town, and couldn't resist it.  I love Christmas, and "home made" is always the theme here.

I am still reading lots, and thoroughly addicted to Peter May's whodunit novels.  Very skilfully written and hard to put down.  I can recommend them.  Currently on the French ones (Enzo Macleod).

I am just about to start this one today.

I have a busy day ahead as I need to rearrange my display at the Unit, go into Brecon to view the auction, and also trot round Brecon to get my prescription, some more white paint for woodwork here, and a quick trot into the patchwork shop as I am running out of a white print fabric (I think that was where I bought it).

Yesterday I was painting white everything that was white upstairs after I had virtually destroyed the lid of the tin of white paint (it was difficult to remove after its first opening) - I wasn't going to waste paint by chucking it, so I painted like a demon.  I had intended to do the window surround in the office, which had been cream, and it looks much better white.  Then I went into the bathroom and did the window surround, door frame and as much of the louvred

doors on the airing cupboard as I could before I had used every drop.

I managed a little gardening this week too, the Autumn tidy up and some fresh tulip bulbs planted (spikey yellow ones). 

I had best get some slap on now, and face the world!

Botanic Gardens Fair - Hot Air Balloons and Prosecco

A good friend and neighbour gave me a lift down to the Fair on the Sunday, as Keith had the car to head of to Malvern.  We saw two balloons which had just taken off from a field near the Botanic Gardens.  I took some photos but they were too dark to be worth sharing on here.

When we were inside, we spotted one of the balloons so low - looking as if it was going to land on the roof!  We all headed outside, cameras and phones in hand, and saw how low he was.

He REALLY was heading groundwards.  I shouted up, "Shall I put the kettle on?"

This was the other balloon, which had managed to get a bit more height.

Some pieces of nice glass on my stand - the pink perfume bottle is 1930s French.  I am SO tempted to keep the enamelled piece with the Stork and Forget-me-Nots . . . 

Some more lovely autumnal plantings.

Red Dahlias: "Bishop of Llandaff".

A lovely Red Hot Poker.  For some reason I have never grown these.  Perhaps I should.

This gorgeous chap (or chapess) is an Indonesian Moon Moth, quite a rare thing. Apparently he was just hatched.

A Blue Morpho - isn't he beautiful?

Pupas developing in an enclosed environment, presumably at the right temperature and humidity.  There were also quite a few others hanging from trees (carefully pinned there).  The pupaes had been manufactured from leaves - almost looked like they had been sewn together by the caterpillars when they were making them.

I didn't get the name of this butterfly, but it is very colourful.

Colourful Swiss Chard and Nasturtiums in the cottage garden.

Autumn colour in the borders of the walled garden.

An outside view of the Great Dome which houses lots of semi-tropical plants from around the world, and 4 times a year, a disparate group of antique dealers and their wares!  I have to say, I cannot imagine a better place to hold an antiques fair - it is wonderful.

I had a lovely afternoon as a) Keith came back safe and sound from his middle-of-the-night trip to Malvern, and bought a couple of goodies back; and then our middle daughter Gabby arrived as planned, and we had a lovely wander round the grounds - Butterfly House again, Mews of Raptors again and the tented element of the Fair (mostly Vintage stuff down there).  There was a specially-converted van selling various gins (that really IS all the rage at the moment) and also Prosecco and as I was a Prosecco-Virgin, Gabby bought me a glass.  I have to say, I'll have THAT again!  It was lovely, like champers.  It was great to see Gabby again - she works SO hard, and although she has a car now, doesn't get much spare time off to come up and see us.

Bargain Hunt

Just sat down to watch today's Bargain Hunt from lunchtime, and it is one of the two with me on it!  I was selling a small child's chair and have a marine blue and white top on.  Fame!!

A very busy weekend at the Fair - Day 1

Our weekend began on Friday morning, when we packed up the car ready to go to the National Botanic Gardens Antiques Fair.  The afternoon was spent setting up our stand, which is a long one between pillars, and yet there never seems to be enough room!!

We managed to squeeze in a little furniture at one end, but no-one seemed particularly interested in furniture this time, so we took all the bigger pieces back on Saturday night, to avoid having to make two trips home with stuff the next day.

It was busy for most of Saturday, but in the late afternoon I managed to have a wander round in a quiet period, and found this wonderful Welsh dragon, taking a nap in the grounds.

Above and below: the plantings go right on into late autumn with beautiful colours.  Enjoy.  LOVE the first Dahlia.

A view across to the lake, with a woven willow bull guarding it.

Beautiful but deadly - Monkshood, with its deep blue flowers.

There was a temporary Mews to one side of the walled gardens, and 6 or 8 birds of prey (and owls) were on display, and there were regular flying displays, and other birds were taken out so that people could see them close hand and ask questions.

Close up of a Red Kite.  They are so beautiful.

The little Barn Owl.  I think he was called Allen . . .

Lastly, a beautiful Kestrel.  I have seen very few of these in our part of Wales - I think I have only seen them along the coast between Burry Port and Llanelli.  I dare say they are out there, but locally is it Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and of course Red Kites who we see most of.

We had an early night as Keith was off to Malvern Fleamarket very early next day, and I had a lift in to the Fair. 

Getting Ready

I am glad that I didn't have another 4 a.m. start as I did yesterday.  I couldn't sleep, so went downstairs "for a while", and that was it for the rest of the day.  I have to say, after 12 hours I was feeling wiped out.  Fortunately that was when my patchwork afternoon ended, so I was able to pack up my red-work lap quilt and toodle home.  I now have another round of fabric (reds) on 4 blocks.  Doesn't sound much for an afternoon's work, but there was the usual chatting too, and it was a lovely afternoon.

I have added a couple of bits to my white dresser - the Unicorn centre bottom (who needs his broken horn sticking back on) and when I was in the Range, looking for glue, I decided I would forgo the little table lamp I was looking for to go on here, and instead have some LED lights and a clear crackle glass jar.  It looks lovely and cheers up what had been a dark corner.

Above, I've just finished the Peter May book - the first of his Enzo series, set in France.  I can recommend it - hard to put down, especially at the end.  Now I've just started the Elly Griffiths book which so far is a lot tamer, but enjoyable all the same. 

Above.  A quilt for my daughter which I started two years ago and then abandoned because I had pieced several blocks badly, and getting it right was sending me nuts.  Plus I was busy with the business as well, so it got put away (along with the one for her sister, which is a Pinwheel block).  Anyway, whilst I have been laid up with my arm, I have got back to this.  I have pinned, and sewed and unpicked and kept getting it wrong.  I realized I had no alternative but to remake a couple of the problem blocks.  Now I have done the sashing for two rows and think I have the other rows more or less as they should be. . . 

We are now preparing for the 2 day Antiques Fair at the National Botanic Gardens.  This isns't my stall (for some reason I can't find photos of it), but it is a good example of some of the lovely things which will be on offer this weekend.

I have my stitches out in the morning, which is just as well as they are itching as it heals up.  I will still have to be wary of lifting anything much, of course.

Right, this won't do.  Downstairs to do a bit more on the quilt to the gentle tones of the breadmaker in the background.

An enjoyable walk

I walked home from my neighbour's today - I had gone out for a walk, met her coming home on the way, went to hers for tea and chat, and then walked back again.  A lovely route, but a stonking hill to climb up - did me the world of good though I didn't exactly enjoy it at the time.  That said, it is actually an easier hill to walk up than our hill - don't know why as it looks steeper, but I know ours is a killer!

On the way I stopped and trespassed a bit to take a photo or two of a stream I have only walked over in the past, never along.  I changed the setting from Automatic, to the speed one on Landscape.  WHAT a difference in colour!

My neighbour's sheep were very curious at this foxglove-jacketed lady walking past!  And talking of Foxgloves, this MUST be the last one of the season.

Not too many brown or golden leaves here yet.  It was lovely walking along the lane, and I got into a good walking stride.  I should imagine it's the same for runners (or even racehorses!) when they settle into a rhythm.

This hill I can walk up quite easily - compared with ours, that is, which is a valley side.

A Rhododendron a little confused I think!

The view up our valley (above and below).

Lastly (below) my reward, and yes, it really IS that diddy.  Just two glasses' worth.   Never thought I'd see the day . . .

Berkeley Castle 2

I am in two minds whether to put this 2nd post up, as it is always the normal things of life which seem to attract more comments , so obviously more popular.  I'll just put a few photos up and move on.

There we are, you get the gist of the place.  Grand but not grandiose.  Some lovely rooms.  I found the kitchens interesting - there was a pestle and mortar big enough to pound something the size of a pumpkin in!

I  have been carrying on with my patchwork, but obviously lost concentration yesterday as everything I sewed got unpicked today!  Sigh.  Still, practice makes perfect as they say.  I must not rush and I MUST pay attention.

I am also doing x-stitch, but was rather irritated to find that I could not purchase DMC embroidery floss anywhere in town.  I should be able to track some down in Llandeilo, as long as the Wool Shop still stocks it.  I think I will just cheat and use the next colour number up.  No one will know but me!