A Grand Day Out

On Saturday DH and I went to Prescott Hillclimb.  It was the first time for me and the views were splendiferous!!!  You can see the Malvern Hills in the background on this photo.  You will notice I have managed not to include any of the competitor's cars in my pictures!!

This was the view further to the right from the top of the hillclimb track.  We were blessed with fantastic sunny weather, although it was a bit chilly up the hill in places.

Today I had to go into Worcester to have three recalls checked on my little Yaris.  At least it gave me time to go along to the Cathedral to see the Magna Carta exhibition. Can't say I was overly impressed, however, this lovely alter frontal was impressive. It was made in 1969 by local artists.  It is meant to represent the reflections of the cathedral's pinnacles in the River Severn with the colours representing the liturgical year.

Quince

Last year I gave this quince a really good pruning and even dug some bits of it out.  It has rewarded me this year with an abundance of blossom.  Although it is not obvious from this photograph every bit of the branches is covered in blossom.  It is a real picture.  I think from the colour that it must be 'Geisha Girl'.  It was here when we moved in and was very straggly.

Still Spring

As I keep telling everyone how primroses grow in our garden like weeds, thought this photo would bring joy ... they interbreed with the garden primroses and appear all over the garden.

Back in the swing of things

I am starting to think about my next piece of work for the Yorkshire Travelling Journal, not that I currently have one!!  The deadline has passed but the person concerned has not yet completed (or even started I suspect) their piece of work.  It is not a problem as I can work on ideas in the meantime.  I plan to continue to follow my theme of 'Allotments' but at the moment it seems to be focusing more on 'Sheds'!!  This one was taken through a window at Salts Mill, Saltaire.  We went to see the Hockney exhibition you understand.

There was a fascinating body of work based on the mill workers using bobbins and embroidered reel labels.  Strange how some things keep cropping up in life.  I have acquired several different shaped and sized bobbins over recent years which I plan to display on a shelf in my workroom-cum-studio if it ever gets finished.  Progress is very slow ....

What a difference a bit of sun makes

Our garden has sprung into life whilst I have been away. The leaves on the oak tree have started to unfurl ...

A chiff chaff is singing its heart out in the garden and a sparrowhawk was seen perched on the fence between us and our next door neighbour, not good news for the other little birds who regularly visit our birdfeeders!!

But best of all, the cowslips have grown long stalks and are blooming their frilly little moppets off.

Bowes Museum

Whilst at Bowes Museum last week I came across this book sculpture by Jack Milroy dating from 1977.  It is called 'Fish Swimming in their own Definitions'.  I do not think I would ever have the patience to cut out all the sections of a page to create something like this.

Visit 'Up North'

I have had several days away visiting friends in my native North Yorkshire.  I had a lovely time and saw lots of people which was lovely.

I went to visit a friend that I met in Darlington when we were both employed in the office of a furniture store called Cox & Falconer which must have been many years ago now.  Probably about 1970 ish.  Her and her sister have acquired this lovely wheaten terrier who is now just one year old.  She was absolutely adorable.

I spent the beginning of the week with a friend in Masham and we went for a jolly walk along the banks of the River Ure one evening crossing this bridge which is made to look like an oak leaf.

 Further along we came across the fisherman's hut and a bench, all very civilised.

We had a visit to The Bowes Museum up at Barnard Castle and I found this lovely rabbit pie dish and ceramic cabbage very captivating.  We went to see the 'Birds of Paradise Plumes & Feathers in Fashion' exhibition and also caught the 'Milk Snatcher - The Thatcher Drawings' exhibition by Gerald Scarfe.

Blossom

The weather was so nice on Thursday that I managed to walk there and back to the hairdressers in Malvern Link to get my hair cut. I also discovered how to find the route through the churchyard on the way back and came across this cherry tree in full blossom in the local infant school grounds.  It was absolutely stunning.  Even more interesting was this amazing drain cover in the churchyard.  It has enormous hinges.  The gate over the church door says 1846 and 1996 so I guess this could be a pretty old design.

Apart from that I have been stripping paint from skirting boards and a windowledge.  Joy of joys!!  Still no stitching getting done.

Wood Anenomes

DH was on holiday all last week so I got very little done sewing wise, but have been out in the garden a lot.  What a joy to discover this clump of wood anenomes over on the wild side of the stream.  They did not flower last year so I thought they had all gone, but here they are again.  It floods where they are so I was sure they had been washed away as the stream is a torrent at times.

Don't you just love their little yellow centres. I have been digging out some plants in the front garden to make way for a grass path to connect both lawns but the soil was really too wet to make much headway.  Also managed to remove some more of the larger Hazel branches over the stream to try and get them to send up lots of new shoots from the base.  It is very hard work and I managed to bruise a finger very nicely. A new squirrel has appeared in the garden and is raiding my bird feeders.

On Bank Holiday Monday I emptied the second built in cupboard in the room that should be my studio and set to and demolished it.  Lots of holes to fill, wallpaper to strip and skirting board and windowsill to paint but what a difference it has made.

At long last the new daffodils I planted in the lawn in the back garden are fully out and what a delight they are. It was worth the hard labour to get the huge rocks out from under the lawn to enable me to plant them.

We also have lots of wild violets spread around the garden and no matter however many I pull out there are always lots more left.