Bank Holiday Weekend...

So it's the last bank holiday this weekend until December. Not being fond of sitting in traffic or milling through crowds of people we will be staying put and dividing our time between the garden and the Studio.

So before everyone else starts their long weekend it's time for...


 .. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

The letter 'O' is our inspiration for this weeks finds, don't forget to drop by all the shops their url's are under their photo's.

  'O' is for...

These two will keep any eye on your books!

O is for - Owls, in the shape of these two fun bookends. Lynda's Folksy shop is filled with wooden creatures. We especially like the polar bear family, they would make wonderful Christmas decorations - there, we've done it, we've mentioned Christmas!
https://folksy.com/shops/kittiwakedesign

A tangy Orange bag

O is for - Orange. And what a splash of colour. There are lots of colourful felted items back in Claire's Folksy shop, even the raw materials to try your hand at the craft yourself.
https://folksy.com/shops/CreatedandFeltedbyClaireLouise

A striking swallow pendant

O is for - Origami. Katie takes the intricate folds of the art of Origami and transforms them into bold shaped pendants. More intricate designs back in Katie's Folksy shop:
https://folksy.com/shops/quietlycreative

Feel the need to plant something!

O is for - Oak. These traditional plant markers along with their hand turned dibber would put a smile on any gardener's face. Lots more garden themed must haves back in Chris's Folksy shop:

https://folksy.com/shops/WorksinWood





Back here we had a day away from the Studio yesterday.  In the early evening we found ourselves driving back home over the top of the Pennines. The sun broke through the clouds as we reached the summit, highlighting the rich warm purples of the heather which cloaks the top of the fells there. We both commented that we have never seen the humble moorland flower look so beautiful and this then started a debate as to whether we should stop and pick a sprig or two. After studying the nasty looking barbed wire topping all the fencing and feeling the opportunities to park safely at the side of the road were limited we decided it best to leave it to be admired from afar. 

I remember as a small child the fashion for people decorating their car front grills with a sprig of purple heather. I think it may have been tied there as both a good luck charm plus denoting that they had recently visited either the English Lake District or the Scottish Hills. It always made me feel a little special that so many people had a piece of 'me' on their cars.

All this talk of heather brings us around to my latest print offering, a linocut of the panoramic views seen from the Top of Gummer's How Fell overlooking Lake Windermere. One of our favourite short fell walks, which always rewards the walker with splendid views. I am please the colour blend of inks mixed for the heather in the foreground matches the real life colour.

A postcard sized view of the English Lake District.

Must share the sign we say in a vintage shop driving through York yesterday, most amusing...


'What if the Hokey Kokey IS what it's all about?


Enjoy your weekend.

Feeling Autumnal...

Don't really want to acknowledge it and can't bare to think that perhaps the nights really are drawing in. But having had to reach for a long sleeved top yesterday evening and feeling the necessity to switch the kitchen lights on while preparing supper, autumn is gently creeping nearer. 

The slight change in the temperature outdoors means I have had to admit defeat this year with the squashes. They sat in their pots for far to long waiting to be planted out. The irony is while waiting in their pots they flowered their socks off but alas once their roots were allowed to stretch out into soil they decided to protest by simply doing nothing. I do have some seed potatoes that have been patiently sitting in the kitchen waiting for a free bed so I may well plant them up in an attempt to get new potatoes for Christmas. The one common trait any gardener has to muster is optimism!

The floral garden is showing signs of running out of steam, although I continue to coax the annuals to keep on flowering. I have found that one of the joys of the summer has been deadheading. On fine mornings I have spent 10 minutes, secateurs in hand, nipping off the heads of faded blooms. The reward from those few minutes spent in quiet contemplation has been a flowery display that is still producing new buds which will hopefully take us to the first frosts. 

Calendula brightening up the flower beds - and salads

The courgettes are appearing in ever stranger concoctions, the most unappealing to date has to be the green flecks appearing in the chocolate muffins. But looks aren't everything and they taste delicious.

Chocolate can be good for you too!

It's been 6 months since I lost my Mum so suddenly. I can say with an honest heart that at times she let me down terribly, behaved dreadfully and made me hate her for her lack of thought. But she was my Mum and you only ever get one and I loved her.

Don't know how to describe how I feel, a sense of loss seems to sum up the emotion best. I hate Sundays just now as wherever I was in the World I always phoned her on a Sunday evening to tell her any news. I miss talking to her and find myself thinking, 'Oh, I must remember to tell Mum'. She was my sounding board and one of her good points was she never, ever gave an opinion but instead let you discover life for yourself. 

Baking at present makes me feel a little closer to her. I brought home from her house her battered, old Pyrex mixing bowl and a solitary Silver tablespoon. I remember the bowl saw regular kitchen service, with cake mixes and pudding batters being mixed in it. The tablespoon I have found holds just the right amount of raw muffin mix to fill the paper cases to the correct level. So I mix and I measure, holding conversations in my head with my Mum.

Pyrex bowl filled with memories

Of the many regrets that only reveal themselves when it's too late to make amends is that of not asking questions. I have the old cushion cover Mum kept all the family photo's in. And there are a great deal of them that I have no clue who is looking out of the photograph. They will remain a mystery as Mum was the last person who knew and could tell their secrets... it doesn't stop me wondering who they might be.

Distant relatives enjoy a day by the sea

The week ahead will see us standing over the printing press once again. I am working up another floral print while Gary is going to pull on his wellies and visit the farmyard for inspiration.


The winter landscape that has kept him occupied for the last few weeks is now finished. It captures the haunting beauty of a winter sunset in the English Lake District perfectly.

Winter Sunset on Lake Windermere

Enjoy your week.


'Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come'.
Chinese Proverb.