'Falling for Constance'

We have been working really hard for the last couple of months and even though at the start of the year we promised ourselves we would take more days off, things cropped up and our plans went out of the window. 

Yesterday was the first planned day off this year and we had such a good day we drove home with the promise that more of the same must be taken, and soon.

Burton Agnes Gatehouse

Burton Agnes Hall - with it's topiary yew avenue

We took the opportunity of a 'two for one' pass we received with 'Gardeners' World Magazine. Chose to take a look around Burton Agnes Hall which nestles in the gentle folds of the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds. The sky didn't look very promising as we meandered our way through the country lanes. They were at their 'blousie' best, a tapestry of foxgloves, lace headed cow parsley and the occasional field poppy. Thankfully the fine rain didn't last long and we were able to enjoy the grounds of the Elizabethan Hall, for the most part on our own. We were firstly drawn to the classical pond, not for the structure itself but because of the aerial acrobatics of the Swallows. They swooped down to the water and took elegant dips, some rising and falling two or three times like skimming stones across the tension of the water surface. Cameras in hand we both positioned ourselves low on the lawn edge to try and get a shot of them but they teased us by flying low in and around us and when they did dive for the pool they were just too quick for us.

The Classical Pond - the globe sculpture slowly revolves

The woodland walk was quiet and lush apart from when we discovered one of the outdoor sculptures, a wind chime of giant proportions set high in the tree canopy which we could just about reach with the point of our umbrella.

We saved the best area of the grounds until last, the walled garden. For the most part an exuberant blend of flowers and vegetables, with the many roses stealing the show. Have to say we have seen better walled gardens and weren't so excited with the inclusion of the maze and over sized board games, to us the flowers and veggie plants are the real stars. 

One rose in particular caught my eye, it's rich pink blooms, dense with petals gave off a fragrance to match it's beauty. Reading the label I discovered it was 'Constance Spry' a rose I hadn't really given any consideration to in the past. I will be making amends for that oversight, it will be the rose of choice going into our new floral border.

Constance Spry - even it's glossy leaves are fabulous!

The hall has put it's courtyard area to good use by converting the space into a gallery, shop and tearoom. There is also a small nursery area which the gardening team keep well stocked with plants they have raised from the gardens. Obviously we couldn't come away empty handed, purchases included Sisyrinchium striatum, Echinacea Primadona Rose, a couple of Leucantherums called Crazy Daisy and finally a Eryngium agavifolium which the label states grows to a height of 1.5 metres, as it's very prickly and going to get very large it's new home will be at the back of the border!

The floral 'spoils' of our day out.

So it's back to work today, full of inspiration and new ideas. Had a nice surprise when we checked out Folksy this morning, our Pinterest board, titled 'The Cat's Meow' is the featured board, it's always great to get onto the front page.

Screenshot of our Folksy front page feature

Gary has added another dog to our online shops this week.The print is of a Chocolate Labrador and what a handsome fella he is!

New dog in our online shops  - Chocolate Labrador

'What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade'. - Gertrude Jekyll

Memories of my Dad.

Today is Father's Day so my thoughts have been of my dear Dad, sadly lost just before Christmas 2012 to the cruel Parkinson's Disease. I felt I lost him twice once when the disease took a grip of his mind and then when he finally slipped away in his sleep.

At his funeral both myself and my brother wrote something to try and share our thoughts of what our Dad meant to us. Below is the piece I wrote and it sums up my Memories of my Daddy.

My Dad - about to do a spot of welding

Aged maybe 2, 2 and a half, scooped up into Dads arms as he came through the kitchen door, nestling in the crook of his elbow as he talked to Mum at the sink.
Bath time, Dad on knees, shirt sleeves rolled up, cocooning me in a scarlet red towel and rubbing hard to get me dry.
Bedtime, snuggling down to Rupert Bear, Dad reading - the abridged version –only found that out once I could read!
Sitting on his lap, tracing a finger down his forehead, onto the bridge of his large nose, then slowly, slowly to the tip, then suddenly he’d take a snap at my finger, game ends in all consuming giggles.

Holidays, camping, laughter, camping, laughter, caravaning, sunshine, joy and laughter. Trooping through the Lake District, this happy family tribe, Dad, Mum, my brother and me, Uncle John, Auntie Lily, and my two cousins, like the Von Traps, well maybe not, more akin to  the Broons from the pages of the Sunday Post.

Perched on Dad's shoulders, not requiring to duck overly through shop doorways, I might be riding high on giants shoulders but to the rest of the world my Dad was a small man. Being dangled over a grid in Bowness on Windermere, swinging like a mini pendulum in his arms to improve the aim of the pee.

Dad and sweets – you could guarantee that if you fished deep into dad's coat pocket you’d find a sweet or two in there. Be it the humble Mint Imperial, the Fox's Glacier Mint, or better still the Fox's Fruit Thin, a large thin square of boiled sugar fruitiness which if treated with respect could last for ages. Most prized of all sweet treasures to be discovered was the Riley's Chocolate Toffee Roll, sweetie perfection.

Trips out or 'tootles' in our household. All clambering into our little white Mini to wend our way around the back waters, Bond's ice cream on Pilling sands, singing Scout songs in the round, ‘we went to the animals fair, the birds and the bees where there’…all roads led to Glasson Dock, Cornish pasties and bottled Vimto with 2 straws. Searching for snails in the ivy covered walls of the pub car park.

Riding to Brownies on Dad's cycle crossbar, towel wrapped around for a more comfortable ride. When it rained being enveloped under his canary yellow cycle cape, with only the button holes to peer through.

Dad and cats… Pimmy, Sammy, Dildrum, don’t ask.. Daisy, Emma, Polly, Lucy, his cat, thought he was getting whisky for Father's Day, he got a kitten instead! She too rode high on his shoulders, he cried like a child when she died.

Teaching me to drive, every night after tea, Mum in the back, Dad in the front and me in the driving seat. Up and down the Flyde coast, roundabouts, traffic lights, and the most important lesson given, parallel parking,  practised on a hill, backwards, Dad on the kerb, Mum in the back and me driving.

And later, instructing me in the art of wallpapering, how to measure, count out the patterns, paste right to the edges and fold using concertina pleats so paper fell gracefully from ceiling to floor.

Inherited from Dad... the feet, the eyes and a photographic memory. Spin any of his offspring around 3 times send them on a one way trip and they will always find their way home, memorizing every twist and turn of the road. No sat navs for us, just a copy of  the AA map of Great Britain and me and my Dad will show you the scenic route.

My Dad, my older brother and me on the beach

Dad, Mum and me in Austria. Wobbly photo taken by my brother

Always there with a ready smile

This post is dedicated to my dear Dad xxx

The Weekend beckons...

The weather is promising to behave itself so no doubt the smoky aroma of barbeque coals being lit will permeate the air this weekend. Friday not only heralds the start of the weekend but also...

.. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

This week it's the letter 'E', and there just had to be an Elephant! We can recommend a visit to all these shops, they all offer a wealth of original creations from their clever owners. All their shop url's are under their photo's.

  'E' is for...

A little work of Art with purpose

Embroidery...this gorgeous box uses a mixture of crafty mediums along with embroidery, just love the colours! Found in Janice's Folksy Shop:
https://beta.folksy.com/shops/TheCraftMagpie

Twit-Twoo - to a handsome Owl

Embossing... a really original piece of jewellery incorporating an embossed little Owl. Lots more unusual jewellery pieces to be found back at Faith's Folksy Shop:
https://beta.folksy.com/shops/abyjem

E is for Elephant - an enameled Elephant!

Enameling... such a fun brooch of Nellie the Elephant and she's available in other colours. Lots of fabulous enamel brooches in Linda's Folksy Shop:
https://beta.folksy.com/shops/LindaConnelly

Earrings decorated with one of my favourite birds

Earrings... and these have a lovely fluidity to them, they are going on my Christmas list! Catherine's Folksy Shop is a must see shop for anyone looking for contemporary jewellery pieces:
https://beta.folksy.com/shops/Frinnhandmade

Have been so excited about the next linocut print to appear in our shop. For a change Gary has taken a back seat, (he's presently working on a fabulous landscape), so this time it's a little piece of art from me! I have been wanting to start a series of floral pieces for ages and have managed to find some time to get the first one onto the press. It's a limited edition of 25 linocut prints which were produced using the reduction method, a complicated process and I was glad Gary was on hand to point me in the right direction. 

Pink Cyclamen with spiral seed pod

I wanted to capture the essence of the Arts and Crafts movement with a nostalgic feel to the piece. I'm pleased at how it has turned out and it does have a flavour of one of those pretty bookplates that appear in old gardening books. It's now available in our Folksy shop and will be available from our Etsy shop this weekend.
I'm about to start work on the next flowery number, a summery flower this time. 

Such sad news this week of the early death of Rik Mayall his many wacky comedy characters cannot be replaced, he was a hilarious one of a kind.
This brilliant quote rings so true...

'You know the really great thing about a fudged coalition is that neither of us need to carry out a single promise of our election manifestos'.

Spoken by Alan B'Stard aka Rik Mayall.

And the final word from the  brilliantly funny Flashheart in Black Adder..
'Woof'...

Strawberry Tables and Tomato Climbing Frames...

This last weekend was split between creating in the Studio and catching up with work in the garden, that was once the sun decided to come out and play on Sunday.

We needed the sun's rays to shine to dry out the soil as it was turning into a treacly, sticky mess making any planting very difficult. It would seem the only creatures enjoying all the damp in our garden are the family of frogs living under our log pile. We had to haul this over to the back of the garden on Sunday and so had to move them to a new abode. The family range in size from large to tiny dots and Gary commented they were reminiscent of a group of Russian Dolls. He would love to have taken a photo of them graded in size but they just wouldn't stay still, or in place for long enough! 

Two of the 'must do' jobs were to plant up the new strawberry table Gary had built with off cuts of timber plus finish planting all the tomatoes in the newly acquired greenhouse. Dread to think just how much our ebay purchased greenhouse has actually cost us in total. It started out a bargain buy but after re-painting it, buying new bolts and clips and building a base we both have decided not to calculate what has actually been spent. Needless to say the tomatoes will be treated with the same reverence the Tudors treated their recently discovered tomatoes.

The tomato canes and twine have turned the greenhouse into a jungle gym. We have raised a selection including Super Marmande, Roma, Sungold and Gardeners' Delight, plus a couple of varieties free from Gardeners' World magazine. Looking forward to a colander tumbling over with a colourful array of tomatoes.

How to shoehorn plants into a tight space...

We bought two types of strawberries, one that fruits in June/July and a late fruiting variety to try and extend the season. Once the blackbird family have spotted the ripening fruits we will have to fashion some sort of netting cover to deter them.

Hoping to keep the snails at bay

Destined for the top of a pot of homemade yoghurt

In summer months our suppers tend to revolve around salads using anything that looks tasty in the veg garden. On Saturday evening we were about to sit down to a mixed salad when Gary reminded me of how he loved my homemade Pitta breads, their pockets are roomy enough to make a feast of a sandwich. So on Sunday afternoon whilst baking our bread for the week I mixed up an extra batch of wholemeal bread dough and took the time to make half a dozen Pittas. Smiles all round.

Fresh and smelling delicious

Back to the art and as promised here's a preview of another new print to arrive in our online shops, such a cute little face!

Cute Pug printed in two colours

And here's another little face to raise a smile, one of our two girls when she was a wee kitten.

Did someone mention Cheese?

'Doubtless God could have made a better berry, than the strawberry, but doubtless God never did'
William Allan Butler.

Something beginning with 'D'

Another week marked off the calendar and another Friday, so once again it's time for...

.. Fabulous Folksy Friday Finds!

Lots of choice for items beginning with the letter 'D', hope you like them as much as we do. Do take time to visit the shops, their shop url's are under their photo's, so many lovely things await the curious visitor.

  'D' is for...

He loves me, he loves me not...

Such a pretty, delicate Daisy Necklace. Just love the pencil pieces too, all available from Linda's Folksy shop: https://beta.folksy.com/shops/RubyBijou

Reclaimed Driftwood Doorstop

Did have our eye on another Doorstop for the featured item but alas for us, (but great for John), it has been sold. Lots of thoughtfully designed recycled homewares available: 
https://beta.folksy.com/shops/reclaimedtime

Simply, stylish summer dress

A fun selection of proper frocks are to be found in Amy's Folksy shop, just love the 50's styling of the pineapple dress: https://beta.folksy.com/shops/Onlyoneamylaws

Degas inspired Dancing Bunnies

These bunnies simply makes us smile. Lots more for Lapin lovers in Sara's fun Folksy Shop: https://beta.folksy.com/shops/DandelionsGallery



Here in the Studio we have had a busy week, the printing press has been worked hard, should have some new prints in our shop very soon. And just to give a flavour of what to expect here's one hanging up to dry...
  

Blue Eyed Siamese Cat

'Siamese Cat' and other new prints will be available in our online shops from this weekend.



'Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless'.
Bill Watterson.

Hints of Green

A wet Wednesday means a whole day working hard in the Studio. So thankful we decided to fit day light fluorescent tubes when we first moved in here. We had always promised ourselves that in our next home we would make this a 'must have' and it really does make a difference, especially on dull, dank days like today. The printing press is in operation today, so that means one of our cats has to find another perch in the Studio for the duration of the printing session, instead she is curled up in Gary's chair.

Lots of work to print, most are the first colour plates being pressed and included in all the animal menagerie of images is my first colour plate for my floral piece. After an idea Gary threw into the mix I have decided to print a backing plate before I start the reduction process on the actual image. So the first reveal will be of a soft green, if it all turns out as hoped then a photo will follow...

The Tale of Howard's Fig...

Glossy new leaves on Howard's Fig

.. a few years ago when we were waiting for the snail like process of purchasing a property in France to reach it's conclusion we found ourselves back at a camp site we had visited the previous year. It was only 45 minutes away from the hamlet where we had finally put in an offer on a fermette. We had, in that time, struck up a friendship with the Brit owners and had asked them whether it would be possible to stay on their site to await moving into our new home after their usual site closing date at the end of October. They kindly agreed so we spent our time making our renovation plans, exploring the area and waiting patiently until the proposed move date of the 23rd December. We used to run a few kilometres every morning and take our bikes out in the afternoons and every day we would pass a small fig sapling growing at the end of the long lane leading to the camp site. The parent fig tree stood further along the lane and was a fine specimen, we would pluck the warm, ripe figs from it's branches and devour the soft, downy purple figs on the spot. Of all the fruit trees we were about to inherit on our little farm the only type we didn't yet have was a fig. The temptation was too strong so one afternoon we wandered down the lane with a trowel and a bucket and gently lifted the little sapling. As the site owner was called Howard so the fig became Howard's Fig. It lived in the awning in the bucket until we moved and then enjoyed the sun in a pot on the sunny side of the house. When we eventually came back to UK the Fig came too. It has so far moved 4 times, not including the vacations it's spent at the back of my Mum's house. It has been potted on, not often as Figs do like their roots constricted, and it has been promised a half barrel for it's next re-pot. We've had embryo figs emerge but nothing yet big enough to eat but we live in hope of enjoying one of Howard's figs in the not too distant future, it will be relished and no doubt will stir memories of relaxed, sunny times on French soil.

Bargain Buys...

Have to share the delight of yesterday's purchases, found these packs of sorry looking roots and shoots for only 10 pence each. Once the rain stops they are getting plunged into the nice, damp earth and hopefully will be so grateful for being saved from the bin they will flower their socks off! I cannot pass by the reduced plant shelf in stores without rescuing the most pathetic of cases, half the time all they are in need of is a good drink and they quickly spring back into verdant good health.

Hoping to bring a little sunshine into the garden

'To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean'.

Elizabeth David - An Omelette and a Glass of Wine.

(One of my favourite books).

Here comes Summer

The end of May was rather dismal here in North Yorkshire. Usually our favourite month of the year with brighter skies, better natural light for working in the Studio and the excited anticipation of the blossoming of the garden. But this May the rain clouds seem to gather over our heads too often for comfort and we unfortunately discovered the soak away from the back of our house ends in the bottom of one of our newly dug and planted flower beds. After watching this area fill up to pool like proportions we are having to re-think the planting there. Thankfully we decided not to plant the Iceberg climbing rose straight into the ground. Instead Gary constructed a 'Versailles' style box planter from off cuts of wood and painted it in the 'Wild Thyme' garden paint we so love. The rose seems to be enjoying it's raised new home and has rewarded us with it's first flower, this looks especially lovely at dusk when it illuminates that end of the garden.

Iceberg Rose in it's new home

As the end of last week was so soggy, Gary holed himself into the studio to photograph a couple of new linocut prints ready for release while I decided that it was a good opportunity to get on with those jobs that never seem to make it to the top of the 'to do' list. So the freezer was switched off and allowed to defrost. This lead to those freezer discoveries, strange plastic boxes and unlabelled bags of long forgotten things. I found a number of bags of damsons, scrumped off a friends tree last Autumn. As Gary, (aka the Squirrel for his tree climbing exploits), doesn't mind scaling the top most branches of the tree we get to keep what we pick from those dizzy heights. The jam pan stayed on the shelf in the pantry as I have recently discovered the slow cooker is great for making jams without all the 'hubble and bubble' of the jam pan. I simply put the fruit in first, set the slow cooker to high and let the fruit bubble away gently for a few hours. Then the sugar is added, stirred in for a couple of minutes and then the glorious deep, dark purple mix is left to 'plop' away to itself until the required set is reached. I find it much easier to fish for stones and the slower process means the fruit stays more intact leading to luscious lumps of damson in the finished jam. Of course just one other thing is required when a newly made batch of jam is sat on the kitchen counter in it's motley assortment of jam jars and that's a freshly baked loaf of bread, preferably a tasty wholemeal.

One slice or two?

Jobs for this week include stringing up the two packs of garden solar lights around the newly built arbor and archway in the garden divide, can't wait for dusk! Other garden jobs to be finished without delay include planting up the strawberry table and finish planting all the tomato plants in the greenhouse. 

The Studio - which had a major tidy up last week - will see another print emerging from Gary, this one will be his first venture into a wintry landscape. While I am working on my own lino print and my passion for gardening cannot be ignored. Gary has challenged me to make it using the reduction method, thankfully he is on hand to give me his wealth of knowledge of the medium.

New Print - Schnauzer - already drawing lots of attention in our online shops

Second new Dog Print - wide eyed Beagle

'May and June. Soft syllables, gentle names for the two best months in the garden year; cool, misty mornings gently burned away with a warming spring sun, followed by breezy afternoons and chilly nights. The discussion of philosophy is over; it's time for work to begin'

Peter Loewer