Walking, wet wellies and The White Lady.

Had a day out with CK, the terences and my assistant today. CK had packed a picnic the previous night prior to us going out to the circus (she drops head into hands and shakes a little. Story to follow when tremors cease) and so we set off at first light.

Well, aiming for 8am.

Actually got away at just after 9am.

First had to walk all three dogs (even though possessed hound was coming with us) , wash dishes from previous night (freely confess -AM a house slut), hang out bed linens so children would have clean sheets this evening AND have a shower. CK and terences just managed to have breakfast and get dressed in that hour and a half.

Two hours later we landed in Lydford and set out on our adventure.

We started off in the old goal, walked up and down the stairs imagining being imprisoned in such a dank, cold and gloomy place. They imagined that. I imagined them being locked up and left behind to rot ;-)

destructoBoy and I raced down the hill (think tech name is bailey) then some minutes later raced back up the hill to see who could be the ultimate winner. Without a second of cheating I touched the castle wall first. Honest. I did not hold back small boy to ensure my victory nor did he end up on the ground squealing with laughter and being clambered on by a highly excited, licky puppy. Once equilibrums had been restored Lydford Gorge beckoned.

We headed off following the up and down path all the way down. We even got all energetic and at final node chose the steep, speedy route to the bottom. Yay us!

(photo from www.geograph.org.uk/photos/16122)

It was lovely and pretty and beautiful and after about five minutes the childer were a bit bored. Fortunately there was more than just a stunning cascade of water, there was a pool-type area.
(Somebody's tourist brochure picture from the innernets)

Much hilarity and enjoyment ensued as we paddled, splashed and gave my assistant swimming lessons. While no-one actually fell in both d/Boy and myself got a little cocky and ended up with soggy wellies and socks. But only a little wet.

Once on the far side of the river from the falls we walked the mile and half back to the car park. The path was slippery and damp and steep and steppy and beautiful and stunning and fabulous. It took us near enough three hours and we had a fabulous time. We chatted and did science, we talked about history and folklore, we gripped the rail for dear life and made jokes and had a fabulous family day. Eventually we got back up to the top, had some lunch, piled back in to the car and made our way home. The old men were pleased to see us and more especially pleased to see the great outdoors as they reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaalllly needed a wee.

Despite being an inch or so shorter in the leg than she was at the start of the day, after just half an hour's rest, my assistant came out when I walked the big dogs tonight. I haven't heard a sound since she finished her dinner, I think we should do this more often ;-)

The past repeats itself.

With so many years experience we are able to understand 'dog' in this house.

Can you guess what my assistant is saying here?

Ever fallen in love, in love with someone ever fallen

How do you like my new avatar? A self-portraitDonkey!

But that is not where the love is, oh no. There is more.

Do you remember last year my friend had a wee, early baby, Baby Will? He was not very well at all but she breeds them tough and now he has even started walking :-) A couple of weeks ago she rang and asked me if I would be his godmother! So in all godmotherly haste I considered just what would be a suitable Champagne and Races Godmother gift.

Way back at Christmastime I bought a selection of prints to do a quilt for my oldestfriendintheworld's new baby boy but I am slack and crubbish and suffer very badly from 'finishitis' and thus it never happened however I still loved the fabrics very much so I pulled them out from the many hidey-holes around Trash Towers. This was when I discovered several other fabrics purchased in the intervening months that toned in fantastically so they got thrown into the mix too. One six inch square template, one large cutting mat courtesy of Sylv's horror at my weeny one, a new blade on the cutter and a vague idea of what I was doing resulted in this.

Last night I laid it all out and pinned it and now have to think of how to quilt it. I am guessing probably 'in the ditch' because that is a really good idiot-proof method. The backing is the Ikea hippo fabric in green and I shall bind it in the dots.

It is not perfect. The lines are not 100% matched. The cutting errs towards the wonky side of things and dare I suggest some fabric is cut across or against the grain but I am truly and deeply in love. I love the colours. I love the dots. I love the different textures but most of all I think I love the turtles bestest.

It is a quilt for snuggling under, for making dens, for dragging into the garden and pulling up into trees. It is for feeling sick under and getting better under. It is for storytelling and playacting. It is for hide&seek and for quiet times.. These were my half-formed thoughts while I was making it and I know that Will's parents will understand this and appreciate the handmade aspect of it. It is a joy to give to people who 'get' that homemade is handmade, it is not cheap in terms of labour or effort, it takes time in both planning and execution but that all of this is done freely with joy and love.

I hope Will spends many hours under his quilt laughing, reading, chatting and playing.

Aloha Ladies and Gentlemen ...... all the way from Hawaii we present ...

... well actually not ElvisDonkey yet because as we all know any good concert will offer at least one performer before the main event. Here today we offer not just one, not even two but THREE support acts.

First of all we have BikerDonkey and NurseDonkey.

These were not deliberately placed together to bring back memories for Missus Moog, honest. And for all non-UK dwellers and any who are aged under 10 let me state that Yes, UK nurses really did used to dress like that in the last millenium!

Then following on from that we have that fabulous combination of ZZTop and The Harlem Globetrotters. Not many people in London know this (nod to Michael Caine) but the only member of ZZTop not to sport a HUGE beard or any kind of beard is in fact called Frank Beard!

And as our final support acts takes the stage let me ask you to put your hands together for those two stalwarts of Sunday teatime telly

(I think I love PhilDonkey.)

Finally now ladies and gentlemen would you put your hands together and give a fabulous Hawaii welcome to the one, the only

ELVISDONKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elvis hasn't left the building!

However my camera battery is DEAD and so while it does the whole Lazarus thing (can you believe there is a child in this hilltop town who is actually called Lazarus!) let me just say that not only do we have an ElvisDonkey circa 1974 but also a ZZTopDonkeys, D'artagnanDonkey and two UK TV archeologyDonkeys. These last ones done at my daughter's request.


Is it wrong to be in love with a 2D donkey?

A finish!!! (edited for clarity)

Some little few weeks back Kootooyoo came up with a plan. A cunning plan to do a blog redwork quilt. She had 5 bazillion pieces of edged cloth that were distributed among 5 bazillion of her best friends and one came to live up here on the hill.

The brief was to create a design in redwork. A design of all of my very ownsome. Somewhat daunting. But then my favourite quote came to mind. That rather special Baudelaire number that speaks to my heart and also I think the hearts of many bloggers.

"A multitude of small delights constitutes happiness."

At which point the memory of a picture I quite liked hidden in the depths of one of the Donkey sketch pads sprang to mind. Add in a few flower/tree-type things and then we have my finished piece. Wanna see?

It is a little bit wrinkly around the edges but I guess any of us would be had we spent several weeks crammed into an embroidery hoop ;-) The angle of the picture is a little wonky but as a piece of work I am really pleased with how it came out and have loved having the opportunity to take part. Thanks a million Kootooyoo for letting me join in with your gang and take part.

EDIT!
dear Bloggers, I have reviewed the above post with particular reference to the seventh sentence of the second paragraph.
"At which point the memory of a picture I quite liked hidden in the depths of one of the Donkey sketch pads sprang to mind."
On reflection and rereading the above seventh sentence of the second paragraph I will clarify for those unsure that while the sketch pads may be called 'Donkey' ones they in fact house several many different types of creature, most notably giraffes, cows, my assistant and some monkeys and (of course) a rhino.

I do hope this has relieved the brain ache of anyone attempting to track down the scientific names of the totally mythological rhinodonkey.


OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That just sparked something. Rhino. Donkey. RhinoDonkey. Rhinestone. Donkey. RhinstoneDonkey. ELVIS DONKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(all my thought processes are equally simple and disturbing;-)

September sixth (with apologies to A.A. Milne)

When I was one

I had just begun.

When I was two

I was still quite new.

When I was three

I was nearly me.

This was followed by many, many career changes and then

now I am eight I am really great!

Happy Birthday destructoBoy.
.

сравнительное изучение русских кукол EDITED

The title above translates as

'A comparative study of Russian dolls.'

Last May last year Katy arranged a Russian Doll Swap and I excitedly signed up because

a) who doesn't love post?

and

b) I had a triffic plan as to what to make.

I was quite chuffed as it is a pattern I had made up all by myself . The writing says 'Happy Days'. (This actually shows Locket's Trash Raffle tray which she better actually be using or else but the pattern is the same. The photies of the little box I painted are on the water-loogged Dell computer.)

In return I received a bag.



A bag with a Russian Doll on the front.

Or perhaps the Russian Doll was meant to be the back of the bag? I don't know.

Let me show you a better representation of the colours.

Excuse the camera shake, the heebie jeebies may have kicked in after taking a couple of photies.

Over the last sixteen or so months I have used this bag - or as it became known almost immediately in our house (and beyond) Scarey Mary - a lot. It has been to the supermarket, the fabric shop and travelled to Australia to be perused by several quilting mommas. It regularly goes to school, the library and last December it even went to the Country Living Fair in London (although Locket suggested it wouldn't be allowed through the door - she was right).

I have never been embarrassed to carry Scarey Mary. I do so with an ironic, post-modern air, confident that all seeing it will recognise my post-modern irony. And then I remember where I live. Both post-modernism and irony are frowned on in this little hilltop town. So I added something special to the back. Or possibly it is the front.

Yes, yes. A Russian Doll Donkey. I even sacrificed a couple of square inches from some Fortnum's quilt fabric to make his headscarf and apron. (Donkeys are ALWAYS hims no matter how they are dressed.) So as before I freely carry the Scarey Mary bag I just make sure the Donkey side is out ;-)

Thinking sufficient time had passed I felt free to confess to Katy that her delightful swap had resulted in Scarey Mary arriving in my life. I didn't even mutter out loud about Locket getting silver jewellery in the swap (I had finally got this out of my system over the last few months ;-). Scarey Mary was meant to come with me to the Festival of Quilts so Katy could enjoy the delights with which I live but accidentally I left it languishing at home. Perhaps my subconscious was active that morning? So that evening I sent Katy the pics you see in this post.


Just yesterday I found an unexpected parcel in my letterbox. It was a surprise present from Missus Ginger Monkey to keep Scarey Mary company.

I think all of those delightful Russian Dolls you see may in fact be spies and gaolers!

Most of the above was written late last night and on reading it back I can identify the main problem - there is no real comparison. Let's address that right now.....

1. Scarey Mary is a purchased bag. The delightful new bag is handmade and pretty. I have no problem with the pre-made bag thing. Some of my best friends are pre-made bags. Just not convinced if pre-made is the way to go when you possess the skill to make an Amy Butler Weekender Bag -I'm just sayin' is all.
2. Scarey Mary is a multi-hued Russian Doll figure on a plain background. The delightful new bag is loads of multi-hued Russian Dolls surrounded by gorgeous fabrics of pretty patterns and colours.
3. The delightful new bag was made with care and attention to detail. Scarey Mary was cut out and sewn on by blind Abyssinian monkeys during an earthquake.
4. On one side Scarey Mary's head is triangular while, having examined them closely, ALL of the Russian Dolls on the delightful new bag have uniform and consistently shaped heads.
5. The colours used in the delightful new bag all sit well together, they tone, blend or contrast. This term pictures of Scarey Mary are being used by art colleges throughout the country as an example of how not to associate colours on the same 'canvas'.

I have just read these out to Pr.C-W and d/Boy. Once the laughter subsided (gotta love a well-trained audience) Pr.C-W said she hoped that the creator of Scarey Mary wasn't going to read this. I said that perhaps she would but it has been 15+ months and maybe she could see that we have provided Scarey Mary with refuge and shelter because heaven knows there is no way she would have survived in the wild! I'm just sayin' is all ;-)