All over the place.......

I've been away, to my hometown.  View of Piel Island from Roe Island. Glorious sea breezes.

We went to Kendal

and walked down memory lane in the Museum of Lakeland Life, a bit disconcerting to see so many things you remember, in a museum. We also loved the Quaker Tapestry.and this quilt.

Made of knitted squares and embroidered panels, I think the square were knitted by a lady (forgot the name, sorry) and the embroidered pieces were worked by her friends. Sorry about the photo quality. There are some better photographs here
We visited Sisergh Castle  I must have passed it a thousand times on journeys back and forth but it is a lovely house to visit.  Fascinating history, Jacobites and all that,wonderful wooden paneling and carved fireplaces  and the portraits, for me, are particularly fine.

 

In the gardens we found these treasures.

The owls were part of Woollen Woodlands.  A copse of trees had been decorated with literally hundreds of animals and flowers by local groups and schools. Brilliant idea, such fun,We (72 and 82) were running around shouting "Look at this one" "Come and look at this".

 

and 

I 

I actually took loads more but as this was supposed to be a quick catch up post I better move on, there are some more photographs on this blog

Another beautiful day and a beach combing walk on Walney Island

I didn't wan't to trespass here

The sea made art

Iconic Black Combe

 See how it has inspired other people here

Another view with Walney Channel

Our last trip was to see the tree that has been planted for my brother,on a grassy bank, over looking the town so he can keep it in order.

Hopefully in the spring it will have snowdrops round it and then white blossom.

So that took longer than I thought, if you stuck with it to here can you help me identify this shrub?.  I have searched but had no luck so far.

Right better get to the catching up, seem to have been doing that this whole year which is flying by. 

Summer......

flying by.  My young friend came for her annual visit and we spent a week walking in Kent, along the River Thames,

by the sea

and through the countryside.

and we planned the walks we would take next year.

This week there was a visit to the British Folk Art exhibition at Tate Britain.  I did love the cockerel


but the star exhibit had to be the  Bellamy quilt on loan from the Carrow House Museum in Norwich.






It was made by Herbert Bellamy and Charlotte Alice Springall in the year before they married. Not the kind of thing young couples do now I think.  You can read the full story here .  You can stand for ages and keep finding new(and surprisingly modern) images.  Unfortunately you couldn't get close enough to examine the stitiches as it was surrounded by an alarm force field which went off everytime you leaned forward or even pointed.
On the way out of the Tate we paeesed through this unusual sight.

Some of the worlds most famous painting being unpacked and hung, with great precision I may add.
I am keeping up with Documented Life, just, and experimenting with weaving but lack the time to scan photograph etc at the moment as we are off on a short break next week. We are going to my home town Barrow in Furness and of course hope to visit the beautiful Lakes but after our scorching summer(so far) the weather is looking decidely iffy.