tree dressing

Yesterday I went out with my friends, Gail and Emma, to some local woods, where we did some simple tree dressing. Gail and Emma had been on a day workshop a few weeks earlier, and thought they'd like to do something creative in the countryside. They invited me; so I did a quick stitched piece that included a heart-shape (seems to be my current theme!) and decided to include an acrostic poem; one which spells out a word made from the beginning letters of each line). 

 Here's the oak tree I attached both pieces to; either side of the trunk.

Last winter I made lots of these small fabric decorations, instead of xmas cards, for friends and family. I have some left, so thought it would be nice to take one for this outing. After all, they were designed for (xmas) trees!

 Gail did this; tissue and flour and water glue; TRUST.

 Emma took a simple and effective red ribbon. Tucked away, discreet.

And this is the landscape I visisted on Wednesday, when I went on a 'Wild Drugs' walk with Sue Salmon, a medical herbalist. She talked about the many different herbs and plants which grew wild, that could help to heal us. We've been using them for millennia; so they work very well with our bodies. They are compatible with us. Some of the plants she mentioned, nettle, plantain, dandelion, all grow in my garden. I was moved to consider using them. So if anyone complains about the weeds in my garden, I shall explain I am cultivating them for a purpose!

Standedge Tunnel Marsden

 Withy tunnel, of willow, at Standedge Visitor's Centre, Marsden.

 Standedge Tunnel, Marsden.

Up high in the Pennines, on the border, between Yorkshire and Lancashire.

The river at Marsden, tumbling over the weir. We went on Easter Monday, a couple of weeks ago. It was a gorgeous sunny day....surprising for a bank holiday! And now we have another bank holiday, so I'm in the garden, tending.

And stitching!



trees

Today's been a gorgeous sunny, warm day. I've been out in the garden; clearing away; cleaning the pond to get it ready for the frogs; planting up some Lilly-of-the-valley that Rob gave me; threading wire through the drilled holes of the fallen birdbox, almost ready to pop back up in the tree now; sawed up some wood; prepared a relief print.

Spring felt like it was on it's way, and I could almost imagine the garden all greened up like it was last summer.

The trees aren't greened over yet though; still look more like this! But there was a real shift in the season today.
I put a pomegranate dye-pot on today; soaking it first. Will boil it up later in the week, and pop in some fabric. Not used pomegranate before, so it'll be interesting to see how it comes out.  

'came in through the bathroom window......'

The twisted and distorted view out of the bathroom window at work! Overlooking the grounds of the Quaker meeting house. And beyond are the old Almshouses; with Morrison's the brick tower in the far distance.
The Quaker garden is full of clumps of snowdrops. Lovely to see.

The trees are bare now; but last May/June, here is how one of them looked. Thick hawthorn blossoms. I can hardly wait for the flowers to bloom this year! Though they might not return so thick; the trees have been hacked back, quite drastically.

winter walk

With the low light we get in winter, strange shadows, colours, and pattern, can be seen, especially in the mud.

The angles of the sun shining on emerging catkins makes the trees look as though they still have xmas decorations on their branches. The colours brighten the brown and black landscape.

Trees fallen during the winter, remind me of sculptures.

new year's day

To start 2014 I wanted to post these pix of xmas trees; lights; and stars. We're still in the dark of winter, & my tree will remain up till Twelfth Night, the 6th January. Today is a dreary, grey, rainy new year day, and I need all the light I can get!

My tree; complete with cat wassail cup from my childhood Christmases. My mum gave me this, and a few other decorations last winter. They were all old 1960's glass wassail cups, many fractured with age. The ears are a bit broken on this blue & silver cat, but it carries memories of putting the tree up when my family were all living together under one roof.

My niece's xmas tree. Helen and Tim were up for Xmas and we spent the day together, at Rob's (Helen's dad) house. He made us a fabulous dinner. Note the star in the middle of the tree.......

 An excerpt of Paul and Paula's tree; oh look, that same star!

Paula and Ian's tree.....complete with star!

I made lots of these fabric stars for people for xmas, instead of the usual cards. Some of them began life on the tree at Irene's Emporium....here they are in situ on various xmas trees. Brightening the dark MidWinter.

Happy New Year to everyone.



season....autumn

 Some rainy weather brought jewels to my path. Diamonds on a fallen leaf. 

A couple of weeks ago, Pauline and I took Minnie, her friend's dog, a walk round the grounds of Nostell Priory. We tired all of us out, and finished with coffee and cakes in their caff. Round the edge of the lake we saw this tree....I saw a face (two faces actually! Kissing! In public!) only later when scrolling through the fotos on my fone.

We'd had some blustery winds earlier, and the leaves were starting to come off the trees. This copper collection, gathered in the water, set off against the green rushes.

And Evening Primrose! Still flowering in (then) October! Reminder of sun gone; and sun to return. Some day.
I don't know much about the growing season of Evening Primrose, so maybe they are usually found in flower in October? They seemed fragile to me, in that cold October daylight.

MayDay

 

When I visited Bridlington last week, I bought this interesting little gizmo! It's a 'Witch Needle Threader'.

You put the needle into the funnel, and placing the thread across the notch at the base of the funnel, press the white lever on the right, and hey presto! the thread is pushed through the eye of the needle. It really is quite magical! 

Today, the MayDay Bank Holiday, has been glorious and sunny!
Traditionally British Bank holidays are wet, with miserable weather; but not this one! Here is how the sky looked from my garden....blue, blue, electric blue! I've been out in the garden with the cats; reading; stitching; listening to the radio; drinking; eating buns brought round by my neighbour Pippa, and her two sons! We all stood gazing into the pond at the tadpoles swimming about.
The studio door has been open, and I've been pottering about. It's been gorgeous. Just how I imagined having a home-studio would be. It's a lovely day! 

'knitting ninja'

Outside Mocha Moocho, a favourite cafe in Wakefield, is this knitted collage. It's attached to a railing surrounding a silver birch.
I've no idea who 'knitting ninja' is; but they've created a lovely 'art intervention', of knitted foods, in the main precinct, close to the Cathedral. It adds a much-needed splash of colour in this grey winter light. I like the idea; public art created and installed by the 'public'! Good work, knitting ninja, whoever you are!
I wonder if there are more of these, adorning the streets of Wakefield? I'll keep a lookout.

Beacons Festival

Last weekend I went to Beacons Festival.

Listened to music; drank beer; ate food; enjoyed the sun....when it shone! And tried to avoid the rain!

On the Saturday, it was glorious weather. The sky was blue; the clouds were little fluffy ones!

The sunset over the fields, and the hawthorn tree, was spectacular.

For 3 days, I sat in a field, camped up in Blanche, and chilled. Bliss!  

 And after Beacons? I drove off to explore North Yorkshire, and look for Star Carr!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park - MIRO

Off to visit the YSP last Tuesday, to see the big Miro exhibition on there. I liked some of the work in the Underground Gallery. The large black bronzes (tautology?) outside were too solid and...well, black, for me!

But there was a lovely quote from 1959, on the wall of the Underground Gallery which I thought worth repeating. Particularly as the grounds of the Sculpture Park could be regarded as a massive garden.......

  'I think of my studio as a vegetable garden. Here, there are artichokes. Over there, potatoes. The leaves have to be cut so the vegetables can grow. At a certain moment, you must prune. I work like a gardener or a wine grower.

Everything takes time. My vocabulary of forms, for example, did not come to me all at once. It formulated itself almost in spite of me. Things follow their natural course. They grow. They ripen. You have to graft. You have to water, as you do for lettuce. Things ripen in my mind. In addition, I always work on a great many things at once. And even in different areas: painting, etching, lithography, sculpture, ceramics.'

The River Dearne; birches; blackthorn in bloom; all signs of spring on the way. The land beginning to awaken, open, and push us into the coming season.

Reminding me, I too need to get my gardening gloves on, and begin the work of planting, and tending. 

And remember, 'Everything takes time.'

Catkin Clootie Tree

The Twisted Hazel is dripping with yellow catkins; decorated like a clootie tree! In the bright spring sunshine, they glow. This photo shows the shadow cast by next doors fence. The catkins at the bottom, are in gloom, like ghosts. An unexpected effect. 

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice 2011
The tree is up, and decorated; we light up the dark!
Tonight is the longest night; the shortest day. And three days remaining till Xmas.
This years tree is massive! I always have a real tree; and as our house is very small, I try to get a tree that will fit comfortably into it. But it's funny how a tree that seems a reasonable size in the garden centre, is huge when it's standing in the living room! Still, it does look beautiful. And the sweet resinous scent that greets us when we open the door in the mornings, is so evocative. Once the tree is up, I feel Xmas has really arrived.