The enormous field.

 At the top of our garden is an enormous field. When we first moved here ( gosh 35 years ago!) it was several fields until they uprooted the dividing hedges. This year it has oil seed rape in. The seed heads are now dry and rattle when you shake one.

 Rubbing of a seed head.

 The patterns of the stalks and seed heads are rather intriguing. Fly stitch I think.

This little book in a box sold yesterday in the Guild at 51 Gallery. Lovely! Inspiration to make another with a different theme.

Ridge across the field- wind in the grasses.

Playing with artwork on the long grasses on the ridge across the field. The wind movement is the important thing. Using a roller is unpredictable but interesting. So I rolled some colour on and then printed with an edge of a bit of card.

Field Scabious.

 I have been drawing Field Scabious. Such a delicate pale mauve colour.

 I walked this ridge or embankment that goes across our local field. The story goes that it was thrown up during the second world war to prevent tanks crossing the fields. ( Protecting nearby air fields?) There are concrete pill boxes in the area . It always has a good crop of wild flowers because it cannot be farmed. I counted and identified 13 species in flower plus sorrel and lots of grasses. The wind in the long grasses is spectacular.

One of my favourite wild flowers, so delicate and beautiful.

Wild flowers and butterflies in the Cotswolds.

 The hay is safely gathered in. That leaves the long ridge that crossed this field accessible to look at the wild flowers that flourish there.

 Field scabious,

 Rose Bay Willow Herb and many others. The butterflies gather on them but there were more in the sheltered lane.

 Ringlets, tortoiseshell, large white, gatekeepers, meadow browns

 and a Red Admiral. This photograph  reminded me of my footpath piece made a few years ago now.

I can change butterflies on it when I fancy.

Linseed blue fields.

 These blue fields are quite a sight in the sunshine. They are linseed and grown as a break crop. The oil is harvested to use in paint. Also used for health foods, animal feeds and as a textile- flax. The flowers follow the sun so when we went out in the morning a shimmering blue but coming home later the fields were back to green as the flowers had closed up.

 I have been messing around with paint and oil pastels

the pale blue shimmers and hangs suspended in the landscape.

Day Out

 Yesterday was our wedding anniversary so we had a day out. We went to Weston- super-Mare to see this lovely exhibition in a cafe at the Quarry Nature Reserve. I loved the exhibits because they were inspired by the sea and they really contained the essence of the seaside- lots of inspiring textures and images.

The Old Quarry was also inspiring. We spotted a peregrine falcon sitting up in a tree on the cliff face. Picture two sixty something year olds jumping up and down with excitement! Luckily Alan had binoculars in the car so we could see it clearly. You will have to take my word for it -there is a peregrine falcon in that picture.

Gardening in miniature.

 Summer has come. The garden is like a jungle and only my miniature gardens can be managed easily.

 I love the different textures. They inspired my miniature gardens made a few years ago.

Always a good idea to get another started for next year and so easy to transplant a few heads over. And the slugs and snails don't eat them!

Green grasses and butterflies in the Cotswolds.

Across the fields and down the lane clouds of meadow brown butterflies. Our neighbours, the farmers haven't been able to get the hay in, in all their fields because it has been so wet, consequently the grasses and wild flowers are plentiful.
I have been thinking about my M.E. which I had in my mid thirties and how wonderful it is now to have the internet if you are confined to bed or the house. You can look at blogs all around the world of people and see their stitching. So if you can't get out you can still feel in touch and do a bit of armchair traveling. I love to see the American and Canadian stitchers landscape that influence them ( see my favourite blogs) so that is why I have included a few of my local landscapes. It would have cheered me when I felt like my body was full of aches, pain and tiredness to still feel in touch with the world.

Washing the feather hangings and patchwork.

 Yesterday I washed the feather hangings that were outside. They came up all clean again apart from a few marks on the backs- well, marks of experience I think..........like all of us.

Now this is interesting- the back of my patchwork with the cereal packet colours showing through. Lovely little touches of colour at random. (I have just bought some new navy trousers and a cardigan in that pea green! ) I was wondering about bringing that green onto the front somewhere.' From the other side' is an interesting title that I thought of when taking the photo of the outside windows at Newark Park. Perhaps 'on the reverse ' is better, no spirit connotations.  

Blue edged with daisies.

Taking down an exhibition is quick and easy. I shall miss my weekly drives to Newark Park because my route is beautiful. On Saturday, driving in, a buzzard flew out of the woods and low over the car. Yesterday I saw another smaller bird of prey chasing a flock of pigeons, I don't know what it was just small, fast and angular. The fields are now turning blue around Chavenage- linseed - and edged with ox-eye daisies and other wild flowers. Swallows were skimming the field for insects.

Last days at Newark Park.

 Only two days left for the exhibition. It was my last stewarding day yesterday. The gallery is on the top floor- top 2 windows on left. We had lots of interested visitors.

These ducks down by the summer house were very friendly if you produced your sandwiches. They are 4 ducklings and mum stood sentry keeping a keen eye.

Terns on the Wave.

The second piece finished for Taking the Waters at the Guild at 51, Cheltenham. It will go straight off to the framer. It is quite a small piece, 23cm x 11cm and is quite sculptural - from my memories of taking the ferry to Islay and Mull - terns and other seabirds swooping over the waves. There are a few very tiny, clear beads to catch the light. These are old beads from my collection- you can't buy them that small now and they are difficult to thread even on my finest beading needle but they just give that reflection of light on the sea spray.

I was at Newark Park most of the weekend. Very busy with visitors- all weathers. I re-hung one of my outside feathers. It had twisted round and round on its wire so I've put the two together - that wall doesn't seem to catch the wind so much. The pieces have been beaten by wind, rain and sunshine but they survive. Not quite so pristine, a little grubby and wrinkled but then aren't we all?

 I needed some stitching to do whilst stewarding so I've started some patchwork to make a bag for myself. I can stitch squares and chat to visitors. (Plus some people watching) Besides the blue and white Indian block prints were so delicious I could not resist buying some from my local fabric shop.

This is the next seabird piece, painted felt and choosing threads, I am working on this today in the studio. I do need to think and contemplate while I work on this. My framer said that the textile people were all warm, soft people like their work and he imagined their studios very calm, peaceful places. Interesting the way people see us. There is a meditative side to the work but some angst and frustration when a piece doesn't work out!