The Avening Little Book of Baking on Radio Gloucester.

 On Sat 14th Dec at 10.10am I am going, with other contributers, to be on our local Radio Glos talking to Faye Hatcher about the Little Book of Baking. Sales are going well.

The Little Book of Baking - Avening Community Cafe.

 Yesterday was our book launch of The Little Book of Baking. Recipes supplied by people in the village who make terrific cakes for the community cafe. Each recipe has its own story.

We displayed the original artworks for people to see. 

 An early customer -Lil Adams, in front, who was leading a pom-pom workshop. Clare, standing behind her, did the most marvellous job of designing and editing the book. A very exciting morning and we sold about 60 copies which was brilliant for a fairly quiet cafe. All proceeds after printing costs go to the cafe. A marvellous success at bringing people together in a small rural village with no shops and limited bus services. We are lucky to have a Primary School but for older people the cafe is a hub to the village and somewhere to have a chat and meet up with new and old friends. You can recycle stuff and choose a book from the book swap table. There are workshops most weeks and of course coffee and delicious cake.

Cheese scone in stitch!

 My latest illustration for the recipe book. I use recipes I learnt from my mother. This one is Clares mums recipe written on a tatty piece of paper she says with added tips and crossings out.

More cakes and 2 days out.

 I have been getting on with the cake illustrations. They want 5 textile pieces and this is the third.

 Chocolate cake.

 Polenta cake

 Apricot tea bread.

 Trying to prolong our holiday feeling and make the most of the Autumn sunshine between rainfall, we have had a couple of NT days out. This is Dryham Park, near Bath. It is being used in 'Sanditon' as the wealthy lady's house but with the Bath backdrop painted out and sea added behind, which makes us laugh!

 Look for the deer on the skyline.

 And back to our local house Newark Park because the cyclamen spreading under the horse chesnut trees are amazing. An American took over the house when it was falling to pieces and saved it. He was a keen gardener too and planted lots of trees and bulbs. Now the National Trust look after it and an army of volunteers care for the beautiful gardens.

Progress and an outing to Llwyn Celyn.

 At last a black and white drawing I am happy with. Oat biscuits for the Avening recipe book. They were delicious too!

 I am struggling with this piece to bring it together but at least the bottom section is finished. Only the major part to juggle with then! It is always like this and no-one realises the work that goes in and taken out to resolve a piece of artwork, unless you are an artist of course. Not showing the rest until I find the answers.

 On Sunday we had a lovely day out with my friend Rosemary who lives in South Wales. We visited Llwyn Celyn, a mediaeval farm house owned by the Landmark Trust who rescue old buildings and restore them. They can be rented for holidays.

 This was built in 1420 on Llanthony Priory lands and is one of the oldest surviving houses in Wales.

 They were cooking medieval style too, in the kitchen and outside in a clay oven

 There were many outhouses and this is the barn. One of the barns has been restored for community and educational use.

 Wonderful old timbers and intimate views, set in a beautiful valley.

 The curtains and cushions were screen printed by hand from designs inspired by the house and research into its history. All fascinating.

Signs of Autumn and cake illustrations.

Signs of Autumn in the lanes and hedgerows now. The season of mellow fruitfulness. I am working on the cake illustrations for our community recipe book. Most will have to be in black and white for cost purposes. Not so much fun as colour. off on holiday again soon so want to get some finished before then. Making a large choice in black and white and hoping to get better at it.

Cake in fabric and thread and Rowan.

 I have a commission to do the illustrations for a community recipe book for our village cafe. Most will be drawings in black and white but I wanted to do some in fabric because that is actually easier for me than the drawing. Colour does help with cake illustrations! The village cafe is open on Tuesday mornings and run by volunteers in the Social Club. The idea was to combat loneliness and isolation in a small rural community without many buses. It has also helped to introduce newcomers to the village and be a hub for village life. Book swaps, garden produce swaps, knit and natter, workshops, recycling have also developed at the cafe. It has been a huge sucess and the cake recipe book hope to celebrate a year of opening( In November) You can only have a recipe in the book if it has been at the cafe and requested by a customer. So I am very glad to say I will have a recipe included. More of that another time.

 This week has been our daughter Rowan's fortieth birthday. Here she is on a birthday walk by the boathouse at Woodchester mansion N.T. Below is the card I made her from her Rowan tree in our garden. The colour is just beginning to turn.