Post 13: Happy Place

photo courtesy Phillipa Turnbull

Today all but six of us went to Alan Bank in the morning. The Wordsworths lived here for a couple of years and many of their friends visited. It is now a National Trust Property with lovely grounds, wildlife and views of Grasmere.

We were originally going in the afternoon, but the forecast was for heavy rain so our program was swapped around to beat the rain.

It still rained, but not as heavily as it did in the afternoon.

photo courtesy Phillip Turnbull

Not everyone who went managed to see a a red squirrel, but Phillipa did, and took a couple of lovely photos which she generously offered me to use in this blog.

photo courtesy Phillipa Turnbull

Some people came back to the Ryebeck after Alan Bank, others went shopping in Grasmere.






I was one of the six who stayed behind to stitch. We all kept working on our current projects - three on Jenny's, three on Nicola's.

I focused particularly on the wall, filling in the moss and organic matter between the stones. It was really enjoyable - a  sharing, relaxed, productive time.

I was then able to work the second of the tower primulas (mine looks more like a hollyhock - but who's classifying?)


This is roughly what it looked like by the time everyone returned and we had lunch. Phillipa's daughter and business partner, Laura, had lunch with us. It was lovely to meet her in the flesh.










From 2-5pm we had another session with Jenny and focused mainly on the rhubarb leaves. These were a little tricky. The needle angles and fine spacing of the top and bottom of the blanket stitch determine success.

By 5.20pm I was pretty happy with my day's work - and my eyes could do no more.

I just had time to get my pinot grigio and head into the lounge where we assembled to watch Miss Potter.


I had wanted to see this movie but missed it at the cinema.


I'm glad I did, because this was a marvellous way to see it - in the Lake District, on a pull-down screen, in front of a grey, cloudy, wet Windermere and the lights over our embroidery classroom.

We stopped the movie at 6.55pm when dinner was ready and resumed afterwards, only to find we had stopped it about 3 minutes before the movie ended. It caused much hilarity. There was, however, a substantial and useful supplementary clip of the making of the movie which we watched as well.





Throughout the day there were many discussions about how to make the most of our remaining time, the best way to organise future retreats and what we like best about being together.

For me, this was just about a perfect day - inside in the warm, with good company, stitching what I want, rain outside, good food appearing at regular intervals - topped off by a pretty good film about the woman whose work our embroidery honours while surrounded by her landscape and weather.
                                                                           🙏

Post 10 : Hill Top

Today was excursion day. We set out in three mini-buses at 9.15. It was wet, raining and a little windy.















The driver stopped for me to take a couple of photos. I think he thought I was nuts taking photos through the window, but I like the effect.

Nonetheless, I got a couple of good ones when he stopped. I love the trees in this early Spring landscape.














At Hill Top we visited the shop and walked along the path to Beatrix Potter's house. I have been before - so tried not to take the same photos!

This grandfather clock photo is for Ed - not because it featured in The Taylor of Gloucester, but because he likes clocks. I also have a postcard of the face.

 We are less inclined I think, to buy china that commemorates heros - but maybe I've missed them.

There are several spinning wheels - although Beatrix Potter apparently did not herself much like spinning.

I rather liked the working farm - viewed through a gate as it was marked as strictly out of bounds to visitors.


From Hill Top we walked 600 yards to Sawrey House, where we had coffee, then lunch. It was lovely just sitting in their tea room looking over the landscape.

 The sun struggled out a few times and it looked pleasant from inside the tea room. It was, however, quite cold and a little windy.




It did not seem to bother the sheep.






















From there, after lunch, our buses took us to the Armitt Museum in Ambleside. Set up by three Armitt sisters, this was originally a subscription reference library. It later became a Museum to house a collection of Roman Artifacts found locally - along with a collection of Beatrix Potter's watercolours of similar finds in London. We were fortunate to have booked a talk on Beatrix Potter illustrated by items from the Museum. He talked in particular about her scientific work, the limits placed on her success by gender restrictions and her shift from studying, illustrating and writing her own scientific observations to writing and illustrating children's books. The Museum has hundreds of Beatrix Potter's exquisite illustrations of fungi - and we got to see a dozen or more at very close quarters.


Our guide also produced a box of "Langdale Lace". It had not been opened for some time and not all the contents were Langdale linen, or Ruskin lace. Some of them were, however, lovely.


















The Museum has other interesting items. I liked the collection of flints and rocks.





It was sunnier on our journey home, although there was snow on the high fells.




We got back to the Ryebeck after 3pm. Everyone seemed to agree it had been good to get out - as a break from intensive stitching, but also to immerse ourselve in Beatrix country.


There is a lot more I could write about what we learned today, but I will miss the email deadline if I take longer - and I am also falling asleep!
On our return (and after coffee and cake) I and a couple of others stitched our Herdwick sheep until dinner was served. Tomorrow we swap tutors and start a new project. I would like to finish my Herwick (just the sheep, not the surrounding flora) before I leave here. I think now this might be possible.

Another really satisfying day.

Post 8

This really was taken today, although it looks pretty much the same as the view looked yesterday - it was overcast and cool, but not misty. There were showers throughout the morning, but for the most part it was good to be inside.









This is our group working away in our space - photo courtesy of The Crewel Work Company.



We spent the day in our respective groups progressing our projects. We began the morning by putting in the facial features of our sheep. Nicola was very explicit in her instructions about the eyes, mouth and nose - ensuring we produced a happy sheep. From there we worked some of the face,  before moving on to the leaves on the garlands of flowers surrounding the sheep.


Once again we laughed a lot - and ate rather too much. There was warm orange cake for morning tea, freshly baked biscuits for afternoon tea and potatoes in their jackets with various kinds of salads for a main course.

I finished the day with quite a bit of stitching done - but quite a long way to go. I am so enjoying this. There are no stitches that I don't know, but a number of them demand precision and care.The magnifiers and lights we are using are very good. By the end of the afternoon, as a storm rolled in and the sky darkened, we really needed them.

I am sorry tto have so many unfinished components but I do understand the logic. We need to have covered all components of the work to a level that enables us to move on.

I really love the design and working it is a pleasure. Today I ordered a shaker box with a 10" x 7" oval display panel to mount my finished piece. I have asked for it to be held until I return to Australia. Hopefully it is in stock. I think it is going to work well.

photo from Nicola's slides

At 6pm we gathered for a talk by Nicola on how she came to the design of her Herdwick Sheep. She has been visiting the Lakes District for 8 years. In that time she has photographed sheep and local flora.  A number of these have contributed to her design, as have the distinctive foxgloves growing wild.

We learned a good deal about Beatrix Potter. Most of her books were written when she was in London as a young woman. In the Lakes District she farmed, becoming a passionate advocate for the local herdwick sheep, bought up farmland to prevent it falling into the hands of developer and eventually left it to the nation in the form of national parks.

photo from Nicola's slides.

Photo from Nicola's slides

She was a remarkable woman, rescuing land that had been marshy and flocks of diseased sheep and restoring both the land and the sheep to health.

After Nicola's talk we had dinner - for me a prawn cocktail, salmon and a really lovely dessert. Our dinner discussion ranged over embroidery, family, business, community, marriage, cancer - and loads more. There are debates, discussions, stories, - and cultural comparisons. We are with our tribe.

Tomorrow is our last day working on this project. I'm hoping to get quite a bit more done in the day.

Right now,however, I am falling asleep!