A Fine Romance by Susan Branch

Greetings friends. This week I've been reading 'A Fine Romance' by Susan Branch. My American friends will of course be well acquainted with Susan's many books which are all beautifully hand written and illustrated in her own joyously inimitable style.

As soon as I jumped into the pages of a 'A Fine Romance' I was whisked away with Susan and her husband Joe on the trip they made in 2012 across the Atlantic on board the magnificent liner Queen Mary 2. Once in England I met their friends, stayed with them in some wonderful cottages and ventured along country highways and byways on a journey of enchanting discovery.

Susan's love and admiration for all things Beatrix Potter inevitably meant a trip to Beatrix's Lake District home. Hill Top cottage is world famous and open to the public and needless to say the cottage and it's garden were explored in intimate detail!

Below is a picture from the book showing Castle Cottage where Beatrix Potter lived after she married William Heelis. This was the final view Susan had of the area and she said her tearful 'goodbye' as rain fell from leaden skies.

Castle Cottage isn't too far from my own home so it was fascinating to read Susan's journal and I have to confess when she said goodbye to Beatrix Potter's world I shared her sadness with a tear in my eye. I was certain Beatrix would love reading the book.

As I reached the last page I was truly sorry the journey was over as it had been such fun. It has rained here in the Lake District all week but as I closed the book I noticed the sun had popped out and so I hatched a plan. . . . . . We ate a hasty supper and at 7 o'clock jumped into the car and sped off to join the queue waiting for the arrival of the small ferry that transports people across Windermere lake. And here comes the ferry; we'd better get ready to drive on board.

Whether you speak the English language or not I think this sign would leave you in no doubt about the danger of driving too close to the water before the ferry has properly docked!

We buy a ticket. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . and we are on our way. The late August sun will soon have disappeared behind the hills so I hope I can reach my intended destination before it does.

It's a lovely evening to cross the lake but the clouds are gathering and it looks as if rain could return tomorrow.

A few minutes later we drive off the ferry and head for a small village. And here it is. A sleepy little collection of old cottages enjoying the last of the evening sun. The village is Near Sawrey.

It is the picture below of Beatrix Potter's old home, Castle Cottage, that I have come to capture by way of a thank you to Susan whose fascinating journey I have been allowed to share. . . . .

Apart from their supreme talent, Susan and Beatrix have many things in common and I know if Miss Potter happened to see me pop the book on her old stone wall she would have loved to take a peek and be full of admiration for the detailed work she found inside. As Susan lives too far away to take a quick after-supper trip to the village I decided her book should make the trip in her place.

During her visit last year Susan noticed lots of Beatrix Potter figurines for sale in local shops but no sheep and so I thought I'd bring along my own little flock to say 'Hello!' I'm sure several of you will recognise them (see free knitting pattern in the sidebar).

Time to leave. Pick up the book and tuck it safely into my bag. Remove the sheep before they tumble off the wall and then say 'goodbye' to Castle Cottage.

Finally, let me show you one more thing. Beatrix Potter painted the picture below over 100 years ago and it can be found in the Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck. The building in the background is in the village and in Beatrix's day was known as the Tower Bank Arms (you can see the name on the front). Below the name is a clock. And guess what ? . . . . . .

The Tower Bank Arms is still open for business and the clock still tells the correct time.

If you haven't already discovered Susan's blog then do pay her visit, but I warn you, you won't want leave. Enjoy your weekends everyone.

Susan Branch Blog

Midsummer

Here in England's north country, fine June evenings remain light until at least 11pm. Can there be a nicer way to end a perfect day than sitting on a warm terrace with the heady scents of summer flowers filling the air.

This picture depicting midsummer hangs in my kitchen. It is by one of my favourite artists, Meg Falconer. The inscription is taken from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. I expect you'll recognise the verse below.

 

 I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,

Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine,

With sweet musk roses and with eglantine.

Meg Falconer is a local artist and her prints have been sold for many years from a lovely gallery overlooking Lake Coniston. Last week we decided to drive the few short miles to the lake and take another look at Meg's inspiring work. Sadly the clouds looked rather menacing but thankfully the rain stayed away.

After several miles negotiating narrow country lanes we arrived at our destination. This is Brantwood, the former home of John Ruskin. He was a leading English art critic of the Victorian era. Also an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, a prominent social thinker and a philanthropist. His house containing much of his original work is open to the public.

Ruskin's coach and boat are on display in the coach house and above this is the art gallery we had come to visit. But sadly things didn't turn out as we'd planned. The gallery was closed and the contents had been removed. I was so disappointed.

I know of no other galleries that display Meg Falconer's work and so I think my collection is unlikely to grow.

Whilst I'm content to enjoy midsummer in my garden (when fine) many thousands of people flock to Stonehenge, the world famous Bronze Age standing stones situated on Salisbury Plain. Visitors have to arrive before 4.52am in order to witness the sun appearing over the horizon and aligning perfectly with two of the largest stones.

Apparently today this event was masked by dense cloud and the sun was nowhere to be seen which must have been a huge disappointment for the many who had made the trip.

For folk like me living in a Lakeland valley the midsummer sun isn't visible until it has risen above the hills. Of course you can get out of bed early and climb up a mountain for a better view or maybe pitch a tent and stay on the mountain all night. From the mountain peak you will get a spectacular view of the midsummer sunrise (as long as the sun isn't masked by cloud as so often happens in our country).

Not being someone who scales mountains or pitches tents I am content to spend midsummer at home. And of course my midsummer night's dream will be filled with pictures like this!

 

 Enjoy your weekend everyone

Eli x

Timeless coastline

One day last week, wild and unpredictable February gifted us with a fine day. The wind was sending dark clouds scudding across the sky, but at least the sky was blue. And so we headed for the coast. Not for us golden sands, cafes and souvenir shops but a wild stretch of muddy coastline at the mouth of the estuary.

This is the small village of Bardsea that overlooks the water. I've taken you here before but I thought you'd like to visit again.

At the water's edge, we could see no other sign of human habitation. The distant horizon was masked by mist and it wasn't difficult to imagine a group of ancient settlers trudging across the mud collecting shell fish and edible grasses.

Only the hardiest of plants grow here; the kind that will withstand endless battering from persistent wind and salt spray.

 

 

For those who seek golden sun-kissed sands it must seem a very unimpressive coastline but I never grow tired of its unpretentious beauty.

 

 

 

At this time of year it reminds me of the work done by British artist Angie Lewin. I have her book (below) and it contains numerous pictures of her work.

 

 

 

 

Her inspiration comes from skeletal stems and seedpods that she finds during winter visits to wild windswept places.

 

These plants then become the subjects of her wonderful linocut prints.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love Angie Lewin's work

 

 

 

Lakeland sunshine

Mid August in the English Lake District and this year rain clouds have never been far away. But today we had sunny blue skies which gave us the chance to enjoy the great outdoors.

This is Ullswater, one of our quieter lakes. Birdsong and water lapping against the shingle shoreline were the only sounds I could hear.

Our mountains are clothed in purple heather just now and it clings to every available rock and crevice.

Close to the lake, and nestled below towering mountains, is the Church of St. Patrick in the village of Patterdale.

In summer the grass in the old churchyard becomes a wild flower meadow. 

A perfect illustration of 'God's Acre'.

The church doors are often left open during the day allowing visitors to enter for a few moments of quiet prayer and reflection.

Leaving the sunshine behind I stepped into the porch, turned the heavy iron ring on the old oak door and entered the cool interior.

The sun streamed in through the stained glass windows.

Stories from the Bible illuminated in jewel-coloured glass .

The church houses some lovely tapestries created in the 1930s by artist and craftswoman Ann Macbeth who lived nearby.

Here is her depiction of The Nativity which she set in a Lakeland landscape with familiar wild flowers in the foreground.

Looking at the local cottages I wondered if Ann Macbeth had lived in any of them.

In fact she commissioned a house and studio to be built in the 1930s well away from habitation. Her small white cottage is just visible in the centre of this picture.

She probably felt quite isolated during the winter months when thick snow lay on the ground but on a sunny summer's day like today, what an idyllic place it would have been to live and work.

Off the beaten track

On a gloriously golden September afternoon who could resist a walk by the lake?

The English Lake District attracts many thousands of visitors throughout the year. The energetic ones spend their time walking, climbing and sailing whilst others photograph or paint the magnificent scenery. The majority come to sit or stand and stare then take some light refreshment before the homeward journey.

We left the lakeside yesterday to visit the ancient stone circle at Castlerigg. It was built by Neolithic man around 4,500 years ago and sits on the brow of a hill with magnificent views in all directions.

Was this a place used for trading goods, for worshipping the gods, or was it used for Neolithic 'gatherings'? No one will ever know for sure.

Today it is looked after by the National Trust and we leave our lives of clutter to come and marvel at the ancient simplicity of the place.

With a soft wind whispering round the stones our own shadows merge with those of our ancient ancestors.

Below is an artist's impression of Neolithic man. The Lake District was a wild inhospitable place in those days and scratching a living from the stony soil would have been extremely difficult. How different this life would have been to ours.

I wonder what Neolithic man would think to our life of leisure and pleasure.

Enjoy your weekend

Looking for treasure

A short trip this afternoon took me to the coast and nearby Morecambe Bay. Being an estuary there is no golden sand but the place has its own stark beauty.

In winter the wind-whipped tree branches are covered in lichen and the dry grasses cling to the gravely shoreline

I crunched my way along the shingle determined to find treasure.

I confess this place is not a treasure seeker's paradise but I kept on looking

A lone feather caught my eye but it could hardly be called treasure.

But then I struck gold! Well not quite gold but it was good enough for me on this blustery February day.

This small piece of green sea glass sat twinkling in the sunshine. My birthstone is emerald so I had found treasure indeed.