Calstock to Cotehele

I now spend a good deal of my time in Calstock, as this is where J lives. Together with Morwelham Quay Calstock was once the bustling centre of mining in the Tamar Valley, and during the 19th and early 20th Century the village thrived off market gardens and the flower growing industry, particularly daffodils and narcissi, which grew well on the south-facing steeply sloping sides of the valley and were sent to the flower markets of London by rail. Mum and Dad were coming to visit nearby Cotehele House today, and as it was lovely and still and sunny I decided to walk there.....this is my route......

The enormous viaduct which still carries the railway line dominates the valley, and terraces of small cottages are nestled into the cliff beneath.

 When the train goes over (and it is only ever two carriages long) it has all the appearance of a little toy chuff-chuff trundling along!

 

The road follows the gently flowing Tamar River, with Cornwall on this side, and Devon on the other.

along the road are dotted little interesting sheds and outhouses.....

including this old railway carriage.

Next comes the boatyard...

  and then you can look back at the viaduct in all its glory.

 At the bend in the river the path begins to climb steeply up through the woods towards Cotehele House......and glimpses of the garden can be seen. Below is the old stone dovecote.

Cotehele is now owned and protected by The National Trust. The Tudor Manor House is built around an inner courtyard

 At this time of year the main attraction in the Great Hall is the magnificent flower garland, created from over 40,000 individual flower heads as well as a mass of foliage, all grown in the garden and arranged over ten days by enthusiastic helpers. It is a Cotehele tradition that has been going on for years; quite how long I'm not sure. The enormous garland is suspended from the ceiling from one end of the Hall to the other.

 The fire had been lit and that wonderful smell of wood burning filled the air

A close-up of the garland reveals just how colourful it is and how many different flowers are used, but they are all varieties that dry well and so will remain looking good right up until Christmas.

The jaw bones of a whale adorn either side of this door, and a different flower garland of pink, purple and white.

 Pots on a side table contained all the different flower varieties that have been used to make the garland this year.

Dad wisely stayed in front of the warm fire whilst Mum and I had a look around the craft gallery. On the ground floor we found the 'Victorian Library', with an old restored harmonium which the public were invited to play. 

So Mum had a go and played a few merry tunes!

 The East front of the house....

with terraced gardens overlooking the valley towards Calstock. The afternoon sun was lighting up the trees beautifully.

 In the large orchard they have planted many old Cornish varieties of apple which were in danger of dying out. Kim Cresswell has created this living willow sculpture of man and horse.

  Lovely reflections.....I was thinking that trees at this time of year almost have the same appearance above ground as below....the bare branches look much like roots.

 After a nice warming cup of hot chocolate and piece of shortbread I said goodbye to Mum and Dad and headed back down the path through the woods; Calstock and the viaduct all lit up now in the setting sun.

The beech leaves are all hung out to dry.....

 A flash of red here and there......

On the wall by the roadside the most wonderful reindeer moss.....

 Back in the village I pass the little gallery,

and 'Make New and Mend', a second-hand clothes shop as well as an alteration service. These are the only retail outlets in Calstock apart from the general grocery store. It is a quiet, gentle place, a little bit bohemian, at the end of a dead-end, and I love it. Hope you enjoyed seeing a bit of it too. x x x

Christmas Fairs!

Hello! Sorry it's been a while....I've been making like mad for the three Christmas Fairs I've got coming up (see side bar), the first of which is this weekend, 15th, 16th and 17th November. Cowslip Workshops near Launceston, Cornwall is the venue, and Jo Colwill the organiser always makes the farm look so festive with lights and trees and decorations. There will be all sorts of handmade crafts and textiles on sale from many different exhibitors in the farm barns and outbuildings. On the Friday the Fair begins at 11am and stays open till 8pm, so why not come after dark and soak in the Christmassy atmosphere? The cafe will also be open 11am - 8pm with delicious hot food and drink so that you can enjoy your visit to the full. If you're not keen on crowds then I would recommend you visit on the Saturday or Sunday, as Friday is always very, very busy! Saturday opening is 10am - 4.30pm and Sunday 10am - 3.30pm.

I've made these angels each with a different silk or lace petticoat, and a little bit of glitter to sparkle

Also chandelier drop decorations with lots of diamante and pearls to catch the Christmas candlelight,

and garlands with little wooden snowflakes, beads and crystal drops.....the wire allows you to bend these garlands around whatever you choose. You can drape them across a mirror or window, or simply hang them vertically from a hook. The beads will slowly rotate in the air and catch the light. Alternatively arrange one around a candle or flower arrangement for a simple table decoration.

I don't know about you, but I love it when the nights start drawing in and you begin to craft in preparation for Christmas.

Hope you like my latest makes, and maybe I shall see you at one of the Fairs - hope so! x x x

The Coming Storm

I've just come back from looking at the mighty ocean waves crashing onto the rocks off Newquay Headland; the wind almost took your breath away, and it's only going to get worse as the night progresses.....The Coming Storm has put me in the mood for a bit of Seth Lakeman, and what better than this rousing fiddle playing from his concert performance at the open air Minack Theatre here in Cornwall, with the sea as a perfect backdrop. Enjoy!

Seth Lakeman - Race To Be King - Live at The Minack

Thistledown pillows

As a follow-on from my 'Foraging' post, here are the first little pillows I've made using the thistledown. I have to say it works a treat, and I thoroughly recommend it as a stuffing filler, though you do need quite a lot as it squashes down. I went collecting again on Friday, but it is now really past its best after the rain last week. 

I've had this threadbare patchwork quilt for ages, but decided to rescue what patches I could from it to make the front designs on these. Unpicking each patch and then re-stitching them together by hand was a bit of a labour of love, but I got a lot of satisfaction from saving even the tiniest piece that didn't have a hole in it! The scrappy bits of quilt left won't get thrown away though; I shall use them to decorate labels and business cards.

I really enjoyed taking part in the first Decorative Living Fair last wednesday, and a huge thank you to everyone who visited my stand. I only saw a small portion of all the loveliness that was on sale in the Chelsea Town Hall, but I could easily have spent a fortune!

I met the lovely Lucy from "Love Lane Vintage' with her beautiful handmade clothes, and she asked if I would like to take part in her fairs. So along with the Eridge Fair in May I think a business trip/come holiday in my van to Sussex will be on the cards.......already looking forward to next year!

The Decorative Living Fair!

The Decorative Living Fair is coming to Chelsea! On Wednesday 18th September Chelsea Old Town Hall will be full of decorative antiques, vintage textiles and unique handmade items from over 40 different sellers, and I shall be one of them! Here are some of  the latest makes which will be on my stall.....

I haven't made cushions for a while: it was so good to get creative with beautiful fabrics again. 

I've also been playing around with old maps.....Little fabric sailing boats and bunting on the front of the cards....

open up to reveal real old photographs of family beach-time fun in the 1920's and seashell scraps

There is a tag in each pocket on which to write your message

Some of the cards have butterflies and flowers inside, like a memory of a countryside walk.

If you are interested in coming to the Fair, to save you queueing on the day tickets can be purchased in advance by clicking here. Entrance is £5. 

The Fair runs from 11am to 7pm. Hope to meet some of you there!

Foraging

 

J and I share an interest in botany and entomology, and where J lives on the Cornwall/Devon border we are very lucky to have a plethora of natural landscapes to explore: woods and streams and fields. Last week I discovered a new meadow which hasn't been grazed for well over a year, and wading thigh deep through the long grasses I found all sorts of delights.......

the dainty lilac Tufted Vetch with its minute climbing tendrils, and the creamy froth of Meadow Sweet scenting the air

Hemp Agrimony (above) and grasses galore, so pretty

a Small White butterfly feeding on Common Fleabane, and fine spider's webs covered in the glistening droplets of morning dew.

Marsh Woundwort.....

and Creeping Thistle.....

This thistle has small purple flowers, and I've never really paid it much attention before, being rather plain and prickly, but on seeing its fluffy seeds at this time of year I suddenly had an idea.....

The seeds are as soft as down, and easily come away in the hand when teased.....I fetched a bag from the van and started collecting it with earnest. I'm going to use it as a natural filling and mix it with lavender when I stuff my little handmade pillows! I've always hated using that horrible polyester filling, and now I have found a completely natural alternative. 

Quite a few seed heads had ladybirds nestled in the fluff, so I left those be....they obviously know a good thing - it must be the perfect warm place to spend the night now that autumn is upon us.

Whist I was wading from thistle to thistle I suddenly noticed this beautiful moth had crawled onto my hand. It remained motionless, so I ignored it and carried on collecting. Presently it crawled up onto the lapel of my cardigan, and seemed completely oblivious to my movements. Two hours later it was still there! I think it must have taken my mottled cardi for a suitable piece of bark on which to camouflage itself. It's these unexpected little surprises of nature that so delight me.

My bag of thistledown.... oh if you could only put your hand in there and feel how soft and warm it is!

At the bottom of the sloping meadow a thick band of mature trees borders a stream. Sycamore and Hazel Nut.....

I found evidence of broken nuts on the ground and even saw a squirrel, but there were still plenty of Hazel Nuts to pick. Although not fully mature and brown yet, they can be eaten whilst still green; and I will show you what they are like near the end of the post.

Underneath the canopy of trees were sprawling brambles, laden with blackberries just begging to be picked......

and what absolute whoppers!

 It didn't take me long to fill my bag.

On the way home I stopped at the stall at the side of the road and bought some local apples to make a blackberry and apple crumble, something I haven't made for ages!

I thought the Hazel Nuts would make a nice addition to the crumble, so with a couple of stones I cracked them open to reveal the creamy-white kernel inside.

Eaten green like this they don't have an awful lot of taste, but are deliciously fresh and crunchy.

When the crumble was cooked, I just scattered the kernels over the top along with a generous dose of double cream, and tucked in! Such an autumnal treat. I love to forage in Nature's larder and gather food for free.

                                                  x x x

(I can't wait to go to the meadow in spring and summer next year and see what flowers and insects are to be found then. I saw the dried seed cases of bluebells. I just hope that whoever owns the land doesn't decide to put a herd of cows in there. It is so rare these days to find an undisturbed meadow. There were grasshoppers and crickets everywhere, but as you can imagine, as soon as I approached for a close-up with the camera, they were off! I also found a kind of snail that I have never seen before: it looked like a pond snail, but was in the middle of the field. I shall try to identify it. J went there a few days ago, and a deer suddenly bounded out of the bracken in front of him.)