There once was a house by the sea...

and it was lovely

and sunny

and full of friends, laughter and joy!

A few weeks ago now, we made a trip down to Pembrokeshire, to St Davids to meet some friends who had driven up from Devon (7 hours!) for lovely Neils birthday.

I was so so nice to see everyones pretty faces in the flesh,

 it was almost as though we were back in Devon somewhere, sharing stories, plans, gossip.

We went for a really stunning stunning walk along the beach, which involved some paddling or scaling rocks in order to beat the tide which was coming in quickly!

Due to the recent full moon, the tide was very low, which meant that we could see just a beautiful lone standing piece of an old paddlesteamer from years ago.

We felt really so lucky to see what lies beneith.

We walked a few miles along to some standing stones and ancient settlements

(but my phone died so no photos! bummer)

and then back to the house for delicious gumbo and blackberry mead.

On the last day of our visit, we went to St Nons Chapel, which stands right on the cliff near the birthplace of St. David himself

It was such a great weekend, I think being with old friends in a way made me feel a bit more solid here, reminded me of what I'd done here so far and excited me about the future. I do wish I could see them more, but I suppose that meetings like this one might be less of an occasion...

*sigh*

XXXXX

Looking for Lakes

We have been without a car for a few weeks and walking into town and back was starting to be less fun, amazingly James' mum's friend came to our rescue!
She has begun car sharing, leaving her's vacant and she suggested that we have it...

so we are now back on the road! 

We can now get some compost and things to build a polytunnel and really get the garden going.
After seedy sunday we are consumed with ideas as to what to build and where to put things, though this spring we will concentrate mostly on the front patch, building beds and getting some veg in. 

I have got some cheeky charity shop bargains recently one of which was a really lovely atlas book which is so so sweet, and as we don't yet have an OS map of the area it was nice to see where else we might explore. 

There has been some really lovely weather recently, and with the car we decided to go and find some lakes which we noticed were not far from us, and are also near old tin mines and a castle! 

We took the car down some pretty rural tracks! But (as you can see) it was so so worth it!

It was so nice to be out exploring! and also we have some guests coming to stay in the coming months, so we're trying to scope out some magical places to go with them!

Places like this really do make me feel so glad to be here. When things get a bit too much, you can always go and put yourself somewhere in the landscape, breath and gain a bit of perspective, you know? I feel incredibly lucky to have places like this nearby.

We haven't yet found the tin mine or the castle, which leaves us a great excuse to go back for more adventures, not that we really need a reason!

Happy lovely full moon times to you. xxx

Happy St.David's Day//Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant

xxx

out & about

 As recently there has been less rain here on the mountain, we've been venturing outdoors a bit more.

Our car broke down the other week, so we've been blessed to have some sunshine on our trips into town, there and back a total of about 9 miles! 

It is certainly a good way to keep fit, but I really cannot wait to have a vehicle, 

mostly so we can get a bit more shopping when we go to the market!

Last Sunday, we made a trip in to go to the Seedy Sunday event, a brilliant seed swap, tool shop community thing. 

It was really lovely. 

But we pretty much spent most of the day walking, resulting in minimal time socialising and meeting people and very sore feet! 

But we did get tons of seeds for the garden, wild flowers, local varieties of veg and all of them 

types which do well in this area! 

So we are super excited to get out there and do some digging!

The two photos above are from our walk home, 

I particularly like this one of the view over the golf course up the valley toward home.

As I mentioned, we've been outside more this week, some of the daffs are coming up, soon to be in flower (hopefully for when Ashley and the family come to visit!),

there are so so many foxgloves in the back I cannot wait to see them! 

And I also found this, the only snowdrop in the whole garden. little droopy beauty

I enjoyed splashing up and down the stream the other day, I went on a plastic clearing mission and won! I got 3 bags and 2 tubs out of the stream and I also found some lovely glass jars. 

They really are my treasure, so I'll save another post for them!

This week has also been one full of cake, lovely lemony cake, which didn't turn out as good as it usually does this time. Bums. 

That'll show me for not sifting!! 

I'm off to finish the last of it!
Hope you've had as productive a week as I have.

xxx

A bit of a re-vamp!

 I've had a bit of a re-vamp of the old blog... keeping things fresh, you know! 

You'll also notice I've been bitten by the retro-phone-photograph thingys, I have previously been a bit snobby about them as film is really the only way to make real images like this...

though I suppose digital, on some occasions is good...

Anyhow,

The lovely daffs are waving their sunny heads in the miserable weather we've had the last few days, injecting a bit of a spring in my step. 

I've had a bit of a spring clean in the kitchen,

 

moved our bedroom to the attic 

 (this is the view from our tiny window)

and my studio from the living room to our bedroom. 

 

PHEW!  

 Moving rooms has meant that for a few days things have been EVERYWHERE! 

Today I feel like I'm almost there, nearly ready for springtime. 

 I really enjoyed spending time organising my selves, arranging things, getting disracted by something shiny... you know how it is...don't you?!

 My progress in the cleaning/laundry department has certainly been hindered broken up with finishing off some WIPs and making a start with some ideas for our forthcoming exhibition.

Here is a photo of the Kindle case I made from some knitting my Nan helped me to start probably years ago now! I finally got around to sewing up and adding buttons too.

 I love it so much, particularly the red deer antler buttons from my lovely friend Anna

I've also been on the hand singer given to us by James' gran

 I've been making some bags from recycled sack and vintage fabrics

 James and I took a look around the MOMA gallery in Mach the other day... 

It's such a great space!

 It was nice to get to know our new town a bit better.

Back at the cottage I've been making some cocoons!

 Making a frame out of willow,

on one prototype I've begun weaving sheep wool which I've gathered to make the walls of the chrysalis. 

 On another I'm trying out sewing beech leaves together making them as the outside.

..all trial and error, time consuming, but still rather fun! 

I've still many more to sew together...

and still some end to sew into a nearly finished blanket for a friend...nearly a tah-dah post!

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Homage to Hardy (amongst other things)

So I've been terrible at all this blogging, I find it difficult to decide what is worth externalising for viewing. There's a weird sense of a 3rd person thing, whereby I am hugely aware of this sort of construction of self... I can imagine that some of the blogs I stumble upon are a false construction of self for the purposes of others. I seem to get so caught up in this I find it hard to even post about myself, as I don't want to be false in anyway.

Anyhow, my headspace has been minimal of late, so I'm taking the time now to make a few posts to catch up with what I've been up to.

A few weeks ago now, (gosh, I can't believe its been so long!) my mum came up to stay from Dorset for a couple of nights before taking me back to visit friends and have a bit of a chill out.
Whilst she was up, we went for a little mooch around the charity shops in Tywyn and on the way back came through a beautiful place called Happy Valley.

It was really lovely to be able to spend some time together and explore my new surroundings.

On the way through the valley we stopped at a car park and went to find the Bearded Lake...

We had no idea how far we'd have to walk, but I didn't mind as it was stunning.

Here are a couple of photos of the lake which was so so peaceful.

After a short stay here in Wales, we drove back to Dorset, with a brief stop in Abergavenny for a look around the farmers market and to get a little lunch. 

Back in the shire I caught up with some friends and their babans (which I shall share in another post) and got to spend some quality time with my mum, this involved going to some galleries, drinking coffee and also going somewhere I've not been since I was tiny...

Up the road to Hardy's Monument.
<3
I have vague recollections of this place from when I was younger, perhaps 7 or 8, and have since read many of his books. The thing I really love about his novels is the importance of place and the landscape, the images he creates and the attachment the characters have to the space in which they reside. I find with Hardy, I can really identify with the places he describes, mostly due to the fact that I grew up in the same area as he wrote about.

It was just as magical as I had remembered...

(mum looks so little aside this amazing structure!)

This monument can be seen from the A35 between Dorchester and Bridport and looks out to the coast as well as inland to the moor-like areas, woodland and farmland. 

 There are aspects of this place which seem to be a part of me and are so eloquently described by Hardy, I will end this post with a quote from one of my favourite books of his...

"The rambler who, for old association or other reasons, should trace the forsaken coach-road running almost in a meridional line from Bristol to the south shore of England, would find himself during the latter half of his journey in the vicinity of some extensive woodlands, interspersed with apple-orchards.  

Here the trees, timber or fruit-bearing, as the case may be, make the way-side hedges ragged by their drip and shade, stretching over the road with easeful horizontality, as if they found the unsubstantial air an adequate support for their limbs.  

At one place, where a hill is crossed, the largest of the woods shows itself bisected by the high-way, as the head of thick hair is bisected by the white line of its parting.  The spot is lonely." 

The Woodlanders Thomas Hardy

xxx

a bit of an update

Firstly, we've all been enjoying the lack of rain and getting in the garden. 

Digging and building, gathering rocks...

and some have been climbing trees!

We've finished two beds, removing turf and pulling out tons of slate which we've used to build some walls. 

I'm so pleased we've made a start on the garden, well only the front for now as there are lots of foxgloves in the back and we're waiting to see what other treats might spring up back there.

We've now started on the third semi-circular bed and planned where we will put four square beds for veggies. 

I cannot wait for springtime!

I have also been making use of a lovely christmas present from my lovely friend Ashley.

It such a pretty mug hug, beautiful cable... and it works too.

After a spell of productivity outdoors we got hit with a very chilly frost!

I mean Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Though it did make for a pretty picture

I have also made another batch of chilli jam, this time with less vinegar and more chilli, and its really much nicer that the first lot I made! 

And just in time to give as a gift for some friends who have just moved to a lovely farmhouse down the road.

I have ALSO been assisting a man named Pete, a film maker and creator of Culture Colony.

We travelled to North Wales to document the opening of an exhibition of work by Wanda Zyborska and Glyn Davies.

I really loved being back in a gallery space, and listening to everyone's opinions and thoughs about the piece.

&&&&&

Jamz and I went to the Old Tannery in town, which is a space owned by the Museum of Modern Art in Wales, a beautiful building which is being transformed in to an art space. At the moment it is being used by artists with culture colony to exhibit work to the public.

We will be having our own exhibition here later in the year!!

 Lots of hugely exciting things to be getting on with. 

And I'm also looking forward to heading back to Dorset for a few days and seeing people I have been missing rather alot.

XXXXX