Friday, July 24, 2015

Hares, stone, water, foxglove, fell and Hill Top.

 Two more pieces on wood, that were finished recently.
'The story within' and 'I used to be an Alchemist'

These two have joined the other smaller hanging pieces that I showed in my last post at 'The names of the hare' exhibition at the New Brewery Arts in Cirencester Gloucestershire. Do pop along if you are in the area it's a real treat for lovers of hares and features work by 28 Artists including magical work by Jackie Morris, Catherine Hyde, Hannah Willow and many other talented folk that feature hares in their work.  I visited last Saturday and would have loved to have taken much of the exhibition home to live with me, including these hares by Sophie Ryder which were just outside the gallery and would be perfect and happy living in my garden of course. ;)
 I've been quiet on here, enjoying the summertime and being outdoors as much as I can. 
A couple of weeks ago I ventured up to northern parts on a short break to the Lake District.
 It was my first visit and of course I fell in love. So much green and stone and moss. Trickling stream, waterfall, mountain and foxglove. I think we chose the right time to visit because there were foxgloves everywhere. So pretty. I wish the spleenworts would grow on my small bit of wall here, but I think it is much drier here?
We did some fell walking.
Up the 'Old man of Coniston'. We were lucky as the sun shone down on us and it was warm!
I bid a good afternoon in my best Cumbrian accent, to the local beautiful sheep...
The views at all stages were glorious. 
And finally at the top! It was incredibly windy at the top although looking at this picture, you could never tell. 
Nearby was the home of Beatrix Potter.  Hill Top  a place I've been meaning to tick off my 'to visit' list for  a long while.  What a priveledge to quietly walk around this cottage, with the fire crackling, grandfather clock slowly ticking everything left just as it was. It was a step back in time to life of a slower pace. It's a beautiful cottage inside, quite dark, but very cosy, and looks older on the inside than it appears to be from outside. The perfect place to be on a dark and rainy day.  It was so interesting to see Beatrix's things, from the odd shells that she kept and tiny dolls house treasures, china, letters and sketches on her desk to her delightful bedroom with it's original William Morris wallpaper.  There is no photography allowed inside but the pictures below show the cottage and the gate to the garden.  

Afterwards we went into the village of Hawkshead and visited the Beatrix Potter gallery and saw her original work. What a treat indeed. :)
We only had a few days in the Lake district and there is so much to see and so many places to walk. I must go back.  My toes have only just been dipped on the shore of a sea of adventure. No wonder the poets and Artists loved this place so much.   

17 comments:

  1. Your hare paintings are beautiful and I would like to see that exhibit, plus I have long admired Beatrix Potter's home from afar.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Terra. :) I do hope that you get to visit Hill Top one day.

      Delete
  2. Fab post i so looking forward to each one you do, i adore your work so very much xxxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw thanks Emma, I have got a bit bad for posting recently I'll try and be better and not leave such big gaps in between. I do prefer blogging as a format to all the social media platforms. There seems so many to keep up with these days. x

      Delete
  3. I blogged about Hilltop earlier today too! And it was also my first visit to the Lake district! Wasn't Hilltop wonderful? I loved comparing her illustrations to the actual things themselves and the people there were so knowledgable about her life, I could have stood listening to them all day! Your new paintings are beautiful. I hope to be able to visit the exhibition some time over the summer, what a treat it'll be.
    Jess xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How weird Jess! Great minds obviously think alike you see. hehe ;) I'll pop over and see yours in a bit. Wasn't it a wonderful place though! Loved the house and yes the guides seemed to really love talking about the place. Did they tell you about the 96 rats that were there when she first moved in? x

      Delete
  4. Your hares are lovely !
    Thanks for the foxgloves (favourites in my garden)
    and all the "green" pictures ....

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lovely post, I did giggle when my feed showed you and Jess in like mind and travel. Looks wonderful and I too have fond memories of Hilltop.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hehe... I know, it's not often that happens is it. :) It was a lovely short trip, but I really must go back as there is so much more to see.

      Delete
  6. Stumbled on your blog by accident as it came up on my blog finder yesterday. Like your choice of music and artwork and the way the music runs through the blog entry from the start. Nice to dip into a different world from my own.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello! and thanks for stumbling upon me. Glad that you like. :)

      Delete
  7. It's it a beautiful place to visit Karen, I was there a couple of year ago and want to go back, I loved sitting and imagining Beatrix wandering there. How funny you and Jess both visiting there. I so wish I could get down to see the exhibition, hmm, am off to ponder how I can make that happen lol x

    ReplyDelete
  8. I loved the cosiness of it Ruthie. Some houses with small windows and little light often can feel cold to me but there was a warmth and good feeling about the place. I hope you make it to the exhibition, although it is a long way for you to come. x

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Karen, I have been following your blog for a while. I love the calm and cosy atmosphere and I adore your wooden hares (like the one in the banner)
    I put a link on my blog to yours. Enjoy the end of summer!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hirondelle, Glad that you enjoy the blog. Thanks for the link. :)

      Delete
    2. Hi Hirondelle, Glad that you enjoy the blog. Thanks for the link. :)

      Delete

Thanks so much you for leaving me a comment.
It's great to hear from you! :-)