Monday, February 28, 2011

A Cathedral A Fox And A Birthday Giveaway

Out and about this past week. Over the border into the county of Hampshire, we paid a visit to Winchester the old capital of Wessex and England.
Our feet trod the same ground as Kings had done. The same streets and stone that rang with cries of the black death.
In the cathedral my footsteps echoed the ghosts of footsteps, almost a 1,000 years worth of them. Did I stand in the same spot and glance at the same piece of ornate carving as Queen Mary Tudor might have done when she married Prince Philip of Spain here back in 1554?


 A hushed but sleepy presence filled the cold silence.

I wonder about these sleeping Bishops and am curious of who they were. Did they enjoy strolling through meadows filled with wild flowers. What did they eat for breakfast? What colour were their eyes? I wonder about the  simple things. 

And I wonder will they be still here in another 1,000 years?


If I could be granted a super power it would probably be the gift of flight? However it would be a hard decision to make as oh how I would I love to be able to go back in time! Which would you choose?


In the garden outside the cathedral we found  a sleeping stone fox.

I'm not sure what his story is?
Winchester is a lovely place to browse around  if you get the opportunity. I hope to go back soon as I haven't seen everything that I'd like to yet.

My sleeping fox has it's own story this week as I've been busy making these pendants out of my odds and ends  and scraps of wood.
 Small prints have been securely glued then several layers of varnish applied. Threaded with hemp string and a bead.
I will be giving one of these away to celebrate my blogs 3rd birthday which happens to be about now. The 29th Feb to be precise, but we'll have to do with the 28th  because it isn't a leap year. ;)
So, if you would like to win one of these packages that contain a postcard and pendant...

 Just leave me a comment and I'll  pick a winner and announce it the next time I do a blog post.
  xx
Posted by at
Labels: , , , ,

75 comments:

  1. Tammie LeeFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    thank you for the lovely music!!
    looks as though you had a wonderful time exploring this area. I love the stone fox and your lovely pendants! Happy Anniversary! I would love a chance to win one.
    As for a super power.... flight does sound wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gerry SnapeFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    Karen...always a thought provoking post. The marble hands crossed and composed, look as if they have just come in from the cold to warm and waited somewhere quiet out of the wind. Winchester is such a "thin place" as we say in the west of Ireland.
    Thankyou.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Megan ChamberlainFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:29 PM

    Congratulations on your blog's birthday, I think it is lovely that you started it on a leap year, makes it extra special.
    I love your illustrations, I would love a chance to get a pendant with your lovely fox on .

    ReplyDelete
  4. Debra She Who SeeksFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    I'd love to enter your giveaway! As for a superpower, I'd definitely choose time travel over flight. I want my own Tardis!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:42 PM

    Hi Karen,
    Congratulations on your blog birthday, we are very lucky indeed! Please enter me in the giveaway, I love this picture, so full of gentleness.
    My secret power would be as King Solomon's, the gift to speak to all the birds and animals and plants!
    Many blessings,
    Lucinda x

    ReplyDelete
  6. ValeriannaFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:43 PM

    Oooo... one of my favorite images of yours! That stone fox is quite beautiful, tucked in like that. I, too, wonder about the story.

    Congratulations on your third year of blogging. I don't think I even knew what blogging WAS three years ago! My year anniversary is March 9th. Always enjoy my visits here, thanks for all the inspiration and beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  7. LindaFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:44 PM

    Congrratulations on three years of blogging. Wincester is not somewhere I have ever visited - but it's now on my hope to list. Loving the pendants. I think if I had to chooses between flight and an ability to go back in time - I'd choose flight everytime. xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. JennyFebruary 28, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    I am taken back to my travels and explorations as a student in London when I see the images in the post. I was studying art and art history, and spent quite a bit of time in cathedrals... Sigh. To live there again...

    I wonder how old my blog is? Hmm. ( Please enter my name!)
    Now I go to the studio to glaze ravens and hares, not foxes as of yet...

    ReplyDelete
  9. suzy parkerFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:01 PM

    they are absolutely lovely Karen...it gives me such pleasure to see your blog...thankyou xxx
    Suzy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Pamela Terry and EdwardFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    Lovely post.
    I had a similar experience at Hampton Court last week. Whispers in the corners.

    Best wishes and congratulations on your blog anniversary!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Pamela Terry and EdwardFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:06 PM

    Oh, and I'd go back in time.
    Flight might make me dizzy.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Robin DaltonFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:07 PM

    Congratulations on your birthday ;-) I so love your posts. So very kind of you to share your time with us this way. Some beautiful photos in this one and your pendants are so very gorgeous, as always.

    And, yes, I too now want to revisit Winchester.

    Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Elderberry-RobFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    congratulations on keeping up your blog for 3 years! I would love to be in your giveaway. My super power would be to control the weather (mostly for environmental reasons but also for selfish reasons too!) Bettyx

    ReplyDelete
  14. JBFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:17 PM

    Ooooh, I would absolutely love one of your pendants!!! It would come to live in my art studio in Sweden where it would share its life with Unicorns, small cartoon horses, a big happy dog and two Leopard Geckos! Oh, and me and my family of course! :-)
    I love your blogg, I only just recently found it and it is the most amazing blog I have ever visited - and no, I am not just saying this to flatter you...;-)
    All my best!!
    Lena in Sweden
    www.lenafurberg.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. mamabeaksFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:24 PM

    Ooooo, thank you for doing the give away! Love your art and blog!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Windsongs and WordhoardsFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:33 PM

    There are so many untold stories and forgotten lives engrained in the stones of these old, old places. I cannot go to say the ruins of a castle or ancient hall without wondering about the ordinary lives played out there - the maid or the spit boy, the masons who carved the stones, the many craftsmen who toiled long hours to create works of art...
    My eldest daughter is fox mad, if I'm lucky enough to win one of your lovely pendants I shall have to give it to her, she'd love it!
    Happy Blog-versery!

    ReplyDelete
  17. RebeccaFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:38 PM

    Congratulation on blogging for 3 years, I loved the stone fox. I think that I would like to go back in time, my curiousity always gets the better of me! x

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jodi VanDykFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Hi Karen!
    I had the same type of thoughts and feelings as i walked through Westminster Abby. Such a powerful and positive place! And so beautiful! It gave me chills to run my hands over the stone of the doorways and wonder about who else had touched the same stone!
    Congratulations on your anniversary, and thankyou for adding such beauty to the world.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Kathryn DycheFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:45 PM

    I moved to the US in 2004 and one of the biggest things I miss about the UK is the history, the old buildings, churches, cathedrals, ruins. Loved the stone fox.

    Happy Blogging Anniversary, what a lovely giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Marigold JamFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:47 PM

    Lovely post. I too have been to Winchester and wondered many of the same things that you have when wandering round and seeing all those effigys (is that how you spell it?). I love your little pendants and would like very much to be included in your giveaway please.

    Jane

    ReplyDelete
  21. UnknownFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:54 PM

    Me please, I LOVE foxes :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. JuneFebruary 28, 2011 at 8:55 PM

    Congrats on three years of blogging :o)
    Was the stone fox a reasonably new addition? If so I wonder if it was a quiet homage to the engineer who realised that the cathedral was going to collapse without work on the foundations, at the turn of the last century? I can't remember his first name but his surname was Fox. The diver who completed the work in the pitch black for 6 years got all the glory, and Fox was largely ignored. Without him though the cathedral would be long gone.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Julie Clay IllustrationFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    Always such a lovely thoughtful blog, your work is so beautiful I would love to win a pendant. I have never left a comment before, only discovered blogs about 6 months ago, they are wonderful, much better than T.V. I would like to be able to talk to the animals too, though I do already speak with my lovely black lab. Thank-you and Happy birthday.

    ReplyDelete
  24. poFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:07 PM

    Happy Birthday! Lovely photos.

    ReplyDelete
  25. twannywunFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Would love to enter please :)
    The music was very relaxing
    Karen s
    twannywun at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. AnonymousFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:30 PM

    Ooh it would have to be time travel! Preferably with Dr Who ;)
    Thanks for the opportunity to win such a beautiful pendant, too.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lucy RandallFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:51 PM

    Always love visiting your Blog.. it's so beautiful and now you're giving away beautiful things... how lucky will somebody be? congratulations on your 3rd Birthday..Lucy X

    ReplyDelete
  28. Julia GuthrieFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    Beautiful pics. I'd love to visit Winchester. My hubby has been & loved it.
    Aw trust the little stone fox to find you :)
    And beautiful pendants too xx

    ReplyDelete
  29. SRCFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:56 PM

    Your work is so beautiful Karen, so inspiring and thought provoking. I live about 17 miles from the wonderful town of Winchester and went to Sparsholt Ag. College between 94 and 96! x

    ReplyDelete
  30. FairiesNestFebruary 28, 2011 at 9:59 PM

    Happy Blog Birthday dear!

    ReplyDelete
  31. UnknownFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:00 PM

    Karen, I'd be delighted to be chosen to receive one of your pendants - to be able to share your name with others. Good luck for the next 3 years!!

    ReplyDelete
  32. gzFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:07 PM

    Beautiful.
    I used to live near Winchester.

    Have you been up St Catherine's Hill to the Maze?

    verification word..claspe

    (what goes on a pendant chain?!!)

    ReplyDelete
  33. StripeycatFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:13 PM

    Happy blogging birthday petal. Many happy returns and blessings.
    My late father is from Winchester and his forebears grew watercress there.
    I get round the flight/time travel choice by opting for teleportation. That way you can go anywhere or anywhen.
    Anne.x

    ReplyDelete
  34. CJ KennedyFebruary 28, 2011 at 10:24 PM

    Thank you for your armchair tour. the sleeping stone fox made me smile. Happy birthday to your blog, may you continue to have many more.

    ReplyDelete
  35. marilynFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:26 PM

    I feel pretty certain that I will never visit Winchester so thank you for showing me some parts of it. As to time travel or flight, I have always said I would be an eagle and if given the option of time travel I would go to the future.

    ReplyDelete
  36. AmandaFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    happy birthday.

    hope you had a fantastic time.

    love your new picture with the whale and the angel.

    love and hugs

    ReplyDelete
  37. HollyMFebruary 28, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    Your blog and work have such an 'other worldly' feel. It's sort of like that here to-night as we are experiencing another heavy snowfall. So beautiful. I'd love to win! Thanks for the opportunity.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Terra March 1, 2011 at 12:21 AM

    It is still Feb. 28th here, so please enter me, since I admire your beautiful pendant. Blue is my color.

    ReplyDelete
  39. AnonymousMarch 1, 2011 at 1:44 AM

    Happy Birthday, Moonlight and Hares! Thank you, Karen, for all that you've shared with us the past 3 years.

    I love the imagery of the marble bishops, especially the hands. Stunning--it took my breath away!

    As always, your artwork is enchanting!

    ReplyDelete
  40. A mermaid in the atticMarch 1, 2011 at 1:53 AM

    Happy Birthday Karen, I love that your blog birthday is the 29th of Feb...while the rest of us will get old and cranky and our virtual bones will ache, your blog will magically remain young and spry! Whenever I see a new post by you, I open it immediately and let the music play while I go through my blog list, leaving yours to read last as a treat!

    I would choose the power to go back in time. As someone who is fascinated by history, I look with wonder at pictures such as these...in Australia anything older than about 40 years is an antique, and a house 100 years old is heritage. I too would like to just wander through streets, invisible, seeing the people go about their lives, watching craftsmen working their magic in skills we have long since lost.

    Christina :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. CameronMarch 1, 2011 at 1:55 AM

    I think given the choice of the 2, I'd go back in time....just to observe....even just seeing my daughter as a baby again would give me chills...

    Thank you for entering me in your giveaway....congrats on 3 years of blogging! What a wonderful way to celebrate :)

    ReplyDelete
  42. AnonymousMarch 1, 2011 at 2:33 AM

    Hi !
    Happy birthday to your blog ! I am very glad to have recently discovered your wonderful job. You have magic in your hands.

    Have a nice week !
    Gloomy Moon

    ReplyDelete
  43. Theresa MacNaughtonMarch 1, 2011 at 4:28 AM

    Congrats on your blog birthday! I always truly love coming here to visit - it's such a magical place. Super powers - I really don't know. I always change my mind about it! LOL That stone fox is gorgeous and so are your new pendants. What a wonderful idea - and I'm thrilled you included a fox to be your pendant. :) Thanks for such a wonderful giveaway and congrats again! Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  44. Jackie MorrisMarch 1, 2011 at 8:28 AM

    Happy anniversary. I see we are both a little fox obsessed at the moment. I sent your details to my publisher the other day and they were very impressed with your work so if you get the chance and want to , get intouch with Frances Lincoln and take your work to show them. Email me on jackie at jackiemorris dot co dot uk and will send you their contact details.

    ReplyDelete
  45. JessMarch 1, 2011 at 9:24 AM

    I don't know Winchester, I'll definitely have to put it on my to-do list! I think they put that sleeping stone fox there just for you! ;) xx

    ReplyDelete
  46. TwigartMarch 1, 2011 at 1:59 PM

    Foxes are magical aren't they. There's something majestic about them but at the same time secretive. I always think of them as a good omen when I've been lucky enough to have one cross my path.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Harriet C.March 1, 2011 at 3:51 PM

    Oh - the pendants are lovely! Happy Anniversary! Always enjoy reading your blog....

    ReplyDelete
  48. Kirsten AliciaMarch 1, 2011 at 4:01 PM

    Hello Karen, after reading this wonderful post, I have decided that this is the year I WILL visit Winchester Cathedral, thank you for reminding me that I need to go there. Happy 3rd blog birthday & thank you so much for offering such a lovely giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  49. GillMarch 1, 2011 at 6:31 PM

    I really will have to visit Winchester after your post! I love the stone fox!
    Happy Blogiversary!

    ReplyDelete
  50. ZilverwolMarch 1, 2011 at 7:28 PM

    Wow, the pendants are beautiful! And congratulation with the anniversary of your blog :-)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Ivy BlackMarch 1, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    I live in Winchester and quite often have a walk around the Cathedral.
    Stunning pictures.
    Happy third birthday!
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  52. Jo PotterMarch 1, 2011 at 8:58 PM

    Congratulations Karen on your blog birthday!
    I love your sleeping foxy and lady. Foxes, foxes everywhere for spring!;-)
    All best fairy wishes. x

    ReplyDelete
  53. jodiMarch 1, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    Happy third blog anniversary! I would love to win a pendant. Your work is beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Northern Beauty SeekerMarch 1, 2011 at 11:30 PM

    Congratulations, Karen! As always, I am inspired and smiling when I visit here. Love your pendant and the little stone fox you discovered. :)

    ReplyDelete
  55. PapercrowMarch 2, 2011 at 2:05 AM

    Love your work!!!

    ReplyDelete
  56. BunnyKissdMarch 2, 2011 at 3:33 AM

    The fox at the chapel is very intriguing! I'd love to know more if you ever find anything out... and your pendants are lovely! Congrats on your blog-iversary! ^-^

    ReplyDelete
  57. UnknownMarch 2, 2011 at 7:19 AM

    I would like to know more about the stone fox...he looks so peaceful, I wonder who carved him?, I lovely post x
    Sophie,,,, happy blog birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  58. JuneMarch 2, 2011 at 8:52 AM

    What a beautiful place to visit! So full of stories...
    Your new pendants are absolutely beautiful. I would like to win this package so much! ;)
    I LOVE your work and your blog always fill my spirit with magic and inspiration. Thanks for the giveaway and happy blog birthday ♥ *hugs*

    ReplyDelete
  59. DellaMarch 2, 2011 at 9:05 AM

    Happy blog birthday, Karen. Your pendants are beautiful, and I'm moved by the wonderful photos of marble personages..

    ReplyDelete
  60. CathyMarch 2, 2011 at 12:47 PM

    Love that song. I have added it to my YouTube folder.

    Would love to enter your giveaway.

    I lived in Winchester many moons ago and was delighted to come across archaological digs everywhere where new buildings were being erected. It is always rescue archaeology there sadly but fascinating nonetheless. The cathedral was my place of peace.

    ReplyDelete
  61. AnonymousMarch 2, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    What a wonderful post!

    And your work is always lovely. I have been haunted by foxes lately, since I have acquired a step-daughter fiancee who identifies with them (I bought her 'across shining fields' to welcome her to the family)

    ReplyDelete
  62. UnknownMarch 2, 2011 at 8:12 PM

    Hi Karen, As usual, a most delicious post. Thank you for hosting the celebratory giveaway! Congratulations! I would love to be added to your list for a chance to win. :-) Time travel would likely be my choice although, I used to have dreams of flying when I was a child.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Manchester Lass, Now and ThenMarch 2, 2011 at 8:52 PM

    I have just found a link from another blog to yours. What can I say, absolutely breathtaking. The music is hauntingly beautiful. How blessed you are being given such a wonderful gift and talent as an artist♥ So many things to comment on, the stone fox, the pendant sigh...... How I would love to win this:) Happy 3rd Birthday. Will have to take my time and start at the very beginning:) Linda xxx

    ReplyDelete
  64. Crafty Green PoetMarch 3, 2011 at 8:22 AM

    those pendants are so beautiful!

    I love the sleeping stone fox as well, how cute!

    Flight would appeal to me too, though it would be fascinating to be able to read people's minds....

    ReplyDelete
  65. FionaMarch 3, 2011 at 9:26 AM

    Hi Karen - what a beautiful post - I live near Winchester and often walk around the Cathedral but have only been in once to hear Kiri Te Kanawa sing and have never seen that fox! Funny how when you live in a place you just don't see it. You know I would adore to win one of your pendants - happy blog birthday x

    ReplyDelete
  66. AnonymousMarch 3, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    Congratulations on three years! Winchester is just thick with history, isn't it - though I love Gerry Snape's version too, a 'thin place'. I know just that means. The modern world lies lightly on Winchester. I have visited the cathedral several times and never noticed that beautiful fox.

    Despite being a historian by background, I would not choose to go back in time. I think it would be rather frightening, and I'd rather use my imagination for time-travel. Flight, though: as a child I dreamed of flying so regularly that it took me years to accept that I actually couldn't (at least when I was awake). I should love to fly - or the gift of tongues, to be able to speak to anyone anywhere in their own language.

    ReplyDelete
  67. rossichkaMarch 3, 2011 at 9:48 PM

    Dear Karen, thank you for taking me with you to the Cathedral of Winchester! So many signs from the past, sensation of history and solemnity... If I could choose, I would like to go back to the past centuries...
    I like your pendant very much and I'll be happy if I have the chance to wear it (as everyone else!) Happy blogaversary! Your blog is a little universe of magic and beauty!:)

    ReplyDelete
  68. UnknownMarch 3, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    I am soooooo in love with your art! SUPER HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! I would love to win this amazing piece. BTW: Just wanted to let you know you've been a real inspiration for me on my artistic path, I'd love for you to check out my blog: Hello EVERYBODY!!! CRAZY BUSY I AM! Come check us out tonight at Riverside Art Walk...we'll be in the Life Arts Building. So, last night I finished another box for the show, check 'em out: http://gnomehomeliving.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete
  69. Annette TaitMarch 4, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    would love to be included Karen and congrats on your blog's 3rd birthday. How time flies?
    maybe you could wish 'to fly back in time'? two wishes in one then?

    ReplyDelete
  70. JuliaMarch 4, 2011 at 12:56 PM

    Another beautiful post, as always!
    I always love your posts, they are so thoughtful and positive.
    Best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  71. GilliMarch 4, 2011 at 7:49 PM

    Happy Blog Birthday!!

    ReplyDelete
  72. The ChanglingMarch 4, 2011 at 11:24 PM

    I would like the power to fly because I think being able to travel back in time might ruin the sense of awe and reverence you get when you enter ancient places. As you mentioned, part of the whole thrill is being aware that you are in the same space as hundreds, sometimes thousands of years of humans have occupied before you. There's a comforting sense of connection in that sensation and I wouldn't want to spoil it by transgressing the barrier of years.

    I really love your work and hope to win a pendant.

    ReplyDelete
  73. Green Shoot Jewellery DesignsMarch 6, 2011 at 8:56 PM

    I would love to win your beautiful pendant, your prints are absolutely stunning.

    ReplyDelete
  74. ConnieMarch 7, 2011 at 1:55 PM

    I would love to win the pendant and postcard. Your work is very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  75. FireLightMarch 13, 2011 at 6:16 PM

    Beautiful and peaceful and just my cup of tea! Lovely work.

    ReplyDelete

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

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)