First Snow

December arrived in style here on Witchmountain, snow,ice and of course the school bus failing to arrive. As you can see there wasn’t much snow but the bus is an “executive mini bus” and not really suitable for the job ( I’m sure they just don’t want to get it dirty!).

Today I’m in a land of greyness; misty, monochrome landscape. Its so dark, i feel like making a big fire in the garden (but I don’t think it would burn, the air is so damp). Anyway, the stove is going like a dream; with my blue enamel pan stewing the coffee, so I’m busy making some little bear brooches for Sunday and some other odds and ends that may or may not make me some pennies. If you’re near Osmotherley this Sunday come to the Village Hall between 1 and 5 – apparently there will be stalls including Lewis and Cooper (deli), Roots Farm Shop and various local produce ( cards, photography, small gifts, jewellery etc) as well as activities for the kids. You can also call in the Golden Lion for a delicious lunch (I won’t be at work so thats all good!) and a pint of real ale.

I stopped on the way home yesterday to take these pictures. The one on the left is Robinson’s Cross which supposedly marks the spot where a poacher was hung for his crimes…I’m going to look that up in a moment as I’m not sure of the story. Not much changes up here on the moors!

Here’s a photo of my cat piece in the Zillah Bell Gallery. Their Christmas exhibition runs until early January and I’m excited to have something on their wall!

Right, time to rescue the coffee and get some work done. x

Caffeine and Sugar

A wild party in the village to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday this weekend,so it was nice today to have a quiet time getting down to some work and recovering from the excesses.

My motivation was helped by Lindsey coming up armed with a huge box of jelly teeth (an odd concept…toothbrush shaped sweets…) and a drawing board.Lindsey also works at the Golden Lion and is another of Osmotherley’s artists,currently in her final year of CCAD’s Textiles and Surface Design Degree. So ,coffee and sugar fueled we worked and put the world to rights all day. It really is so much easier to work sometimes when you are not alone and distracted by everything ;so thanks Lindsey and Good Luck to all the CCAD 3rd years!

Now I must do a bit more sewing and then I need to start the last Haruki Murakami  book on my list ” The Elephant Vanishes”, it had better be good, I’ve been saving it because the next one isn’t due to be published in English until 2011( I suppose I could try to learn Japanese before then!)

Until next time – here is a sign that I should have taken more notice of! ;@)

“Saturn Return”

“easy to poke yourself square in the eye

harder to like yourself,harder to try

these elvis poses,postcards and neopryn

roses a dollar a stem

everyone’s sleeping or pulling a long haul,

the keys in the cooler, it’s 3am.” (REM)

I’m proud of myself today, I got my act together and made this book in honour of Rob the starman who showed me Saturn through a telescope when I stopped at Square Corner in the middle of the night – after an epic Easter Sunday at the Golden Lion. The Great Bear was directly overhead and Saturn was pinky yellow under a triangle of stars. Anyway, I have no idea who he is but it was one of the few good things to have happened in the past four weeks of wilderness.

Pasque flowers outside my door -and April 21st is Witchmountain’s first birthday so I’m giving away the Saturn book as a Thank You to those who have been reading and supporting me in the past year. Just leave a comment before the 21st, I will pick a name at random and this inspired masterpiece could be yours! The design is printed and hand embroidered on wool voltaire and includes vintage buttons and a tiny satin Saturn (in the top right corner).

Many thanks x.