Pre- Burwell Post!

A quick post, just to fill you in on this week's events, as we hurtle headlong into Burwell Bash week. (The mood on the BB facbook page is verging on the hysterical!)

It has been a beautiful week weatherwise, here in West Norfolk; we've had temperatures in excess of 28 degrees several times. The herd in the nursery field next door has been glad of the shade afforded them by our wall and the large beech tree. There are a couple of suckling calves there now, and Jim took some shots for me.

The veggie garden is doing nicely, green beans, broad beans and courgettes are romping away, and we are enjoying them by the plateful.

Those of you who remembered the awful pain and infection I suffered last winter in my jaw - first identified as a dental problem, then a sinus problem, finally a specialist dental surgeon diagnosed a split tooth which required extraction as it had grown another root, and then I needed a replacement. I've just had the final stage of the implant completed, and can now smile widely again!Hurrah, just in time for Burwell! The dentist actually timed the 2nd and 3rd stages so as to be complete before Burwell, honestly! What a guy!

I've been stitching furiously this week , mainly for the Craft Fair at Back to the Garden in August (tell you more about that later) and also to finish this commission for a shoulder bag. Again, the green colour doesn't show too well.

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I do hope the recipient likes it! It is messenger bag size, with a pocket on the back and one on the inside.

Now I have got out of sync with The Year in Books, I'm afraid, but I have been reading - about four detective novels so far this month, and also I am tandem-reading this mighty tome with Jim.

It is a very large book, and we are both reading it, using individual book marks to prevent confusion. We don't fight over who gets to read it. If you enjoy a bit of non-fiction and enjoy history, and most of all WORDS, you could not do better than to try this. It isn't a book to whizz through at great pace,  but it is fascinating, covering such topics as English writing, mythology, religion, symbolism, the Anglo-Saxons - obviously! A book to totally immerse yourself in. If it takes me a month to read it I don't care. Oh, I might just add - though why I should feel the need is a sad indictment on the age - I should stress that the book has absolutely NOTHING to do with jingoism, Far Right politics, or plug-ugly skin-heads wearing bovver boots and fascist slogans.

And speaking of books, I have such a pleasant little tale to tell you. I had been searching for a book of small embroidery patterns, and eventually found one on Amazon second hand. The seller was a lady in North Wales, who answered my query about delivery dates with a lovely personal message - to which I replied. (I know, I know, you just DON'T do that normally do you?) My book arrived promptly and inside the package was this envelope:

And inside, this:

With another lovely personal message inside. Now that's what I call good service! Thank you so much Dr. Dorothy Griffiths, the book and your gesture has been much appreciated. 

I expect many of you will be enjoying watching the Commonwealth Games. I can't ay that sporting events figure largely on my list of favourite things, but JIm likes to watch, so I sit and sew with it all going on in the background. (When we come indoors to cool down!) But next week there will be radio, tv, and newspaper silence, as ever at Burwell. We cut ourselves off - apart from the occasional phone home - and leave the rest of the world to carry on while we exist on Burwell Time! This year I am forsaking the fiddle class - though I will take my fiddle for the sessions - because I shall be part of the brand new MELODEON CLASS and as I have intimated previously, our tutor will be ANDY CUTTING!!!!!! Forgive the excess of capitals and exclamation marks, but I am just thrilled to bits. I'll tell you all about it next time. 

Meanwhile enjoy this lovely suns and heat, you Brits, and to my Antipodean readers/friends/relations I hope it isn't too wintery for you down there! 

Welsh Quilt Collection

Last week saw Jim and I off to Wales for a couple of days at the caravan. We had a few chores to complete and we struck lucky with the weather as we left Norfolk to high winds and rains and overcast skies. We had about an hour of rain on our first afternoon - Jim was fishing I was at the time sitting indoors reading and stitching, so we weren't bothered; it soon bucked up.

First job was to arrive in Welshpool on the Tuesday to take my new melodeon to have some reeds changed and the layout customised. Rees said it would take him less than two days which made it very convenient. On Thursday we drove up from Crickhowell to Lampeter, lovely little market town north west of us, and over the hills. Lots of hills. Some beautiful scenery on the way.

AT Lampeter we found the Town Hall where the Jen Jones Welsh Quilt Collection is housed. I've wanted to see these quilts for years, and was so pleased Jim was happy to make the fairly long drive to see them. We were fortunate to find that the Kaffe Fassett Exhibition was still running, so we  were treated to a double visual feast - the brightly coloured, modern quilts design by Kaffe were exhibited 'flying' throughout the body of the hall, with the beautiful old, faded Welsh quilts hung on the walls of the room. They complemented each other wonderfully.

The ladies in the shop through which you go to view the quilts were lovely,  very gracious and helpful and so proud of the collection. Jen Jones herself was there and I was able to have a chat. I also bought some pieces of antique quilt pieces, cut from quilts which were beyond reasonable repair; I shall make some more textile collages with them.

                                            The three quilts above are by Kaffe Fassett.

The quilting is exquisite, not all the stitching is tiny, but it is even, which is more important.

                             Jim admiring one particular quilt, the description of which is below.

These wholecloth quilts, which are only part of Jen's entire collection, the rest of which is kept at her home, show the similarity with the later Amish quilts, thought to have been taught by Welsh settlers in North America.

         More of Kaffe's glorious modern quilts, many based on traditional patterns or settings.

    In another room were housed some vintage quilts which were for sale. OH! The temptation!

This was my favourite. Draped casually over a chair, it was the cheapest, at £275. I loved it.

Common sense prevailed! So much to appreciate and enjoy. We spent about an hour in there. Then we popped into a local pub for lunch, rang Rees to get a progress report, and set off across the mountains to Welshpool. It was a long, twisty-turny drive as the road wound round and round the hills and mountains. Eventually we reached Rees's home and my melodeon was ready for me. Rees demonstrated its loveliness by playing me some fantastic blues music - yep, on melodeon! Who'da thunk it! So we made the long journey back down country . That night was extremely windy though we didn't get much rain. The following morning was the most overcast we have experienced at the caravan, though a defiant bit of blue sky was peeping through the cloud. After some general housekeeping we packed up and set off home, running into some really unpleasant weather - we certainly felt the Indian Summer was over and Autumn had well and truly arrived by the time we hit East Anglia.

Now two things, I have some information for anyone who might like to attend the illustrated talk (with quilts) about Vintage Quilts at the Assembly Rooms in Swaffham, on Tuesday 22nd October, 12-2 pm. Tickets £4 from Ceres bookshop in Swaffham. Many thanks to Liz for this information, I'm looking forward to being there.

Secondly apologies for the lateness of this post, and for my absence from blog-reading, I had a very busy week since our return and it isn't getting any quieter! Next post I will show you what the lovely Els - read her blog atfiberrainbow - sent me in exchange for one of my wool pincushions. One day I am sure Els and I will meet up - how good would that be!!

So hope you have enjoyed your virtual trip to the Welsh Quilt Collection, I am going to take my migraine to lie down in a darkened room! Catch you later!