Woollen Woods in Belper starts on Saturday May 23rd at 3.00pm and continues until the evening of Monday may 25th. Come down to the Belper Parks Woods to discover so many animals ad other things hidden among the trees. Things are displayed in the woods in the area called Great Park Wood. The ‘Woollen Woods’ is an event happening all over the country. Woollen woods was started by Eden Arts in 2013 when they asked people to make items from wool to be displayed in the woods of Acorn Bank NT House. I visited this house in June 2013 and loved all the things I saw. Continue reading Woollen Woods
Category: Nature
Here and There
The ‘Here and There’ art walk is to take place in the Belper Parks wood during the weekend of May 23rd to May 25th. Artists who would like to take part can find out how to apply on the Corridor Arts website. I am writing this blog to encourage knitters, crocheters and textile artists to make pieces of work inspired by nature. These will be exhibited as part of the ‘Here and There’ art walk.
May 15-24th 2015 is Voluntary Arts week. During this week woods all over the country will be decorated with woollen creatures and vegetation as part of the Woollen Woods. The part of the art walk weekend that I am involved with is ‘Here and There’, inspired by the Woollen Woods. The plan is to get as many people as possible to make items to decorate the woods.
Visit to Hathersage, Derbyshire
Saturday was a lovely sunny but cold day, the perfect time for a relaxing day out and a visit to the Peak District. The plan was to visit Hathersage for coffee and then visit David Mellor Cutlery for lunch. However things did change along the way. Driving through Chatsworth Park we decided to stop at the farm shop and have our coffee in their restaurant. The farm shop is being extended and it was very busy. You can see why an extension is needed. There is so much amazing food to buy its difficult to choose. I bought some English apples and a loaf of Pumpernickel bread. The bread felt heavy but I have just eaten some for tea and it was delicious spread with honey.
Highdown Gardens West Sussex
Highdown Gardens near Worthing in West Sussex, are stunningly beautiful. They are situated on downland countryside with views of the sea beyond. The gardens offer a unique collection of rare plants and trees and have been deemed a National Collection. Entry to the gardens are free but donations are very welcome.
WaterAid, Knitted Raindrops.
I love knitting and wanted to make something to raise money for WaterAid. WaterAid is an international charity that transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation. In this country we can take water for granted, especially this year and many of us must feel we have seen enough rain for a life time. However it is not the same everywhere and thousands of children die each year because they do not have clean water to drink. Lots of information on what your donation can provide and the projects that are going on can be found on the WaterAid website.
Carsington Water
Last week I went on a trip to Carsington Water, a reservoir in Derbyshire. The sun was out but it was a very cold day and the black clouds were gathering. The purpose of the visit was to see what the visitor centre could offer as an educational resource. It had very good interactive displays and lots of information about where our water comes from and how it is cleaned for household use. I found it informative and fun as an adult but I feel sure it would be equally so for children.
Holiday on the Scilly Islands.
Christmas is over and the advertisements on the television are all about where to go on holiday. This is not an easy decision as holidays can be very expensive and yet we feel that we must have one to unwind from our increasingly stressful lives. Last year I was very lucky to be able to revisit the Scilly Islands, a place I had not been to for 28 years. Sometimes it can be disappointing going back to a place you have fond memories of as inevitably places change.
Whitby, a Town Worth Visiting
I recently spent a few days in Whitby and thought I would share some of my photos. While there we had a real mixture of weather but this is Great Britain! The first day was reasonably warm for October and so we went to the beach at Robin Hood Bay.
- October sunshine at Robin Hood Bay.
- The tide was out and there were plenty of rock pools to investigate and sand to dig.
William Morris Designs and Standen House
William Morris said “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” I think this is something worth considering in these times of excessive hoarding and shopping. Today it is so easy to spend money, that there is great danger of buying, without considering if we need an item, or if it is something that will make our homes more beautiful.
When I had my first home in the 1980s William Morris designs were popular and I can remember having curtains and cushions in his fabric. I was therefore really interested in visiting the National Trust property Standen House in West Sussex. The house itself was designed and built for James and Margaret Beale as a weekend retreat. James was a solicitor who was involved in the opening of the great rail terminal at St Pancras.
Foremark Reservoir, a Good day Out
I have recently visited Foremark Reservoir in Derbyshire for the first time. The day we went was rather dull, windy and cloudy but we still had a good time. Foremark Reservoir is in the area of the National Forest. The forest covers 200 squares miles in the middle of the country and aims to eventually link the two ancient forests of Charnwood and Needwood.
