Under Milk Wood
May 30th, 2012 § 3 Comments
Have you heard of Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)? He was a writer and playwright, Welsh – of course! One of his best known plays – a play for voices is called Under Milk Wood.
It begins like this …
“To begin at the beginning:
It is Spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters’-and- rabbits’ wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea. The houses are blind as moles (though moles see fine to-night in the snouting, velvet dingles) or blind as Captain Cat there in the muffled middle by the pump and the town clock, the shops in mourning, the Welfare Hall in widows’ weeds. And all the people of the lulled and dumbfound town are sleeping now.
Hush, the babies are sleeping, the farmers, the fishers, the tradesmen and pensioners, cobbler, schoolteacher, postman and publican, the undertaker and the fancy woman, drunkard, dressmaker, preacher, policeman, the webfoot cocklewomen and the tidy wives. Young girls lie bedded soft or glide in their dreams, with rings and trousseaux, bridesmaided by glow-worms down the aisles of the organplaying wood. The boys are dreaming wicked or of the bucking ranches of the night and the jollyrogered sea. And the anthracite statues of the horses sleep in the fields, and the cows in the byres, and the dogs in the wet-nosed yards; and the cats nap in the slant corners or lope sly, streaking and needling, on the one cloud of the roofs.
You can hear the dew falling, and the hushed town breathing.”
I’ve had a long love affair with this little play. It’s very Welsh – the characters are often melancholy and there’s much subtle innuendo & humour in his writing. One of my favourite characters is Mr Mog Edwards, who runs Cloth Hall, the drapery. Whenever anything arrives in the post for me, I think of these lines that he writes to his unrequited love – Miss Myfanwy Price …
“I am a draper mad with love. I love you more than all the flannelette and calico, candlewick, dimity, crash and merino, tussore, cretonne, crepon, muslin, poplin, ticking and twill in the whole Cloth Hall of the world. I have come to take you away to my emporium on the hill, where the change hums on wires. Throw away your little bed socks and your Welsh wool knitted jacket, I will warm the sheets like an electric toaster, I will lie by your side like the Sunday roast.”
And as the postman arrived with my parcels last week … “A new parcel of ribbons has come from Carmarthen today, all the colours in the rainbow….Business is very poorly. Polly Garter bought two garters with roses but she never got stockings so what is the use I say.”
Ha – that makes me laugh! I may share some more snippets with you – would you like that? I’m no literary critic, but let me know what you’d like to hear about – there are wonderful characters and funny verse. We used to name our dogs after characters in the play – we had Myfanwy Price (Fan), No-Good Boyo and Mattie!
Now what was in those parcels?
Aren’t they just delightful? They arrived, not from Carmarthen, but from the far flung corners of the globe – right round it! I’m so thrilled with them and have been working on some more cushions – patchwork log cabin with red bobbles – some are definitely for our Dolly-van!
In other news – I’m definitely having Foxglove-Love …
Every day some more trumpets open and it’s breath-taking. In my sewing room I have a little something else to make me smile …
a solar-powered nodding sunflower! Himself bought it for me a couple of weeks ago and as the sun rises, she tips her head back and forth and her leaves bob up and down! Isn’t she just the sweetest thing?
Happy days …
Adaliza x
Our patch …
May 27th, 2012 § 5 Comments
As we trundled back through Dorset, Devon and Wiltshire yesterday, before reaching home in Hampshire, I noticed the amazing flora in the verges – soft pink campions, frothy billowing cow parsley, majestic lords & ladies, crimson valerian and maybe my favourite flowers – foxgloves.
Today has seen much activity on our patio – Flora’s henhouse has moved from its winter spot, up by the house, to the lower patio closer to the grass and pond. I love our garden and had completely forgotten the foxgloves I planted late last year, on the lower edge of the big pond! The first one is just out – all pale and dainty with beautiful spots inside the trumpets.
and then I had a bit of a wander around with the camera (with Flora at my heels, of course)!
The raised bed is about 2’6″ tall and I built the L-shaped wall myself – it’s all higgledy piggledly and roughly topped with bricks, but it’s been there for almost 10 years and brings the flowers right up to be level with the patio! I must plant some night stock and fill it up with a bit of colour too.
I love our house – it’s just like a child would draw a house, 4 windows and a door in the middle! When we moved here, 25 years ago or thereabouts, the garden was all grass with one huge white birch tree in the middle of the back garden! The birch still stands, and every year I worry that it seems slower to leaf, as I know they’re not long lived trees, like oaks. It’s fine again this year though so we’ll enjoy its shade all summer and watching loads of different types of birds as they feed on the tiny bugs hiding in the peeling bark.
The red cherry in the front garden flowers early in the year and is now in full leaf, with loads of tiny red cherries – looks like it’ll be a good crop, but the pigeons and Mrs Blackbird usually beat me to them!
Many, many years ago, I bought a tiny sprig of Christmas tree for 50p from a man at the market who was selling full size trees. It thrived in a pot and after a few years produced a few fir cones. I dried them, collected the seeds and they all grew. I gave most of the miniature trees to friends and kept just 2 which are still in pots. A few years ago, the original sprig – now about 6′ tall, was planted in the front garden. I wind fairy lights around it in December – I’ve always wanted a tree that I could decorate outside! Last year, I noticed some pink buds at the very top …
I had to search for quite a while to find this photo in last year’s archive - taken in April 2011. They’re just about ready to pick now and I shall have another go at growing baby trees! I’ll let you know how they get on!
Did I mention that I’d been shopping in Lyme Regis yesterday – was it really only yesterday? This weekend has been so lovely – we’ve packed so much into it. Earlier on this morning, we drove Dolly to one of the park & ride car parks which are always empty on Sundays. It’s where all the Winchester parents take their children to learn to drive, so we choose a quiet spot away from any corners! No – we didn’t drive off to a car park to brew up, we’re not quite that sad (yet) – we had to practise with that awning! I couldn’t cope with the humiliation of it drooping so sadly on a campsite again. Good old You Tube videos – there were full instructions and on the urban tarmac of south Winchester this morning, our awning stood – it’s all its stripey glory! Quite retro really!
About that shopping …
Isn’t it beautiful? I was totally seduced by its puffiness and stray feathers escaping from the seams. Double-sided pink paisley with soft pale green swirls – I love LOVE L O V E it! It was a total treat – but I really had to have it for my Dolly-bed!
Have a lovely week – enjoy the sunshine, flowers, blue skies, baby birds – isn’t life wonderful, when the sun shines!
Adaliza x
PS – do link up with Handmade Monday over at the Handmade Harbour. I’ve had some dental surgery today – two & a half hours of it – I’ve been tranquilised & sedated since last night. It hurts, I ache, my teeth don’t feel like my teeth! I’ve just got up having slept for most of the day. Hope you have a lovely week – no sewing for me, I’m off to recover – horizontally!
Well, Hello Dolly …
May 26th, 2012 § 3 Comments
Dolly has been waiting for quite some time to make her grand entrance. There’s no getting away from the fact that she was an ‘impulse’ buy! We stopped to think about it for 24 hours but the damage had already been done, we’d been mesmerised by the dream, the freedom, our lost youth, life on the open road …
Yes, some while ago we bought a campervan, although I think Dolly would rather be called a motorhome!
Here she is …
We decided to take things easy for our first trip – just one night away, with the collies. On the most perfect evening on Friday, we drew into a lovely campsite called Wood Farm. I think they put all the middle-aged dog-owners in campers & caravans in the same place – suffice to say, Dolly and her incumbents were not alone, nor out of place! We tried to look as though we knew what we were doing!
I was amazed by the ‘kit’ on display in neighbouring berths – plastic wine glasses with serviettes & tablecloths, sophisticated clothes driers, revolving satellites and designer dogs! We rather showed ourselves up when it came to unveiling (should that be unfurling?) the awning – ours drooped rather sadly and then almost took off in the breeze. Other peoples’ canopies seemed unbothered and stood like thoroughbreds, proud and taut!
We unpacked our patio chairs (from ikea) and I set up a makeshift table, with a spare shelf on top of a couple of tiny camping seats – I hadn’t brought a tablecloth, but there were napkins! We dined on homemade sausages from a butcher in Bridport, with salad and rolls. For pudding – you know you HAVE to have pudding when you’re camping – I’d bought some slabs of Dorset Apple Cake and a tin of Devon custard! Camping is very hungry work!
Our collies were tethered to the bike rack – designer mutts were staked to twisty things and could be moved quite easily! BUT – we were the only ones with a genuine Welsh blanket for our collies – oh YES! OK, so it’s old and has a few holes, but it is the real thing – lucky, lucky collies!
The night passed into day, dogs were walked at dawn (to avoid meeting any other people or dogs), we breakfasted at 6 am on ham rolls and hot tea. Then – utter bliss, we went back to bed for a lovely nap in the cool morning air.
Ripple and Rose came with us and I finally gave in (read on, you’ll see what I mean)!
Lyme Regis beckoned once we’d hit the road this morning and we arrived at exactly the moment the Jazz Festival Parade hit the streets. We could hear them, but the sight evaded us as we sat in Dolly in a long queue! Large vehicles & Lyme don’t really go together so we stopped at a hilltop car park where Himself decided that he’d wait with the girls, whilst I embarked on the long walk into town. Then …
I spied a life-saver! This wonderful Italian taxi gave us the best lift into town (collies and all) and then picked us up (shopping in the boot)! Did I say shopping – you’ll have to wait to see what treat came home with us. I just bought the ONE THING in Lyme, to forever remind me of our first trip away in Dolly (next time, I promise).
We sampled the delights of the best coffee shop – Town Mill Bakery and I managed to fit in a lightning browse in a few lovely shops.
Now then, did I say I’d given in?
After our dawn walk, I relented – as a very special treat for being good, Belle joined me to snuggle up with Ripple & Rose!
Talk about the lap of luxury! I think Belle likes going away in Dolly (and so do I)!
Happy Days!
Adaliza x
Spring landscape …
May 23rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
in the evening sun …
Can you see the tiny white dot right in the middle and in the last grey layer of landscape? That’s the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, 32 miles away! Even with extra zoom lens power, that distance is a bit of challenge! I can definitely see it though.
There’s something magical about the end of the day, as the sun sinks and the shadows grow. It had been raining during the day and when the sun came out in the evening we took a little trip to Cheesefoot Head, just a few miles out of Winchester. Up on the ridge, there are amazing views south towards Southampton and east to Portsmouth and on really clear days, as far as the Isle of Wight.
I love being outdoors and a jaunt after supper is always a treat. Hampshire is lovely – Winchester is special – Home is Sweet – the fields are green! I think I need a bit of seaside though. I’ve been longing to walk on a beach, to feel the sand between my toes, to look out into that blurry spot on the horizon where the water meets the sky. Yes, definitely – some seaside is on my ‘places to go, rather urgently’ list!
Adaliza
Wickham Horse Fair 2012
May 21st, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Today, the roads through Wickham village closed, as thousands of travellers and horses arrived for the annual Horse Fair. It’s an established event, reputed to date back to the 13th century, where folk meet up with traveller friends and family. The atmosphere was amazing when we went to see the horses, bareback riders, the coloured cobs and the amazing faces of a group of people with a rich culture and heritage. It was an education to see young children so at home around horses, handling sulkies and riding as though they were born on horseback – without a saddle!
This is my 200th blog post and I really wanted it to be special. I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!
Adaliza x
PS – I promised you a post without cushions! And, the sun’s come out at last!
What a week …
May 19th, 2012 § 4 Comments
of cushion-making!
Here are just a few in a bit more detail …
I actually finished 15 cushions in a week! That’s a record. Sunday is the Art & Design market in Winchester but the weather is threatening showers so I’m going to keep everything crossed that doesn’t rain for too long.
Next week I’m going to blog about something other than cushions and quilts. I’ve been doing a bit of shopping – parcels have been arriving from all over the world! We’ve been out and about for some lovely jaunts and I’ve been practising with my zoom lens.
Have a lovely Sunday.
Adaliza
Busy weekend?
May 13th, 2012 § 15 Comments
Since the excitement of the big reveal of Ripple One on Friday – click here if you missed the BIG moment – life has been busy, busy over the weekend.
At last, we have enjoyed some sunshine. In Alton yesterday, the Art & Craft Market was in full swing and once again, I met some lovely friends, loyal customers and new people to chat to. I hope you all enjoy your Adaliza gifts and treats!
Our daughter arrived home and we went for a celebratory meal on Friday evening – a new job in London beckons! She, however, had an ulterior motive for popping home – she wants to do patchwork! So she came with an empty case, and returned with a sewing machine, threads, fabrics, pins and needles + a cutting mat and rotary cutter and lots of ideas. She then, after returning to London, sent a photo at 3 am in the morning of an almost completed cot quilt – a present for a friend! She certainly seems to have ‘got the bug’!
To answer a few questions I’ve had about the yarn for Ripple – I started with a few odd balls of DK and bought more from anywhere and everywhere as I went along. I was amazed how different DK can work out, but Ripple was very good natured and didn’t seem to mind what colour or make came next. The only criteria was that it had to be pure wool – that’s including alpaca etc, which I absolutely love. I made up the colour waves as I went along, occasionally planning a couple of rows ahead, which seemed to work. I was far too impatient to write anything down, or make a proper plan!
Today, I’ve spent an hour or so planning more cushions and makes for the coming week – trying to get organised so that I can pick something up to work on in every spare ‘window of opportunity’. My stock is somewhat depleted so I need to replenish! I’ll probably be a bit quiet this week and then show you what’s going to be on offer at the end of the week. That’s because next weekend is Art & Design in Winchester – oh yes, 3 fairs in a month! I’m calling it ‘Madness in May-time’!!!
Do pop by to see what’s happening at Handmade Monday over in its new home in Handmade Harbour. I was very bad at commenting last week – sorry, I don’t know where last week went! Will try to do better this week!
Enjoy your week – keep on making!
Adaliza x
RIPPLE ONE – DONE!
May 11th, 2012 § 11 Comments
Ripple One – my first ripple blanket is finished! And – the sun came out to celebrate!
Phew!
I hooked away at the foundation chain and first row, whilst watching Wales win the Six Nations Triple Crown (its rugby, if you’re not Welsh), on 25 February and I finished it last evening 10 May. That’s 75 days by my counting.
155 single rows (most stripes are 2 rows of the same colour) and she weighs 1.6 kg. She’s 1.55 m from below the pillows to the bottom of the bed and 2.10 m wide, including the pineapple border. I haven’t crocheted pineapples for at least 30 years – they’re fun!
Now I mentioned this morning that she’d challenged my perceptions. Almost every day for months, I’ve measured progress by holding her up against me, with the stripes horizontally placed. Then, as I made more progress, I laid her on our bed – my beloved, who has become very attached to this blanket, kept asking if it was going to fit on the bed – but with the stripes placed horizontally she wasn’t wide enough to keep both of us warm. I pondered and fussed for weeks – whilst still increasing the rows! The solution was staring me in the face – as most do, if you wait for a while – turn her sideways!
I added a few rows and a simple red shell border to the top and bottom borders but wanted something just a bit showy for the sides. So when a rummage in a local charity shop revealed a huge bag of beautiful Robin pure wool, in a non-challenging grey, my mind was made up – pineapples all the way!
It took me a few attempts to reconcile myself to stripes going sideways, but all is well in ripple-land now. I’m so pleased with her. Last night we slept soundly, and this morning, when I woke I put my hand outside to feel her – such a sense of achievement. It’s great to make something, to enjoy the journey and snuggle up in the result.
Tomorrow I’ll be in Alton – in sunshine hopefully – at the Art & Craft market. Pop by and say Hello.
Enjoy your weekend.
Adaliza x
PS Read about her Easter journey here, although she appears in other posts too.
Ripple One, all done! But …
May 11th, 2012 § 3 Comments
you’ll have to wait just a bit longer to see her, so I can take some photos in the sunshine!
I can’t wait to show you – she’s ended up with a ‘twist in her tail’ – she’s challenged all my perceptions!
Just wait and see …
Adaliza x
Winchester – Bank holiday weekend …
May 7th, 2012 § 10 Comments
It stopped raining yesterday, for Winchester’s monthly Vintage & Retro market. It had been a busy day and just as we were beginning to pack up, the sun started to shine – it’s amazingly warm when it makes its appearance from behind the cloud cover! It was a bit of a shame it wasn’t sunny earlier in the day as I’m sure it lifts people’s spirits and adds to the jolly mood of the market.
I met so many lovely people to chat to, and new customers too. I always come home with a great feeling of excitement and contentment – how lovely it is to live in this vibrant City, so many plans of what to make for the next market, orders to design and finish – and of course, I’m really, really tired by the end of the day too!
Every time I looked up, to check the clouds, I saw this lovely old building – you can see how narrow the High Street is, from the reflection of the chimney pots on the opposite side of the street.
Our High Street is quite narrow, pedestrianised and as soon as the green & white stalls are set up, I think it looks quaint and full of character. Here are a few pics of my stall …
Along with everything I make, I always take some vintage textiles and blankets to this market. It’s so interesting to talk to visitors and locals, to hear about their plans and projects. Again and again I was asked to run classes. One day I’m sure I will, but at the moment I already spend my week in classrooms!
So, while we bask in the late afternoon today, my head is full of new design ideas that I’ll have to crack on and create, ready for next weekend’s market in Alton!
Do pop over to Handmade Monday to catch up on everyone else’s creations.
Enjoy your week – only 4 days until next weekend!
Adaliza x
