Mere Sands Wood

Well it's been a manic week but more about that later. Today I have a day trip to tell you about from my hols at the end of August. Having joined Lancashire Wildlife Trust after taking part in 30 Days Wild, I thought it would be good to visit one of their reserves, though you don't have to be a member to visit. A look at the handbook showed me Mere Sands Wood near Rufford where there's also a National Trust property. By a stroke of luck there was also a garden centre nearby which accepted the gift card I'd been given for my birthday. It was clearly fate!

Off we set to explore. It's had a varied history being part of a lake to start with, drained for agricultural use and then quarried for sand before being returned to nature. You can see more of its history on the board above.

There's a path which takes you around the perimeter of the current lake. It looks the picture of tranquility but at this stage it most definitely wasn't! The start of the walk adjoins a kennels and the mutts never stopped barking. Thankfully, the noise fades as you wander deeper into the reserve.

At various points there are hides to look out over the water. Nothing of any excitement during our visit: mallards, coots and Canada geese mainly. Annoyingly, a friend went last week and saw a kingfisher!! I've never seen one and it's on my bucket list :( Sigh, maybe next time.

Back to the walk...

Speckled Wood

A lovely example of Chicken of the woods.

And here's another lovely Chicken in the woods :)

Sometimes you could see out over the neighbouring farmland: in this case, potato fields.

Fumitory

Rowan

I would have liked to climb up the tower hide but it was all locked up :(

To be honest, up to this point I'd found it a bit dull. There's a fixed path and signs asking you not to wander off it so exploring was rather limited.

Until we reached the meadow. And then there were flowers and insects galore. Most of it fenced off but enough to provide some interest.

Even the wooden deer looked perkier!

A pleasant way to spend an hour. I'd visit again if I was in the area but don't think I'd make a special effort. Much better to visit one of their bigger reserves like Brockholes.

Anyway, only a short hop up the road is Rufford Old Hall so we decided to stop by. You can see more photos from a previous visit here.

There was an art class taking place at the front of the hall.

The Great Hall is my favourite part and always worth a look. It dates from the 1500s and the screen is thought to be the most intact version to have survived. William Shakespeare is believed to have performed in this Hall as a young man.

Apparently it was very unusual to have angel carvings in the roof. This was taken through a peep hole from the main part of the house.

We didn't linger in the house though as it was so bright and warm outside.

I marvelled over the size of the onions in the vegetable garden.

And envied them their apple harvest.

And who could resist ticking off a '50 things to do when you're way older than 11 3/4'!

************************

Straight after posting this, I'll be off to visit your blogs. I've barely been near the computer this week as I've been out most evenings. Tuesday was walking with my yoga group - our last walk before the class starts up again. Wednesday was quilt group. And Thursday was my new evening class. Yes, I've taken up belly dancing! Six of us from the yoga class, who've also walked together all summer, have joined. It was the first one this week and what a laugh! You get to wear a jingly scarf and waft a large piece of chiffon around. Coordination is optional. What's not to love? It's early days but I think it might be my new favourite thing :)

Today is a housework/food shopping/washing day with hopefully some me time squeezed in. Tomorrow me and Chickpea are off on a coach trip to Llandudno with my parents. Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside! Enjoy your weekend whatever you have planned. x

Festival of Quilts 2016

Today I'd usually be visiting the Great Northern Quilt Show at Harrogate which I've done for many years. I love supporting our 'local' show and it's just the right size without being overwhelming. However, this year I decided to have a change so, a couple of weeks ago, I travelled down to Birmingham to see the Festival of Quilts. It's been a few years since my last visit but it's great to see this one once in a while as it's the top show in the country and attracts all the best and most innovative quilters. It's held in three massive halls with quilts displayed in different categories and hundreds of traders.

I took loads of photos but have picked out a few of my favourites to give you a flavour of what I saw. No words, just lots of amazing work.

Paradise in Bloom - Robyn Fahy

The Magical Mermaid's Castle - Claudia Pfeil

 

Think Tea - Sheena Hughes

The Stour in Winter - Mary Bird

Fern Rising - Claudia Pfeil

Left: Parts of the Sun - Mary Mattimoe
Right: Floribundance - Gillian Theokritoff

Rainbow Lorikeet - Helen Godden

She's a Wildflower - Joanna Wilczynska Halassek

Miniature: Un poco de Pina - Karen Moore

Miniature: Vestiges - Leah Higgins

Homestead - Shipton Quilters

Best in Show was won by Sandy Chandler with Infinity.

Funnily enough, Visitor's Choice was also won by a wholecloth quilt: Pearl Princess by Sandie Lush.

Wholecloth quilts are awful to photograph and, to be truthful, are not really my thing. I can appreciate the fantastic workmanship in them though. So what would have been my own choice?

Of the traditional quilts, I loved this one for its bright colours: Dresden in Bloom - Janette Chilver.

I also have a soft spot for the girl with flowers in her hair and Robyn Fahy's 'Paradise in Bloom' (pictured first).

Overall though, I think Other Places by Sandra Newton was my Best in Show and it also won Best Miniature. I just love the quiet colour and movement.

What do you think? Which would you have chosen?

Today then, instead of visiting a quilt show, I'll be working on my own. And hoping to spend some time outside if the weather improves. Hope you're enjoying your weekend whatever you have planned. x

Year in Books: August 2016

This year I'm taking part in the Year in Books organised by Laura at Circle of Pine Trees, with the aim of reading at least one book per month.

Another month has passed and I'm still keeping up with my 'one book a month' plan. In fact, I read 3 during August including one non-fiction, probably because of having more time off.

My Map of You by Isabelle Broom is the story of Holly who finds out she's inherited a house on the Greek island of Zakynthos from an aunt she never knew she had. Still grieving for her mother who died a few years ago, she explores the house and the island, uncovering more about herself and her family's secrets.

This one came highly recommended by both my Mum and Dad. I'd actually bought it as a birthday present for Dad who will read anything if it's set in Greece: even better if it's somewhere he's visited several times. Well, I loved it too. That's not to say that some of it isn't predictable but it was a perfect, easy summer read which I raced through.

Anna, 2, Tokyo

Jayne, 42, fashion designer, San Francisco

Every thing we touch: a 24-hour inventory of our lives is by Paula Zuccotti.

"Imagine keeping a record of everything you touch in a day, from the moment you wake up to the moment you fall asleep...What would that say about you and your day?"

Paula asked 62 people from around the world, ranging in age from 0 to 72, to do just that. Each person is covered in 2 double-page spreads. The first 2 pages show a photo of all the objects in chronological order, the next 2 have an inventory of the objects and a profile of the person. I found it fascinating seeing this snapshot of people's lives and wondering what my own photo and inventory would reveal. A really clever idea and visually stunning.

I saw this in a book swap box at work and the blurb immediately caught my eye. Not only was it set in Northumberland but it was around Bamburgh which I'd visited during my holidays. I couldn't wait to revisit it through a 'local's' view.

I picked it up thinking it was a novel but, actually, Wife in the North is taken from the blog of the same name. It follows Judith O'Reilly and her family as they relocate from London, with all the trials and tribulations of exchanging big city life for the country. She's very much a reluctant mover, doing it only to follow her husband's dream of returning to his native county. Annoyingly for her though, he still spends most of his time working in London, leaving her alone with 3 children under the age of 6! The moaning about her lot did irritate me at times. That and the constant running out of petrol which she blamed on her husband! However, I was also captivated by her prose when she described magical moments of motherhood and the glorious Northumbrian countryside. The cover seems to suggest it's a comedy read. There are funny parts but there are also tragic parts too which brought me to tears. Not the best book I've ever read but I did enjoy it.

As for my September reads, well I haven't decided yet. I'm going to look through my stash at the weekend and see what takes my fancy - there's plenty to choose from! xx