Cragside

Well, so much for catching up while I'm on leave! The weather has been so good that I've barely been near the computer (though today's rain is making up for it!). We've had a couple of days out and there has been lots of gardening. More of those another time though as I still have one more post from our Northumberland holidays.

Today we're headed to Cragside, former home of the Victorian engineer, Lord William Armstrong. He used technologies from his business to create one of the most innovative homes of its time.

It was built between 1863 and 1884 and is set on a rocky hillside in more than 1000 acres.

Japanese room

It was the first private house in the world to be lit with filament light bulbs, powered by the first application of hydro-electricity in the world.

It was also filled with lots of home comforts such as its own Turkish baths! There are a suite of rooms including a steam bath, cold plunge, hot bath and shower. They were kept warm with another of Armstrong's innovations, central heating. He really was an amazing man!

The rooms were decorated using the top interior designers and furniture makers of the day.

These stained glass windows were made by William Morris's company, and designed by Dante Gabriel Rossetti.

The Boudoir

I think this was the White Bedroom though don't quote me on that. The wallpaper is definitely William Morris again and we both loved the old rocking horse.

The kitchen: always one of my favourite rooms, particularly with an enormous old range and rows of copper pans. Like other parts of the house it was filled with labour-saving gadgets such as the spit which automatically rotated in front of the range, and a dumb-waiter lift. Elsewhere in the house was a hydraulic lift to carry coal, laundry and other equipment.

After the tour of the house it was time to explore the gardens.

We descended the steep terrace to cross over the bridge (photo later) to visit the formal garden.

This church-like building is called the Clock Tower but was also the pay office.

On the middle terrace, the gardeners were in the middle of laying out a design for summer bedding.

Italian Terrace

The pretty cottage in the background was once the home of the estate manager but is now holiday accommodation.

As we entered the fernery, we noticed a man taking photos and wondered what had caught his attention.

It was this blackbird sitting well hidden on her nest. We never would have noticed her without the sharp eyes of a fellow tourist.

Away from the formal garden, we headed to the wildlife hide where feeding stations had been placed.

Unsurprisingly, they were a hive of activity with mainly bullfinch, chaffinch, greenfinch and coal tits. I was particularly thrilled to see the bullfinch which I don't think I've seen before - so colourful.

Common dog-violet

I was also thrilled to see Douglas, the 'tree spirit'. The sculptor, Tommy Craggs, took only 3 days to carve him with a chainsaw!

Here's the bridge I promised to show you earlier, built in 1869.

We didn't cross the bridge back to the house but instead wandered along the burn, enjoying the cool shade from the trees on a hot day.

At the end of the burn is a newer addition to the estate, an Archimedes screw - that's the thing in the tube. I'm not going to attempt to describe what it does except that it generates hydroelectricity - you can read more about it here.

Our visit was nearing an end but, after a quick picnic stop, we ventured back to the garden to have a last look around the rock garden. At that time, in early June, it was filled with colour from azaleas.

A fascinating place to visit and there's so much more which we didn't have time for as you can take a 6 mile drive around the estate with lots of stopping points. Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the area.

Hope you enjoyed all the holiday tales, even if it has taken me an age to finish them! I absolutely fell in love with Northumberland and there is still so much to see. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we head back there next summer.

Next time I think I might actually have something to show you from August! Wonders will never cease ;-)

PS Kezzie mentioned she'd had problems with leaving a comment because of the captcha thingy. I've checked my settings and it's turned off - is anyone else having problems?

Kirigami and grebes

It's been ages since I updated you on my kirigami. I confess it's been a bit erratic over the summer and I'm a little behind but hoping to catch up now I'm on leave for two weeks. So, here's a selection from June and July.

I also thought I'd give a quick update on the baby grebes. Both are doing really well and almost as big as their parents. One still seems very dependent but the other has started fishing on its own for short periods. It's been wonderful watching them grow and develop. The sound of my summer will be the sounds of their calling for food - a quite high-pitched peeping!

In other nature news, is it me or has spider season started incredibly early this year? I've had several in my bedroom and we had to evict two which ran across the living room floor last night. I carefully transferred them to the shed and I'm hoping they prefer that love shack to my house!

Tomorrow I'm off to Birmingham to the Festival of Quilts. I'm so looking forward to it as I haven't been for a few years. Will try to take lots of photos for you :) Enjoy the rest of your weekend. 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.

A little bit late posting this but I've made it in the end. Unusually for me, July's reads included two non-fiction titles which I picked up in the library.

Worn stories by Emily Spivack is a collection of memories based around an item of clothing. The 67 contributors range from a holocaust survivor to artists to entrepreneurs, and their stories range from 'the everyday to the extraordinary'.

This is an example but there's also a website, wornstories.com, which is still being added to if you want to see more. Obviously some of the stories are more interesting than others but I really enjoyed the small glimpses into people's lives. Great to dip in and out of.

My second pick was Slow stitch: mindful and contemplative textile art by Claire Wellesley-Smith. As the title suggests, it's about the calming process of hand stitching, allowing you to '[savour] the hours and minutes rather than just counting them'. It's an ideas book rather than a project book, though Claire does give a few exercises and techniques she uses with her stitching groups and in her own practice.  It also features the work of other textile artists and community groups. The emphasis throughout is on sustainability using recycled textiles and plant-based dyes.

I have to say much of her work wasn't really to my taste but I always manage to find something inspiring in these kind of books. In this case I really liked an idea from her stitch journal: each day she embroidered a circle in the colour of the sky that morning. I could see this being translated in lots of ways such as the colours of a day out or a special event.

I'm glad I borrowed it but it wouldn't be one I'd add to my own collection.

After reading Sarah Winman's first book 'When God was a rabbit' back in May, I was really looking forward to A year of Marvellous Ways. Set in the 1940s, it's the story of "Marvellous Ways, an 89-year-old woman who sits by a creek in Cornwall [and] Francis Drake, a young soldier who washes up there, reeling from war and broken-hearted".

Sarah Winman writes in a beautiful poetic style. It's another of those quiet books where not a lot happens and it's all about the characters. It took a while but it did draw me in and I ended up enjoying it. If you like fast-paced page-turners, this one's not for you. If you like lyrical books with a touch of mysticism and folklore, give it a try. I will be looking out for more by Sarah in future.

My pick for August is My map of you by Isabelle Broom. I bought this for my Dad for his birthday as it's set on the island of Zakynthos: he loves all things Greek and has visited the island several times. He really enjoyed it and passed it to my Mum who thought the same. Let's see if we can make it a hat-trick!

Other than that, I'm going to see where my fancy takes me...

In other news, it was my birthday this week! I spent the day in the beautiful Welsh town of Conwy. I'll show you more another time but it was a perfect day filled with all the things I love most: salty sea air, historic buildings, stunning views and cake!

Before that though, I still have one more day from our holiday to show you plus a Kirigami update. I only have one more week to work and then have two weeks off so I'm hoping to catch up with blogging and lots of home things. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. x