first...the solstice

blown in on a gale with lashing winds, and this morning thunder and lightening, Mother Nature shows us who is boss! we seem small compared to her power! I love the winter solstice...

in winter deep

comes fire to warm 

homes dressed with green

gifts all

from the earth

 

in the darkness

 new life gleams

as we turn once more

 to the light

and the best news this week...is the arrival of Rachel...after a long journey up from south lakes she arrives in style...

mm...Ned not sure about this here new donkey in HIS stable!

isn't she just gorgeous?
 

welcome dear little donkey!

our best Christmas present, a new companion for Ned, whilst we still love Gwendoline in our hearts, rather like the solstice, we welcome the new and the sense of hope Rachel brings.

and there is still Christmas to come, hope your preparations are going well...I really liked this reminder from Cheryl Richardson...and I'm trying to put it into practice...

almost but not quite...

Christmas so just time for a night away

destination Manchester...driving down the majestic M6 through rain and storm force winds, some of the best views in the country as we travel through the Howghylls...at speed!

 

we made it safely to Rochdale station to catch a train, and glide easily into Manchester Victoria, half remembered through the mists of time, an old haunt from when I was at Liverpool Uni...young, free and single! This time we have ventured here for daughter mine to run in an athletics meeting on Sunday so I suggested making it a weekend...and here we are, rather stunned country mice getting used to the rush of the city...


luckily daughter mine had a map from when she came with a weekend with Rangers so she leads the way...I could do it from memory...maybe!

it's late afternoon, dusk is coming on and the lights are bright...

I do so love the bright yellow trams...and the hustle and bustle, somehow it feels exiting, a buzz of movement and things happening all around us

and here we are at The Manchester Craft and Design Centre...a historic building now full of the best in art and craft and design, studios, artists...and cafe, modern but with a sense of the past

just not enough time to take in the wealth and variety of creativity, ceramics, furniture, textiles, art of all kinds, and you meet the makers...brilliant to meet Andrea from &made whose lovely work I've admired for a long time

you can see more aboutalmost but nowt the Craft Centre here

out into the night to find Christmas markets in full swing...

so much to see and buy...but we were flagging by now so walked back to the station to catch the train again...and headed for a meal and a bed at the Youth Hostel at Haworth (yes as in The Bronte Sisters)...we know how to have a good time!

I even managed to watch Strictly and on Sunday, daughter mine ran like the wind in her 60m sprint and hurdles and got 2 PBs (personal bests!) 

Home again feeling like I had a week away not just a night...bliss!

 

 

Knitting AND Stitching....

and so much more...The Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate 2013 was a joyful experience, all the better for going on a Sunday when it was quiet and you could see everything with ease! so here for you in the comfort of your own home...no travelling required except in your mind... a taste of what we saw...

Mandy Patullo's wonderful thrifty artwork handstitched to perfection... 

 

 

again handstitching but this time with printing, some small and some huge abstracts from the landscape by Dorothy Caldwell..love the texure of her stitching here

Bobby Britnell and Ruth Issett side by side, so different but equally inspiring

how's this for a sketchbook?!

and stall after stall of colour, texture and creativity...and sheer hard work!

a stop for lunch in the opulence of the Grand Theatre, where Husband of Patience sits with his newspaper and a cuppa when he's had enough! and the Man count was quite high this year...

lots to look at and absorb...and lots of tempting things to spend your pennies on!

got some beautiful yarn from this original stall run by a young lady at Lily and The Dub!

one of my favourit parts is seeing all the students work, full of imaginative use of their medium, in a contemporary way which is so fresh

I've always loved the K and S show, but even more now I go with Daughter Mine, who has a shared love of all things textile...and we have a really good family time together! She's just done some wonderful work for her Textiles GCSE mock...and I could easily see her artwork here!

thanks for all your kind comments and donations for Gwendoline, we hope soon to have a new donkey companion for Ned, who in the meantime is getting lots of extra ear tickling and carrot and apple treats...

for those who missed my last blog post, this is Gwendoline and we are raising money for The Donkey Sanctuary in her memory, click here if you would like to make a donation...thank you

have a quiet week...there's plenty of time before it's Christmas...honest!

Emmax

In loving memory...

Dear friends, 

once upon a time there were two nearly newly weds who we moved out of town to a rural idyll...lived in a caravan for a year and a bit...while the 'house'(more barn than house) was renovated (still working on that!)and had five acres of land, a handful of ducks and lots of ideas, energy and enthusiasm...

and one frosty January day two young, small fluffy donkeys arrived with tiny hooves and shy demeanor...and gradually became part of this good life and part of a wee daughter's too when she was old enough to feed them carrots...and sit on their backs (held on by Mum or Dad!)

weren't they just so cute?

life was blissful, golden days...friends all around...

Gwendoline and Basil...

then last weekend, after a wonderful day out at the Knitting and Stitching show we returned to find a poorly Gwendoline...after a short but challenging illness she passed away on Monday evening and we are all feeling rather sad. She was a gentle, peaceful donkey, tho' she could have fun and kick up here heels too! I know anyone who has had animals in their life will understand our feelings right now.

Ned, our other donkey, is now alone and feeling the loss too, so we  are going to find him a friend, who will not be the same as his sister but will be a different companion to walk alongside and be with. We all need a friend! The Donkey Sanctuary are going to help us with this, a wonderful lady called Pam came out yesterday to talk about what to do.

I don't often blog about sad things as I prefer to focus on the positive...so out of our sadness I would like to create something positive and to this end we have decided to try to raise some funds for The Donkey Sancturary in her name, so that good may come to other less well cared for donkeys who need help.

 

Thank You fom Gwendoline...

 

If you feel you would like to contribute a small sum to do some good then please click here or on the photo above for the link to our Just Giving page, at the moment winter shelters are a practical requirement and every little helps. We wanted to give a donation in thanks for the help we've had and especially as some of the tests the vet took at the weekend were sent to the DS for analysis and we are grateful for their assistance in that as well. I would also like to thank our local vets who were very supportive and kind too, especially James.

Together we can make a difference,
thank you my dear readers for being here

love
Emmaxx