Yesterday was the anniversary of the momentous day when we finally said goodbye to North Yorkshire and, with a heavy heart, headed in to the unknown -Cumbria. Me and the cat journeyed West with the last of the moving boxes crammed into the trusty old Golf, and while Cat seemed quite content watching the windscreen wipers ( yes it was raining ) I was travelling with very mixed feelings...until we reached that magical stretch of the A66 when the mountains suddenly appear, all majestic and snow topped, telling me to snap out of it. Anyway, a year has passed, this picture has been on my mind "The Last of England" by Pre-Raphaelite, Ford Madox Brown, mostly because of the title and the sentiment- the look of massive resentment and resignation on their faces... I haven't set foot in North Yorkshire since but maybe it's time I did, to acclimatise before I go to Harrogate in April!
We have celebrated this weekend with a retro Black Forest Gateau, a trip to Cockermouth (more cake) and finally fixing the road to Grasmere ... sorry only kidding, just the jigsaw version which Rupert finished at last (it's kept him busy and driven him mad every weekend since Christmas). There is going to be a bus to Grasmere soon though, over a temporary bridge and I can't wait to visit again.
This morning after nailing up a new bird house and hanging up a selection of nuts and seeds to attract some feathery friends, I put all your names in a mug and asked Rupert to pick one... so the winner of my anniversary giveaway is Lucy McLaurin! Congratulations to you and thank you every one else for your comments. If you send me your address Lucy I'll go to the post office this week. I'll also be adding these new bear necklaces and some design samples to my Etsy shop later... I'd love to know what you think. The necklaces are a new and improved version of some I used to make a few years ago, these have sterling silver chains and findings and I've been doing rigorous testing (scrubbing with hot water, soap and a washing-up scourer) to make sure they're robust enough to be sent out in to the world.
Well, its a little chilly on this side of the room so I'm going to say goodbye for now and head over to the stove to have a think about more designs... perhaps Spring, Summer and Autumn to go with these wintery bears.
Reading: " The Illustrated Herdwick Shepherd" James Rebanks (for historical reasons I'm nervous about sheep farmers but I was given this for Christmas and it is actually quite lovely with some great thoughts on the landscape and education and the importance of "running free") Listening To: "Lost and Found" Steve Mason ( The video is filmed in Snowdonia but it reminds me so much of here and driving in the rain and certain times and friends from the past)