During the last week of my summer holidays, I visited Bradford Upon Avon with the idea of giving my knitting friend a surprise. I went to Jumble Jelly's Knit n Natter Day only to discover that Misselle of the Misselle Knits Podcast, had, that morning fallen down the stairs! So she was unable to move from home that day! I hope you are feeling better now Misselle!
However, I made a new friend, Maplegirl, on Ravelry. We had a lovely chat. I have said it before and will say it again, there is something special about crafters. It doesn't take long before they get chatting together as if they have known each other all their lives.
Please check out Jumble Jelly's website and their activities. Misselle will also be running some workshops there in the near future.
I also took Misselle's podcast with me on my visit to the town. It was great to be guided round some of the old buildings 'in my ear' while actually seeing what was being spoken about. I also went to the parish church where the Millenium Embroideries were on display. This was a work of several panels made by the community for the year 2000 and Elle talked me through the history portrayed in them. Thank you, Misselle! You may not have been there in person, but I really enjoyed my visit and it felt as though you were there! Please take a listen to Misselle's episode entitled 'My Town', it really is so interesting, especially if you are interested in textiles.
Here is the link to her Blog.............
http://www.misselleknits.blogspot.com/
Also to Bradford Upon Avon...........
http://www.cotswolds.info/places/bradford-on-avon.shtml
Here is a selection of the photos I took while I was there.
This is the parish church where the embroidered panels were on display.
This is the very ancient chapel, believed to be around 2000 years old. I think there was probably a place of worship there even before that!
Below is the plaque from the side of this wonderful old taxtile mill. What must the town have been like in the textile trade hayday? I should imagine the air would not have been so clean back then. But there would not have been so many folk without work as there are today. This was a time when we in Britain had a fine industrial labour force.
Please feel free to go and have a look and maybe even join the Misselle Podcast Group at http://www.ravelry.com/, a site for crocheters, knitters and spinners.
Please feel free to comment on anything you see here, I love hearing from readers!
Sorry, no pics today. The weather was awful! SO wet! So what did we do? Well there should have been photos of a vintage steam rally, but Steve didn't fancy getting the car stuck in a muddy field! So instead we went on our favourite steam railway. Steve bought a rover ticket for the day and we spent a lovely afternoon going up and down the line. I have never drunk so much Ginger Beer! Non alcoholic, of course!
Here's a link to the train site............
http://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/
From the train, you can see this castle, Dunster Castle.................
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-dunstercastle.htm
As you can see, it is now owned by The National Trust. For more information on its history and some more pics, you can click on the following link..............
http://exmoorencyclopedia.org.uk/contents-list/36-d/335-dunster-castle.html
One day we will go and have a proper look at the castle and I will be able to post my own photos.
Knitting........
I have taken up the Tour De Fleece challenge. This is predominantly a spinning activity. although many who don't spin, set themselves a knitting I have finished 3 shawls and a baby cardie since the bike race started. Shawl 3 still needs blocking (soaking, stretching out, and pinning and then left to dry naturally), but here are the first 2.
This pattern is called the Swallowtail and is designed by Evelyn A. Clark . Surprisingly. the shawl pictured below, is taken from the same pattern. The one above, is in silk yarn, the one below is a self striping sock yarn.
Just lately, due to lack of time to walk together during the week, Steve and I have taken to getting up earlier and walking before work. This morning was just lovely (but not long enough!).
This was part of a walk I did with a friend yesterday. We walked through the fields to get to the same point, but today time was precious. For those fibery people amongst you, I thought you would apreciate the following group of pictures, taken just feet from one another. We also saw a fox bounding across a field, but I just wasn't quick enough with the camera!
There is a great history to the farm where the alpaca were.
We didn't really go far enough for you to see the oldest part of the buildings properly, but the tallest gable, which you can see behind the conservatory is from a more ancient time. It is a private home and farm, so I am not going to name the property this time.Having researched the history of the site, I have discovered that it has quite a past! For anyone living in Somerset, you might even be able to guess where it is!
The first written evidence for the place goes back to 579! In 1539-1707, it was owned by The Duke of Somerset, Sir Edward Seymour, brother of the famous Jane Seymour, who of course married King Henry VIII. Sir Edward Dwyer, and Elizabethan poet also owned the estate at one point, as did the Thynne family of Longleat (famouse for it's free ranging lions, and now a thenme park). For those of you who enjoy classical novels, Henry Fielding, the author of Tom Jones, was born here in 1707. From the late 1700's it passed into the hands of several gentleman farmers including Thomas Hawkins, the palaeontologist who discovered fossils of the ichthyosaurus.
In the 1830's a large part of the main buildings including the chapel, were demolished, but by 1830 it was looked upon as the best farm in Somerset and employed over 40 labourers, growing wheat, dairy and beef cattle, and sheep.
