A couple of jaunts

 Like many people, I have been having my holidays closer to home this year. However, I still managed to travel from the top to the very bottom of England.

My work had brought me North to be the celebrant at a handfasting ceremony and so I took the chance to visit two of my dearest friends Martin and Madeleine.

My stays with them are always filled with talk of books and life, Madeleine's delicious homemade food and wonderful walks. Martin had even kindly planned a route that I could manage, given my slightly wonky body.

I feel renewed and refreshed every time I visit them. Their way of life requires hard work and strength of mind and body, yet they seem to have found a balance between following a simple, more traditional way of living and while still appreciating some benefits of the modern world. They live according to their beliefs and I have great respect for them.

I am lucky to have such good friends in my life

One added bit of fun and coincidence was that whilst on my travels, my friend Pippa who lives in Devon, was also visiting the area and we managed to meet for an hour for breakfast!

For my second little holiday, I picked up Emily and we headed down to Cornwall to see Sam and Lillibet in their new home in Falmouth.

We packed so much into the couple of days we spent there. I love seeing both my children together, we live so far apart at the moment.

Sam is a great cook and we enjoyed his creations and also had a wonderful meal out at a boat restaurant in the harbour.

Falmouth is such a vibrant place, the sea is part of its character and never far away.

I have enjoyed myself immensely and it has whetted my appetite for my adventures in Wales.

Roll on September! It's less than a week to go.

A life that is useful and beautiful

A family funeral in the Yorkshire Dales seemed a long journey at this time of year. Yet I felt I wanted to be there.
I coped with a long, dark drive one evening and was so glad to have overcome winter hibernation stagnation and ventured forth. Meeting up with distant family connections and seeing cousins from my childhood was moving and, despite the sadness of the event, cheering too.
The following day I headed towards Northumberland via a rather long detour through the Lake District.

I took a wonderful, single-track road which winds its way from Ambleside to Boot. It was quite an exciting drive, scarily steep, full of hair-pin bends and beautiful empty hillsides. It was a day of alternating sunshine and showers, so the light was wonderful, bringing out the colours of bracken andgrass. All the way, I kept getting tantalising glimpses of snowy peaks.

It was only when I reached the end of the pass that I checked the map and realised I'd been tempted way off my supposed route and would be hours late reaching my friends.

Luckily they both have a relaxed view of the world, they know me well and have sanguine temperaments. When I finally arrived, full of apologies, they smiled and said that they'd been hoping I'd found something interesting to explore upon my way.

I've known Martin since my first year at University and Madeleine for nearly as long. I consider then two of my dearest friends. I love their home, a fortified 15th century farmhouse, it fits them as a snail does its shell, it is filled with their personalities and interests. Even the wood burning stove feels part of the family!

As for their beloved Dorothy, a more noble dog I have yet to meet. She has stolen my heart.

There is also Holtby an enchanting quicksilver kitten, who was too fast and to full of life for me to capture the spirit of her in a photograph.
I love visiting them, their life is no fairy-tale but one grounded by hard work, commitment to their beliefs and the strength of their relationship. Even on cold, stormy days their home brings me comfort and peace.

 I have to be honest though and say that they are hardier than I am, so huge fires are lit for my comfort throughout my stay.
I enjoy catching up on their plans and projects. Madeleine is a Bee Keeper and is passionate about tending her bees in a natural way, often using skills learnt from the past. She made this skep, I love it and the bees are happier in an organic shape. Although the bees are sleeping we still went to greet them and tell them of my visit.

Madeleine also has a pantry... I have to admit I'm envious, I've always longed for somewhere to keep stores and supplies. For them however, it is a necessity, as they may be cut off by bad weather for days.

Martin has learnt the skill of making dry stone walls and is continuously re-building and repairing. It's immensely hard physical work but also needs a sensitivity to shape and pattern.

He is also in charge of the fuel supply. Isn't this wood pile a thing of beauty?

They are both great walkers but kindly allow me to go on more gentle potters with them. I love the winter landscape's beauty. Form and colour stand out in simplicity.

 

 

This visit we walked to the nearby willows and collected withies for garden projects.  Madeleine is planning to make hurdles and supports for the garden and I picked some slimmer branches to make a wreath base. The day was still and calm, the only sounds coming from our work and the slight rustle of branches and grass. I could have stepped back in time a hundred years.

 

 

 I feel sad saying farewell to my good friends. We live too far apart to visit often. Yet I always leave them feeling refreshed and re-inspired to leap back into my life with renewed enthusiasm and optimism. Thank you both.

When a best friend marries

There was a time when I was younger, when our weekends were filled with weddings. Now it is a more unusual event, therefore a particularly special occasion.

When my dear friend Pippa married Andy this Summer, I felt so happy for her. This picture, taken on the beach just after the ceremony, shows the sense of fun and love they share-

I'm certain she has chosen wisely

After all, who can resist a Pirate?

I have to admit however, it is hard when a good friend moves away and starts another phase of their life.
Pippa has lived 'just down the road' from me for 18 years and several times a week we would be around each other's houses catching up on the vital minutiae of life. In fact, she is actually part of my house, having carved our hearth stone for us when we had the grand redecorating

Not a great photo but I had to include it!

She is a stone mason, a sculptor and artist

Pip's Polar Bears just before they were sold

Egg Lady (I was the model)

One of my favourite lino cuts

We have shared each other's highs and lows over the years. Our children have grown up together and there was rarely a party or a meal that Pippa was not part of

And Beetle is always a part of everything too!

And goodness, we have had some great parties! The most recent being our ' Saints and Sinners' party at a local church

Pippa, one of her twin sons Adam and me

Pip looked fabulous as a bad fairy!

We have been on so many adventures and holidays-

In Yorkshire for the Andy Goldsworthy exhibition

Cut off by the tide in Devon!

Pippa took me to Spain last winter to celebrate my 50th Birthday. We had the most amazing holiday in Granada and Cordoba

It's such fun to go away with a friend who shares the same love of art and the unusual. Although I have to admit, that meant we spent quite a lot of our time enjoying wonderful meals in beautiful surroundings...

I know she will be happy together with Andy in her married life and I also know that I will always be a welcome visitor to her new home in Devon. After all, life may bring many changes but good friends remain!