Picture Puzzle

These photographs were taken at the V&A yesterday. I had a delightful day in the company of friends who had travelled into London from Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Kent and Northumberland, all by train, and the focus of our gathering was the Quilts 1700 - 2010 Exhibition, although as well as each other, we hoped to see more exhibits.

This images are not from the quilts exhibition, nor any of the other galleries. Can you hazard a guess yet? I think the patterns and colours are exquisitely fascinating and very inspirational.

They put me in mind of these gilding flakes, especially those lower down the page,

The only solution I will give is the photo below, which I hope Gill will forgive me publishing here (she kindly took it and sent it to me today). My friends insisted I must see this wonderful tiled convenience by the restaurant rooms before my visit could be considered complete.

A Trip to Bath

Last Thursday I was reading Threadspider's excellent blog, and learned about an interesting exhibition taking place, finishing last Sunday. My younger daughter is home from university at the moment and she was up for driving me there, so off we went, on the most beautiful sunny afternoon, through the Somerset Lake District to the splendour that is Bath. We parked near to Pulteney Bridge and this lovely Victorian Post Box, and made our way to the gallery - except I'd got the wrong gallery! But, it wasn't really too wrong, because it was hosting another excellent show, by Edwina Bridgeman. I love the way she is able to envisage extraordinary potential hidden in driftwood and other found objects to create wonderful figuative sculptures with simultaneously a very stylised but primitive element. One day, perhaps, I will own one of her creations.

We then made our way to the Octagon Gallery, where our original objective was located. We passed this alley, home to the Sausage Shop, among others, and somehow managed to walk past the entrance below - I thought it was a furniture shop!

Anyway, eventually we found our way inside and saw some amazing textile exhibits by Carole Waller (who curated this show), one of Alice Kettle's massive embroideries, covetable wraps and felted hangings by Liz Clay, wonderfully-cut women's clothes by Terry Macey and other artists were showing a very varied range of textile works.

Then it was time to return towards the car, stopping for refreshment at the Bridge Coffee Shop, where we were able to enjoy drinks and chat at a table looking out at this view of Pulteney Weir.

The late afternoon spring sun made fabulous contrasts on the newly-greening tree branches

and lit up the water flowing from the fountain. There was plenty to gladden the eye.

I really should go to Bath more often! Thanks, Threadspider, for the nudge.

Spring has Sprung!

After our long, cold and miserable winter, it's such a joy to see the season change into a time of blue skies, birdsong, sunshine, buds bursting into blossom and leaf, and colourful flowers appearing all around us. The narcissi above and forget-me-nots below are in our village library garden, a lovely surprise beyond the black tarmac carpark there.

The akebia on the side fence by our front door is in flower, it's pretty chocolate-maroon flowers in shy, subtle clumps contrasting well with the rich green leaves it sports.

These snowflakes are blooming away in the front garden, around the base of the deep secret rosebush, like something from the flower fairy books of my childhood.

Two more pictures of the akebia, because I love it. It looks so exotic.

Of course, spring would not be complete without bluebells. There used to be a lot of them in my garden when we moved here but they are few and far between now, sadly.

My purple Snakeshead Fritillary seems to have gone the way of most of the bluebells but the white one is looking gorgeous. I think some new bulbs would be a good idea when the time comes, because it's another favourite of mine.

Why do weeds grow so much better than anything else? You can see that the dandelions are flourishing! Will have to get to work on those!

Bindweed is growing faster than anything else at the moment - it needs a daily patrol to pull out the new shoots and every year it proves a losing battle - it would be great if this year was the exception to the rule!

Yellow and blue - colours of spring

Daffodils are flowering in the garden,

Trumpeting heralds for the new season.

They brighten the corner under the hazel bush, where the pond used to be and may well be again.

The sky is not the only place to see intense blues -

this gleams from under the still-bare walnut tree.

Spring at Lydiard House

Lydiard Park waslooking very green and full of promise yesterday, with plenty of evidence of the new season's growth.



There were some delicate Hellebores waving in the damp breeze.

The clumps of snowdrops were much more abundant than the last time I visited.

New cyclamen leaves pushed up through last year's pine cones.

Even the moss growing on the stone walls looked lusher, greener and more abundant.

Supper in Swindon

This is the School House Hotel and Restaurant in Hook, just outside Swindon. I spent Monday night there in this lovely converted building, which was built to educate the children of estate workers at nearby Lydiard House, coincidentally where I had a date the next day.

The large windows mark the spot of what was the school hall, now transformed into a restaurant where I enjoyed a really superb meal with my friends Maggie and Penny, and Penny's husband, John (who took the photo below of we three girls enjoying our main courses). Great company makes an evening go well, but so did the scrumptious dinner - I had a starter of salmon and scallop terrine on salad leaves, followed by loin of venison with mixed seasonal vegetables, and completed the olfactory adventure with a fabulous pannacotta with kirsch-steeped cherries - ecstacy!

The gluten free breakfast was equally excellent the next morning. We were looked after very well there, and I look forward to having the occasion to visit there again. The restaurant is open to non-residents - shame it's over an hour's drive from home!

Keema Mutter

Yesterday I posted on Facebook that we were having Keema Mutter for dinner, and one of my friends asked me what it is. Well, it's delicious, and my leftovers, which were my lunch, looked like this:

 

The recipe I use is in a wonderful recipe book now sadly out of print, Indian Low Fat Cooking. This book contains the highest proportion of recipes tried, enjoyed and repeated than any other I possess, I think (with the possible exception of Delia's Complete Cookery Course, which is so used and battered that I rebound it when I took bookbinding classes and is looking sorry for itself again now). This one used minced beef but it is also good (and more traditional) with minced lamb, and minced turkey works well and very economically, too. A similar recipe can be found here but my version omits the bay leaves and peppercorns, and also the oil: you add the meat, onions, tomatoes and spices (garlic, ginger, chilli, turmeric, garam masala and cumin seeds)all at once to the pan without fat/oil or browning and cook for about half an hour, then add frozen peas, chopped green chilli or pepper and coriander leaves about ten minutes before serving, and we serve with basmati rice.
My local excellent Indian takeaway uses chick peas instead of green peas, which makes a change, but I like green peas with it very much.

So now you know what Keema Mutter is, if you were wondering; if not, no one asked you to read this anyway! But if you want a delicious home made indian style low fat supper, give this one a try some time!

Green Day: Charity Shop Haul

Such is the economic climate that the village next to ours, where I go to use the bank, has not one, but two, charity shops. Yesterday I visited both and came back somewhat laden!

First was this sweet glass vase which may be cut lead crystal. The design is of ears of wheat, and it's a great size for a few flowers from the garden, when the time comes.

I think this pressed glass dish is so pretty, it was totally irresistable and had to come home with me. I don't know why, this pattern looks somewhat Victorian or eastern European but I'm probably wrong. If anyone knows anything about it or the vase above, please let me know.

It's on the table at the moment but I should clear the sideboard to make space for it there. It looks pretty on the table, though, as it catches the sunlight coming through the window.

Another item I couldn't resist was this owl pot. It was sitting on a shelf holding knitting needles so I wasn't sure if it was for sale, but it was so I bought it. I think it could hold my knitting needles or crochet hooks instead. I have quite a collection of owly bits and pieces andthelittle cupboard I keep most of them in is full to bursting, but I'll find a place for this because I love it.

I also fell in love with this kingfisher blue knitted lace scarf, which suffers a little from being square rather than rectangular, but is lovely and soft on the neck. I couldn't leave that behind either.

I found this vintage embroidered linen runner languishing on a rail and have ideas for it, too.

I also brought home some mending!

This stunning crochet lace tablecloth is dazzling white but some of the joins between motifs have come undone, so it needs some tlc and attention.

One day, when the chicks have all flown, I harbour ambitions to use proper table linen instead of oilcloth - which may be misguided, but maybe the dream will be realised!

I have also struck very lucky on Freecycle recently, which may help with the display of my treasures.

I was frustrated by a lack of storage in our refurbished sitting room, and was delighted to succeed in freecycling this cupboard/display cabinet. The people we obtained it from had freecycled it themselves from someone in a neighbouring village, and although it is rather battered and needs some refinishing, it is a handsome beast with proper wooden drawers and backing.



The following week a similar item was advertised on Freecycle and it sounded very like. Again my bid was successful and I went to collect it, expecting it was one of the pair that had been offered but refused by the people we'd collected from the previous weekend. In fact, not. It was identical, but the new donors had bought it from new in the place of manufacture, J. Sutcliffe and Son, when they first married. Isn't that the most amazing coincidence? So my best beloved has another project lined up for him now, when the weather warms up a bit, and then we will have somewhere to display some treasures and store games and other entertainments. It's been a good month for recycling!

Suffolk Walls

A trip this weekend to Kedington near Haverhill in Suffolk meant a number of treats, but unexpected or forgotten was the prospect of seeing pargetted walls on houses. These traditional patterns and textures on plaster walls can also be seen in North Essex, and I'd not previously associated it with Suffolk for some reason

I liked this traditional festoon of grape vines transected by a satellite television dish wire. I had noticed signposts to a vineyard not too far away on my journey.

This pattern reminded me of scallop shells, a motif sometimes adopted by pilgrims, but now I look out into my hallway I see a similar pattern on the embossed wallpaper out there.

This last photo might show up better if you click on it to enlarge, but it was hard to get a good image in the light if the late afternoon on my way home. It was really spectacular to see. Then I travelled back home as the sun dropped, sad to miss other photo opportunities of a stunning sky backlighting lines of naked trees in field-dividing hedgerows as I sped back towards the motorway and London, and the home of my childhood.