Bumble Bee

First 'modern' blackwork.  Butterfly next?

Book Binding

Three extra copies of A Granddad Stories bound in canvas. Much neater this go, with even paged signatures.

MEGA CARROT

Well, what a surprise harvest. No special treatment give. Very strange. 

Preparing for the Winter Months

With the threatened hike in engery prices, thought it might be a good idea to improve the playroom insulation. And take the opportunity to rearrange the work space for new ventures into the E and the M

Much more comfortable to do E now.

As for M, gotten some dyed veneers.  Should be interesting.

Dare Valley Walk

 We found the top car park on this second visit.  

There are three lakes all with plenty of birds afloat on them

Welsh clouds make the scene again.

Tomatoes

 
Bit of a surprise these. Tomatoes waste taken to the compost bin sprouted from the composed used in the planter.  Very tough seeds they have.

Marquetry

 

Put together a sloping platform to use on the fret saw to do double bevel marquetry, angle 16 deg.

A couple of years ago I picked up these veneers at the Arnhem Dollhouse fair with only a vague idea about what to do with them.

First crack, a kangaroo. Amazing what the internet can teach you.

Embroidery Update

The last all colour blackword done with one strand of  DMC cotton embroidery floss.

The re-worked work station, now using 5 thread silk for the pieces.

First all silk, muti-coloured effort on 25 even weave.  Boy, am I getting technical!

Cwmcarn Forest Drive

P3 for a look back the way we just came.

P5 for a view of Pen y Fan, some 30+ miles to the north.

Bathed in sunshine.

As was this house in the forest.

On to P6 and a short walk,

passing the growing young pines,

to see the long view south over the Channel towards Devon. Clouds make the picture.

A short rest before the walk back to car. 

Well, What Do You Know

I must be a late developer.  Dad did these 100 years ago, aged 8/9 years.

Llandegfedd Reservoir Visit

There is a lowering of the water level due to maintenance work being done on dams overflow tower.

The water is also lower due to the current drought Wales is suffering.

But that did not stop us enjoying a lunch on the cafe terrace. 

Gek's Next Exhibition.

"The Arts for Health and Wellbeing Programme support a variety of creative projects across a range of artistic mediums for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board staff, patients and service users. We are proactive in using art to improve health and wellbeing and aim for our work to be inclusive and representative of our community."

One of the four spaces in the Llandough University Hospital dedicated to displays of 'art'. Gek has this plaza area booked for a display of her work in July 2023. 

Blackwork Piece 4

Making progress.

Efforts and Rewards

Our neighours who live in the hedge found the pea plants, and stopped by for lunch. It has taken them 6 years to notice them. Off to B&Q for an emergenct visit. That will teach them!!!

A further bit of maintenance.  Been rather dry of late.

On the bright side,

and the productive side.

Blackwork in colour

Second piece in black finished,

 first colour one started.

Six days later, finished. Apart for some sort of border, that is.

Parc Porthkerry

Amazing to think that this was once a very busy quarrying area and was used as a military storage place for D-day in WW2.

 A vistorian era post box on a 17th century barn wall.

Sun Flower

 

Grown from seeds meant to feed to birds.

The opening.

Artisan at Work

With Gek restarting her painting endeavour, a larger drying rack is needed.  Improvise, also improvising!

The artist's corner with work in progress.

Embroidery First Piece

 A work station put together,

to make the first piece, which took 5 days to do with many undoings.

The DMC order from France with 11 peices of paper just to clear customs!!!  37 pounds only with no delivery charge and took only 3 days to arrive in Hengoed.