Down by the river

Getting back into it

2012-01-24T12:54:00.000Z

At this time of the year I always seem to have a creativity low point and at one time it used to really bother me. I know now that it is just the time of the year and all will be well again eventually. I don't think it is unusual to have these times and I am sure that my brain is just quietly mulling over new projects during the darker months.

My way of dealing with it is a two way plan often doing the two things at the same time! Clearing and tidying the workroom is good as it gives me the chance of sorting stuff out properly and in the process it turns up all sorts of odds and ends that had been lost/put away for later and such like.
The other thing I do is what I think of as "mindless sewing" -----sort of sewing just for the sake of it! Into this category are the new kitchen curtains, a few things that needed turning up, altering or hemmed. It is also better for the sewing machine to be used regularly.

The picture above is sort of "mindless" sewing as all I had to do was to load the design files into the machine and babysit the stitchout but unlike curtains this has my ideas flowing again. :o)
The files are here at the Bernina USA site. They are the stitches available as outline stitches in the Bernina Cutwork software. Actually they are only the first 200 or so so options as I thought they were enough to be going on with. I was going to make a little book of them but thought a roll would be more useful. As well as showing the stitches better the relative size of the stitches shows too. As you can see some are much wider than others. The stitches can all be altered (width and length) in the software but I think this will be very useful as a start point.

A very belated Happy New Year

2012-01-23T22:54:00.000Z

This is what Rosie usually looks like.

The picture below is a fluke as I somehow caught her right in the middle of a chew and it it looks for all the world like a grin!
I meant to blog it on the first of the month .
:o)

Better late than never-----a happy,healthy,creative 2012 to all!

Still here!

2011-12-21T10:31:00.000Z

A lot of sewing going on although not any that can be shown here as it is all Christmas stuff.

I can show the new cover, though,I have made for my Bernina. It is always out on the table and until this week all it has had is a piece of fabric thrown over as protection. I have had the machine for a year now and am still as thrilled with it as when it arrived! The welcome screen that it shows as it boots up is set to say "Funtime again" which I guess says it all!

The design on the front is a free design downloaded from the Bernina USA site for the Bernina 830 machine.

The cover design is my own. I opted for a sort of two piece design as it is such a complicated shape with the embroidery unit attached . It means if I ever get a table where the 830 can be lowered the cover can still be used. It also allowed for a more tailored shape around the arm of the embroidery unit.

(My DH says that all it needs is some wheels to turn it into a tractor!!!)

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I am linking this to WOW-------check to see what others are doing!

Two years today since the Cockermouth floods.

2011-11-19T23:54:00.002Z

Two years ago I posted this little video on my blog.

It was the view out of one of our bedroom windows on the afternoon that the river broke its banks and the floods began. The river continued to rise for about another nine hours until the water reached nearly up to the roof of the garden shelter you can see on the left hand side. The whole of the garden disappeared under the water and the lane was filled. We were incredibly lucky in that our house itself is high enough up not to be flooded. Only about a dozen other houses alongside the two rivers were as lucky as us. The Main Street became a river that travelled so fast that things, that were washed away by the water, were travelling at over the 30mph speed limit.

This week there has been a lot of chatting and reminiscing about things that happened on this day two years ago. There are funny stories, sad stories, expressions of anxiety about it happening again and many ideas on how to prevent it. Various flood alleviation schemes are being discussed and legal issues are being pursued. There has even been a deputation sent to No 10.

A lot of our time has been spent dealing with the problem that we were left with in that our river wall was washed away thereby removing the only vehicular access to our house. We have a six inch high pile of paperwork and several hundred emails just dealing with that. The number of agencies that have to be consulted before putting back , what was there before, is unbelievable and that is only after the insurance have accepted the claim.

So what little pearls of wisdom can I pass on that could be useful to others------apart from living in a great community like this?

First of all most of us can take digital pictures so do it! Go round your house and photograph each room from four sides as a record of what is there. Take closeups of anything of value.
Take pictures of all the outside of your house and garden and of the contents of the inside of sheds and garages.
Scan and save info of purchases and guarantees. Same applies to solicitor,mortgage company, insurance companies,banks ,gas, electricity and phone.
,
Now put all that info somewhere away from the house where it will be easily accessed in any emergency whether you are at home or away. You could put it on a CD and leave with your kids or email it to yourself at a web based email address like gmail.

Keep as much essential paperwork together if possible.

The last thing I can think of at the moment is to scan and save all those family photographs. The number of people that we have talked to who have said that the one thing they really missed and could never replace was all the photographs, was really sad.

Hard to believe it is nearly Bonfire Night!

2011-11-02T00:38:00.001Z

A quick trip through to Penrith through the autumnal fells.

We had the roads pretty much to ourselves as there is a bit of a lull in the tourist traffic between now and Christmas.

Some of the smaller fields still survive near Penrith marked by their dry stone walls. Isn't that a fantastic sky?

Couldn't take any pictures on the way back as we were driving into the setting sun.

Just a beautiful day :o)

2011-10-28T14:16:00.000Z

That time of year!

2011-10-20T09:30:00.001Z

Two postings in one day! :o)

These didn't really go with the violin picture do they? Nights are drawing in now and we had our first frost this morning so it is time to cosy up with knitting and crochet for a while. I have been doing a lot of stash busting with my sewing for the last week but the yarn stash needs reducing too hence the knitting needles and crochet hooks coming out of hibernation.

I think I have enough granny squares for a cardigan here. Funnily enough I wore something similar in the 70s! :o)

Raspberry pink!

2011-10-20T09:19:00.001Z

Isn't this cool?

Youngest GD has just graduated to a 3/4 size violin . At 9 the best colour for absolutely anything is pink isn't it?

Books are important!

2011-10-11T23:20:00.000Z

This little moppet (our youngest)can now put M.Sc. after her name!
(She'll be shocked to see herself blogged!)

This of course is a picture we took earlier. :o)

This feels like treasure!

2011-09-24T11:44:00.000Z

A rainbow of fine velvets and silky fabrics in the bargain bucket! A whole palette of colours and textures to play with and all for the princely sum of £2!

I see an opulent beaded, embroidered quilt------what do you see?

Apples again!

2011-09-13T17:19:00.000Z

This is what those Red James Grieve apples are like once peeled------pretty eh?
Tasty too!

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness---

2011-09-11T22:51:00.002Z

One tiny tree and this is only quarter of the crop.

It has cropped as heavily as this for over twenty years. The variety is Red James Grieve and I have a Spartan planted alongside as a pollinator. The flesh on this apple is streaked pink and red a little like a blood orange. They are very juicy. :o)

Normally I would have left these a few days longer but we are supposed to be having gale force winds tomorrow and it would be a shame for them all to end up as windfalls.

Just found out---

2011-09-09T21:40:00.002Z

I got a ribbon at the Great Northern Quilt Show at Harrogate last weekend with my wholecloth quilt!

I had forgotten to ask anyone to take a picture of it hanging at the show so the first I knew about the ribbon was as I unpacked it when it returned this morning!

Made my day :o)

Updates

2011-09-05T15:07:00.000Z

The river wall and road are the cause of deep discussions at the moment between the engineers, insurers and planning department. There is a road for us now which is brilliant but can you see the slope down to the wall?

Prior to the floods that was a flat verge at the side of the road------now it is a slide into the river.

Apart from the upset and inconvenience it is infuriating just how much of our time has been spent on this over the last nearly two years.

Finished wholecloth

2011-09-01T18:25:00.000Z

I should have taken a picture of this hanging before sending it off to Grosvenor Shows for the Great Northern Quilt Show this weekend. This was it blocked out on the carpet a few weeks ago.

Would love a picture of it hanging if anyone spots it at Harrogate?

Festival of Quilts 2011

2011-08-10T22:52:00.000Z

Hopefully my Autumn Fairy will behave herself at the Festival of quilts tomorrow. Hope she doesn't take a nosedive off her plinth!

She is in the Quilt Creations section . :o)

Progress!

2011-08-02T17:04:00.000Z

Our wall is progressing !

Rosie found somebody smaller than her.

2011-07-30T08:20:00.001Z

Rosie is a very small Yorkie so this is a very small hedgehog!
She is intrigued by things smaller than her and enjoyed giving this one a good check over.

Wednesday's work (?)

2011-07-27T12:55:00.003Z

Today's job was blocking out my wholecloth. The middle picture is the best match to the colour but has the shadow from the window pane right across it.
Really enjoyed stitching this one even though I went to bed with sore arms many times. The first colour I used was a ecru that was slightly darker than the backing. I then accentuated the flowers and stems with gold metallic thread using the ecru as the bobbin thread.

Pleased to say that you have to really hunt to find even a hint of gold on the underside.
Glad of that lovely Bernina tension!

All I have to do now is the hanging sleeve! :o)

Will link this post to Esther's blog.

This is the fun part!

2011-07-21T12:40:00.000Z

This is the fun part though I am having to watch how long I am sitting as time seems to fly past!

Wish I had noted the number of stitches on my machine before I started. At a rough guess I have stitched 400,000 stitches and used 3,000m of thread so far.

Must be a glutton for punishment as I am working away I am planning the next one!!
:o)

Inquisitive red squirrel . :o)

2011-07-09T11:40:00.001Z

Just wandering down to see how the work in the lane was progressing and found someone else checking the situation out and having a few minutes running up and down the bank in the sunshine. I suspect he/she might have been in the cherry tree.
Just a young one, he came up to just two metres away from me and just stared. I didn't dare click the camera at that point and scare him away.
A magical moment :o)

AT last!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-06T22:20:00.000Z

Work has started!

The first thing is for vast numbers of big sandbags to be filled to build a barrier between the river and the wall construction. Any water that comes behind will go through a cleaning process before its return to the river, to prevent anything alien being introduced into the environment.

Those cream things that look like double egg cups complete with eggs are the blocks that will be used for the wall. All the stone around here is pretty much either like the wall they are stacked in front of in the picture or a dark red sandstone. We would have chosen a grey block to tone in or even the dark red like further downstream but it was decreed (by those who know about these thing) s that this yellowish buff is the right colour?

Hopefully the lichen and river silt will tone it down quickly and thankfully the top (which is the only bit you will easily see ) is going to be local stone from on site.

A rosette and a new start.

2011-06-22T11:01:00.001Z

Clarice won a rosette at the National Quilt Championships at Sandown! My friend Jan just sent me a picture.
What a pleasant surprise. :o)

This is my WOW picture.
For a long time I have fancied trying a cotton sateen whole cloth so here I go. It is going to be very organic as I am hopeless at a symmetrical pattern! I am doing these bits first with some lovely merino wadding to give them extra lift.

Cockermouth Children's Carnival 2011

2011-06-19T13:44:00.000Z

The weather was a little overcast but thankfully it didn't rain on the parade.

Apart from the town dignitaries ,brass band, the float showing the twinning with Marveljols and one with a band from CockRock the rest of the parade is made up of the children in the town. There are floats with the various queens but also groups from the primary schools and dancing schools as well as lots of individual entries. Anyone can join in!

Leading the parade is usually Britannia----------usually on a pony but today on a float.
Great fun throughout the town. :o)

At last----signs of progress!

2011-06-18T09:01:00.001Z

The footpath diversion signs are up and the dense vegetation alongside the river has been cleared. Work proper should start next week and is programmed to finish by the end of August.

The picture below is what the lane looked like the day after the Cockermouth floods. By this time the water had fallen about 2 metres

This is the rough surface we were left with for a long time. It has never stopped the footpath from being well used!

Sandown National Quilt Championships 2011

2011-06-16T23:03:00.001Z

This is my entry to the theme competition at Sandown this year which is Art Deco Revival. I called it "Clarice".

I didn't get a decent picture of it hanging straight against a wall before posting so this is just a collage including pictures I took as it was being made. The applique designs are pretty closely based on Clarice Cliff plate designs. The fabrics are nearly all from the Moda Marbles range, the only patterned fabric being that small strip of black and white stripe in the central block which is echoed in the border. The smaller plain circles were fun to do using the Bernina Cutwork tool!

The quilt itself was quite a challenge as the Art Deco period isn't my favourite design period and I am much happier working in other areas of the colour spectrum. It made me realise how infrequently I use orange and yellow fabric. Why did I enter the competition if I don't like the colours or the period I hear you ask? It is the challenge I think as well as the opportunity to do something different. Each quilt I do makes me learn something new. By the time it was finished I was comfortable with the designs and I realised that I shared Clarice Cliff's delight in trees and skylines. I still prefer Art Nouveau and Arts&Crafts movement stuff but perhaps I now look at Art Deco with a slightly different eye?

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Sandown will also see the last showing of a collection of my quilts titled "Does it need beads?"They have been touring around since autumn last year with Grosvenor Shows. I felt very honoured and to be honest quite overwhelmed to be asked if they could be shown!

We will have to get the wheelbarrow ready to go and meet the courier when they are returned as our lane (damaged in the Cockermouth floods in November 2009) is still unmended. The good news is that work should start next week and should be finished by September! :o)

Nearly there!

2011-06-11T15:44:00.001Z

Autumn fairy awaiting her wings.
Glad I made the brambles from glass beads rather than buying plastic ones.

Three layers is a quilt--right?

2011-06-08T11:22:00.001Z

The flowery bits are tiny bits of dyed lace trapped beween sheer fabrics and embellished with free machine stitching. The fabrics have been shaped with a soldering iron to seal the edges.
Brambles are tiny black beads stitched around a small fabric ball.

Hopefully by this time next week these pieces will be combined with the previous post and the piece will be finished.

I am linking this post to Esther's blog.

WOW: WIPs On Wednesdays

2011-06-01T09:19:00.001Z

This is something I am working on for Festival of Quilts this summer.I had to fill the form and send it off with details last week and I hadn't even started it. Just hope the idea works out now. Hopefully it will suggest Autumn? It will the base of an entry into the 3D section. Wish me luck---I am going to need it!

I am linking this to Esther's blog :o)

This is the current project

2011-05-21T08:35:00.001Z

The quilt I am working on just now is coming together slowly.

This is a tiny peep at the circles that are on quite a few of the squares. I used the Bernina Cutwork tool and software for them and was really pleased how easy it was. I stacked the fabric twelve layers deep,basted it together and then the tool just went through like a hot knife in butter!

Perfect circles!

I used the programme to applique the circles too, using different pattern stitches.

Life gets a little hectic sometimes

2011-05-15T13:29:00.001Z

We have had a busy few weeks.

Indoors we have been working on the last room of our renovation. I can't bring myself to show you what it looked like when we first saw it. It has remained as a junk room for years but now its turn has come. Other windows downstairs have proper working wooden shutters so this window looked a little bare until we were tidying the loft space and came across an old dismantled wardrobe . The doors were exactly the right size!

Sadly they won't function as shutters and this old window can't be double glazed so I am seriously thinking of quilted curtains? :o)

Outside there has been a lot of gardening to do.

Everything is growing so fast and early! Looks as if another huge crop of apples is promised on this tree this autumn. It has cropped heavily for 20 years now!

Quilting wise I have got through the "creative lull" I was in and am now working furiously on something for Sandown and something else for Festival of Quilts although the latter is just a rough sketchy idea at present. I am definitely better working under pressure!

The other thing on the horizon is the start of the rebuilding of our river wall and road damaged in the the Cockermouth floods of November 2009! It is due to start at the beginning of June and be done by the end of September. It is going to be a big job and at present we have no idea how we are going to be able to get to and from our house. Just in case we are going to do a couple of big shopping trips so that we are stocked up with all the non perishable heavy staple stuff.

Still here!

2011-05-15T13:03:00.001Z

Wonder if this picture will stay?

Fingers crossed this time!

2011-04-16T13:02:00.001Z

I have been trying on and off all week to get these posts on. I have lost count at how many times they have been deleted.

The pictures now seem to be staying up this time but I won’t tempt Providence by attempting to edit them so the relevant post is now all below.
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On a blog I visited recently the blogger showed the way they went to do their everyday shopping and I thought maybe it would be interesting to show mine?

Want to see?

The first part is through the park which is alight with daffodils at present. The path then winds round and goes up onto the Green Way. The Green Way is a pedestrian/cycle track that crosses the town and gives a safe route away from traffic. In the main it follows the old railway line.

The path to the right widens over the railway bridge which gives lovely views from high over the river Cocker. We turn to the left and go along beside the Fire Station HQ till we reach the road and the War Memorial. Just opposite there is Sainsbury's supermarket.

The walk is only a ten minute gentle stroll but can take much longer as everyone stops to chat along the way and there are always birds to watch and of course the red squirrels! If they spot Rosie they wave their tails and chatter to her from a safe height.

I forgot to catch a picture of Skiddaw when I reached the War Memorial.

Maybe next time!

Morning Walk -second part!

2011-04-16T12:29:00.000Z

That morning walk!

2011-04-16T12:24:00.001Z

just testing

2011-04-16T11:18:00.001Z

Spring is sprung

2011-04-12T13:17:00.002Z

Have been having a bit of a creative hiatus sewing wise ! A bit of knitting has been done and some gardening and even some home improvement schemes started as well as a load of family stuff too so a whole month seems to have been and gone and suddenly it is Spring! There is new growth in the garden and the wild flowers are making drifts of colour under the trees. The top two pictures are of yellow Celandines and delicate pink Milkmaids or Cuckoo flowers

Testing again

2011-04-12T08:14:00.001Z

Woo hoo------looks as if the problem is solved. Will leave this one up for now and try reloading the others later if this picture hasn't disappeared again.
BTW This is looking over Bassenthwaite to Skiddaw on the road to Keswick.

It's not only me!

2011-04-09T22:23:00.002Z

Well I have tried several times now and the pictures are still just showing that infuriating red cross in a white square! Tonight I found through the Blogger Help that others are having the same problem and that Google are working on it.

It may well be next week before it is mended. :o(

Literally "Watch this space!"

Scottish Quilt Show at Ingliston this weekend.

2011-02-26T16:48:00.000Z

---------and I am really disappointed. :o(

I feel very honoured that some of my quilts are being displayed by Grosvenor at the Spring Shows and Sandown this year. The nearest they come to Cumbria is the Ingliston show and I had hoped to be able to be there but it was not to be.

I do have the write up in the current Fabrications magazine to prove that it really did happen though. :o)
I do know I have seen all my quilts before (!) but it would have been thrilling to see them all hanging together wouldn't it?

Machine stitches on silk.

2011-02-24T23:39:00.002Z

Just trying out the decorative stitches on my sewing machine on some silk scraps.
I should have hung this rather than just put it on the table to take its picture!

A quick trip through to Keswick.

2011-02-17T22:03:00.001Z

I love the views along the shores of Bassenthwaite en route to Keswick whatever the weather. Sometimes there is a mist rising from the lake, sometimes it is as still as glass and sometimes painted gold by the sun. Today was a very pleasant day but there was a covering of cloud inland. Skiddaw looked as if it was dusted with sugar.

Russian dolls-more fun with the Cutwork tool.

2011-02-13T09:03:00.002Z

This is an experiment using the Bernina Cutwork Tool to cut out multiple layers of fabric and then applying them with different embroidery stitches and details. Apart for the facial details which were worked out in V6 software they were all designed in the cutwork software.

A few more tweaks to the designs and perhaps a project at last.! I am very slow to get started this year!

Trees down

2011-02-04T22:22:00.001Z

I sneaked down this morning and took a quick picture whilst wood was being moved.

Two trees have gone from the right hand side and smashed through the hedge to hit and land against the house next door. Luckily the only damage to the house has turned out to be a length of guttering. The hedge was flattened but amazingly it looks as if it has survived. The ground is quite soft there and there had been a fair bit of rain so we are hoping that now it is heeled in again it will live.

Once the weather improves we are going to have to have a good look at our taller trees!

The two trees that are gone formed the back wall of the children's den. The little bit of colour in the centre of the picture are their chairs. Because the trees grew in a sort of wigwam shape these usually stayed dry.

They haven't seen the damage yet!

Gales and a design to download.

2011-02-03T23:31:00.001Z

This is the logo on the front of the new Bernina 830 LE and it is now available as an embroidery download from Bernina. I altered the colours to introduce a littl bit of red to the design. Although the rest all looks white part of it is actually sewn with a silver metallic thread. I think parts of this design will be useful in other settings.

Stitching this out distracted me from the howling gales tonight. Our evening meal was postponed when two of our trees were blown over onto our neighbour's house. Luckily nobody was hurt and the damage doesn't appear to be too bad.

Daylight will reveal all.

Not everything is perfect!

2011-02-01T15:31:00.001Z

Another go with the Bernina Cutwork Tool this itime with a design that I digitised based on an Arthur Rackham drawing. The flower outlines were added later and could definitely have done with more care in their spacing but it is just a tryout!
The fabrics I used were a looser weave than quilting cotton and the silhouette did whisker quite a lot under the basic applique stitch in the software. A quick solution was to alter the applique stitch to a chain stitch and stitch around again whilst the fabric was still hooped.

Playing with the Bernina Cutwork Tool

2011-01-26T12:22:00.001Z

This is no great work of art or design but just the result of several hours playing with the Bernina Cutwork software and tool. I have used the Bernina embroidery software from V1 right up to the current V6, but the software for the Cutwork Tool is very different both in operation and terminology. Last weekend wasn't good gardening weather so I spent as much time as possible trying to get a better grasp of it.

After a lot of experimentation I decided to start from scratch, draw a flower,bring into software and cut out all the shapes with the tool and then programme the applique too. I stitched it out in the Bernina Jumbo hoop .

Lots of room for improvement but I feel a bit more confident now.

Other companies seem to be bringing out variations of doing this. The ones I have read about all seem to involve using several cutting needles whereas the Bernina is a simple little blade that you rotate when the machine indicates the next position. Another software I saw seemed very similar to the Bernina one but amazingly it was more expensive!

A mixed month so far

2011-01-18T23:57:00.000Z

A very belated Happy New Year! Where has January disappeared to?
The days seem to have flown past.

The biggest thing we have had to deal with so far was working out where a temporary drive could be driven through our garden and cause the least disturbance. We haven't been able to get any vehicles to the house since the 2009 floods and the way the powers that be are talking it could be autumn 2011 before our river wall and lane are rebuilt.The gate leads out into the lane along by the river that was our usual route pre-flood.

We are not feeling too happy about the time the insurance company have taken and this drive is a bittersweet pill!

However we can now drive home and will also be able to get rid of the 14 month accumulation of items for recycling thus making space in the garage. Sadly the drive has had to be cut through two mature hedges which will take a long time to restore. Some of the trees have had their roots bruised and cut through too.

I am trying not to think too much about the potential damage to them.

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On a brighter note I have been gradually getting back into sewing both playing with decorative stitches on some silk and also learning my new Bernina Cutwork tool and software.

I was very wary of it at first but am getting quite familiar with it now. The applique names were an experiment in using fonts from the computer to make applique shapes and they worked beautifully and very easily.
The cushion was another experiment of using a simple shape that had rows of decorative stitches programmed in as borders. The alternate squares are quilted with a design built into the 830. I hadn't made a couple of borders wide enough but I joined them into a cushion anyways and will just add a little hand embroidery later.
What was really good was that I starched and ironed 10 layers of batik cotton and the Cutwork Tool just went through the pile like a hot knife through butter. Now I have sussed those bits out I can start to be a little more adventurous.:o)

Earth Tremor in Cumbria!

2010-12-22T09:16:00.000Z

No pictures of it (and not even a story to tell )but apparently there was an earth tremor in Cumbria that measured 3.6 on the Richter scale at 11pm last night.
Its epicentre was just about 4 or 5 miles from us and we never even noticed anything?

Rosie in her fleece jacket

2010-12-19T19:13:00.000Z

Totally scrappy!

2010-12-15T09:27:00.001Z

The string quilt has gone together really quickly without leaving the smallest dent in my scrap bag. It is quilted less closely so looks much "poofier" than the other which started off as one design but picked up some orphan blocks along the way and gradually mutated. :o)

Garden and salmon

2010-12-07T16:44:00.001Z

It has been a glorious day with a brilliant blue sky. These pictures were all taken in the garden.
The holly is heavy with berries. (Click for a bigger picture.)

I meant to include these pictures last week although the fish are still there today.
The highest number we have seen over the week, in this part of our river, is twelve or thirteen. They are salmon and a few sea trout spawning on a new gravel bed, created by last year's floods. The salmon were very big------the largest looked to be about a metre in
length.

We are lucky to be able to see these just minutes from our house! We were actually looking for the kingfisher ,when we spotted them. This is one of his favourite haunts.

Look how clear the water is again now the river is calm again.
It must be a few metres deep at this point and you can still see the individual pebbles.

We had more snow last night

2010-12-07T12:12:00.001Z

We have had very little in comparison to rest of UK but last night several inches fell of the fluffy stuff. Our trip to the park was magical. Love how the way the snow has picked out the details of the railings and the kissing gate.

Snow and scraps.

2010-11-29T23:20:00.002Z

A friend passed on a bag of strips to me and I thought I would make a cushion cover! There were more scraps than I thought and then I added more of my own and then found myself cutting a few more strips.

Now I have got up to 85 inches square and all just out of small pieces. Not sure whether I will add something else to it yet so I will rest it and think about it.

Everywhere else in the country seems to have have had more snow than us. We have only had a few inches so far but it has been very cold. The views from our bedroom windows are all sparkly and magical!

I love winter! :o)

Sasha doll clothes

2010-11-12T13:25:00.001Z

Not too many years ago I earned my living as a dollmaker and occasionally I still make and dress dolls but just for fun now.

Sasha dolls are a delight to dress , not least because their realistic proportions. The dress material I used for this one have been lurking for ages and is just the right scale for her. The jacket and cloche hat are crocheted in a nobbly boucle yarn.

Water

2010-11-07T14:44:00.002Z

This last week has been quite drippy and the river came up quickly but it is dropping fast again. The Cocker is reputed to be one of the fastest rivers in the country . It is only about twelve miles long and drains quite a large area of the fells. It rises very quickly but also drains down very quickly too. As it rises it changes colour from crystal clear ,dark green, sandy brown and then dark brown but as it falls it includes this wonderful almost blue colour. At this particular spot we frequently see the heron and kingfisher and it is a favorite place for the red squirrels to cross the river high overhead through the trees,

While I had the camera out I thought I would take some pictures of the damage done to our lane by the Cockermouth floods in November 2009. This collage is what we see as we set off walking towards the town

This one shows the same lane only returning from town. You can see the last bit of riverwall still standing but also just how narrow it is ,where a couple of metres of the width of the road has been washed away. Incidentally you can get an idea of the height of the floods at this point. The river is nearly three metres below the road here and at the height of the flood the water was through that hedge on the right and well up that telephone pole.

When all my quilts were parcelled up and ready to be sent to Grosvenor Shows ready for Malvern and the Spring Shows they had to be trundled along here in the wheelbarrow to meet the courier.
Fun!
:o)

"It started with a Delft Blue Tile" quilt with its rosette and platter! :o)

2010-10-28T09:06:00.005Z

Jan Bain on BQL list kindly sent me the picture of my quilt when it was in Scotland but now I have the certificate , rosette and platter :o)

The quilt will be travelling with the display of my quilts starting at Malvern tomorrow and then through the Spring fairs in 2011.

My quilts will end their travels at Sandown National Quilt Championships in 2011!
I am still having to pinch myself that it is really happening. :o)

Frosty bright morning.

2010-10-25T10:39:00.000Z

Beautiful colours and a cloudless sky. Hard to believe it is nearly Bonfire Night!

Making up for lack of blogging.

2010-10-19T21:20:00.002Z

Not a great deal of sewing/quilting has been done in last few weeks. A lot of time has been spent trying to get the garden tidied up though. Pictures of that next week perhaps.

At last there is a nip in the air and it is beginning to feel like autumn. Thoughts are turning to sewing again. I had a big sort out of my sewing room (it used to be the garage) and feel quite pleased with my new workstation. The overlocker is now set up too and I am working through a pile of fabric to make some space. This week it is mainly garment sewing which I haven't done for a while.
I must emphasise that the pictures were taken AFTER the sort out and BEFORE the sewing started again! Every surface was quickly covered again as I worked.

Do you see the horizontal windows? The ground outside is nearly as high as the windows and I see all sorts of wildlife peeping in at me.They don't seem to see through double glazed windows. So far I have had rabbits, a stoat, pheasants, bank voles and red squirrels out there as well as all the birds.There is always something to see.

I have also been learning and using my new Bernina cutwork software and tool. It is fascinating watching it slicing through the fabric. This is just a first proper tryout of it.

I know that five flower heads could have been easily cut out manually but when you realise it will cut ten layers of fabric at a time ------------!

Think 100 autumn leaves at a time!

A colourful visitor to the front door.

2010-10-19T20:46:00.002Z

He left very quickly , when he spotted me so this was the best picture that I managed to take of him.
Was he trying to get some of the windfalls?
This is a Spartan apple tree that we use as the pollinator for our best cropping tree. I tend to leave these apples for the birds. The late butterflies glut themselves on rotting apples too.

Perhaps he was trying to enter the huge fairy ring to make a wish?
This one appeared overnight. It has been a good year for fungi

Forgot about these.

2010-08-30T16:38:00.001Z

Last week we took two of the grand children to Trotters ,which is only about 3 miles away from us. It is in a very peaceful setting close to Bassenthwaite. As well as the outdoor animals there is a reptile house and a group of hawks and eagles which take part in daily flying displays.

During the previous week the bald headed eagle called Bill (after Bill Clinton) flew off during a display and disappeared north over the Caldbeck Fells. The keeper went out following sightings to relocate him to no avail. They reckoned they had driven nearly 600miles looking for him. Imagine their delight, just 2 days later, when Bill just flew back in to his keeper, right in the middle of a display!

Meerkats are just so fascinating and just never seem to just flop.Always on guard ,digging or playing.

After several weeks quiet--

2010-08-22T22:53:00.002Z

I end up blogging twice in 24 hours! I forgot to mention last week that I received the current Fabrications magazine and two of my quilts at Sandown are mentioned.

but what got me excited was noticing this for the first time in print!

I knew it was planned but until it appeared in print I couldn't believe it. I still have to pinch myself!
In the next few weeks I will have to parcel up nearly all my quilts and won't see them again till sometime in 2011. Malvern is the first show in which they will be displayed.

Of course the big problem now is to work out how many I can put into the wheelbarrow to push 100 yards to the nearest point that the courier will be able to approach! The saga of the river wall and the road continues but more of that next week.
Suffice to say that it is now nine months since the Cockermouth floods and we don't yet have a start date for the wall to be rebuilt.

46 years today!

2010-08-22T09:24:00.000Z

Favourite wedding snap----------he was pointing and saying "She's started nagging already!"

Would we do it again----------you betcha! :o)

Just pottering!

2010-08-02T22:35:00.001Z

Everything is growing so fast and trying to keep on top of it all is impossible so no manicured garden here!

We just try to keep a happy mix of garden plants and wild flowers and on the whole it works out. This month's job is to finish walling around the parking/car turning area at the top of the drive. Hard work but very satisfying.I keep telling myself that sorting all the stones is a bit like a giant crazy quilt. :o)

Not a lot of sewing being done but lots of plans being made.

The postie called twice today!

2010-07-02T15:08:00.002Z

First to return this back from Sandown and much to my delight it has a Judge's Merit rosette. :o)

I had just finished unpacking that when the postie called again with my new Bernina Cutwork set!
This is going to be fun :o)

Sandown

2010-06-21T20:13:00.000Z

These were the quilts that I had at Sandown this year. It is a bit far to travel so I am relying on a friend to send me pictures of them in situ. I forgot to picture two of them after they were bound!

No more pictures for now as I need a new camera :o(

Long time since I blogged!

2010-05-18T08:29:00.000Z

The scenic quilt is now finished and this one is well under way. They are for a show next month so will blog the whole quilt once it has started. I am never sure how much to display before the event so usually avoid showing the whole thing until the event is underway.

It is a good thing I have something to keep my hands busy as I am still a bit wobbly from the labyrinthitis.
I have actually got a walking stick now------if only to dispel any hints that I have been drinking any "falling down water"!!!

Life has been a little hectic recently.

2010-05-09T15:17:00.002Z

I have been busy with a batik landscape. This was part of it at the beginning stage. Relieved that I can say that it is finished now and ready for Sandown next month . Phew!

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Have also been having a big clearout and sort through of my stuff as it was threatening to overwhelm me. I started another blog here to sell some of the accumulation of many years of doll making. My hands can't cope with the stuffing any more.

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After nearly six months since the Cockermouth floods we still have no vehicular access to our house and are beginng to go a little cabin crazy every now and again! We are hoping that over the next couple of weeks we may have some idea of when work will start.

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Last weekend it was Cockermouth's Georgian Fair and it was great to see visitors to the town and so many people dressed up. There was everything from maypole dancing and morris dancing to Cumberland wrestling and sedan chair racing! You can see some pictures here.

The Main Street is gradually coming to life again and looking almost better than ever with all the new shop fronts and clean paintwork. Woolfest next month too!

Nearly end of April

2010-04-28T07:57:00.005Z

Snowy Mespilus/Amalanchier and Snakeshead fritillaries are in bloom.

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I had a rotten week with labyrinthitis last week. I am still walking as if squiffy but I have lost weight!
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The next quilt is at last in progress and below these are some of the fabrics I have chosen.

Think I need a hair cut!

2010-04-11T11:24:00.001Z

Just had a bath and it has gone all fluffy!

Spring is sprung!

2010-04-05T08:58:00.001Z

Because of the harsh winter the daffodils are about a month late .These ones on our bank are always very early and in flower before I see any others. I am not sure whether it is the sunny bank or the particular strain. They have a very double flower with pointy petals.
I love the dusty pink of the Lenten Rose! The little primula has survived the weather too.

Done

2010-03-26T09:51:00.001Z

I can't get a decent picture of the quilting I did. I dithered about using different colours for the sashing or using a variegated thread but in the end used a paleish grey/blue that matched the backing. It seems to have worked quite well to tie all the blues together.

After auditioning all the colours already used in the quilt ,I chose a completely different fabric for the binding. It is a bit mottled so holds its own against the dark colours and the light ones as well as having a little bit of sparkle.

I am trying to resist adding beads! There is a little bit of hand embroidery in the form of French knots for flower centres etc.

Just the label to do and then I can get on with the next idea. Have to think of a name for it now!

Beavering away,

2010-03-17T19:39:00.001Z

I tried every fabric in the quilt as a border and it just wouldn't have it --so it will remain borderless!

Still undecided about binding/bagging or some other method to eventually finish it off. At the moment I am having a whale of a time just playing around with the quilting. The backing is a blue chambray and it looks like a wholecloth as I have used a similar colour of thread to quilt the block centres. These are just about finished and the next bit to quilt is the sashing. I am going to try a couple of different colours for that and see what I think.

Phew!

2010-03-04T23:27:00.000Z

Crumby picture as light isn't brilliant but amazingly (amazingly because there was no plan at all) they all fitted together with only a couple of small alterations!
Now do I do borders with applique corners/pieced----or something else?

Will let it settle overnight and have a think.
:o)

Putting together the jigsaw!

2010-03-04T00:19:00.000Z

I have so far used a mixture of framing strips and thinner applique panels. There are now three rectangles joined together but I am still shuffling the others about. I keep thinking of other panels to do so it may grow bigger!
Of course the bigger it gets the more quilting there will be to do!!!! Not sure yet how that bit will go!

Decisions ,decisions!

2010-02-28T14:21:00.000Z

The first batch of applique patches are now stitched and squared up and there is just a layout to work out. I am not sure whether to insert some plain fabrics or to do some more applique border strips??
I do want a border all round eventually too.

Rainbow

2010-02-25T19:20:00.000Z

Just before the sun went down we had the brightest double rainbow I have ever seen. It was so big and close I couldn't get a picture of all of it.

The darker pictures show it at its brightest-----almost luminous!

Haven't found the crock of gold yet though! :o)

Time to start stitching

2010-02-24T13:43:00.002Z

Some more blocks are needed but not sure how many till I get these ones appliqued and cut to size. Once that is done I will work out the layout and see what develops from there. I have the rest of today free so should be able to make a decent start on this. :o)

My Bernina is cleaned, oiled and waiting with a new needle ready to go!

PS Yes, that is part of my thread stash peeping in on the left of the picture. Think it is a thread addiction!

A banner!

2010-02-10T11:51:00.001Z

There is to be a recording by BBC tonight at All Saints Church for a "Songs of Praise" programme that will be broadcast on 21st February I think. A lot of people will be wearing their badges but yesterday when talking to Vicar Wendy somehow the idea of a banner popped up!

As the recording is tonight and I wasn't even sure I had enough time or the right fabrics in the stash I wasn't making any promises! Of course I can't resist a challenge and a deadline so this was delivered today. :o)
It is about a metre wide and I had to think of a quick method. I used the Bernina embroidery software again starting with the original embroidery design of the original cloth badges. I resized the designs to the size I wanted and then printed out all the lettering. That covered 10 x A4 sheets which I taped together and placed on top of the blue fabric. I had some red which I placed beneath.

It was then just a case of dropping the feed dogs and stitching through paper and two layers of fabric. The cutting away of the blue to reveal the red took a little time but it was easy then to remove the paper and zig zag round. The yellow balls were just appliqued on top and the bouncy line is just a couched string. It would perhaps have been quicker if I had had enough Bondaweb but this worked and was ready for this morning.

Something finished and something started!

2010-02-08T14:41:00.001Z

The little butterfly quilt is now finished. Well it was finished complete with label about two weeks ago.

Since then I have been trying to plan my next project. I have sketched, doodled ,cut up pieces of paper and generally used a lot of time and thought and achieved very little, apart from confirming that I work better by just letting it happen! I was so sure that if I tried that I could work to a plan --------if I only I made a plan to start from!

Last night I put away the pencils and paper and picked up fabric and scissors. I thought I would start with one little bit and see where it leads. I was unsure about how the lighter coloured plant would go behind the bird but I am pleased with the result and it has suggested the way to go forward for the rest of the quilt.

From now on it is in my head and adjustments will be made as I go!

Remember those badges?

2010-01-15T00:23:00.003Z

Remember the cloth badges I made?

Today we took delivery of the metal lapel badges based on them!

They will be sold in Cockermouth in aid of the Flood Relief Fund based at South Street.:o)

Who would have imagined that Bernina embroidery software would end up being used to design metal badges ? :o)

Nearly done !

2010-01-13T15:42:00.000Z

It is good to be busy again.

2010-01-08T00:40:00.001Z

I thought I would do another little painted wholecloth and this has taken me two days to get this far.

I am starting out with quite pale colouring and will increase the colour density with thread---------or that is the plan so far! The colouring is mainly with Derwent Inktense pencils. I recently bought a bigger set so now I have all the colours. It is funny I still have the same thrill when I see a full pencil box as I did as a child.

Of course the same feeling occurs now with thread and fabrics too!!!

Cold pictures for today!

2010-01-07T09:24:00.001Z

These are the original Georgian windows. They are single glazed mainly with the original crown glass. That is the sort that sometimes distorts the view and has the occasional tiny bubble in it.

To keep the cold out at nightime we shut the old wooden shutters before closing floor length curtains. After a really cold night Jack Frost paints all sorts of patterns on the glass.

Of course being a quilter I am beginning to see all sorts of design possibilities there!!

Our morning walk

2010-01-06T16:00:00.000Z

Peeping over the railings at the topiary next door.

Cold river banks. There was a lot of sledging going on in the field further upstream.

Looking downstream from the footbridge with the sun catching the beech trees.

Rosie waiting to be rubbed clean of snow. She looks a bit like a sausage dog in that fleece but it keeps her toasty! :o)

We have had a little bit of snow

2010-01-06T15:51:00.000Z

A dusting on the fells.

Spectacular icicles on the river bank.

The river is tranquil and clear again.

The view along our lane looking across the river.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T23:57:00.001Z

It is already the 2cnd and I haven't blogged to wish a Happy New Year yet!

I have actually been sewing! I thought I would make space in my sewing room by getting some of the UFOs finished. That seemed like a good idea-----use some stuff up and empty some containers too.

This is a lantern box which didn't get done in time for Christmas 2009 but is now my first thing finished towards Christmas 2010! I will probably put it away somewhere safe and forget where I put it now. Of course I have now realised that the flat little selection of fabric now needs a box and takes up more space than before. The inside is done in dark green satin but I am not untying the bow again!

The next UFO was the quilt below which is a scrappy that has been added to, on and off, through 2009. This weekend I thought it would be an ideal project to get finished.

I measured it and decided to add the border with a plain border on either side. This has the added advantage of enlarging it and giving a better setting to it. That took a while but it all went smoothly. Then it was a case of hunting through fabric to find enough for a backing. This too was successful even though I had to join fabric to get the right size.

The backing was pressed and pinned to carpet. The top was pressed and ready to be laid over. Ahead of me was a whole weekend to get on with the quilting which I am really looking forward to. I went to get the big piece of wadding I knew was on top of the shelves. I bet you have guessed what happened? The wadding was about 3" too short!!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't have any other of a similar weight to splice so am going to have to be patient and get some more!

Do you remember that song "There's a hole in the bucket!"?

Ours is a modern version involving a car and a lane and a river and a flood! There is nowhere in town selling wadding. The ideal thing to do would be to nip through to Penrith and get some wadding there and be able to get on with it. Can't do that as no way to drive the car out since November, and now the battery is flat :o(

Okay I will have to order some and see what happens. The postman has been walking along with our mail but will wadding come in a parcel van and if so will he leave the van at the end of the lane and walk along carrying it?????

Watch this space :o)

End of the year.

2009-12-31T00:30:00.001Z

It seems only a few weeks since the start of this year and here we are nearly to the end of it. I think it was John Mortimer who remarked on the fact that breakfast seems to arrive every five minutes as you get older! We have now got to the point of remarking how quickly the weekend paper reappears!

We had a quiet and slightly different Christmas this time! There is usually a succession of family visits over the holiday period but the snowy weather put paid to that this year. We have had to keep in touch by phone and email and will have a succession of visits over the next few weeks which will be lovely. We haven't had much snow really but lots of ice and the pavements are treacherous especially today when they had a little water on them.

The pictures above were taken on Christmas Day afternoon. It is only about 200 metres from our house to the first field and this is the view from the top of it, looking across to the Lorton fells. The building you see in the view looking south is the Sheep and Wool Centre which was one of the evacuation centres in November. Just opposite there is where Woolfest is held each summer.

Even if the weather had been better we couldn't have driven anywhere ourselves as we still haven't got a safe road to drive out on, so we are still marooned! We hope something can be done soon but fully realise that there are still people in far worse position than us after the floods. Town councillors and our MP have been out to look at the problem and promise to see what can be done to help get it sorted. Keeping fingers crossed!

Although work in town has continued on a lower level over the last ten days , it has felt more like our home town again without all the workmen and their vans and skips. One of the bridges has been passed as safe to walk over now so that all the people at the other side of the Derwent were able to walk into town again rather than driving several miles to cross via another bridge. They were very isolated until just before Christmas.

It will be really good to see the renovation start up again next week but also good to have had this breather. Some shops have already got dried out, refitted and reopened and many more are hoping to be up and running by Easter.
Cockermouth is open for business again!

I couldn't keep up with making the badges so we are having them made as metal lapel badges to sell in aid of the Flood Fund. They should be here in first half of January!

Hope they sell out! :o)

Main Street

2009-12-17T17:01:00.001Z

Things are getting quieter as work teams, from outside of our area ,begin to pack up for a fortnight's holiday. In among the skips and vans our Christmas tree is still standing. Look carefully at the lower branches and you can tell which way the water ran and also how high.

Many children have been affected by the floods but have been helped as much as possible to cope with the upset. Today BBC teams were in school and that will be shown on television tonight or tomorrow we think.

Look what has appeared on every empty building in town. Every primary school child in Cockermouth must have contributed! I found it very moving to see all their messages. Their pictures showed just how much they had taken in of the drama that happened that night!

Click on the picture for a better view.

Less than a fortnight till Christmas

2009-12-12T22:34:00.002Z

At last some sunshine and no rain! The trees looked fabulous against that blue sky.

Not many preparations for Christmas have been started in this house yet! I can hardly believe that 3 weeks have elapsed since the floods.

Going into town has quickly settled into a whole new experience as everyone adjusts and copes. I didn't realise until this happened what a set route you fall into for going shopping. This has all changed now as very few places are where they were just a few weeks ago.

Christ Church is the hub in the town of the relief effort and now has the police station relocated in a building opposite to them. This C.of E. church itself is now also used by the Catholics, as well as the Red Cross ,the Library and other agencies. One newsagent and a bakers are operating from a lighting centre, the Methodist Chapel is the Food Bank and about 10 businesses have taken over the defunct Job Shop . 14 other small units are being constructed inside an agricultural warehouse and are already being fitted out. All the doctors have now relocated to the Cottage Hospital and nearly all our banks are caravans in Sainsbury’s carpark!

Main Street and the Marketplace are just empty of anything but skips and workmen . There is a constant hum of pumps and dryers as a background to hammering and drilling as properties are dried and mended. There are plans for some shops on Main Street to reopen before Christmas which is wonderful news. The message going out is that we are open for business.

A wishing tree and Christmas lights were lit in the marketplace at the beginning of December but the big town Christmas tree still stands unlit in the middle of the Main Street. It managed to stand defiant to the torrent of water that enveloped it on that Thursday evening. I have heard that there are plans to light it on Christmas Eve with a open air Carol Service accompanied by music from the Town Brass Band.

I think there will be a lot of tears as well as smiles and Christmas greetings at that gathering!

The general spirt of the town is still good and there is much support available. Accomodating so many people whose properties have been damaged has been very difficult. Many went into holiday homes that were lying empty but of course many of them are let out over Christmas and New year so some people are having to house hop several times over the holidays. Not a pleasant experience in winter with a young family or an elderly person either!

Here and there dry humour is showing through!
The Job Shop where many businesses are relocated has a hand written sign to say that it is called "Cockermouth New Main Street". :o)
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If you go to http://www.cockermouth.org.uk/floodupdates.html

There are a couple of videos at the bottom. They both show the Cocker which is the one that goes past us (very close) and just before it cuts to the sheep saving incident it is looking down our lane. Those videos would have been taken mid afternoon .The water rose for another 10 hours or so after that. By the time it was high tide at 1 am the water had risen another couple of metres. We reckon it rose by nearly 30 feet at the end of our lane so it is no wonder our road and river wall have gone! It rose so much higher here because we are in a narrow valley between two areas with flood plains so the water has nowhere else to go but up!

We have no idea how our lane will be fixed ! Three weeks without being able to use the car now. This is an increasing inconvenience but absolutely nothing in comparison to what other people have had to cope with!!!

We are approaching as many agencies as possible for help and hope that the Govenment's promise to mend all roads will hold good for unadopted roads too.

Bounce-back-ability!

2009-11-25T13:13:00.002Z

A little more of our lane collapsed last night as the river rose again. As expected the river stayed within bounds and I don't think it came back into any properties thank goodness! This morning it is dry and blowing but isn't too cold.
Cockermouth Main Street is really busy today absolutely bursting with vans and lorries, and busy people in fluorescent jackets and hard hats. Hot drinks and snacks were being served out of supermarket trolleys

I couldn't settle last night so got my Bernina busy :o)
The badges raised a smile this morning.

The phrase is the result of an interview on Radio Cumbria with the owner of Percy House, the oldest townshouse in Cockermouth. It is up near Cocker Bridge and had water up to the ceiling at the height of the flood.

A little smile for today :o)

2009-11-24T16:08:00.001Z

Results of the "Celebrate Summer" competition were in December's "Patchwork & Quilting magazine. I was delighted that our regular newsagent has managed to re-open his shop!

Mind you the title of my quilt seems strangely inappropiate this week!
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The Emergency vehicles have nearly all gone from the Cumbria Fire HQ . Many other vehicles are now appearing on Main Street and Station Street mainly dealing with Gas, Water and Electricity supplies. There are also a lot more TV and media people about complete with cameras and film crews.

We had our first wander into Main Street where work has already begun. Sodden goods were being removed and broken windows boarded up. The road and pavements had obviously been given their first clean but oozing out of the doorways was river silt that had been deposited by the floods. This had obviously been contaminated and was a bit smelly.

We heard some sad stories of flooded homes and the ensuing problems of relocating, but also bits of good news . One bank affected is already operating from a sort of mobile cabin sort of structure. Ten businesses have moved into the empty Job Shop and now have shop signs and proper lighting too. One of the evacuation centres is overflowing with clothes and toiletries that have been donated . Doctor's surgeries have relocated to the Cottage Hospital and a Volunteer Centre has opened at Christ Church. This will be operating almost nonstop food and hot drinks for the emergency workers as well as co-ordinating anything else that will help people to sort out their accomodation.

Even the postman managed to deliver letters today!

There was quite a busy buzz to the place today which was a good feeling.

Monday update.

2009-11-23T17:16:00.002Z

After being stuck in the house by the weather a lot I was keen to make the most of this afternoon, so went down to start tidying up a little in the lane. I managed to cut back a lot of overhanging stuff and in the process found some big clumps of plants that had been washed from my neighbour's garden.

We still have no idea how/when the lane will be fixed but at the moment our priority will be low in comparison with others and rightly so.

Of course being in the lane I ended up spending half the time chatting with people walking by. At one point we were talking about how good it was to see the Christmas tree managing to stay standing and then I heard that last night some of our lovely Christmas lights had been switched on and the Town Band was playing.

Really disappointed that I missed that, but I guess it sums up the town. :o)

Lane update.

2009-11-23T13:20:00.001Z

This is a view looking along our lane. Notice how far below the road that the river is today. Now look at all the rubbish along the wire fence and see how it lines up with the bottom of the hedge on the lane. That is the height that the water reached!

The river has dropped so much that you can't even see it on this shot.

This one was taken when the river was higher . Our entrance comes in at right angles to where the tree and the bushes are. Not much room for the sharp turn now!

Just out of interest this is a postcard of the same view in about 1901.

At the end of the lane is the mill written about by Robert Louis Stevenson. Not sure what he would make of the walk now!

The mill was finally demolished about 50 years ago and now is transformed into the garden shown earlier in the video of the river.

Monday

2009-11-23T13:08:00.001Z

Look at the size of these trees that have been swept downstream and deposited at the bottom of the Harris Park. They give some indication of the height the river reached as it swept through here. If these hadn't got trapped here they might have slammed into bridges downstream like many others and caused severe damage.

Further along more trees have been loosened and are ready to fall into the water. It is a relief to see the water changing colour as it calms down.

Rosie is fascinated by the helicopters which are still regularly overhead.

After we had walked through the park we went down to get the paper. The roads were jammed with traffic as one of the road bridges was opened and traffic is being funnelled through the town. The opened road goes past the HQ of the emergency services which must make it difficult for their vehicles.

The shop owners and residents of the central area are gradually being allowed through to see their properties for the first time since they had to leave on Thursday. Their shock and worry is upsetting to see. Spirits are rallying as they face up to what has to be done to get everything sorted.

Saturday morning

2009-11-21T11:59:00.002Z

Well the river is back into its bed at last and the damage is gradually being revealed. This is not a mountain track but the lane to our house! Nearly a metre of the lane has gone into the river, along the full length taking with it the hedge and the trees.

I managed to walk all along the Cocker as far as the footbridge which is fenced off and looks in need of major repair. The amount of dead wood that has been collected and dumped is unbelievable. There were strange creaks and groans from trees along the river as they complained at the extra weight of all the stuff that had been caught in their branches.

I went past homes where the owners were sweeping out mud and dumping their belongings, but I would have felt guilty to have taken pictures. When you know the people it seems strangely intrusive to stare at their sodden possessions. It must take a certain objective mindset to be a cameraman for Press or TV.

I did take this one of Challoner Street which has had two very deep holes gouged by the river that has left all the sewer,water and gas pies exposed..

Sainsbury's carpark has been taken over by emergency vehicles as the carparks belonging to the Fire Headquarters and Cockermouth Mountain Rescue are already full. Every service seemed to be there and seemed to have arrived from throughout the country.

There was only one small helicopter in the sky today and the buzz went round that PM Gordon Brown was in it.

There was a difference in the town today as the impact on the community starts to hit home. As far as I could see only Sainsbury's , the Co-op and the butcher's were open and accessible. The vast majority of the rest of the shops are in Main Street and Marketplace and every single one of them has been flooded out.

Those streets are just like empty, very muddy film sets.

Tomorrow was supposed to be the switching on of the Christmas Lights and the judging of the Christmas shop window displays. Normally thousands fill the Main Street to view the display.

Water receding Friday morning

2009-11-20T23:30:00.002Z

Thursday night was a very tense night as the river rose.We reckon if it had gone up about another foot it would have got into our house. We are very thankful that that didn't happen and our hearts go out to those whose houses and businesses are awash.

All night we saw the lights and heard the noise of the Sea King helicopters evacuating people from the town centre. Many had to cope with power cuts overnight too.

The full range of emergency services worked through the night.

They did an absolutely magnificent job.

This wasn't helped on Friday by people driving into Cockermouth just to look at the devastation!

Cockermouth floods.

2009-11-20T23:06:00.003Z

Most of the television coverage has shown the river Derwent in flood. We live next to the river Cocker which empties into the Derwent just below Cockermouth castle and Jennings Brewery.

Hence the name of the town !

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This was mid afternoon on Thursday.

The river Cocker had just started to spill onto the lane. We have never seen this happen before !

This was Friday lunchtime

Overnight the river had risen about 5 feet higher than this and when it started to recede took with it nearly all the blackthorn and hawthorn hedge .

It is impossible to assess the safety of the road yet. The river needs to drop about another 12 feet or so before that will be possible.

This is the only we we can drive to our house so guess we are confined to barracks at the moment.

This was Friday lunchtime after the river had gone back down a lot. The drive up to our house is just past the pole.

It's raining!

2009-11-19T15:22:00.002Z

We have had rain and high rivers before but this is something else!

The noise of the water is very loud as it roars past the house. This is just a little video taken out of the bedroom window so not sure if I will be able to blog it or not. I don't think there is going to be much of our lane left when the water recedes. We have very high winds and 20cm(8inches) of rain forecast for next 24 hours!

We are luckily above water though may be marooned for a while. People are in town are flooded and the Main Street is closed as both rivers have burst their banks and breached all the flood defences.

Update at 7pm! The area of green on the shot above and the whole of the garden area behind the wall are completely submerged now! We are keeping our fingers crossed and making contingency plans! Only (!)another 12 hours of heavy rains and gales before there will be a dry period to assess any damage. We are promised more rain on Saturday.

2009-11-01T16:26:00.001Z

I forgot to add this yesterday!

It is in the current "Popular Patchworks" magazine and is a writeup about the National Quilt Championships at Sandown.

I was quite tickled to be included under that headline. :o)