Book launch at blue ginger gallery

So tonight I have been at blue ginger gallery in Cradley for a fabulous supper and the book launch for Jackie Morris' new books One Cheetah One Cherry and The Quiet Music of Gently Falling Snow.

I was also lucky enough to get my hand on the first advance copy of the White Fox and read it ( I had to hand it back, though!)



Lovely evening among good friends :)

Holiday in Wales. Day 1

So at the end of August Compostgirl and I went off for a long weekend in Wales. We headed first to near St Davids, to Solva for a Jackie Morris book launch

KArin Celestine, of Celestine and the Hare was also there :)

Beautiful Solva Middle Mill

Talk by Jackie Morris, in celebration of World Book Day, in Crickhowell

Just about to start to listen to a talk from lovely Jackie Morris organised by the lovely  Emma Corfield-Walters in honour of World Book Day 2015 . With lots of other lovely people at Crickhowell Library
 
books from [book-ish]

so interesting to hear Jackie  describe the process of making the wonderful covers for the Robin Hobb books !And many thanks to Emma for organising it.

Ivy, sleeping

 

Jackie holding my own Sweary Panda made for me by Celestine and the Hare

Jackie's talk was terrific, I am so glad I went !

I seem to have "accquired" a few new Robin Hobb books as well



- no idea how that happened :)

Boxing Day jigsaw puzzle fun

Another one found lurking in the "Scheduled" box, but not published!


So, after Compostgirl spent Christmas afternoon absorbed in a small jigsaw, Compostman and I spent a lot of Boxing Day absorbed in a larger one!

 Fiendishly hard. Really really really hard.

 But SO satisfying when we slotted the final piece in to place :)

Crickhowell outing - with Tigers and Weasels and Bears and much choklit...and with Jackie Morris and Celestine and the Hare and other friends :)

On Sunday we all had an outing :) Compostman, Compostgirl, Betty Sloth Bear and me :)  After archery at Mordiford we drove over the border into the Land of My Fathers, more specifically to lovely Crickhowell in Wales.

We had an excellent lunch at The Bridge End Inn and then wandered up the hill from the riverside to the even more excellent and very lovely bookshop Book-ish.

Where Jackie Morris and Karin from Celestine and the Hare had been holding court since mid morning.

They are twins, separated at birth and by time, space and different mothers *grin*. They were wearing matching faux fur hats (from SpiritHoods) and matching jumpers (no idea where they came from but I loved them and want one  :)  )

Panda, Mary, Emily and assorted weasels caused mayhem. 

We had such fun in Book-ish - it is an excellent indie bookshop and we loved looking around. Tiny, but perfectly formed and with space for a passel of norty weasels re enacting nursery rhymes :)  Emma, who owns it , was lovely :)

I bought some books which Jackie Morris and Nicola Davies signed for me :) The Promise is lovely and published by Walker Books














Lord of the Forest is simply beautiful. As was the beautiful little drawing Jackie did on it, along with her signature :)

Compostgirl went on a much needed choklit  run to Black Mountain Gold Chocolate with lovely publisher Janetta Otter Barry.

I also bough some more Wentworth jigsaws  - they are wonderful and the 40 piece ones make great stocking fillers :)

I may also have come away with another Celestine and the Hare felty creation.  No idea how that happened *whistles innocently* Meet Tiger Tim :) He came home in my bag :) Rarrrh!

We also had a wander around the ruins of the Castle :) before heading home :)

Jackie has just had a piece published in The Guardian "How to draw a panda" and it is lovely :) Go and try it for yourself :)

As always a delight to see Jackie, Karin and we made some new friends, we met up with Jules who blogs here and is lovely. She now has a Norty Weasle of her own ! Good luck with him Jules :)

Charity auction at blue-ginger gallery, Cradley

Last Sunday I had such a great day :) After archery in the morning I set off to Cradley to a charity auction at blue-ginger gallery in aid of Acorns Children's Hospice appeal.

I was delayed by traffic so was really pleased I arrived just in time to bid, and win a wonderful drawing of dancing squirrels by ceramic artist Eleanor Bartleman. I also successfully bid on some wondrous drawings of a swan and a penguin by Jackie Morris and a fab drawing of a chicken by ceramic artist Elspeth Soper

Hard to choose a favourite but I think the best bid was for the baby Sloth Bear ( from the Jackie Morris book 'Something about a Bear') made by my friend Karin of Celestine and the Hare. I am so very very pleased that I won the ( rather tense!) bidding war on that item :)
 

Unfortunately she seems to have picked up some very bad habits from the Norty Weasles with respect to any choklit lying around.

Naughty Betty Bear!

Not yet sure how much money was raised for Acorns by the auction but it is several thousand pounds I would guess and it was a wonderful afternoon. Sue Lim the gallery owner put on a really good show and the donated artwork was all wonderful :) If you are near Cradley do pop in and have a look at the gallery  - it is a lovely place with a very good cafe as well as lots of wonderful art for sale and on display :) 

Jackie Morris book launch - Something about a Bear/Cat Walks

If you remember about a month ago I went on a road trip around Wales, partly to see friends  Jackie Morris and Karin from Celestine and the Hare  weave their magic with wool and needle and paint and brush and also to see other friends elsewhere. I was lucky enough for us as a family to be invited  to the upcoming launch of not one but two books by Jackie. The book launch, for Something about a Bear and Cat Walk, was to be held at Solva Woollen Mill starting at 4 pm on 24th September.

This was mid week and so it looked like I would be going alone, but after some discussion with school I was able to get permission for Compostgirl to attend as an educational visit! So, as it would be a very long drive back that night we decided to stay over and go somewhere the next day before returning home. After a lot of work sorting out a place to stay over night, chicken care and guinea pig care and cat care at home :) we collected Compostgirl from school late morning and set off. The three of us set off from home at noon to drive to Wales and on to Solva, for the launch party.

Solva Woollen Mill in the sunshine

This is Elmo, one of Jackie's cats :)

Lovely display of Jackie's books

All the bears in the wide wild world, on the book stand, made by Karin of Celestine and the Hare

Woollen Mill in operation - very noisy; very impressive

Beautiful rugs in the making

Panda and Black Bear had a cuddle with needlefelted Elmo (made by Karin) 

Jackie smiling with Sweary Panda and Mary next to her (also made by Karin). Jackie signed so many books for people and then read to us all from both the books; it was wonderful to hear her read aloud from her own works.

After the event (which was SO MUCH fun and Compostgirl especially was very excited to meet and talk to Jackie)  we drove down to Solva and booked into our room at the lovely Cambrian Inn

 Solva has a beautiful harbour so before dinner we all went for a walk, to build up an appetite

Looking back to the village

Compostgirl couldn't wait to go in the sea so took off her shoes and socks and had a paddle

 Too cold for me!

on the very pebbly beach

very interesting rock formations

A rare shot of Compostman and I :)

We then had a most excellent dinner at The Cambrian Inn with Jackie, Anna and Tom from Solva Woollen Mill, Tamsin and other friends as company and then the Compost family all went to bed (Compostgirl a bit late as it was a special occasion, we adults a bit early as we were shattered after a very busy day!) We all slept very soundly indeed.

More about the next day, soon.

Tour of Wales Day 2

 Up early and after a shower and a very good cooked breakfast I was off out into the sunshine.

Solva harbour is very pretty and I had a wander around and looked in some of the shops. I then got in the car and headed along the coast to St David's as I wanted to look around the Cathedral.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Cathedral and also to the Art  Gallery there. After some lunch in St David's I set off to Solva Woollen Mill driving along the coast road and then turning inland a few miles.

 

Such a very pretty setting :)

 

Solva is a working Woolen Mill and has been weaving beautiful cloth for over 100 years.

Then it was time for Jackie Morris and Karin from Celestine and the Hare to weave their magic with wool and needle and paint and brush.

Jackie planned to paint and Karin was going to needlefelt a bear,  like her Mary and Emily bears. The norty weasels and other small felt creatures were also going to make an appearance at some point.

 

After a chat and some coffee Jackie took a few of us outside and we were privileged to hear her read to us a new story she has written. Not yet published and utterly magical to listen to her re tell it.

I then spent a little while looking around the Mill.

The Mill also has two lovely cats :) here is one of them.

Fabulous views and such a beautiful day :)

Back inside I met a new friend ( hello Diane) and we chatted and drank more coffee. Someone came with books for Jackie to sign and she had the most beautiful black cat with her, on a lead. This gorgeous cat liked Jackie. Very much indeed. You can tell Jackie loves cats as well. Her cats have their own blog and calender and books written about them :)

If you are familiar with Karen's work you will know there are norty weasels who create mayhem in her studio, usually with lots of chocolate stealing involved.  The weasles were lurking around the gallery and yes, causing mayhem, especially later 0n near the chocolate.

Jackie and Karin, working. Cake was involved!

At the end of the afternoon Karin had made a beautiful bear and Jackie had painted a beautiful bear. I had drunk excellent coffee, chatted to friends old and new and bought lots of lovely things, including some books to add to my Jackie Morris collection, all signed by Jackie. I also had some lovely memories of a great afternoon spent in the company of two very lovely and very talented artists, one with fibre and animation, the other with words and paint and camera. I also got to cuddle Tiger, Emily and Mary and have my photo taken with Mary

Solva Woollen Mill is hosting the launch of Jackie's new book in September and I hope to be able to go to that event as well.