Out and About

This last week I've been out on a few occasions going from one end of Dorset to the other and even heading into Hampshire.  I went out Wednesday last week with my friend Brenda to Bridport to enjoy lunch then onto Eype and a former church which is now an arts centre to see Kate Dowty's exhibition there.  A lovely small church but really cold and Kate was hand sewing a quilt binding with fingerless gloves on, that's how cold it was!  I didn't take photos, but she does have a web site here.  Her exhibition is now at the National Needlework Archive in Newbury, Berkshire, which I hope is a little warmer.

I did manage to buy some fabric to make a skirt from a fabric shop in Bridport (hopefully on my week's holiday next week) and we had to visit Pauline's Patchwork in Dorchester on our way home.  Here are my purchases

 Sixties fabrics (blue) and sewing pattern fabric

The flowery fabric for my skirt

Last Saturday I went to the Brockenhurst Needlework Fiesta, with my Mum.  She stocked up on patchwork fabric for a quilt she'll be working on, but I didn't get very much at all there just some ribbons from Simply Sequins

On Sunday David and I went to Manor Farm in Bursledon, near Southampton, which is run by Hampshire County Council.  This was the setting for BBC2's Wartime Farm, which was shown last year.  Definitely a place worth visiting, though aimed at families, we had an enjoyable time seeing the farm animals (and their babies too), chickens everywhere.  Part of the main farmhouse building was in Victorian style and part was in a wartime setting.

The ewe was more interested in us than the poor little lamb trying to have a feed!

This chicken is a Silky, its feathers look more like soft fur. One of many varieties of unusual chickens.

Not a very good photo but it was the best I could get of my namesake, Sue, with her piglets born at the end of March.

Inside the parlour of the Wartime farmhouse.

Small sewing area with treadle sewing machine

I liked this little embroidery which hung in the bedroom on a cupboard door

And this elaborate piece of crochet. That must have taken some working out!

We went on in the country park to walk by the River Hamble, which borders the farm.  Didn't realise just how big the Hamble is

The top photo shows looking upstream and the lower one downstream towards the boatyards and the M27 motorway bridge.


I'll blog next about our visit in the area to Netley Abbey. Lots of pics of old ruins.