UK trip

Visiting a Textile Artist.

For a few years now I have been following the work of Alison Holt, a well known and very talented Textile Artist, specializing and teaching of Thread Paintings. Her work is superb and it is on my bucket list to take one of her courses one day. She travels to Australia and New Zealand as well as the UK to teach her techniques of thread painting. I was first introduced to her by my Australian friend Barbara Blackwell. So it was on my list to visit the gallery she places her work at. When I knew that I would be near where she lives and the gallery where she sales and shows her work, I contacted to find more details of location of gallery and its opening times, and she invited me to her studio. What a wonderful experience to see her work up close and personal and to actually meet her in person.
My brother and wife as well as Paul were with me and they said that my whole being showed the excitement I felt.
This myself with Alison.

 

In the background you see the beautiful work on Alison.

Here are two of her pieces of the English countryside, I think my favorite is the bluebell woods.

Our 50th Wedding Anniversary

December 10th 2018

Before our trip to the UK our children surprised us by setting up a photo shot with family photos, and a beautiful family supper with us all together at lovely restaurant. It was a beautiful day with the sun shinning and lively and warm, a great for taking photos.
So thought I would share with you all. Our actually our 50th anniversary was celebrated in England at my brothers house with a come visit tea for friends and family that we weren't able actually to visit at their homes.
We had a lovely week in a apartment in Cornwall and the weather was so great and only rain for a few minutes the whole time we were in England, which for England is surprising.

I don't know if you remembered a picture of a farm gate that I took a picture of, when we were on a country walk. So I did a thread painting of it for the Christmas in Paris show but it was one that didn't sale , so I have decided to keep it for ourselves reminders of our UK trip.

Hoping in the next day or so to get back in here to post a few more pics of our UK trip.

Our UK Trip. Summer August 2018.

 Here are a few pictures I have selected from our visit to Hestercombe Gardens. At one time my brother was Head Gardener and was involved in the Restoration of the Victorian Gardens that are quite a poplar garden to visit in the West Country. They are just on the outskirts of Taunton.

The hot weather this year that they experience in the English countryside did have a bearing on the show of flowers.

The first picture is of the formal gardens outside the house. The second picture is a farm gate taken  in landscape gardens which is a lovely walk around the pond with different little places of interest to see on your walk. A lovely little rustic bridge over the stream that falls away from one of the big ponds, which had a swan and ducks swimming on.

The lonely swan on the lake lost its partner a few years ago and they have introduce various swans but it didn't accept the ones put there, so the lonely swan is joined by a few ducks.

The lake cascades in a waterfall and joins the smaller pond.



I'll leave you with a few more photos of the formal gardens with its rills and fountains.

Everywhere looks so green but a bit disappointing with the flower colour. But we did manage to find some colour of flowers and hope some can be used for my thread painting at a later date.

In my next blog I will show you some views from our Cornish holiday.

Feel free to comment, it is always nice to hear what people think or questions they may have.

My brother David gives garden talks on Hestercombe with a presentation of the garden in different stages of growth. If you are on Facebook you could check out my page Ally Bryant or David Usher where he has some small clips of the beautiful gardens of the South West of England. He at present is planning speaking engagements for Canada in 2020.

I would be remiss not to apologies for the absent of blogs early in the spring, and this summer has been a busy time for us. Hoping to get back into the groove.

WHEN IS SPRING COMING!

April 7th 2018

It is a long time since I last wrote in my blog. It seems since November that life has been full of Dr. appointments, hospital visits and my husband had two operations, which ended up with him having complications. It has been ongoing since after Christmas but glad to say that he has recovered and is back to his old self. With all this stress going on I had an attack of  something I struggle with , but glad to say I am feeling better too.
It seems that we have had a long cold snowy winter this year and we are all looking forward to some warmth and sunshine.

Needless to say I have not used my sewing studio as I had hope this winter. But have managed to do a few things and working on some pouches for the upcoming Holmedale Art Crawl in which I and a invited guest of mine are displaying our work. So it is all steam ahead for that.

Here are a few things that I have been working on. I had bought some fabric when I was last in Australia with Kangaroo's on and have bought some African fabric made in and supporting African natives. The fabric is bright and happy fabric that will make excellent pouches for I pad, makeup bags, sewing notions etc.

And here is what I made with them. I etched with thread the kangaroos to give the bag a quilted look.

Here is a postcard I did last week for a postcard challenge anything that was diamonds and I chose a kite shaped like a diamond. It was a fun piece to do didn't take long and it was the first time I had been back in my sewing studio since I was sick, I just couldn't get enthused about sewing but this did the trick.

I had been in a swap quite a while ago on a Embroidery site on Connecting threads so decided to put the blocks from the swap into a throw rug with lots of snowmen on and thought I would do it for a Christmas gift so at lest I have made a start in that direction.

Here it is ready to be free motion quilted, I am going to do a simple pattern on it .

I am going to finish off by showing you the next project I hope to work on. I wonder what it is going to be, so watch these pages and you'll find out. Being a thread painter and using lots of thread I have acquired a lot of thread clippings and they are so colourful I can't bear to throw them out so just you watch what I do!!!!

Hoping by the next time I post a blog that the bulbs in the garden that are up about 4" above the ground will be up and flowering.

As usual I would like to leave you with a food for thought, and want to share with you something while Paul was going through a rough time that came to me and gave me peace and it is these words.

Psalm 46: 10     Be Still and Know that I Am God.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

December 31st 2017

As we head into the New Year I want to wish everyone a Happy,Healthy, Peaceful New Year.

I haven't posted on my blog for quite a few weeks. And so I am going to endeavour to try to get back into a routine of posting not every week but as lot more than of late.

After the Christmas in Paris Show I was really bogged down with getting my stock back into some shape and order and having a heavy cold that turned into a chest infection and seemed to linger up until about two weeks ago.

Because of Paul's health issues our trip to Hong Kong for Christmas and also Australia never got off the ground. We can't get out of country health insurance until his operation is behind him 3 months. And so the date January 15th   is creeping up on us after waiting a year with various procedures which didn't work. So 2017 was a year we would rather put behind us. So we are looking forward to brighter days head and hopefully planning some trips. One in particular to celebrate our 50th in September. 

We had a lovely surprise when Duncan Leigh Ann and boys came for an early Christmas and then headed out to Shallop Cove to spend Christmas with her family. But it was lovely to have them and with some of the pre Christmas preparations and was able to go out for a meal all together which is not always easy with distances and flying schedules, to get people all in one place.

Here Rory, Rhys and Rian are helping us decorate the Christmas Tree. Rory was very good at making suggestions where things went while Rian sorted the boxes of packed ornaments. Papa helped where they couldn't reach on the tree and Rhys very inventive remembered the folding stool in the bathroom and quickly went off to get it so he could reach higher.

Then we had a time of cookie making with Nana Ally and they loved popping on the cherries and sprinkles.

After our family supper we came home to open their parcels from Auntie,Uncle,Nana and Papa.

The other day before the snow came we were out and about for a walk and I took my camera and went Mohawk Park a place we went to quite often when we had the dog but haven't been for a while. Though the kids went to the park and went on the swings and slides but it was a bitterly cold day.

As one year closes we look forward to new beginnings and new adventures. And sometimes a fresh start. I am also looking forward to spending some time in my sewing studio on those wintry blowing days. And wish those that are able to get some warmer days in new places to enjoy their time.

And remember we are so blessed and take each day as it comes and enjoy.  

A little verse to contemplate on as we all start a new year.

Proverbs. 3. 5& 6.

Hoping in the New Year Pictures of my sewing studio and some of my art and maybe a recipe.

So watch these pages!!

Correction of last Blog.

October 5th 2018


Correction of recipe of Red Pepper Jelly.
On last blog.


It should read 1 1/2 Cups of White Vinegar, NOT sugar.

So thought while I was on here I would mention my Thread Painting is on show for the month of October at A Swiss in Paris so if you are in the area take a peek and sample some of Dwayne's speciality cheeses.

Fall Weather.

October 3rd 2017.

Beautiful Fall Weather and Activities.

In Southern Ontario, Canada we are into Fall weather, warm days and cool nights. We even had a bit of frost on the roofs across the road from us but no ground frost.

The leaves are changing rapidly and it is so nice to see the fall colours.

Even the flowers are still blooming and the fall flowers are giving us a pretty show. Here are a few pictures from around the campground near the office where we have the trailer parked.

Along with fall flowers comes the time we start to make jams and jellies. And put things in our freezer for the winter months. I don't make as much as I used to when the kids were at home living but I still do like to make some jams and my Red Pepper Jelly. Which my friends from my Sew What group like to get around Christmas time.

Here is the recipe which I promised to share with you.

RED PEPPER JELLY.

5 Cups granulated sugar
2 Cups finely chopped sweet Red Peppers or Green Peppers. About 3 Med.
1 1/2 Cups White Sugar.
1 Bottle of Liquid Pectin (170mls) = 2 pouches.

Combine Sugar, Red Peppers and Vinegar, stir and bring to full boil. Boil over med heat for 15 mins. Skim foam. Remove from heat, blend in pectin and stir for 2 mins. Pour into sterilized
jars, I always put wax on top to seal.
Never tried but you could put in a hot pepper maybe one to give it more kick.

BLONDIE SQUARES.

This is a favorite of Paul's to bake. And of course to eat!!!! Paul is the baker in our house and I am the meal chef.

Chocolate Chip Blondie Squares.

1 1/2 cups of packed brown sugar
1/2  cups butter melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teasp. baking powder
1/2 teasp.  salt
1 cup semi sweet choco chips.

1)  In a large bowl combine the br sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla just until blended.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt add to br sugar mixture. Stir in Choc chip
2) Spread into a greased 13x9in baking pan(not pyrex).
Bake at 350 F for aprox 22 mins
or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire rack. Cut into small bars.
Yields 3 doz.

Hope you will try these recipes and enjoy them.

Hoping to get some feed back how you liked them.
There is a place that you can make a comment at the end of blog or if you get yours as an email you can just reply there.

Leaving you with this thought.

Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people,
A heart that forgives the worst,
A mind that forgets the bad,
And a soul that never losses faith in God.


Ally.