Sea cells and lost species

I came across ceramist Wendy Campbell-Briggs'  work for the time this weekend and it was in two different galleries, both in Leamington.

Sea cells is to be found at the Leamington Art Gallery and Museum as part of the Open 2011 temporary exhibition

and a closer look

This one is huge, it must be at least 9ft high  and is to be found in 'Where I Fell in Love Gallery'.  It is called Lost Species I and most of the ceramic pieces are smoke fired

and a closer look

This is Lost Species II and is approximately one third  of the size of the previous one. All the pieces are made out of porcelain

and a closer look

each piece is different.

Wisteria

It is that time of year again, and I can't help it but I get so excited when the wisteria flowers.

This is wisteria against Cotswold stone

what can be more beautiful

I can't get enough of it

Black tulip

.

Cygnets

Cygnets by  Linda Warrick. Ceramic, smoke fired, exhibited at Broadway Modern.



.

Save our NHS

Blossom

Blossom in our garden

and a closer look.

Saxon Mill

We are very lucky to live near the Saxon Mill. Half an hour's walk across the fields and we are there.
Today however we decided to drive and  have lunch. It was a warm day but overcast and the restaurant was packed.

We were lucky enough to get a table

we had a delicious lunch and admired the view

and this moorhen nesting



then on to the bridge and the weir





the view is stunning and in the distance the ruins of Guy's Cliff  House

and a closer look

if you turn around and look in the water you can see amazing reflections: a mixture of the reflected trees, the water lillies and the floating blossom

the sky was quite overcast by then and looked quite dramatic as it was reflected in the water.

No cuts

Someone  was telling me today about a friend of hers who is blind and deaf. She used to go to a centre  where she would meet people and have a chat and where she had access to facilities that met her special needs. One of these facilities was a computer specially tailored to her situation so she was able to email friends and acquaintances.

The centre has been closed due to the cutbacks.

The centre did not just provide a gateway to the outside world for her, but it also gave her respite from a difficult home situation.

She has lost both of these vital aspects in her life and this means enforced isolation.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister says he wants us to be happy!

The cutbacks and the proposed changes to the NHS might not affect life threatening conditions like heart disease, but they will affect provision for disabled people, for people with learning disabilities, the long term ill who need specialist care, and the elderly. Vital services that are essential to our lives will be cut. They will make a big difference to the way we live.

Textile landscapes

While we were in Chipping Camden we visited the Court Barn, a Museum of Craft and Design and saw Amanda Hislop's textile  landscapes

they are made from fabric, paint, paper and stitch

and are quite stunning.

She is exhibiting as part of Oxfordshire artists' festival

No cuts

A video by the False Economy group against the cuts that the Coalition Government is proposing to impose on us.



Chipping Campden

A hot, sunny day, and what better way to spend the afternoon than to go to the Cotswold village, Chipping Campden.

Beautiful, time-mellowed yellow stone houses

quaint little shops

the butter market

where the market sellers would lay out their wares

and then lunch at Hicks

in their gorgeous garden

which looked wonderful on this glorious day

it must be a well kept secret as there were very few of us

which made us enjoy it even more

we liked the fish

a last look at the ruined East Banqueting House, Old Campden House, a Landmark Trust property, where we stayed with friends a few years ago.

Baddesley Clinton

An afternoon spent in Baddesley Clinton

First sighting of the house

and then the moat - the daffodils are still in bloom

The courtyard

Looking down at one of the three hides. This is where the Catholic priests were hidden during the time of their persecution. This hide goes all the way down to the sewers

 a walk around the grounds: first stop the lake

and then the light changed and this photograph came out in black and white

the ducks are having a great time

we later move on to one of the three ponds

until finally we come back full circle  to the house and the moat.