via the marshes and the sublime..

Last weekend we spent a lovely weekend in Norfolk.

Not only did I have the pleasure (thanks to good friends who actually know their birds) of seeing my first spoonbill, hearing my first marsh warbler and watching the evening flight of a beautiful barn owl but we also found ourselves enjoying a delightful village jazz concert complete with strawberry teas and perfect sunshine.

On the second day we visited Houghton Hall home of the 7th Marquess of Cholmondely (do people really still have titles like that?). This Palladian house is a treat with beautiful classical gardens sweeping with elegant symmetrical geometry into a magnificent landscape. The house itself has a sublime coherence with the most exquisite ceilings.

However, the reason for our visit was to see the current art exhibition Houghton Revisited. Follow the link and you’ll get a taste of the beautiful classical paintings currently on display. This 18th century art collection belonged to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain’s Prime Minister, and was sold to Catherine the Great to hang in St Petersburg. The pictures are now hung in positions as close as possible to the original and the result gives the feeling of a richly opulent home decorated by, yes a very wealthy and powerful man, but one who truly loved art and chose to decorate his home with beautifully judged portraits and pieces celebrating the richness of mythology as well as a few which almost touched social realism.

Well, back from the sublime, it is a rather mundane return to my own passion. I pulled this fluffy little duffle bag out of the washer yesterday. It’s time to finish it for use.

This particular worsted weight wool Istex Alafoss Lopi from Meadow Yarns produces a really thick but slightly hairy bag felt. Sometimes I trim and shave it for a smoother result but this time I am tempted to leave it with its fluffy chick like charm just as long as I don’t find that every wearing covers me in fibre.

It simply remains to hammer in the eyelets and to knit a very long piece of eye cord for the straps. But at the minute my own garden is much too beautiful ….