Tag Archive | Leicestershire

The Big Textile Show

Sep29

Yesterday I visited the Big Textile Show which was held in nearby Countesthorpe, in my county of Leicestershire. It is so nice to have an exhibition/show held near to where I live instead of having to travel for hours to get there so I made the most of it.

It was a fantastic exhibition of a number of crafts but my overwhelming memory is that of colour. There was colour everywhere; patchwork quilts, embroidery silks, wool, felt, material. Everywhere vibrant, vivid, verdant colour. I am also a very tactile person and found myself touching the exhibits and tracing the contours of the quilting even though there were lots of signs saying “Do not touch”. I just couldn’t help myself.

I wasn’t looking for ideas, which is just as well as I was completely overwhelmed by the amazing colours and complexity of some of the exhibits. I was in awe.

Here’s why;

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The Olympic torch is coming to Lubenham….

Jun18

On Monday 2 July, the Olympic Torch relay comes through my village, Lubenham in Leicestershire and will pass about 50 yards from my front door before making its way up the hill to Foxton. This will be day 45 out of 70 when the torch will be travelling between Coventry and Leicester.

The torch is expected in the village between 15.45pm and 15.55pm and the Torchbearers through and around the Market Harborough area  include local citizens Dean Barnett and Rob Gomez who both get their “moment to shine” on home territory.

We have flags secured to the lampposts and traffic cones are at the ready.

Did you know?

  • The Torch will come within 10 miles of 95% of people in the UK.
  • The relay involves 8,000 Torchbearers.
  • The Torch will be transported by steam train, horse and zip wire.

We are looking forward to seeing the Torch and Torchbearers and understand that there will be a “kiss” of  2 torches outside the village pub, The Coach & Horses.

Not long to wait now……..

   

Where I live- In 80 Treasures

May5

One of my favourite historians and journalists is Dan Cruickshank and his two TV series “Around the World in 80 Treasures” and “Dan Cruickshank’s Adventures in Architecture” had me glued to the screen each week when they were first broadcast in 2005 and 2008. I now have both series on DVD and often delve into them still and treasures such as The Blue Mosque, Machu Pichu and Easter Island never cease to please.

Staring at my bookcase this evening I noticed the “80 Treasures” book and I suddenly thought that I’d like to do a similar exercise by finding my “80 Treasures” around where I live. Thinking a bit more and setting some ground rules, I have set myself the target of finding 80 very personal treasures to see and write about, all found within 1 hour’s drive from my village near Market Harborough.

It will take me some time to complete this task, and some of the “Treasures” will not be what you immediately think of as traditional booty, but they will be my “Treasures” nontheless. It will give me an opportunity to get out and about with a purpose together with my camera. On days when I feel more confident and chatty I can choose  to engage with people around me whereas on less confident days I can just chill out, take my pictures, gather my information and come home.

Perfect.

I’m off to find a map and plot my first treasures.

Just back from…..walking the Welford Arm

May3

There’s nothing like a bit of gentle walking in the evening sunshine to cheer you up and blow away the cobwebs and very often you don’t need to travel far to find undiscovered territory on your doorstep. Determined to get out and about I scoured the ‘net and found a “rural walk around the Welford Arm” a mere 5 miles up the road and off I set armed as ever with my camera.

The Welford Arm is an off-shoot of the Grand Union Canal which breaks away almost 2 miles from Welford, a small village on the Leicestershire/Northamptonshire border, and travels up into the Welford Marina so I knew I was in for a treat with all the brightly coloured narrow boats moored at spots along my walk and the wonderful english countryside along the way.

The walk follows a circular route which is great as you can leave your car in the Welford Wharf car park knowing that you will return to the same place a couple of hours later and is approximately 3.2 miles (5k) long. Just right for an evening stroll.

The walk takes you through the village and past the church of St Mary the Virgin. This is one of the very few churches in Leicestershire remaining open each day. The Church Warden, Mr John Haynes, was extremely welcoming and provided a potted history of the church, its Lady Chapel (beautiful), the magnificent church organ and the stained glass windows. It is a lovely church in a beautiful setting and well worth a visit. The welcome could not have been more friendly and I’m sure that I will return.

Walking across open farmland the terrain is easy underfoot and the route is straightforward to follow. The path eventually takes you down to the Grand Union Canal at Bridge 40 and the short walk along to the junction of the Welford arm is amazingly picturesque. Swans and mallards on the canal mix with the white-throats from South Africa (information courtesy of a local twitcher) flying in and out of the vast expanse of rape fields.

Gorgeous views, total peace and wonderful weather all combined to make the walk back up the “Arm” to Welford Marina a real treat and photographers utopia.

Note to oneself: “Must do more often”

St Mary the Virgin-Welford

Foxton Locks

A rural walk around the Welford Arm

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