I am Lily - stitcher and part time bookseller. Mother to my gorgeous girl, Abigail and wife to Julian. I make time each day to let my imagination potter and add quirky prettiness and handmade comfort to our home and lives. You can email me at lily(at)blockaday(dot)com
monkton’s drystone wall
Following last week’s hiccup, Monkton was obliged to spend today tending to the drystone wall that surrounds the immediate castle gardens.
A relic from the early Elizabethan days of the castle, when the family’s flock were fond of foraging among m’Lady’s herbaceous borders, the wall is still maintained by Monkton’s Lord, who sees it as a symbol of his family’s longevity and right to be there.
But the recent April rain has led to some subsidence and Monkton needs to replace some of the smaller connecting stones. Snatching up his cloth cap and a flagon of ale, he heads off to the old quarry with Philip, the gardening lad. Philip, who doesn’t inspire much confidence with his begruding irreverence, could not possibly be trusted to cut the stone, but he can certainly lend his youthful strength to trundling the laden barrow home!
By late afternoon, Monkton has finished his careful and age-old work. As he packs his tools, the wall picks up the setting sun’s cooling fingers of light and Monkton pauses to admire the rich colours emerging from the traditional golds of the Cotswold stone. His grandad, who maintained this very wall for his lifetime of service to the castle, would be satisfied with Monkton’s efforts.
12 May, 2008 at 2:42 pm
VERY pretty, Lily! It has the perfect “traditional” touch!!!
12 May, 2008 at 5:56 pm
That quilt is gorgeous!
13 May, 2008 at 4:19 am
Hi Lily!
It’s so good to hear from you. Thanks for leaving the comments on my blog.
Please don’t be fooled by those flower pictures. I have a huge front flower bed… as of now, there are only spots that are planted. It actually looks pretty pathetic, and the weeds are starting to come up, which means my quilting time will be severely reduced in the next couple of days because I will be pulling weeds.
The fabrics that had inspired the post about Horses and Orvus are the Christmas fabrics I am using for a magazine assignment.
Thanks for the compliments on the bear and china. Bear is really happy that you liked her! ;)
Alrightie… it’s bedtime over here. Good night for now. Talk to you later!
13 May, 2008 at 10:23 am
It looks amazing, no-one would know that you had to change your plans for the borders. I love the colours