Thursday 28 September 2017

A Little Escape

Hello Lovelies,
How are you? I hope things are running smoothly in your lives. Mine, well, it's not so smooth at the moment. Real life here is a tad stressful. I seem to have a shed load of issues to cope with....one of which is an actual shed, currently half finished and leaking like a sieve. More on that another day.

There is also illness, accidents and incompetence conspiring to upset my equilibrium. I've been feeling especially frazzled this week.

Thankfully, today mum suggested a little outing, and it turned out to be just what I needed.
We travelled into the smallest county in England....Rutland. And stopped in the pretty market town of Uppingham.


The weather was lovely, and the flowers were still blooming.


Though you could see it was autumn not summer.


I have never visited this town before and I was pleasantly surprised.


Lots of stone buildings housing independent shops.


and pretty, sunlit corners.



Which opened onto the market square.


I loved this seasonal window display.


And the old buildings on the high street.


Within one is a charity shop that has  books AND a tea shop. Perfect.

Mum, who's a lifelong artist and art enthusiast, was looking for a gallery she had heard about. Thankfully the volunteer who brought our refreshments knew where it was and gave us excellent directions.


Refreshed we walked back up the high street, admiring the baskets.


 flowers.


And Yarny signs.

 Stitch Upp. Great name :0)

A view of the high street.


And the church across the square.


There's an ornamental light here, which the sun illuminated.



 Mum decided to sit in the car while I explored a bit further.


I liked this quiet corner of the churchyard with it's rooftop view.


And the church it's self.




Old cottages always make me smile.



 I wandered around and soon found a narrow passage that led back to the shops.





And our parking spot.
 

Mum had done a quick sketch of the scene.

 I look forward to seeing a painting of this mum :0)


The gallery we were looking for was in a nearby garden centre 



It was a great space with work by the owner and many other inspiring artists. There were even some views of my childhood home by talented artist Robin Mason. You can see them HERE and HERE
Ahhh, lovely Haworth. I must re-visit you soon :0)

You can see more of the work on display HERE.  So much to see. I really loved soaking it all in. And forgetting the issues I have been rather overwhelmed by at times recently.



Back home I unwrapped the gift mum had bought me in the charity shop, and went into the building site  garden to pick a few blooms to fill this lovely hand made jug.


That's better. Flowers do make me happy. I really must remember to pick a posy for the mantle more often.


I'm feeling much brighter tonight, due in part to some issues now being resolved, and to getting away from the others for a while. Sorry to be a bit cryptic here. I'm ok and I do hope you are too.
Jacquie x


19 comments:

  1. You visited such a lovely place. Sometimes we need a little vacation from life to get things in perspective. I hope you get your problems worked out.

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  2. That was a lovely town you visited and so glad you are feeling a bit brighter. Nice to get away for a little while. I was recently in UK/Scotland and got to see so many wonderful buildings and churches ☺☺

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  3. You Mum is a very wise woman to take you away from your worries and treat you to a nice day looking about and a sweet gift from her.. the flowers too. You gave US a gift by sharing it with us, so thank you. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  5. Years ago I used to go to England but lately I haven't and I miss it. Your post made me feel I was there. Thank you.

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  6. Sorry things haven't been going well Jacquie, I do hope it all improves for you very soon. It looks like a lovely day out in a very pretty town. Sometimes it's good to just get away from it all for a while isn't it. I just saw a friend of mine and we were saying how lovely it would be to just have a night away in a hotel on our own - some peace and distance! Glad you had a good day out. Look after yourself, hugs, CJ xx

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  7. Mothers know best. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago, I was devastated. Mama came and stayed a few days. She suggested we go to some antique shops (which she knew I loved). I had no heart for doing so. But, I didn't want to disappoint mama. So I went. And of all things, I found myself enjoying it. ME, with breast cancer, possibly terminal (it was too early in the process to know if it had spread) experiencing joy and not letting fear control me. I'd have never discovered that I was capable of that, had it not been for mama. Taking a break from the hardships of life is like water in the desert. And your trip not only encouraged you, it was a joy to me and all your readers. Such a lovely town!! And your mama's sketch is wonderful; can't wait to see it painted.

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  8. What a great way to escape it all for a while. we have had sunshine here the last two days. Always a pleasure to drop in. Jo x

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  9. Always lovely to walk and site see with you! Hope things are all better now.x That pink bike reminds me of the one in my garden.
    http://www.ravelry.com/projects/angela8626/bunting-bike Have a great weekend!

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  10. I live half a world away in Seattle Washington and I love to go on your journeys with you and your mum. I wish I could join you. Thanks so much for your blog.

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  11. I'm sorry to hear things are not going well - taking a break does give fresh perspective, I have had some health concerns - and I found that walking helped - stepping out the door and putting one foot in front of the of the other made me feel I had some control. I of course know that you already know the benefits of walking from reading your blog! I did admire the jug from the charity shop - it is really lovely and what a great outing. I do like seeing your mum's sketches and finished paintings.

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  12. I think Tony and I may have to visit Uppingham some time. It looks gorgeous
    Glad to hear that your day out gave you a bit of a break from the issues that are upsetting your life. You have shared some beautiful photos there. I adore honey coloured stone buildings.

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  13. What a lovely little village. It's nice to see a post! Hope your troubles are done!

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  14. I love the small towns! The tea in the photo looks lovely. We lived in Zimbabwe for 3 years and I found the tea there really good. They did not used water but boiled the milk and put a tea bag inside. It's hard to find dark robust tea around where I live. Your photos makes me dream of visiting England someday. I would take a million photos and dream about it the rest of my life. Hope your problems have solved.

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  15. Hi.Sorry went away on the day you posted this,to visit my MuM.Sorry you have been having a stressful time of late.What Fantastic pics tho,love Rutland sooo pretty.My mum is also an artist as was her Mum too,your mum is very talented.Seems like your day out was very much worth it in lots of ways.Love that Jug.Huggles xx

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  16. What a lovely place to visit, Jacquie. I'm really glad it helped you clear your head. I could use something like that right now too. I hope everything has settled down for you by now.

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  17. What a pretty town under a glorious sky. It looks just like the England we Anglophiles dream of. :)
    I hope things are better for you now.

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  18. Sorry to hear things have not been so good for you lately. Life has a habit of chucking several things at us at once doesn't it. I'm glad you had some time out. I've had a bit of a year of it and not managed a holiday away yet, but tomorrow I am off for a couple of days to the Stitching and Knitting Show in London and it feels like my bit of time out. We need to make time to look after ourselves don't we? Take care Jacqui x

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  19. A little distance can bring calm and objectivity. Life, eh?! Like the look of Uppingham - charming!

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