A Gad About Gloucestershire

Moannie

 

Ed Elliott

While Partner-who-loves-tea and I were away we stopped – quite by chance – at a tearoom at Trumpeter Corner near Newent, Gloucestershire.  While we had a cup of tea we admired some of the wooden sculptures in the garden but it was only thanks to Partner’s good eyesight that we spotted the studio of the artist himself next door.   

The sculptor is Ed Elliott.  I shall let his wonderful work speak for itself…

I got Ed to pose, a little self-consciously, beside one of his larger works.  (The wood is cedar for those who like to know these things.)

Newent, Gloucestershire

Look what I found at Newent – a pillar box painted gold for one of our Olympians.  You can see the others we found while we were away on my postcard blog. 

The market hall.

They have an onion fayre at Newent.  We missed it by a month but there were still signs of it about.

The fayre features live music, street entertainers, dancing, animal displays, fairground rides, exhibitions, lakeside events and over 100 stands with arts, crafts and plants to name but a few.   From organics and fresh local produce through to beers, wines, ciders and fruit juices, there's a lot more than just onions!

Lud-in-the-mist

I promised you some more quotes from Hope Mirrlees book.

This great illustration of Master Nathaniel 

is by kind permission of cartoonist Ben Towle.

“Among the Chanticleers’ lumber there was also no lack of those delicate, sophisticated toys – fans, porcelain cups, engraved seals – that, when the civilization that played with them is dead, become pathetic and appealing, just as tunes once gay inevitably become plaintive when the generation that first sang them has turned to dust.”

“…as to the long red-gold buds of the horse-chestnuts – they came bursting out with a sort of visual bang.”

“From time to time terrestrial comets – the blue flash of a kingfisher, the red whisk of a fox – would furrow and thrill the surface of the earth with their beauty.”

Oh to be able to write English like that!

Postscript

I often don’t have time to keep up with what my fellow bloggers are doing and the past few weeks have been no exception so my apologies if I have not paid you a visit.  You are on my ‘to do’ list (the pleasurable part).  Moannie’s blog has had its last post – kindly (and bravely) done by her daughter, Sarah. Irrespective of your religion (or lack of it) I’d ask you to send your thoughts to her family.  We fellow bloggers are missing her but imagine how her family must be at this time.  Knowing someone is dying never seems to prepare one for the event itself…..