Reeth via Muker and Arkengarthdale

Hello my lovely friends. You join me today, on a little pick-me-up afternoon out. Yes we all need them now and again don't we and today was my turn.  We tootled over to Muker in Swaledale. You join us just as we get to the hair raising bit on the Buttertubs Pass (see the start of the safety barriers or as Jeremy Clarkson calls it...the little green hosepipe!) As I've mentioned before the Buttertubs Pass takes us over the top of the fells from Wensleydale to Swaledale and is quite breathe-taking if a little bit scary.

and down into...

Beautiful Swaledale.

To the left we have the tiny village of Thwaite but we're turning right to...

Lots of stone barns, blue sky and buttercup meadows.

A little stop for lunch at Muker Village Tea Room

and enjoyed our surroundings

It would have been rude not to visit the Swaledale Woollens shop. Yes that is a sheep on the roof. (Not a real one!)

Look what we spied through the door to the stock room! A label clearly saying 'Prince Charles Order', OOOO Er!

Yes apparently he has his gloves hand knitted here. Now there's a good quiz question for you, if you are ever in need of a good quiz question that is!

Next door is the gift shop and gallery.

Back in the car now and a little detour to somewhere that I've never been to before...

Arkengarthdale.

Small and compact, this is the village pub.

Turn the car around and back on our short journey to Reeth.

Aaaaah, good to be out of the car again, bimbling about amongst natures pretties.

little houses

Pretty places to stay

Pretty places to eat

Pretty places to shop

Much prettiness

at every turn

don't you think.

Not to mention pretty decent prices too

Time to head home

back through Muker

past secret waterfalls

and over Fell tops

over the Buttertubs again (I don't like this side, it's even closer to the green hosepipe!)

we've dodged lots of sheep on our way home.

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Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did, if you fancy your own virtual ride over the Buttertubs Pass there are lots on You Tube even one by Jeremy Clarkson apparently!

Who'd have thought!
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Love Fi x

A New Bag for Me, Yipee!

I'm feeling the need to back-track a little today.

I'm really going to have to post much more frequently if I'm going to keep up with all the photos I've taken for you. Take todays post, this project was finished a month ago! That's very bad blog house keeping isn't it? Tut, tut!

This is my new bag!

Yes, MY new bag!

Not for anyone else.

Not to be gifted.

But one for little old me, Yippee!

As you know I'm a kinda pink, flowery sort of girl.

after all, I chose the name MarmaladeRose.
(I like the way it forms in your mouth when you say it.)

Mar-ma-lade-rose

You can't help but end with a pout!

You just tried it didn't you? LOL!

I've made several of this style bag now and I have to say it's my favourite.

Very roomy!

Well a girl needs room for her blog camera and spare batteries, and a ball of wool and a crochet hook is a must at all times!

This little pocket that I've embellished was once a pair of my daughters corduroy jeans. Hence the need to crochet a cover for the metal Tesco's Cherokee button.

Ta-daa!

Big, flowery, pink, girly, soft, squishy and MINE!

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Love Fi x

My week in pictures.

Well, the parts that were suitable to photograph.

A journey to Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend. (Being in the car for nearly 3 hours is very boring when you are 15.)

and when your 5 and a half!

This is my Mum and Dads house over in East Yorkshire. You can just see the beautiful Wisteria under the bedroom window.

Sneaky dog enjoys Grandpa's pretty garden, there are lots of little paths and bushes to sniff around.

But before you know it it's time to...

head back home to North Yorkshire and rolling hills and brooding skies.

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Bank Holiday Monday brought glorious sunshine for the village fair.

Shiny red tractors to guess the weight of.

Traditional Maypole dancing by the village school children. (sorry I managed to miss it, must have been rummaging on the brick-a-brack stall!)

Sweet little babies taking an afternoon nap in the sunshine.

These were little Shetland ponies.

Plenty of folk taking in the village scenery.

No village fair in England would be complete without Morris Dancers.

Pretty cottages.

Stone Barnes.

A glorious day in all.

(if you've got very good eyesight you might just see a castle in the background to the right.)

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A couple of days later I received a parcel from the lovely Sandi all the way from Australia.

Look at this beautiful handmade card, just the right shade of vintage dusky pink.

And look what was inside!

The most gorgeous teacup fabrics and lengths of lace. Isn't it wonderful how one little person who you've never met before, thousands of miles away on the other side of the world can touch your life in such a lovely thoughtful way. Thank you sooooo much Sandi for making me feel very special.
~~~

Yes ladies, I even managed a little 20 minutes out in the garden... how are you doing with yours?

Sneaky dog was much more interested in this...

Not taken from a very good angle I grant you but when Wonderful Man very kindly climbs over a wall and balances in the mud for you, you can't be picky can you.

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It's our new hen house!

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Yes, our little household is growing.

I'll introduce you to

Cluck,

Margery,

Geraldine

and

Lady Gaga

very soon.
~~~

Bye for now

love Fi x

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P. S. The parts that weren't suitable to photograph were, me snoozing in the sunshine quite a lot, barbecuing in the rain, sitting outside the our local pub indecently late into the night ssssh! Having my my oldest and bestest friend from school come and stay, and a lovely evening spent in an Indian restaurant with dear friends.

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Aaaah bliss.

I'm off to check up on your week now.