Up and Down the Devon Coast

Sunday morning saw mist over the sea. I went for an early walk along the beach and was greeted with a glorious sunrise over the water. 

It is always so wonderfully peaceful at this time of day.

The view across the bay to Brixham was beautiful

and a cormorant sitting on a rock. It was high tide so the water was lapping up against the sea wall.

When the Saint was up and fed we set off for a drive up the coast to Teignmouth where we stopped in a quaint coffee shop called The Coffee Rush in Shaldon. They had restored the building leaving this bit in the wall exposed behind glass, showing the old cob contraction.

The butter was truly scrumptious!

Afterwards we walked around the town. I saw a beautifully decorated building with fox heads painted on it

and then passed a fun sign in a house window.

Across the water was a lovely view towards Teignmouth. We spent a lovely afternoon exploring the area and driving along the river.

On the way back we stopped to walk along the headland near the apartment which gave us a different view of the bay islands.

In the park, the Douglas fir trees were laden with pollen, yes, all that yellow stuff on the branches which drifted off them in a yellow mist as the breeze swept through.

One last glance across the bay before we left.

The following morning, I took my early morning walk in the mists which burnt off later allowing brilliant sunshine in Torquay.

The family dressed for spring and we headed down the coast to Plymouth were we found the mist had settled in for the day. It was cold. 

It had us scavenging in charity shops for warm clothing for the girls. I am seldom caught by this country's whims anymore and travel well prepared. The Saint was grateful for the jersey that I had packed for him too.

 We went in to the Marine Aquarium which brightened everyone's spirits. Photography was quite challenging here with water movement so enjoy these although they are not great.

The little crab here was smaller than a 10p piece

 I love the colours of these sea anemones.

 Where's Nemo.....?

Afterwards we went back to find the sunshine at the apartment in Torquay and I stood spinning on the balcony watching the sun dress the islands in pink as it set.

The Journey and The Arrival

We left on a dark cloudy day heading down to Devon. Up at the Hardy Monument the view over the hills to Weymouth and Chesil Beach was stunning. 

In Colyford there is a museum with an old garage like one I remember from when I was a child.

Across the road the Wheelwright Inn offered a comforting refuge. I loved the thatched bar

and the comfy sofas on the opposite side of the room.

The sugar bowl was quirky. We had a truly delicious meal here and stayed far longer than we intended and planned to stop here on our return.

Across the road from the Inn, in a garden was a treehouse which made me smile. I have spent many happy hours in one of these.

We took a short walk to settle our lunch and found the tram that runs across the fields between Colyford and the beach.

After another couple of hours we arrived at the apartment which was in this beautiful Regency building. Every room had a wonderful view of the sea. It was breathtaking and the sun was shining.

I took these photos from the gardens on our walk down to the beach.

This one is the view across the bay to Brixham and the lighthouse at the point.

Someone created this beautiful sandcastle on the beach which was gone the following morning as the waves were lapping against the sea wall because of the full moon. It reminded me that all we create has a life time of its own. 

I love the pebbles here with the lines that run through them in all directions. The colours are delightful too.

We clambered over the rocks and the Saint found a lookout point

and investigated rock pools along the way.

All the while the sun was dipping down towards the horizon on its journey to the other side of the world.

As it ducked behind the head, we made our way back along the beach enjoying its last rays.

Woven Photograph

A few years ago I came across an article in Weavezine (http://www.weavezine.com/content/leaf-cabbage-and-rose). It intrigued me and I really wanted to attempt the technique. 

Over the Christmas holidays while walking though the mall, I saw a stall printing photos on canvas and I had an idea to combine two of my favourite hobbies. This project was born. 

The photo, however, is not one of mine. It was taken by a dear friend who has just started exploring photography and I thought I would surprise her. I had a A3 print made of it and it waited patiently for me to complete the project that was on my loom.

Finally I was able to start. 

On the back I measured quarter inch increments, numbered them and cut them into strips.

I wound a warp in the Theo Moorman technique and dressed the loom. This technique involves thick threads that weave the backing fabric 

and fine ones that hold the inserted strips in place. Here I have the fine threads raised so you can see them.

The sample showed that the strips would lie flat and next to each other. (I apologise for the blurred photo.)

My first mistake was evident when the lines of the cut strips did not match each other and make up the picture. Although the strips were placed in the correct position, I put them in the wrong way around. It created an interesting effect which I will experiment with another time but for this project, I wanted the photo whole so this bit was unwoven 

and rewoven correctly so that each strip matched up exactly to the next one.

It grew marvellously quickly and was great fun to weave. You can see the fine threads that are holding the canvas down.

Soon it was complete and cut off the loom.

Once again I apologise for the next two blurred photos but they are the only ones I have. This is the back. I machine stitched the strips down just over the edge of the grey fabric and steam ironed it flat 

before cutting away the excess canvas.

I hemmed the sides then the top and the bottom to cover the canvas strips

and inserted thin dowel sticks in to the top and bottom seam to make a frame. Lastly I made a twisted hanging cord.

This was a fun, quick project to make and one I enjoyed immensely. When I do this again, I will make the framing fabric larger.