A selection of photos from the Barthomley Flower Festival, including some lovely willow bells!

We attended the Smallholders Show at Reaseheath College on Sunday 4th July

It was a fantastic day, there were a number of smallholders, trade exhibitors and craft exhibitors from Cheshire and surrounding areas.

I have made myself a profile on 'blurb' - a networking site for artists in Staffordshire - check it out here - enjoy!

Determined to make the best use of the extra day we had booked off we were setting off at 9am. Ok, it didn't happen but by 11am we were heading for the M6 - at least we missed any rush hour traffic!

We went to Carlisle stopping at Westmorland Services for a coffee and a cake and to admire the 'Coffee Tree.'

We drove to Birdoswald Fort so Patrick could achieve his ambition of visiting Hadrian's Wall.

My first session with Ed. I decided to learn how to make a Perigourd. This is made like no other basket I had made before so everything I had done before was of no use to me whatsoever! I think the fact that I used to plait my hair when it was long was more useful! By 2.30 the basket was almost finished - just the border and handle to do! It didn't look bad either!

A real Luxury - someone to tidy the Garden - and it wasn't me! To cope with all the composting that I knew there would be I decided that this was the time to make the biodegradeable composter that I had been promising myself. I set to work but after a while began to feel a bit stingy about the amount of willow that this would take up. I decided that I may aswell use the materials that were to be compsoted. Starting with the broom, moving onto lilac and ivy, the composter was really growing quickly! By the time it was almost finished -there was not much to put in it!

This was the busiest we have ever been at Rode Hall. I had made some dragonflies to sell. I took willow to make wigwams in the quiet moments. The dragonflies proved so popular that I had to be diverted from wigwams to dragonfly production. In the end I had to stop as the willow was getting too thick for dragonflies and was not kind to my hands! We ended up taking orders and delivering them over the next week!

Nearly all of the Bartholmley Belles had been able to make this the last session. Some still did not believe that it could happen still. We worked on with the bells and by the end of the evening there were seven lovely willow bells. There is always one point with sculpture when you cannot see that it is going to work, then all of a sudden everything is right! Well done ladies, and thank you for trusting in me!

I do not know how they arranged the weather but it was a lovley day. The brand spanking new play area was lovely and well used today.  Lots of families came out and had a great time. We had a lot of interest, children and adults having a go at weaving! I do not know why they always leave it until 10 minutes before the end to descend on our pitch though - just means we end up being the last to leave!

Well the play area was still not quite finished but the party still happened! the juggler was very popular, and quite rightly - he was brilliant! We helped produce lots of willt baskets and had many satisfied customers!