Musing in Museums

This last week I have been on holiday in Glasgow where I spent the day in the Kelvingrove Museum.

Wonderful architecture

There is such a variety of things to explore and feast the eyes on, some things are more frivolous than others.

Welly Dog

Beauty can be found around ever corner.

Art Nouveau beauty

The light fittings are a wonder to behold and far better than the modern energy saving bulbs.

Crowns of light

In the prehistoric section there were various dinosaur skeletons. 

Balance is not my best attribute

This hogback stone grave dates back to Viking times. It was called hogback as the shape resembles a hog's back.

Primitive carving

I found this Viking ladder fascinating. The skill and craftmanship is inspiring when you think of the primitive tools they had to use.

A ladder to the stars

African masks are symbolic and use an amazing variety of recycled materials in their construction.

What message is revealed in this face? 

No longer politically correct but full of humour are these postcards about the characteristics of females. No prizes for guessing that they must have been composed by men.

Women rule OK?

This wonderful gesso panel made by Margaret Macdonald shows an incredible skill using this medium.

Stunning craftmanship

Having just started to learn to knit I loved the retro look of this machine knitted cardigan made by Kid Knit.

Knit one

The ingenuity of people is always fascinating. The first mail boat sent from St Kilda in 1876 used this method. The wooden boat held the letter and postage stamps which were sealed inside a cocoa tin. Also supplies were requested by this same method.

St Kilda mailboat

The hippo has the biggest mouth of any land animal. It can open it's mouth 150 degrees.

Open wide

This butterfly has lovely wing patterns.

Wonderful camouflage

There is always something interesting to see when you visit a city. This lovely sculpture was on the front of a building. This type of artwork is from a time gone by.

Two beautiful ladies

I love street performance. How does this man stay vertical without any help?

Golden marvel

On the day we left for Glasgow we were up early enough to see the sunrise. 

Golden delight

Fish, Farming and Flowers

Last Thursday I was up very early to go to the Westmorland Show at Crooklands near Kendal. This is a very popular agricultural show with lots to see.
This is a cow skull. Cows teeth grow in layers and as they get older they build up several layers of teeth.

Cow skull, look at the size of the eye socket

The sheep skull is a lot smaller.

Sheep skull

This cow is unusual in that it does not have a skull.

A rare breed

The were a variety of rural crafts being demonstrated. Coopering ie. barrel making is a skilled art.

Beer barrel construction

These are skep beehives that are a very early type of hive. You had to be careful when you lifted them up to collect the honey.

Bee ware

The Wensleydale Longwool sheep have a fleece that is a mass of tight silken ringlets. For the first year only the fleece is so long it almost touches the ground. Unlike many types of fleece this fleece is valuable and is bought by spinners as far afield as Russia and China. There is also a breed of black Wensleydale Longwool sheep but for traditional reasons they are not allowed to be exhibited in shows.

Does anyone have any hair straighteners?

This beautiful Longwool fleece won a prize in the show.

Fabulous fibre

This Ayrshire is wearing his champion sash of prize beast.

A right champion

Highland cattle can be both a sandy colour and also black. They have a very long coat to withstand the climate.

Och the moo

Pigs come in all shapes and sizes. The pig coat is very coarse and they look as though they are going slightly bald as the hair sparse.

Tamworth pig

Pigging out

This little pig went to market

I made some flower arrangements for the visit of the Bishop of Lancaster.  

Pink splendour

Sunny sunflowers

Yellow sunshine

There are still a few flowers that are having a second flush of growth.

Rosy geum

Pretty pink clematis with russet foliage

This dahlia is one of the flowers that is flourishing at this time of the year.

Starbright

In the Artful Garden we have pruned the blackcurrant bushes as you do this after they have finished fruiting.

Short back and sides

The leeks are beginning to swell.

A line of leeks

This deadly nightshade flower is so pretty but beware the berries are poisonous.

Beware

Poisonous nightshade berries

The briar rose has such a delicate perfume.

Simplistic beauty with a delicate perfume

This lovely white seat I found in the grounds of Hexham Abbey I love the shape and style. 

To sit and contemplate

Some Koi kites have arrived in the Artful Garden to brighten up the Autumnal days.

Fishing about

Carping on

A shoal of fish

Fish dancing with dragonflies

This is the time of year for moody skies.

Mysterious

A view from Alston moor looking to the Lakeland hills

Ode to Autumn

Season of mist and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatched-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

Extract from Ode to Autumn by John Keats 

This week it has been very autumnal. We have had some deluge rain that unearthed the sunflowers in the Artful Garden so that they were lying across the path. I managed to stake them back up again and their sunny faces are once again shinning from up high.

I visited Croft House farm at Houghton last Friday and they had a young orchard ladened with fruit.

Apple tree loaded with fruit

Scrummy pears

These lovely white geese kept waddling away from me when I was trying to take a photo.

Waddling geese

This begonia flower is so vibrant when you see it from both the front and the back of the flower head.

 Glowing Begonia

Sunset pink on the reverse

The carthamus are bright orange pom poms in my front garden.

Spiky orange pom poms

The hedgerows are all looking dull. Many of the plants have gone to seed and berries are now forming.

Bright red rowan berries on the rowan tree.

Rich rowan berries

The hawthorn berries are also red and good food for the birds in the winter.

Hawthorn beads

The leaves of the horse chestnut tree are very large. The horse chestnuts are just beginning to ripen.

Horse chestnut leaf

If you look close you can see the chestnuts

An unripe horse chestnut

The Rosebay willowherb has gone to seed.

Rosebay willowherb spires

The thistles seeds look like little ballet skirts.

Thistle ballet skirts

Farmers are gathering straw in the fields. The bales are oblong and round.

Square and round

I visited Penrith Cooperative store and found these lovely exhibits from a time gone by.

How many of these do you recognise?

How many of these have you used?

Pretty old china

Lovely old biscuit tins

My Autumn raspberries are starting to ripen and I am collecting fruit every other day.

Scrumcious

We are still getting fleeting milky sunsets.

Golden haze