A Room of One's Own

It has been long time since I had a room all to myself that was just for sleeping in. I had a room in Scotland but it was also an office, sometimes a music room complete with piano and drum-kit plus a sewing machine.  

I got the keys to my Tavistock cottage on Monday then had a dreadful, dark drive back to the caravan in the rain so I decided to throw some things in the car the next morning and just move straight in. It is fantastic just to have a 10-15 minute commute to work. There is a park just across my road full of squirrels that Nessie loves. 

Moving in immediately was not without some drama. The gas meter was full of water, I ran out of metered electricity and there was quite a lot of an ex tenant’s stuff under the stairs and in the shed. I love the cottage, even though it needs some titivating. I collected a few boxes of things from the storage barn but cannot work out where to put anything in my doll’s-house sized kitchen cupboards. I need to move everything that could might get nibbled as there were definite signs of mouse activity.

It is a good job I am getting busy with pre-Christmas customer quilts at work, otherwise I would be yearning to be “at home” decorating, weeding and taking a shed full of junk to the dump.

Nella's 21st Birthday in Norwich

I drove 8 hours across country to Norfolk at the weekend, joining Freya and Fergus in celebrating Nella’s 21st birthday. The weather was like summer and we sat outside in a student beer garden on her birthday. We took the birthday cake to the beach at Sheringham and Nella declared it her best ever birthday. We had a lovely time, catching up and sharing many laughs. I made it back to Devon in just 7 hours, despite the autumn clock change, driving the last few hours in the dark. 

I am so excited to get the keys to my cottage in Tavistock so I don’t have to drive a 40 minute countryside commute in the rain and moorland mist!

MIA at Malvern

 For anyone wondering where I have been... I was working this weekend at Malvern Quilt show - will post properly when I get time! Nessie had a lovely holiday with friends. Did not get slow worm house but will take the wee cottage in Tavi;) update to follow xx

I now know lots about the Accuquilt cutting system and think it is great. I bought some cotton duck fabric for my new kitchen - woodcut style whales and sardines. I am not exactly sure what to do with it but have not bought any fabric for ages and just fancied it!

Here are some pics taken at Malvern and of Nessie's holiday:)

Can I Look After Endangered Garden Animals?!

I spent Sunday morning being interviewed by a prospective Landlord and am now having second thoughts about a house that I thought was ideal. I have to make sure that the endangered Slow Worms and Newts in the garden thrive. I am not allowed to paint anything even if it is scruffy and can be evicted at short notice if the garden is not correctly maintained. On the other hand, I also saw a Bedford Cottage in Tavistock which is rather small but the Landlady is considerably more relaxed;)

I don’t actually need to rush into anything at all but I would like not to negotiate the rural lanes in winter and would actually like to stop living out of a suitcase.

I had another busy week at work with my first 2 customer quilts, making Overlocker samples then making a Publisher presentation about the settings for a project class. 

In my spare time I trawled Facebook Marketplace, fantasising the junk furniture I could buy to replace the treasures that I sold before moving. I  bought a £10 hat stand, ostensibly for the house with the endangered species but I guess it can go anywhere. 

I met cousins at Hound Tor for a lovely, autumnal walk and spectacular views of Dartmoor. I was worried that I might run out of fuel on the way back to civilisation and be enveloped by mists then hunted down by a Hell Hound. Fortunately, Nessie and I made it safely back to re-fuel at the supermarket in Tavistock!

Exploring the Area

My main focus at work this week was messing about with the L890 Overlocker so I can make samples for a forthcoming Masterclass. It is a great machine and easy enough to switch modes from overlocker to overstitch but when experimenting it would be great to have about 3 machines all set up for different settings. I aim to come up with some kind of project that includes gathering, rolled hem, zips, quilting and fringing.

I had been disappointed by the lack of response any local letting agents but as soon as I expressed an interest in a terraced house in Launceston on Friday, I was invited for a viewing. The house is great and the commute would be about 30 minutes on sensible roads but I don’t want to get my hopes up as there are other interested parties. It would be nice not to share the shower with giant spiders. The medieval town was well served with cafes, independent shops, and a decent Tesco with a Cornish pasty shop inside. My sat-nav took me on a convoluted tour so now I also know where to find the leisure centre. 

Nessie and I went on an expedition to an Apple Festival in Bere Ferrers that I had seen advertised.  The roads got narrower and even my Mini had to breathe in. Eventually we arrived in a tiny village, completely overwhelmed by visitors and a slightly odd event inspired by the apple harvest. There were Morris Dancers, a demonstration of wood turning, a display of different apples and a pie competition. People took along bags of apples and could get them juiced into old milk cartons. 

Our next stop was Tavistock, where I hoped to buy a 21st birthday present for Nella. I could have bought vegan goodies in the Refill shop but the shop-keeper sternly warned that Scottie Dogs were not allowed in. 

Our next stop was the Strawberry Fields farm shop which was holding an impressive Pumpkin Event. There was a great selection of local produce for sale and as many pumpkins as you could fit in the car.

It is weird not having a house or a workshop to potter in. It is not easy to jump in the car from here and go somewhere without driving for ages so I have just been rather “lazy” on my days off. I should try to make the most of it before I have to take back possession of my stuff and sort it all out. 

Settling In

I have completed my official first “normal” week at Quilt Direct, getting up every morning and getting to work on time. The 45+ minute journey is getting easier, apart from the lane leading to the main road which will never get easier. 

Monday was a bit intense with so much to do, stock-taking after the Open Days and not really having a plan. After that I got out my notebook to prioritise what needs doing which is very  much subject to change. I had an all-day pupil on one of my days which was great and she thoroughly enjoyed herself. One of my jobs which is very time consuming is putting together a catalogue of quilting designs. It is by no means exhaustive, just something to get customer quilts started. I have had quite a few enquiries from my Scottish customers so we need to get pricing and postage agreed. 

Another of my missions is to make some samples for the L890 overlocker. This involves experimenting with threads and stitches, sometimes dealing with tangles if I have been over ambitious. 

There are all sorts of other things I could be doing if time allows. I would like to photograph all of the quilts that are stored on top of cupboards, print those pictures then attach them onto a label so it is easy to identify where to find particular projects. 

I had a 3-day weekend to fill so I explored Okehampton and faffed around for ages in each of its smallish supermarkets. Instead of buying posh Waitrose strawberries, I opted for the cheaper Lidl strawbs which turned out to be rather jammy so you do get what you pay for. Okehampton had a standard mixture of shops, including a couple of charity shops, cafes and hairdressers but I thought the small guitar shop / cafe looked cool. 

I drove down a fair distance into Cornwall to Penryn near Falmouth to meet Mel and visit Enys Gardens which was hosting an antiques fair. There was a good selection of stalls, some of which were selling things that I let go for a song prior to moving. It was a lovely sunny day and the gardens were amazing - a historical plant collector had planted specimens from New Zealand and Patagonia and we even saw a banana tree with mini bananas which makes me think it must be frost-free there. 

I stayed in Looe on Saturday night but the next day was blowing a hoolie which meant no beach trip for Nessie. Instead we offered advice on how Mel could tackle her first on-point quilt before deciding that it would be wise to head home before the storm got worse. The distance is not that great but it takes ages to get anywhere here as there are not many straight roads so it took me more than 2 hours to get back, with a detour and fuel stop. 

I have been listening to the rain pummel the caravan roof, got my stuff sorted for work and will enjoy a pasty for my tea:) We will have to get our timing just right for walkies otherwise we will get soaked - again!

Getting into a New Routine

I have no idea how people find time for hobbies in the evening after work. I am getting used to the idea of getting up at early every day, not wasting time on social media, getting ready for the day, going for a dog-walk and making sure I leave on time for work. The journey takes about 45 minutes and the worst part is the single track, bendy, hilly, bumpy stretch until I reach the main road. We had a final burst of summer this week and it was too hot to take Nessie to work if she had to have time-out in the car so I left her behind where she made friends with my landlord, who very kindly offered to take her out during the day. 

The caravan is comfortable and because it is of a certain age, I don’t worry too much about trailing grass in or dusting the cobwebs. It is good for now but I won’t be joining any clubs or going out in the evening while I am here. Once I have made it back and wrestled with my farm gate that is it for the night!

I had a very busy first week at Quilt Direct, starting off with a 2-day machine embroidery masterclass, learning how to hoop and alter a design. I had an embroidery machine years ago but did not really get to grips with it because I did not have any tuition. The other participants went away with so much confidence that they would be able to use their machines for all sorts of projects. 

We had a day scurrying around getting ready to host 3 open days to coincide with the Tavistock Goosey Quilters’ Exhibition. Lots of people called in to look at machines, participate in demos and  see some of the quilting goodies that Quilt Direct offers. 

Unusually, I only have one day off this week and my plan is to take Nessie to the seaside for fish and chips, even if we do have torrential rain. I checked on the things that I have stored in the barn and had hoped to get some filming stuff out but the key to the filing cabinet is stashed away in a corner that I can’t access. The van delivery guy was great in that he delivered my stuff sort-of safely and single handed but it is in a bit of a muddle and I can’t find anything. I wish my chum Mo was here to help me sort it out!

It's a Long Way Away!

My dear friend, Mo helped me to pack up the last of my things before the van arrived on Tuesday. I always knew that it would have to go in two loads despite the optimism of the driver. It all got crammed in precariously ready to do the trip the next day. I spent the night in Glasgow and left early the next morning. The van man must have really put his foot down because while my trip took 12 long hours - he unloaded the stuff single-handed into a barn then headed back to Scotland and sent me a message to say that as I arrived in Devon he was 2 hours south of Edinburgh! 

My temporary home is a static caravan which is perfectly fine but when I arrived I was a bit overwhelmed by how remote it is. I spent the next day airing it out and hoovering up cobwebs then went off in search of a supermarket. I discovered that Satnav often does not work here so I drove around in circles for a while. I have a 5 mile section of bumpy, single track road before I reach a “proper” road which is terrifying but so far my Mini is doing a great job. It is 50 minutes to Tavistock which is too much so I need to find somewhere more convenient as soon as possible.

Luckily, I had plans for the weekend and headed to Looe on the South-East Cornish coast to stay with my friend, Mel. We had a lovely time wandering around the little town, harbour and beach and had the best cream tea in sunny late-summer weather. 

Last Post from Brigton Farm

I have been in a strange state of Limbo this week with the bulk of the packing done except for last day stuff such as my bedroom and everything else that I may have forgotten. I took some things to the Red Cross shop, some more bits and bobs to the Deeside Vintage Emporium then de-listed everything I still had for sale on E-bay, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace. It was all quite an effort but raised funds towards the move. Apart from all of the packing boxes, my workshop looks a bit forlorn now that the last of my fabric stash has been collected by a buyer!

I headed to Glasgow for a couple of days to catch up with the Children and we had some lovely meals together, went junk-shopping (without buying) and rejigged Fergus’ laundry pulley which kept getting snagged. It is a great way of drying laundry in a flat but not ideal when you are ducking under damp clothes while cooking. Summer finally arrived for a couple of days in September and was possibly the nicest weather in Glasgow since July.

It was fun zipping around the city in the Mini but some other drivers are dangerous eejits. I am still getting used to it and it took me a while to figure out how to de-mist the windows. It has to go back to the garage the day before the move to get a new radio and fix the mirrors which seem to be stuck. There have been a few minor teething problems like that so fingers crossed it is all sorted before the big drive South!

I have tried to make the most of the down time because the moving and driving days are likely to be full-on. I don’t really want to unpack because the thought of moving it all again is daunting. I don’t think it has really sunk in that I am actually leaving Brigton Farm. I am certainly embarking on a new adventure and next week’s blog will be from Devon!!!