Tuesday 15 June 2021

Ever-so-slightly-obsessed!!

 After having spent quite some time researching background info for Selena's sampler...

...we decided to take ourselves off for a pootle around Blaenavon...

....where she lived her short life.

(I sent for her death certificate by the way.....and discovered that she died of "Scarlatina - 6 days" in December 1863 at the age of 21.)

Managed to find the site of her home...now an industrial estate...

....but went on down the hill towards Llanfoist and came across a VERY SPECIAL PLACE....

...called Garnddyrys.

This was made quite famous in Alexander Cordell's "Rape of the Fair Country" and is the forge site where Hywel and Iestyn Mortymer work.

It would no doubt have been horrendous in the early 19th century...

...but now.....is a very different story!

We have been over there a few times in recent weeks...

...and discovered something else on each subsequent visit.


Talk about views....rocks.....and slag heaps!! YES....slag heaps...


A view across to the Sugar Loaf...




Looking back at Pwll Du quarry site



Rocks and stones and lichens...





Tree-eating sheep...




Yum yum...




Furnace iron slag heaps...




...just look at the colours!!






I got soooooo inspired by all of this...
...that I just had to do some stitching!! :-D






What a view.....




A curious ram-lamb...




.....and a not-at-all-bothered butterfly!





Don't know what this bird is ...
...but it makes one hell of a racket.




I have other things on the go....

...a bit of cross stitch on a band sampler by istitch designs...





These are a S.A.L....  30 weeks long.....

...others are now 23 weeks in....

...I started last week and am only on week 6!!!

Good grief!!


Hope you are all safe and well...


xxxxx C