Inspiration

After not quite two years, Charlie and I were back together in Dorset.

It was a beautiful evening on Friday when I arrived, from a project. I'd collected Charlie from Dorchester station. It was so strange being in our familiar haunts again.

We were staying that afternoon with Chris and Caddy.  The light glowed. Here's an apple tree in Caddy's garden, looking as if it's stepped straight out of a painting by Samuel Palmer.

Amazing irises in the veg garden.  We were constantly struck by how much later this spring is in Orkney.  The little heatwave of late April had really made a difference.

Caddy's veg garden, which is no stranger to regular readers of the blog, is just perfect.  Quiet, gentle, unassuming and just right - just like her.

Then we visited Kate at her new place, and then back to a lazy afternoon and a sleep after lunch and an early supper.  The next morning in bright sunshine we were back in Littlebredy for the almost first time since we'd left (I'd briefly passed through a few months ago to say hello to Mum's grave).

The cows were in exactly the same spot under the beech trees, the view down to Kingston Russell House completely unchanged.

The main reason we were back was for a wonderful celebration.  After many years, the restoration of the stained glass windows was complete!  It was five years ago now, actually, at Easter 2021, that I launched an appeal through the pages of this blog to help raise money for the church windows. You may remember that my studio made a matching fund and in a short time, through incredible generosity of many readers here, we raised £30,000 towards the project.  One of our neighbours, and a lover of this little church, had made an unbelievably generous donation in memory of his wife, who so sadly died around that time.  And then the village itself rallied around and raised a great deal of money for the windows, which were in a terrible state.

We then had to get all our approvals from the Diocesan Approval Committee, which was a bureaucratic nightmare which nearly finished us off, and took years to complete.  In this task we were greatly aided by Dan, the church architect, and the great patience of Tim, one of the churchwardens.  Finally, we got there, and just as we were leaving Littlebredy, the works started.  It was a slow and careful task, carried out by another wonderful Dan, the glass artist. Finally, was Simon Crumbleholme, such a lovely builder, who looked after the stonework and all the enabling works. At the same time all the final bits and pieces that needed looking at in the church were attended to.  The roof is fully complete; the windows are beautifully restored, the church is in a better state than it has been in decades.  It's SUCH a good feeling.

So this is a thank you to many, many readers who contributed, from me and everyone still on the PCC of the church.  It's done!
Here's Simon, on the left, Dan Humphries, the stained glass artist and restorer in the centre, and Daniel Cantrell, our architect on the right.  Proud and happy smiles all round.

The windows are incredible now.

Mandy's beautiful flowers on the font.

All restored - even the casements open (for the first time in living memory).

Let the Light shine in!  We had a wonderful service followed by a great lunch in the old walled garden.  There's been a huge amount of change and upheaval in the village in the time since we left, so it was just lovely to see so many friends again.

Then it was back to Orkney.  Charlie went up a few days earlier than me and I came in on Friday.  It felt so good to be home!

Violets and primroses on all the verge sides.

The evenings are getting longer now. This was at 10pm down by the water.

The next morning.

More walks.

We have Charlie's dad, Gordon, and Sally staying with us. So a time for an explore down to the Midhowe Cairn and Broch.

Plenty of wildlife now!

The Broch - so wonderful, about 2500 years old.... Look at this view from the front door.

And here's the incredible Chambered Cairn next door - 6000 years old, or more.  Now enclosed in the beautiful hangar built in the late 1920s.

The famous Westness bluebells are coming out now.

Charlie's veg garden is next level. Lots of plans in the garden coming now.

In the woods.

I decided it would be good to record a bit of progress from up above, so I have recently bought a drone and I've been enjoying looking at this new perspective.

The old Victorian walled garden from above.

Friends for lunch today.  It felt like a Sunday.  We had a lovely time.  They almost missed the ferry back over to mainland.

And then Charlie and I went for a walk - the air was still, an amazing evening, with its mysterious light.

What is the name (is there a name?) for the sea when it gleams with a bright line of sunlight just on the horizon like this?

Dorset feels very far away. There's certainly more sense of space, and air, these days.